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In one of NASA Glenn's innovations, a shaped recess can be formed on a surface associated with fluid flow. Often V-shaped, this shaped recess can be configured to create or induce fluid effects, temperature effects, or shedding effects. For example, the shaped recess can be paired (upstream or downstream) with a cooling channel. The configuration of the shaped recess can mitigate the lift-off or separation of the cooling jets that are produced by the cooling channels, thus keeping the cooling jets trained on turbine blades and enhancing the effectiveness of the film-cooling process. The second innovation produced to improve film cooling addresses problems that occur when high-blowing ratios, such as those that occur during transient operation, threaten to diminish cooling effectiveness by creating jet detachment. To keep the cooling jet attached to the turbine blade, and also to spread the jet in the spanwise direction, NASA Glenn inventors have successfully used cooling holes that reduce loss by blowing in the upstream direction. In addition, fences may be used upstream of the holes to bend the cooling flow back toward the downstream direction to further reduce mixing losses. These two innovations represent a significant leap forward in making film cooling for turbine blades, and therefore the operation of turbine engines, more efficient.

Current aircraft engine control logic uses a min-max control selection structure to prevent the engine from exceeding any safety or operational limits during transients due to throttle commands. This structure is inherently conservative and produces transient responses that are slower than necessary. By activating the NASA Glenn's conditionally active limit regulators, engine response can be improved while preserving all necessary safety limits. An engine controller using CA limit regulators will get a faster engine response while ensuring engine safety. The improved performance is attained by eliminating unnecessary limit regulator activations and by utilizing more of the available safety margins. This is an early-stage technology requiring additional development. Glenn welcomes co-development opportunities.

Prior efforts to actuate wing articulation were unsuccessful, largely because the systems designed were too large, heavy, and complex to be practical for use. NASA's comparatively simple SAW concept centers on a wing actuator fabricated from lightweight SMA material, which is trained to deform to a specific shape as it becomes heated. SMA actuators are composed of high-strength alloys, such as nickel-titanium-hafnium, and can feature elements such as trained tubes, wires, cables, or sheets. For example, a high-temperature, high-force SMA torque tube can be embedded in an outboard chordwise hinge line of a wing. Every embodiment of the SMA actuator features integrated heaters and cooling devices that enable better control authority. A novel hinge line mechanism both provides a two-piece wing connection and houses the actuator assembly. When the actuator is heated, the SMA apparatus triggers the articulation of the wing to a predefined position. Once the desired position is reached, the heater maintains a constant temperature, causing the SMA to maintain its deformity. As needed, the cooling system can be used to allow the wing to return to its original geometry. Multiple actuators can be employed on a single wing, allowing the various parts of the wing to articulate independently. By adapting the geometry of the wing during all phases of operation, from ground to subsonic and supersonic/hypersonic flight, NASA's SAW offers the first practical method of using wing articulation to improve aircraft performance and fuel efficiency.

NASA researchers are extending an existing oxide/oxide CMC sandwich structure concept that provides mono-tonal noise reduction. That oxide/oxide CMC has a density of about 2.8 g/cc versus the 8.4 g/cc density of a metallic liner made of IN625, thus offering the potential for component weight reduction. The composites have good high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance, allowing them to perform as core liners at temperatures up to 1000°C (1832°F). NASA's innovation uses cells of different lengths or effective lengths within a compact CMC-based liner to achieve broadband noise reduction. NASA has been able to optimize the performance of the proposed acoustic liner by using improved design tools that help reduce noise over a specified frequency range. One such improvement stems from the enhanced understanding of variable-depth liners, including the benefits of alternate channel shapes/designs (curved, bent, etc.). These new designs have opened the door for CMC-based acoustic liners to offer core engine noise reduction in a lighter, more compact package. As a first step toward demonstrating advanced concepts, an oxide/oxide CMC acoustic testing article with different channel lengths was tested. Bulk absorbers could also be used, either in conjunction with or in place of the liners internal chambers, to reduce noise further if desired.

The invention provides receipt of text messages that are communicated by, or received by, aircraft that are within a selected distance from the inquiring pilots aircraft. This information is filtered by a Pilots Aircraft receiver using a list of Target Words and Phrases (TWP) for which the subject is of concern to the pilot. Messages containing one or more of the selected TWPs are presented in a selected order as text or, alternatively as a verbal message for review by the pilot. Upon receipt of the TWPs, the pilot determines if any action should be taken in order to avoid or minimize delay associated with the information. Communication between the inquiring pilot and any other pilot within the prescribed range, geographic sector, and/or time interval is implemented using a publish and subscribe approach to exchange relevant data. A pilot determines which information to share and with whom and from whom the pilot is interested in receiving information (subscribe). This approach will avoid the radio chatter that often accompanies a party line system. Each such message may be assigned a priority with messages having higher priority being given preference in a message queue. The messages can be filtered and received as coded or encrypted, depending upon a situation or security concerns.

