The approach, called model-based systems analysis and engineering, lets researchers simulate individual systems as well as their interactions. NASA's Eric Hendricks says a digital flight test is simpler and less costly than a real one, and that simulations can inform research before a technology is fully developed. [S1]
NASA describes a possible use for its Aviary tool: a researcher enters information about an airplane, a maneuver and battery technologies, then runs digital flight tests to identify which battery type works best for that maneuver. The same kind of testing can examine aircraft shape, engine-core size and electrical systems. [S1]
The work also has a human dimension. Hendricks says NASA's model-based systems team includes many early- to mid-career staff, with younger people taking leadership roles; he says the digital work can help transfer knowledge. NASA is working with industry toward compatibility on an open-source platform. [S1]
NASA's Rich Wahls says the agency can model the introduction of sustainable aviation technologies into a fleet to examine their potential sustainability across it. That would let researchers consider effects beyond a single aircraft. [S1]
Source documents
- NASA Furthers Aeronautical Innovation Using Model-Based Systemshttps://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-model-based-systems/