Aerospace

INSIDER: Propulsion

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: Imaging

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: Aerospace

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...

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

Air Force Technology Tracks “Sporadic E”

A phenomenon called “Sporadic E” naturally occurs in the upper atmosphere and disrupts radio waves.

Articles: Materials

How Advanced Vacuum Bag Kits Streamline Composite Parts Manufacturing

The manufacturing of complex composite aerospace components is a labor-intensive process, especially the application of the vacuum bag layers needed for consolidation and cure.

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

Replacing Multiple RF Receivers with Just One Using Channelization

Channelization has made it possible to use one radio receiver to listen to many different radio stations simultaneously.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

How Solid-State Technology Impacts A&D Equipment Testing

Learn how to provide accurate power sources with adjustable voltages and frequencies during the test cycle.

Articles: Test & Measurement

The Role of Prototype/Test Systems in Next-Generation C5ISR Development

For SOSA/HOST systems, there are chassis platforms for development that provide relatively cost-effective, versatile, and powerful solutions.

Articles: Software

Using Advanced Computational Engineering Software to Meet Aerospace & Defense Industry Challenges

Advanced computational engineering software and additive manufacturing are now delivering solutions that offer innovation and efficiency together.

Application Briefs: Materials

3D-Printed NACA Inlet

A company's first metal additively manufactured part took to the skies on a SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) test flight.

Application Briefs: Software

Reverse Engineering Technology

A company was retrofitting older avionics and needed a CAD model of the panel to see how it would fit.

Briefs: Materials

Designing Sensory and Adaptive Composite Materials

Newly developed computational approaches aid in the design of composites that exhibit remarkable abilities to both sense external cues and adapt to these cues in controllable, "programmable" ways.

Briefs: Energy

Design of New Piezoelectric Composites Using Nanocellulose

Using cellulose crystals as building blocks for the design and development of new low-density functional polymer composites.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Bioenvironmental Engineering Guide for Composite Materials

Develop a comprehensive baseline for identifying, evaluating, and controlling occupational and environmental hazards associated with composite fibers.

Briefs: Energy

Fast Reacting Nano-Composite Energetic Materials: Synthesis and Combustion Characterization

The advent of nanoparticle fuels enables new kinds of reactions, and new kinds of applications.

Briefs: Materials

Progress on Zirconia-Polyurea Matrix Hybrid Composites

Incorporating zirconia particles into polyurea elastomers to form hybrid composites and designing them into state-of-the-art body armor has the potential to achieve lightweight ballistic efficiency.

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: Aerospace

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.

Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Watch Live at 11 am ET: The 2020 Create the Future Contest Awards

For the first time, the winners of the Create the Future Design Contest will be announced live! Join us for this special one-hour presentation as we honor our 2020 Grand Prize...

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: Propulsion

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: Manufacturing & Prototyping

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: Aerospace

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...