This innovation utilizes a strut/truss-braced oblique variable-sweep wing mounted on a constant cross-section geometry fuselage. The combination of the strut/truss-bracing with the oblique wing greatly reduces the structural and weight penalties previously associated with unbraced oblique wing configurations while maintaining the oblique wings improved aerodynamic performance. Strut/truss bracing helps to further reduce the wing weight, and can be used to automatically align wing-mounted engines with the oncoming flow. The synergistic combination of these design elements provides the aircraft with a wide and efficient cruise speed range when the wing is at intermediate sweep positions, and superior low speed performance when the wing is unswept. The wing could remain aligned during taxiing, reducing the chance of collisions with other taxiing aircraft. This wide speed envelope provides future air traffic systems with additional flexibility when scheduling efficient arrivals and departures. The improved climb performance of the straight wing reduces the neighborhood noise footprint of the aircraft as it departs the airport. Efficient aircraft designs are increasingly desired in order to support the continued growth of the air transportation industry. Continued expansion of this vital mode of transportation is threatened by ever-increasing challenges in emissions, noise, and fuel efficiency.

Distributed Asynchronous Air Vehicle Sensor System (DAAVSS) is a distributed system for sensing the environmental and structural conditions of an air vehicle. It consists of many identical sensor modules which can connect to each other as well as nearby sensors. The resulting network produces a robust, responsive system that can transfer structural and environmental information into actionable control objectives. The invention consists of a modular sensor system that distributes collection and computation throughout the aircraft body. Sensor Nodes are distributed throughout an air vehicle, either attached to the skin or to the substructure. These nodes are then connected to nearby sensor modules, from which they can collect data that they then either transmit to other nodes via a bidirectional data network or use to perform local computations. The internode network is sketched out in Figure 1, where each node can communicate with more than two other neighbors and can access N nearby sensors via a data network implemented with asynchronous mesh routing. Each sensor bus is local to the sensor node, so address space within each node's sensor bus is distinct. Allowing a node to connect with a minimum of > 2 neighbors ensures that the resulting internode network topology can take the form of a mesh rather than a traditional bus, and a single node failure is not likely to compromise the functioning of the whole multi-node system. The use of local computation could reduce the response time of the air vehicle and reduce overhead, since sensors no longer have to be wired through the entire vehicle to the central processor and polled from this source. Instead, local networks can inter-communicate and respond to stimuli directly without having to traverse the entire network. This invention is used to efficiently spread the computation required to collect and act on environmental and structural stimuli that act on an air vehicle.

The invention presents a trajectory design whereby a spacecraft can be launched as a secondary payload into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and through a series of maneuvers to reach lunar orbit. The trajectory analysis begins by identifying acceptable ranges of lunar orbit altitude and inclination values. The unique features of this method includes the use of either a leading or trailing edge lunar flyby to achieve an orbit inclination in the lunar orbit plane from a GTO launched at any time of day. This technique is applicable to secondary spacecraft that share a ride to space resulting in a substantially reduced cost, and with no control of the launch conditions. Major advantages of this design include the relatively short (maximum) lunar transfer duration (<3 months, less than half of that required for a Sun-Earth weak-stability boundary transfer), simplicity and consistency of design (again compared to a Sun-Earth weak stability boundary transfer).

This critical safety tool can be used for a wider variety of aircraft, including general aviation, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while also improving performance in the fighter aircraft currently using this type of system. Demonstrations/Testing This improved approach to ground collision avoidance has been demonstrated on both small UAVs and a Cirrus SR22 while running the technology on a mobile device. These tests were performed to the prove feasibility of the app-based implementation of this technology. The testing also characterized the flight dynamics of the avoidance maneuvers for each platform, evaluated collision avoidance protection, and analyzed nuisance potential (i.e., the tendency to issue false warnings when the pilot does not consider ground impact to be imminent). Armstrong's Work Toward an Automated Collision Avoidance System Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) remains a leading cause of fatalities in aviation, resulting in roughly 100 deaths each year in the United States alone. Although warning systems have virtually eliminated CFIT for large commercial air carriers, the problem still remains for fighter aircraft, helicopters, and GAA. Innovations developed at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center are laying the foundation for a collision avoidance system that would automatically take control of an aircraft that is in danger of crashing into the ground and fly it—and the people inside—to safety. The technology relies on a navigation system to position the aircraft over a digital terrain elevation data base, algorithms to determine the potential and imminence of a collision, and an autopilot to avoid the potential collision. The system is designed not only to provide nuisance-free warnings to the pilot but also to take over when a pilot is disoriented or unable to control the aircraft. The payoff from implementing the system, designed to operate with minimal modifications on a variety of aircraft, including military jets, UAVs, and GAA, could be billions of dollars and hundreds of lives and aircraft saved. Furthermore, the technology has the potential to be applied beyond aviation and could be adapted for use in any vehicle that has to avoid a collision threat, including aerospace satellites, automobiles, scientific research vehicles, and marine charting systems.