S-STEM Scholar Jeff Pietila's Blog

             Airbus and CFM International, which is a 50/50 joint company with GE and Safran Aircraft Engines have signed a partnership to build and flight test a zero-emission aircraft.  Their plans are to prepare to launch an aircraft for regular service with zero-emissions by 2035, which is not too far out. (Tyrell, 2022)      Considering that worldwide, flights have contributed 915 tons of CO 2 in 2019, this would be excellent news for the industry.  Even though this is a very large number of carbon dioxide produced, the aviation industry only produces around 2.1% of human induced carbon dioxide emissions. (ATAG, 2020)      The demonstration will use an Airbus A380 equipped with liquid hydrogen tanks that will be activated during the flight to test the hydrogen combustion engine during its cruise phase.  This new engine will be mounted along the rear fus...

February 18, 2022         NASA's X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) is being built by Lockheed Martin at its Skunk Works Facility in Palmdale, California.  This airplane is designed to fly at supersonic speeds without making sonic booms.  The airplane has a unique shape that allows it to make quieter sonic 'thumps' that can barely, if at all, be heard on the ground.  (Michael Tyrrell, 2022)     The shape of this new aircraft is like a very long Concord with a very exaggerated nosecone, that is 38 feet long.  (Sasha Ellis and Evan Flatt of NASA Langley Research Center, 2021)        Currently, our laws prohibit aircraft from flying faster than the speed of sound over land, however, if an airplane can fly supersonic at an acceptable noise level, then these laws can be changed.  (Michael Tyrrell, 2022)  NASA's X-59 has moved to Texas for critical ground testing, as the massive engineering project continues to  move forward towards NASA's target of first flight by...

        NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) is being built by Lockheed Martin at its Skunk Works Facility in Palmdale, California.   This airplane is designed to fly at supersonic speeds without making sonic booms.   The airplane has a unique shape that allows it to make quieter sonic ‘thumps’ that can barely, if at all, be heard on the ground.   (Michael Tyrrell, 2022)     The shape of this new aircraft is like a very long Concord with a very exaggerated nosecone, that is 38 feet long.   (Sasha Ellis and Evan Flatt of NASA Langley Research Center, 2021)        Currently, our laws prohibit aircraft from flying faster than the speed of sound over land, however, if an airplane can fly supersonic at an acceptable noise level, then these laws can be changed.   (Michael Tyrrell, 2022) NASA’s X-59 has moved to Texas for critical ground testing, as the massive engineering project co...

       The predictive power of simulation is used often in all modern economies.  Computer aided design is used in almost all industries.  In aeronautical engineering, both infrastructure builds and materials manufacturing use simulations routinely to computer performance of potential designs before they are built.  This predictive power of simulations is used often because new ideas can be investigated with very little risk.  This being said, accurate weather forecasting is essential to guide domestic and military flight paths and therefore these simulations are critical enough to have implications for national security.        However, in pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, application of computer simulations is limited to the capabilities of our technology with respect to the complexity of molecular biology and human physiology.   Over the last 30 years, molecul...

  Problem Based Learning in Aerospace Engineering Education   Doris R. Brodeur, Peter W. Young, Kim B. Blair Massachusetts Institute of Technology        Problem-based learning is now a widespread teaching method in disciplines where students must learn to apply knowledge, not just acquire it. In the undergraduate curriculum in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, problem-based learning and design build experiences are integrated throughout the program. In an early freshman-year experience, Introduction to Aerospace and Design, students design, build, and fly radio controlled lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicles. In the sophomore-year Unified Engineering course, students design, build, and fly radio-controlled electric propulsion aircraft. In a course on Aerodynamics, a case study from either industry or government is used to provide an authentic problem. Upper-level capstone courses are entirely problem-based. In these PBL experiences, students ide...

        My research project will be to write about current research in my field of study.  I will be posting weekly summaries about interesting research that I have digested for each week this semester.  I am pursuing a BSE in Aerospace (Aeronautics) Engineering after I finish my last four classes this semester in the Maricopa CC system.