TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: System for Flight Control of Extremely Fast (Hypersonic) Aircraft (LAR-TOPS-363)

Contract Details

Description

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center have designed an electrode-based system for guidance, navigation and control of aircraft or spacecraft moving at hypersonic speeds in ionizing atmospheres. The system is composed of two electrodes that sit on the surface of a craft’s thermal protection system (TPS) and an electromagnet positioned beneath the craft’s TPS. The system operates based on the principles of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and uses energy harvested from the ionized flow occurring during flight at hypersonic speeds to power the electromagnet and generate extremely large Lorentz forces capable of augmenting lift and drag forces to steer and control the craft. The energy harvested can alternatively be stored for later use. NASA’s system is simpler than conventional methods for control of hypersonic craft (e.g., chemical propulsion, shifting flight center of gravity, or trim tabs) and enables new entry, descent, and landing mission architectures. NASA’s MHD patch technology consists of two electrodes positioned a prescribed distance apart on the surface of the TPS of an aircraft or spacecraft and an electromagnetic coil placed directly below the electrodes with the magnetic field protruding out of the surface. During hypersonic flight, the conductive ionizing atmospheric flow over the surface enables current to flow between the two electrodes. This current is harnessed to power the electromagnet