NASA has an ambitious plan for aviation in the 21st century: to cut fuel use by half, lower harmful emissions by 75 percent and significantly reduce aircraft noise. These green aviation initiatives require technological innovations, which is why NASA recently selected five green technology concepts for further study.
1. Fostering Ultra-Efficient Low-Emitting Aviation Power
According to NASA, the fuel cell will generate electricity more efficiently than simply burning the fuel in a traditional engine, thereby saving fuel and reducing emissions. Since it’s based on standard aircraft fuels, this technology has the advantage of being easy to implement with existing airport infrastructure.
2. Compact Additively Manufactured Electric Motors
Additive manufacturing is becoming more and more common in the aerospace industry, but applying this technology to electric motors is an intriguing new twist.
3. LION: Lithium Oxygen Batteries for NASA Electric Aircraft
Li-Air batteries “breath” in the sense that they pull in oxygen to react with lithium ions as they are drained of energy. The oxygen is then expelled while the battery charges. This quickly decomposes the electrolytes ordinarily used in batteries, rendering the Li-Air batteries useless after a few charging cycles.
However, if NASA researchers can overcome this problem by developing new, ultra-stable electrolytes that resist decomposition then electric air travel could become much more common.
4. Spanwise Adaptive Wings
However, the challenge is how to accomplish this mechanical task.
NASA will determine how best to achieve the design and whether it would include conventional actuators or something more novel.
5. Lightweight Conformal Antennas for Beyond Line of Sight Communications
Using satellite communications is a potential solution, but the necessary antenna systems tend to be heavy and increase drag.
NASA is hoping to develop flexible antenna with foundations made from aerogel, thereby providing satellite communications while minimizing the weight and drag of the antenna.
Which of these technologies seems most promising to you? Comment blow.