Future of Engineering

Undetected damage, like tiny cracks, flaws or weak points, is a big problem on airplanes. Now, chemists are testing a new paint that changes color to instantly reveal damage on planes.

Everyday an airplane is carefully inspected for flaws before it sets out on its daily mission. Yet visual inspection isn't hundred per cent fool proof. It's easy to miss out hidden damages on them. A cheap and simple solution has been found to keep an aircraft safe and sound.

"Microcapsules containing a colored dye are mixed together with aircraft paint. If the paint is scratched, dented, or struck the capsules break, releasing the dye. The change in color pinpoints damage. Visual inspections are easier and more accurate."

Initially this technology will be used in military aircrafts. Later on it will be used in commercial and private planes. The invention doesn't stop here. This color changing paint will soon find its way to the packaging industry to create tamper resistant packaging.

Source - DBIS

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Safety

Future of Commercial Space Travel

This post at the Future of Engineering Blog provides web resources that discuss the future trends in commercial space travel.

Movers & Shakers

One Step Closer to Commercial Space Travel - Sir Richard Branson unveiled the design of spaceship two and whiteknighttwo, the future flagships of his virgin galactic endeavor. Branson, along with scaled composites, has become the only game in town for commercially viable spaceflight able to take passengers.

'Space Ship Two' Unveiled - Virgin Galactic, a company owned and established by Richard Branson's Virgin Group in order to create the world's first commercial spaceline, has unveiled the designs of the Space Ship Two and White Knight two carrier aircrafts. Space Ship Two is designed to carry six tourists and two pilots into sub-orbit, reaching a speed of just over 3 times the speed of sound and climbing to altitudes of over 360,000 feet. White Knight two, an all-carbon composite aircraft, is designed to carry and launch space ship two when reaching a height of around 50,000 feet. Commercial space travel never seemed this close.

NASA and Virgin Galactic to Explore Future - NASA officials announced they have signed an agreement with a U.S. Company, Virgin Galactic, to explore collaborations on development of future space systems and support to commercial human spaceflight activities. Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, NASA Ames research center and Virgin Galactic will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas.

Commercial Space Travel - Russia's Mir Space Station was supposed to be the first destination for space tourists. But in march 2001, the russian aerospace agency brought mir down into the pacific ocean. As it turned out, bringing down mir only temporarily delayed the first tourist trip into space. Russia is not alone in its interest in space tourism. There are several projects underway to commercialize space travel. Here are a few of the groups that might take you to space: --> Bigelow aerospace, formed by budget suites of america hotels owner Robert Bigelow Space Island group --> The x prize a national contest that offered $10 million to the first private company. And more such info are present in this article.

50 Years in Space - The wealthy men behind today's commercial space industry were just kids when the U.S.-Soviet space race started 50 years ago. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, Virgin boss Richard Branson. The common denominator between these men? They are the pioneers of a new private space race, 35 years after anyone has walked on the moon. At the 50th anniversary of space exploration, many industry pundits and executives say there's a new era upon us. They describe the 17 years after sputnik as the first phase of a journey marked by new human and robotic exploration in space, and which culminated in the skylab and the apollo missions. The second phase, from 1976 to 2007, was characterized by robotic missions to other planets like saturn, collecting data about the universe. What's in store for the next phase?

Predictions

Space Travel Technology for Next 100 Years - This article contains collection of blogs and discussions on space travel technology.

International Commercial Space Development for the Future 50 Years - The first 50 years of the space era have been driven by the establishment and development of the main space powers: USA and USSR/Russia, followed by Europe, Japan, China, India. Space activities were a field for demonstration of worldwide strategic positioning, with the acquisition of access to space, of new military capabilities, but also through prestige programs in human space flight and exploration, and through utilitarian applications. In the next 50 years, the influence of government business will remain, in security applications, in exploration, and also in civil applications supporting sustainable development. But the development of the commercial markets shall accelerate, through various axes.

Towards Commercial Space Travel - Many people would like to experience space travel for various reasons. Since the early days of science fiction in the 1930s, the image of space flight as adventurous and exciting has played a growing role in popular culture. Furthermore, those who have been lucky enough to visit space have all confirmed that it is a highly enjoyable experience. The view of earth and the stars is spectacular, and the experience of living in "zero gravity" is fascinating. In order to determine the commercial potential of space travel, research is required both on the technological possibilities of reusable passenger-carrying spacecraft and orbital accommodation, and on the economics of operating a commercial service, including market research.

The Near Future of Space - Beginning in 2009 Virgin Galactic will start taking tourists to space. This will be the first “affordable” option for commercial space travel (the much more expensive option being the russian space program). The tickets will start at $200,000 per flight, and i have to say, out of my range but very affordable. What do you get for $200,000? The experience will last for 2 1/2 hour with views of a 1000 miles in any direction at a height of 360,000 feet above earth. The exciting part (for all the people who can spend 200k on a quick space flight is the future. The age of commercial space tourism is here but the rest of us or going to have to wait… but (hopefully) not too long, which is very exciting… at least to me.

Brave New World? Next Steps Planned for Private Space Travel - While Space Ship One's wispy contrail from sky to space quickly vanished into the thin desert air, the flight at Mojave Spaceport left a solid line in the sand -- to create a "new space age" of personal space travel. "This is the end of the beginning," said Gregg Maryniak, X Prize foundation executive director, shortly after brian binnie had piloted spaceshipone to a successful win of the $10 million Ansari X Prize. For the X prize foundation, plans are underway for the start of an annual event called the X Prize cup.

Technologies

Maglev Launch Assist Technology may Enable Commercial Space Travel - The same technology used in Magnetically Levitated ("Maglev") trains may give spaceships a low-cost, stable boost for the future of space travel—possibly even for joy rides. A research group from two universities in beijing, china has constructed a maglev test vehicle that works on a model track made of a permanent magnet-high temperature superconductor (PM-HTS).

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

A California aerospace company plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth.

The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace, which planned to release details of the design at a news conference Wednesday.

The company also said that, pending the outcome of negotiations, the Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded it a research contract to develop and test features of the Lynx. No details were released.

Xcor's announcement comes two months after aerospace designer Burt Rutan and billionaire Richard Branson unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, which is being built for Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism company and may begin test flights this year.

