NASA Awards Green Grants

Pia Bergqvist

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 09:23 PM ET

Verified

Courtesy of NASA

Key Takeaways:

NASA has awarded $16.5 million in contracts to Boeing, MIT, Cessna, and Northrop Grumman to develop technologies for quieter and more fuel-efficient airplanes for service between 2030 and 2035 (N+3 generation).
Boeing received the largest share for its "Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research" (SUGAR) project, focusing on truss-based wing designs, hybrid engine technology, and lightweight materials.
MIT is developing a "double bubble" fuselage design for increased passenger capacity and high-efficiency engines.
Cessna is working on a "magic skin" for self-healing, noise insulation, and protection, while Northrop Grumman is testing smoother leading edge designs for improved efficiency and reduced noise.

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Contracts designed to make greener, quieter airplanes awarded to industry and academic teams.

Research teams from Boeing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cessna Aircraft Company and Northrop Grumman Systems have received a total of $16.5 million to develop technologies for quiet, more fuel efficient airplanes to enter service between 2030 and 2035. The time period has been named N+3 by NASA, representing technological developments three generations ahead of the airplanes in service today. NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington is funding the work, which will be overseen by the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the Langley Research Center in Virginia.