Destination Tomorrow #4

Caption File Transcript

10/01/01

Captioning provided by the Office of Education, NASA Langley Research Center. COMING UP ON DESTINATION TOMORROW, NASA'S HYPER-X PROGRAM BRINGS A TRIP TO SPACE A LITTLE CLOSER WITH NEW SCRAMJET ENGINE DESIGNS. WE'LL ALSO SEE HOW NASA ENGINEERS ARE DEVELOPING NEW LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS THAT ARE STRONGER THAN STEEL. AND WE MEET A RETIRED NASA ENGINEER WHO MANY CONSIDER TO BE THE FATHER OF MODERN HANG GLIDING. ALL THIS AND MORE, NEXT ON DESTINATION TOMORROW.

HELLO, EVERYONE. I'M STEELE McGONEGAL. AND I'M KERA O'BRYON. AND WELCOME TO DESTINATION TOMORROW. THIS PROGRAM WILL UNCOVER HOW PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE RESEARCH IS CREATING TODAY'S KNOWLEDGE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND SOLVE THE CHALLENGES OF TOMORROW. TODAY, FLIGHTS INTO SPACE ARE USUALLY RESERVED FOR TRAINED ASTRONAUTS. BUT A NEW TECHNOLOGY BEING DEVELOPED BY NASA MAY SOMEDAY ALLOW ANYONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL INTO SPACE. NASA'S HYPER-X PROGRAM IS WORKING ON EXPERIMENTAL ENGINE DESIGNS THAT COULD EVENTUALLY PROPEL COMMERCIAL PLANES INTO SPACE. THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY MAY MAKE CONVENTIONAL ROCKETS A THING OF THE PAST. TONYA ST. ROMAIN FINDS OUT MORE ABOUT THIS FASCINATING NEW PROGRAM. EVER DREAMED OF GOING TO YOUR LOCAL AIRPORT AND GETTING ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT THAT WOULD TAKE YOU MINUTES INSTEAD OF HOURS? OR GETTING ON A FLIGHT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY TAKE YOU INTO SPACE? THIS MAY SEEM LIKE AN UNREALISTIC IDEA NOW, BUT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THESE DREAMS MAY ACTUALLY BECOME REALITY. NASA RESEARCHERS IN THE HYPER-X PROGRAM OFFICE ARE WORKING ON A NEW VEHICLE. IT'S CALLED THE X-43. THE VEHICLE WILL DEMONSTRATE TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD SOMEDAY ALLOW AIRCRAFT TO TRAVEL AT INCREDIBLE SPEEDS, EVEN FLY INTO SPACE. THE X-43 HAS A REVOLUTIONARY NEW TYPE OF AIR-BREATHING ENGINE CALLED A SCRAMJET THAT MAY ENABLE FUTURE SPACECRAFT TO TAKE OFF AND LAND LIKE AN AIRPLANE INSTEAD OF BLASTING OFF LIKE A CONVENTIONAL ROCKET. THE SCRAMJET ENGINE MAY ALSO EVENTUALLY BE USED BY COMMERCIAL AIRLINES, AND THAT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN DESTINATIONS. I SPOKE WITH NASA MANAGER VINCE RAUSCH TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE X-43 AND THE SCRAMJET ENGINE. TONYA, THE X-43 IS A REVOLUTIONARY NEW KIND OF AIRPLANE. WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH THIS IS PROVE THAT HYPERSONIC FLIGHT WITH AN AIR-BREATHING ENGINE IS POSSIBLE. HYPERSONIC FLIGHT MEANS FLYING MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND. TODAY MOST AIRPLANES FLY BELOW THE SPEED OF SOUND, OR SUBSONICALLY. THIS AIRPLANE, THE X-43, WHICH YOU SEE HERE FULL-SCALE, INVERTED IN THE WIND TUNNEL, USES A NEW KIND OF ENGINE TO DO THAT, CALLED A SCRAMJET, OR SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION RAMJET. VINCE, WHAT MAKES THE SCRAMJET SO SPECIAL COMPARED TO A TYPICAL ENGINE? WELL, THE SCRAMJET IS VERY MUCH LIKE A JET ENGINE AS FAR AS HOW IT OPERATES. HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT A TYPICAL JET ENGINE ON TODAY'S AIRLINERS, WHAT YOU SEE ARE FAN BLADES IN THE FRONT THAT COMPRESS THE AIR BEFORE IT GOES INTO THE COMBUSTOR SECTION, WHERE IT'S MIXED WITH FUEL AND BURNED TO PRODUCE THRUST. THE SCRAMJET ENGINE, SUCH AS THIS ONE, USES THE FORWARD VELOCITY OF THE VEHICLE AS IT MOVES FORWARD IN THE AIR TO RAM THE AIR INTO THE ENGINE, SO IT CAN DO AWAY WITH THOSE FAN BLADES. IT THEN MIXES THE FUEL, BURNS IT, AND PRODUCES THE THRUST. THAT'S MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AT THE HIGHER VELOCITIES THAT THIS ENGINE OPERATES AT THAN USING COMPRESSOR BLADES. WHAT'S THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THIS PLANE FLY INTO SPACE? THE TECHNOLOGY, PRIMARILY, IS THAT