NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AEROSPACE ASSOCIATES

Description

PULSED ENERGY DEPOSITION FOR REDUCTION IN GROUND SONIC BOOM SIGNATURE. NASA IS EVALUATING THE BENEFITS OF PULSED ENERGY DEPOSITION BY ELECTROMAGNETIC DEVICES FOR ENHANCED AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE AND REDUCTION IN BOOM SIGNATURE OF SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT. POTENTIAL DEVICES INCLUDE FEMTOSECOND TO NANOSECOND LASERS, MICROWAVES AND DC DISCHARGES. PRIOR RESEARCH IN THE U.S., EUROPE AND RUSSIA ON SIMPLE AERODYNAMIC SHAPES (E.G., HEMISPHERE- AND CONE-CYLINDER MODELS) HAS SHOWN SIGNIFICANT AERODYNAMIC BENEFIT INCLUDING DRAG REDUCTION AT SUPERSONIC AND HYPERSONIC SPEEDS. THIS TASK IS AN EXTENSION OF THE WORK INITIATED UNDER NIA TASK 80LARC17F0050.