Aviation News

November 14, 2016

Methane Leaks: New Way to Find and Fix

Stronger Composites With Carbon Nanotube Stitches

Controlling Multiple Drones With Thoughts

LISA Pathfinder Sets Free-Fall Record

Latest Headlines

updated 6:18pm EST

Green Process to Make Carbon Fiber Used in Rocket Nozzles Gets Patent

Nov. 3, 2016 — A new, green process developed to make carbon fiber that forms ablative rocket nozzles and heat shields could be of interest to NASA, which has a dwindling stockpile of ... read more

'Morphing' Wing Offers New Twist on Plane Flight and Manufacturing

Nov. 3, 2016 — When the Wright brothers accomplished their first powered flight more than a century ago, they controlled the motion of their Flyer 1 aircraft using wires and pulleys that ... read more

Flying Drones Could Soon Re-Charge While Airborne With New Technology

Oct. 20, 2016 — Scientists have demonstrated a highly efficient method for wirelessly transferring power to a drone while it is flying. The breakthrough could in theory allow flying drones ... read more

Rocket Return Journey to Mars Closer With Engine’s Record Efficiency

Sep. 29, 2016 — Return trips to Mars without refueling could be a step closer, thanks to a unique new ... read more

The Ultimate Radar Detector

Sep. 27, 2016 — A new technique for exploring the physics and chemistry of a gas interacting with molecules on the surface of a liquid has been developed by researchers. The group originally ... read more

Exploration Team Shoots for the Moon With Water-Propelled Satellite

Sep. 15, 2016 — Cislunar Explorers, a team of Cornell University students guided by Mason Peck, a former senior official at NASA and associate professor of mechanical and aerospace ... read more

Developing Composites That Self-Heal at Very Low Temperatures

Sep. 13, 2016 — Scientists have developed a method of allowing materials, commonly used in aircraft and satellites, to self-heal cracks at temperatures well below freezing. The article is ... read more

Analysis of the Impact of Solar Activity on Radio Signals in the Atmosphere Boosted by New Research

Sep. 14, 2016 — The assessment of the impact of solar activity on radio signals in the atmosphere has been boosted by a new measurement method, report ... read more

Crystallization Plate Provides Clues on Protein Structure Aboard Historic Space Mission

Sep. 1, 2016 — A new crystallization plate, developed and tested at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, or CHESS, hitched a ride to ... read more

Flying the Flag for an Airship Revolution

Sep. 7, 2016 — The rise of freight airships could go down like a lead balloon with traditional aircraft companies but could also represent a new high for Asian companies seeking to exploit new ways to reach world ... read more

Drones Fight 'to the Death' In Mexico City

Infrared Camera Reveals 'invisible' Air Pollution

CA Farmers Use Advanced Drone Tech to Save Water

Tethered Drone Could Fly 'forever'

The Destructive Effects of Supercooled Liquid Water on Airplane Safety and Climate Models

Nov. 4, 2016 — Exploring the properties of supercooled liquid water - the bane of airplane wings and climate theorists - investigators are mounting an expedition to fly huge tethered balloons in Alaska this coming ... read more

ZnO-Coated High-Performance Bearings Developed

Aug. 25, 2016 — ZnO-coated high-performance bearings reduce friction by about one-third, say researchers. Playing a vital role in a newly developed small jet engine generator for emergency ... read more

Tech Issues Cause Most Drone Accidents, Study Finds

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have found that communications links and other technical problems were the cause of most reported drone accidents. This has led to a call for increased airworthiness regulations for drone ... read more

Scientists Have Created a Ceramic, Resistant to Extreme Temperatures

Aug. 19, 2016 — Scientists managed to create a new multi-layered ceramic material with heat resistance of the upper layer of more than 3,000 degrees ... read more

Safer Air Travel: Existing Navigation Data Can Help Pilots Avoid Turbulence

Aug. 11, 2016 — Detecting turbulence remains the Achilles' heel of modern-day aviation. The reports submitted by pilots, subjective and often very inaccurate, are the least expensive and the most frequently ... read more

Watch a Tiny Space Rocket Work

Aug. 8, 2016 — Moving a nanosatellite around in space takes only a tiny amount of thrust. Engineers teamed up, put a nanoscale rocket under a microscope, and watched what ... read more

Dot-Drawing With Drones

Aug. 4, 2016 — You may have heard of plans to use drones for delivering packages, monitoring wildlife, or tracking storms. But painting murals? Researchers have enlisted tiny drones to create dot drawings -- an ... read more

Aerospace Engineering Graduate First to Flight Test UAV With Mass-Actuated Controls

Aug. 3, 2016 — A recently graduated university student is the first person to successfully flight test an unmanned aerial vehicle that uses moving weights in its wings instead of traditional control surfaces or ... read more

No More Dry Mucous Membranes When Flying

Aug. 2, 2016 — Hovering at around 20 percent, the relative humidity in aircraft is kept very low to keep condensation from building up in the cabin. The downside for passengers and the crew is that this dries out ... read more

Computers Will Be Able to Assess Humans' State of Mind

Aug. 2, 2016 — Machines are taking over more and more tasks. Ideally, they should also be capable to support the human in case of poor performance. To intervene appropriately, the machine should understand what is ... read more

Restoring Prairie and Fighting Wildfire With (Drone Launched) Fire(balls)

Aug. 1, 2016 — One ecologist wants to change the way we think about prescribed burns. The professor says he can harness extreme fire to restore grasslands on the Great Plains -- and he has created a small drone ... read more

Students Build the World's Lightest Electric Paraglider Trike

July 29, 2016 — A group of students has tackled an engineering challenge by custom building lightweight aircraft inspired by paragliders and ... read more

Lattice Structure Absorbs Vibrations

July 29, 2016 — Researchers have developed a lattice structure capable of absorbing a wide range of vibrations while also being useful as a load-bearing component -- for example, in propellers, rotors and rockets. ... read more

Minimally Traumatic and Inexpensive Ceramic Laser Scalpel

July 20, 2016 — The newly created technology shows an effectiveness more than twice as high as any of the previously developed solid state lasers.Another important feature of this laser is that the generated light ... read more

Could More Fuel-Efficient Engines Lead to More Global Warming?

July 13, 2016 — Auto industry experts predict that more than 50 percent of cars on the road by 2020 will use a relatively new type of fuel-efficient engine. This transition, however, has raised questions about its ... read more

Robot Would Assemble Modular Telescope -- In Space

July 13, 2016 — A new concept in space telescope design uses a modular structure and an assembly robot to build an extremely large telescope in space, performing tasks in which astronaut fatigue would be a ... read more

Teaching Drones About the Birds and the Bees

July 4, 2016 — Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the future will be able to visually coordinate their flight and navigation just like birds and flying insects do, without needing human input, radar or even GPS ... read more

Vision Through the Clouds

June 29, 2016 — Poor weather can often make the operation of rescue helicopters a highly risky business, and sometimes even impossible. A new helmet-mounted display may in the future be able to help pilots detect ... read more

New Artificial Intelligence Beats Tactical Experts in Combat Simulation

June 27, 2016 — Artificial intelligence recently won out during simulated aerial combat against US expert tacticians. Importantly, it did so using no more than the processing power available in a tiny, affordable ... read more

Airplanes Make Clouds Brighter

June 21, 2016 — Contrails from airplanes make clouds brighter, shows new research. The researchers used a combination of flight tracking data and satellites equipped with sensitive lasers for detecting small changes ... read more

Friday, November 4, 2016