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Modeling Lunar ISRU Extraction Can Help Plan Future Prototypes
In-situ resource utilization will likely play a major role in any future long-term settlement of the Moon. However, designing such a system in advance with our current level of knowledge will prove difficult, mainly because there's so much uncertainty around both the availability of those resources and the efficacy of the processes used to extract them. Luckily, researchers have tools that can try to deal with both of those uncertainties - statistical modeling. A team from Imperial College London, the University of Munich, and the Luxembourg Institue of Science and Technology recently released a pre-print paper on arXiv that uses a well-known statistical modeling method known as Monte Carlo simulation to try to assess what type of ISRU plan would be best for use on the Moon.
Cave spiders use their webs in a way that hasn't been seen before
Cave spiders use their webs in a way that hasn't been seen before
20-Year Hubble Study of Uranus Yields New Atmospheric Insights
- Hubble Home
- Overview
- Impact & Benefits
- Science
- Observatory
- Team
- News
- Multimedia
- More
NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka (LPL)
The ice-giant planet Uranus, which travels around the Sun tipped on its side, is a weird and mysterious world. Now, in an unprecedented study spanning two decades, researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered new insights into the planet’s atmospheric composition and dynamics. This was possible only because of Hubble’s sharp resolution, spectral capabilities, and longevity.
The team’s results will help astronomers to better understand how the atmosphere of Uranus works and responds to changing sunlight. These long-term observations provide valuable data for understanding the atmospheric dynamics of this distant ice giant, which can serve as a proxy for studying exoplanets of similar size and composition.
When Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, it provided a close-up snapshot of the sideways planet. What it saw resembled a bland, blue-green billiard ball. By comparison, Hubble chronicled a 20-year story of seasonal changes from 2002 to 2022. Over that period, a team led by Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona, and Larry Sromovsky and Pat Fry from the University of Wisconsin used the same Hubble instrument, STIS (the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph), to paint an accurate picture of the atmospheric structure of Uranus.
Uranus’ atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of methane and traces of water and ammonia. The methane gives Uranus its cyan color by absorbing the red wavelengths of sunlight.
The Hubble team observed Uranus four times in the 20-year period: in 2002, 2012, 2015, and 2022. They found that, unlike conditions on the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, methane is not uniformly distributed across Uranus. Instead, it is strongly depleted near the poles. This depletion remained relatively constant over the two decades. However, the aerosol and haze structure changed dramatically, brightening significantly in the northern polar region as the planet approaches its northern summer solstice in 2030.
The image columns show the change of Uranus for the four years that STIS observed Uranus across a 20-year period. Over that span of time, the researchers watched the seasons of Uranus as the south polar region darkened going into winter shadow while the north polar region brightened as northern summer approaches. NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka (LPL)Uranus takes a little over 84 Earth years to complete a single orbit of the Sun. So, over two decades, the Hubble team has only seen mostly northern spring as the Sun moves from shining directly over Uranus’ equator toward shining almost directly over its north pole in 2030. Hubble observations suggest complex atmospheric circulation patterns on Uranus during this period. The data that are most sensitive to the methane distribution indicate a downwelling in the polar regions and upwelling in other regions.
The team analyzed their results in several ways. The image columns show the change of Uranus for the four years that STIS observed Uranus across a 20-year period. Over that span of time, the researchers watched the seasons of Uranus as the south polar region (left) darkened going into winter shadow while the north polar region (right) brightened as it began to come into a more direct view as northern summer approaches.
The top row, in visible light, shows how the color of Uranus appears to the human eye as seen through even an amateur telescope.
In the second row, the false-color image of the planet is assembled from visible and near-infrared light observations. The color and brightness correspond to the amounts of methane and aerosols. Both of these quantities could not be distinguished before Hubble’s STIS was first aimed at Uranus in 2002. Generally, green areas indicate less methane than blue areas, and red areas show no methane. The red areas are at the limb, where the stratosphere of Uranus is almost completely devoid of methane.
