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 相關詞匯 【巨頭】 jùtóu behemoth something that is extremely large and often extremely powerful 【動力總成】 dònglì zǒngchéng powertrain an assembly of every component that thrusts a vehicle into motion 美國宇航局（NASA）最熱門的兩個飛機項目展示了時髦的新涂裝。這些即將問世的飛機有望成為下一代可持續航空的典范。 首先是美宇航局和波音公司合作研發的X-66A，是NASA可持續飛行示范項目的一部分。 這兩家美航空航天巨頭希望在2030年之前制造、測試并試飛一款可減少排放的單過道飛機。 美宇航局局長比爾?納爾遜一月在一份聲明中說：“我們的目標是和波音公司合作生產、測試全尺寸試驗機，這將有助于未來的商用客機提高燃油效率，有益環保、商用航空業和全球乘客。如果成功，這些技術2030年代將被應用到商用客機。” 該機構稱，他們和波音公司研發的飛機能比目前最高效的飛機少30%的燃料消耗和排放。 該設計被稱為“跨音速桁架機翼”概念，它機翼細長，通過對角桁架固定在機身上。這種設計可以減少阻力，從而減少燃料消耗。 新涂裝在試驗飛行協會豪士科空展上亮相，機身為白色，尾部為藍、橙、紅三色條紋。 NASA航空研究項目局副局長鮑勃?皮爾斯一月說：“這是一架實驗機，不是當下乘客能坐上的商用飛機。項目的必要性在于這是一項高風險技術，有待驗證。” 這種全尺寸實驗機將于2028年首次試飛。美宇航局希望有朝一日這項技術能服務約一半的商業航空市場，主要是中短途單過道機型。 單過道飛機是航空公司的主力機型，它們的排放量占全球航空排放量近一半。波音公司估計，2035年至2050年期間，對新型單過道飛機的需求將增加4萬架。 另一種新飛機是通用電氣航空公司和magniX公司正在開發的混合動力電動飛機，這是美宇航局電氣化動力總成飛行示范項目的一部分。 該項目的目標是制造新一代電動飛機。NASA正與行業合作伙伴合作研發新技術，包括更輕、更高效的電機、電子設備和新材料，幫助提高燃料效率和減少排放。 這些技術將在經過改裝的現有機型上進行測試和展示。 由通用電氣航空公司開發的兆瓦級混合電力動力系統用于改裝一架藍白涂裝的薩博340B型飛機，美宇航局表示將于2025年左右進行地面測試和試飛。 由magniX公司研發的混合動力系統用于改裝一架紅白相間涂裝的德哈維蘭Dash 7飛機，試飛合作伙伴是AeroTEC公司 和Air Tindi。 該項目有望惠及載客30到70人的短途渦輪螺旋槳飛機以及載客量達180人的支線單過道商用客機。 美宇航局表示，計劃在未來五年內至少進行兩次試飛，以便在2030年至2035年間在國內將新技術商業化。(Translated by Debra) | 