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Keywords: Aerospace, space tourism, California aerospace company, two-seat rocket ship, suborbital flights, altitude, Lynx, private plane, Xcor Aerospace, Air Force Research Laboratory, Burt Ru, Richard Branson, SpaceShipTwo, Branson's Virgin Galactic space, tourism company , spaceship builder

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

The Rocket Racing League says its rocket-powered race planes will take off for their first public exhibition races on Aug. 1 and 2 at the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wis. But that's just the start. The league's founders have also acquired an airframe-manufacturing company, taken on a new partner to build rocket engines and set up a string of subsidiaries.

Whitelaw and his partners have been working to create a "NASCAR in the sky" - a series of aerial fly-offs that would draw in spectators and viewers the way auto races do today. Now Rocket Racing Inc. is aiming to take that auto-racing parallel several steps further.

The two rocket racers that will fly will be from California-based XCOR Aerospace and Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace respectively.

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Keywords:
The Rocket Racing League, Rocket Racers, rocket-powered race planes, EAA AirVenture air show, XCOR Aerospace, Armadillo Aerospace, Velocity Aircraft

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

Last spring Swedish Lamera won the aircraft industry's Crystal Cabin Awards with their lightweight steel Hybrix. It is a sandwich material that consists of microscopic steel fibres between two sheets of stainless steel.

It is thin (1-2 mm), strong and it can be processed and formed in the same ways and with the same tools as ordinary stainless steel. In fact, the only apparent difference is that it weighs about half as much.

Hybrix has been described as "magic" since it seems too thin and firm to be hollow but this story gets even better: Lamera has combined their invention with Decorex - a material developed by another Swedish steel company, Sandvik. Decorex is a steel surface processed on nano level that can be given different colours and structures.

One obvious area of use is aircraft interiors since there is A LOT of money to save with fewer kilos in the air. Hybrix itself was developed at the well-known bionic intersection of biology and engineering.

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Keywords: Swedish Lamera, Lightweight steel Hybrix, Sandwich material, Decorex

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Material-Sciences

Outer space is the future of business, according to a report released by the Space Foundation.

The report said the Space Economy, defined as the full range of economic activities in the course of exploring, understanding and utilizing space, has become the next great frontier for business growth, exceeding $250 billion in projected value to the U.S. economy.

Commercial activities such as satellite and GPS-related services raked in $173.4 billion in 2007 -- more than 70 percent of total global space revenues. In contrast, NASA's budget is only $17.3 billion in 2008.

Underscoring this development, the Austin, Texas-based Phillips & Co., a global business development and market consulting firm launched its Space Technology and Commerce Practice on Wednesday, on the 49th anniversary of the Mercury Seven news conference, when NASA introduced the first seven American astronauts to the world.
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Keywords: Space industry, Space Foundation, Space Economy, GPS, Austin, Texas-based Phillips & Co, Mercury Seven news conference, NASA , astronauts, Rich Phillips

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

In this exciting but challenging period of space exploration, the time is fast approaching for serious design concepts for the first habitats that will be built on the lunar landscape. In previous articles, we have examined the hazards associated with such an endeavour, we have looked at the structures available to us, we have even detailed a particular hangar-like structure that might use locally mined materials. Now, we look into the possible infrastructure elements that will be needed to support a viable colony on the Moon. Florian Ruess, a structural engineer who is working on the future of habitats in extreme environments, also took some time with the Universe Today to give his opinions on mankind's future on lunar soil

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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

Nanocomp Technologies has been given an Air Force contract to develop electrically conductive wire and other materials from carbon nanotubes. The major aspect of this contract is an effort to replace copper wiring and its attendant limitations — weighty, physically breaks down, etc. If Nanocomp Technologies is successful the entire aerospace industry will be one of the first beneficiaries of this development.

Under Phase One, Nanocomp Technologies will expand upon its current processing and manufacturing methods for producing CNT sheets and spun conductors, composed of long-length CNTs, to surpass established electrical performance standards required by aerospace to replace traditional copper wiring.

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Keywords: Nanocomp, Carbon Nanotubes(CNT), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Improved Electrical Power, Boeing 747, Aerospace Systems, Copper Wiring Harnesses

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Material-Sciences, Metallurgical-Engineering

Using magnetic forces to hold the elements of a modular spacecraft together without mechanical connection is being studied by Cornell University's College of Engineering as part of a Northrop Grumman-led team working on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's System F6 fractionated satellite programme. F6 aims to replace the traditional large monolithic satellite with several small independently launched spacecraft flying in close formation.

Cornell is working with flux-pinning superconductors that resist movement within magnetic fields and which could be used to hold spacecraft components in place without mechanical connections. The superconductors can be turned on and off, allowing flux-pinned modules to repositioned or replaced like the "virtual building blocks" of a fractionated satellite, says the university. Cornell is also studying electromagnetic formation flight, which can passively stabilise formations of spacecraft flying in close proximity (less than 1m), while also preventing them from colliding. DARPA plans to fly a fractionated satellite within four years.

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Keywords: Electromagnetic, Cornell University, F6 fractionated satellite programme, flux-pinning superconductors, DARPA

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Electrical-Engineering, Material-Sciences

A california aerospace company plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the earth. The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace. Xcor's announcement comes two months after aerospace designer burt rutan and billionaire richard branson unveiled a model of spaceshiptwo, which is being built for branson's virgin galactic space tourism company and may begin test flights this year.

Xcor intends to be a spaceship builder, with another company operating the lynx and setting prices.

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Key words: Space tourism, two-seat rocket ship, suborbital flights, lynx, xcor, rutan-designed long-ez homebuilt aircraft, spaceship, virgin galactic

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

A privately-built space station prototype successfully launched into orbit from a russian missile base, kicking off the second test flight for the u.s. Firm bigelow aerospace. Genesis 2, an inflatable module laden with cameras, personal items and a space bingo game, rocketed spaceward atop a dnepr booster from a silo at yasny launch base, an active russian strategic missile base in the country's orenburg region. Genesis 2 is a near-twin of bigelow aerospace's Genesis 1 module, which launched in july 2006 and remains operational today, but carries a series of enhancements and additional cargo, the las vegas, nevada-based spaceflight firm has said. Both spacecraft are prototypes for future commercial orbital complexes that bigelow aerospace, and its founder and president robert bigelow, hope to offer for use by private firms and national space agencies.