The two bottom rows show the latitude structure of aerosols and methane inferred from 1,000 different wavelengths (colors) from visible to near infrared. In the third row, bright areas indicate cloudier conditions, while the dark areas represent clearer conditions. In the fourth row, bright areas indicate depleted methane, while dark areas show the full amount of methane.
At middle and low latitudes, aerosols and methane depletion have their own latitudinal structure that mostly did not change much over the two decades of observation. However, in the polar regions, aerosols and methane depletion behave very differently.
In the third row, the aerosols near the north pole display a dramatic increase, showing up as very dark during early northern spring, turning very bright in recent years. Aerosols also seem to disappear at the left limb as the solar radiation disappeared. This is evidence that solar radiation changes the aerosol haze in the atmosphere of Uranus. On the other hand, methane depletion seems to stay quite high in both polar regions throughout the observing period.
Astronomers will continue to observe Uranus as the planet approaches northern summer.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Related Images & Videos 20 Years of Uranus Observations
Contact Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Ann Jenkins
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Related Terms
20-Year Hubble Study of Uranus Yields New Atmospheric Insights
- Hubble Home
- Overview
- Impact & Benefits
- Science
- Observatory
- Team
- News
- Multimedia
- More
NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka (LPL)
The ice-giant planet Uranus, which travels around the Sun tipped on its side, is a weird and mysterious world. Now, in an unprecedented study spanning two decades, researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered new insights into the planet’s atmospheric composition and dynamics. This was possible only because of Hubble’s sharp resolution, spectral capabilities, and longevity.
The team’s results will help astronomers to better understand how the atmosphere of Uranus works and responds to changing sunlight. These long-term observations provide valuable data for understanding the atmospheric dynamics of this distant ice giant, which can serve as a proxy for studying exoplanets of similar size and composition.
When Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, it provided a close-up snapshot of the sideways planet. What it saw resembled a bland, blue-green billiard ball. By comparison, Hubble chronicled a 20-year story of seasonal changes from 2002 to 2022. Over that period, a team led by Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona, and Larry Sromovsky and Pat Fry from the University of Wisconsin used the same Hubble instrument, STIS (the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph), to paint an accurate picture of the atmospheric structure of Uranus.
Uranus’ atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of methane and traces of water and ammonia. The methane gives Uranus its cyan color by absorbing the red wavelengths of sunlight.
The Hubble team observed Uranus four times in the 20-year period: in 2002, 2012, 2015, and 2022. They found that, unlike conditions on the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, methane is not uniformly distributed across Uranus. Instead, it is strongly depleted near the poles. This depletion remained relatively constant over the two decades. However, the aerosol and haze structure changed dramatically, brightening significantly in the northern polar region as the planet approaches its northern summer solstice in 2030.
The image columns show the change of Uranus for the four years that STIS observed Uranus across a 20-year period. Over that span of time, the researchers watched the seasons of Uranus as the south polar region darkened going into winter shadow while the north polar region brightened as northern summer approaches. NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka (LPL)Uranus takes a little over 84 Earth years to complete a single orbit of the Sun. So, over two decades, the Hubble team has only seen mostly northern spring as the Sun moves from shining directly over Uranus’ equator toward shining almost directly over its north pole in 2030. Hubble observations suggest complex atmospheric circulation patterns on Uranus during this period. The data that are most sensitive to the methane distribution indicate a downwelling in the polar regions and upwelling in other regions.
The team analyzed their results in several ways. The image columns show the change of Uranus for the four years that STIS observed Uranus across a 20-year period. Over that span of time, the researchers watched the seasons of Uranus as the south polar region (left) darkened going into winter shadow while the north polar region (right) brightened as it began to come into a more direct view as northern summer approaches.
The top row, in visible light, shows how the color of Uranus appears to the human eye as seen through even an amateur telescope.
In the second row, the false-color image of the planet is assembled from visible and near-infrared light observations. The color and brightness correspond to the amounts of methane and aerosols. Both of these quantities could not be distinguished before Hubble’s STIS was first aimed at Uranus in 2002. Generally, green areas indicate less methane than blue areas, and red areas show no methane. The red areas are at the limb, where the stratosphere of Uranus is almost completely devoid of methane.