THIS ENGINE-- BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE MOVING PARTS, IS DESIGNED TO OPERATE OVER A WIDE SPEED RANGE-- CAN ACTUALLY FLY, THEORETICALLY, UP TO 25 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND, WHICH IS ORBITAL VELOCITY. WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH THIS VEHICLE IS SHOW THAT ONE OF THESE ENGINES ACTUALLY WORKS IN FLIGHT, SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TAKING THIS TO FLIGHT, SHOW THAT IT WORKS, AND THEN GO TO BIGGER VEHICLES TO SHOW THAT WE CAN MAKE SPACE ACCESS VEHICLES THAT FLY LIKE AIRPLANES. THE SCRAMJET ENGINE IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM CONVENTIONAL ROCKET ENGINES. IN ORDER TO BREAK FREE FROM THE EARTH'S GRAVITATIONAL FIELD, VEHICLES LIKE THE SPACE SHUTTLE USE A FUEL MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN TO PROPEL THE VEHICLE FORWARD. UNFORTUNATELY, THE OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN MUST BE CARRIED IN THE VEHICLE, WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES THE WEIGHT, MAKING IT VERY EXPENSIVE AND INEFFICIENT TO FLY TO SPACE. SINCE THE SCRAMJET ENGINE ACTUALLY SCOOPS OXYGEN INTO THE ENGINE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE, IT DOESN'T NEED THE EXTRA TANKS TO CARRY THE HEAVY OXYGEN PROPELLANT. THE SCOOPED AIR, WHICH IS TRAVELING ABOVE THE SPEED OF SOUND RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE, IS HEATED UP AS IT REACHES THE COMBUSTION SECTION OF THE ENGINE. IT'S THEN MIXED WITH HYDROGEN AND BURNED QUICKLY TO PROVIDE THRUST. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO MOVE FASTER AND FASTER, REACHING ORBITAL VELOCITY, ENABLING THE VEHICLE TO BREAK THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD AND FLY INTO SPACE. WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY HERE AT NASA LANGLEY OF DOING SCRAMJET RESEARCH. IN FACT, OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, WE HAVE BUILT AND TESTED OVER 20 ENGINES. WE'VE RUN 5,000 TESTS. IF YOU RAN THESE TESTS END-TO-END, WE WOULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH TEST TIME TO FLY FIVE TIMES AROUND THE GLOBE. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN'T DUPLICATE ON THE GROUND IN A FACILITY SUCH AS THIS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE TO FLIGHT. SO NOW WHAT WE'RE READY TO DO IS TAKE ENGINES SUCH AS THIS SCRAMJET TO FLIGHT. ALL RIGHT, LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. THE X-43 USES AN AIR-BREATHING ENGINE. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER VEHICLES, LIKE THE SPACE SHUTTLE? THE SPACE SHUTTLE USES ROCKET ENGINES, OBVIOUSLY, INSTEAD OF AIR-BREATHING. WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TAKE THE COST OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE, WHICH IS ABOUT $10,000 A POUND TODAY, AND BY USING AN AIR-BREATHING VEHICLE, SUCH AS A FOLLOW-ON TO THE X-43, DROP THAT PRICE DOWN TO A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS A POUND. THAT WOULD MEAN THAT YOU AND I COULD TAKE A SPACE TRIP, SOMETHING THAT I'D VERY MUCH LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE. IT WOULD ALSO, BY OPERATING LIKE AN AIRPLANE, TAKE OFF AND LAND ON A RUNWAY. IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE, MUCH MORE RELIABLE, AND OBVIOUSLY MUCH SAFER. SO WE WANT TO REALLY TAKE AIRPLANE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLY IT TO SPACE LAUNCH TECHNOLOGY, AND THE SCRAMJET IS KIND OF A MIX OF BOTH. AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE, AND WHAT WE'RE ABOUT IN THIS PROGRAM IS STARTING TO PROVE THAT THAT POTENTIAL IS REALLY THERE. VINCE, I KNOW THAT THE X-43 IS STILL IN THE INITIAL TEST PHASE, BUT WHEN MIGHT YOU AND I EXPECT THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY HOP ON ONE OF THESE PLANES AND FLY INTO SPACE? TONYA, THEY HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POINT. THE X-43 IS THE FIRST STEP. BEYOND THE X-43, WE HOPE TO HAVE AN X-43C, WHICH WILL