Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy Although there is as yet no official confirmation, it appears that the Space Shuttle Enterprise, recently moved to a permanent home in New York City, was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy 

Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Space shuttle Enterprise damaged by Hurricane Sandy

  The Space Shuttle Enterprise inside its display pavilion at the Intrepid museum (Photo: NA...
 The Space Shuttle Enterprise inside its display pavilion at the Intrepid museum (Photo: NASA)

The Enterprise was installed at the USS Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum located at Pier 86 at 46th Street on the West Side of Manhattan. The Enterprise was located on the flight deck of the Intrepid inside an inflatable pavilion for display. The fury of Hurricane Sandy deflated the pavilion, nearly tearing it off the shuttle, and in the process seems to have caused structural damage to the Enterprise's vertical stabilizer (tail). No official comment has yet been made by the museum.
Space Shuttle Enterprise making its way through Jamaica Bay by barge (Photo: NASA)

Space Shuttle Enterprise making its way through Jamaica Bay by barge (Photo: NASA)

This is the second encounter with damage for the Enterprise, in what appears to have been an ill-fated move from the National Air and Space Museum, where it had been displayed for the last eight years. During a barge trip through Jamaica Bay, a strong microburst came from nowhere and pushed the Enterprise's wingtip against a railway bridge. The damage was minor, and quickly repaired.

The Enterprise's encounter with Sandy carries the potential for more significant damage. The thermal tiles with which the shuttle is covered are easily crushed, and would easily be damaged by hail and/or blowing objects. The rain itself is probably not a concern, as shuttles sat on the launch pad unprotected in some difficult weather. Hopefully the damage will not be too severe.

Source: Space.com

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ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) successfully flight tested its patented vortex liquid fuel rocket engine on October 25. The engine was installed in a Prospector-class Garvey Spacecraft Corporation launch vehicle, and the resulting rocket was launched at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry facility near Edwards Air Force Base in California. The flight established substantial progress toward ORBITEC's development of a 30,000-lb (13,600-kg) thrust vortex engine for the US Air Force Advanced Upper Stage Engine Program and for NASA's Space Launch System.

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engin

Gizmag asked ORBITEC for more details of the launch, but very few were made available. Fortunately, a fair bit of information can be extracted from the photographs and video of the launch. The launch vehicle was the Garvey P-15 Prospector, about 22 feet (6.7 m) in length and two feet (61 cm) in diameter. The propellants used were not revealed, but most of ORBITEC's static testing of vortex engines has used liquid oxygen and propane. Likewise, neither the weight of the rocket nor that of the propellant were disclosed.

The video shows the vortex engine supplying what appeared to be full thrust for about 10 seconds, after which the rocket reached apogee (its highest altitude) in another 20 seconds. This is sufficient data to estimate the flight history of the rocket, if air drag is ignored, using Newton's equations of motion. The acceleration of the rocket was about 2 g, as it took twice as long for gravity to slow the rocket as the engine accelerated it skyward. This requires a thrust of three times the weight of the rocket, owing to the need to counter gravitational pull. The peak speed of the rocket was about 450 mph (200 m/s), and the peak altitude was a little under 2 miles (3.2 km). These numbers do not change greatly if air drag is included, owing to the weight and size of the rocket. If anything, including drag effects would suggest that the acceleration of the rocket was somewhat in excess of 2 g.

A rocket engine develops a great deal of heat, often reaching temperatures capable of melting the combustion chamber, if not for some form of cooling. Large conventional rocket engines usually use some form of regenerative cooling, where a portion of the fuel is passed through the wall of the combustion chamber, which it cools by evaporation.

The vortex rocket combustion chamber uses a different approach. Liquid oxygen is fed in from the base of the chamber and is directed into a swirling flow adjacent to the walls of the chamber. When the oxygen reaches the top of the chamber, it spirals inward to form a second swirling vortex flowing toward the exit nozzle. The fuel is injected into the inner vortex where it mixes with the oxygen and burns. Combustion occurs only in the inner vortex, so that the combustion products are isolated from the outer wall by the outer vortex. The chamber wall is exposed only to radiant heat and is kept cooled by the flow of oxygen along the wall.

