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Spinoff story
Open Source Aircraft Design Software Helps Industry, Hobbyists
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
For years, the only people with access to computer-aided drafting software were engineers. Hobbyist aviators were left out, until a group of engineers from Langley Research Center and California Polytechnic State University teamed up to create OpenVSP, an open source program for designing aircraft and other vehicles. Desktop Aeronautics Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is among several companies that use OpenVSP for new aircraft concepts.