BE SLIGHTLY LARGER. AND THEN GOING FROM THERE INTO FULLY REUSABLE SYSTEMS WHERE WE TEST THEM MANY, MANY TIMES. I WOULD SAY THAT, REALISTICALLY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEING ABLE TO MAKE A DECISION ON BUILDING A REAL AIRPLANE USING THE SCRAMJET TECHNOLOGY IN THE 2025 TIME FRAME. CURRENTLY, THE WORLD'S FASTEST AIR-BREATHING AIRCRAFT, THE SR-71, CRUISES SLIGHTLY ABOVE MACH 3. THE HYPER-X RESEARCH VEHICLE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FLY AT MACH 10, OR 10 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 2 MILES PER SECOND. UP NEXT, TESTING SHUTTLE TIRES AT 250 MILES AN HOUR ON THE GROUND. BUT FIRST, DID YOU KNOW THAT THE X-15 WAS THE FIRST WINGED AIRCRAFT TO INVESTIGATE PILOTED HYPERSONIC FLIGHT? FROM JUNE 1959 TO OCTOBER 1968, THE X-15 SET THE WORLD SPEED RECORD AT MACH 6.7, OR 4,520 MILES PER HOUR. IT ALSO SET THE ALTITUDE RECORD OF 354,200 FEET AND EARNED ASTRONAUT WINGS FOR FIVE OF ITS PILOTS. THE TERM "STRONGER THAN STEEL" USED TO BE SYNONYMOUS WITH GREAT STRENGTH, BUT TODAY MANY MANUFACTURES ARE USING NEW LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS CALLED COMPOSITE MATERIALS RATHER THAN STEEL. THIS IS BECAUSE COMPOSITE MATERIALS ARE GENERALLY STRONGER, LIGHTER, AND MUCH MORE RESISTANT TO EXTREME TEMPERATURES THAN STEEL. NASA IS USING COMPOSITE MATERIALS TO MAKE NEW SPACECRAFT AND AIRCRAFT PARTS THAT ARE TOUGHER AND MORE EFFICIENT THAN CONVENTIONAL PARTS. DEREK LEONIDOFF TAKES US TO THE ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSING BRANCH AT NASA LANGLEY TO FIND OUT MORE. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE TERM COMPOSITE MATERIALS? EVEN THOUGH MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THESE MATERIALS ARE BEING USED BY MOST OF US EVERY DAY. MORE AND MORE OF THE GOODS WE USE, LIKE TENNIS RACKETS, GOLF CLUBS, CARS, AND EVEN PLANES, ARE MADE WITH THESE MATERIALS. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT A COMPOSITE MATERIAL IS OR HOW ONE IS MADE? WELL, I SPOKE WITH RESEARCHERS AT NASA WHO ARE DEVELOPING NEW COMPOSITE MATERIALS THAT ARE NOT ONLY LIGHTER AND SAFER THAN EXISTING MATERIALS LIKE STEEL, BUT ALSO STRONGER. THESE RESEARCHERS ARE ALSO WORKING WITH RADICAL NEW MATERIALS CALLED NANOTUBES THAT ARE THOUSANDS OF TIMES SMALLER THAN A HUMAN HAIR, BUT THEY MAY REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY FUTURE MATERIALS ARE MADE. A COMPOSITE IS REALLY A GENERIC TERM WHICH DESCRIBES A MATERIAL THAT IS COMPOSED OF ONE OR MORE PARTS. AND THOSE PARTS ARE COMBINED TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT YOU END UP WITH A FINAL MATERIAL THAT HAS BETTER PROPERTIES THAN ANY OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS. AND EXAMPLE OF A COMPOSITE THAT WE SEE EVERY DAY IS A TREE. A TREE IS COMPOSED OF CELLULOSE FIBERS THAT ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A POLYMER CALLED LIGNIN. AND WHEN YOU COMBINE THESE TWO COMPONENTS TOGETHER, YOU END UP WITH A TREE WHICH IS VERY, VERY STRONG. A COMPOSITE MATERIAL IS MADE WHEN A COMBINATION OF TWO OR MORE MATERIALS ARE COMBINED TOGETHER TO MAKE A NEW AND DIFFERENT MATERIAL. RESEARCHERS TAKE INDIVIDUAL MATERIALS-- ONE A REINFORCING MATERIAL FOR STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS AND ONE A GLUE OR BINDING MATERIAL, SUCH AS A RESIN, TO SURROUND AND HOLD THE REINFORCEMENT IN PLACE. WHEN THE REINFORCING MATERIAL AND THE BINDING MATERIAL ARE COMBINED, THEY MAKE A NEW MATERIAL. THIS NEW MATERIAL USUALLY IS NOT ONLY STRONG AND RESISTANT TO EXTREME TEMPERATURES BUT CAN BE MUCH LIGHTER THAN THE EXISTING MATERIALS. SIMILAR TO THE TREE, AN ANALOGOUS SYNTHETIC MATERIAL IS A GRAPHITE COMPOSITE. A GRAPHITE COMPOSITE IS COMPOSED OF CARBON FIBERS, WHICH ARE VERY, VERY STRONG. AND TO MAKE A STRUCTURAL MATERIAL USING THESE CARBON FIBERS, WE CONSOLIDATE IT BY COMBINING IT WITH THIS POLYMER MATRIX RESIN. THIS POLYMER MATRIX RESIN IS KIND OF LIKE A GLUE. AND THIS IS A LARGE PART OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE DO HERE AT NASA. DEPENDING ON THE PROPERTIES OF THIS PARTICULAR POLYMER, IT WILL DICTATE THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE THAT YOU CAN USE IT AT AND ALSO HOW STRONG THIS MATERIAL IS. ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN USE THE GLUE THAT JOYCELYN TALKED ABOUT IS TO MAKE IT INTO LITTLE BALLS CALLED MICROSPHERES. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S MOSTLY AIR. SINCE IT'S MOSTLY AIR, YOU HAVE THE COMBINATION OF A STRONG MATERIAL THAT'S ALSO LIGHTWEIGHT. WHAT WE DO IS, WE TAKE THE BALLS, AND WE CONSOLIDATE IT INTO A FOAM PIECE. AND BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE MATERIAL IS STRONG TO BEGIN WITH, YOU NOW HAVE A VERY TOUGH, LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE. WE THEN TAKE THIS STRUCTURE COMBINE IT WITH CARBON FIBER. WHAT WE HAVE DONE NOW IS TO HAVE A LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE THAT IMPROVES FUEL EFFICIENCY. THEREFORE, IT REDUCES THE COST OF TRAVEL, AND WE ALSO HAVE IMPROVED SAFETY IN AIRCRAFT TRAVEL. SO, MIA, WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS? I MEAN, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO NOW IS CALLED NANOTECHNOLOGY. NANOTECHNOLOGY PRESUMES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GO INTO THE ATOMIC LEVEL AND MOVE ATOMS SO THAT WE CAN CREATE MATERIALS IN A VERY CONTROLLED MANNER. THAT WAY, WE CAN DESIGN MATERIALS VERY PRECISELY. IN THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, WE USE WIRES EMBEDDED IN STRUCTURES TO SENSE DEFECTS IN AIRCRAFT PARTS. WE ARE TRYING NOW TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THESE WIRES SO THAT, IN EFFECT, WE HAVE NERVES EMBEDDED IN AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES. BECAUSE CARBON NANOTUBES ARE ABOUT 80,000 TIMES SMALLER THAN HUMAN HAIR, WE CAN EMBED MANY OF THEM IN AN AIRCRAFT WING, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE THEY CAN PERFORM A FUNCTION SIMILAR TO THE NERVES IN OUR BODY. THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL ALLOW THE WING TO RESPOND TO CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE BY CHANGING THEIR SHAPE WITHOUT USING MECHANICAL FLAPS. BECAUSE OF THIS ABILITY, WE CAN NOW DESIGN THE AIRCRAFT OF THE FUTURE TO BE SAFER AND MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. IF YOU THINK ABOUT BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS LIKE US, WHEN WE GET CUT, OUR BODY HEALS ITSELF. THOSE ARE CELLS THAT ARE FORMING AND GOING AND DOING THEIR JOB. WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS BE ABLE TO GET THAT KIND OF CONTROL OVER THE TYPES OF MATERIALS THAT WE MAKE. ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THAT WE WANT TO GET TO A SMART PLANE USING CARBON NANOTUBES, WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE YET. AND AS EINSTEIN SAID, "IF WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE DOING, IT WOULDN'T BE RESEARCH." SO THAT'S THE EXCITEMENT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO. FOR CENTURIES, MAN HAS DREAMED OF FLYING. EARLY ARTISTS AND INVENTORS, INCLUDING LEONARDO DA VINCI AND OTTO LILIENTHAL, DREW SKETCHES AND EVEN BUILT PRIMITIVE HANG GLIDERS IN THE EFFORT TO SOAR WITH THE BIRDS. IN THE 1940s, A PIONEERING YOUNG NASA RESEARCHER NAMED FRANCIS ROGALLO DEVELOPED A NEW DESIGN CALLED THE FLEXIBLE WING. THIS DESIGN WAS NOT ONLY CONSIDERED FOR USE IN THE GEMINI AND APOLLO SPACE PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO SPAWNED THE BIRTH OF HANG GLIDING AS A RECREATIONAL SPORT. IN THE EARLY 1960s, ASTRONAUTS IN THE SPACE PROGRAM RETURNED TO EARTH FROM SPACE USING PARACHUTES DEPLOYED FROM A CAPSULE. THESE PARACHUTES ENABLED THE CAPSULE TO SPLASH DOWN INTO THE OCEAN SAFELY. ALTHOUGH THIS PROVEN TECHNOLOGY WAS SUCCESSFUL, NASA PLANNERS BEGAN LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE REENTRY PARACHUTE. MANY AT NASA FELT THAT ASTRONAUTS SHOULD HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER A CAPSULE, RATHER THAN JUST LANDING IN THE OCEAN. IN ANSWER TO THIS REQUEST, AN INVENTIVE NASA RESEARCHER NAMED FRANCIS ROGALLO SUGGESTED USING HIS FLEXIBLE WING, OR PARAGLIDER, TO COMPLETE THE TASK. AERODYNAMICALLY, A FLEXIBLE WING WORKS LIKE A RIGID WING, BUT STRUCTURALLY, IT WORKS LIKE A PARACHUTE. SO IT'S THAT COMBINATION OF A PARACHUTE-LIKE STRUCTURE WITH RIGID-WING AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS. THE PARAGLIDER IDEA WAS INTRIGUING. ITS DIAMOND PROFILE AND FLEXIBLE COVERING WOULD DEPLOY FROM THE TOP OF THE SPACECRAFT AND WOULD FILL WITH AIR TO CREATE DRAG, THUS REDUCING THE SPEED OF THE SPACECRAFT. AFTER THE WING WAS DEPLOYED, IT WAS DESIGNED TO KEEP ITS SHAPE WITH A SERIES OF TENSION LINES. IN THEORY, THE ASTRONAUTS WOULD THEN BE ABLE TO STEER THE SPACECRAFT AND TOUCH DOWN ON LAND, RATHER THAN SPLASHING DOWN IN THE OCEAN. UNBEKNOWNST TO THE NASA PLANNERS, ROGALLO HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKING ON THE FLEXIBLE WING DESIGN FOR OVER 20 YEARS. ORIGINALLY, ROGALLO HAD DESIGNED THE FLEXIBLE WING TO BE A LOW-COST VEHICLE THAT ANYONE COULD USE TO FLY. ONE OF OUR GOALS WAS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ANYBODY TO FLY, 'CAUSE I KNOW, IN MY CASE, I WANTED TO FLY. I TRIED TO GET IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS AND THE NAVY AIR CORPS, AND NONE OF THEM WANTED ME. AND I THOUGHT, "WELL, JIMINY." AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT ON MY OWN, IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE. AND SO I HAD TO FIND SOME WAY THAT ANYBODY COULD DO IT WITH ALMOST NO MONEY--COST. AND I DID. IRONICALLY, MOST OF THE WORK ON THIS WING HAD NOT BEEN DONE AT NASA BUT BY ROGALLO AND HIS WIFE AT THEIR HOME. IN FACT, THE EARLY MODELS OF THE FLEXIBLE WING WERE ACTUALLY MADE FROM THE ROGALLOS' LIVING ROOM CURTAINS. ROGALLO'S PARAGLIDER CONCEPT WAS TESTED IN WIND TUNNELS AND FLIGHT TESTED AT NASA FOR OVER TWO YEARS, BUT, ULTIMATELY, THE NASA PLANNERS DECIDED TO USE THE PROVEN PARACHUTE REENTRY SYSTEM OVER THE PARAGLIDER. ALTHOUGH NASA DIDN'T USE THIS IDEA FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM, WORD BEGAN TO SPREAD ABOUT THIS NEW LIGHTWEIGHT WING. BY THE EARLY 1970s, ROGALLO'S FLEXIBLE WING HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO THE NEW SPORT OF HANG GLIDING. HUMANS HAVE WANTED TO FLY FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, BUT THEY JUST WEREN'T ABLE TO DO IT. AND NOW ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO CAN DO IT. IT'S SIMPLE AND EASY AND CHEAP, BECAUSE OF OUR INVENTION OF FLEXIBLE WINGS. TODAY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE FLOWN HANG GLIDERS WORLDWIDE. ROGALLO'S FLEXIBLE WING HAS ALSO INSPIRED THE DESIGN OF PARAGLIDERS, KITES, AND REVOLUTIONARY PARACHUTES. ROGALLO'S FLEXIBLE WING HAS NOT ONLY PROVEN TO BE RELIABLE, INEXPENSIVE, AND SAFE, BUT HAS ALLOWED PEOPLE TO BE INTRODUCED TO THE ADVENTURES AND CHALLENGES OF AVIATION. MR. ROGALLO STILL HANG GLIDES ON OCCASION OFF THE DUNES AT KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINA. COMING UP, WE FIND OUT HOW NASA TESTS AIRCRAFT TIRES AT OVER 250 MILES PER HOUR. BUT FIRST, DID YOU KNOW THAT ENGINEER OTTO LILIENTHAL DEVELOPED 18 DIFFERENT GLIDERS BETWEEN 1892 AND 1896? DESCRIBED BY MANY AS "THE WORLD'S FIRST TRUE AVIATOR," LILIENTHAL'S DESIGNS WERE USED BY MANY AVIATION PIONEERS, INCLUDING THE WRIGHT BROTHERS. TRAGICALLY, LILIENTHAL WAS KILLED IN 1896 WHILE FLYING ONE OF HIS OWN GLIDERS. HIS LAST WORDS: "SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE." ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF ANY VEHICLE IS ITS TIRES. UNFORTUNATELY, TIRES ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND POORLY MAINTAINED. WORN TREADS OR EVEN BALD TIRES CAN LEAD TO HYDROPLANING ON WET SURFACES. WHEN THIS OCCURS, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IS LOST. NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER HAS A SPECIAL FACILITY THAT MAKES TRAVELING SAFER BY TESTING NEW TIRE TREAD DESIGNS AND ROAD SURFACES. PAULA VAIDEN FINDS OUT MORE ABOUT NASA'S AIRCRAFT LANDING DYNAMICS FACILITY. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS SOUND? IT'S THE IMPACT OF TIRES OVER GROOVED PAVEMENT. DEVELOPED AT NASA LANGLEY, GROOVED PAVEMENT LIMITS HYDROPLANING ON WET ROADS AND RUNWAYS, WHICH HELPS AUTOMOBILES, PLANES, AND PEOPLE TRAVEL SAFER. MOST OF THIS RESEARCH IS PERFORMED AT A UNIQUE FACILITY CALLED THE AIRCRAFT LANDING DYNAMICS FACILITY, OR ALDF. AND BESIDES DEVELOPING GROOVED PAVEMENT, ALDF TESTS AIRCRAFT WHEELS, TIRES, AND ADVANCED LANDING SYSTEMS. THE RESEARCH GATHERED HERE DEVELOPS SAFER ROADS, RUNWAYS, AND PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS. I SPOKE TO BOB DAUGHERTY OF NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND FACILITY. WELL, THE ALDF IS A UNIQUE FACILITY THAT NASA USES TO TEST LANDING GEAR COMPONENTS, TIRES, AND EVEN ADVANCED LANDING GEAR CONCEPTS AT FULL-SCALE CONDITIONS. THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE IS, THIS FACILITY ALLOWS US TO SIMULATE FULL-SCALE CONDITIONS WHERE IT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE DANGEROUS FOR A PILOT OR AN AIRCRAFT TO ENCOUNTER. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE TESTED THIS TIRE AND IT FAILED HERE AT OUR FACILITY, WE'VE ONLY LOST A TIRE. WE HAVEN'T RISKED ANY INJURY TO A PILOT OR DONE ANY DAMAGE TO A REAL AIRCRAFT, WHICH GETS VERY EXPENSIVE. AND OF COURSE, BEING ABLE TO RUN TESTS OVER AND OVER QUICKLY AT LOW COST GETS YOU A LOT OF DATA IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE KEY TO DOING THAT IS GETTING WHATEVER COMPONENT WE'RE LOOKING AT UP TO SPEED AND MAKING IT THINK THAT IT'S ON AN AIRCRAFT OR A SPACECRAFT. WE DO THAT BY TAKING THIS 60-TON CARRIAGE, PROPELLING IT UP TO THE SPEED WE WANT-- WE CAN GET UP TO 250 MILES PER HOUR, AND IT ONLY TAKES 2 SECONDS TO DO THAT-- AND THEN LANDING THIS TIRE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON A RUNWAY, APPLYING FORCES TO IT, STEERING IT, AND MEASURING THOSE FORCES SO THAT THEY CAN BE SIMULATED ELSEWHERE-- IN PILOT TRAINING SIMULATORS AND SO FORTH. WELL, BOB, TELL ME; HOW EXACTLY DO YOU PROPEL THE CARRIAGE? WELL, THAT'S REALLY THE NEATEST THING ABOUT THIS FACILITY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE USE A GIANT SQUIRT GUN. WE'VE GOT A PRESSURIZED WATER TANK AT THE END OF THE TRACK WITH A REAL HIGH-TECH VALVE. WE ACTUALLY SHOOT AN 18-INCH STREAM OF WATER AT A BUCKET AT THE BACK END OF THE CARRIAGE, AND THAT ACTUALLY GIVES US THE ENERGY TO LAUNCH THE CARRIAGE. NOW, WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS IS ITS LOW COST. IF WE WERE A ROCKET, WE'D HAVE TO CARRY OUR FUEL WITH US, AND THAT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO DO. BUT SINCE WE'RE USING LOW-COST, LOW-EFFICIENCY WATER POWER, WE STORE ALL OF OUR PRESSURIZED WATER AT THE END OF THE TRACK AND SHOOT IT AT THE CARRIAGE. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS PAY FOR THE WATER AND THE ELECTRICITY, AND IT ONLY COSTS ABOUT $25 FOR EACH RUN. SO AT THE SPEED OF 250 MILES AN HOUR, HOW DO YOU STOP THIS CARRIAGE? AT THE END OF OUR TRACK, WE HAVE AN ARRESTMENT SYSTEM, AND THAT ARRESTMENT SYSTEM CONSISTS OF FIVE CABLES THAT STRETCH ACROSS THE TRACK. AND WE HAVE A NOSE BLOCK ON THE FRONT OF THE CARRIAGE THAT LINES UP WITH THOSE CABLES. SO AS THE CARRIAGE CONTINUES TO TRAVEL, THE CABLES ALLOW US TO GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THE CARRIAGE ENERGY IN THE LAST FEW HUNDRED FEET. SO, BOB, WHAT OTHER KINDS OF THINGS HAVE YOU TESTED AT ALDF IN THE PAST? OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE TESTED A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT HERE AT ADLF HAS BEEN THE PIONEERING WORK DONE ON HYDROPLANING. AN AIRCRAFT OR HIGHWAY VEHICLE TIRE HYDROPLANES WHEN WATER COMES BETWEEN A TIRE AND PAVEMENT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE TIRE LOSES CONTACT WITH THE