Keywords: Bigelow aerospace, space bingo, dnepr booster, yasny launch base, genesis, crew-rated spacecraft, sundancer

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

An amplified thruster that could potentially shorten the trip to mars from six months to a week has reportedly attracted the attention of aerospace agencies and contractors. Young bae, founder of the BAE Institute in Tustin, Calif., first demonstrated his Photonic Laser Thruster (PLT), which he built with off-the-shelf components, in December 2007.

The demonstration produced a photon thrust of 35 µn and is scalable to achieve much greater thrust for future space missions, the institute said. Applications include highly precise satellite formation flying configurations for building large synthetic apertures in space for earth or space observation, precision contaminant-free spacecraft docking operations, and propelling spacecraft to unprecedented speeds -- faster than 100 km/sec.

Several aerospace organizations have expressed interest in collaborating with the institute to further develop and integrate plt into civilian, military and commercial space systems, Bae said.

Keywords: Amplified photon thruster, bae institute, photonic laser thruster (plt), space transportation systems, advanced vehicle systems

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

Today's aviation, vetronics, and other applications in mil-aero require more power, but have less space—this contributes to higher thermal loads and less opportunity to drive the heat out.

The thermal-management options available to the mil-aero industry include those such as conduction cooling and liquid flow-through cooling—as well as presented specifics about VITA circuit cards, ANSI/VITA documents, and other thermal-management information.

Interest in and use of directed energy weapons and electric aircraft are growing, and these innovations require ultra-efficient energy systems. Some technologies that Boeing is investigating are lightweight carbon thermal-management systems, as well as fuel cells, CNT thermal interface, and spray cooling.

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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Physics

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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Astronomy

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn have detected for the first time a molecule closely related to an amino acid: amino acetonitrile. The organic molecule was found with a 30 meter radio telescope in Spain and two radio interferometers in France and Australia in the "Large Molecule Heimat", a giant gas cloud near the galactic centre in the constellation Sagittarius (Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press).

The “Large Molecule Heimat” is a very dense, hot gas clump within the star forming region Sagittarius B2. In this source of only 0,3 light-year diameter, which is heated by a deeply embedded newly formed star, most of the interstellar molecules known to date have been found, including the most complex ones such as ethyl alcohol, formaldehyde, formic acid, acetic acid, glycol aldehyde (a basic sugar), and ethylene glycol.

Starting from 1965, more than 140 molecular species have been detected in space, in interstellar clouds as well as in circumstellar envelopes. A large fraction of these molecules is organic or carbon-based. A lot of attention is given to the quest for so-called "bio"-molecules, especially interstellar amino acids. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and therefore key ingredients for the origin of life, have been found in meteorites on Earth, but not yet in interstellar space.

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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Chemical-Engineering

The imagination of the science fiction author Sir Arthur C Clarke bubbled over with ideas about the future of science, technology and human society. Here, BBC science and technology staff look at some that came true, and some that did not.

The predictions discussed:

1. Space elevator
2. Space guard
3. Atomic travel
4. Millennium Bug
5. Communications satellites
6. Earthquake prevention
7. Brain backup
8. People freezing


Full report here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Sciences

Superconductors to provide new levels of stability and control in large structures and satellite formations in space

By taking advantage of the surprising physics of magnetic flux pinning, spacecraft components could hover a fraction of an inch to several feet apart without electrical power. Flux-pinning superconductor materials resist movement within magnetic fields, and flux pinning can be turned on or off simply by cooling or heating the superconductors. As a result, modules consisting of magnets and flux-pinning superconductors can maintain the position and orientation of spacecraft components. Furthermore, flux-pinned connections are stable without active feedback control, which typically requires on-board computers and power.

Dr. Mason Peck from the Cornell University College of Engineering is continuing his research begun in 2005 with recent funding from F6 contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation, where magnetic flux pinning holds special promise for eliminating the complexity of mechanical connectors currently designed into space systems for docking, attaching, and configuring components. F6 (Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft United by Information eXchange) is a new spacecraft design strategy being studied by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense (DOD).

Peck's use of magnetic flux pinning complements a related technology, EMFF (electromagnetic formation flight), by providing passive stability for formations of spacecraft in close proximity (less than 1 meter). It also eliminates power, software, and electronics hardware as single points of failure for controlling the positions of nearby components. Electromagnetic actuation can provide coarse or fine control of the formation. In addition, the technology provides a passive bumper that can guarantee no contact while components are maneuvering in space

Full report from here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Electrical-Engineering, Material-Sciences, Physics

A small group of engineering students have taken on the challenge of building a robot designed to retrieve minerals from the moon.

UK's student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. will enter the robot in an April 5 tournament during the IEEE SoutheastCon conference in Huntsville, Ala.
Several organizations are in competition to retrieve these minerals and return them to earth.
Peter Ferland, an electrical engineering junior and the chair of UK's robot contingent, said the team is composed of half a dozen engineering students. They began building the robot in October.

"The contest offers engineering students a chance to tackle a design problem start to finish, providing valuable experience for future engineers," Ferland said.

In the tournament, each team must build an autonomous robot that will perform on an earth-bound course, collecting colored wooden blocks representing moon minerals and returning them to its home base to score points.


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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Automation

In the coming months, NASA is due to select one team to provide the suit that astronauts will wear for the next series of giant leaps.

Currently, NASA astronauts use one type of suit during the space shuttle's launch and re-entry (the orange-colored get-up nicknamed the "pumpkin suit") and another type of suit for spacewalks (the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU). Both are heavy stuff...Spacesuits are built to protect the body from the near-vacuum of space - and the traditional spacewalking suit does that through internal air pressurization. Currently, 70 to 80 percent of the energy expended by a spacewalker goes to bending the suit's joints against that pressure.

In contrast, the Biosuit does the same job through mechanical counterpressure. The result is a garment that provides a stiff skeleton while preserving much more of a person's mobility. Some experts figure that the Biosuit could be ready for prime time in 10 years.

Other groups such as Orbital Outfitters, are designing togs for suborbital space tourists - who wouldn't need the level of protection required for spacewalks or lunar surface operations.

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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Astronomy, Design-Engineering

The fact that heavy planes full of people can stay aloft is incredible. Even experts admit there is a lot we don't know about flight, including why animals do it so much better than our best aircraft.

