Aerospace News

October 1, 2023

Top Headlines

Sustainable Energy for Aviation: What Are Our Options?

Sep. 20, 2023 — Scientists and industry leaders worldwide are looking for answers on how to make aviation sustainable by 2050 and choosing a viable sustainable fuel is a major sticking point. Aerospace engineers took a full inventory of the options to make a ...

Planning Algorithm Enables High-Performance Flight

Aug. 23, 2023 — New algorithms for trajectory planning and control of fixed-wing 'tailsitter' aircraft are faster and more efficient than traditional quadcopter drones. The algorithms can execute challenging maneuvers and are so efficient they can plan complex ...

City Buildings Could Blow Air Taxi Future Off Course

June 23, 2023 — Air taxis may be coming to our cities in the near future, but a new study warns regulations will need to address dangerous wind gusts around city buildings and other urban ...

A Step Toward Safe and Reliable Autopilots for Flying

June 12, 2023 — Researchers developed a machine-learning technique that can autonomously drive a car or fly a plane through a very difficult 'stabilize-avoid' scenario, in which the vehicle must stabilize its trajectory to arrive at and stay within some goal ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:35am EDT

Megawatt Electrical Motor Designed by Engineers Could Help Electrify Aviation

June 9, 2023 — Aerospace engineers designed a 1-megawatt electrical motor that is a stepping stone toward electrifying the largest ...

Aviation Turbulence Strengthened as the World Warmed

June 8, 2023 — New research shows that clear-air turbulence increased in various regions around the world from 1979 -- ...

Propellers Are Louder Over Ground

May 24, 2023 — The effects of the ground on propeller noise have now been measured ...

Sailing Cargo Ships Can Benefit from New Aerodynamic Tech

Apr. 4, 2023 — A research team has demonstrated a unique method that reduces the aerodynamic resistance of ships by 7.5 per cent. This opens the way for large cargo ships borne across the oceans by wind alone, as ...

New Algorithm Keeps Drones from Colliding in Midair

Mar. 30, 2023 — Researchers developed a multiagent trajectory planning system that guarantees a group of drones working together in the same airspace will avoid collisions even if their communications to one another ...

Prepare for Landing: Making Airports More Efficient

Mar. 28, 2023 — A team of scientists presents an original oscillating short-term memory model to study the dynamics of landing events at 10 major European airports. The model can estimate how landing volumes will ...

Propeller Advance Paves Way for Quiet, Efficient Electric Aviation

Mar. 15, 2023 — Electrification is seen as having an important role to play in the fossil-free aviation of tomorrow. But electric aviation is battling a trade-off dilemma: the more energy-efficient an electric ...

Novel Control Method of Aircraft With No Tail

Feb. 8, 2023 — A research team has demonstrated the use of a novel control method in an aircraft with no tail. The technology allows an aircraft to be as smooth and sleek as possible, making it safer to fly in ...

Jet Engine Lubrication Oils Are a Major Source of Ultrafine Particles

Jan. 9, 2023 — Recent measurements have shown that Frankfurt International Airport is a major source of ultrafine particles and that these can disperse over long distances across the city. Researchers have now ...

Researchers Create Method for Making Net-Zero Aviation Fuel

Nov. 29, 2022 — An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a potential breakthrough in green aviation: a recipe for a net-zero fuel for planes that will pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

In Nanotube Science, Is Boron Nitride the New Carbon?

Oct. 31, 2022 — Engineers synthesized aligned forests of nanoscale fibers made of boron nitride, or 'white graphene.' They hope to harness the technique to fabricate bulk-scale arrays of these nanotubes, ...

Elastic Nozzles Could Create More Stable Liquid Jets

Sep. 29, 2022 — Until now, little attention has been paid to the flow of liquid through deformable elastic nozzles. New research introduces the concept of passively-deforming nozzles, and shows that softer nozzle ...

