NASA’s Newest X-Plane

The X-48C takes to the skies

Nasas next generation blended-wing body aircraft completed its first flight today at Edwards Air Force Base

The X-48C is the latest in a series of designs from the Boeing/NASA partnership to explore the design, using a a large, delta-shaped fuselage rather than a traditional tube to boost efficiency.

The passengers will be seated in a large open triangular area that makes up the bulk of fuselage rather than the standard tubular fuselage used today one of the questions still being debated from a passenger point of view is how you would react to the unusual seating style in particular the lack of windows compared to todays airliners
www.wired.com...
Would it be too weird sitting in a triangle plane without a window to look out of

Cran

I rather like looking out of aeroplane windows and at the world sprawled out below, it is often one of the highlights of the journey.

reply to post by cranspace


How cool must be work for NASA, spending our money in new ugly plane prototypes that nobody asked for.

Originally posted by Trueman
reply to post by cranspace

 

ugly

That's a personal opinion, therefore, moot.

that nobody asked for

I doubt that.

You want better air/space craft? Well then you'll have to experiment with new different designs.
Which is what they are doing.
Because people want better things.

reply to post by cranspace


I suggest NASA is merely cleaing house, tying up lose ends and making jobs as it grinds down.

Yet that description of how the passengers will be lodged in the triangular-shaped fuselages of future designs is just exactly the way they will be housed in the massive and massless triangles once they go commercial.

Evidently, the designers are starting to think about passenger comfort and well-being when they eventually bring these amazing triangles out in blazing airline colors rather than in the current standard drab military flat color. Now, they simply pack troops into the featureless holds with few amenities for a pleasent ride. (It's like being in an underground parking garage--or so I can iimagine. I've just seen one fairly close, not been inside. )

reply to post by Trueman

spending our money in new ugly plane prototypes that nobody asked for.

I doubt that as well but this is the future of commercial aviation


Cran

Considering the on-going developments of video display technology, I would think that it is not too far-fetched to suggest that, like so many other things in our technological culture, this plane's "windows" would be Virtual.

It would be easily possble to provide entire cabin walls of virtual, High-Definition, real-time, "windows"; Or even better, "Smart" windows, that would show not just the view, but flight info, points of interest, and other information as well (but please, No in-flight Advertisements!).


Of course, considering the fact that most people nowadays almost never look up from their smart-phones, I doubt rhat anyone will appreciate the enhanced view!

A lack of windows would spoil the experience, and for the majority of people flying is still an experience. Most people do it so rarely that its a major event. I'll never forget flying across Canada when I was a kid and the pilot announcing that we were over Niagra Falls, looking down to see the mist over the falls so far below me. Granted, I was fortunate enough to have a window seat.

Originally posted by Trueman
reply to post by cranspace

 

How cool must be work for NASA, spending our money in new ugly plane prototypes that nobody asked for.

Except boeing

reply to post by drakus


We need jobs. food on the table, help for the families loosing their homes, better and affordable education for our children, free healthcare. Please think about priorities, commercial airplanes are fine for now. FOCUS.

You want better air/space craft?

Did I complain about the planes we got now?....nope.

Originally posted by Monger
A lack of windows would spoil the experience, and for the majority of people flying is still an experience. Most people do it so rarely that its a major event. I'll never forget flying across Canada when I was a kid and the pilot announcing that we were over Niagra Falls, looking down to see the mist over the falls so far below me. Granted, I was fortunate enough to have a window seat.

Damn I miss being a Boom Operator...Best view in the sky!

Originally posted by Trueman
reply to post by drakus

 

We need jobs. food on the table, help for the families loosing their homes, better and affordable education for our children, free healthcare. Please think about priorities, commercial airplanes are fine for now. FOCUS.

You want better air/space craft?

Did I complain about the planes we got now?....nope.

edit on 9-8-2012 by Trueman because: (no reason given)

I agree wholeheartedly with the need to prioritize spending, and investing more in the betterment of the quality of life of every member of a society, no question there.
But I don't understand why this kind of comments appear almost ALWAYS in threads about scientific experiments and prototypes when we (humans in general) spend HUNDREDS times more in military development, something made explicitly to kill people.
So, I agree in the need to check our priorities, I just don't agree THIS is a case. Instead of asking to redirect the millions spent on scientific development, ask to redirect the TRILLIONS spent on people killing machines.

reply to post by drakus

But I don't understand why this kind of comments appear almost ALWAYS in threads about scientific experiments and prototypes

I don't know why you don't.

Originally posted by Trueman
reply to post by drakus

 

But I don't understand why this kind of comments appear almost ALWAYS in threads about scientific experiments and prototypes

I don't know why you don't.

uhm, what?
I don't understand because it seems illogical to me to complain about a scientific investment of a few millions when there are areas of the budget where much much much more money is spent in things that only benefit your elite and bring death and suffering to millions.. (ie weapons)

the funny thing is, we probably agree in the need to focus ourselves in bringing humanity forward, we just don't seem to agree on semantics

Originally posted by Trueman
reply to post by drakus

 

You want better air/space craft?

Did I complain about the planes we got now?....nope.

And nor did you answer the question.

airlines want to make more money, people, in general, want to be able to travel further for less and in more comfort, greenies want to cut down on burnign fossil fuels.

Sometiems a single person can even combine all 3 of these, and other relevant motivations as well.

Better, higher, faster, cheaper - what humanity has always sought.