Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review 11-6-15

Remotely
piloted
PTERA

bridges gap
between

wind tunnel,
crewed

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CZ1FUFS.FSMJO NASA photographs by Jim Ross
NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

On Oct. 22, researchers from NASA’s Arm- NASA Armstrong’s PTERA remote-
strong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air O\SLORWHGUHVHDUFKDLUFUDIWPDGHLWV¿UVW
Force Base, Calif., and Area-I, Inc., of Kennesaw, ÀLJKWRQ2FW$OOÀLJKWWHVW
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objectives were met.
remotely piloted test bed for cutting edge aviation
and space technologies. NASA photograph by Jim Ross

The Prototype-Technology Evaluation and 1$6$$UPVWURQJ¶V37(5$UHPRWHO\SLORWHGUHVHDUFKDLUFUDIWPDGHLWV¿UVWÀLJKWRQ2FW$OOÀLJKWWHVWREMHFWLYHVZHUHPHW
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laboratory bridging the gap between wind-tunnel WHQVLYHSRVWÀLJKWLQVSHFWLRQVRIWKHDLUFUDIWUH- aircraft, and allowed us to identify areas for im- For more information on Armstrong’s PTERA
H[SHULPHQWVDQGFUHZHGÀLJKWWHVWLQJ SURYHPHQWVWKDWZLOOLQFUHDVHVDIHW\DQGHI¿FLHQ-
vealed no problems. cy,” said Bruce Cogan, NASA project manager http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/
All first flight test objectives were success- ³7KH¿UVWÀLJKWSURYLGHGDZHDOWKRILQVLJKW FactSheets/FS-108-AFRC.html.
fully accomplished according to team members
from Armstrong’s Dale Reed Small UAS Lab and
Area-I.

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ship at Middle Georgia State University’s East-
man Campus.

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lowed two weeks of training and ground testing.
The aircraft was flown under radio control by
Area-I lead PTERA pilot David Stuart, as well as
under the control of a Cloud Cap Piccolo autopi-
lot. A maximum speed of 145 Knots was obtained

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by Jay Levine
NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

,ID1$6$$UPVWURQJFRQFHSWIRUD0DUVDLUSODQHWDNHVÀLJKWLWZLOOEH NASA photograph by Ken Ulbrich
in part thanks to groups of college and university students working on it.
Palmdale, Calif.,Mayor Jim Ledford talks to students at a virtual event on NASA Armstrong’s Mars airplane. The students
Some of those students spoke Friday, Oct. 16, about their experiences worked on the project this past summer.
at an event at the Aerospace Education Research and Operations (AERO)
Institute in Palmdale, Calif. The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Cen-
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Aeronautics and Astronautics sponsored the event.

Students were asked this past summer to use the skills they learned in
school and apply those to research challenges associated with the Prelimi-
nary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-M aircraft.
If the project is ultimately successful, it could collect and transmit valuable
information about future landing sites for human exploration.

The two student programs tapped for the work included the NASA Flight
Scholars, which focuses on giving community college students an early op-
portunity to perform research and the Education Small Unmanned Aerial
Systems Center of Excellence, which provides college and university stu-
dents an opportunity to work on NASA Unmanned Aerial Systems projects.
Both were funded mostly under the Minority University Research and Edu-
cation Program that focuses on enhancing capabilities of minority-serving
institutions.

Before the students spoke about their experiences, Al Bowers, NASA
Armstrong’s chief scientist and Prandtl-M project manager, spoke about the
aircraft. Details also were given about how students can apply for future
summer internships. Special guests included U.S. Rep. Steve Knight, R-
Calif., and Palmdale, Calif., Mayor Jim Ledford.

The prospects for the virtual event originated with an idea from Peggy
Hayes based on a request from AIAA that she then asked NASA Armstrong
summer student intern Ben Cobleigh to enhance and develop. Hayes is

See NASA, Page 11

10 Aerotech News and Review November 6, 2015

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