NASA develops a new generation of ultra-light and flexible aircraft

NASA said it will use a module - a drone vehicle for research created by Lockheed Martin - for the Air Force Military Research Laboratory (AFLR) to test new key technologies. light weight, energy saving as well as aircraft flexibility. The small aircraft, dubbed X-56A, will be used to discover how to overcome vibration and to ease the forces exerted by wind and chaos in the air.

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While long, thin, flexible wings can minimize the weight of the aircraft, but if they increase their durability, vibration control becomes extremely difficult, mainly due to wind resistance. This force is the cause of danger to the aircraft and may cause 'technical problems to occur'.

The X-56A is also known as the simulated flight (MUTT), powered by a turbine engine pushing 52 pounds of Jet P200-SX with an additional hard point in the middle to the tail section so that a second engine can be attached three or structural parts to test the coordination between wings. The plane is about 7.3 feet (2.3m) long, weighs 480 pounds (217.7kg) and has a wingspan of 28 feet (8.5m). The modular design makes it easier to change wings, which makes AFRL want to test different types of wings with different aerodynamic principles.

NASA engineers are experimenting with technology that can control disorientation while flying, by carefully controlling the wobble of the aircraft while flying and running tuning software in airplane computers. . The researchers also hope that: the wind's direction as well as chaotic weather conditions can be cracked - like wind resistance. This understanding will contribute to improving the safety of aircraft flexibility in flights in unfavorable weather conditions.

NASA said that although the X-56A is just a slow, semi-supersonic aircraft, the information gathered about wind pressure will be used to design the X-54 ultrasound - a specimen. Save aircraft developed by Gulfstream Aerospace to use to create sound explosions or study supersonic speed transport vehicles. X-56A produced by Lockheed Martin, will premise to provide flight experience for AFRL, which is expected to start in the north in the summer of 2012. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center will check Check out all the planes before buying them to continue studying in early autumn.