The two bottom rows show the latitude structure of aerosols and methane inferred from 1,000 different wavelengths (colors) from visible to near infrared. In the third row, bright areas indicate cloudier conditions, while the dark areas represent clearer conditions. In the fourth row, bright areas indicate depleted methane, while dark areas show the full amount of methane.
At middle and low latitudes, aerosols and methane depletion have their own latitudinal structure that mostly did not change much over the two decades of observation. However, in the polar regions, aerosols and methane depletion behave very differently.
In the third row, the aerosols near the north pole display a dramatic increase, showing up as very dark during early northern spring, turning very bright in recent years. Aerosols also seem to disappear at the left limb as the solar radiation disappeared. This is evidence that solar radiation changes the aerosol haze in the atmosphere of Uranus. On the other hand, methane depletion seems to stay quite high in both polar regions throughout the observing period.
Astronomers will continue to observe Uranus as the planet approaches northern summer.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Related Images & Videos 20 Years of Uranus Observations
Contact Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Ann Jenkins
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Related Terms
Venus Could Be Much More Volcanically Active Than We Thought
Even though Jupiter's moon Io is considered the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, Venus actually has more volcanoes and volcanic features on its surface. For a long time, scientists thought that most of these features and volcanoes were ancient remnants of the planet's geological past. However, newer research shows that Venus is still volcanically active.
University High Triumphs at JPL-Hosted Ocean Sciences Bowl
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This team from University High School in Irvine, California, won the 2025 regional Oceans Science Bowl, hosted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. From left: Nethra Iyer, Joanne Chen, Matthew Feng, Avery Hexun, Angelina Yan, and coach David Knight.NASA/JPL-CaltechThe annual regional event puts students’ knowledge of ocean-related science to the test in a fast-paced academic competition.
A team of students from University High School in Irvine earned first place at a fast-paced regional academic competition focused on ocean science disciplines and hosted by NASA’S Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Eight teams from Los Angeles and Orange counties competed at the March 29 event, dubbed the Los Angeles Surf Bowl. It was the last of about 20 regional competitions held across the U.S. this year in the lead-up to the virtual National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals event in mid-May.
Santa Monica High School earned second place; Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles came in third. With its victory, University repeated its winning performance from last year. The school also won the JPL-hosted regional Science Bowl earlier this month.
Teams from all eight schools that participated in the JPL-hosted 2025 regional Ocean Sciences Bowl pose alongside volunteers and coaches.NASA/JPL-CaltechFor the Ocean Sciences Bowl, teams are composed of four to five students and a coach. To prepare for the event, team members spend months answering multiple-choice questions with a “Jeopardy!”-style buzzer in just five seconds. Questions come in several categories, including biology, chemistry, geology, and physics along with related geography, technology, history, policy, and current events topics.
A question in the chemistry category might be “What chemical is the principal source of energy at many of Earth’s hydrothermal vent systems?” (It’s hydrogen sulfide.) Other questions can be considerably more challenging.
When a team member buzzes in and gives the correct answer to a multiple-choice question, the team earns a bonus question, which allows teammates to consult with one another to come up with an answer. More complicated “team challenge questions” prompt students to work together for a longer period. The theme of this year’s competition is “Sounding the Depths: Understanding Ocean Acoustics.”
University High junior Matthew Feng, a return competitor, said the team’s success felt like a payoff for hours of studying together, including on weekends. He keeps coming back to the competition partly for the sense of community and also for the personal challenge, he said. “It’s nice to compete and meet people, see people who were here last year,” Matthew added. “Pushing yourself mentally — the first year I was shaking so hard because I wasn’t used to that much adrenaline.”
Since 2000, JPL’s Public Services Office has coordinated the Los Angeles regional contest with the help of volunteers from laboratory staff and former Ocean Sciences Bowl participants in the local community. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech.
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a program of the Center for Ocean Leadership at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of colleges and universities focused in part on Earth science-related education.
