Page 8 - Aerotech News and Review 1-8-16
P. 8

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aeronautics, science,
technology in 2015

   NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center            tion issues, and integrated test and evaluation
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ZLWKH[SHULPHQWDO$GDSWLYH&RPSOLDQW7UDLOLQJ        instrumented weather and standard radar data                                                                        VLW\JUDGLHQWVFDXVHGE\DHURG\QDPLFÀRZ                                               ULJDVVHPEO\SURYLGHGYDOXDEOHGDWDDQGULVN
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ÀDSV1$6$¶V(QYLURQPHQWDOO\5HVSRQVLEOH             WLDO+,:&UDGDUVLJQDWXUHFRXOGEHLGHQWL¿HG                                                                       scale models inside a wind tunnel, capturing                                            to load cells on a supporting truss while the
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5HVHDUFK/DERUDWRU\WRHTXLSD*XOIVWUHDP,,,           Current weather radar can detect rain or hail,                                                                   ZDVPRUHFKDOOHQJLQJ,Q)HEUXDU\UHVHDUFKHUV                                         SHUKRXUDFURVVDGU\ODNHEHGDW(GZDUGV$LU
MHWZLWK$&7(ÀDSVGHVLJQHGDQGEXLOWE\)OH[-        EXWLVOLPLWHGLQLWVDELOLW\WRGLVFHUQLQJVPDOOHU                                                                used a technique called Air-to-air Background-                                          )RUFH%DVH
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VHDUFKFRQWUDFW7KHWHVWWHDPH[FHHGHGH[SHF-        and evaporate, cooling the engine core surfaces                                                                     GHVHUWEDFNGURSXVLQJVSHFLDOFDPHUDVPRXQWHG                                          UHVHDUFKHUVIURP/DQJOH\DQG$UPVWURQJSDUW-
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                                                      SRUDU\SRZHUORVVRUHQJLQHEODGHGDPDJH)RU                                                                      team used NASA-developed image process-                                                 D Q G  - R E \  $ Y L D W L R Q  L Q  6 D Q W D  & U X ]   ( 6 $ H U R  L V
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   Armstrong is the host center for the Un-           UHVHDUFKHUVDERDUG$UPVWURQJ¶V'&À\-                                                                         D QG UH YH D O URXJK V KRF N Z D YH  LPD JHV 1H[W                              V\VWHPLQWHJUDWLRQDQGLQVWUXPHQWDWLRQZKLOH
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PDQQHG $LUFUDIW 6\VWHPV ,QWHJUDWLRQ LQ WKH      ÀLJKWPHWHRURORJLFDODQGUDGDUGDWDDVVRFLDWHG                                                                     frames to produce clean and clear images of                                             RIWKHHOHFWULFPRWRUVSURSHOOHUVDQGFDUERQ
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nation’s most important research efforts for          WKH$WODQWLF2FHDQDQGWKH*XOIRI0H[LFR                                                                          DJURXQGEDVHGPHWKRGFDOOHG%DFNJURXQG                                                SUHFXUVRUWRDGHYHORSPHQWRIDVPDOO;SODQH
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ers and operational challenges associated with           7KH+,:&UHVHDUFKWHDPLQFOXGHGSULQFLSDO                                                                       %26&29LHZLQJWKHVXQWKURXJKDFDOFLXP                                               formative Aeronautics Concepts program, and
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FRPPHUFLDODQGFLYLODLUWUDI¿F                      &HQWHULQ+DPSWRQ9DDQG*OHQQ5HVHDUFK                                                                         drop for the supersonic target aircraft and, once
                                                      &HQWHULQ&OHYHODQG2KLR                                                                                          again, the patent pending method for imaging                                            9HKLFOH,QWHJUDWHG3URSXOVLRQ5HVHDUFK
   Technical challenges include development                                                                                                                               VKRFNZDYHVZDVPDGHSRVVLEOHWKURXJKDG-                                                  This past summer, researchers from NASA’s
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                                                                                                                                                                          WHPFDSDEOHRIGLVSOD\LQJWKHORFDWLRQDQGLQ-                                          to test and evaluate new aircraft engine health
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                                                                                                                                                                          (OHFWULF$LUFUDIW3URSXOVLRQ                                                               To reduce risk, all such testing was con-
                                                                                                                                                                             7KHDUULYDORIDXQLTXHH[SHULPHQWDOGHP-                                            ducted on the ground under controlled condi-
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                                                                                                                                                                          onstrator at NASA Armstrong Flight Research                                             SKDVHRIWHVWLQJIRFXVHGRQWKHFKDUDFWHUL]DWLRQ
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                                                                                                                                                                          PDQ\DLUFUDIWDUHSRZHUHGE\HOHFWULFPRWRUV                                           tered low-concentration volcanic ash plumes in
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                                                                                                                                                                          premise that tighter propulsion-airframe inte-                                          5 H V H D U F K  	  7 H F K Q R O R J \   3 U D W W  D Q G  : K L W Q H \ 
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         See ARMSTRONG, Page 9
                                                                                                                                                                             Over the span of several months, NASA
                                                                                                                                                                          researchers performed ground testing of a

8                                                               Aerotech News and Review                                                                                                                                                                          January 8, 2016

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