Feed aggregator

Any lunar resource evaluation or prospecting campaign will need to be international in nature, as no one space agency will have the money or mandate to conduct it alone.

Not all cats are hydrophobic

The “Raygun” Olympics fiasco points to how hip-hop scholarship is at risk of being colonized and undermined in academia

Reductions to American research at the South Pole could affect the politics of the southernmost continent

The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt will conduct high-speed flybys of six asteroids, then orbit and drop a lander onto a seventh space rock.

Understanding how racism affects aging and the timing of menopause could lead to better screening and preventive care.

4 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Dash 7 aircraft that will be modified into a hybrid electric research vehicle under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project is seen taking off from Moses Lake, Washington en route to Seattle for a ceremony unveiling its new livery. The aircraft is currently operating with a traditional fuel-based propulsion system but will eventually be modified with a hybrid electric system. NASA / David C. Bowman

Parked under the lights inside a hangar in Seattle, a hybrid electric research aircraft from electric motor manufacturer magniX showed off a new look symbolizing its journey toward helping NASA make sustainable aviation a reality.  

During a special unveiling ceremony hosted by magniX on Aug. 22, leaders from the company and NASA revealed the aircraft, with its new livery, to the public for the first time at King County International Airport, commonly known as Boeing Field.  

The aircraft is a De Havilland Dash 7 that was formerly used for carrying cargo. Working under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, magniX will modify it to serve as a testbed for hybrid electric aircraft propulsion research.    

The company’s goal under EPFD is to demonstrate potential fuel savings and performance boosts with a hybrid electric system for regional aircraft carrying up to 50 passengers. These efforts will help reduce environmental impacts from aviation by lowering greenhouse gas emissions. 

This livery recognizes the collaborative effort focused on proving that hybrid electric flight for commercial aircraft is feasible. 

“We are a research organization that continues to advance aviation, solve the problems of flight, and lead the community into the future,” said Robert A. Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. “Through our EPFD project, we’re taking big steps in partnership to make sure electric aviation is part of the future of commercial flight.” 

Lee Noble, director for NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program (right) and Robert Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (middle) chat with an AeroTEC test pilot for the Dash 7. Battery packs are stored along the floor of the cabin for magniX’s hybrid electric flight demonstrationsNASA / David C. Bowman Collaborative Effort   

NASA is collaborating with industry to modify existing planes with new electrified aircraft propulsion systems. These aircraft testbeds will help demonstrate the benefits of hybrid electric propulsion systems in reducing fuel burn and emissions for future commercial aircraft, part of NASA’s broader mission to make air travel more sustainable.  

“EPFD is about showing how regional-scale aircraft, through ground and flight tests, can be made more sustainable through electric technology that is available right now,” said Ben Loxton, vice president for magniX’s work on the EPFD project.  

Thus far, magniX has focused on developing a battery-powered engine and testing it on the ground to make sure it will be safe for work in the air. The company will now begin transitioning over to a new phase of the project — transforming the Dash 7 into a hybrid electric research vehicle.  

“With the recent completion of our preliminary design review and baseline flight tests, this marks a transition to the next phase, and the most exciting phase of the project: the modification of this Dash 7 with our magniX electric powertrain,” Loxton said.  

To make this possible, magniX is working with their airframe integrator AeroTEC to help modify and prepare the aircraft for flight tests that will take place out of Moses Lake, Washington. Air Tindi, which supplied the aircraft to magniX for this project, will help with maintenance and support of the aircraft during the testing phases.  

The Dash 7 that will be modified into a hybrid electric research vehicle under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project on display with its new livery for the first time. In front of the plane is an electric powertrain that magniX will integrate into the current aircraft to build a hybrid electric propulsion system.NASA/David C. Bowman Creating a Hybrid Electric Aircraft   

A typical hybrid electric propulsion system combines different sources of energy, such as fuel and electricity, to power an aircraft. For magniX’s demonstration, the modified Dash 7 will feature two electric engines fed by battery packs stored in the cabin, and two gas-powered turboprops.  

The work will begin with replacing one of the aircraft’s outer turboprop engines with a new, magni650-kilowatt electric engine – the base of its hybrid electric system. After testing those modifications, magniX will swap out the remaining outer turboprop engine for an additional electric one. 

