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posted by takyon on Tuesday March 31 2020, @09:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the where's-my-flying-car dept.

NASA reveals what the final X-57 all-electric X-plane will look like

NASA has released three concept art images showing its X-57 Maxwell all-electric X-plane in its final configuration. The first manned X-plane from NASA in two decades, the X-57 is shown in its Modification iV (Mod IV) form, which includes a high-aspect-ratio wing and 5-ft (1.5-m) diameter wingtip propellers to recover energy from wingtip vortices.

Designed to help develop certification standards that can be applied to electric aircraft as they come onto the market, the X-57 [has] 12 electric motor nacelles with individual propellers, plus two larger propellers on the wingtips.

[...] When it is fully developed, the X-57 could improve flight efficiency by 500 percent when cruising at high speed while generating no in-flight emissions and much less noise than conventional aircraft.

A 2m26s video is included at end of article. (Life At The Lab: All-Electric in the Air)


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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 01 2020, @04:00PM (1 child)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday April 01 2020, @04:00PM (#978078) Journal

    People want electric cars are extremefully quiet. People want the cars to make some sound like traditional ICE cars. For safety.

    Should electric planes similarly make some noise and emit contrails?

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    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 01 2020, @09:02PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 01 2020, @09:02PM (#978157)

    Without the water vapor from combustion I guess they will need to use mind control drugs for the contrails.