NASA Experimenting The X-Plane

Recently, NASA wants to improve the use of aviation in the United States by building and designing quieter, faster and cleaner planes and jets. In order for NASA to achieve this goal of aviation, they are bringing back an experimental program for their X-Plane nearly around 2017. This will later-on improve the amount of people that are exposed to the new form of traveling which is along the air, in planes. (To learn more about NASA click here!) In the article, provided by digitaltrends.com, and article provided by gizmag.com, "NASA is ready to dive back into the X-plane field. “We’re at the right place, at the right time, with the right technologies,” said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.  NASA will use the program to test cutting edge technologies, such as coatings that reduce bug buildup on wings and high-tech fans that reduce engine noise. NASA will use the next several years to design and prototype the vehicles, with the first flights planned for 2020. As part of this testing, NASA will work with major airlines." This means that, with the new technology that we have, NASA will be able to join other luxurious airlines for instance like: Delta Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, just to name a few. Also, NASA states that they will be working on hybrid airplanes and jets meaning that they'll be using less gasoline, which would be considered 'green' and healthy for the environment. First, when NASA is building and designing their design of their plane, they build a prototype model in scale, that works sort of like a plan. 

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This is the Subsonic X-Plane prototype model from NASA with the design of having only one wing.

A project that NASA has in mind, is to create a jet that could be a supersonic aircraft. This aircraft would not travel faster than light, or faster than sound, but could go at an accelerating speed by using bio-fuels and have only one wing on one side in the design, that would minimize the sonic booms to a level against the ground. (The pressure when a jet/plane takes-off the earth's ground.)  The one-sided wing idea could be another subsonic X-Plane according to gizmag.com. Also another target that NASA has, is working on a NOT SO LOUD noise when there's a take-off with one of their aircrafts. "The full potential of these technologies can't be realized in the tube-and-wing shape of today's aircraft. We need the X-planes to prove, in an undeniable way, how that tech can make aviation more Earth friendly, reduce delays and maintain safety for the flying public, and support an industry that's critical to our nation's economic vitality," says Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. 

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Thoughts, Ideas and Opinions
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When you think of NASA, you think PURE space but now, they are not ONLY working with space, but they are also working and improving the use and technology of aviation in the United States. I think that a very high company like NASA, that is also working on aviation, the engineers can use a lot of their knowledge for instance, like the engineers who built the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Once you get to see the unbelievable designs that NASA has been working on, you notice and question yourself, "how is this even possible?" (At least this was my reaction when I was reading about the Subsonic X-Plane design!) Also, what I think about this topic is that since there will be even MORE aviation in a country like United States, then I wonder if cars will soon become obsolete, when more and more people are "in the sky." So IF this becomes a reality, then will there be such thing as "sky/plane traffic?" 
Another thought and realization that I have, is that back then people thought that things like astonishing records of aviation flights, and things like this, USED to be "fake" and "impossible," but now this idea of being "fake" isn't true anymore. Now, I am thinking that there has been a pause or and end to what USED to be science-fiction. Now, I am thinking that the FUTURE is happening already, and t's happening too fast!