www.nasa.gov/

Volume 58 Number 8 August 2016

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tecnam delivered

Tecnam, page 8

Aircraft that will become X-57 is now in California 

By Matt Kamlet

Armstrong Public Affairs

NASA engineers and visionaries 

watched as the Tecnam P2006T – 

the future all-electric X-57 Maxwell 

– was uncrated at a small airport on 

the central coast of California and 

slowly rolled out.

The arrival marks a critical 

milestone in NASA’s Scalable 

Convergent Electric Propulsion 

Technology and Operations 

Research (SCEPTOR) project, 

in which the electric propulsion 

integration and conversion of 

the Tecnam into the X-57 will 

commence.

The event signifies a large step 

toward NASA’s goal of developing 

and validating technologies that 

will make aviation more efficient, 

quieter and more environmentally 

friendly, through the Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate’s New 

Aviation Horizons initiative.

The aircraft, which will be 

converted into the first manned 

X-plane to feature a distributed 

electric propulsion system, was 

shipped from Naples, Italy, and 

arrived at Empirical Systems 

Aerospace’s (ESAero) facility at 

Oceano Airport, near Pismo Beach, 

California, on July 19.

Upon arrival and unveiling, 

engineers from NASA Armstrong 

and Langley Research Center in 

Virginia, many of whom have been 

working on the distributed electric 

propulsion project for several years, 

got their first look at the aircraft.

“We’re all really excited. We 

get to see in person what we’ve 

been modeling for so long,” said 

Sean Clarke, principal investigator 

for the X-57 project out of NASA 

Armstrong. “We’ve been looking 

forward to this for years now, so 

there’s been a lot of anticipation, 

and to have it out here in front of 

us is a relief.”

Upon arrival, the P2006T 

underwent a thorough inspection, 

followed by weight and balance 

testing. The testing occurred at 

Preparations are underway to inspect, weigh and balance the Tecnam fuselage before it heads to Mojave, California, 

for wing integration.

AFRC2016-0212-100 NASA/Ken Ulbrich
X-Press August 2016

Flight Test 4 is complete

ED15-0184-25 NASA/Lori Losey

AFRC2016-0138-1 NASA/Carla Thomas

By Matt Kamlet

Armstrong Public Affairs

As the wheels of NASA’s Ikhana 

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) 

touched down June 30, a two-month 

flight test series came to a close, 

concluding an essential stage in the 

agency’s research into technologies 

that support safe integration of UAS 

into the National Airspace System 

(NAS).

Flight Test Series 4 (FT4), 

which took place at Armstrong, 

began on April 26, consisted of 19 

flights over nine-weeks. The flights 

tested Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) 

algorithms developed by NASA, 

General Atomics Aeronautical 

Systems Inc., Honeywell, and other 

industry partners that, for the first 

time, could validate Minimum 

Operational Performance Standards 

(MOPS), established by RTCA 

Special Committee 228.

The algorithms successfully 

generated precise alerts necessary 

for the pilot controlling the Ikhana 

from the ground to remain well 

clear and avoid collisions.

Two different NASA-developed 

algorithms were tested in the flight 

test series. The Java Architecture for 

Detect and Avoid Extensibility and 

Modeling (JADEM), algorithm was 

developed by NASA’s Ames Research 

Center in California and works as 

an “auto-resolver” integrated with a 

pilot display. This algorithm is paired 

with the Vigilant Spirit Control 

Station display, developed by the Air 

Force Research Lab, which provides 

a tool for pilots to observe traffic and 

avoid in-flight conflicts.

The other algorithm tested 

in FT4 was the NASA Langley 

Research Center’s Detect and Avoid 

Alerting Logic for Unmanned 

Systems (DAIDALUS), which helps 

determine conflicts and calculates 

the maneuvers necessary to maintain 

a safe distance between aircraft. 

NASA Langley is in Virginia.

To test these algorithms, over 

260 scripted encounters were 

performed between the Ikhana and 

manned “intruder” aircraft. These 

intruders included NASA’s B200 

King Air, T-34C, G-III and TG-14 

aircraft, a Honeywell C-90 King 

Air, and a U.S. Air Force C-12 

King Air. The aircraft all flew predetermined flight paths, which 

subsequently triggered the DAA 

alerting and maneuver guidance 

logic for Ikhana’s pilot, allowing 

the aircraft to avoid collisions. The 

use of the DAA system onboard 

Ikhana demonstrated an airborne 

capability that can be achieved to 

make UAS flight as safe as or safer 

than current NAS operations.

