INSIDER

INSIDER: Aerospace

Origami Solves Space Travel Challenge

Washington State University researchers used the ancient Japanese art of paper folding to possibly solve a key challenge for outer space travel – how to store and move fuel to rocket engines.

INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Hinge Design Helps Quadrotors Climb

Army researchers invented a hinge that improves how quickly a quadrotor the size of a king-sized mattress can ascend from the ground to the rooftop of a two-story building, particularly with large...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Army Developing Self-Adjusting Turbine Engines

Army and academic researchers developed a novel design to automatically adjust aircraft engine rotor blade positions mid-flight, a tactic that could improve turbine engine performance.

INSIDER: Aerospace

Image-Based Navigation Helps Spacecraft Land on The Moon

In order for future lunar exploration missions to be successful and land more precisely, engineers must equip spacecraft with technologies that allow them to “see” where they...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

3D-Printed Glass Enhances Optical Design Flexibility

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have used multi-material 3D printing to create tailored gradient refractive index glass optics that could make for better...

INSIDER: RF & Microwave Electronics

Army Fast-Tracks Adaptable Radars for Congested Environments

A new machine learning approach could improve radar performance in congested environments. Researchers from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as...

INSIDER: Materials

Army Awards $13.5 Million for High-Speed Missile Materials Research

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University announced a new $13.5 million award from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

A Prototype Fuel Gauge for Orbit

Liquids aren’t as well behaved in space as they are on Earth. Inside a spacecraft, microgravity allows liquids to freely slosh and float about. The National Institute of Standards and Technology...

INSIDER: Propulsion

Soft Magnetic Materials Are Key to Electric Aircraft

NASA’s work in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) is focused on the use of electric motors and generators to help power a plane’s flight. Key to any electric power system are...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Smart Parachute Rescues Drones

An intelligent parachute system deploys itself an emergency to bring the damaged drone safely to the ground. The system can be easily mounted to a drone at any time using a bayonet lock.

INSIDER: Propulsion

NASA Tests All-Electric X-Plane Propulsion

Advanced designs that will propel NASA’s first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, to flight recently underwent wind tunnel testing at Langley Research Center.

INSIDER: Defense

Army Tests Next-Generation Fighting System

The Army-led team of developers creating the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) recently wrapped up the third major milestone testing and demonstration event where soldiers and Marines...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

High-Speed Test Track Prepared for Upcoming Hypersonic Missions

In preparation for an increased demand of its services over the next decade, the 846th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, is working to get its hypersonic...

INSIDER: Defense

The “Jaws of Life” for Bomb Squads

Recently in Rhode Island, the Office of the State Fire Marshal was called in by local law enforcement to examine a possible pipe bomb. Once the area was secured and the public was at a safe...

INSIDER: Software

UAV Software Prioritizes Human Safety

Autonomous aircraft systems have the potential to save lives, and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s Resilient Autonomy project is at the forefront of development. These advanced software...

INSIDER: Aerospace

DARPA Completes Key Milestone on Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Program

DARPA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) today announced successful completion of captive carry tests of two variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Self-Propelled Crane Aircraft Maintenance and Positioning (SCAMP II)

The Self-Propelled Crane Aircraft Maintenance and Positioning (SCAMP II) is an Army aviation maintenance enabler, the primary mission of which is to remove and replace...

INSIDER: Materials

Hybrid Nanomaterials Hold Promise for Improved Ceramic Composites

Researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are seeking to patent a novel process for manufacturing a type of material called preceramic polymer-grafted nanoparticles,...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Method Detects Flutter in Aircraft Turbines

In aerospace research, flutter generally refers to undesired and self-sustained vibrations in turbine blades that can readily grow out of control, destroying them along with the engine and even the...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Pinpointing Cracks Long Before They Turn Catastrophic

Researcher developed a new method for testing metals at a microscopic scale that allows them to rapidly inflict repetitive loads on materials while recording how ensuing damage...

INSIDER: Software

NASA App Fights Fatigue in Flight

For pilots, fatigue can lead to small mistakes with significant consequences. A NASA app shows what’s going on in the body when fatigue prevents you from working safely – and which telltale signs...

INSIDER: Materials

Purdue, U.S. Army Collaborate on Next-Generation Energetic Materials

Advancing technology associated with explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics — what the scientific community calls energetic materials — is the goal of a new...

INSIDER: Information Technology

Creating Cross-Domain Kill Webs in Real Time

Two DARPA-developed technologies – a novel decision aid for mission commanders and a rapid software integration tool – played a critical role in the recent Air Force demonstration of the...

INSIDER: RF & Microwave Electronics

Air Force Research Team Patents New Tunable Radio Frequency Filter

Air Force Research Laboratory scientists recently patented a new tunable radio frequency (RF) filter design. The new design is for a smaller, lighter, less expensive...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

3D Ultrasound Shows Aircraft Defects

A two-in-one technology provides 3D images of structural defects in metallic structures that can develop in aircraft. The system, developed by Tohoku University researchers in Japan in...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Sticking the Landing on the Moon and Mars

Future spacecraft bound for the Moon or beyond will benefit from high-powered computer simulations underway at the University of Michigan that will provide a framework NASA can use to better...

INSIDER: Propulsion

Mission Will Test Drag Sail to Bring Rocket Back to Earth

A drag sail, developed at Purdue University, will be onboard a rocket and deploy at the end of the rocket’s mission to accelerate the vehicle’s deorbit. A drag sail passively...

INSIDER: Data Acquisition

NASA and Boeing Partner to Advance Aviation

NASA research projects are flying aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of Boeing’s 2020 ecoDemonstrator program. Results from these flights will help continuing development of technology to...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Adranos Secures Government Contracts for Hypersonic Research

Adranos Inc., a Purdue University-affiliated company that has developed a high-performance solid rocket fuel called ALITEC for missile and space launch systems, has obtained...