NASA X-planes - Inside NASA's research center at Edwards Air Force Base - with interview!
NASA X-planes - Inside NASA's research center at Edwards Air Force Base - with interview!
For more information, visit:
https://www.airshaper.com
https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong/capabilities-facilities/aircraft-at-armstrong/x-planes-at-armstrong/
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We had the fortune to visit NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center at the Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave dessert. This place is home to the development of NASA's X-planes or experimental planes. This includes:
- The Bell X1 - the first plane to break through the sound barrier at level flight
- The Blackbird SR71 - capable of flying at Mach 3.5
- The X15 - capable of flying at Mach 6.7
and many more!
After the initial introduction & tour by Sarah Mann, we interviewed Sean Clarke, Principal Investigator for X-57 Maxwell Electric Aircraft Research Platform.
Despite the project being shut down, there are a ton of learnings for the eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) industry. They have modified the aerodynamics, worked with foldable propellers, distributed propulsion, designed their own battery system and so on.
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The AirShaper videos cover the basics of aerodynamics (aerodynamic drag, drag & lift coefficients, boundary layer theory, flow separation, reynolds number...), simulation aspects (computational fluid dynamics, CFD meshing, ...) and aerodynamic testing (wind tunnel testing, flow visualization, ...).
We then use those basics to explain the aerodynamics of (race) cars (aerodynamic efficiency of electric vehicles, aerodynamic drag, downforce, aero maps, formula one aerodynamics, ...), drones and airplanes (propellers, airfoils, electric aviation, eVTOLS, ...), motorcycles (wind buffeting, motogp aerodynamics, ...) and more!
For more information, visit www.airshaper.com