Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
An All Electronic, Adaptive, Focusing Schlieren System for Flight Research, Phase II
Project Introduction
Visualization of turbulence and shock phenomena by schlieren imaging has led to important discoveries in aerodynamics, and there has been much interest in applying schlieren methods for aircraft in flight. The goal of this project is to develop the next generation of Schlieren for Aircraft in Flight (SAF) systems.
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Anticipated Benefits
Flight testing is often used as a final critical check of aerodynamic designs developed by computational and wind tunnel methods because the information obtainable in wind tunnels is subject to interference. Outdoor schlieren systems using the sun and moon make it possible to examine shock waves and other phenomena from aircraft in flight. Applications exist in all forms of research and development associated with turbulent flow fields, including aero optics, flow control, drag, boundary layer transition, and flow separation. The proposed developments will be extremely important in flight-testing, where few such instruments can perform in a flight environment. Potential commercial applications include aero-optics, flow diagnostics, flow-control, free-space laser communication, active laser imaging, high bandwidth video transmission, spectroscopy, and high-resolution imaging.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Armstrong Flight Research Center
(AFRC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Edwards, California |
Ames Research Center
(ARC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Moffett Field, California |
|
Langley Research Center
(LaRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Hampton, Virginia |
| MetroLaser, Inc. | Supporting Organization |
Industry
Minority-Owned Business,
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
|
Laguna Hills, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Virginia
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
Responsible Program:
- Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Project Manager:
Principal Investigator:
- Drew L'esperance
Project Duration
Start: Feb 2009
End: Aug 2011
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 4 |
| Current: | 4 |
| Estimated End: | 6 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TX15 Flight Vehicle Systems
- TX15.1 Aerosciences
- TX15.1.1 Aerodynamics
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This is a historic project that was completed before the creation of TechPort on October 1, 2012. Available data has been included. This record may contain less data than currently active projects.