Blended wing Bodies- the plane of the future

Research in the fields of Aerodynamics has increased our knowledge of flight and how to design better wing surfaces. This Knowledge is being put into action by the NASA Engineers. The engineers integrated a Blended wing Body in their design, successfully creating the X-48b, a step forward in creating "quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient airplanes for the future"(NASA)

The Blended Wing Design means that the entire plane is a lifting surface, not just the wings.

This design has several advantages. The design is less noisy, so people will not be as bothered living in a house by an airport. It has better lift and uses less fuel, which may decrease the price on your plane ticket.I

However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Disadvantages come in the package. Because of the positioning of the cargo, which creates less flight stability than the tube design. The tube design is more structurally sound than the x-48b. Also windows are not available, due to the entire plae being a wing.

Despite these disadvantages, this plane could be the aircraft of the future. As this experimental plane is unmanned, being remote controlled by a pilot on the ground, it's design will be incorporated into airliners in the near future.

Sincerely, Space Cadet

Railguns

Railguns are a topic that have been included in countless Sci-Fi media. The American Department of the Navy has been working to make this idea a reality.
What is a Railgun? It is a "Weapon, consisting mainly of conducting metal rails, that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate a projectile to a much greater speed than achieved"
It was idealized as the "perfect weapon". Using electromagnetic propulsion would eliminate the need for ammunition, thereby making a much safer ship to sail on. Making it a reality was much harder than expected. The projectile moved so fast that the friction melted the gun. Once they fixed that problem, the projectile vaporized when it entered the atmosphere. Also they had to solve the problem of power. The Navy is designing a new battleship so that the power will be derived from the main engine.
Dec 10, 2010 the NAVY succesfully launched the projectile through the railgun at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. At launch the projectile had 33 Megajoules- 1 Megajoule is the equivalent of a 1-ton ar traveling a 100 mph. It demolished the target at impact an set the guinness world record for most energy upon launch. Much more than had been achieved by ammunition.
Sincerely, Space Cadet

Aerospace Power: Defending our country

America's Aerospace power has made available advanced defense systems which we use today. During the Cold War we developed a system of satellites called the Defense Support Program (DSP) to spot ballistic missiles from space.

The first DSP Satellite was launched from Cape Canveral in 19 70. It tracked missiles using infrared sensors to sense the heat emitted when it launched and sent that data to hidden command centers, such as NORAD.

Now we are currently developing more advanced systems to help defend our country. A System that has currently undergone some tests is the “Space-Based Infrared System” (SBIR). This system is designed to replace the DSP. It has advanced features expanded capabilities for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)missions.

Sincerely,

Space Cadet

Bottle Rockets and Newton's Laws

“Elephant Toothpaste” Bottle Rocket

This bottle rocket demonstrates the three laws that Isaac Newton discovered. If you use non-toxic soap, the foam that is produced is perfectly safe, as it is just bubbles filled with oxygen.

Warning: Lean back when launching, or you will be drenched in foam!

Supplies:

• Yeast

• Hydrogen Peroxide (3%)

• Dish Soap

• Water Bottle, small mouth

• Cork

• Scrap wood

• Nail

• Duct Tape (if necessary)

• Funnel

1. Launching Pad:

Take a Cork and test-fit it in the mouth of the water bottle. If it is too small, wrap duct-tape around it until it fits perfectly. Nail the bottom of the cork to a long piece of scrap wood. This is your launching platform.

2. Yeast:

Measure 1 Packet (1 Tbs) of Yeast into a cup. Add 3 Tbs of warm water, and stir thoroughly. This will act as a catalyst to speed up the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide. Set aside.

3. Bottle Rocket:

Using the funnel, pour 1 tbs of Dish Soap into the water bottle. Then pour ½ cup of Hydrogen Peroxide into the bottle.

4. Blastoff!:

Take the bottle, with soap/peroxide solution inside and put a funnel in it. This part of the experiment must be done as quickly as possible. Pour the yeast/water mixture into the funnel, and quickly take the funnel out, take the cork, attached to the launch stand and plug the bottle. Flip the launch stand over and stand back, or else you will be covered with foam. The rocket will shoot high, streaming out foam behind it.

What Happened?