Among the innovations tested in this flight was a carbon-carbon composite nozzle and cylindrical extension supplied by Alliant Techsystems. The nozzle extension, which is not protected by the vortex cooling of the engine, is seen glowing white-hot in the video below. ORBITEC now stands ready to expand its vortex engine capabilities to support future commercial and military launch systems.

UPDATE (11/02/2012) We have just received more information from ORBITEC. The P-15 length was 25 feet, and the weight at launch was 800 lbs (360 kg). The peak velocity was 600 mph (270 m/s), consistent with minor drag effects and an average acceleration of 2.75 g.

Source: ORBITEC

 ORBITEC flight tests new vortex liquid fuel rocket engine

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HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production  The Honda Aircraft Company has announced that its HA-420 HondaJet business jet is entering production. At a press conference at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual meeting and convention in Orlando, Florida, Honda announced that the “world’s most advanced light jet” had passed key testing milestones and is on its way to certification and delivery.

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

HondaJet enters production

“An assembly line for HondaJet production is in place, major aircraft components including the fuselage and wing have been produced, and we have started assembly of the first customer aircraft,” said Honda Aircraft President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “Commencing production is the most important milestone in the HondaJet program to date, with only the future Federal Aviation Administration Type Certification and first customer delivery ranking greater in significance.”
HondaJet is Honda’s first commercial aircraft. With a lightweight composite fuselage and reinforced aluminum wings, its distinctive profile comes from its over-the-wing engine-mount configuration for its two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines. This is designed to improve performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag.

Carrying up to six passengers, the HondaJet has a 12.15-meter (39-ft, 10-in) wingspan and overall length of 12.71 meters (41 ft, 8 in). Its cruising speed is 778 km/h (483 mph, 420 kn) and it has a range of 2,593 km (1,611 mi, 1,400 nmi). Its airframe design reduces cabin noise and ground-detected noise as well as providing more cabin space and greater cargo capacity. In the cockpit, there is a Honda-customized Garmin G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system with three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual touch-screen controllers.
HondaJet cockpit

The HondaJet has completed crew-seat crash tests, speedbrake testing, ultimate load tests, EASA windshield bird-strike testing, wind tunnel icing tests, night lighting testing, as well as extreme weather tests. Next year, Honda will provide the United States FAA with the latest two in a series of six HondaJets for flight testing.

The HondaJet also sees the introduction of new manufacturing processes for Honda that include making assembly floor instructions available on tablets, an on-site paint mixing system for thinner paint and the ability to paint several planes, and an Automatic Guided Cart (AGC) – a robot cart to pick up and deliver parts. In addition, Honda has begun construction of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility capable of simultaneously servicing 12 HondaJets, and the installation of HondaJet flight simulators at the Honda Aircraft world headquarters campus in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Source Honda Aircraft Company

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Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy

Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy In the quest for more efficient commercial aircraft to help reduce fuel consumption, weight reduction without compromising safety is one of the most obvious areas of focus. Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) working in the Intermetallic Materials Processing in Relation to Earth and Space Solidification (IMPRESS) Project have used hypergravity to help develop an aircraft-grade alloy they claim is twice as light as the nickel superalloys currently used in conventional jet engines, but boasts equally good properties.

Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy

Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy

Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy

Hypergravity helps in development of light, aircraft-grade alloy

According to the ESA, reducing the weight of an aircraft by one percent will generally result in a 1.5 percent reduction in fuel usage. This might not sound like much, but quickly adds up to significant financial savings for commercial airlines and benefits for the environment.

Titanium aluminide alloys, which are lighter than nickel superalloys and can withstand temperatures of up to 800° C (1,472° F), have long been of interest to aircraft engine manufacturers. However, the difficulties faced in casting the material into shapes such as turbine blades has made it unsuitable for use in engines. Until now.

To gain a greater understanding of the natural processes that take place during casting, the ESA scientists heated aluminum samples to over 700° (1,292° F) in a small furnace carried on a sounding rocket and monitored the samples using X-rays as they were cooled during a six-minute free fall. The removal of external variables, such as gravity, is a common practice by scientists making observations so they can concentrate on the core interactions.