News Media Contact
Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-044
Share Details Last Updated Mar 31, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Curiosity Rover Detects Largest Organic Molecules Found on MarsResearchers analyzing pulverized rock onboard NASA’s Curiosity rover have found the largest organic compounds on…
Article 1 week ago 5 min read NASA Takes to the Air to Study Wildflowers Article 1 week ago 6 min read Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsMissions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
University High Triumphs at JPL-Hosted Ocean Sciences Bowl
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This team from University High School in Irvine, California, won the 2025 regional Oceans Science Bowl, hosted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. From left: Nethra Iyer, Joanne Chen, Matthew Feng, Avery Hexun, Angelina Yan, and coach David Knight.NASA/JPL-CaltechThe annual regional event puts students’ knowledge of ocean-related science to the test in a fast-paced academic competition.
A team of students from University High School in Irvine earned first place at a fast-paced regional academic competition focused on ocean science disciplines and hosted by NASA’S Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Eight teams from Los Angeles and Orange counties competed at the March 29 event, dubbed the Los Angeles Surf Bowl. It was the last of about 20 regional competitions held across the U.S. this year in the lead-up to the virtual National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals event in mid-May.
Santa Monica High School earned second place; Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles came in third. With its victory, University repeated its winning performance from last year. The school also won the JPL-hosted regional Science Bowl earlier this month.
Teams from all eight schools that participated in the JPL-hosted 2025 regional Ocean Sciences Bowl pose alongside volunteers and coaches.NASA/JPL-CaltechFor the Ocean Sciences Bowl, teams are composed of four to five students and a coach. To prepare for the event, team members spend months answering multiple-choice questions with a “Jeopardy!”-style buzzer in just five seconds. Questions come in several categories, including biology, chemistry, geology, and physics along with related geography, technology, history, policy, and current events topics.
A question in the chemistry category might be “What chemical is the principal source of energy at many of Earth’s hydrothermal vent systems?” (It’s hydrogen sulfide.) Other questions can be considerably more challenging.
When a team member buzzes in and gives the correct answer to a multiple-choice question, the team earns a bonus question, which allows teammates to consult with one another to come up with an answer. More complicated “team challenge questions” prompt students to work together for a longer period. The theme of this year’s competition is “Sounding the Depths: Understanding Ocean Acoustics.”
University High junior Matthew Feng, a return competitor, said the team’s success felt like a payoff for hours of studying together, including on weekends. He keeps coming back to the competition partly for the sense of community and also for the personal challenge, he said. “It’s nice to compete and meet people, see people who were here last year,” Matthew added. “Pushing yourself mentally — the first year I was shaking so hard because I wasn’t used to that much adrenaline.”
Since 2000, JPL’s Public Services Office has coordinated the Los Angeles regional contest with the help of volunteers from laboratory staff and former Ocean Sciences Bowl participants in the local community. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech.
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a program of the Center for Ocean Leadership at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of colleges and universities focused in part on Earth science-related education.
News Media Contact
Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-044
Share Details Last Updated Mar 31, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Curiosity Rover Detects Largest Organic Molecules Found on MarsResearchers analyzing pulverized rock onboard NASA’s Curiosity rover have found the largest organic compounds on…
Article 1 week ago 5 min read NASA Takes to the Air to Study Wildflowers Article 1 week ago 6 min read Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsMissions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
El X-59 de la NASA completa la prueba de ‘control de crucero’ mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) El avión de investigación supersónico silencioso X-59 de la NASA se encuentra en una rampa de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works en Palmdale, California, durante el atardecer. Esta aeronave única en su tipo es propulsada por un motor General Electric F414, una variante de los motores utilizados en los aviones F/A-18. El motor está montado sobre el fuselaje para reducir la cantidad de ondas de choque que llegan al suelo. El X-59 es la pieza central de la misión Quesst de la NASA, que busca demostrar el vuelo supersónico silencioso y permitir futuros viajes comerciales sobre tierra – más rápidos que la velocidad del sonido.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garry Tice El avión de investigación supersónico silencioso X-59 de la NASA se encuentra en una rampa de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works en Palmdale, California, durante el atardecer. Esta aeronave única en su tipo es propulsada por un motor General Electric F414, una variante de los motores utilizados en los aviones F/A-18. El motor está montado sobre el fuselaje para reducir la cantidad de ondas de choque que llegan al suelo. El X-59 es la pieza central de la misión Quesst de la NASA, que busca demostrar el vuelo supersónico silencioso y permitir futuros viajes comerciales sobre tierra – más rápidos que la velocidad del sonido.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garry TiceRead this story in English here.
