skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Fire acts differently in space than on Earth.
Sandra Olson, an aerospace engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center, demonstrates just how differently in her art.
This artwork is comprised of multiple overlays of three separate microgravity flame images.
Each image is of flame spread over cellulose paper in a spacecraft ventilation flow in microgravity.
The different colours represent different chemical reactions within the flame. The blue areas are caused by chemiluminescence (light produced by a chemical reaction.)
The white, yellow and orange regions are due to glowing soot within the flame zone.
Microgravity combustion research at Glenn not only provides insights into spacecraft fire safety, but it has also been used to create award-winning art images.
This image won first place in the 2011 Combustion Art Competition, held at the 7th U.S. National Combustion Meeting.
Image Credit: NASA
Image Credit: NASA/Bridget R. Caswell
The Twin Rectangular Jet model, installed on the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig in the Aeroacoustic Propulsion Laboratory at NASA's Glenn Research Center, is being tested to determine the acoustic impact of engine configurations on low sonic boom aircraft for the High Speed Project of the Fundamental Aeronautics Program.
The High Speed Project is a multi-center effort to develop and test the technologies of a new generation of aircraft that can fly at supersonic speeds.
Glenn's research involves predicting the airport noise of these novel aircraft by examining innovative airframes and propulsion integration that are different from the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft observed at commercial airports.
Inside the aeroacoustic dome, this generic, low-fidelity aircraft engine exhaust model features twin rectangular nozzles.
Researchers are investigating the impact of having the propulsive exhaust come from the slot nozzles atop the aircraft.
Testing the proposed components of these high- speed aircraft will help manufacturers meet the noise standards required around the nation's airports.
The window in the sidewall of the 8- by 6-foot supersonic wind tunnel at NASA's Glenn Research Center shows a 1.79 percent scale model of a future concept supersonic aircraft built by The Boeing Company.
In recent tests, researchers evaluated the performance of air inlets mounted on top of the model to see how changing the amount of airflow at supersonic speeds through the inlet affected performance.
The inlet on the pilot's right side (top inlet in this side view) is larger because it contains a remote-controlled device through which the flow of air could be changed.
The work is part of ongoing research in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to address the challenges of making future supersonic flight over land possible.
Researchers are testing overall vehicle design and performance options to reduce emissions and noise, and identifying whether the volume of sonic booms can be reduced to a level that leads to a reversal of the current ruling that prohibits commercial supersonic flight over land.
Image Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn
Posts