However, when the scientists looked at the results from the free fall observations, they thought they might have better luck opting for an opposite approach – hypergravity. To test their theory, the IMPRESS team turned to the ESA’s Large Diameter Centrifuge in the ESTEC research and technology center in the Netherlands.
They found that casting the metals in the centrifuge at up to 20 times normal gravity produces a perfectly cast alloy in even complex shapes. This is because the additional gravitational force helps the liquid metals fill every part of the mold. They say the experiments provided the foundation to allow them to refine and commercialize the industrial process used to manufacture the alloy.

The researchers say using titanium aluminide would reduce the weight of the more than one million jet turbine blades that are expected to be produced in the next eight years by over 45 percent. They add that the alloy is also of interest to the automotive industry, which could use it to create lighter car components.

Source: ESA

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Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy QFO Labs, a Minneapolis-based start-up, is attempting to launch a mini quadcopter toy called the NanoQ. It uses inexpensive 3-axis gyros and accelerometers to remain stable mid-flight, and comes with a one-handed remote that integrates tilt sensors for smooth and natural control – and unlike most quadrotors, the NanoQ's propellers are inverted which prevents them from colliding with ceilings.

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

The NanoQ measures just 5.25 inches (133 mm) across and weighs 35 grams with a max payload of 10 grams. It can stay in the air for up to ten minutes on its rechargeable LiPo batteries and has a range of 100 feet (30 meters). The company envisions multiple NanoQs competing at flying laser tag, as they're able to "shoot" one another using onboard infrared (IR) sensors.
The Mimix controller detailed

As pointed out by IEEE Spectrum's Evan Ackerman, the NanoQ has the potential to be more than just a toy. Thanks to its relatively low planned price of US$149 and its PC compatibility, it could serve as a research platform for university labs with tight budgets. By connecting the controller to a PC through USB or a USB RF dongle, you could feed it commands while accessing its sensor data and more.

Lately there has been a lot of interest in programming large swarms of these robots, but cost has been a limiting factor. That hasn't stopped the University of Pennsylvania from unleashing a squadron of 20 quadcopters at once (they've also performed the James Bond theme together), but the NanoQ is cheap enough that that number could increase substantially.

If the QFO name sounds familiar, it's because a similar toy was sold under that name by Takara Tomy back in 2008. It was priced at $100, but it had only one motor and its battery only lasted for four minutes. Its infrared remote was also much less advanced. Another competitor, the Kyosho Space Ball, houses its blades inside a protective spherical cage. It sells for $115 and has a flight time of around five minutes. Moving further up the chain, around $300 will net you Parrot's AR Drone, which records HD video and can be controlled via smartphone.

QFO Labs' Kickstarter campaign hopes to raise another $170,000, but it's only got seven days left to do it – a pledge of $99 will get you a system of your own, assuming the funding goal is met. The company plans to deliver the first 5,000 units by March of next year. You can check out the NanoQ in action in the pitch video below.

Source: QFO Labs via IEEE Spectrum

Tiny NanoQ quadrocopter could serve as an inexpensive research platform – or a fun toy

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World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft

World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft Earlier this year, Air Canada joined a growing number of airlines conducting flights using biofuels. Like similar flights by Boeing and Lufthansa, the aircraft was powered by a mix of petroleum and biofuel. Now the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has removed the fossil fuel component completely with the first flight of a civil jet powered by 100 percent unblended biofuel.

World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft

 

World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft

In the milestone flight over Ottawa on October 29, the twin engines of a specially equipped Dassault Falcon 20 business jet were powered by a biofuel derived from oilseed crops. The Falcon 20, with NRC pilot Tim Leslie at the controls, was tailed by a T-33, which collected data on the emissions generated by the biofuel-powered aircraft. NRC researchers will use the information gathered during the flight to gain a better understanding of the environmental impact of biofuel.

The drop-in jet biofuel, called ReadiJet, is produced from Resonance Energy Feedstock, a brand of industrial oilseed crop developed by Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. from Brassica carinata, a plant also known as Ethiopian mustard.

Agrisoma says the elite lines of B. carinata it has developed offer growers high yields, high oil content, and are ideally suited to the semi-arid growing conditions that can be found in the southern Prairies of Canada and Northern Plains of the U.S. Over 40 commercial growers in Western Canada have been contracted this year to grow over 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) of the crop that will be used to create the 100 percent biofuel.