El equipo detrás del X-59 de la NASA completó en marzo otra prueba crítica en tierra, garantizando que el silencioso avión supersónico será capaz de mantener una velocidad específica durante su funcionamiento. Esta prueba, conocida como mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor, es el más reciente marcador de progreso a medida que el X-59 se acerca a su primer vuelo este año.
“El mantenimiento automático de la velocidad del motor es básicamente la versión de control de crucero de la aeronave,” explicó Paul Dees, jefe adjunto de propulsión de la NASA del X-59 en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la agencia en Edwards, California. “El piloto activa el control de velocidad a su velocidad actual y luego puede aumentarla o ajustarla gradualmente según sea necesario.”
El equipo del X-59 ya había realizado una prueba similar en el motor, pero sólo como un sistema aislado. La prueba de marzo verificó que la retención de velocidad funciona correctamente tras su integración en la aviónica de la aeronave.
“Necesitábamos verificar que el mantenimiento automático de velocidad funcionara no sólo dentro del propio motor, sino como parte de todo el sistema del avión,” explicó Dees. “Esta prueba confirmó que todos los componentes – software, enlaces mecánicos y leyes de control – funcionan juntos según lo previsto.”
El éxito de la prueba confirmó la habilidad de la aeronave para controlar la velocidad con precisión, lo cual será muy invaluable durante el vuelo. Esta capacidad aumentará la seguridad de los pilotos, permitiéndoles enfocarse en otros aspectos críticos de la operación de vuelo.
“El piloto va a estar muy ocupado durante el primer vuelo, asegurándose de que la aeronave sea estable y controlable,” dijo Dees. “Al tener la función del mantenimiento automático de velocidad, de reduce parte de esa carga de trabajo, lo que hace que el primer vuelo sea mucho más seguro.”
Inicialmente el equipo tenía planeado comprobar el mantenimiento automático de velocidad como parte de una próxima serie de pruebas en tierra donde alimentarían la aeronave con un sólido conjunto de datos para verificar su funcionalidad tanto en condiciones normales como de fallo, conocidas como pruebas de pájaro de aluminio (una estructura que se utiliza para probar los sistemas de una aeronave en un laboratorio, simulando un vuelo real). Sin embargo, el equipo se dio cuenta que había una oportunidad de probarlo antes.
“Fue un objetivo de oportunidad,” dijo Dees. “Nos dimos cuenta de que estábamos listos para probar el mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor por separado mientras otros sistemas continuaban con la finalización de su software. Si podemos aprender algo antes, siempre es mejor.”
Con cada prueba exitosa, el equipo integrado de la NASA y Lockheed Martin acerca el X-59 al primer vuelo, y hacer historia en la aviación a través de su tecnología supersónica silenciosa.
Artículo Traducido por: Priscila Valdez
Share Details Last Updated Mar 31, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.gov Related Terms Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAArmstrong Flight Research Center
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
El X-59 de la NASA completa la prueba de ‘control de crucero’ mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) El avión de investigación supersónico silencioso X-59 de la NASA se encuentra en una rampa de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works en Palmdale, California, durante el atardecer. Esta aeronave única en su tipo es propulsada por un motor General Electric F414, una variante de los motores utilizados en los aviones F/A-18. El motor está montado sobre el fuselaje para reducir la cantidad de ondas de choque que llegan al suelo. El X-59 es la pieza central de la misión Quesst de la NASA, que busca demostrar el vuelo supersónico silencioso y permitir futuros viajes comerciales sobre tierra – más rápidos que la velocidad del sonido.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garry Tice El avión de investigación supersónico silencioso X-59 de la NASA se encuentra en una rampa de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works en Palmdale, California, durante el atardecer. Esta aeronave única en su tipo es propulsada por un motor General Electric F414, una variante de los motores utilizados en los aviones F/A-18. El motor está montado sobre el fuselaje para reducir la cantidad de ondas de choque que llegan al suelo. El X-59 es la pieza central de la misión Quesst de la NASA, que busca demostrar el vuelo supersónico silencioso y permitir futuros viajes comerciales sobre tierra – más rápidos que la velocidad del sonido.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garry TiceRead this story in English here.