Researchers Capture Images of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Commercial Aircraft Engine

Sep. 29, 2022 — Researchers have used a novel near-infrared light imaging technique to capture the first cross-sectional images of carbon dioxide in the exhaust plume of a commercial jet engine. The new ...

Catalytic Process With Lignin Could Enable 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Sep. 27, 2022 — An underutilized natural resource could be just what the airline industry needs to curb carbon emissions. Researchers report success in using lignin as a path toward a drop-in 100% sustainable ...

New Ice-Shedding Coating Is 100x Stronger Than Others

Sep. 12, 2022 — To combat the hazards of ice, a mechanical engineer has developed a sprayable ice-shedding material that is 100 times stronger than any others. It's been tested by Boeing under erosive rain ...

Engineers Study Bird Flight

Sep. 5, 2022 — People have been fascinated by bird flight for centuries, but exactly how birds can be so agile in the air remains mysterious. A new study uses modeling and aerodynamics to describe how gulls can ...

AI Pilot Can Navigate Crowded Airspace

Aug. 9, 2022 — Researchers have developed an AI pilot that enables autonomous aircraft to navigate a crowded airspace. The artificial intelligence can safely avoid collisions, predict the intent of other aircraft, ...

New Wind Sensor Uses Smart Materials to Improve Drone Performance

Aug. 8, 2022 — Engineers have designed and successfully tested a more efficient wind sensor for use on drones, balloons and other autonomous ...

Aerodynamics of Perching Birds Could Inform Aircraft Design

May 17, 2022 — To uncover the mystery behind the differences in motion, a team of researchers studied the aerodynamics of bird perching maneuvers and their implications for aircraft ...

Rapid Adaptation of Deep Learning Teaches Drones to Survive Any Weather

May 5, 2022 — Neural-Fly technology could one day build the future of package delivery drones and flying ...

Lignin-Based Jet Fuel Packs More Power for Less Pollution

Apr. 27, 2022 — An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds added to conventional fuels, according to new ...

Avian Secret: The Key to Agile Bird Flight Is Switching Quickly Between Stable and Unstable Gliding

Mar. 9, 2022 — While it had been assumed that unstable gliding was the key to agility in bird flight, a collaboration between aerospace engineers and biologists has revealed that stability plays a ...

Jet Stream Models Help Inform US Offshore Wind Development

Feb. 7, 2022 — With the federal government planning to hold the largest sale of offshore wind farm leases in the nation's history, a new study could help inform the development of offshore wind farms by ...

Face Masks Cut Distance Airborne Pathogens Could Travel in Half, New Study Finds

Jan. 12, 2022 — The effectiveness of face masks has been a hotly debated topic since the emergence of COVID-19. However, a new study offers more evidence that they work. Researchers found that face masks reduce the ...

Researcher Pushes Limit of When Water Will Freeze

Dec. 6, 2021 — An engineer is changing what we know about when water freezes as he pushes the limit and gets the best look yet at tiny drops of water as they ...

New Method to Predict Stress at Atomic Scale

Nov. 9, 2021 — The amount of stress a material can withstand before it cracks is critical information when designing aircraft, spacecraft, and other structures. Aerospace engineers used machine learning for the ...

An Artificial Material That Can Sense, Adapt to Its Environment

Nov. 2, 2021 — Researchers have developed an artificial material which can respond to its environment, independently make a decision, and perform an action not directed by a human being. For example, a drone making ...

When Accidents Happen, Drones Weigh Their Options

Sep. 27, 2021 — Flying cars, drones, and other urban aerial mobility vehicles have real potential to provide efficient transportation and delivery solutions, but what happens if a drone delivering cheeseburgers ...

Materials Science Engineers Strive to Reduce Emissions from Aircraft Engines

Aug. 12, 2021 — Engineers found a way to greatly extend the life of materials used in jet ...

System Trains Drones to Fly Around Obstacles at High Speeds

Aug. 10, 2021 — A new algorithm helps drones find the fastest route around obstacles without crashing. The system could enable fast, nimble drones for time-critical operations such as search and ...

Monday, October 31, 2022