cover-fin12-2011_AA Template 11/18/11 11:37 AM Page 1 11 AMERICA AEROSPACE December 2011 DECEMBER 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW 2011 A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS change your perception of MESHING VISIT US AT THE AIAA AEROSPACE SCIENCES MEETING 9-12 JANUARY 2012 > THIS IS NOT THE FUNNEST PART OF THE PROJECT. You’re not generating a computational grid for pleasure. It’s simply a necessary step in the process of completing your analysis, so you can improve the performance of your design. With its intuitive interface, high-level automation, and sophisticated grid generation algorithms, Pointwise helps ease you through the process. Try it for free, and see how Pointwise can reduce your meshing pain. POINTWISE. Reliable People, Reliable Tools, Reliable CFD Meshing. Toll Free (800) 4PTWISE www.pointwise.com toc.DEC2011a_AA Template 11/17/11 10:46 AM Page 1 December 2011 EDITORIAL 3 OUT OF THE PAST 76 2011 SUBJECT AND AUTHOR INDEX 78 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 84 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Adaptive structures 4 Intelligent systems 39 Aeroacoustics 12 Legal aspects 32 Aerodynamic decelerators 25 Life sciences 56 Aerodynamic measurement Lighter-than-air systems 30 technology 13 Liquid propulsion 51 Aerospace power systems 44 Materials 6 Aerospace traffic management 68 Meshing, visualization and Air-breathing propulsion systems computational environments 21 integration 45 Nondeterministic approaches 7 Aircraft design 26 Nuclear and future flight Air transportation 24 propulsion 52 Applied aerodynamics 14 Plasmadynamics and lasers 22 Astrodynamics 15 Propellants and combustion 53 Atmospheric and space Sensor systems 40 environments 16 Society and aerospace technology 33 Atmospheric flight mechanics 17 Software 41 Balloon systems 27 Solid rockets 54 Communication systems 36 Space architecture 57 Computer systems 37 Space automation 58 Design engineering 5 Space colonization 59 Digital avionics 38 Space environmental systems 72 Directed energy systems 69 Space exploration 73 Electric propulsion 46 Space logistics 60 Energetic components 47 Space operations and support 61 Energy optimized aircraft Space resources 62 and equipment systems 70 Space systems 63 Flight testing 28 Space tethers 64 Fluid dynamics 18 Space transportation 65 Gas turbine engines 48 Structural dynamics 8 General aviation 29 Structures 9 Ground testing 19 Survivability 10 Guidance, navigation, and control 20 Systems engineering 34 High-speed air-breathing Terrestrial energy 55 propulsion 49 Thermophysics 23 Hybrid rockets 50 Unmanned systems 74 Hypersonic technologies V/STOL 31 and aerospace plane 71 Weapon system effectiveness 66 BULLETIN AIAA Meeting Schedule B2 AIAA Courses and Training Program B4 AIAA News B5 Meeting Program B13 Cover: 2011 marked the last time the space shuttle would be seen streaking across the sky. Image courtesy NASA. Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly, except August, by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Va. 20191-4344 [703/264-7500]. Subscription rate is 50% of dues for AIAA members (and is not deductible therefrom). Nonmember subscription price: U.S. and Canada, $163, foreign, $200. Single copies $20 each. Postmaster: Send address changes and subscription orders to address above, attention AIAA Customer Service, 703.264.7500. Periodical postage paid at Herndon, Va. and at additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., all rights reserved. The name Aerospace America is registered by the AIAA in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 40,000 copies of this issue printed. This is Volume 49, No. 11. From the fi rst in fl ight to the fi rst American to orbit Earth Home to aerospace pioneers Ohio past, present and future. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of John Glenn Jr.’s IMAGE CREDIT: NASA Historic Accomplishment The First Orbital Flight by an American Astronaut 1962 – 2012 www.OAI.org 440.962.3000 december edit_AA Template 11/21/11 11:35 AM Page 1 ® is a publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Elaine J. Camhi Editor-in-Chief Patricia Jefferson Associate Editor Greg Wilson Production Editor Jerry Grey, Editor-at-Large The future of biofuels grows brighter Christine Williams, Editor AIAA Bulletin Correspondents In both military and civil aviation the tide is increasingly turning to alternative Robert F. Dorr, Washington sources of energy. Considered an environmentalist’s panacea with no practical Philip Butterworth-Hayes, Europe value 10 years ago, these sustainable alternative fuels are now looking at a Michael Westlake, Hong Kong much more promising future. Contributing Writers The U.S. military has wholeheartedly embraced the use of biofuels: The Richard Aboulafia, James W. Canan, Air Force has already approved a 50% biofuel blend in its F-15 and F-16 Marco Cáceres, Craig Covault, Leonard fighters and C-17 transports; it is seeking to certify all of its models by 2013 David, Philip Finnegan, Edward and hopes to get 