Staying afloat forever?

Based on basic principles of science we expect everything that flies in the skies to eventually come down to earth. However the new science project called the Albatross may be trying to defy this assumption. Australian scientists are trying to work on a glider which can stay in the air for as long as you need without landing.

At the Australian Center for Field Robotics in Sydney, Salah Sukkarieh is part of the project. The device is to use sensors to tell its auto pilot about changes in the wind speed and direction so that the best possible path can be worked out for the glider.

The glider can also alternate between the high speed air currents above and the slower winds below to generate kinetic energy which will increase its lift. A working prototype of the device is already in existence and improvements are being constantly made and tested on the glider.

Soon it may be possible for the glider to stay in the air for as long as possible. Probably stay in the sky for ever. It may seem like an impossible dream, or some kind of science fiction gadget, but it is in truth just another interesting science project.