When it comes to flexibility and efficiency in the air, birds, bats and insects easily outperform airplanes. Researchers hope studying animals more closely may reveal some of the secrets behind flight.

Full story here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Fluid-Dynamics

Airbus and South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will spend about R1.5 million on research into next-generation aircraft.

Airbus said it had joined forces with the CSIR to conduct research into new technologies and processes in the area of computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

The one-year agreement between the leading commercial aircraft manufacturer and the CSIR aims to define and research technologies in numerical modelling that can contribute to the design of clean and efficient next-generation jetliners.

Full story here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering

University of Arizona scientists and students are reaching for the moon in a quest for a $30 million payoff.

The UA Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department have teamed with Raytheon Missile Systems and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to design, build, fly and operate a robotic lunar lander mission.
The team, called Astrobotic Technology Inc., is competing with nine other groups for the the Google Lunar X Prize, which offers a $30 million purse for the first private robotic mission to the moon that meets operational specifications.

Full story here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Mechanical-Engineering

A giant telescope, galaxy maps, and laser beacons on Mars are only a few of the ideas that teams selected by NASA will study for the next generation of astronomy and astrophysics missions. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will help usher in this new era by playing an active role in 15 of the 19 science teams chosen to look at new concepts for future missions.

The 15 teams will explore concepts for missions to hunt for planets orbiting other stars (exoplanets) and to answer various astrophysics questions. JPL will manage six exoplanet and five astrophysics mission concepts and contribute to another four astrophysics mission plans managed from other NASA centers by aiding engineering and mission design, refining the science goals and supporting cost estimates.

The final reports will be put up for review in front of the Decadal Survey Committee, which sets the priorities for astronomy and astrophysics studies every 10 years, said Michael Werner, the chief scientist for astronomy and physics at JPL.

Full report here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

The Ultimate Web Guide to Green Airplanes and Aircraft Pollution

While pollution from aircraft is currently less than 3% of the total environmental pollution, increased air travel is likely to increase this share significantly in future. As a result, now is as good a time as any to explore the domain of aircraft / airplane pollution and see what the airline industry, aircraft companies and the relevant authorities are doing about this. This online guide is a comprehensive compilation of resources pertaining to airline pollution and the efforts by airlines and aircraft companies to make the industry more green.

Airplane Pollution

Aircraft Pollution Destroying Our Skies - According to the Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting, CO2 constitutes roughly 70% of aircraft engine emissions, amongst other harmful emissions and particulates. It goes on to list the initiatives being undertaken to reduce emissions in the future, although it appears to me it will be some time before something somewhat definitive and effective is implemented as an industry standard, for more “bio-friendly” skies.

Targets to cut aviation pollution - Aircraft manufacturers, airports and airlines aim to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by new aircraft over the next 15 years by half

Are aviation pollution claims a flight of fancy? - A new report by the European Low Fares Airline Association concludes that aviation is being unfairly blamed for CO2 emissions. Airline bosses have been quick to respond with some strong words of their own

Asia Pacific Region Officials Agree to Curb Aviation Pollution - Governments in the Asia-Pacific region have now agreed to curb airline pollution through a range of measures such as reducing the number of planes circling airports as they wait to land. Australia had announced that it was introducing traffic control changes at its airports to enhance aviation fuel efficiency.

Elements of aircraft pollution - This book is an attempt to place the subject aircraft pollution in the context of aerospace engineering by bringing together the most relevant sciences and technologies, which cover the problem

Pollution reducing aircraft propulsion - Aircraft engine exhaust is mixed with air and fuel and recombusted. Air is drawn into the secondary combustion chamber from suction surfaces on wings. Exhaust of the secondary combustion chamber is blown over wing and fuselage surfaces

Growing world aircraft fleet and increasing pollution - As competition among airlines around the world intensifies, more and more people find it convenient to travel by air for business and leisure. But the rapid growth of commercial aviation is having a significant impact on global warming and the Asia-Pacific region, the world's fastest expanding market for air travel, is starting to feel the heat. In its latest forecast of aviation growth, European aircraft maker Airbus said this month that the world's fleet of large passenger jets (more than 100 seats) would double in the next 20 years to nearly 33,000 aircraft

Airline Pollution: The Sky Has Its Limits - There are less degenerate ways to solve the problem of airplane noise, an annoyance rapidly evolving into a menace. But do not look to the FAA or the aviation industry to help. The expansionist logic of airlines and airports assumes that the air around and above us has an infinitely absorptive capacity and can tolerate any pollution. We used to think that about rivers. It isn't true, in either case. Industries that pollute rivers have been forced to change, to clean up. The people who worry about pollution from planes are no longer Luddite crackpots

Worried about airline pollution? - Aircraft account for about 5% of carbon dioxide emissions and air travel is forecast to double within 25 years. There are fears that cheap flights could hamper efforts to fulfil Britain's commitments agreed at the Kyoto summit in tackling climate change. The aviation industry favours an emissions trading scheme, allowing airlines to buy and sell carbon dioxide allocations

Plane Pollution - In regulating aircraft and airports, several compelling interests compete: safety, international commerce, and environmental quality. Of these, safety issues receive perhaps most of the attention, garnering large headlines in the wake of airplane accidents. But the issue of the effect of airports on the environment and human health has heated up in recent years as public interest and citizen groups contest airport expansion on environmental and health grounds, and the airline and airport industries attempt to meet increasingly stringent regulations in these areas

Airlines are defending their record over pollution - Manufacturers are using lighter materials to build airliners and powering them with more fuel-efficient jet engines. Airlines are pressing air controllers and airports to shorten and simplify routes and landing approaches. The aim is not just to save the planet. It is also to save jet fuel, a major operating cost

Charge airlines for pollution - Airports operator BAA will urge the UK Government to introduce a radical new system of charging airlines for their contribution to global warming. The proposal will be contained in a report to be sent to the Treasury which will say that aviation "should meet the external costs of its activities

Pollution from jets - Besides carbon dioxide, jet engines emit many pollutants into the atmosphere, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, soot and even water vapor. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are called greenhouse gases, because they trap heat and contribute to global warming. Some pollutants emitted from engines during flight warm the Earth by adding to the heat-trapping gases, both natural and man-made, already in the atmosphere. Also, jet contrails — the vapor trails they leave in the sky — add to cloud cover and may contribute to the warming of the planet

