NASA flies helicopter and generates oxygen on Mars: 10 top stories of the week 23 Apr 2021
Professional Engineering
The Ingenuity helicopter (left) flew above Mars for the first time, while the Perseverance rover generated oxygen using its Moxie instrument (Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS)
NASA makes history with helicopter flight on Mars
The NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history on Monday (19 April) as it took off from the surface and hovered for 40s, fighting against the low atmospheric density with two 1.2m-diameter rotors spinning at more than 2,500rpm. The small, solar-powered rotorcraft has since flown again, climbing higher and moving sideways in a 51.9s flight. The technology demonstrator could be the basis for heavier drones carrying scientific payloads on Mars.
22nd April 2021 10:17 am 22nd April 2021 12:30 pm
An aerospace project is underway that aims to develop a novel test and certification process for aeronautical structures that combines cyber-physical information.
Airbus’ Iron Bird test rig (Image: Airbus)
Sponsored by the Aerospace Technology Institute, £15m data-driven ‘Smarter Testing’ programme will use existing physical test programmes to explore how novel inspection techniques can be used to predict product performance and identify failures early.
The three-year project brings together the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Airbus Operations, CFMS Services, GOM UK, Dassault Systemes UK and Liverpool University.
According to NPL, there is an increasing drive for businesses to use data-driven simulations to replace physical testing. This will allow engineers to accelerate product development and unlock the complexity of proving that a product or system meets performance requirements.
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Engineers partner in ‘Smarter Testing’ project for aerospace sector
Image: Installing a point sensor in the front section of a fuselage at Airbus in Toulouse under the remote direction of engineers in Switzerland and the UK
Engineers at the University of Liverpool are part of a £10.6million innovative aerospace project that aims to develop a novel test and certification process for aeronautical structures, which will combine virtual and physical tests to provide a step reduction in development lead-time and costs.
The ‘Smarter Testing’ project is led by Airbus UK and partners include the University, Dassault Systemes UK, Center for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS), National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and GOM UK.
âDigital testbedâ could replace physical testing in aircraft manufacturing 21 Apr 2021
Professional Engineering
Stock image. The Smarter Testing programme aims to explore digital inspection techniques for use in aircraft development and manufacturing (Credit: Shutterstock) âDigital inspectionâ using simulation and modelling could replace physical testing in the development of new aircraft, the partners behind a new project have said.
The Smarter Testing programme, led by the National Physical Laboratory and Airbus, aims to explore how novel inspection techniques can be used to predict product performance and identify failures early.
The three-year, £15m project, sponsored by the Aerospace Technology Institute, will use existing physical test programmes to generate data. That data will be used to develop the expertise, algorithms and frameworks needed to be able to replace physical testing with simulation and modelling.