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Flight over the volcano

03.10.2006

The Cotopaxi volcano (the highest active volcano on the planet, 5897 meters) is located just 55 kilometers from the capital of Ecuador, the two-millionth city of Quito.

A dangerous neighbor needs constant monitoring. Until recently, it was conducted from helicopters and light aircraft, but this method is too expensive.

The Institute of Aerospace Engineering in Braunschweig (Germany) has created an unmanned aerial vehicle "Carollo R-330" with a wingspan of 330 centimeters, capable of flying to altitudes of up to 7000 meters. An airplane weighing 5 kilograms carries cameras and various sensors. It is controlled by an autopilot the size of a pack of cigarettes, it includes a gyroscope, a satellite navigation receiver and a microcomputer.

By design, "Carollo" is a motor glider with an electric drive: the energy of a battery weighing 1100 grams allows you to rise up and soar there using ascending air currents. Carollo is already being used by Ecuadorian volcanologists to photograph fresh lava flows from the Cotopaxi crater and other volcanoes. The device costs 20 thousand euros, but it pays off in ten flights.

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The symbiosis of fungi and plant roots is able to withstand extreme conditions of low gravity and exist in soil that is practically devoid of organic matter.

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Such modified plants will also be able to increase yields on Earth, as well as reduce the greenhouse effect, but their properties must still be fully investigated before global implementation.

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