The intruders were equipped 

with different surveillance systems 

that identified them as either 

cooperative or non-cooperative 

aircraft, which is a real life aspect 

of NAS operations.

Cooperative aircraft include 

those intruders capable of 

sharing their location, such as an 

Automatic Dependent Surveillance 

Broadcast (ADS-B) system, Traffic 

Alert and Collision Avoidance 

System (TCAS), or a transponder 

facilitating traffic detection and 

resolution. Non-cooperative 

aircraft refer to intruders who 

either are not equipped with these 

systems, or have system failures 

and require an alternative means of 

detection.

Including intruders with mixed 

equipage in the testing represents 

a more challenging environment, 

in which not all aircraft feature 

cooperative systems, according 

to Sam Kim, NASA’s UAS-NAS 

Integrated Test and Evaluation 

project engineer.

“The only sensor currently being 

used to detect non-cooperative 

aircraft is the onboard air-to-air radar, 

and because the radar has limited 

detection ranges and uncertainties 

compared to cooperative sensors, the 

timeline for alerting and enabling 

pilot reaction is more compressed,” 

said Kim.

In addition to pilot intervention, 

a number of encounters tested 

the DAA system’s interoperability 

with automatic collision avoidance 

maneuvers, performed using TCAS. 

The TCAS maneuvering was one 

of the objectives for testing and 

the collision avoidance performed 

successfully. Mike Marston, lead 

operations engineer for Armstrong’s 

Integrated Test and Evaluation, who 

supported the flights as chief test 

conductor, indicated that TCAS 

testing was necessary, given the 

autopilot’s capabilities.

“An advantage of an unmanned 

aircraft is that it has an advanced 

autopilot system,” Marston said, “so 

we can take that system and insert 

automatic maneuvering and allow 

the aircraft itself to perform that 

maneuver, which is currently a climb 

or descend maneuver.”

FT4 applied data collected from 

its predecessor, Flight Test Series 3, 

and was conducted following several 

years of groundwork efforts between 

NASA and its partners on the UASNAS project, including GA-ASI.

“Flight Test 4 was the culmination 

of over five years of intense research 

and development on behalf of GAASI and our partners,” said David 

R. Alexander, president of Aircraft 

Systems, GA-ASI. “We are very 

proud to be a part of this historic 

flight test campaign.”

Data collected from the flight test 

series will be used by RTCA SC228 to define DAA performance 

standards as a first phase to enable 

routine NAS access for UAS.

Ikhana flew 19 missions to test and validate algorithms developed to provide 

advanced Detect-and-Avoid alerts to UAS pilots on the ground.

NASA’s Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft (front, right) is situated with five 

flight “intruders,” which include NASA’s TG-14 (front, left), T-34C (front, 

center), B-200 King Air (back, left), Gulfstream-III (back, center) and a 

Honeywell C-90 King Air (back, right).
at NASA

News

 X-Press August 2016

Dinius wins Armstrong scholarship

DC-8 begins ATom mission

RS-25 tests

a success

By Jay Levine

X-Press editor

The NASA Armstrong Employee 

Exchange Council has presented its 

2016 Thomas W. Finch Memorial 

Scholarship Award to Katelynn 

Dinius.

Dinius is a 2016 graduate of 

Paraclete High School in Lancaster. 

She is planning to major in 

mechanical engineering at California 

Polytechnic State University, San 

Luis Obispo, in the fall. 

“I have liked math since 

elementary school, and I looked for 

majors to fit my interests,” she said. 

“Mechanical engineering looks like 

a good fit, and I would really like a 

AFRC2016-0205-1 NASA/Lauren Hughes

Katelynn Dinius, second from left, accepts the 2016 NASA Armstrong Exchange Thomas W. Finch Scholarship from Center Director David McBride. 

From left are Clint Dinius, Dinius, McBride, Joe Dinius and Dede Dinius.

