Nuna 1
Encyclopedia
Nuna 1 was a car powered by solar-power, developed by students from the Delft University of Technology
.
The first Nuna Team (The so-called Alpha Centauri Team) was founded in 2000 by Ramon Martinez and Tim de Lange. The project was sponsored by Nuon
. Thanks to this financial help the team was able to finish their first car: Nuna 1. The team consisted mainly out of students from the Delft University of Technology
who were guided by former astronaut Wubbo Ockels
.
The Nuna won the World Solar Challenge
in Australia
in 2001, the race started in Darwin
in the north to Adelaide
in the south. It was the first time that the Dutch team participated in the race. The 3021 km long race was finished in 32 hours and 39 minutes, breaking the old record by the Honda
-team from 1996 (33 hours and 32 minutes). The average speed was 91.8 kilometer per hour.
(ESA) was about to test these cells in space in early 2003, when the technology-demonstrating SMART-1 mission was scheduled to launched to the Moon.
A small strip of silicon
solar cells on the side of the car was very special for a different reason: the communication equipment was powered by a strip of cells that originally belonged to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
. These cells were part of a large solar array, retrieved by ESA astronaut Claude Nicollier
and brought back to Earth in 1993 with a Space Shuttle
. They have been donated to the Alpha Centauri Team as a special mascot.
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
.
The first Nuna Team (The so-called Alpha Centauri Team) was founded in 2000 by Ramon Martinez and Tim de Lange. The project was sponsored by Nuon
Nuon
Nuon is a technology that adds features to a DVD player. In addition to viewing DVDs, one can play 3D video games and use enhanced DVD navigational tools such as zoom and smooth scanning of DVD playback. One could also play CDs while the Nuon graphics processor generates synchronized graphics on...
. Thanks to this financial help the team was able to finish their first car: Nuna 1. The team consisted mainly out of students from the Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
who were guided by former astronaut Wubbo Ockels
Wubbo Ockels
Prof. Dr. Wubbo Johannes Ockels is a Dutch physicist and a former ESA astronaut. In 1985 he participated in a flight on a space shuttle , making him the first Dutch citizen in space. He was not the first Dutch-born astronaut, as he is preceded by the naturalized American Lodewijk van den Berg, who...
.
The Nuna won the World Solar Challenge
World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2001, the race started in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
in the north to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in the south. It was the first time that the Dutch team participated in the race. The 3021 km long race was finished in 32 hours and 39 minutes, breaking the old record by the Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
-team from 1996 (33 hours and 32 minutes). The average speed was 91.8 kilometer per hour.
Solar cells
The car's shell was covered with the best dual junction and triple junction gallium-arsenide solar cells, developed for satellites. These cells had an efficiency of about 24%. The European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) was about to test these cells in space in early 2003, when the technology-demonstrating SMART-1 mission was scheduled to launched to the Moon.
A small strip of silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
solar cells on the side of the car was very special for a different reason: the communication equipment was powered by a strip of cells that originally belonged to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
. These cells were part of a large solar array, retrieved by ESA astronaut Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollier is the first astronaut from Switzerland, and has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight was in 1992, and his final spaceflight was in 1999. He took part in two servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope...
and brought back to Earth in 1993 with a Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. They have been donated to the Alpha Centauri Team as a special mascot.
Race
- Nuna qualified 11th
- 18 November 2001 - Day 1
- Nuna took the lead before the first checkpoint in the race
- End of day 1: Nuna is in the lead. 728 km in distance has been covered
- 19 November 2001 - Day 2
- Nuna slowed down in strong wind saving energy
- Australian aurora team overtook Nuna and build a 30 km lead
- Around 16:00, Aurora was once again in sight and Nuna re-took the lead.
- End of day 2: Nuna had a lead of 12.6 km over Aurora. M-Pulse lay in third place at 58 km and Solar Motions in fourth at 91 km.
- 20 November 2001 - Day 3
- Nuna vehicle maintains the lead in the race to reach Adelaide.
- End of day 3: Having travelled a total distance of 2100 km, the finish line is just 830 km away. The closest rival car, Aurora, is just 15 km behind Nuna, although third-placed M-Pulse is now trailing by more than an hour.
- 21 November 2001 - Day 4
- Nuna finishes first in a record-breaking time of 32 hours 39 minutes.