The Scarlet Knight was a challenge from Dr. Rick Spinrad, who encouraged Rutgers to go bigger. The idea was to go above and beyond the current capabilities of gliders and cross the Atlantic Ocean. There were problems, hesitations, challenges, and doubts, but none of those were enough to stop the team from shying away from this task. After much planning and deliberating, it was soon after where RU 17 was underway. Off of the coast of New Jersey, scientists carefully deployed The Scarlet Knight and prepared for the journey to Spain. Soon after its deployment, before it was able to reach Spain, RU 17 was lost just off the coast of the Azores. This setback was a positive, however, showing the students and faculty at Rutgers that making it even that far was possible. The mission was restarted with glider RU 27.
The path of the Scarlet Knight loosely followed the path of Christopher Columbus’ ship, The Pinta, after his transatlantic journey 531 years ago. Journeying across the Atlantic, RU27 climbed and dove 22,000 times before finally reaching Baiona, Spain. While the ocean is large and vast, the Scarlet Knight was able to cross the Atlantic Ocean with the same amount of energy a car uses to travel 6.3 miles. After surfacing for the last time, The Scarlet Knight was brought aboard by Spanish and American government officials, Rutgers faculty, school children, and residents of surrounding communities. After being brought back home, The Scarlet Knight enjoyed some time on display in the Museum of Natural History’s former Sant Ocean Hall.
Back in 2012, students from the same class, then known as Crossing the Atlantic,, were in charge of organizing, planning, and detailing the ins and outs of this mission. From creating websites to getting the glider in the water, the students were the driving force of the Atlantic Crossing. These students were involved in piloting the glider through its 221 day journey, checking daily weather and current patterns to evaluate journey status, and were involved in the deployment and landing of RU27.
The Scarlet Knight engaged many, but the way that students in the United States and Spain were able to connect, even an ocean apart, made this mission even more beautiful. All of this, if we knew it or not, was in preparation for circumnavigating the globe.