NASA’s New Design Would Finally Bring Jets Out Of The Jet Age
Key Highlights :
NASA recently unveiled its latest X-plane, a strange new design known as a transonic truss-winged aircraft. This revolutionary design could be the answer to the growing problem of air travel’s environmental impact.
The X-66A is the first commercial aircraft design created by NASA specifically to address efficiency. A one-off created under the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, this single-aisle plane takes its design cues from gliders, with the wings perched on top of the fuselage with struts holding the wings in place.
The big idea behind the transonic truss-braced wing concept is an update to the aircraft configuration, or the plane’s architecture. Unlike the low-wing design that dominates the commercial aircraft configuration today, the new Boeing design has wings that stretch over the top of the plane’s tubular body. This reduces drag, but it also allows for a wider variety of propulsion systems, from bigger jet engines to exposed propellers.
It’s also fast. The “transonic” part of the concept’s name refers to its ability to fly just shy of the speed of sound, or around 966 km per hour.
Flying is really dirty, with four per cent of global emissions coming from commercial aircraft. As air travel gains in popularity, that slice of the carbon pie is only set to keep growing. The X-66A could be the answer to this problem as it is designed to be more efficient than current aircraft designs.
Of course, design isn’t the only place where aircraft engineers can save on carbon. The real kicker will be figuring out a more efficient and cleaner propulsion system. Electric doesn’t really work for aircraft yet as the heavy batteries makes producing the power to lift those batteries difficult. Some aeroplane engine manufacturers, like Rolls-Royce, are experimenting with engines that use 100 per cent biofuel.
The X-66A is an exciting new development in aircraft design, and could be the answer to the environmental problem of air travel. If all goes according to plan, NASA estimates that testing of the X-66A will wrap up later in the 2020s, with tires on tarmac sometime in the 2030s.
NASA’s new design could be the answer to the environmental problem of air travel, and could finally bring jets out of the jet age. With the X-66A, we could see a future of more efficient, cleaner, and faster air travel.
