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Aerospace Sciences

Understanding aerodynamics for small, large craft

By Nathan Hariharan|December 2016

The Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committee emphasizes the development, application and evaluation of concepts and methods using theories, wind tunnel experiments and flight tests.

NASA’s Advanced Air Transport Technology Project and Boeing tested a 4.5-percent scale model of a Transonic Truss Braced Wing, TTBW, aircraft concept in the 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. Force, moment and surface pressure data were obtained with the use of multiple optical measurement techniques. Model component build-up data and drag-rise data were obtained on both baseline strut and alternate strut configurations.

Control surface deflections were also investigated to support the assessment of stability and control characteristics. The TTBW configuration is expected to produce at least a 50 percent reduction in fuel burn and carbon emissions compared to current transport aircraft, and a 4 to 8 percent reduction compared to an equivalent conventional advanced technology configuration. Initial test analysis shows the TTBW as a promising technology for future energy efficient transports.

The Advanced Vertical Flight Laboratory at Texas A&M University designed, built and flight-tested a 62-gram hummingbird-inspired flapping wing micro air vehicle, or MAV, with hovering capability. The robotic MAV was developed as a part of DARPA’s Nano Hummingbird initiative. The MAV was developed specifically for the purpose of scientifically investigating the flight dynamics, aerodynamics, and control of an actual flying vehicle utilizing flapping-based aerial locomotion. Additionally, Texas A&M tested the world’s smallest cyclocopter. A cyclocopter, unlike traditional helicopters, deploys a rotor with horizontal axis of rotation, allowing complete 360 degree thrust vectoring capabilities.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock Division investigated the aerodynamic hover performance of a series of generic Fan-in-Wing, or FIW, configurations in their 8-foot by 10-foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel. The model was designed to allow the fan performance and overall FIW system performance to be measured independently. Researchers at the center are now preparing to test the FIW configurations in forward flight.

The Defense Department’s CREATE program, short for Computational Research and Engineering Acquisition Tools and Environments program continued developing and deploying scalable, multidisciplinary, physics-based computational engineering products for the design and analysis of ships, air vehicles and RF antennas. CREATE is part of the High Performance Computing Modernization Program. The Air Vehicles program, HPCMP CREATE-AV, released three products in 2016: the fixed-wing analysis tool Kestrel7.0, the rotorcraft analysis tool Helios7.0, and the conceptual-design tool DaVinci4.0. Kestrel7.0 introduces full-engine integrated aircraft simulation capability and Helios7.0 introduces integration of Kestrel core solver kCFD and NASA’s FUN3D, engine models and automated strand-based body mesh/solution for solving rotorcraft simulation problems. DaVinci4.0 enables rapid generation of parametric aircraft designs, including the ability to generate computer-aided-design outer-mold-lines and basic internal structures. ★

2016 Year in Review

Aerospace Design and Structures

A small aircraft with a blue and white color scheme is undergoing maintenance inside a hangar. It is surrounded by various tools, equipment, and safety barriers.

X-57 Maxwell leads structural dynamic work

Close-up of a person's hands twisting a piece of flexible clear material with embedded circuitry against a plain background.

Modeling takes the lead in driving materials research for the future

Four gray spherical images show different views of a planet with numerous red dots scattered across its surface, possibly indicating specific sites or anomalies.

U.S. Defense Department researchers improve survivability in the air and in space

Aerospace Outreach

Conceptual render of a United Airlines supersonic jet by Boom Supersonic, named Overture, flying above the clouds against a deep blue sky.

Recreational space travel and Martian exploration highlight year

An astronaut in a blue shirt is working inside a spacecraft, handling components on a suited mannequin or robotic astronaut. Various equipment is visible in the background.

Year of records includes Falcon Heavy launch, unmanned aircraft registrations

Three astronauts inside a spacecraft greet another astronaut entering through a hatch, capturing a moment of camaraderie in space. Equipment and an American flag are visible in the background.

Astronauts again launch from U.S. soil

Aerospace Sciences

engine ice-crystal testing

Characterizing engine ice, solving a GPS mystery

Four-panel image showing a sequence of a rocket's trajectory decreasing in speed and altitude over 30 seconds, with visible trails of smoke and fire in each frame.

Understanding and controlling fluid behavior in flight-relevant environments

A large wind tunnel facility with six giant propeller fans labeled 1 to 6. Two people are standing in front of the fans, providing a sense of scale.

Facility reactivation and upgrades highlight busy year for ground testing

Aircraft Technology, Integration and Operations

A small, blue drone with distinct wing-like extensions flies against a cloudy sky.

Steady progress in aircraft design despite covid-19 disruptions

NASA’s X-57 Maxwell

Trainer makers compete; many aircraft take first flights

Travelers use self-service kiosks near a Delta baggage drop area at an airport, with signs advertising services and airlines visible above.

Aircraft operations begin to recover from covid

Engineering and Technology Management

Solar Impulse 2

A year that caught public’s notice

Atmospheric picture of space

A century ago, aviation became an industry

Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo

Accelerating change on systems engineering tenets

Information Systems

A polished metal frame structure is displayed on a black and white grid-patterned surface.

Artificial intelligence begins to demonstrate the potential to revolutionize aviation

A black l-39 albatros jet in flight against a clear sky, showing its top side with visible cockpit and registration marks.

Standards group releases UAS publications

Close-up of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station against the backdrop of space.

Digital avionics guide accomplishments in aeronautics and astronautics

Integration

A white and black drone with multiple propellers is flying over a dry, grassy field with trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Transformational flight prepares path to operations

Top view of a spacecraft capsule creating a wake through a gray fluid, depicting fluid dynamics and flow patterns around the vessel.

Progress toward the 2030 vision of CFD

The NASA X-59 supersonic aircraft is moved out of a hangar, surrounded by spectators and workers, against a backdrop of mountains and clear skies.

Pushing the boundaries of high-speed commercial travel

Program Committees

Tests at the Lockheed Martin Low Speed Wind Tunnel in Ohio

Going green moves to higher gear

rotating detonating engine

New and existing systems show progress

130-foot-long fuel tank test article for NASA’s Space Launch System

Mars, Jupiter and the human factor

Propulsion and Energy

A rocket launches into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke and flames behind it as it ascends from the launch pad, with a large plume of smoke billowing at the base.

Solid rocket motor waves from around the world

A powerful jet of fire bursts horizontally from a large industrial device, with concrete blocks and a dark background providing context for the industrial setting.

Advancements in laser ignition systems, active controls, hybrid biofuels and suborbital sounding rockets

Interior of a laboratory with a bright, glowing experimental setup on a metal table, observed by people through a safety window.

Hybrid rockets: To wax or to whirl?

Space and Missiles

A small helicopter-like drone with two rotors sits on the rocky, barren surface of Mars with a distant rover in the background under a cloudy sky.

Busy year of testing, robotic operations

Technicians in white cleanroom suits work on a piece of metallic equipment inside a laboratory, handling wires and components, while other staff observe from a glass-walled room above.

First in-situ resource utilization payload heads to Mars

A spacecraft orbits above Earth, with the planet's blue surface and white clouds visible below. An open hatch is noted on the spacecraft's exterior.

Another record-setting year for spaceflight

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Understanding aerodynamics for small, large craft