The space agency is working with Boeing on a new aircraft design that could reduce emissions and minimize the impact of flight on climate change.
“Most of you think of NASA as a space and aviation agency. But it’s also a climate agency,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference.
NASA observes the Earth from space, using satellites to monitor global weather patterns and water systems, and develops technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
The NOAA-21 satellite sent back the first images of Earth from the VIIRS instrument: the snow-capped Himalayas, the turquoise Caribbean Sea and smog clouds over India.
But the agency also creates aircraft, such as the electric X-57 Maxwell and the transport Super Guppy, as well as develops aeronautical technologies.
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“When you fly in any airplane, you’re surrounded by NASA technology,” Nelson said.
Back in the 1970s, the agency developed so-called “winglets” – small additional elements at the ends of the wings in the form of flat washers, which are now present on passenger planes. NASA hopes their project will be able to offer a new wing concept called the Transsonic Truss-Braced Wing.
The agency will work with Boeing to design and build the new plane, which should be more fuel-efficient and use 30 percent less fuel than current designs.
The concept depicts an aircraft with more efficient engines and wings positioned high on its fuselage. They are longer and less wide, and are also supported by a special stretch. This creates less drag.
“The aerodynamics of this configuration have been known for a long time. If you increase the aspect ratio of the wing, you decrease the drag of that airplane – the drag due to lift. We know that if we do that, we use less fuel,” said Bob Pierce, assistant administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The challenge in this case is to create the structure required for this wing shape without adding too much weight to the aircraft. Boeing presented the first version of this concept in 2019, but it will take several years to integrate other technologies and move from demonstration to practical use.
The idea is that, unlike the quiet supersonic X-59 QueSST, which is also currently in development but will never carry passengers, it won’t just be an experimental aircraft. Instead, NASA wants to develop technology that can be used commercially.
“This project is going to revolutionize the type of aircraft that people use most when they take to the skies,” Nelson said.
The space agency will invest $425 million over seven years, while Boeing and its partners will contribute the rest of the financing for the deal, which is valued at about $725 million. NASA will also provide technical expertise and equipment as part of the agreement.
The first prototype is planned to be launched in 2028, and by 2030 the planes will begin to be used for commercial purposes.
Source: The Verge
