Posted on 01/16/2011 2:51:55 AM PST by Cardhu
They are the sort of striking images that wouldn't look out of place in a scene from a sci-fi movie. However, one of these could soon be the face of modern aviation with the unveiling of a new generation of passenger aircraft.
NASA has revealed three concept designs for quiet, energy efficient aircraft that potentially could be ready for flight as soon as 2025.
Three companies - Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and The Boeing Company - came up with the designs and, at the end of last year, all three won a contract from NASA to research, develop and test their concepts in 2011, meaning these futuristic ideas could have the potential to take flight.
The designs came about after NASA revealed it was aiming to develop a line of 'super planes'
Criteria set by NASA meant that each design had to fly up to 85 per cent of the speed of sound, cover a range of about 7,000 miles and carry between 50,000 and 100,000 of payload; either cargo or passengers.
Now, each of the three companies will spend the rest of this year exploring, testing and simulating their designs in the hope that NASA will choose it for development.
How likely it is for these designs to get off the ground is under debate. A spokesman from technology and innovation website Fast Company told the Huffington Post: 'Given how long it usually takes to craft an aircraft from scratch, and bearing in mind how many technical hitches the revolutionary Boeing 787 Dreamliner has suffered, these are the sorts of aircraft that these three firms are probably beginning to design for real right about now.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Canada with Avro had made flying saucers as far back as the late 50s, I just don’t think they are very practical heh.
haha, that wasn’t the pic they showed us during training, but that looks comical too just like the other one did.
I still think ramjets, or scramjet engines are the way to go, you just need a secondary propulsion to get the aircraft up to speed so they can operate. Then we can cut down our travel times drastically, provided we have neutered the TSA by then heh.
Yeah. That’s the ‘Fred Flintstone’ pic!
:)
“I still think ramjets, or scramjet engines are the way to go, you just need a secondary propulsion to get the aircraft up to speed so they can operate. Then we can cut down our travel times drastically, provided we have neutered the TSA by then heh.”
You’d have to fly it like the B2.. No real ‘stick’ but computer controlled.
LOL - everyone is laughing at my pink camera.
For the business traveller
For the small family circa 2025 - it can land and take off from water or air strip.
computer controlled does make me nervous I will admit. Well, one has to wonder now how they flew the SR-71, and birds that went that fast. I suppose I could google it, but the kids are up and I better feed them heh.
Thanks for the clarification. Just when you think you know the FARs, there’s a loophole...
Thus my comment about the V-tail.
With the curved struts, I’d say more of a U shape.
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