50% of its total fuel from alternative, sustainable sources by Goldstein, Tom Jones, James Oberg, 2016. The Navy has launched a project to invest up to half a billion dollars in David Rockwell, J.R. Wilson biofuel refineries, and at a conference in Mississippi earlier this year, Navy Fitzgerald Art & Design Secretary Ray Mabus said the Navy hopes to be at 50% use of non-fossil-fuel Art Direction and Design energy by 2020. Now the international airline industry is following suit. In July, ASTM Brian D. Dailey, President International approved a 50% mixture of fuels derived from plant oils and Robert S. Dickman, Publisher animal fats and conventional kerosene for use in commercial flights. European Craig Byl, Manufacturing and Distribution airlines immediately began trial flights, with Lufthansa leading the way. Several STEERING COMMITTEE other airlines swiftly followed suit. Then, in November, U.S. carriers United Col. Neal Barlow, USAF Academy; Michael and Alaska Airlines began their own trials. All of the airlines reported seamless B. Bragg, University of Illinois; Carol Cash, flights, with no complaints from operators or passengers. Carol Cash & Associates; Basil Hassan, Sandia; These alternative fuels are derived from widely different sources—from Mark Lewis, University of Maryland; Robert exotic plants like Jatropha to used cooking grease to farmed algae—and have E. Lindberg, National Institute of Aerospace; Mark S. Maurice, AFOSR; Merri Sanchez, much to recommend them. They are drop-ins, that is, they can be blended with Sierra Nevada; Vigor Yang, Georgia Institute conventional jet fuel without any engine alterations; they result in slightly less of Technology; Susan X. Ying, Boeing fuel consumption, which may mean little in one aircraft on one flight but has significant impact fleetwide; and they generally have a slightly smaller carbon EDITORIAL BOARD footprint. Plant fuels like camelina grow in fallow wheat fields, so they do not Ned Allen, Jean-Michel Contant, displace food crops, and algae farms can be developed almost anywhere. Eugene Covert, L.S. “Skip” Fletcher, Michael Francis, Cam Martin, However, these fuels also have significant drawbacks. They are still far Don Richardson, Douglas Yazell more expensive to produce; some say five times higher, some say even more. There are fears that in some regions, particularly poorer countries, they may ADVERTISING supplant food crops because they demand a higher price. And some airlines, National Display and Classified: at least for the short term, may find it cheaper to buy carbon credits than Robert Silverstein, 240.498.9674 alternative fuels that may not have that much impact on their carbon footprint. [email protected] West Coast Display: Greg Cruse, But as much of the Western economy seems to teeter daily on the edge of 949.361.1870 / [email protected] free fall, and chaos surrounds precisely those areas that are the source of much of the world’s conventional jet fuel, it is good to have choices. Ross B. Garelick Bell Business Manager With the U.S. military committed to developing and using alternative energy sources derived from plants and waste products, and international Send materials to Craig Byl, AIAA, 1801 and domestic airlines finding these new fuels to be a seamless replacement Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344. Changes of address should be for jet fuel, higher demand should lead to increased production, which should sent by e-mail at [email protected], or by fax ultimately lead to lower prices. at 703.264.7606. Nevertheless, you may not want to be be downwind of the airplane flying Send correspondence to [email protected]. on chicken fat and used french fry oil. Elaine Camhi December 2011, Vol. 49, No. 11 Editor-in-Chief AD-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 12:52 PM Page 2 AEROSPACE DESIGN AND StRuCtuRES Adaptive structures shape changes, individual blade control, and variable rotor speed. Planned future program phases include development and In March of this year the first adaptive flight ground, wind tunnel, and flight testing of a control mechanism for a guided bullet, a full-scale rotor system. piezoelectric steerable bullet developed at As part of a technology investment the University of Kansas, was granted a U.S. agreement with the Army, Sikorsky recently patent. This solid-state adaptive actuator demonstrated the performance, vibration, uses a bender beam configuration to in- and noise improvements of a helicopter ro- duce canard, fin, and/or wing deflections tor system with active trailing-edge flaps in on munitions from 4 to 40 mm in caliber. the National Full-scale Aerodynamics Com- Unlike conventional linear adaptive actua- plex 40x80-ft wind tunnel at NASA Ames. tors, the LNPS (low net passive stiffness) In addition, Sikorsky and the Army are de- PBP (postbuckled precompressed) actuator veloping an active-rotor hub-mounted vi- assembly induces deflection amplification bration suppression system that will un- with no loss of blocked moment capability. dergo flight testing in early 2012.