NASA Flights With No Engines or Fuel

NASA & MIT Partner on New Plane with Solid State, Silent Propulsion System

                                            Source:  MIT

Flying on Electrodes

NASA is investing in the development of a revolutionary, new type of aircraft that flies on a propulsion system with no moving parts.  There are no turbine engines, no propellers, no rotors, no jet fuel.  The solid state, silent, zero emissions, drone aircraft is being developed by MIT aerospace engineering Professor Steven Barrett. The aircraft has been successfully flown as a small, demonstrator model.  Now, Professor Barrett's invention and his development of it are being funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program to provide it greater lift for takeoff.

Breakthrough Aviation Technology

This electro-aerodynamic aviation technology is truly revolutionary and potentially transformative.  Rather than jet engines, propellers or rotors, Professor Barrett and his MIT team have developed an aircraft that has a series of electrodes under its wings.  The electrodes create a high-voltage electric field that ionizes and spews nitrogen molecules into the atmosphere. The massive acceleration and speed of the molecules propel the aircraft into and during flight and back down for landing.

Flights Out of Star Trek

Turns out, the Professor is fascinated by the imaginative concepts in science fiction movies like Star Trek.  Professor Barrett believes that future planes shouldn't have propellers and turbines.  He says that "they should be like the shuttles in Star Trek that have just a blue glow and silently glide".  His electro-aerodynamic system, at the moment, is limited in terms of the aircraft's size and altitude. When fully developed, the system will likely first power smaller aircraft like eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles for urban travel and drone delivery services.  NASA sees the system's potential for space missions and for aviation applications here on Earth.  This is exciting new aviation technology with the potential of creating lightweight, silent and non-polluting aircraft.  For more new flying concepts, go to https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B093J89VF5&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_6VEYQT0HHM7MBPJ5XCG9

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