NASA uses digital models to enhance aeronautical innovation

NASA uses digital models to enhance aeronautical innovation
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 06, 2024

As NASA advances its aeronautics research, the agency is leveraging Model-Based Systems Analysis and Engineering (MBSAE) to ensure the collective benefits of various technologies. MBSAE digitally simulates the integration of multiple technologies into a cohesive system using advanced digital tools and computing programs.

The objective is to optimize the next generation of aviation technology for the 21st century.

Model Benefits
"MBSAE provides a way to envision how all these technologies, being developed separately, can all fit together in the end," said Eric Hendricks, who leads MBSAE integration efforts for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

This approach allows NASA's aeronautical researchers to understand how advancements in one area, such as ultra-efficient airliners, can complement progress in another, like future airspace safety. Customizable digital models enable researchers to simulate these interactions with high accuracy, identifying how to achieve the greatest benefits.

"As we move toward these advanced systems, MBSAE can connect different disciplines and determine how to eke out the best performance," Hendricks said.

This feedback loop helps researchers improve aviation sustainability and other goals significantly.

Zeroing In
Beyond integrating complex systems, MBSAE tools can optimize each system individually.

"Before the technology is even fully developed, we can run highly accurate digital simulations that inform the research itself," Hendricks said. "A digital flight test is a lot simpler and less costly than a real flight test."

For example, NASA's Aviary tool can consider gradients to optimize a given technology more efficiently. Researchers input data about the airplane, maneuver, and battery technologies, and Aviary conducts digital flight tests to identify the best-performing battery.

Digital flight tests can be applied to numerous aspects, such as an aircraft's shape, engine core size, and electrical systems, helping to combine these elements most effectively.

Digital Era Aeronautics
MBSAE also aids in managing large-scale aviation transformations. With the demand for single-aisle airliners expected to rise, measuring emissions reductions from specific wing designs can be extrapolated to an entire fleet.

"We'll be able to take what we learn from our sustainable aviation projects and simulate the technology entering the fleet at certain points," said Rich Wahls, NASA's mission integration manager for the Sustainable Flight National Partnership at NASA Headquarters. "We can model the fleet itself to see how much more sustainable these technologies are across the board."

Ultimately, MBSAE signifies a new era in aeronautical innovation at NASA and across the aviation industry. NASA collaborates closely with the industry to ensure MBSAE efforts are compatible on an open-source platform.

"The MBSAE team has lots of early-to-mid career folks," Hendricks said. "It's great to see the younger generation get involved and even take the lead, especially since these digital efforts can facilitate knowledge transfer as well."