PAVEMENT AND IS SUPPORTED ONLY BY THE WATER. THIS CAUSES THE TIRE TO LOSE TRACTION, WHICH COULD THEN SEND THE VEHICLE SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL. RESEARCHERS AT ALDF HAVE PROVEN THAT BY CUTTING THIN GROOVES ACROSS CONCRETE SURFACES, CHANNELS OR ESCAPE ROUTES ARE CREATED WHICH ALLOW EXCESS WATER TO DRAIN FROM THE SURFACE. THIS PROCESS OF CUTTING GROOVES DRAMATICALLY REDUCES THE RISK OF HYDROPLANING. AS A RESULT, HUNDREDS OF COMMERCIAL AIRPORT RUNWAYS AND INTERSTATE HIGHWAY CURVES AND OVERPASSES HAVE HAD THESE SAFETY GROOVES ADDED. ACCIDENTS ON SLIPPERY HIGHWAYS ARE DOWN AS MUCH AS 85% IN SOME AREAS, AND AIRCRAFT TIRE FRICTION IN WET CONDITIONS HAS BEEN IMPROVED BY 200% TO 300%. AN ADDED BENEFIT OF GROOVING IS THAT THE LIFE SPAN OF THESE GROOVED SURFACES IS EXTENDED BY FIVE TO TEN YEARS, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT MAINTENANCE COST SAVINGS. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING NOW IS TRYING TO INCREASE THE SAFETY MARGIN OF SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER TIRES. NASA WANTS TO IMPROVE THAT SAFETY BY INCREASING THE LOAD-CARRYING CAPABILITY OF THE ORBITER TIRE BY ABOUT 20% AND INCREASING THE SPEED CAPABILITY BY ABOUT 10%, UP TO 250 KNOTS. THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE A NEW TIRE DESIGN, AND THE BEST PLACE TO EVALUATE THAT IS RIGHT HERE AT THE ALDF, RATHER THAN ON BOARD AN ORBITER THAT COSTS SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS. WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS LIKE THE STRUCTURE OF THE TIRE ITSELF AND THE TREAD PATTERNS TO DETERMINE WHICH DESIGN PATH TO GO DOWN. SO AS LONG AS TIRES HAVE BEEN AROUND, BOB, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'D KNOW BY NOW HOW THEY BEHAVE. YOU'D THINK SO, BUT AS IT TURNS OUT, HOW A TIRE BEHAVES, WHETHER IT'S AN AUTOMOBILE TIRE, AIRCRAFT TIRE, OR A SPACECRAFT TIRE, IS DEPENDENT ON SO MANY FACTORS THAT TECHNOLOGY IS NOT YET AT THE POINT WHERE WE CAN ACCURATELY PREDICT THE BEHAVIOR OF EACH AND EVERY TIRE. SO THAT'S WHERE THE ALDF COMES IN AGAIN, TO TEST THESE THINGS AND IMPROVE THE PREDICTIONS. WE SHARE THAT DATA WITH TIRE MANUFACTURERS SO THAT ULTIMATELY, THEY CAN PROVIDE A PRODUCT THAT ALL OF US CAN USE MORE SAFELY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDING DYNAMICS FACILITY HAS BEEN IN CONTINUOUS USE SINCE THE 1960s. RESEARCHERS THERE HAVE NOT ONLY MADE RUNWAYS AND ROADS SAFER FOR ALL OF US, BUT ALSO COINED THE TERM HYDROPLANING. WIND TUNNELS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 100 YEARS. EVEN THE WRIGHT BROTHERS USED THEIR OWN HOMEMADE WIND TUNNEL TO TEST IDEAS FOR THEIR FIRST FLYER. TODAY AIRCRAFT DESIGNS UNDERGO SIGNIFICANT WIND TUNNEL TESTING BEFORE BEING BUILT TO FULL SIZE AND TEST-FLOWN. BUT WHAT IS A WIND TUNNEL, AND HOW DOES IT OPERATE? FOR SOME ANSWERS, WE TURNED TO JOHNNY ALONSO TO FIND OUT HOW IT WORKS. WIND TUNNELS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS. EVEN BEFORE POWERED FLIGHT HAD BEEN ACHIEVED, AIRCRAFT DESIGNERS LIKE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS USED THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW AIR FLOWED OVER AIRCRAFT SURFACES. WIND TUNNELS COME IN MANY DIFFERENT SIZES AND CAN REACH SPEEDS FROM 1 MILE PER HOUR TO OVER 17,000 MILES PER HOUR. MOST ARE USED FOR TESTING AIRCRAFT, BUT THEY'VE ALSO BEEN USED FOR TESTING THINGS LIKE CARS, SUBMARINES, BUILDINGS, GOLF BALLS, AND EVEN WHEELCHAIRS. WIND TUNNELS ARE FAIRLY SIMPLE DEVICES, BUT HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW ONE WORKS? FOR SOME ANSWERS, I SPOKE WITH NASA LANGLEY RESEARCHER LUTHER JENKINS TO FIND OUT MORE. WELL, A WIND TUNNEL IS ACTUALLY A SIMULATOR. IT ALLOWS US TO SIMULATE THE CONDITIONS THAT AN AIRPLANE OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF VEHICLE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO EXPERIENCE AS IT'S OPERATING. SO INSTEAD OF BUILDING A FULL-SIZE AIRCRAFT OR A FULL-SIZE CAR, WE ACTUALLY BUILD A SMALL SCALE MODEL, TEST IT IN THE WIND TUNNEL TO SEE HOW IT'S GOING TO PERFORM. ONCE WE SEE THAT IT HAS THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE DESIRE, THEN YOU MAY TAKE IT AND START MANUFACTURING IT ON A MASS SCALE. ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO BE EXPOSED TO THE AIR OR HAS TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE AIR CAN BE TESTED IN THE WIND TUNNEL TO SEE HOW IT WILL PERFORM. YOU MENTIONED THAT WIND TUNNELS COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES. THAT'S TRUE. GREAT, SO HOW DOES THAT WORK? THE BIGGER THE FAN, THE FASTER THE SPEED? TUNNELS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, BUT THERE ARE ACTUALLY JUST TWO TYPES OF TUNNELS. ONE IS AN OPEN-RETURN WIND TUNNEL, AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE CLOSED-RETURN. AND WHAT IT DESCRIBES IS THE WAY THE AIR FLOWS THROUGH. IN THE OPEN-RETURN WIND TUNNEL, THE INLET, OR THE OPENING TO THE TUNNEL, IS OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE OR THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE EXIT, OR WHERE THE AIR COMES OUT, IS OPEN TO THE ENVIRONMENT. IN BETWEEN, WHAT YOU HAVE IS YOUR TEST SECTION, WHERE YOU ACTUALLY PUT YOUR MODEL, YOUR TEST ARTICLE. AND THEN YOU HAVE A DIFFUSER, WHICH ACTUALLY CAUSES THE AIR TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT BEFORE IT HITS THE FAN. AND THEN THE FAN IS DOWNSTREAM, SO IT ACTUALLY PULLS THE AIR OR DRAWS THE AIR THROUGH THE TUNNEL LIKE A VACUUM CLEANER. AND THEN IN YOUR CLOSED-RETURN TUNNELS, THOSE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED, BECAUSE THE AIR FLOWS CONTINUOUSLY AROUND A LOOP. YOU HAVE TO HAVE TURNING VANES IN THE CORNERS TO ACTUALLY TURN THE AIR SO IT MOVES THROUGH NICE AND SMOOTHLY. YOU HAVE A FAN WHICH IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING THE AIR THAT GOES THROUGH THE TUNNEL. THEN YOU HAVE YOUR TEST SECTION, JUST LIKE IN THE OPEN-RETURN WIND TUNNEL, WHERE YOU WOULD PLACE YOUR MODEL. NOW, ALL TUNNELS DON'T HAVE FANS. SOME USE JUST AIR SOURCES. YOU CAN HOOK AN AIR BOTTLE UP TO THE TUNNEL AND TURN IT ON, AND THE AIR FLOWS THROUGH THE TUNNEL. IS AIR THE ONLY MEDIA THAT YOU CAN USE IN A TUNNEL? NO, WIND TUNNELS USE A VARIETY OF MEDIA. YOU CAN USE AIR. YOU CAN USE WATER; YOU CAN USE NITROGEN; YOU CAN USE FREON; YOU CAN USE HELIUM. AND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT GASSES ARE USED TO ACTUALLY PRODUCE CERTAIN CONDITIONS THAT THE DESIGN OF THE AIRCRAFT IS GOING TO ACTUALLY SEE WHEN IT FLIES. SO WHY DO WE STILL NEED WIND TUNNELS? CAN'T COMPUTERS DO THE SIMULATION? COMPUTERS CAN BE USED TO DO A LOT OF THE SIMULATION WORK BUT JUST LIKE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS-- THEY WOULD START OFF DOING TESTING IN THE WIND TUNNEL. AND THEY HAD TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL THEY ARRIVED AT THE FINAL DESIGN, WHEREAS NOW A LOT OF THAT WORK WOULD BE DONE ON THE COMPUTER. BUT YOU WOULD STILL, ONCE YOU COME UP WITH YOUR FINAL DESIGN, YOU WANT TO TEST IT IN THE WIND TUNNEL, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU PREDICTED WITH THE COMPUTER OCCUR IN REALITY. A WIND TUNNEL IS A VALUABLE TOOL FOR ENGINEERS. EVERY PLANE THAT FLIES, EVERY CAR THAT TRAVELS ALONG THE ROAD, EVERY BUS, EVERY SHIP-- IT'S TESTED IN A WIND TUNNEL TO MAKE SURE IT'S GOING TO PERFORM AS DESIGNED. AND IN THAT REGARD, WE SAVE TIME, WE SAVE MONEY, AND WE ALSO SAVE A LOT OF LIVES. SO REMEMBER, THE NEXT TIME YOU RIDE IN A PLANE, A CAR, OR EVEN HIT A GOLF BALL, IT WAS PROBABLY TESTED IN A WIND TUNNEL FIRST. I SURE WISH I HAD A WIND TUNNEL BEHIND ME NOW. PERFECT. THAT'S ALL FOR THIS EDITION OF DESTINATION TOMORROW. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'M STEELE McGONEGAL. AND I'M KERA O'BRYON. FOR ALL OF US HERE AT NASA, WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME. Captioning provided by the Office of Education, NASA Langley Research Center. Captioning by Emily at CaptionMax www.captionmax.com