The feedstock was converted into biofuel by Applied Research Associates (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) using their ISOCONVERSION Process, which they claim is a quick, low-cost process that uses water at high temperature and pressure to convert renewable oils into a “crude oil intermediate.” This intermediate is then reacted with hydrogen over CLG catalysts and processed into alternative fuels the companies say are “virtually indistinguishable from their petroleum counterparts.”

Preliminary results from the 100 percent biofuel-powered flight are expected in the coming weeks.

Source: NRC, Agrisoma, ARA

World’s first 100 percent biofuel-powered flight of civil aircraft

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TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect
Given their impressive flight capabilities, it’s not surprising to see researchers turning to the world of flying insects for inspiration when developing new kinds of micro UAVs. With their ability to both fly at high speeds and hover, the dragonfly would seem an obvious candidate for biomimicry. But with the exception of the DelFly, we hadn’t seen many attempts to model a micro UAV on the dragonfly’s four wing design. That could be changing with a multi-disciplinary team from Georgia Tech having developed a robotic four-winged ornithopter called the TechJect Dragonfly that fits in the palm of a hand and combines the flight capabilities of a quadricopter, helicopter and fixed wing aircraft in one.

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

TechJect’s Dragonfly micro UAV flies like a bird and hovers like an insect

The TechJect Dragonfly is the culmination of four years of research and development at Georgia Tech, assisted by US$1 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force. TechJect is a spinoff out of Georgia Tech’s Robotics & Intelligent Machines (RIM) Department that was created to bring the Dragonfly and other robotic flyers to market. To that end, the TechJect team has turned to crowdfunding site indiegogo to help get the Dragonfly off the ground.

As well as borrowing its wing design from its biological namesake, the Dragonfly is also similar in size, measuring 15 cm (6 in) long. It weighs around 25 g (0.88 oz) and is powered by a 250 mAh lithium polymer battery that provides hover times of 8-10 minutes and a hybrid (hover/flight) time of 25 to 30 minutes.
The Dragonfly features a four-wing design
Designed with a focus on modular customization, the Dragonfly carries up to 20 onboard sensors to suit a variety of applications, from aerial photography, gaming, research and development, civilian security and military reconnaissance. The modular approach results in the availability of various flight control packages.
Alpha model

The Alpha model, which can be secured with a US$99 pledge (provided the funding goal is met) but is estimated to retail at $250 or more, comes with a MARC-Basic flight computer, solenoidal actuators, and flight accessories including a remote controller, battery and charger.
Delta model

The Delta model has the same MARC-Basic flight computer and flight accessories, but the solenoidal actuators are replaced with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which improves performance, particularly in terms of hovering. A spare set of wings is also included. The Delta can be had for a pledge of $179, with the retail price estimated to be around $500.
Gamma model

Aimed at R & D, prototyping and programming applications, the Gamma model sees the flight computer upgraded to the MARC-2 and adds a camera and Wi-Fi, so it can be controlled via a computer, iPhone or Android smartphone.

The CVT found on the Delta also features on the Gamma, and the same flight accessories, along with a spare set of wings are also included. A pledge of $249 will secure the Gamma model, which is expected to retail for $750.
Omega model

The top line model is the Omega, which is powered by a more powerful MARC-3 flight computer that boasts 20 onboard sensors (including two cameras), and features a CVT and Wi-Fi. The familiar flight accessories and an extra set of wings are also included. The Omega requires a pledge of $399, with an expected price of $1,499 at retail.
All models are offered in blue, green, yellow, orange, red, black, white and silver color options and come with a fully customizable software development kit (SDK) for the creation of custom applications. However, TechJect will offer a number of free apps for iOS and Android devices and PCs. There will also be an online forum where users can share their custom apps and get development help from the TechJect team.

The Dragonfly's modular construction also allows the future upgrade of various components, such as the wings, actuators, and onboard electronics. These will be available through the TechJect website.

TechJect is looking to raise $110,000 via indigogo by the time the calendar ticks over to 2013. If it achieves its goal, TechJect aims to be delivering Dragonflies to pledge-makers from July, 2013.

The TechJect team gives an overview of the Dragonfly in the video below.

Source: indiegogo via TechJece

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