Eco-Friendly Planes Designed by MIT-Led Team on the Anvil

The NASA Research Program ‘N+3′ has thrown open a challenge for exploring the potential to develop quieter subsonic commercial planes as well as supersonic commercial aircraft that burn less fuel and pollute less. The team led by MIT are working on developing two models to meet the NASA criteria as well to accommodate the demands created by increased air traffic by 2035 A.D.

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NASA’s plans:
NASA’s plans are for designing planes that have fuel-burn reduction, emissions reduction and which can take off from shorter runways. Four teams – one led by MIT, Boeing, GE Aviation and Northrop Grumman work on subsonic designs. AeroAstro faculty & students, ED Greitzer, Principal Investigator, Professor H Nelson Slator, Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation and Pratt & Whitney have jointly developed concepts and technologies to design D series and H series aircrafts that will meet the stringent criteria demanded by NASA.

D Series:
This will be the “double bubble” series to replace the Boeing 737 class aircraft conceived with reconfiguring the traditional tube and wing structure. Resembling two soap bubbles joined together, a wider structure was created with two side-by-side partial cylinders and engines were moved to the rear of fuselage. Using the BLI (boundary layer ingestion) technique, engines use less fuel. Because it travels 10% slower and the planes have longer and thinner wings, smaller tail, most drawbacks of this design are mitigated somewhat. Planes wider size saves time by allowing quicker loading and unloading.

Twin advantages of D Series:
There are two types of D series on the anvil:

1. A high tech version with 70% fuel-burn reduction.
2. A traditional aluminum body plane with current jet technology but on double-bubble design.

Advantages:

• Use less fuel by about 50%.
• Very good environmental performance.
• Traditional design will help better integration with existing airport infrastructure and so save money otherwise needed to fit radically different designs.

H Series:
The 350-passenger 777 class ‘hybrid wing body’ planes will be larger but will be based on the same technology as D Series. A Triangular-shaped hybrid wing body and a wider fuselage result in improved aerodynamics while larger centre creates a forward lift and balances the plane without the need for a tail. Propulsion architectures and technology are under study still awaiting further exploration.

I Phase over:
With first phase of research and design is over, the MIT team is awaiting word about continuing into the second phase of program to meet more of NASA’s objectives. Sanction of additional funds and approval of the designs and technology identified in the first phase will be know in the next few months.

Future Plans:
Whether or not the work continues for NASA, the researchers hope to continue to develop these models, testing them and collaborating with manufacturers to make the concepts a reality.

Reference Link
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/eco-friendly-planes-mit/

Courtesy
AE News Network

NASA prize for student

Anto Ryan Raj.

TIRUCHI: Visualisation of an eventuality depicting humankind to deem orbital settlement as inevitable in the interests of mother earth by 2090 won for Anto Ryan Raj, a standard X student of Campion Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, the third prize in the Literary Merit Category at the NASA Space Settlement Design Contest 2010 for school students all over the world, conducted by NASA Ames Research Centre.

Anto, the only student from Tamil Nadu selected for the international award, has been invited to make an oral presentation of his research titled ‘Her Children Around Her’ at the 29 {+t} {+h} International Space Development Conference, 2010, at Chicago from May 27-31. Accompanied by his mother P. Celin, Anto will be in the enriching company of several hundreds of students of his ilk from all over the globe for the five days.

Speeding past the time barrier, Anto had transformed himself as an orbital settler in 2020, heaving a sigh of relief every day at the telescopic sight of the beautiful Mother Earth.

His narration takes stock of the struggles she (Mother Earth) had endured in the duration of global warming, reflecting in the melting of glaciers, rising sea levels and submergence of coastal towns consuming lives in multitudes, in the aftermath of the failure of nations to reach a legally binding treaty to check carbon emissions at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference at Copenhagen. Every nation prioritised economic growth over upkeep of Earth.

The narration replete with a sense of responsibility states: In 2030, when the ocean ecology was shattered terrifically, when massive immigration of coastal population was shaking the Globe, when water and food supply to people had become a huge problem, the orbital settlement project gained support of the space research community.

The first experimental orbital colony built to accommodate 100 inmates was positioned at GEO in 2040. Orbital settlers developed new technologies to enrich the ozone concentration in endangered atmospheric area. Intense research was carried out to avoid cooling of stratosphere and to reduce recombination of ozone and oxygen.

The second orbital community instituted the successful solar power station at space and gave solution to the energy crisis in earth which helped to cut down further emission of GHG. Slowly the earth community understood that the outside activities have turned around the situation even more than they expected. They approved further orbital settlements each with a specific mission.

I am looking at my Mother Earth from the fifth and latest settlement. I was born on this settlement. But I always feel that I belong to Earth. If I was born on Earth, I would have felt that I belong to a particular nation. But I am so lucky to be born on this settlement and to have a strong belief that I belong to Earth.

We are grateful to the earth community for having given us this wonderful opportunity to pay our contribution to our dear mother. We could nurse and dress the wounds of our shattered Mother from this orbital world. Now she is completely healed. She is back on her foot. As long as she is there we will come around her. As long as she lives happily we will also live happily.

We are Her Children Around Her, the narration concludes.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/19/stories/2010051962200300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

11 students recognised as NASA Cassini Scientist for a day

Photo:G. Krishnaswamy

On a ‘mission’:Students recognised as NASA’s Cassini Scientist for a day in Hyderabad on Thursday.

HYDERABAD, India:Ten out of the 11 students recognised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as NASA Cassini Scientist for a day are from the State. These children will interact with real mission scientists through indirect video conference to be conducted in first week of March and also participate in a direct video conference with NASA’s former and existing scientists the next week.

This announcement was made at a ceremony organised by Planetary Society, India, in association with Cassini People Outreach Division and US Consulate General’s Office, here on Thursday. “It’s an opportunity for students in grades 5 to 10 to learn about Saturn and Cassini – Huygens mission by participating through essay format,” said Planetary Society General Secretary N. Sri Raghunandan Kumar. The selected students are: Rohin Vajawat, K. Sushmithasri, E. Radheshyam, G. Meghna, Ram Pranav and Shahnawaz (all from Hyderabad), Ch. Bhaskar and C.H.V. Sai Vinay (Vijayawada), M. Bharat (Tirupati), Vishnu Priya (Kothagudem) and Syed Yasin Shahtaz Emanee (Assam). Explaining the activity, Mr. Kumar said students were asked to imagine that they were real scientists on Cassini Mission of NASA to Saturn and write a scientific report after selecting one of the three targets given by the mission authorities.

Participating as the chief guest, US Consulate Office Vice-Consul Pamela Pontius said the programme would enable students develop more interest in science and technology.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/26/stories/2010022658620200.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu