1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,800 Wow, Ken, this simulator for the 1903 flyer is so different from the simulator for the 2 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:08,800 1902 flyer. 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:09,800 It really is. 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:11,560 Oh, thank you so much. 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:12,560 Thank you. 6 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,040 Okay, let's review. 7 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:18,960 So far, we've learned how civilizations throughout history have dreamt of flight. 8 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:23,600 We've seen how the engineering method can be used for solving complex problems and making 9 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,600 dreams a reality. 10 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,800 And you've applied a bit of the engineering method yourself by building kites and evaluating 11 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:30,800 their performance. 12 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,920 So what does all this have to do with NASA today? 13 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:42,360 Well, Anna McGowan at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has the scoop. 14 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:46,160 How can biology be helpful in designing aircraft? 15 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:48,920 What is the relationship between pressure and force? 16 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:54,480 Why are the computational relations important to the aircraft design process? 17 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,400 Wright Brothers discovered ways to sustain control flight. 18 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:02,360 Today at NASA, the challenge is to research ways to make flight safer and more efficient. 19 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,080 One piece of research NASA is doing is called the Morphing Project. 20 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:10,920 The Morphing Project is part of the next generation of breakthrough vehicle technologies. 21 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:16,120 It's about designing the airplane of tomorrow and changing the world again in the process, 22 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,520 much like the Wright Brothers' invention changed the world they lived in. 23 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,800 We got the word morphing from the word metamorphosis. 24 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:29,040 The word morph means to change, and we're using a lot of advanced materials and technologies 25 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,600 to research how to make airplanes change from one configuration to the other. 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,840 That's what engineers and scientists in NASA's Morphing Project are trying to do, transform 27 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:38,840 the future of flight. 28 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,720 How are you transforming the future of flight? 29 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:43,720 That's a great question. 30 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,960 The Wright Brothers were inspired by watching birds soar. 31 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,000 And they designed their airplanes with wings that could manipulate the wind. 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,280 The Wrights didn't use flaps on their machines like airplanes have today. 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:00,280 In the Morphing Project, we were working on making airplanes as versatile as a bird is. 34 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,880 So we're taking some lessons learned from nature, just like the Wright Brothers did. 35 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,560 We're researching and testing many advanced technologies. 36 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,880 One area is called smart materials. 37 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:17,840 We call these materials smart materials because unlike traditional materials, these materials 38 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:22,080 actually move when you apply a stimulus like voltage or heat. 39 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,680 They're similar to muscle tissue in this way, so instead of using complicated mechanical 40 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:33,560 gears to move or control parts of future airplanes, NASA is looking at using these smart materials 41 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,240 as future control devices on airplanes. 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,600 Another advanced technology that we're studying is called adaptive structures. 43 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,800 In studying the structures for future flight, we're actually looking at technologies that 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,040 can change the shape of parts of the wing during flight. 45 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,280 Why do you want to change the shape of the wings during flight? 46 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,840 Well, all wings must be able to adapt to different flight conditions. 47 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,400 Birds do this by gently bending and twisting their wings while they fly. 48 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:08,440 In today's airplanes, we're using flaps and slats to adjust the wings to different flight 49 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:09,880 conditions. 50 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:15,200 In the future, we're hoping to enable wings to gently change shape in many different ways, 51 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,600 similar to birds. 52 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,360 This is one example of an adaptive structure that we're working on. 53 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,160 This wing changes shape for different flight conditions. 54 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,000 It's designed very different than today's airplane wings. 55 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:33,400 Today's airplane wings are typically hollow to hold fuel, and they're also very stiff. 56 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:38,480 This adaptive wing instead has a center spine to carry most of the aerodynamic load and 57 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,880 movable ribs to change shape during flight. 58 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:46,320 We design airplane wings using the principle of pressure. 59 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,760 The following algebraic equation should help you understand this principle. 60 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:56,560 Pressure is defined as the force divided by the area over which the force acts. 61 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,040 The force in this case is the aerodynamic load. 62 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,440 Have you ever popped a balloon with a nail? 63 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,400 It's pretty easy to pop the balloon with one nail because the force applied to the balloon 64 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:12,720 is acting over a very small area, only the head of the nail. 65 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,240 This means very large pressure. 