NASA’s Morphing Project Imagine a plane that flew through the sky with ease and acted like a bird, well in recent years, there has been an increasing number of academic, governmental, and industrial interest in the Morphing Project. The Morphing Project at the National Aeronautics and Space Agency’s (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) is part of the breakthrough Vehicle Technologies Project and Vehicle Systems Program that conducts fundamental research on advanced technologies for future flight vehicles. The objectives of the Morphing Project are to develop and assess the advanced technologies and integrated component concepts to enable efficient, multi-point adaptability(morphing) in flight vehicles. The project is directed towards long-term,high-risk,high-payoff …show more content…
Of course, NASA plays a huge role in this project. The Breakthrough Vehicle Technologies Project, led from the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is a part of one of NASA’s Aeronautics programs entitled Vehicle Systems(NASA 1). NASA’s role is to explore the potential breakthroughs in vehicle adaptability offered by new, potentially “disruptive” technologies(NASA 1). Secondly, these airplanes will be based on in design of the ever so versatile bird. The attraction for designers is the integration between the structure and function that characterizes the wings of birds(ResearchGate 1). Even in complex urban environments, birds are able to rapidly change shape to transition from efficient cruise to aggressive maneuverability and precision descents(ResearchGate 1). The design of the Morphing Plane design is probably the most interesting part of the Morphing Project. At the core of this impending quantum leap in aerospace technology are “smart” materials-substances with uncanny properties, such as the ability to bend on command “feel” pressure, and transform from liquid to solid when placed in a magnetic field(Buck Rogers 1). Able to respond to the constantly varying conditions of flight, sensors will act like “nerves” in a bird’s wing and will measure the pressure over the entire surface of the wing(NASA …show more content…
The systems on the plane will be intuitive and canny. Intelligent systems of these sensors, actuators, microprocessors, and adaptive controls will provide an effective “nervous systems” for stimulating the structure of an adaptive “physical response”(NASA 1). These central nervous systems will provide many advantages over current technologies(NASA 1). Also, the aspect of safety will be of utmost importance for the Morphing Plane. Proposed 21st century aerospace vehicles will be able to monitor their their own performance, environment, and even their operators in order to improve safety and fuel efficiency as well as airframe noise reduction(NASA 1). They will also have systems that will allow for safe takeoffs and landings from short airfields enabling access to this country’s more than 5,400 rural/regional airports. Lastly, there are key areas of focus and challenges for this type of project(NASA 1). The key technical challenges that are examined in the Morphing Project, including vehicle control, adaptability, efficiency, and of course safety, have been long been some of the cornerstone challenges of flight(NASA 1). The three main focus areas of the project are: adaptive structural morphing, micro-aero adaptive control, and biologically inspired flight systems(NASA 1). The Morphing Plane will be very convenient in the terms of safety,performance, reduced noise, and use or rural
Many people are amazed with the flight of an object, especially one the size of an airplane, but they do not realize how much physics plays a role in this amazing incident. There are many different ways in which physics aids the flight of an aircraft. In the following few paragraphs some of the many ways will be described so that you, the reader, will realize physics at work in the world of flight.
The future of the aerospace industry will involve gradual changes in the near term, with the prospect of more radical shifts in the decades t...
I believe that with the groundbreaking with the use of composites in aerospace, that slowly, the consumer population will be more welcoming to these new products into the market, especially once they have been put to the test and surpassed everyone’s expectations. Safety of flight is always the number one concern when trying to do something new with aircraft, and the more advanced our technology becomes, the better our safety records will be, and in turn it will raise the confidence of world travelers.
Flight is one of the most important achievements of mankind. We owe this achievement to the invention of the airfoil and understanding the physics that allow it to lift enormous weights into the sky.
The view that I take on this topic is a conservative view because I really don’t think that these players should get paid. I side with the NCAA completely about how these players are student athletes and are only amateurs. These kids are going to college for school first whether you think you’re gonna make it pro or not you still have to get the grades to get onto the field. Collegiate athletes across all divisions are getting so much more than the typical college student and I don't think that these athletes appreciate that enough. Lots of people wish they could go to Duke University for free to play basketball and then leave after one year to become a million in the NBA, but not everyone is the gifted to do that. I think the NCAA should
More cost-effective modes of space transportation are necessary to make further exploration possible. One new, cost effective design is the aerospace plane. These spacecraft are totally reusable and can take off and land like a normal plane (Booth 80). Anything reusable cuts costs. Many commercial spaceflight companies are interested in this design because so much money can be saved.
Wings create lift for the upward force of an airplane. A great example of how this happens is sticking your hand out of a car window driving down the freeway. The force on your flat palm causes a force that can lift your hand up or down by changing the
going to fly and if they are even going to take off at all. The
Ever since I was little I was amazed at the ability for a machine to fly. I have always wanted to explore ideas of flight and be able to actually fly. I think I may have found my childhood fantasy in the world of aeronautical engineering. The object of my paper is to give me more insight on my future career as an aeronautical engineer. This paper was also to give me ideas of the physics of flight and be to apply those physics of flight to compete in a high school competition.
The digit 15 demonstrates that the aerofoil has a 15% thickness to chord length proportion; it is 15% as thick as it is long. The NACA aerofoil 4415 has a greatest camber of 4% found 40% (0.4 chord) from the main edge with a most maximum thickness of 15% of the chord. Both NACA 0015 and NACA 4415 airfoil is examined to comprehend the transient progression of flow separation, lift, drag, pressure and velocity contour. There have been a numerous scientists fascinating in the examination, alteration, and examination of aerofoil. As of late Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have resuscitated examination enthusiasm on the execution of aerofoil [21]. A symmetrical wing aerofoil is bended on the top to the same degree as it is on the base side. An upper and lower part of the airfoil is symmetrical when a line is drawn from the focal point of the main edge to the focal point of the trailing edge. This kind of aerofoil is utilized as a part of numerous applications including submarine balances, rotating and some settled wings, air ship vertical stabilizers and so on. The baseline aerofoil is likewise expected to have NACA 0015 profile
Mr. Mendoza: I am an Engineer Specialist at CESSNA. I am more in the Aero Sciences department. We focus on aerodynamics, stability and control, and computational aerodynamics. We also develop flight simulators and business jets.
Taylor, John, W.R. (1977). Jane's pocket book of remotely piloted vehicles: Robot aircraft today. New York: Collier Books.
Since the Wright Flyer first took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, aircraft designers have been searching for ever better materials to build aircraft with. Over the years, we have seen construction materials progress from simple wood frames covered with fabric to advanced structures built entirely out of metal. As aircraft designs became more advanced, the need arose for materials which offered both higher strength and lighter weight. Since the beginning of World War II, aircraft construction consisted mainly of structures built from aluminum. Beginning in the 1960’s, NASA and the United States military began experimenting with the use of composite materials in aircraft. This revolutionary material seemed to be the answer the aviation world was looking for. It promised both gains in strength and weight reduction. However, with more and more composites being added to aircraft over the years, problems arose which ultimately may negate the overall benefits of the composites.
Bosnor, Kevin. "How Flying Cars Will Work." Howstuffworks. How Stuff Works Inc., 1998. Web. 24 Jan.
Human enhancement is any attempt to temporarily or permanently overcome the current limitations of the human body through natural or artificial means. It is in our human nature that we somehow increase our life expectancy, become stronger, fearless, independent and smarter. It is no surprise we turn to all sorts of technologies – neurotechnology, nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology – to improve human performances. While they might improve our performances and abilities, their use raises serious health, ethical and economic issues, furthermore, not enough is known about the long-term consequences.