ScienceDaily: Aviation News

New endurance record for small electric unmanned aerial vehicle

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:45:45 EDT

Using liquid hydrogen fuel stored in a new NRL-developed cryogenic fuel storage tank, the flight shatters the previous 26-hour record set by the UAV in 2009.

Robotic insects make first controlled flight

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:26:26 EDT

In the very early hours of the morning, in a Harvard robotics laboratory last summer, an insect took flight. Half the size of a paperclip, weighing less than a tenth of a gram, it leaped a few inches, hovered for a moment on fragile, flapping wings, and then sped along a preset route through the air. This demonstration of the first controlled flight of an insect-sized robot is the culmination of more than a decade's work.

Scientists investigate release of bromine in polar regions

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:48:48 EDT

Researchers have employed a novel measurement device for new studies in Alaska.

Nothing bugs these NASA aeronautical researchers

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:01:01 EDT

A team of scientists at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia are studying ways to prevent the remains of insect impacts from adhering to the wing of an aircraft in flight. While the effort is undeniably a goldmine for puns, the research is serious and positive results could help NASA's aeronautical innovators achieve their goals for improving the fuel efficiency of aircraft cruising across the country.

NASA successfully launches three smartphone satellites

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:29:29 EDT

Three smartphones destined to become low-cost satellites rode to space April 21, 2013 aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. The trio of "PhoneSats" is operating in orbit, and may prove to be the lowest-cost satellites ever flown in space. The goal of NASA's PhoneSat mission is to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics of a capable, yet very inexpensive, satellite.

Final MAVEN instrument integrated to spacecraft

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:03:03 EDT

An instrument that will measure the composition of Mars' upper atmosphere has been integrated to NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. MAVEN has a scheduled launch date of Nov. 18.

Rotary valve could help propel craft to Mars one day

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EDT

A rotary fuel delivery valve just might help us get manned space flights out of our immediate neighborhood one day, and it could have practical terrestrial applications.

Ionic thrusters generate efficient propulsion in air

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:20:20 EDT

Thrusters powered by ionic wind may be an efficient alternative to conventional atmospheric propulsion technologies. When a current passes between two electrodes -- one thinner than the other -- it creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage is applied, the resulting wind can produce a thrust without the help of motors or fuel. Researchers have now found that ionic thrusters may be a far more efficient source of propulsion than conventional jet engines.

Quantum cryptography: On wings of light

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:19:19 EDT

Physicists have, for the first time, successfully transmitted a secure quantum code through the atmosphere from an aircraft to a ground station.

NASA turns up the heat on construction of the Space Launch System

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:41:41 EDT

Welding engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., have had an extremely busy winter assembling adapters that will connect the Orion spacecraft to a Delta IV rocket for the initial test flight of Orion in 2014. The adapter later will attach Orion to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), a new heavy-lift rocket managed and in development at the Marshall Center that will enable missions farther into space than ever before. The 2014 Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) will provide engineers with important data about the adapter's performance before it is flown on SLS beginning in 2017.

NASA provides a super-speed look at Webb Telescope progress

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:39:39 EDT

NASA released a new sped-up, 32-second video that shows engineers working on some of the James Webb Space Telescope's flight components to integrate them together to ensure they will work perfectly together in space.

SpaceX dragon spacecraft carrying NASA cargo ready for return to Earth

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:51:51 EDT

More than three weeks after arriving at the International Space Station, the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now scheduled for Tuesday, March 26.

SpaceX dragon spacecraft carrying NASA cargo ready for return to Earth

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:54:54 EDT

Transportation study reveals potential for deep cuts to petroleum use and carbon emissions

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:56:56 EDT

Scientists have completed an assessment of avenues to reach deep cuts in petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.

NASA's Webb Telescope gets its wings

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:38:38 EDT

A massive backplane that will hold the primary mirror of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope nearly motionless while it peers into space is another step closer to completion with the recent assembly of the support structure's wings.

NASA's first laser communication system integrated, ready for launch

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:03:03 EDT

A new NASA-developed, laser-based space communication system will enable higher rates of satellite communications similar in capability to high-speed fiber optic networks on Earth.

Hovering is a bother for bees: Fast flight is more stable

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:06:06 EDT

Bumblebees are much more unstable when they hover than when they fly fast, according to new research. Scientists used a mathematical model to analyze the way bumblebees fly at different speeds, showing that the bumblebee is unstable when it hovers and flies slowly, and becomes neutral or weakly stable at medium and high flight speeds.

Accurate water vapor measurements for improved weather and climate models

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:51:51 EST

A new laser hygrometer for research aircraft has proven suitable as a transfer standard.

NASA on course to launch Orion flight test

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:16:16 EST

The first spacecraft NASA has designed to fly astronauts beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo era is well on its way to making a flight test next year, agency officials said Wednesday. The mission is planned for launch in September 2014, and will see an Orion capsule orbit Earth without a crew and return through the atmosphere at speeds unseen since astronauts last returned from the moon in 1972.

Crews rehearse Launch Abort System stacking with Orion

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:32:32 EST

Crane operators, technicians and engineers practiced lifting and stacking techniques this week as they moved a 6-ton replica escape rocket called the LAS, for Launch Abort System, from a trailer to the top of a mockup Orion capsule.

NASA researchers work to turn blue skies green

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:30:30 EST

Air travelers of the future could have quieter, greener and more fuel-efficient airliners because of NASA research efforts that are moving into further development and testing.

Workstation design improvements for drone operators may reduce costs and mishaps, researchers suggest

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:20:20 EST

The US Department of Defense reports that drone accidents in which personnel or aircraft are damaged or destroyed occur 50 times more often than mishaps involving human-operated aircraft. Researchers suggest multimillion-dollar drone loses might be prevented by applying commercial workstation design standards to drone workstations.

NASA announces new CubeSat space mission candidates

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:34:34 EST

NASA has selected 24 small satellites, including three from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets planned to launch in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The proposed CubeSats come from universities across the country, a Florida high school, several non-profit organizations and NASA field centers.

Second SpaceX space station resupply flight ready to go

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:57:57 EST

The second International Space Station Commercial Resupply Services flight by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is set for liftoff at 10:10 a.m. EST on March 1 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

New device better traps viruses, airborne pathogens

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:13:13 EST

Engineering researchers have created a new type of air-cleaning technology that could better protect human lungs from allergens, airborne viruses and ultrafine particles in the air.

Robotic bat wing engineered: Researchers uncover flight secrets of real bats

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:39:39 EST

Researchers have developed a robotic bat wing that is providing valuable new information about dynamics of flapping flight in real bats. From an engineering perspective, the researchers hope the data may make for better aircraft, especially micro air vehicles. From a biological and evolutionary perspective, building the robot offered the researchers a new perspective on how bat anatomy is adapted to deal with the forces generated by flapping wings.

Tough, light and strong: Lessons from nature could lead to the creation of new materials

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:18:18 EST

In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry, two engineers have identified three characteristics of biological materials that they believe engineers would do well to emulate in human-made materials: light weight, toughness and strength.

Deep space missions? Magnetic shielding of ion beam thruster walls may provide power

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:47:47 EST

Electric rocket engines known as Hall thrusters, which use a super high-velocity stream of ions to propel a spacecraft in space, have been used successfully onboard many missions for half a century. Erosion of the discharge channels walls, however, has limited their application to the inner solar system. A research team has found a way to effectively control this erosion by shaping the engine's magnetic field in a way that shields the walls from ion bombardment.

NASA's Orion lands safely on two of three parachutes in test

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:49:49 EST

NASA engineers have demonstrated the agency's Orion spacecraft can land safely if one of its three main parachutes fails to inflate during deployment.

NASA set for new round of J-2X Testing at Stennis Space Center

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:08:08 EST

NASA's progress toward a return to deep space missions continues with a new round of upcoming tests on the next-generation J-2X rocket engine, which will help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) to new destinations in the solar system.

Crew rotation and passenger connections spread flight delays, study finds

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:19:19 EST

Researchers say that crew rotation and passengers connections systematically spread flight delays due to a domino effect. The work, that proposes a new methodology to assess the degree of air traffic congestion.

NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission: New Earth observation satellite launched

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:08:08 EST

NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) roared into space at 1:02 p.m. EST (10:02 a.m. PST) Monday aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft carries two instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The measurements will be compatible with data from past Landsat satellites, but the LDCM instruments use advanced technology to improve reliability, sensitivity, and data quality.

BrailleWise, aircraft toilet: Making air travel easier for visually impaired people

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:54:54 EST

Scientists have designed a new aircraft lavatory called BrailleWise®, giving visually impaired people greater independence and comfort when using toilets on airplanes.

New device traps particulates, kills airborne pathogens

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:44:44 EST

A new device called a soft X-ray electrostatic precipitator protected immunocompromised mice from airborne pathogenic bacteria, viruses, ultrafine particles, and allergens, according to a new article.

Humble 'virtual chimney' fences could reduce impact of airport pollution

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:08:08 EST

Simple 'blast' fences called baffles could deliver improvements in air quality for people living near airports, new research has found. Placed behind a runway, the baffles could serve as a 'virtual chimney', funneling emissions from aircraft engines upwards where they can disperse more effectively, thereby reducing the environmental impact on people living nearby.

The big picture: Getting a better look at Sandy's wake of destruction

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:06:06 EST

In New Jersey, along Hurricane Sandy's path of destruction, engineers are using infrared and ultraviolet imaging technology and acoustic emission testing combined with low-altitude aircraft photography to generate detailed maps for recovery workers to triage their efforts.

NASA launches next-generation communications satellite

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:22:22 EST

The first of NASA's three next-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), known as TDRS-K, launched at 8:48 p.m. EST Wednesday (Jan. 30) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The TDRS system provides tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services for numerous science and human exploration missions orbiting Earth. These include the International Space Station and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Electric vehicle: Light yet safe contender for city streets

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:19:19 EST

Can an electric vehicle be extremely light and safe at the same time? Researchers aim to show that the answer is yes. Engineers have chosen a sturdy monocoque body, state-of-the-art carbon fiber materials and a lightweight engine and transmission system.

Researchers break million-core supercomputer barrier

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:46:46 EST

A new record in computational science has been set by using a supercomputer with more than one million computing cores to solve a complex fluid dynamics problem -- the prediction of noise generated by a supersonic jet engine.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System offers upgrade to vital communications net

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:28:28 EST

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, also known as the Space Network, will get an upgrade this month when the agency launches the first of a new generation of communications satellites to connect man of NASA's spacecraft to their control centers and mission data centers.

World's most powerful engine blazes path for space launch system advanced propulsion

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 09:32:32 EST

To help develop the nation's future heavy lift rocket, NASA resurrected the world's most powerful rocket engine ever flown -- the mighty F-1 that powered the Saturn V rocket-- and test fired its gas generator.

NASA Super-TIGER balloon shatters flight record

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:34:34 EST

Flying high over Antarctica, a NASA long duration balloon has broken the record for longest flight by a balloon of its size. The record-breaking balloon, carrying the Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (Super-TIGER) experiment, has been afloat for 46 days and is on its third orbit around the South Pole.

Motion control keeps electric car's four wheels -- and four motors -- on the road

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:49:49 EST

It weighs half as much as a sports car, and turns on a dime —- so its no surprise that a new electric car needs an exceptional traction and motion control system to keep it on the road.

NASA to test Bigelow expandable module on space station

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:28:28 EST

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver announced Jan. 16 a newly planned addition to the International Space Station that will use the orbiting laboratory to test expandable space habitat technology. NASA has awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide a Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which is scheduled to arrive at the space station in 2015 for a two-year technology demonstration.

Joint Polar Satellite System spacecraft completes delta critical design review

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:14:14 EST

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft recently cleared its final major design review, demonstrating that spacecraft development is on track to provide critical environmental data when launched no later than the first quarter of calendar year 2017.

NASA signs agreement for a European-provided Orion service module

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:05:05 EST

NASA signed an agreement in mid-December for the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide a service module for the Orion spacecraft's Exploration Mission-1 in 2017.