Earlier this year, magniX and NASA marked the milestone completion of successfully testing the battery-powered engine at simulated altitude. Engineers at magniX are continuing ground tests of the aircraft’s electrified systems and components at NASA’s Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) facility in Sandusky, Ohio.  

By rigorously testing these new technologies under simulated flight conditions, such as high altitudes and extreme temperatures, researchers can ensure each component operates safely before taking to the skies. 

The collaboration between EPFD, NASA, GE Aerospace, and magniX works to advance hybrid electric aircraft propulsion technologies for next-generation commercial aircraft in the mid-2030 timeframe. NASA is working with these companies to conduct two flight demonstrations showcasing different approaches to hybrid electric system design. 

Researchers will use data gathered from ground and flight tests to identify and reduce certification gaps, as well as inform the development of new standards and regulations for future electrified aircraft. 

“We at NASA are excited about EPFD’s potential to make aviation more sustainable,” Pearce said. “Hybrid electric propulsion on a megawatt scale accelerates U.S. progress toward its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, benefitting all who rely on air transportation every day.”

Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 2 min read NASA G-IV Plane Will Carry Next-Generation Science Instrument Article 6 days ago 2 min read NASA Develops Pod to Help Autonomous Aircraft Operators  Article 1 week ago 2 min read NASA Composite Manufacturing Initiative Gains Two New Members Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Artemis

Aeronautics STEM

Explore NASA’s History

Share

Details Last Updated Sep 03, 2024 EditorJim BankeContactMichael Jorgensen Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
• Electrified Powertrain Flight Demo
• Glenn Research Center
• Green Aviation Tech
• Integrated Aviation Systems Program

A nearby star factory known as

When can you see a black hole, a tulip, and a swan all at once?

Where on Earth did life originate, and where else could it occur? A comprehensive answer is most likely a long way off. But it might depend on how many suitable sites for abiogenesis there are on different worlds.

We only have one data point for life: dear old Earth. Examining abiogenesis, the natural process where life originates from non-living matter, can’t be done by observing other places where it occurred. Instead, scientists use models to dig into the big question.

Manasvi Lingam is an astrobiologist at Florida Tech University. In new research, Lingam and his co-researchers examine the probability of life originating in different sites on Earth. The research is titled “A Bayesian Analysis of the Probability of the Origin of Life Per Site Conducive to Abiogenesis.” It’s published in the journal Astrobiology, and the other authors are Ruth Nichols and Amedeo Balbi.

“We can’t peer back in time. Sometimes you can arrive at answers just through very clever use of limited data… but there is a part that you’ll never know.”

Manasvi Lingam, Astrobiologist, Florida Tech University

A Bayesian Analysis uses existing knowledge—in this case, the appearance of life on Earth—to estimate how probable it is that the same thing will occur elsewhere. Disregarding panspermia, we know that life originated on Earth at least once. Scientists can use it to try to determine how probable it is that life arose elsewhere.

There are many roadblocks on our path to understanding the spontaneous appearance of life. “One of the foremost among these current limitations is our lack of conclusive knowledge regarding the minimal set of conditions necessary for engendering abiogenesis, as well as the absence of definitive data pinpointing the likely location(s) where this process took place,” the authors write.

But the fact that it did arise on Earth, at least once but possibly in multiple locations, is an information-rich fact. But the information doesn’t announce its presence. Scientists have to tease it out. “Nevertheless, the occurrence of abiogenesis on Earth still holds significant informative value,” the authors explain.

An image of Earth taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1990. Even though we don’t know how life started, scientists can use the fact that life exists to examine the probability. Image Credit: NASA/JPL

In new research, Lingam and his co-researchers developed a model based on urable sites. Urable sites are those that are viable places where life could start. The results were surprising and counter-intuitive.

Urable sites are environments where we think life can arise. They include hydrothermal vents, impact sites, lakes and ponds, and natural atomic reactors like the one that existed in Gabon two billion years ago.

In this work, the researchers compiled a list of urable sites, and each type has a corresponding level of conduciveness for life to get going. They shaped their models according to two questions: on how many sites could life have originated on Earth, and what is the probability of life emerging for each one.

It’s critical to understand that this work can’t tell us how and where life originated. Instead, the goal was to understand how to interpret the models’ results.

