Exciting news for those of you interested in airplanes and hydrogen, (so…everybody). The United States Special Ops has invested in a hydrogen powered drone plane. Oh boy!!! As some of you may know the Special Ops is in charge of the Navy SEALS, the Green Berets, and the Rangers (not the hockey team). They are also in charge of some less well known programs such as the 102nd Elephant Brigade, the Marines SMILEYFACES, the Army PumpkinPatch, and of course Jason Bourne.
The drone can travel for 5-7 days at altitudes around 60,000 feet. It was designed by AeroVironment, and sports the company’s large, but tastefully black logo on its wings. There are several theories flying around about the decision to use hydrogen. In January the government said, “Hydrogen power is a critical technology to achieve the long duration requirements of the UAS.” Others such as Dale from the trailer park down the way say it is just George W. Bush caving into “them yuppy liberals’” demands to make the war more green. Dale is an expert in his field…literally. (He grows tomatoes). Then there is Tim from the office next door who has “hard, undeniable evidence” that the plane is actually an H-bomb very sneakily disguised as a drone. Apparently, after seeking out a target it will eject its wings, and then plummet 60,000 ft and explode. Also, I guess there is an escape pod so the military gnomes flying inside can get safely away…Don’t necessarily take the frightening words of Tim to heart because he claims he is from Mercury, and that his mom was a banana. And come to think of it, I am not really sure if he works at the office; I think he actually lives in the box outside. These are some very intriguing theories though, and I tend to think I have an open mind, so will take them all into consideration before presenting a final report on the matter. For the purposes of this site, the important thing is that it is, in fact, powered by hydrogen. It seems everyone is seeing the value of alternative fuels, regardless of the reason.
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Woo woo Ethan has returned!