What is \'Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)\', recently in the news? (UPSC Prelims 2016)

Question

The correct answer is [A] Electric plane tested by NASA.Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) is a prototype aircraft developed by engineers at NASA\'s Langley Research Center. It was designed to explore the feasibility of a high-efficiency vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle.

Design and Propulsion (Option A - Correct): The GL-10 is a remotely piloted, battery-powered electric plane. It features 10 engines (eight on the wings and two on the tail) and uses distributed electric propulsion. This configuration allows it to take off vertically like a helicopter and then rotate its wings to fly efficiently like a conventional airplane.
Key Capabilities: The prototype has a 10-foot (approx. 3.05 meters) wingspan and weighs about 62 lbs (28 kg). It successfully demonstrated the transition from hover mode to wing-borne flight during testing in 2015.
Utility: Potential applications for this technology include small package delivery, long-endurance aerial surveillance for agriculture, and mapping. NASA also envisioned scaling the design for a one-to-four-person personal air vehicle.
Other Options (Incorrect): Options B, C, and D refer to different types of aerospace projects (solar-powered aircraft, space observatories, or reusable rockets) which are unrelated to the specific GL-10 research project conducted by NASA.

Greased Lightning GL-10 Successful Transition TestThis video from NASA Langley Research Center showcases the GL-10 prototype successfully transitioning from a vertical hover to efficient horizontal flight during its flight validation experiments.

GKToday Admin · Accepted Answer

Electric plane tested by NASA The correct answer is [A] Electric plane tested by NASA.Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) is a prototype aircraft developed by engineers at NASA\'s Langley Research Center. It was designed to explore the feasibility of a high-efficiency vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle.

Design and Propulsion (Option A - Correct): The GL-10 is a remotely piloted, battery-powered electric plane. It features 10 engines (eight on the wings and two on the tail) and uses distributed electric propulsion. This configuration allows it to take off vertically like a helicopter and then rotate its wings to fly efficiently like a conventional airplane.
Key Capabilities: The prototype has a 10-foot (approx. 3.05 meters) wingspan and weighs about 62 lbs (28 kg). It successfully demonstrated the transition from hover mode to wing-borne flight during testing in 2015.
Utility: Potential applications for this technology include small package delivery, long-endurance aerial surveillance for agriculture, and mapping. NASA also envisioned scaling the design for a one-to-four-person personal air vehicle.
Other Options (Incorrect): Options B, C, and D refer to different types of aerospace projects (solar-powered aircraft, space observatories, or reusable rockets) which are unrelated to the specific GL-10 research project conducted by NASA.

Greased Lightning GL-10 Successful Transition TestThis video from NASA Langley Research Center showcases the GL-10 prototype successfully transitioning from a vertical hover to efficient horizontal flight during its flight validation experiments.

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