El equipo detrás del X-59 de la NASA completó en marzo otra prueba crítica en tierra, garantizando que el silencioso avión supersónico será capaz de mantener una velocidad específica durante su funcionamiento. Esta prueba, conocida como mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor, es el más reciente marcador de progreso a medida que el X-59 se acerca a su primer vuelo este año.
“El mantenimiento automático de la velocidad del motor es básicamente la versión de control de crucero de la aeronave,” explicó Paul Dees, jefe adjunto de propulsión de la NASA del X-59 en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la agencia en Edwards, California. “El piloto activa el control de velocidad a su velocidad actual y luego puede aumentarla o ajustarla gradualmente según sea necesario.”
El equipo del X-59 ya había realizado una prueba similar en el motor, pero sólo como un sistema aislado. La prueba de marzo verificó que la retención de velocidad funciona correctamente tras su integración en la aviónica de la aeronave.
“Necesitábamos verificar que el mantenimiento automático de velocidad funcionara no sólo dentro del propio motor, sino como parte de todo el sistema del avión,” explicó Dees. “Esta prueba confirmó que todos los componentes – software, enlaces mecánicos y leyes de control – funcionan juntos según lo previsto.”
El éxito de la prueba confirmó la habilidad de la aeronave para controlar la velocidad con precisión, lo cual será muy invaluable durante el vuelo. Esta capacidad aumentará la seguridad de los pilotos, permitiéndoles enfocarse en otros aspectos críticos de la operación de vuelo.
“El piloto va a estar muy ocupado durante el primer vuelo, asegurándose de que la aeronave sea estable y controlable,” dijo Dees. “Al tener la función del mantenimiento automático de velocidad, de reduce parte de esa carga de trabajo, lo que hace que el primer vuelo sea mucho más seguro.”
Inicialmente el equipo tenía planeado comprobar el mantenimiento automático de velocidad como parte de una próxima serie de pruebas en tierra donde alimentarían la aeronave con un sólido conjunto de datos para verificar su funcionalidad tanto en condiciones normales como de fallo, conocidas como pruebas de pájaro de aluminio (una estructura que se utiliza para probar los sistemas de una aeronave en un laboratorio, simulando un vuelo real). Sin embargo, el equipo se dio cuenta que había una oportunidad de probarlo antes.
“Fue un objetivo de oportunidad,” dijo Dees. “Nos dimos cuenta de que estábamos listos para probar el mantenimiento automático de velocidad del motor por separado mientras otros sistemas continuaban con la finalización de su software. Si podemos aprender algo antes, siempre es mejor.”
Con cada prueba exitosa, el equipo integrado de la NASA y Lockheed Martin acerca el X-59 al primer vuelo, y hacer historia en la aviación a través de su tecnología supersónica silenciosa.
Artículo Traducido por: Priscila Valdez
Share Details Last Updated Mar 31, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.gov Related Terms Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAArmstrong Flight Research Center
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
Big Banks Quietly Prepare for Catastrophic Climate Change
Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and an international banking group have quietly concluded that climate change will likely exceed the Paris Agreement’s 2 degree C goal and are examining how to maintain profits
A revolutionary new understanding of autism in girls
A revolutionary new understanding of autism in girls
Mission Control 'members only': NASA flight directors don new jacket
Hubble Telescope captures gorgeous new view of Milky Way's star-packed galactic neighbor (photo)
Is There a Plus Side to Mental Labor?
Women shoulder most of the work in managing a family and tell us it’s exhausting, but some also say it has benefits
Top U.S. Researchers Warn against ‘Climate of Fear’ Threatening Science
Despite fears that speaking out will make them targets, top researchers warn that the Trump administration’s “wholesale assault on U.S. science” will harm the nation
