I’ve noticed recently that, while the construction of automobiles has changed drastically in the past 50 years, commercial jet airliners haven’t changed much since their inception. Sure, the electronics and building techniques have drastically improved, but the power plants and overall shape have remained the same. I find this all a bit disappointing, as air travel to me is still the pinnacle of transportation. I’d hate to see everyone driving carbon neutral cars around while loud, costly and environmentally harmful jet liners streak across the sky.
Thankfully, neither would NASA.
NASA is partnering up with various and assorted aeronautical organizations to create a set of designs based around the idea of what commercial air transportation should look like in 2025-2035. Out of the many designs presented on the website, three really stood out. Lockheed’s supersonic airliner concept is a fascinating prospect, and MIT’s Hybrid Wing H-body aircraft certainly looks like it’d serve as an adequate replacement to the world’s current fleet of heavy lifting cargo aircraft. However, the most enticing is probably Boeing’s SUGAR (Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research) concept. Powered by twin gas turbine/battery power plants, the SUGAR has the ability to carry 154 passengers across the continental U.S. at roughly 520mph. That’s comparable to the Boeing 737, and I could imagine the SUGAR would be much cheaper and easier to maintain.
(NASA)
