NASA eyes tomorrow's passenger planes (images)
Looking for realistic concepts, not science fiction, the aerospace agency enlists teams from from the likes of MIT and Boeing. Here's what they delivered.
GE Aviation's 20-passenger concept
NASA says it was after realistic concepts, not science fiction. "Standing next to the airplane, you may not be able to tell the difference [from current designs], but the improvements will be revolutionary," said Richard Wahls, a project scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., said in a statement Monday. "Technological beauty is more than skin deep."
Pictured here is a 20-passenger aircraft conceived by a team from GE Aviation; it would seat four across in an oval fuselage. The shape of the aircraft is intended to allow smooth airflow over all surfaces. Fuel cells would power electrical systems, and the racket associated with air travel would be reduced through the use of low-noise propellers and advanced engine design, as well as short takeoffs and quick climbs.
Boeing's SUGAR Volt
Northrop Grumman's SELECT aircraft
It'll be different, Northrop Grumman says, through the use in its airframe and "ultra high bypass ratio propulsion system" construction of ceramic composites, nanotechnology, and shape memory alloys. Like the GE entry, the SELECT would help alleviate congestion at overcrowded hub airports through its ability to make use of smaller, regional airports--on runways, according to Northrop Grumman, as short as 5,000 feet.
So many potential designs
Better fuel efficiency: A greater than 70 percent reduction in fuel burn performance. That could have two salutary effects: a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a lower cost for air travel.
Less nitrous oxide: A greater than 75 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions, per the CAEP/6 standard, which seeks to improve air quality around airports. Nitrous oxide is a key ingredient in smog.
Less noise: A 71-decibel reduction below current Federal Aviation Administration noise standards. That would make things more peaceful around airports.
Reduced congestion: "Optimal use" of runways at multiple airports in metropolitan areas, which would make for less crowded skies and ease delays.
NASA says that the concepts from the four teams were able to meet either the fuel burn or the noise goal, but not both, so it will be reassessing the overall goals to determine which need more time to get from the lab to operational use.
MIT's double-bubble design
Hybrid Wing Body H-Series
For the most part, NASA says, the four teams focused on designs that would save fuel by cruising at slower speeds--roughly Mach 0.7, or 5 percent to 10 percent slower than current aircraft.
The embedded engines in the H-Series would use "variable area nozzles with thrust vectoring," and the aircraft would also feature noise-shielding technologies and advanced on-board system for monitoring vehicle health.
Lockheed Martin inverted V design
Boeing's Icon-II
NASA says that phase two of its trek toward the aircraft of 2030 began in late April when the four teams submitted additional proposals related to improving the air transportation system (better energy efficiency, lower environmental impact). The aerospace agency plans to award one or two research contracts for work starting next year.