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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS2022

Rapid Flight Control Law Deployment and Testing Framework for Subscale VTOL Aircraft

A set of procedures was developed to enable rapid flight control law deployment and testing on subscale vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Low-cost, subscale flight vehicles have become well-suited testbeds for rapid flight dynamics and controls research progression; however, integration of custom flight control laws onto flight hardware has historically been an arduous task. The toolchain described in this report leverages Simulink with the UAV Toolbox, a Pixhawk flight computer running PX4 firmware, and QGroundControl to efficiently design and flight test custom control algorithms. A subscale CL-84 VTOL aircraft was used as a testbed in this investigation to exercise the hardware integration process on a physical model. Implementation of custom attitude stabilization control laws and programmed test input excitations for aircraft system identification were demonstrated using the expeditious hardware integration process. The detailed procedures given in this report are expected to be used in future flight test efforts.

flight testing↗
NASA NTRS2024

Inexpensive Multirotor Platform for Advanced Controls Testing (IMPACT): Development, Integration, and Experimentation

A comprehensive framework was explored and validated for rapid deployment and testing of custom flight control logic using the Inexpensive Multirotor Platform for Advanced Controls Testing (IMPACT). This vehicle facilitated the efficient validation and refinement of a custom flight control algorithm, which was designed using Simulink and deployed onto a Pixhawk flight computer running PX4 firmware through the utilization of the MathWorks UAV Toolbox. The robust and cost-effective design of IMPACT provides the groundwork for future flight testing of flight controls and model development research for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

flight testing↗
NASA NTRS2016

NH11B-1726: FrankenRaven: A New Platform for Remote Sensing

Small, modular aircraft are an emerging technology with a goal to maximize flexibility and enable multi-mission support. This reports the progress of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) project conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in 2016. This interdisciplinary effort builds upon the success of the 2014 FrankenEye project to apply rapid prototyping techniques to UAS, to develop a variety of platforms to host remote sensing instruments. In 2016, ARC received AeroVironment RQ-11A and RQ-11B Raven UAS from the US Department of the Interior, Office of Aviation Services. These aircraft have electric propulsion, a wingspan of roughly 1.3m, and have demonstrated reliability in challenging environments. The Raven airframe is an ideal foundation to construct more complex aircraft, and student interns using 3D printing were able to graft multiple Raven wings and fuselages into FrankenRaven aircraft. Aeronautical analysis shows that the new configuration has enhanced flight time, payload capacity, and distance compared to the original Raven. The FrankenRaven avionics architecture replaces the mil-spec avionics with COTS technology based upon the 3DR Pixhawk PX4 autopilot with a safety multiplexer for failsafe handoff to 2.4 GHz RC control and 915 MHz telemetry. This project demonstrates how design reuse, rapid prototyping, and modular subcomponents can be leveraged into flexible airborne platforms that can host a variety of remote sensing payloads and even multiple payloads. Modularity advances a new paradigm: mass-customization of aircraft around given payload(s). Multi-fuselage designs are currently under development to host a wide variety of payloads including a zenith-pointing spectrometer, a magnetometer, a multi-spectral camera, and a RGB camera. After airworthiness certification, flight readiness review, and test flights are performed at Crows Landing airfield in central California, field data will be taken at Kilauea volcano in Hawaii and other locations.

remote sensing↗