In their simulations, the researchers considered three different scenarios, each with a different number of urable sites. One had only 10 urable sites, one had 1016 urable sites, and one had 1031 urable sites. They also worked with optimistic, pessimistic, and uninformative scenarios. The optimistic had a higher probability of life appearing per urable sites, the pessimistic had a lower probability, and uninformative means the results were just that.

Warm little ponds are one type of urable site. This artist’s impression shows the early Earth, where the continental crust was below sea level, and the only exposed land was volcanic islands. On these islands, bombarded by lightning, gas from volcanoes could’ve formed increasingly complex molecules in little ponds. Eventually, a molecule capable of storing information, replicating it, and mutating randomly may have formed. As these islands were eroded away, these molecules could’ve been spread into the ocean. Image Credit: NASA

The researchers anticipated that a larger number of urable sites would mean a higher probability of life emerging. But to their surprise, the opposite was true. More sites meant a lower probability of life emerging, and fewer sites meant a higher probability.

“That’s the two situations that are here. One where there are lots of sites, but there’s very low probability [of life] per site. And the second where there are very few sites, but there’s a very high probability per site,” Lingam said in a press release.

“Normally ‘the more, the better’ is the attitude for many things in life,” Lingam says. “But more is not always better. If it’s fewer, but it’s the right kind of fewer, then that can actually be better.”

This means that in their model, where Earth had the fewest urable sites, the probability of life emerging on any single site is higher. When there are plentiful sites, the probability of life emerging on any one of them is lower.

This black smoker hydrothermal vent was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean in 1979. It’s fueled from deep beneath the surface by magma that superheats the water. The plume carries minerals and other materials out to the sea. Vents like these are one type of urable site. Image Credit: USGS.

Though counterintuitive, Lingam says these results are valuable. There’s no consensus on what urable site life arose on, so different researchers can use them in their experiments to understand their own preferred environments in experiments. “Then they can do laboratory experiments, try to get a feel for how many trials might be needed to actually move to something like life,” Lingam says.

Even with all we don’t know about the origin of life, and even though these models can’t tell us how life arose, Lingam’s work can still help other researchers make progress.

“We can’t peer back in time,” Lingam says. “Sometimes you can arrive at answers just through very clever use of limited data… but there is a part that you’ll never know.”

The post Asking the Big Question: Where Did Life Originate? appeared first on Universe Today.

An intricate atlas of the inner lining of the uterus could help researchers better understand conditions like endometriosis, infertility and abnormal menstruation

An intricate atlas of the inner lining of the uterus could help researchers better understand conditions like endometriosis, infertility and abnormal menstruation

A faint glow from all of the galaxies that have ever existed fills the cosmos, and NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has made the best measurement ever of just how faint it is

A faint glow from all of the galaxies that have ever existed fills the cosmos, and NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has made the best measurement ever of just how faint it is

Located about 3 million light-years from Earth, the Tucana Dwarf galaxy sits at the far edge of the Local Group of galaxies and is home to aging stars that may hold clues from the early universe.

As part of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA contracted with commercial space partners to develop crew-capable spacecraft to restore domestic launch capability to U.S. soil. In addition to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle, which was validated in 2020 and has been transporting crews to the International Space Station (ISS) ever since. Concurrently, Boeing developed the CT-100 Starliner, which has suffered a seemingly endless string of technical issues and delays. After undergoing a long checklist of fixes, the Starliner completed its first orbital flight test (OFT-1) in May 2022.

The Starliner then made its first crewed flight to the ISS on June 5th, 2024, carrying two astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Unfortunately, malfunctions with the spacecraft’s RCS thrusters have forced it to remain in orbit until the necessary fixes were made. In addition to its thrusters, astronaut Butch Wilmore identified a strange pulsing sound coming from the Starliner crew capsule. That sound has since been identified as feedback from one of the capsule’s speakers, apparently due to an audio configuration between the ISS and Starliner.

Radio noise and feedback are common aboard the ISS and are the result of the station’s complex audio system, which allows multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected. Per standard practice, crews are asked to contact mission control whenever they hear sounds coming from the comm system to determine if there is a larger technical issue at work. According to NASA, the feedback Wilmore reported has no technical impact on the crew, the Starliner, or station operations and will not prevent the ship from returning.

Still, due to ongoing safety concerns, NASA has decided that the Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed no earlier than Friday, Sept. 6th. After undocking from the station and reentry, it will land at NASA’s White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:03 AM local time (02:03 PM EDT; 11:03 AM PDT) on Sept. 7th. In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams will become part of the Expedition 71/72 crew on the station alongside cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit.