66 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:20,200 Now if you try to pop the same balloon with a bed of nails applying the same amount of 67 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,080 force, you notice the balloon is very difficult to pop. 68 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:25,960 Why is that? 69 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,320 Because the area of the bed of nails is much larger than the area of the single nail. 70 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:35,520 If we refer back to the equation for pressure, if you keep the same force applied but increase 71 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,040 the area, pressure actually becomes much lower. 72 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:44,400 With this adaptive wing, we want to make sure the force or the aerodynamic load is distributed 73 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,420 evenly across the wing, preventing the wing from breaking. 74 00:04:48,420 --> 00:04:53,000 We actually call this adaptive wing here the fishbone wing because it resembles the spine 75 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,440 and ribs of a fish. 76 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:59,320 To understand and design the fishbone wing, the engineers here at NASA use advanced computer 77 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,040 simulations. 78 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:05,640 These computer simulations help us understand the mechanics of the fishbone wing and tell 79 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,400 us how the wing will perform in real life. 80 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:13,800 We're even looking at new ways to control the airflow over the wings of future airplanes. 81 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:19,920 The study of airflow is called aerodynamics, and today's airplanes use large flaps to control 82 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:20,920 aerodynamics. 83 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:27,080 For future airplanes, we're developing technologies that use very small devices to control the 84 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:28,880 airflow on airplanes. 85 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,600 We call this micro flow control. 86 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:37,720 For example, tiny fluctuating jets that create a small plume of air on the surface of the 87 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:44,320 wing can be used to make the flow smoother and less turbulent, and this reduces drag. 88 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:49,300 By reducing drag, we can save on fuel costs and also reduce the amount of pollution coming 89 00:05:49,300 --> 00:05:51,160 from the airplane engines. 90 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,480 Here's an example of one of these jets. 91 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:59,120 This device would suck in air and blow out air very rapidly to control the airflow over 92 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:00,120 the wing. 93 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,480 Now, several of these devices would be placed in a wing to control the airflow over an entire 94 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:05,480 wing. 95 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,520 Even this example is similar to how a bird flies. 96 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:13,120 In addition to twisting and bending their wings in flight, birds also rely on their 97 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,480 feathers to adjust the airflow over their wings. 98 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:22,240 Finally, we're applying the principle of biomimetics in the morphing project. 99 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:27,240 Biomimetics is the abstraction of good design from nature. 100 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:32,240 In other words, you look at how nature works for maximum achievement at minimal effort. 101 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:38,240 Today, we're even examining the shape of fish fins because, in a way, fish are flying through 102 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:39,240 the water. 103 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:43,240 Here are several examples of different fish fins that we're studying. 104 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:48,240 We actually work with marine biologists to understand how the fish swim and how they're 105 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:49,240 really efficient flyers. 106 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,240 We also study seagulls. 107 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:56,240 Seagulls can swim really well, and their unique wing shape is one of the many reasons they 108 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:57,240 fly so efficiently. 109 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:02,240 Here is an example of a wing that we would actually design for wind tunnel testing. 110 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:08,240 We call this the hyper-elliptical cambered span because of the really unique shape and 111 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,240 because we use ellipses to design this wing. 112 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:16,240 In the morphing project, we take lessons learned not only from biology, but we also use a lot 113 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:22,240 of advanced technologies, new math, new approaches, and new science to really make future airplanes 114 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,240 even safer than they are today. 115 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,240 We also want to make them more capable and able to fly in new and different ways. 116 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:33,240 We also want to make them more efficient to help with pollution and also reduce the cost of 117 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:34,240 flying. 118 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:39,240 NASA's morphing project is looking to the future and trying to transform the future of flight. 119 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:40,240 Thanks, Anna. 120 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,240 Now it's time for a cue card review. 121 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,240 How can biology be helpful in designing aircraft? 122 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:50,240 What is the relationship between pressure and force? 123 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,240 Why are computer simulations important in the aircraft design process? 124 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:59,240 If you're watching this on videotape, you'll want to pause the tape to discuss these questions. 125 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,240 Okay, did you get all that? 126 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:05,240 So far, we've seen how the Wright Brothers began powered flight for humans, and we've 127 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:10,240 seen how NASA is working to apply some of the early principles of flight that the Wright 128 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:11,240 Brothers perfected. 129 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,240 You know, aeronautics sure has seen a lot of changes in the last 100 years. 130 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,240 Let's visit Dan Giroux and his web domain.