Latest Stories

INSIDER
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Hinge Design Helps Quadrotors Climb

Army researchers invented a hinge that improves how quickly a quadrotor the size of a king-sized mattress can ascend from the ground to the rooftop of a two-story building, particularly with large...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Origami Solves Space Travel Challenge

Washington State University researchers used the ancient Japanese art of paper folding to possibly solve a key challenge for outer space travel – how to store and move fuel to rocket engines.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Image-Based Navigation Helps Spacecraft Land on The Moon

In order for future lunar exploration missions to be successful and land more precisely, engineers must equip spacecraft with technologies that allow them to “see” where they are...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Army Developing Self-Adjusting Turbine Engines

Army and academic researchers developed a novel design to automatically adjust aircraft engine rotor blade positions mid-flight, a tactic that could improve turbine engine performance.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Materials

Army Awards $13.5 Million for High-Speed Missile Materials Research

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University announced a new $13.5 million award from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Photonics/Optics

3D-Printed Glass Enhances Optical Design Flexibility

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have used multi-material 3D printing to create tailored gradient refractive index glass optics that could make for better...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Weapons Systems

Army Fast-Tracks Adaptable Radars for Congested Environments

A new machine learning approach could improve radar performance in congested environments. Researchers from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

A Prototype Fuel Gauge for Orbit

Liquids aren’t as well behaved in space as they are on Earth. Inside a spacecraft, microgravity allows liquids to freely slosh and float about. The National Institute of Standards and Technology developed...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Propulsion

Soft Magnetic Materials Are Key to Electric Aircraft

NASA’s work in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) is focused on the use of electric motors and generators to help power a plane’s flight. Key to any electric power system are...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA Tests All-Electric X-Plane Propulsion

Advanced designs that will propel NASA’s first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, to flight recently underwent wind tunnel testing at Langley Research Center.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Smart Parachute Rescues Drones

An intelligent parachute system deploys itself an emergency to bring the damaged drone safely to the ground. The system can be easily mounted to a drone at any time using a bayonet lock.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Test & Measurement

High-Speed Test Track Prepared for Upcoming Hypersonic Missions

In preparation for an increased demand of its services over the next decade, the 846th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, is working to get its hypersonic...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Defense

The “Jaws of Life” for Bomb Squads

Recently in Rhode Island, the Office of the State Fire Marshal was called in by local law enforcement to examine a possible pipe bomb. Once the area was secured and the public was at a safe distance,...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Imaging

Army Tests Next-Generation Fighting System

The Army-led team of developers creating the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) recently wrapped up the third major milestone testing and demonstration event where soldiers and Marines...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Software

UAV Software Prioritizes Human Safety

Autonomous aircraft systems have the potential to save lives, and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s Resilient Autonomy project is at the forefront of development. These advanced software systems...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Hybrid Nanomaterials Hold Promise for Improved Ceramic Composites

Researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are seeking to patent a novel process for manufacturing a type of material called preceramic polymer-grafted nanoparticles, or...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Self-Propelled Crane Aircraft Maintenance and Positioning (SCAMP II)

The Self-Propelled Crane Aircraft Maintenance and Positioning (SCAMP II) is an Army aviation maintenance enabler, the primary mission of which is to remove and replace...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Design

DARPA Completes Key Milestone on Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Program

DARPA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) today announced successful completion of captive carry tests of two variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC)...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA App Fights Fatigue in Flight

For pilots, fatigue can lead to small mistakes with significant consequences. A NASA app shows what’s going on in the body when fatigue prevents you from working safely – and which telltale signs could...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Method Detects Flutter in Aircraft Turbines

In aerospace research, flutter generally refers to undesired and self-sustained vibrations in turbine blades that can readily grow out of control, destroying them along with the engine and even the...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Test & Measurement

Pinpointing Cracks Long Before They Turn Catastrophic

Researcher developed a new method for testing metals at a microscopic scale that allows them to rapidly inflict repetitive loads on materials while recording how ensuing damage evolves...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Defense

Purdue, U.S. Army Collaborate on Next-Generation Energetic Materials

Advancing technology associated with explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics — what the scientific community calls energetic materials — is the goal of a new joint...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Defense

Air Force Research Team Patents New Tunable Radio Frequency Filter

Air Force Research Laboratory scientists recently patented a new tunable radio frequency (RF) filter design. The new design is for a smaller, lighter, less expensive device...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

Creating Cross-Domain Kill Webs in Real Time

Two DARPA-developed technologies – a novel decision aid for mission commanders and a rapid software integration tool – played a critical role in the recent Air Force demonstration of the...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

3D Ultrasound Shows Aircraft Defects

A two-in-one technology provides 3D images of structural defects in metallic structures that can develop in aircraft. The system, developed by Tohoku University researchers in Japan in collaboration with...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Propulsion

Mission Will Test Drag Sail to Bring Rocket Back to Earth

A drag sail, developed at Purdue University, will be onboard a rocket and deploy at the end of the rocket’s mission to accelerate the vehicle’s deorbit. A drag sail passively...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Sticking the Landing on the Moon and Mars

Future spacecraft bound for the Moon or beyond will benefit from high-powered computer simulations underway at the University of Michigan that will provide a framework NASA can use to better predict...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA and Boeing Partner to Advance Aviation

NASA research projects are flying aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of Boeing’s 2020 ecoDemonstrator program. Results from these flights will help continuing development of technology to...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Defense

30mm Airburst Ammo Will Give Soldiers New Capabilities

Northrop Grumman Corporation received a contract from the U.S. Army’s Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM-MAS) to develop the next generation airburst cartridge for...

Feature Image