1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:18,520 Well gang, as you can see, designing and building an airplane takes an awful lot of work. 2 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,460 And among that it takes some problem solving strategies. 3 00:00:21,460 --> 00:00:26,200 Now that means you've got to be able to identify and understand just what the question or problem 4 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,000 is so you can begin to investigate it. 5 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,920 Right now, you're going to meet some of today's researchers who are involved in the shapes 6 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:34,020 of flight. 7 00:00:34,020 --> 00:00:38,880 As you meet this research team, consider the role of mathematics and mathematical tools 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:45,040 in scientific inquiry, the value of collaborations and teamwork in conducting research, and the 9 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,040 engineering process and its application in everyday life. 10 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,900 The leader of this design team is Mike Logan. 11 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:54,520 Airplane design is a team effort. 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:56,800 Like any good team, every job is important. 13 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:02,360 As project engineer, it's my job to shepherd the aircraft through its stages in the lifecycle. 14 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,280 To define the problem, let's look at a current challenge. 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,400 Twenty years from now, NASA wants an airplane that will carry twice as many passengers as 16 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,600 today's airliners and transport them to their destination at half the cost. 17 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,240 That's a big challenge, especially when you consider that the airplanes of the future 18 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:22,880 will have to be quieter, safer, more fuel efficient, and more environmentally friendly. 19 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,020 The next step in the process then is to propose solutions. 20 00:01:26,020 --> 00:01:27,020 This is Paul Gellhausen. 21 00:01:27,020 --> 00:01:28,740 He's one of our designers on our team. 22 00:01:28,740 --> 00:01:31,700 Paul, why don't you talk about one of the solutions you're working on? 23 00:01:31,700 --> 00:01:35,620 Well, the solution that's up here is the blended wing body concept. 24 00:01:35,620 --> 00:01:42,140 It's a radical change from the 747 type airplane, which is a tube with wings. 25 00:01:42,140 --> 00:01:46,940 We've gotten rid of the bumps and some of the bulges that are on the traditional airplane 26 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:52,500 that has a glide ratio of about 18, and put them into a much more clean aerodynamic shape 27 00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:57,300 that will have a glide ratio of 23, we hope. 28 00:01:57,300 --> 00:01:58,780 Thanks, Paul. 29 00:01:58,780 --> 00:02:04,540 Step three in the engineering problem solving method is to analyze and evaluate solutions. 30 00:02:04,540 --> 00:02:08,660 To do that in the airplane world, we think about the four basic forces on an airplane, 31 00:02:08,660 --> 00:02:11,860 lift, drag, thrust, and weight. 32 00:02:11,860 --> 00:02:15,660 Those four forces have to be in balance for the airplane to work. 33 00:02:15,660 --> 00:02:18,520 To do that, we turn to experts in the field. 34 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:19,520 This is Karen Deer. 35 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,520 She's one of our nozzle researchers that helps us look at thrust. 36 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,920 Karen, why don't you talk about what a nozzle researcher does? 37 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:30,260 I design and research nozzle concepts to determine which is the best candidate for generating 38 00:02:30,260 --> 00:02:32,240 thrust for an airplane. 39 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,960 Sir Isaac Newton's third principle, which states for every action there's an equal and 40 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,760 opposite reaction, helps us understand thrust. 41 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:44,620 If we use a balloon to demonstrate this, we allow the air inside the balloon to escape 42 00:02:44,620 --> 00:02:45,840 through the opening. 43 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,620 We see the motion of the balloon in the opposite direction. 44 00:02:48,620 --> 00:02:51,780 A nozzle can be compared to the opening of a balloon. 45 00:02:51,780 --> 00:02:55,060 Changing the size changes the amount of thrust generated. 46 00:02:55,060 --> 00:02:58,500 Nozzles have different shapes, just like airplanes have different shapes. 47 00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:00,460 There's always trade-offs in the design process. 48 00:03:00,460 --> 00:03:02,220 There certainly are, Karen. 49 00:03:02,220 --> 00:03:07,580 In fact, one of the trade-offs that we look at is the cost required to achieve the capability 50 00:03:07,580 --> 00:03:09,260 that we want to have. 51 00:03:09,260 --> 00:03:13,420 Sharon Jones is one of the people that helps evaluate these concepts from a cost standpoint. 52 00:03:13,420 --> 00:03:15,740 Sharon, why don't you talk a little bit about that? 53 00:03:15,740 --> 00:03:21,900 Well, Mike, what we do is we create a model of the aircraft on a computer so that way 54 00:03:21,900 --> 00:03:25,980 we can go in and change different aspects of the aircraft. 55 00:03:25,980 --> 00:03:30,860 We can look at what type of materials are we going to use, how big is the aircraft going 56 00:03:30,860 --> 00:03:35,580 to be, how many passengers will it carry, and also how much it's going to cost for the 57 00:03:35,580 --> 00:03:37,940 airlines to operate the aircraft. 58 00:03:37,940 --> 00:03:38,940 Thanks, Sharon. 59 00:03:38,940 --> 00:03:42,940 The last step in the process is to select and refine the solution. 60 00:03:42,940 --> 00:03:46,740 We'll take a look at that in a moment, but first, let's check in with Shelly and Van 61 00:03:46,740 --> 00:03:50,420 where he's getting his own lesson on the balance of the four forces of flight. 62 00:03:50,420 --> 00:03:57,780 I'm getting suited up in my hang glider outfit thing here, and yeah, all righty. 63 00:03:57,780 --> 00:04:03,020 I'm going to get hooked up here, getting ready for my first flight, and I guess we'll catch 64 00:04:03,020 --> 00:04:04,020 you all later. 65 00:04:04,020 --> 00:04:06,020 Back to you, Shelly. 66 00:04:06,020 --> 00:04:10,540 Well, it looks like Van is getting some final instructions before he's going to find himself 67 00:04:10,540 --> 00:04:11,540 airborne. 68 00:04:11,540 --> 00:04:15,780 And me, I'm going to change my clothes, and I'll meet you back at the Connect Studio. 69 00:04:15,780 --> 00:04:20,140 And you guys, I'm sending you first on a final check, and I'm going to send you to check 70 00:04:20,140 --> 00:04:25,540 out the most powerful tool used by aeronautical engineers when they're doing their investigations. 71 00:04:25,540 --> 00:04:26,540 That tool? 72 00:04:26,540 --> 00:04:31,180 The wind tunnel, such as those found at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.