NASA's Langley Research Center Testing electric propulsion

On Aug. 19, National Aviation Day, a lot of people are reflecting on how far aviation has come in the last century. 

Could this be the future – a plane with many electric motors that can hover like a helicopter and fly like a plane, and that could revolutionize air travel?

Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., are studying the concept with models such as the unmanned aerial system GL-10 Greased Lightning. 

Greased Lightning GL-10 electric prototype remote control plane. Left to right Zack Johns, William Fredericks and David North prepare the GL10 for a second tethered flight.

The GL-10, which has a 10-foot wingspan, recently flew successfully while tethered. Free-flight tests are planned in the fall of 2014.

This research has helped lead to NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate efforts to better understand the potential of electric propulsion across all types, sizes and missions for aviation.

Image Credit: NASA Langley/David C. Bowman

ESA Astronaut remotely controls Eurobot Rover

Eurobot rover under ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst's control

Looking down from orbit, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst steered ESA’s Eurobot rover through a series of intricate manoeuvres on the ground yesterday, demonstrating a new space network that could connect astronauts to vehicles on alien worlds.

During an intense 90-minute live link on 7 August, Alex used a dedicated controller laptop on the International Space Station to operate Eurobot, relying on video and data feedback to feed commands from 400 km up, orbiting at 28 000 km/h.

The link was provided by a new network that stores commands when signals are interrupted if direct line of sight with Earth or the surface unit is lost, forwarding them once contact is re-established.

ESA Rover Control Centre

In the future, controlling robots on Mars or the Moon will require a sort of ‘space Internet’ to send telecommands and receive data.

Such networks must also accommodate signal delays across vast distances, considering that astronauts and rovers on Mars will have to be linked with mission controllers on Earth.

Yesterday’s demonstration was the second in a series of experiments under the Meteron project, following the 2012 test by NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who used an initial version of the network by steering a model rover at ESA’s ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

“This was the first time Eurobot was controlled from space as part of an experiment to validate communication and operations technologies that will ultimately be used for future human exploration missions,” noted Kim Nergaard, head of Advanced Mission Concepts at ESOC.

'Astronaut' at the controls of the Eurobot Ground Prototype

The Eurobot Ground Prototype (EGP) is a new robotic assistant designed to move around and work on a planet's surface either autonomously or in cooperation with astronauts.

It has a pair of robotic arms with interchangeable tools, force and torque sensors and advanced vision systems, including a 3D camera.

It can also transport an astronaut, who can operate it by simple voice commands or a joystick.

The current prototype is capable of transporting 150 kg, including a suited astronaut. It has four driven wheels and is highly manoeuvrable, with its back wheels steerable over 120°.

Eurobot can be controlled from Earth or from a station located for instance on the International Space Station.

Thales Alenia Space is leading the project under a contract from ESA.

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Martin Aircraft seeks funding to get Jetpack off the ground

The New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Company is continuing test flights and is now seeking investors to help bring the manned Jetpack to market in mid 2013.

Last year, Martin Aircraft entered an intensive flight period that saw an unmanned version reach an altitude of 5,000 feet at a climb rate (which was limited to allow the chase helicopter to keep up) of 800 ft/min (4 m/s) and also involved the first test of its ballistic parachute system.

Additional remote control test flights expanded the flight envelope and the company now reports that the unmanned version is now regularly being flown at speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph) in winds of 15 km/h (9 mph).

A manned flight demonstration that is likely to take place in Auckland, has also been planned for later this year.

To get the Jetpack to market, Martin Aircraft is seeking 100 investors willing to put in US$20,000 each.

The company hopes this will allow it to release a manned Jetpack aimed at search and rescue, law enforcement and other Government services by mid 2013, with the personal version launching about a year later.

The company also plans an IPO later this year or early next year.



Source: Martin Aircraft