NASA'S Webb Telescope team completes optical milestone

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:03:03 EST

Engineers working on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope met another milestone recently with they completed performance testing on the observatory's aft-optics subsystem at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp's facilities in Boulder, Colo. Ball is the principal subcontractor to Northrop Grumman for the optical technology and lightweight mirror system.

Small UAV supports development of lightweight sensors

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:37:37 EST

Engineers are developing an airborne testing capability for sensors, communications devices and other payloads. Their aerial test bed is known as the GTRI Airborne Unmanned Sensor System (GAUSS).

Artificial intelligence techniques for optimizing processes in the aeronautics industry

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:24:24 EST

A computer engineer has been working to apply artificial intelligence techniques, data mining and machine learning to problems linked to the aeronautics industry.

NASA's robotic refueling demo set to jumpstart expanded capabilities in space

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:26:26 EST

In mid-January, NASA will take the next step in advancing robotic satellite-servicing technologies as it tests the Robotic Refueling Mission, or RRM aboard the International Space Station. The investigation may one day substantially impact the many satellites that deliver products Americans rely upon daily, such as weather reports, cell phones and television news.

NASA researchers studying advanced nuclear rocket technologies

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:35:35 EST

Advanced propulsion researchers at NASA are a step closer to solving the challenge of safely sending human explorers to Mars and other solar system destinations. By using an innovative test facility at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, researchers are able to use non-nuclear materials to simulate nuclear thermal rocket fuels -- ones capable of propelling bold new exploration missions to the Red Planet and beyond.

3-D color X-Ray imaging radically improved for identifying contraband, corrosion or cancer

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:22:22 EST

Scientists have developed a camera that can be used to take powerful three dimensional color X-ray images, in near real-time, without the need for a synchrotron X-ray source.

NASA'S Space Launch System core stage passes major milestone, ready to start construction

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 10:07:07 EST

The team designing America's new flagship rocket has completed successfully a major technical review of the vehicle's core stage. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will take the agency's Orion spacecraft and other payloads beyond low-Earth orbit, providing a new capability for human exploration.

NASA puts Orion backup parachutes to the test

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:31:31 EST

NASA completed the latest in a series of parachute tests for its Orion spacecraft Thursday at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona, marking another step toward a first flight test in 2014. The test verified Orion can land safely even if one of its two drogue parachutes does not open during descent.

Role of gravity in motion of granular materials: Discovery could have applications in pharmaceutical industry, space missions

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:18:18 EST

Researchers have made a new discovery about the role of gravity in granular materials which could have applications in the pharmaceutical industry and provide a new understanding of images of granular surfaces sent by space missions.

'Liquid that thinks:' Swarm of ping-pong-ball-sized robots created

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:30:30 EST

If one robot can accomplish a singular task, think how much more could be accomplished if you had hundreds of them. A research team has developed a basic robotic building block, which they hope to reproduce in large quantities to develop increasingly complex systems. Recently the team created a swarm of 20 robots, each the size of a ping-pong ball, which they call "droplets." When the droplets swarm together, they form a "liquid that thinks."

Beating heart of J-2x engine finishes year of successful NASA tests

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:18:18 EST

NASA has taken another step toward human exploration of new destinations in the solar system. At the agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, engineers conducted the final test-firing of the J-2X powerpack assembly, an important component of America's next heavy-lift rocket.

NASA progressing toward first launch of Orion spacecraft

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:49:49 EST

Recent engineering advances by NASA and its industry partners across the country show important progress toward Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), the next step to launching humans to deep space. The uncrewed EFT-1 mission, launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2014, will test the re-entry performance of the agency's Orion capsule, the most advanced spacecraft ever designed, which will carry astronauts farther into space than ever before.

Intelligent control for performance: Reducing drag, saving fuel

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:14:14 EST

NASA Dryden's versatile F/A-18 Full Scale Advanced Systems Testbed (FAST) aircraft recently completed a series of flights that explored reducing fuel consumption during cruise flight conditions by making small modifications to existing control laws and mechanisms in the aircraft's flight control computer.

Engineer looks to dragonflies, bats for flight lessons

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:11:11 EST

Scientists are using wind tunnels and imaging tests to learn the aerodynamics that allow dragonflies and bats to get off the ground in the slow-speed, high-drag conditions of small-scale flight.