Aeroplane that reaches 80 km altitude !

Here is an outstanding reference from history; http://library.propdesigner.co.uk/solar_challenger.pdf

With 10% efficient panels to 10 000 ft.

Below an other reference...with frontal area, empty weight, min power.

Here are the latest specs using the best informed solar panels efficencies.

I counted it could reach 120 km at 20 000 km/h speed..with some added propellant !

120 km is above the acoustic gravity waves; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract

JamesG..is the ship big enuf now ?

You were right..it was too small.

When you said best informed solar panels efficiencies were you aware of the recent new record i know it was sept last year but I did not see many references to it on tech sites until late dec

http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-a ... efficiency

Also it strikes me that one of the reasons why I think it is a good idea to build big solar power power stations in space and microwave the energy back is that our atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of the energy so flying higher in cold air(as heat also reduces efficiency of PV solar cells) should change your efficiency profile have you taken that into account with your ideas?

Yes..I did know..but real life applications are still not available.

Unfortunately the really efficient flying with solar panels in still just a dream..but maybe in few years...Rice University has reached 30% on film thin and some others claim 50% in multilayer flat panels..in very very near future this kinda craft is reality.

Specs tuned for the right efficiency to get to even the moon.

Here is a new 10500 km/h top speed lunar pod ( absolute speed in space with out return ).

It holds two..if needed...titanium alu alloy heat shield plate is 12 kilos.

Graphene promises to be the unobtainium-like material that will make them possible, a strong structural material that can store (superconductive!)charge and be photo-voltaic as well.

Do you have any links to articles about Graphene as room temp superconductor IIRC I saw something that suggested that tin would be a room temp superconductor if it was formed into the same hexagonal thin sheets as Graphene but when I dug deeper it turned out to be a paper on the theoretical properties of such a sheet rather than a verifiable test on a real sheet. I have also seen stuff on Graphene used in prototype supercapacitors and knew it was a good conductor in certain directions but if it can superconduct and be part of a PV cell as well I really hope they scale up large sheet production soon.

Too tired to dig up links but if you google graphene you will get many hours of reading.

As I recall, it is being called "pseudo-superconductive".

Roger that JamesG !

Here are the Phobos-Mars-Phobos equipments !

Here is the orbital transporter indicated !

Here is how the intented OBERON ship might look like.

Solar energy drops off at the square of the distance away from the sun. Also your thrust line (the direction you need to accelerate in) will most often not be aligned with the Sun. So even rotating, many of your solar panels will be in shadow.

You would be better off with a pair of parabolic mirrors that can concentrate solar energy to heat your propellant and provide thrust and power.