Ever since the dawn of powered flight, it has been necessary for all aircraft to carry onboard fuel - whether in the form of batteries, fuel, solar cells, or even a human "engine" - in order to stay aloft.

But a team of researchers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., and the University of Alabama in Huntsville is trying to change that.

They have now chalked up a major accomplishment... and a "first." The team has developed and demonstrated a small-scale aircraft that flies solely by means of propulsive power delivered by an invisible, ground-based laser. The laser tracks the aircraft in flight, directing its energy beam at specially designed photovoltaic cells carried onboard to power the plane's propeller.

Full story here.

Thanks Hawklen

pssh.. a solar powered rc plane? i could have done that with a trip to the hobby shop and ordering two things. solar cells and a laser. but then i would have to somehow get a class 4 cert from the FDA to get something that powerful. or alot of laser pointers.
i thought they were going to do something like blast the back of it with a really powerful laser like they did with the spinning top thing.
dissapointing