Crash Test Helps Improve Emergency Response
NASA’s Langley Research Center hoisted a Cessna 172 aircraft 100 feet into the air by cables and released it. The plane plummeted onto a slab of dirt in a violent but controlled experiment that will help NASA improve aviation emergency response times. The test is part of a push to bolster the reliability of emergency locator transmitters. The systems automatically alert rescue personnel in the event of an airplane crash.
One factor being measured in the tests is how the ELT systems are installed. The systems are made from two main components. A brick-sized beacon is typically affixed to the interior of the aircraft’s fuselage. An antenna is mounted to the outside of the airplane. Once the beacon and its sensors detect signs of a crash, it automatically transmits location information through the antenna to a satellite. That information is then relayed to emergency personnel on the ground.
Data gathered from the tests will lead to better guidance on how to install the systems so they’re more likely to work after a crash.
Top Stories
INSIDERManned Systems
Turkey's KAAN Combat Aircraft Completes First Flight - Mobility Engineering...
INSIDERMaterials
FAA Expands Boeing 737 Investigation to Manufacturing and Production Lines -...
INSIDERImaging
New Video Card Enables Supersonic Vision System for NASA's X-59 Demonstrator -...
INSIDERManned Systems
Stratolaunch Approaches Hypersonic Speed in First Powered TA-1 Test Flight -...
INSIDERUnmanned Systems
Army Ends Future Attack and Reconnaissance Helicopter Development Program -...
ArticlesEnergy
Can Solid-State Batteries Commercialize by 2030? - Mobility Engineering...
Webcasts
AR/AI
From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness
Energy
April Battery & Electrification Summit
Manufacturing & Prototyping
Tech Update: 3D Printing for Transportation in 2024
Test & Measurement
Building an Automotive EMC Test Plan
Manufacturing & Prototyping
The Moon and Beyond from a Thermal Perspective
Software
Mastering Software Complexity in Automotive: Is Release Possible...