Snazzy new liveries have been revealed for two of NASA’s hottest aircraft projects. These upcoming planes want to be the next generation of sustainable flight.

First there’s the X-66A, which NASA has been cooking up along with Boeing as part of its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project. The U.S. aerospace behemoths want to build, test and fly an emission-reducing, single-aisle aircraft before the decade is out.

“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,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement in January. “If we are successful, we may see these technologies in planes that the public takes to the skies in the 2030s.”

The design that NASA and Boeing are working on could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30% compared with today’s most efficient aircraft, according to the agency.

It’s called the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept, which relies on elongated, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts that connect the wings to the aircraft.

The design’s shape creates less drag, which means burning less fuel.

The new livery was unveiled at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and features a white body with a blue, orange and red striped tail.

“This is an experimental aircraft,” Bob Pearce, NASA associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said in January. “This is not a commercial development of an aircraft that passengers are going to fly in today. And the reason we need to do this is because this is high-risk technology. We’re trying to validate technology.”

The first test flight of this full-scale demonstrator is set to take place in 2028. NASA hopes that one day the technology should serve about half of the commercial market through short- to medium-haul single-aisle aircraft.

Airlines largely rely on single-aisle aircraft, which account for nearly half of aviation emissions worldwide. Boeing estimates that the demand for the new single-aisle aircraft will increase by 40,000 planes between 2035 and 2050.

The other planes to get a new look are the hybrid electric aircraft that GE Aerospace and magniX are developing as part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project.

The project’s goal is to enable a new generation of electric-powered aircraft.

NASA is collaborating with industry partners on new technologies including lighter and more efficient motors, electronics and materials that can help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

These technologies will be tested and demonstrated in modified existing aircraft.

A souped-up Saab 340B, with white and blue livery, with be used for ground and test flights on a megawatt-class hybrid electric powertrain being developed by GE Aerospace. NASA says the flights will take place by the middle of this decade.

A modified DeHavilland “Dash 7” aircraft, with red and white livery, is home to magniX’s hybrid powertrain, and it’s partnering with AeroTEC and Air Tindi on test flights.

It’s hoped the project eventually will benefit short-haul turboprop aircraft — the type that carry between 30 and 70 passengers — as well as regional, single-aisle commercial airliners carrying up to 180 passengers.

NASA says it plans to conduct at least two flight demonstrations within the next five years so the new technologies can be introduced commercially in the United States between 2030 and 2035.

(SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【巨头】

jùtóu

behemoth

something that is extremely large and often extremely powerful

【动力总成】

dònglì zǒngchéng

powertrain

an assembly of every component that thrusts a vehicle into motion

美国宇航局（NASA）最热门的两个飞机项目展示了时髦的新涂装。这些即将问世的飞机有望成为下一代可持续航空的典范。

首先是美宇航局和波音公司合作研发的X-66A，是NASA可持续飞行示范项目的一部分。

这两家美航空航天巨头希望在2030年之前制造、测试并试飞一款可减少排放的单过道飞机。

美宇航局局长比尔•纳尔逊一月在一份声明中说：“我们的目标是和波音公司合作生产、测试全尺寸试验机，这将有助于未来的商用客机提高燃油效率，有益环保、商用航空业和全球乘客。如果成功，这些技术2030年代将被应用到商用客机。”

该机构称，他们和波音公司研发的飞机能比目前最高效的飞机少30%的燃料消耗和排放。

该设计被称为“跨音速桁架机翼”概念，它机翼细长，通过对角桁架固定在机身上。这种设计可以减少阻力，从而减少燃料消耗。

新涂装在试验飞行协会豪士科空展上亮相，机身为白色，尾部为蓝、橙、红三色条纹。

NASA航空研究项目局副局长鲍勃•皮尔斯一月说：“这是一架实验机，不是当下乘客能坐上的商用飞机。项目的必要性在于这是一项高风险技术，有待验证。”

这种全尺寸实验机将于2028年首次试飞。美宇航局希望有朝一日这项技术能服务约一半的商业航空市场，主要是中短途单过道机型。

单过道飞机是航空公司的主力机型，它们的排放量占全球航空排放量近一半。波音公司估计，2035年至2050年期间，对新型单过道飞机的需求将增加4万架。

另一种新飞机是通用电气航空公司和magniX公司正在开发的混合动力电动飞机，这是美宇航局电气化动力总成飞行示范项目的一部分。

该项目的目标是制造新一代电动飞机。NASA正与行业合作伙伴合作研发新技术，包括更轻、更高效的电机、电子设备和新材料，帮助提高燃料效率和减少排放。

这些技术将在经过改装的现有机型上进行测试和展示。

由通用电气航空公司开发的兆瓦级混合电力动力系统用于改装一架蓝白涂装的萨博340B型飞机，美宇航局表示将于2025年左右进行地面测试和试飞。

由magniX公司研发的混合动力系统用于改装一架红白相间涂装的德哈维兰Dash 7飞机，试飞合作伙伴是AeroTEC公司 和Air Tindi。

该项目有望惠及载客30到70人的短途涡轮螺旋桨飞机以及载客量达180人的支线单过道商用客机。

美宇航局表示，计划在未来五年内至少进行两次试飞，以便在2030年至2035年间在国内将新技术商业化。(Translated by Debra)