Posted on 01/19/2023 8:07:30 AM PST by Red Badger
Boeing's more fuel-efficient airline design won an award from NASA on Wednesday, as the agency plans to invest $425 million in the project. Photo from NASA
Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Boeing's sustainable flight demonstrator project won an award Wednesday from NASA, as the company aims to roll out green single-aisle airliners by the end of the decade.
The space agency will invest $425 million to help Boeing build a more fuel-efficient airline. Boeing and its partners will contribute $725 million in funding, with plans to begin testing the new aircraft by the late 2020's.
"Since the beginning, NASA has been with you when you fly. NASA has dared to go farther, faster, higher. And in doing so, NASA has made aviation more sustainable and dependable. It is in our DNA," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
"It's our goal that NASA's partnership with Boeing to produce and test a full-scale demonstrator will help lead to future commercial airliners that are more fuel efficient, with benefits to the environment, the commercial aviation industry, and to passengers worldwide. If we are successful, we may see these technologies in planes that the public takes to the skies in the 2030s."
According to NASA, single-aisle aircraft account for nearly half of worldwide aviation emissions. The new Boeing aircraft is more fuel-efficient because of its extra-long thin wings, which create less drag.
The new Boeing aircrafts could go into use by the 2030s. The United States is currently aiming to achieve net-zero carbon aviation emissions by 2050. The International Civil Aviation Organization also has the same goal.
"NASA is working toward an ambitious goal of developing game-changing technologies to reduce aviation energy use and emissions over the coming decades toward an aviation community goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050," said Bob Pearce, NASA associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
Hmmm.... with a larger wing span they will have to reconfigure the terminal gates at airports. They won’t be able to get as many planes into the terminal gates unless the wings are foldable?
And better this than them doing the climate change crap.
I always liked the rear engine era the best.
All the new software will be designed and written in India.
One ‘sploded engine with cell camera video of a few passengers cut to doll rags by shattered turbine blades might hurt the continued use of the model.
There are many planes flying today with designs that put the engine prop/fan/compressor in direct line of sight with the fuselage. Yes, it could happen. Does it? Not enough to drive design change.
The rear seats in an MD-80 are like that. Noisy as hell next the turbines. Also in the rare case of fan disintegration it will kill you.
Aside. If they want to lose weight they need to start thinking about using a weldable lighter weight Scandium-Aluminum alloy. Rio Tinto has a mine in Canada. There is also a mine being developed in Nebraska.
I thought their primary focus was on diversity.
Oddly, I thought it was Muslim outreach.
LOL...and William Shatner won’t be able to see the Wing Creature ripping off the panels, either!
NASA’s total yearly Federal budget is less than $25B. To give $425M to a single project is a big deal.
The lower truss adds lift. In a way it is a biplane.
At least when it throws a blade, it's pretty clear where it's going to go - right into economy plus seats.
Everything should be fine as long as they call it a 737 so Southwest doesn't have to re-train their pilots.
So true...the cabins were so quiet; I remember DC-9 takeoffs, couldn't hear the engines and suddenly you were airborne-
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