Further Reading: NASA

The post There Was a Strange Sound Coming From Starliner. It Was Caused by a Speaker in the Capsule appeared first on Universe Today.

Black holes are famous for sucking in everything that crosses their event horizons, including light. So, why do astronomers see energetic radiation coming from the environment of a black hole in an X-ray binary system? It’s a good question that finally has an answer.

As a black hole and its companion star in the system orbit in a mutual gravitational dance, material from the star spirals toward the black hole. It forms an accretion disk which glows bright in X-rays. The disk is threaded through by strong magnetic fields that get twisted as the black hole and disk spins. But, where do the X-rays originate? It turns out they stream from turbulent regions in the disk. They don’t come from the black hole itself.

X-ray Binary Systems

To understand these binary systems better, it helps to take a general look at their origins. These odd couples generally contain a regular star (usually a main-sequence one) coupled gravitationally to a neutron star or a black hole. There are several types of systems. One is the low-mass type with a star that has a lower mass than the neutron star or black hole companion. There are intermediate-mass ones, which contain an intermediate-mass star, and the high-mass x-ray binary that has a very high-mass star in the system.

Artist’s impression of an X-ray binary system. This one is called MAXI J1820+070, with a black hole (small black dot at the center of the gaseous accretion disk) and a companion star. Image produced with Binsim (credit: R. Hynes).

The black hole/neutron star components form when a supermassive companion star explodes as a supernova. After that, the donor star starts losing mass to the dead star companion. The infalling material generally creates the accretion disk where high-energy activity takes place. Generally, the action in the accretion disk generates the emissions astronomers detect in these systems. The low-mass binaries emit more X-rays as part of their radiation “budget”, while the high-mass ones emit a lot of optical light in addition to the X-rays.

For a long time, scientists tried to understand the sources of the high-energy radiation by watching as the material was swept into the accretion disks. X-rays generally occur in extremely energetic environments. So, everyone assumed that these disks had localized energetic regions. One idea was that magnetic fields and local gas clouds interacted and that generated the x-rays. The activity looks similar to heating in the Sun’s environment created by magnetic activity related to solar flares. Flares do occur in the accretion disks around black holes, and they’re much more extreme than our Sun’s outbursts.

Making X-rays at Black Holes

Supercomputer simulations done at the University of Helsinki helped pinpoint the cause of the X-rays. They modeled interactions between radiation, superheated plasma, and magnetic fields in black hole accretion disks in binary pairs. The simulations showed that the turbulence around the black hole is incredibly strong. The plasma actually does produce X-rays emanating from accretion disks. Joonas Nättilä of the Computational Plasma Astrophysics group at the university led a team that investigated this kind of extreme plasma. He pointed out that to understand what’s happening we have to look at the effects of quantum electrodynamics on the system.

The team modeled a mix of electron-positron plasma and photons. Electron-positron plasma is a state where electrons and positrons interact in the confines of a strong magnetic field. In such conditions, the local X-ray radiation turns into electrons and positrons. Then, they annihilate back into radiation as they re-establish contact. Electrons and positrons are antiparticles of each other. That means they don’t usually occur in the same place. In addition, plasma and radiation don’t usually interact with each other. But, that can all change when you get into the environment around a black hole. There, electrons and positrons exist in close quarters and photons become so energetic that they become part of the activity.

“In everyday life, such quantum phenomena where matter suddenly appears in place of extremely bright light are, of course, not seen, but near black holes, they become crucial,” Nättilä said. “It took us years to investigate and add to the simulations all quantum phenomena occurring in nature, but ultimately, it was worth it,” he added.

For More Information

Explanation Found for X-ray radiation from Black Holes
Radiative Plasma Simulations of Black Hole Accretion Flow Coronae in the Hard and Soft states

Arxiv preprint

The post The Surprising Source of Radiation Coming From Black Holes appeared first on Universe Today.

Técnicos ponen a prueba un conjunto de enormes paneles solares que miden aproximadamente 14,2 metros de largo y 4,1 metros de alto para la nave espacial Europa Clipper de la NASA, dentro de la Instalación de servicio de carga peligrosa de la agencia en el Centro Espacial Kennedy en Florida el 7 de agosto.Crédito: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Read this release in English here.