The yest acted as a catalyst and separated the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. This oxygen bubbled up as a gas, and was encapsulated by the soap creating millions of tiny bubbles. This foam expanded fast. This foam pressurized the inside of the bottle, until it shot off the cork and propelled the rocket in the sky.

How does this apply to Newton's laws?

The Rocket was in a state of rest, but when a force acts upon the rocket (the propellant), the rocket is now in a state of motion (Newton's law #1). How much force is put in the rocket determines how high it goes. The force depends upon the mass(weight) of the rocket and how much it is accelerating (Newton's Law #2). Because the propellant pushed downward, the rocket shot upwards, with the same amount of Force pushing downwards (Newton's law #3)

Enjoy!, Space Cadet

Bluebonnet Airshow

I got to work at the Bluebonnet Airshow on the 10th because the Civil Air Patrol helps out the Commemorative Air Force. It was a very exiting day. For the most part some other cadets and I helped make sure the crowd stayed behind the line all day, while watching the planes. My most favorite part of the airshow was either the Extra 300 aerobatic performance of the A-10 West Coast Demo Team. Here is a little history of both:

The Extra 300 was designed in 1987 by Walter Extra. It was built out of welded steel tubes for the framework and covered with fiberglass and cloth. It was built extremely light for optimum aerobatic performance. During the airshow, it performed amazing aerobatic maneuvers, including a square loop and a tail slide.

The A-10 was designed in the early 70's by Fairchild Republic. It was designed for Close Air Support (CAS), by shooting at tanks, armored vehicles and other unlucky ground targets. It has excellent Aerobatic capabilities at low speeds. It was designed with special "skin" that can survive direct hits up to 23mm. It was built around the GAU-8 Avenger, a heavy automatic cannon that can fire 4,200 rounds a minute using 30mm rounds. The pyrotechnics were amazing!

I had fun and learned a lot. I hope to come back next year!

George Nelson pt1

Yesterday I went to UT, where I got to listen to a lecture by former NASA astronaut George Nelson. I had fun and learned a lot. He talked about the space race, his personal life and where we are headed.

George Nelson received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College in California and later earned a master’s and doctorate in astronomy from the University of Washington.

He said he started his space career when he saw a NASA flyer that said that it needed astronauts for the shuttle missions. He realized that he had all the prerequisites so he filled in the form and sent it in. A couple months later he found out that he had been selected, along with several hundred others, to have a week-long psychological test. NASA would single out a few to become astronauts. One of the tests, as Nelson recalled was "They zipped you up in a three-foot cloth sphere, with your own personal rebreather. They left me in for a long time, I don't know how long because I fell asleep :). I think they were testing me for claustrophobia."Nelson was one of the few that got selected.

He flew STS-41C, STS-61-C (the mission before the Challenger accident) and STS-26 (the mission directly after the Challenger accident) On his first mission he was the first person to do an EVA untethered. He logged 411 hrs in space, 10 of them EVAs.

In his lecture he was talking abouut where the American Space Program is going. As far as he can tell- nowhere. “I’m a bit nervous about where the space program is going at the moment,” Nelson said. “Do we need another Sputnik to kick us in the rear and inspire us to do something?”

Here is a really neat video on Nelson's first mission (STS-41C) with a commentary by the astronauts of this mission:

YouTube - 1984: STS-41C Challenger (NASA)

Enjoy!

Sincerely, Space Cadet

Start of the Space Race - Sputnik 1

On October 4th 1957 something happened that rocked the world - the first man-made object was intentionally launched into space- the launch of Sputnik1. What rocked the world most about it was that it was made by the Russians, not the Americans. That one launch ingnited (literally) a series of events called the Space Race in which America and Russia were competing over space exploration.

Sputnik 1 was a metal sphere about 23" in diameter with 4 long antannae. The heat shield was 1 mm thick and made of made of aluminum-magnesium-titanium. It released a signal that could be picked up by amature radio operators around the world. It also collected data from the atmosphere, which it sent back by radio signal. It identified the upper atmosphere density and provided data on radio-signal distribution in the ionosphere. It continued to send out signals for 22 days, then it's battery ran out. It finnally fell to earth and burned up in the atmosphere on the 4th of January 1958

The launch of sputnik was an important milestone in history. It put pressure on Americans to win the space race and inspired many rocket scientists such as Homer Hickam.

Sincerely, Space Cadet