While many aerospace products have been developed by cornerstone manufacturers like Boeing or by the Department of Defense, NASA has been a constant source of new technologies that find their way into the industry as well. Recently, "Helios," a solar-powered unmanned aircraft intended to act as a transmitter of broadband signals was successfully flown by its manufacturer, SkyTower, a subsidiary of AeroVironment. The aircraft was developed and built with funding provided by NASA. The plane's creators tout its potential to transmit telecom signals as being both less expensive than satellites and more efficient than transmission towers.

Design-wise, the broadband transmission plane is a far cry from a typical aircraft. Composed of a single, U-shaped wing, Helios is wider than a 747 Boeing but, at the same time, weighs less than a ton, a fact that allows it to become airborne at just 30 mph. It flies on the upper edge of the earth's atmosphere and is completely powered by alternate energy - solar cells during the day and fuel cells by night. Due to its self-replenishing fuel supply and relatively few moving parts, Helios can remain in the sky for up to half a year before being guided back to the ground by its Apple computer brain.

At an individual cost of $10 million each, Helios' proponents point out that it can be produced at a fraction of the cost of conventional communications satellites, which can have price tags upwards of $200 million each. This factor may be what ultimately designates the Helios aircraft as the transmitter of choice for the host of broadcast applications currently being explored by telecom companies. Earl Cox, director of Telecommunications at SkyTower, portrays his aircraft as a viable transmitter of fixed broadband, next-generation wireless, narrowband or direct broadcast applications at data rates of 1.5 megabits per second to 125 Mbps for a single user, a transmission rate that is on par with fiber optics.

Concerning the future of Helios, Cox says, "Our plan is to work with existing service providers to offer new services. We will be manufacturing and operating aircraft, as well as procuring and supervising development of payloads and customer premises equipment." Towards this end, SkyTower has begun seeking financiers for the manufacturing of the innovative aircraft. When and if the Helios project "gets off the ground" remains to be seen. Technical experts at the telecom companies SkyTower is courting have yet to pass judgement on the new technology. In order to establish its legitimacy, SkyTower may have to prove that the costs of investing in its aircraft will be offset by the coverage it provides.

Intended to operate at even greater distances from the earth's surface is NASA's Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA). The PSA is a small, softball-shaped robot equipped with tiny fans to allow it to navigate the confines of a spacecraft's cabin at zero gravity. Design-wise, it bears a striking resemblance to the floating orb Luke Skywalker spars against in Star Wars. As far as functionality is concerned, the PSA is intended to operate as a useful helper to astronauts. NASA has equipped the little mite with sensors to monitor atmosphere pressure and temperature and to detect when dangerous gases are present. Since individuals on the ground can manipulate the PSA, it gives the earthbound NASA team a "virtual presence" in the spacecraft. Speakers, microphones and voice recognition software combine to give the PSA the ability to listen and respond to astronaut's queries. The PSA could recite directions for difficult technical maneuvers or quote data pertinent to a particular situation.

Considering that NASA expects to have its PSA in orbit by 2004, and its Helios aircraft up in the air by 2003, the new millennium may start looking the futuristic age that we pictured last century.

Sources: NASA Flies to Broadband Rescue
Max Smetannikov
Interactive Week, Aug. 13, 2001
http://www.interactiveweek.com/article/0,3658,s%253D1825%2526a%253D12054,00.asp

Astronaut's Little Helper
David Orenstein
Business 2.0, Oct. 2001
http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,16902,FF.html

NASA Robot to Use Linux, Pentium III
Matthew Broersma
Linux Devices, July 25, 2001
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8416393595.html