La NASA y SpaceX tienen planificado que la ventana para el lanzamiento de la misión Europa Clipper se abra el jueves 10 de octubre. Esta misión ayudará a los científicos a determinar si una de las lunas heladas de Júpiter podría albergar vida. Esta misión de la NASA despegará a bordo de un cohete Falcon Heavy de SpaceX, desde el Complejo de Lanzamientos 39A en el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida.

Europa Clipper llevará a bordo nueve instrumentos y un experimento científico sobre gravedad para recopilar mediciones detalladas mientras se encuentra en órbita alrededor de Júpiter y realiza varios sobrevuelos cercanos de su luna Europa. Las investigaciones sugieren que, debajo de la corteza de hielo de Europa, existe un océano que tiene dos veces el volumen de todos los océanos de la Tierra.

Los medios de comunicación interesados en cubrir el lanzamiento de Europa Clipper deben solicitar una acreditación de prensa. Los plazos para la acreditación de los medios son los siguientes:

• Los ciudadanos estadounidenses que representen a medios de comunicación nacionales o internacionales deben solicitar su acreditación antes de las 11:59 p.m. hora del este del viernes 27 de septiembre.
• Los representantes de medios internacionales con ciudadanía de otros países deben presentar su solicitud antes de las 11:59 p.m. hora del este del viernes 20 de septiembre.

Los medios de comunicación que requieran arreglos logísticos especiales, tales como espacio para camiones de transmisión satelital, tiendas de campaña o conexiones eléctricas, deben escribir por correo electrónico a ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov antes del 1 de octubre.

Una copia del reglamento de la NASA para la acreditación de medios está disponible en línea (en inglés). Si tienes preguntas sobre tu acreditación, por favor envía un correo electrónico a ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Para otras preguntas sobre la misión, por favor comunícate con la sala de prensa del Centro Espacial Kennedy al teléfono 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si deseas solicitar entrevistas en español, comunícate con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371.

Los medios de comunicación acreditados tendrán la oportunidad de participar en una serie de sesiones informativas previas al lanzamiento y entrevistas con el personal clave de la misión, incluyendo una sesión informativa la semana del 9 de septiembre. La NASA comunicará detalles adicionales sobre el programa de eventos para los medios a medida que se acerque la fecha de lanzamiento.

La NASA también publicará actualizaciones sobre los preparativos para el lanzamiento de la nave espacial en el blog (en inglés) de Europa Clipper de la NASA.

El principal objetivo científico de Europa Clipper es determinar si existen lugares debajo de la superficie de Europa que pudieran sustentar la vida. Los tres objetivos científicos principales de la misión son comprender la naturaleza de la capa de hielo y el océano que está debajo de ella, junto con la composición y la geología de esta luna. La detallada exploración de Europa que lleve a cabo esta misión ayudará a los científicos a comprender mejor el potencial astrobiológico de los mundos habitables más allá de nuestro planeta.

Administrado por Caltech en Pasadena, California, el Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro (JPL, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA en el sur de California lidera el desarrollo de la misión Europa Clipper, en asociación con el Laboratorio de Física Aplicada Johns Hopkins (APL, por sus siglas en inglés) en Laurel, Maryland, para la Dirección de Misiones Científicas de la NASA en Washington. APL diseñó el cuerpo principal de la nave espacial en colaboración con JPL y el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la NASA en Greenbelt, Maryland. La Oficina del Programa de Misiones Planetarias en el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Marshall de la NASA en Huntsville, Alabama, gestiona la ejecución del programa de la misión Europa Clipper.

El Programa de Servicios de Lanzamiento de la NASA, con sede en el centro Kennedy, gestiona el servicio de lanzamiento de la nave espacial Europa Clipper.

Para obtener más detalles sobre la misión y actualizaciones sobre los preparativos del lanzamiento, visita el sitio web (en inglés):

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper

Leejay Lockhart
Centro Espacial Kennedy, Florida
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
Sede de la NASA, Washington
202-358-1600 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

María José Viñas
Sede de la NASA, Washington
240-458-0248
maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov

Julian Coltre
Sede de la NASA, Washington
202-358-1100
Julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov

A thruster glitch suffered this past April will delay the BepiColombo mission's arrival at Mercury by nearly a year, to November 2026.

