Squirt,
I really don't have a direct answer for that question. I will do some more looking for a possible answer. The only half way technical info directly related to the STRAT is the following which maybe you have already seen, the very last paragraph may or may not be the answer couple with GPS and motors for thrust to correct for wind?...thanks...rock
What about the wind at 65,000 feet? Will it affect the Stratellite?
Answer: A 60 mph wind at 65,000 feet has 1/18 the amount of force that at 60
mph wind at sea level has. It is still moving at 60 mph, but there are 1/18 the molecules in motion. Insofar as force is concerned, it could be said that a 60 mph wind at 65,000 feet would have the same force against the Stratellite as a 3 mile per hour wind would have at sea level.
When in the air, any airship, airplane, or balloon becomes part of the air mass through which it is moving. In other words, an airplane might be traveling EAST through a
BUBBLE OF AIR which also has motion. That is why you will sometimes see airplanes flying with their nose at an angle to their flight path. That is called 'crabbing into the wind.' They are trying to correct for the movement of the air mass through which they are moving. It is not uncommon for a plane traveling say EAST to be fighting a 'wind' that is coming from the NORTH. In actuality, it is a mass of air moving - the airplane does NOT feel any wind whatsoever. Consequently, to maintain his course over the ground, the pilot might fly a heading of 080 degrees to compensate for the 'wind' that is trying to blow him to the RIGHT of his intended course. It is NOT wind - it is air through which he is flying that is moving towards the south.
Newton’s law states that F=MA. Force is equal to mass times acceleration. In short, it takes a much greater wind force at 65,000 feet to accelerate the Stratellite’s mass to 60 mph.
2. What about in-flight flexibility?
Answer: The Stratellite has a flight program which performs 99.9% of the work. The vehicle can be monitored, if so desired, but is designed to fly on its' own. Stratellite has three onboard flight computers. Two act in concert with the third being an arbitrator. Any commands to Stratellite from the flight controllers on the ground arrive via the communications link. Data from the vehicle is conveyed to the controllers via the same link. Antenna tuning/adjusting can also be done remotely from the ground station.
3. What is so special about the design of the Stratellite?
Answer: The Stratellite utilizes aerodynamic shaping. It has a smaller x-sectional
frontal area than the more conventional airships, hence less frontal drag. Since it is long in shape, it can easily make use of its' own dynamic lift capability. In other words, it can use its' shape to generate additional lift if so desired. A spherical design cannot. Our design can fly very long distances and actually carry additional weight because of that factor.
The Stratellite is designed for maximum generation of electrical power during peak hours of sunlight. 70% of the solar array is operating during those hours. The solar array is so large that some miniscule amounts of electrical power will actually be generated at night from the light of the stars and the moon.
The electrical motors which propel the Stratellite are located very close to one another on the lower portion of the envelope. In the event of a catastrophic failure of one motor/propulsion fan/governor, the other is capable of propelling the ship. There would be no adverse control problems and the unit could function normally but at much reduced performance. It would operate much the same as a twin engine airplane when one of the engines is lost and feathered.
A spherical design requires inflation to maintain its' shape. The Stratellite utilizes a plastic structure to maintain shape. This allows us to design to fly at any altitude we desire.
4. How will the Stratellite get to its desired location?
Answer: The lifting gases expand with altitude and this provides the lift needed. Total helium requirement for initial inflation is around 69,000 cubic feet which will expand to nearly 17 times that volume at cruising altitude.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
