LOHAN flashes fantastical flying truss

Experimental Vulture 2 launch platform

Then it was just a matter of forming the triangular section...

...and sticking in the diagonal braces...

...before applying a coat of high-vis paint and handing the structure to apprentice boffin Katarina for the official roll-out photo:

We're just waiting on a bottle of helium and some balloons, and once they turn up we'll see if the thing flies with a camera attached.

Note that our cunning plan involves using the truss "upside down", but we're pretty sure it's strong enough in this configuration, which has the clear advantage of offering a substantial level launch platform and plenty of horizontal area to mount other kit, as you can see in our new LOHAN mission summary (click on image for a bigger version):

So, next up is a test flight for our model structure, and if it does the job we'll get to building a full-size version from carbon fibre tubes. Expect dramatic video footage of the fantastical LOHAN flying truss in due course...®

Further LOHAN resources:

• New to LOHAN? Try this mission summary for enlightenment.
• You can find full LOHAN coverage right here.
• All the LOHAN and Paper Aircraft Released Into Space (PARIS) vids live on YouTube.
• For our SPB photo archive, proceed directly to Flickr.
• We sometimes indulge in light tweeting, as you can see here.