A new technology has been developed to fly in Earth’s mesosphere, a layer of the upper atmosphere too thin to support traditional aircraft. The devices use photophoresis, a phenomenon that generates gas flow when light shines on an object, particularly strong at low pressures like those found in the mesosphere.
Physicist Benjamin Schafer and his team from Rarefied Technologies have created small, lightweight craft that can levitate in laboratory conditions mimicking the mesosphere. The devices are only centimeter-wide and weigh less than a milligram, making them incredibly fragile.
The design consists of two thin layers stacked on top of each other, with channels allowing gas flow between them. One layer absorbs sunlight, creating a temperature difference that generates an upward force. This technology has produced the largest lift forces for its weight among previously tested mesosphere surfers.
Researchers estimate that devices like these could be used to collect data on wind speeds, temperatures, and pressures in the mesosphere, or even explore the thin atmosphere of Mars. With this technology, scientists can finally unlock the secrets of the poorly understood “ignorosphere.”
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sunlight-lightweight-aircraft-mesosphere