Airlines face pollution limits - A landmark accord brings aviation into the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, making air travel subject to restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions in recognition of the sector's impact on the environment. The "polluter pays" system provides flexibility within an unbreakable maximum national CO2 allocation

EU airline pollution permits too high - The European Union is aiming too high with plans to make all airlines flying into and out of the bloc buy pollution permits and it risks a backlash from other regions

Growing world aircraft fleet and increasing pollution - According to Airbus, the air transport industry contributes just 2 per cent of global man-made emissions of carbon dioxide, but it acknowledged that a big rise in the number of planes would mean more greenhouse gas emissions and therefore increased pressure on manufacturers to cut pollution

Aircraft pollution – a futuristic view - Impacts of NOx, H2O and aerosol emissions from a projected 2050 aircraft fleet are investigated using the Oslo CTM2, with emissions provided through the EU project SCENIC. The aircraft emission scenarios consist of emissions from subsonic and supersonic aircraft. In particular it is shown that aerosol emissions from such an aircraft fleet can have a relatively large impact on ozone, and possibly reduce the total atmospheric NOx by more than what is emitted by aircraft

Aviation unit maintenance pollution prevention guide - The purpose of this pollution prevention (P2) guide is to identify opportunities to reduce pollution generated by unit-level aviation maintenance operations (AVUM). This guide also provides template calculations showing waste reduction estimates and economic analyses for each P2 opportunity. These calculations are based on material usages, waste generations, and disposal fees of an average light infantry aviation unit maintenance facility

Aircraft pollution - Emissions from aircraft are difficult to quantify once they are airborne; once they exceed 1000 metres from the ground the effects of high altitude winds disperse the emissions. Below 1000 metres, the exhaust gases are principally oxides of nitrogen, nonmethane volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. The level of emissions depends on the type of aircraft

Aviation pollution set to go sky-high - Aviation will account for 5% of world’s common emissions by 2050, according to climate change study by researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University(MMU

Advisory group for aeronautical research and development - As part of the growing concern in many developed countries with questions of ecology and environment, aircraft are being heavily criticized as contributing a significant share of pollution. Although the major objection is to noise, objections are also raised concerning smoke, fumes, and smells ascribed to aircraft.

Aircraft Pollution - Pollutants from more than five million civil and nearly 2,800 military flights each year are destroying Earth’s protective ozone layer and stealing blue skies, while accounting for more than 10% of global greenhouse warming.

Aircraft Emissions

Atmospheric effects of aircraft emissions - Present commercial aircraft fly at altitudes of 8-13 km. The emissions from such air traffic can change the atmospheric composition: Directly: by emitting carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2), water vapour, unburnt hydrocarbons, soot, and sulfate particles. Indirectly: by a chemical reaction chain similar to smog-formation the greenhouse gas ozone (O3) can be formed. In this reaction chain nitrogen oxides act as a catalyst under the influence of sunlight. As a result of these chemical reations also the concentration of methane (CH4), another greenhouse gas, decreases

Emission Standards and Test Procedures - In this action, EPA is proposing to amend the existing United States regulations governing the exhaust emissions from new commercial aircraft gas turbine engines. It is proposing new emission standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOX) for newly certified commercial aircraft gas turbine engines. This action proposes to adopt standards equivalent to the latest (effective in 2004) NOX standards of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and thereby bring the United States emission standards into alignment with the internationally adopted standards

PC Emissions Close To Matching Airline Pollution - Carbon emissions from computing are now approaching those of aviation, according to new research. IT now accounts for 10% of the UK's annual energy consumption. That is the equivalent of four nuclear power station's worth of electricity and 1 billion tonnes of CO2 worldwide

Marine Smoke Pollution Law - The IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee has an on-going agenda in amending MARPOL Annex VI to further tighten-up the emission from ships. The focus being on further reducing SOx level, either by imposing strict limit in the sulfur content of fuel or by new technology in engine exhaust treatment. The issue has caused heated debate between the shipping and the petroleum industries, and further research is needed before a more effective approach can be agreed. Once adopted, the new MARPOL Annex VI amendments will affect HK ships trading worldwide and other ships within HK waters.

Share of aviation CO2 in total CO2 Pollution - The environmental effects caused by aviation are emissions such as CO2, VOC, NOx contrail and water vapour. Although the contribution is lower than other industries, the current main environmental issue from air transport is the contribution to global warming. In order to be aligned with Kyoto Protocol Targets, the air transport industry should reduce its CO2 contribution

Climate Pollution From Aviation Increasing - Scientists estimate that the effect of aviation emissions on the climate is up to five times the impact of emissions occurring on the ground. But again, the Council failed to address this problem, in direct contrast to the European Parliament who agreed to apply a ‘multiplier’ of 2 on allowances bought by airlines from other sectors. The multiplier of 2 means that for every tonne of CO2 emitted above the cap, airlines would have to buy 2 allowances from other land based sectors within the wider Emissions Trading Scheme

Noise Pollution

Military Aircraft Noise Pollution - newer models of commercial aircraft are more quiet, newer models of military aircraft are often MUCH noisier. The folks who are most unfairly and adversely affected by this are those people who purchased homes outside of the published noise zones and now find themselves effectively within the noise zones because the newest airplanes are much louder than their

Norms proposed to monitor aircraft noise pollution - the Indian civil aviation ministry, directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other concerned agencies would have to strictly follow the proper, uniform procedure for monitoring ambient noise level caused by aircraft. This has been necessitated following rapidly increasing air traffic from 126 airports and further addition due to upcoming new airports and the modernisation/upgradation of existing ones

Aircraft Noise Pollution - Air pollution from commercial aircraft exhaust has long been recognized as an environmental problem, but what about noise pollution? Noise from planes flying over residential areas impairs people's ability to work, learn in school and sleep, and consequently also results in lowered property values in affected areas. As passenger volume increases and new and larger airports are built, noise is becoming even more of a concern

Smooth aircraft approach cuts noise pollution - Noise nuisance from aircraft can be reduced significantly by changing the way the planes come in to land. Lining up with the runway as far as 70 kilometres away and making a steady descent can more than halve the acoustic energy that reaches the ground, an international research consortium has found

Aviation creates massive noise pollution - The World Health Organisation has expressed concern about the impact of aviation on human health. Long term (5-30 years) exposure to air traffic noise levels averaging 65 to 75 decibels increases blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. Sleep disturbance leads to fatigue, hypertension, greater risk of heart and respiratory problems, poor concentration in work and school, increased risk of accidents, depression, anxiety and higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse. (Greenskies Alliance

Alternative Energy in Airlines and Aircraft

Biofuel likely as Kiwis go green - AIR New Zealand is reducing carbon emissions with a series of innovative programs like use of biofuels. The airline is working with aircraft and engine manufacturers to explore new technologies and alternative fuels. Airways New Zealand is also looking at turning off auxiliary power units when the planes are on the ground and moving to ground power as quickly as possible. The airline is also looking at an engine wash program to clean blades, which can improve fuel efficiency. Modifications to aircraft aerodynamics are expected to improve fuel efficiency on some types. Minimising weight on board encompassing everything from magazines to carpets is another step.