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) El técnico de soporte vital de la NASA Matthew Sechler ayuda a instalar un asiento eyectable en el avión X-59, en las instalaciones de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, en Palmdale, California. La culminación de instalación del asiento marca un hito en la integración de la aeronave mientras se prepara para las pruebas en tierra firme.Crédito: Lockheed Martin

Read this story in English here.

El equipo que prepara el X-59 de la NASA continúa realizando pruebas en preparación para que el avión supersónico y silencioso realice su primer vuelo. Esto incluye un trío de importantes pruebas estructurales e inspecciones críticas en el camino hacia el vuelo.

El X-59 es un avión experimental que volará más rápido que la velocidad del sonido sin un fuerte estampido sónico. Será el primero de su clase en volar, con el objetivo de recopilar datos de sonido para la misión Quesst de la NASA, que podría abrir la puerta a vuelos supersónicos comerciales sobre tierra en el futuro.

Debido a su diseño único, el equipo de ingenieria del X-59 debe hacer todo lo posible para predecir cada aspecto del avión antes de que despegue, incluyendo cómo se comportarán juntos su fuselaje, las alas y las superficies de control en vuelo. Eso significa que las pruebas en la tierra darán al equipo los datos necesarios para validar los modelos que han desarrollado.

Las pruebas no sólo nos dicen que tan estructuralmente sólido es el avión, sino también qué tipo de fuerzas puede soportar una vez que esté en el aire.

WALT SILVA

Investigador científico superior del Centro de Investigación Langley de la NASA en Hampton, Virginia, que dirige las estructuras de la NASA para el X-59.

Las pruebas estructurales del X-59 proporcionan información valiosa para el equipo. Entre 2022 y 2024, los ingenieros recopilaron datos sobre las fuerzas que el avión experimentará en vuelo y los efectos potenciales de las vibraciones en el avión.

“Haces estas pruebas, obtienes los datos, y las cosas se comparan bien en algunas áreas y en otras quieres mejorarlas,” Silva dijo. “Así que lo averiguas todo y luego trabajas para mejorarlo.”

Los técnicos de Lockheed Martin retiran temporalmente la cubierta del X-59 en preparación para la instalación final del asiento eyectable en el avión.Crédito: Lockheed Martin

A principios de este año, el X-59 se sometió a pruebas de acoplamiento estructural que vieron sus superficies de control, incluyendo sus alerones, aletas y timón, movidos por computadora. Fue la última de tres pruebas estructurales vitales. En 2023, los ingenieros aplicaron “agitadores” a partes del avión para evaluar su reacción a las vibraciones, y a principios de 2022 realizaron un examen de prueba para asegurar que el avión absorberá las fuerzas que experimentará durante el vuelo. Este año se instaló el asiento eyectable del X-59 y pasó su inspección. El asiento eyectable es una medida de seguridad adicional que es crítica para la seguridad del piloto durante todo aspecto del vuelo.

Con las pruebas estructurales y la instalación del asiento eyectable finalizadas, el avion avanzará hacia un nuevo hito: encenderá sus motores para una serie de pruebas en tierra.

El X-59 también tiene por delante la prueba del sistema de aviónica y cableado extensivo para detectar posibles interferencias electromagnéticas, imitando las condiciones de vuelo en un entorno de pruebas en tierra y finalmente, completar las pruebas de rodaje para validar la movilidad en tierra antes de su primer vuelo.

“Los primeros vuelos siempre son muy intensos,” dijo Natalie Spivey, ingeniera aeroespacial del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California. “Hay mucha anticipación, pero estamos listos para llegar allí y ver cómo responde el avion en el aire. Será muy emocionante.”

Artículo Traducido por: Nicolas Cholula y Elena Aguirre

Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 5 min read La NASA invita a los medios al lanzamiento de Europa Clipper Article 13 hours ago 7 min read La NASA invita a creadores de las redes sociales al lanzamiento de la misión Europa Clipper Article 15 hours ago 10 min read Preguntas frecuentes: Estado del retorno de la prueba de vuelo tripulado Boeing de la NASA Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Humans In Space

Supersonic Flight

Explore NASA’s History

Share

Details Last Updated Sep 03, 2024 EditorLillian GipsonContactKristen Hatfieldkristen.m.hatfield@nasa.gov Related Terms

• NASA en español
• Aeronáutica