Nanoflyer
Abstract
A recent proposal to use electrostatic forces to lift and propel a small airborne vehicle is examined. We show here that although this is permitted by the laws of physics, it is very inefficient, and is limited to low areal loads by the requirement to avoid electric breakdown. Electrostatic propulsion offers no special advantages which might justify the price of its inefficiency.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 13, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA331791
Entities
People
- J. Katz
- R. Garwin
- W. Press
Organizations
- MITRE Corporation