Hydrogen-burning Hypersonic Airliner - This hydrogen-burning hypersonic airliner could fly more than twice as fast as the 1,350mph Concorde—and its passengers would travel absolutely guilt-free. European Union's Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies project (Lapcat) wants an airliner that can fly from Brussels to Sydney in less than four hours. If built, the A2 will do just that—without producing a trace of carbon emissions. Engineers created the A2 with the failures of its doomed supersonic predecessor, the Concorde, very much in mind. The A2 engine has two modes. Those two modes—a combination of turbojet and ramjet propulsion systems—would both make the A2 efficient at slower speeds and give it incredible speed capabilities.

Air travel switches to electricity - The dream of inexpensive, ecofriendly aviation has come closer to reality after a French test pilot achieved the first flight in a conventional light aircraft powered by an electric motor. The Electra, is a wood-and-fabric single-seater. The APAME group, founded to develop green aviation, said that the flight showed that nonpolluting, quiet light aviation was within reach.

Solar technology could reduce aircraft noise pollution - BP Solar has installed panels on the roof of a church hall under a Heathrow flight path. These panels not only generate 23000 kWh of electricity per annum, but also insulate against aircraft noise. The south-facing roof, which is designed to prevent the passage of resonant sound, is covered by 174 solar panels.

Eco-friendly Airlines

Fly an Eco-Friendly Airline - Environmentally friendly airline uses the electric tugs to transport planes to the runway, instead of using the plane's own power. Most efficient aircraft, like the Bombardier C Series use such environmentally friendly actions not only during flight, but also ground practices

Airlines Jet into the Eco-Friendly Age - On the commercial flying front, Virgin Atlantic is leading the charge to a more eco-friendly airline industry. Customers can purchase carbon offsets through the Virgin website to help alleviate their impact on the environment. A trial of bio-jet fuel just happened. Continental Airlines offers a carbon offset program as well, and has reduced approximately 75 percent of its nitrogen oxide emissions from ground equipment at their largest hub in Houston, by making the switch to electric for ground service equipment and embracing other new technologies.

Selecting Your Airline - All airlines are not the same and in certain aspects some are more eco-friendly than others. Sometimes the opportunity will arise for the eco-friendly traveller to make choice – but how do you go about making that decision? This resource explains

US Travellers 'prefer Eco-friendly Providers' - More than half of US holidaymakers are more likely to select an airline, rental car or hotel that is environmentally friendly, according to a survey by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Ypartnership

Silent, Eco-friendly Plane - Public concern about noise is a major constraint on expansion of aircraft operations. Plans are on to develop a conceptual design for an aircraft whose noise was almost imperceptible outside the perimeter of an airfield in an urban environment. The conceptual design addresses both the engines and the structure, or airframe, of a plane. Half of the noise from a landing plane comes from the airframe. Other key features of the design include an overall shape that integrates body and wings, elimination of the flaps, or hinged rear sections on each wing, and engines embedded in the aircraft with air intakes on top of the plane rather than underneath each

Japanese firms develop eco-friendly airplane seat - All Nippon Airways Co and Osaka Gas Chemical Co have jointly developed a safer and more environment-friendly seat cushion for airplanes. Instead of urethane, the new seat cushion is made from a mat of processed carbon fibers. Carbon fibers feature superior heat resistance, and even if they were to catch fire, they would not release toxic fumes like urethane.

Flybe to switch to eco-friendly aircraft - Low-cost airline Flybe has made a £500 million investment in environmentally friendly Embraer 195 aircraft. The new planes will deliver what Flybe calls a "five-star" standard of environmental performance and will offer "unparalleled passenger comfort". The Embraer 195s use more than 20 per cent less fuel than the BAe 146 aircraft that they are replacing in the Flybe fleet. This will lead to significantly fewer emissions of greenhouse gases

Green Air Travel - This page provides a summary of all work which has been performed to date on the prospect of a global sale of green air travel supported using biodiesel

UK's green strategy - Greenhouse gas emissions from UK air travel has doubled in 13 years, damaging the UK government's claims to be a world leader in reducing carbon dioxide emissions

Green drive forum to save ozone layer - After bagging the Montreal Protocol Public Awareness Award, instituted by the United Nations, for its efforts in protecting the ozone layer, state-owned carrier Air India, is now planning to rope in other airlines into its environment-friendly drive

Green Air Travel - The overwhelming evidence shows us that consumers are not ready to cut air travel out of their lives altogether (yet!), so here is some practical advice to help reduce the damage resulting from our love affair with jet setting.

Green Air - Green Air Online, launched in November 2007, is dedicated to publishing independent and informative news, features and statistics on the impact of air travel on global warming and the environment in general. Green Air focuses on what can be done to minimize the effects. Green Air takes no particular side but promotes a dialogue where fact can be separated from fiction.

The dream of cheap and eco-friendly aviation - French test pilot flew Electra, a single seater aircraft that runs on an electric motor. Electra is a conventional light weight aircraft made of wood and fabric. The French test pilot flew this eco-friendly plane for 48 minutes for a distance of 50km in the Southern Alps. Electra uses battery power in a standard aircraft with fixed wings. The Electra uses light weight batteries of the lithium-polymer type.

Flying Saucer - ideal Eco-Friendly Aircraft - aviation engineers are designing a more environmentally sustainable airplane that may overturn long-held notions of flight engineering.

