Issued patent
Improved Hypersonic Aircraft Flight Control System
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center have designed an improved 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 are recessed into angled channels 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 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. This improved design increases electrode separation from the shock layer and decreases thermal loads experienced by the electrodes to mitigate thermal degradation.