NASA Reveals All-Electric X-57 Maxwell Plane

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shared the first pictures showing its new all-electric X-57 Maxwell plane on Twitter, which will be 500 percent more efficient than conventional aircraft while producing zero emissions and less noise pollution. The X-57 Maxwell aircraft will be the first manned X-plane produced by the administration in the past two decades and is designed to help develop standards for future all-electric aircraft, according to Mail Online report.

According to information published by the administration, the all-electric "X-57 Maxwell" aircraft is a modification of the four-seater Tecnam P2006T conventional light aircraft that had it two Rotax 912S3 four-cylinder piston engines replaced with 12 electric motors.

NASA says its custom-built wings are skinny, that will boost efficiency by reducing flight resistance, and have a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to provide power. The aircraft was developed by a team of engineers, researchers, pilots, visual artists, and many other people.

During take-off and landing, thrust is obtained by 12 high-lift electric motors at the edge of the wing. After reaching cruising altitude, two wingtip propellers take over for thrust output. The administration says that after the X-57 aircraft is fully developed, it will be 500% more efficient than conventional aircraft during a cruise, and this would be while producing no in-flight emissions and much less noise.

This small experimental aircraft has a high-aspect ratio wing and 5ft diameter wingtip propeller, which is characterized to recover energy while in flight. This aircraft will eventually be used to set standards for all future electric aircraft and provide rules for planes to be licensed to operate.

The administration said: "Electric power is efficient and reliable. Electric motors can be placed anywhere on the plane to improve efficiency." The administration also emphasized that The plane requires no fuel, no combustion engine and It's powered 100 percent by a cutting-edge distributed electric propulsion system and is a real full electric aircraft.

The X-57 gets its name from Maxwell, a Scottish physicist who pioneered electromagnetism. NASA explained that James Clerk Maxwell, a 19th century Scottish physicist, pioneered the theory of electromagnetism. This paved the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity and Planck's formulation of quantum mechanics.

The aircraft is a small experimental aircraft powered by electricity, and NASA believes that all-electric technology will make flying cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable.

However, it is only part of the development plan for the X-plane series. X-plane series are experimental American aircraft and rockets used to test new technologies and aerodynamic concepts. For example, Bell X1, the first sonic aircraft to fly at Mach 1, crewed by 'Right Stuff' legend Chuck Yeager in 1945.

The X-15 holds the unofficial world speed and altitude records for an airplane after reaching Mach 6.7 and 354,200 feet. The more recent X-29 aircraft is made of carbon fiber composite materials, with greater flexibility, which is the first forward-swept wing aircraft to fly supersonic. And the latest X-57 Maxwell of NASA would be a future all-electric standard.

• < Prev
• Next >