Fly the Eco-friendly Skies - Environmentalists and everyday air travelers alike are growing increasingly aware of the airline industry's greenhouse-gas problem. As demands for greener air travel grow, will technology come to the rescue of the jumbo jet

The 'silent aircraft' - MIT and Cambridge University researchers will unveil the conceptual design for a silent, environmentally friendly passenger plane. The 'silent aircraft' can help address this concern and thus aid in meeting the increasing passenger demand for air

Green wing: eco friendly flying? - Next time you board a plane and jet off on holiday to somewhere hot, spare a thought for the fact that by flying there you are probably helping to make that somewhere even hotter. The aviation industry has become a notable contributor to atmospheric carbon pollution -- pollution that is in turn helping to accelerate global warming and climate change. To give a specific example, a single trans-Atlantic flight will consume a whopping 60,000 liters of fuel -- more than the average motorist uses in 50 years -- and add approximately 140 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Is it possible to make a eco-friendly jet engine? - After the Hindenburg accident, hydrogen and aviation don't seem to mix well. Also, hydrogen is only as clean as the method used to separate it from water, which requires electricity. And then, you would have to find some system of storing the hydrogen on the plane.

Green Aircraft - The major aircraft companies have realised that alternative fuel powered aeroplanes need to be developed now even though we may only need to start using them in 20-30 years time. One possible alternative fuel is hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel can be prepared by electrolysis of water (i.e. passing an electric current through it) to dissociate it into its component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. There are a number of modifications required to current aircraft engines and aircraft structures before hydrogen fuel can be used. Hydrogen contains 3 times as much energy per Kg as kerosene which means that only a third as much fuel by weight needs to be carried to cover a certain range

Green aircraft research - Plans for a new generation of green aircraft took a step closer to becoming reality today with the launch of a €1.6bn (£1.19bn) Europe-wide research programme. The Clean Sky project, a joint technology initiative (JTI), is a public-private partnership involving universities and research centres, and small and large industry. The aim of the programme is to make air travel more environmentally sustainable by developing greener technologies. The programme, which will run for six years, will carry out research in six key areas including wing technologies, low weight aircraft, rotor blades and engine installation for noise reduction and energy efficient engines

Passenger jets get a radical green makeover - If passenger jets were a different shape, they would produce far less CO2. Danny Bradbury meets the high-fliers who are leading a green revolution at 35,000ft.Boeing is experimenting with test flights with a scaled-down X-48B, an aircraft that almost does away with the fuselage altogether and makes it part of the wing. The aim is to slash fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The problem with flying-wing designs is that traditionally they have been difficult to keep in the air

Eco Friendly Air Travel of the Future - The next time you plan a vacation that involves boarding a plane, consider what you can do to minimize the impact of your travel on the planet. Implementing even small changes will, in turn, also minimize your impact on economies and societies around the world.

Other Resources

Carbon Neutral Air Travel - The Green My Flight program is a unique service that allows travelers, corporations and responsible travel service providers to work together to address climate change by offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from air travel activities.
Operationally, the Green My Flight program consists of three components
(1) Emissions of greenhouse gases from an air travel itinerary are calculated using a methodology from the Canadian Standards Association and Environment Canada’s Environmental Choice Program
(2) Travelers are provided with the opportunity to purchase an equivalent quantity of emission reduction offset credits.
(3) Emission reduction offset credits are sourced from projects that meet the internationally-recognized Gold Standard certification. These offset credits are then retired on behalf of the traveler.

Air Travel and Climate Change - Air transport is currently contributing around 3.5% to total human caused global warming but is forecast by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to rise to as much as 15% by 2050. So far aviation has been counted out of calculations on climate, but perhaps it is time that this changed.

Environmentally-friendly solutions - It is comforting to know that while it seems all corporations and governments are under pressure from their customers and constituents to be green, the airplane market is absolutely no exception.

Flying less - What's wrong with air travel - The Government is planning a massive growth in air travel - increasing problems like: Noise for people living nearby, More road congestion near airports, and Damage to the countryside as airports expand

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering

United Space Alliance Innovates for Future Space Operations

United Space Alliance has introduced a technology innovation designed to provide astronauts and ground controllers quick and easy access to a depth of information about their spacecraft systems, procedures and troubleshooting – crucial capabilities for future exploration missions.

It has announced the receipt of a patent for Attentus, an Integrated Data Management technology that can be used for spacecraft design, development, processing and operations. Attentus organizes information from all spacecraft lifecycle phases into an operations-friendly format based on visual search and retrieval cues. The tool allows users to navigate rapidly to stored content such as spacecraft flight hardware data, ground processing facilities or mission operations procedures by clicking through visual, physical or topical zones.

Full story here

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Computer-Science

NASA's Newest Concept Vehicles Take Off-Roading Out Of This World

NASA's latest concept vehicle is meant to go way, way off-road -- as in 240,000 miles from the nearest pavement, driving on the moon. NASA is working to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to set up a lunar outpost, where they will do scientific research and prepare for journeys to destinations like Mars.

NASA is testing many technologies needed for research on the moon. Two examples are a lunar truck for astronauts and a rover equipped with a drill designed to dig into the moon's soil.

Full story here

Related Blogposts
NASA’s Newest Concept Vehicles
NASA’s Newest Concept Vehicles Take Off
UK Authorities Looking to Reduce Aircraft Noise Pollution

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering

No, this is not an aircraft on fire. This is just an aircraft firing up!

From its current contribution of less than 3%, aircraft pollution is set to grow so rapidly that all homeowners, car drivers and businesses will have to reduce their carbon dioxide output to zero for levels to remain safe, a recent UK study warned. The study says that even if the growth in air travel were halved, the rest of the economy would need to cut greenhouse gas emissions far beyond the UK government's target of 60% by 2050.

One of the biggest environmental issues with jet airliners is the nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx ) spewed into the atmosphere during takeoff and landing procedures. The emission of NOx at cruise altitudes may promote enhanced greenhouse effect, photochemical smog formation, and also depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. But it is not just NOx. The emissions from air traffic can change the atmospheric composition – (a) Directly: by emitting CO2, water vapour, unburnt hydrocarbons, soot, sulfate particles and of course NOx, and (b) Indirectly: by chemical reactions that contribute to ozone formation.

