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NASA Offers $1.5 Million For 200MPG Aircraft

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the cheaper-than-doing-it-yourself dept.

coondoggie writes to mention that NASA's Green Flight Challenge is offering up to $1.5 million for an aircraft that can hit 200 passenger miles per gallon while maintaining 100 mph on a 200 mile flight. "The Challenge is intended to bring about the development and convergence of new technologies and innovations that can improve the community acceptance, efficiency, door-to-door speed, utility, environmental-friendliness, affordability and safety of future air vehicles, CAFÉ stated. Such technologies and innovations include, but are not limited to, bio-fueled propulsion, breakthroughs in batteries, motors, fuel-cells and ultra-capacitors that enable electric-powered flight, advanced high lift technologies for very short takeoff and landing distances, ultra-quiet propellers, enhanced structural efficiency by advances in material science and nano-technology and safety features such as vehicle parachutes and air-bags."

9 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can I get a CAR that will get half the miles per gallon at half the speed?

    I guess really I can, if I load three other people into the car, it's not too hard. Nevermind.

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    Qxe4
  2. $1.5M? Peanuts. by LaminatorX · · Score: 3, Insightful

    NASA seems to have forgotten how much aircraft cost.

    1. Re:$1.5M? Peanuts. by jd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why not? Schools and Universities generally did better at the Micromouse tournament than "professional" engineers. Generally, it was the same class of people you saw winning Eggmobile contests. Boeing didn't win the X-Prize, and I don't believe it was any of the super-giant aviation companies that did the work on the two round-the-world record flights.

      Hell, although big companies have contributed to Bloodhound (the 1000 MPH car being built in the UK), it is largely driven by super-genius inventors and engineers in a small team.

      For that matter, look at who is doing well in Formula 1. Braun. A small bunch of enthusiasts who told Honda where their management could go. Look at who is quitting. BMW. The super-giants aren't guaranteed to walk off with the big prizes just because they're big companies. It happens, sure, but it's not in itself a recipe for success.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  3. That's it? A measley 1.5 M? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean, the aircraft itself might be worth more than that off a production line once it's been invented.

    That's like offering someone $1000 for the process of turning lead into gold. I don't know that anyone would take such a low amount seriously.

  4. Re:It is called high speed train by EkriirkE · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maglev?

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    from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
  5. Re:Nasa Admins are really the BOZOS of government by caerwyn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I agree that the NASA administration has had problems, but what's your problem with this competition? If someone wins the competition, I'd say that's 1.5 million *very* well spent. Especially compared to NASA's overall budget.

    Also- a lot of NASA's problems are due to how its budget is handled by congress. Space development is a thing of long term projects to make serious headway- but that's exactly what they never have the luxury of, since the budget fluctuates enormously.

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    The ringing of the division bell has begun... -PF
  6. Re:A-380 halfway there by rcw-home · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm going to guess, however, that if it actually IS done, that it will be some variation of a Rutan Long-EZ, since they are widely known/touted as "the plane" for high-efficiency experimental-class aircraft.

    Wikipedia says that a Long-EZ will do 1600 miles on 52 gallons of fuel. That's 61.5 passenger miles per gallon. It also typically cruises at 184mph - parasitic drag will be 3.39 times less at 100mph, but induced drag will be 3.39 times greater. I am unable to find a chart of both for a Long-EZ (here is a generic one), but 100mph probably isn't that far off from the minimum drag speed.

    I suspect it'll be some variation of a motorglider - probably one that seats at least two. They have much higher aspect ratio wings, much lower sink rates, and would probably have much lower drag at 100mph.

    The Voyager around-the-world aircraft (another Rutan creation) did only 41 passenger miles per gallon (averaged across the entire flight), but they were hauling 9000 lbs of fuel towards the start (53 passengers worth). I suspect it could win the challenge right now - but it'd make a lot more sense to build a different one than to unhook it from the Smithsonian ceiling.

  7. This the kind of use stimulus funds should be put by Etcetera · · Score: 2, Insightful

    to...

    Seriously, use it to stimulate PRIVATE innovation and investment, instead of trying to manually command-and-control the economy. The government can't do, or direct people to do, things with half the efficiency that entrepreneurs can.

    --
    Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
  8. Re:They had one of these in the 80s by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    And it went 100 mph?

    That's the whole problem, you see. Anyone can strap an engine and fuel tank into a modified sailplane and cruise at sailplane speeds with insane fuel economy, but you lose that to drag when you fly at practical speeds.