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The Advanced Soaring Concepts Apex was a remotely piloted, high-altitude research sailplane developed by Advanced Soaring Concepts in collaboration with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center). The project aimed to study aerodynamic phenomena in the upper atmosphere, particularly at altitudes around 100,000 feet (30,480 meters), to inform the design of future high-altitude aircraft and potential Mars exploration vehicles.
Design and development
The Apex was based on a modified Schweizer SGS 1-36 sailplane, extensively redesigned to withstand the rigors of high-altitude flight. The airframe incorporated graphite/epoxy and boron/epoxy composites to achieve the necessary strength-to-weight ratio.
A distinctive feature of the Apex was its custom-designed wing, utilizing the "APEX-16" airfoil developed by Dr. Mark Drela of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This airfoil was optimized for stable flight in the low-density, low-Reynolds-number conditions of the upper atmosphere.