The goal for most airlines is to reduce NOx emissions during landing and takeoff to 70 percent below the international standards created in 1996. While experts admit that we're not there yet, some feel that airlines are making good progress.

Aircraft also emit the notorious global warming villain CO2. Like most others in the transportation industry, the aircraft industry has been talking smooth about and making plans for reducing CO2 emissions. EasyJet for instance last year unveiled the prototype for an aircraft that could slash carbon dioxide emissions by half. But most of these have remained just at the planning and prototype stages.

In sum, their grand pronouncements and prototypes aside, not too many are convinced that airlines have done enough to reduce NOx and CO2 emissions.

Grade for Emission Control: B-

Alternative Fuel & Fuel Efficiency



Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic has been talking big about biofuel powered Virgin flights, and his company actually flew one last week.

This first flight by a biofuel powered commercial airline took place on 24 Feb 2008, amindst much fanfare, when a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet flew between London's Heathrow and Amsterdam using fuel derived from a mixture of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts. Earlier this month, Airbus tested a synthetic mix of gas-to-liquid.

If these news make you look forward to travelling on a biofuel powered airplane anytime soon, you will be disappointed. Most of these alt energy / fuel efforts have really been a lot of show. All research work being carried out are in their very initial stages. (by the way, here’s a nice Q&A on alt fuels in airplanes, from Airlines.org)

Grade for Alternative Energy Use: B-

Fuel Efficiency

Airlines' record in fuel efficiency is not exactly bad – a 103 percent improvement between 1978 and today. Fuel efficient aircraft designs and less-fuel-guzzling aircraft engines have been on the radars of the aircraft engineers for many years now, and some of their earlier research has started to bear fruit.

Boeing in 2007 launched what it says is the most environmentally-friendly aircraft ever built. The Boeing 787 achieves fuel efficiency by having a significant percentage of aircraft made from composites, making it lighter and more fuel efficient than traditional aircraft. While environmental groups say the aircraft is far from green, some do admit that its lighter weight will enable it to use 20 per cent less fuel than its aluminium predecessors.

In Nov 2007, Boeing said it was developing a new single-aisle aircraft made of composite materials to replace the 737, its most popular aircraft ever. According to the planemaker, the 737-RS would also incorporate new engine types that achieve greater fuel efficiency. The advanced materials, comprising ceramic matrix composites and such, also allow engines to burn at higher temperatures. When engines operate at these high temperatures, they are more efficient. Other lightweight materials like Titanium Aluminide and other superalloys are also being researched for potential engine material.

Relatively speaking, the airlines have done reasonably well in their efforts for fuel efficiency.

Grade for Fuel Efficiency: A-

Noise Pollution



Researchers found the sound of planes taking off and landing while people sleep increases blood pressure, and those living closest to airports were almost 50 per cent more likely to suffer from hypertension..

So what are airlines and aircraft companies doing about this?

Thanks to technology, today's aircraft are 50% quieter than those 10 years ago. Research initiatives target a further 50% reduction by 2020, according to IATA. Further, in January 2006, a more stringent noise certification standard was introduced by IATA for new aircraft designs. These aircraft should be at least one third quieter than those currently certified.

Specific efforts have been underway in reducing the noise from two main components – engines and the airframe, especially the engine.

Much of the noise from gas turbine engines comes from air flowing back through the rapidly spinning fan blades at the front of the engine. Behind each blade is a wake, or an area of lower-speed air. When these wakes move over stationary blades they produce strong, unsteady pressures, and consequently most of the sound.

Most noise-control measures, such as acoustic liners in the engines, had traditionally focused on reducing the amplitude of the sound after it is produced, and these have had only limited success. But scientists are now working on a method of cutting down on noise at the source. Their idea is to "fill in" the wake behind each rotor blade by pushing air through the trailing edges of the rotating blades, where it mixes with the air flowing around the blade and makes the flow into the stator more uniform.

Another recent approach to noise reduction is the active noise control effort. The primary principle of active noise control is to sense the noise disturbances in the engine and cancel them before they leave the engine. In effect, negative noise is made to cancel out the engine's sound waves so that no noise is heard.

On noise control, one wishes to give the airlines and aircraft industry a good grade for all their efforts, but until our friends and folks living near airports are able to have a good night's sleep in their houses near airports, we have no choice but to give it a rather mediocre grade.

Grade for Noise Control: B

Plane Deicing



De-icing is the process of removing ice from an airplane's surface.

The chemicals normally used to deice aircraft - ethylene glycol and propylene glycol – are both deadly substances even in small quantities. Ethylene glycol causes central nervous depression and kidney and liver damage and propylene glycol is just as toxic. While no studies have been done on its effects on humans, each winter large amounts of fish and wildlife are poisoned to death by aircraft deicing chemicals.

Additional pollutants, including fuels and other toxic substances, are also washed off the planes during deicing procedures.

Compared to the rest of components of aircraft pollution, this is a minor one, though it could have harmful effects on those few who perform this activity, and on some unfortunate fish and fowl. This aspect of aircraft pollution has not received much attention so far.

Grade for Deicing Pollution Control: B


Not There Yet, But Hopeful

Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering

Some 40 years ago, Russian scientists Nikolai Kardashev, Leonid Matveyenko, and Gennady Sholomitsky came up with the idea of a space interferometer. It is based on the phenomenon of interferometry - a capacity of different waves (sound, light, or radio waves) that have the same phase to add to each other, or subtract if the phase is opposite. If we position two or more telescopes far away from each other and start watching the same celestial object, the combination of their signals causes interference that may sharply enhance the resolution capacity of the whole system. It becomes as high as if the observations were conducted by a telescope with an antenna diameter equal to the distance between the telescopes.

This idea was first tested on Earth with the participation of the world's major radio observatories. It was like using a radio telescope close to the Earth's diameter in size. A decision was made to launch a radio telescope into space. Radical changes in the Soviet Union delayed the project's implementation by two decades.

Under the project, a 10 meter-long radiotelescope will be put into a high-elliptical orbit with an apogee of about 350,000 km (220,000 miles). Together with ground-based instruments, it is supposed to form a giant interferometer with a diameter almost equal to the distance between the Earth and the moon. Its angular resolution will be 40 times greater than that of a ground-based radio interferometer, and 20 million times greater that that of the human eye.

The project is designed to study super-massive black holes in the nuclei of close and remote galaxie