NASA Langley Puts Supersonic X-Plane Model To The Test
A day trip to Moscow? Paris for lunch? NASA’s quest for low-boom supersonic aircraft technology could one day revolutionize commercial air travel.
Now NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton is putting a sleek supersonic model plane through its paces in its 14-by-22 wind tunnel to move that vision closer to reality.
It’s called the QueSST aircraft design, for Quiet Supersonic Technology. And the idea is to convince Congress that super-fast commercial flights can be made over land — indeed, over communities — without generating that infamous sonic boom that can startle livestock, shatter windows and anger anyone within earshot. Supersonic flights over the U.S. were banned in 1973 because of those booms.
“We’re trying to lift those regulations, and we need data,” said David Richwine, QueSST planning lead at Langley. “In order to get the data, you need an airplane that can do that.”
NASA came up with a preliminary design for its QueSST X-plane with partner Lockheed Martin, and various models have been undergoing wind tunnel tests.
Glenn Research Center in Cleveland subjected a small 4-foot version to high wind speeds of Mach 1.5 and 1.6, or about 1,100 mph and 1,200 mph, to study aerodynamic performance and flight safety.
Now Langley is testing a larger model — 15 percent the size of an actual aircraft — at slower speeds to study its performance under different flap configurations and, especially, how it handles at lower speeds during take-off and landing. The 14-by-22 tunnel maxes out at 235 mph.
Denne historien er fra October 21, 2017-utgaven av Techlife News.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 21, 2017-utgaven av Techlife News.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE WORLD'S SECOND SPHERE WILL BE BUILT IN THE UAE CAPITAL AFTER THE FIRST OPENED IN LAS VEGAS
The world’s second Sphere is planned to be built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after the opening of the first giant dome entertainment complex in Las Vegas.
US AGENCY ADOPTS RULE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR CONSUMERS TO CANCEL UNWANTED SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Federal Trade Commission adopted a final rule this week that will require businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships.
UNITED AIRLINES IS ADDING 8 NEW INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS TO ITS ITINERARY FOR NEXT SUMMER
United Airlines is adding eight new international destinations to its itinerary for next summer.
TECH TIP: HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR PHONE IS STOLEN OR LOST
Phones hold so much of our digital lives emails, social media and bank accounts, photos, chat messages and more — that if they ever get stolen or go missing, it can cause major disruption beyond just the loss of a device.
TIKTOK WAS AWARE OF RISKS KIDS AND TEENS FACE ON ITS PLATFORM.LEGAL DOCUMENT ALLEGES
TikTok was aware that its design features are detrimental to its young users and that publicly touted tools aimed at limiting kids’ time on the site were largely ineffective, according to internal documents and communications exposed in lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky.
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T STORE YOUR MONEY IN PAYMENT APPS
Connor Tomasko grew up wary of credit cards. As she taught herself more about managing money, she realized that many people also have bad habits when it comes to payment apps.
AMAZON, GOOGLE MAKE DUELING NUCLEAR INVESTMENTS TO POWER DATA CENTERS WITH CLEAN ENERGY
Amazon this week said that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, coming just two days after a similar announcement by Google, as both tech giants seek new sources of carbon-free electricity to meet surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.
AI IS HAVING ITS NOBEL MOMENT.DO SCIENTISTS NEED THE TECH INDUSTRY TO SUSTAIN IT?
Hours after the artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton won a Nobel Prize in physics, he drove a rented car to Google's California headquarters to celebrate.
NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY HONORS 3 SCIENTISTS WHO USED AI TO DESIGN PROTEINS - LIFE'S BUILDING BLOCKS
Three scientists who discovered powerful techniques to decode and even design novel proteins — the building blocks of life — were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry last week. Their work used advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and holds the potential to transform how new drugs and other materials are made.
VOLUNTEERS BRING SOLAR POWER TO HURRICANE HELENE'S DISASTER ZONE
Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the constant din of a gas-powered generator is getting to be too much for Bobby Renfro.