By Marshall Murphy

Armstrong Public Affairs

The DC-8 and its crew this 

month will visit the tropics, the 

North Pole, Antarctica, South 

America and Greenland as part 

of the Atmospheric Tomography 

(ATom) airborne science mission.

NASA Armstrong hosted media 

representatives on July 7, giving 

them an overview of how the DC-8 

will provide a science platform for 

the ATom airborne science mission.

ATom Deputy Principal 

Investigator Michael Prather and 

project manager Dave Jordan 

briefed media at Armstrong’s 

Palmdale facility. Media also 

toured the modified DC-8 airborne 

laboratory that will fly ATom’s set of 

20 scientific instruments.

ATom will study pollution in the 

lower atmosphere and its effects in 

the creation of greenhouse gases. 

Greenhouse gases, such as methane 

and ozone, trap heat and raise 

global temperatures. Although a 

moderate amount of ozone prevents 

excessive solar radiation from 

reaching Earth’s surface, too much 

ozone can prevent heat from leaving 

Earth’s atmosphere. Discovering the 

origins of greenhouse gases will help 

scientists better understand climate 

change.

Although climate simulations 

attempt to predict the rate of 

greenhouse gas production, ATom 

will test those predictions with realworld data, Prather said.

 “This mission specifically 

goes after the core aspect of the 

models, which is the models’ 

ability to predict changes in ozone 

and methane based on human 

pollution,” he said.

ATom will crisscross the 

globe over the next four years 

in different seasons to gather a 

diverse selection of data. The 

mission will focus on remote areas, 

particularly vast stretches of ocean 

where unique chemical processes 

could disproportionately produce 

greenhouse gases.

By focusing on oceans, ATom will 

collect a range of data representative 

of the entire planet, Prather said.

 “The parcels of air over the 

Pacific are a whole range of chemical 

reactivity,” he said.

The ATom team will publicly 

release the experimental data, 

which scientists can interpret into 

new findings about Earth’s climate.

Scholarship, page 7

NASA engineers conducted 

a successful developmental test 

of RS-25 rocket engine No. 

0528 July 29, to collect critical 

performance data for the most 

powerful rocket in the world – 

the Space Launch System (SLS). 

The engine was tested during a 

650-second firing on the A-1 

Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, 

Mississippi. It marked another 

step forward in development 

of the SLS, which will launch 

humans deeper into space than 

ever before, including on the 

journey to Mars. Four RS-25 

engines, joined with a pair of 

solid rocket boosters, will power 

the SLS core stage at launch. 

The RS-25 engines used on the 

first four SLS flights are former 

space shuttle main engines, 

modified to operate at a higher 

performance level and with a 

new engine controller, which 

allows communication between 

the vehicle and engine.

NASA conducted a series 

of developmental tests on the 

engine last year before testing 

a flight engine that will be used 

on its second test flight, known 

as Exploration Mission-2 

(EM-2). EM-2 will be the 

first crewed flight of NASA’s 

Orion spacecraft, launching 

on the SLS. A second series of 

developmental tests began July 

14. A team of NASA, Aerojet 

Rocketdyne and Syncom 

Space Services engineers and 

operators conducted the test. 

Aerojet Rocketdyne is the 

prime contractor for the RS-25 

engines. Syncom Space Services 

is the prime contractor for 

Stennis facilities and operations.

AFRC2016-0225-1 NASA/Jim Ross

The DC-8 has begun the month-long ATom airborne science missions.
 X-Press August 2016

Artwork salutes Challenger and Antelope Valley aerospace

A monument has been created to remind Antelope Valley residents of the Space Shuttle Challenger loss and the sacrifice and bravery it takes to forge new frontiers. 

In the center of the artwork, called Astral Challenger, California artist Shana Mabari is pictured with her creation commissioned by the City of Lancaster.

 Courtesy of Eric Staudenmeir

By Jay Levine

X-Press editor

Space Shuttle Challenger and its 

seven-member crew were lost Jan. 

28, 1986, when the orbiter came 

apart 73 seconds after its launch 

from the Kennedy Space Center in 

Florida.

It is a loss that remains fresh 

in the minds of the families 

Astral Challenger

and friends of the crew and to a 

number of people in the Antelope 

Valley. The fleet of orbiters were 

assembled and returned for major 

maintenance and modifications 

for decades in Palmdale and most 

of the landings in the early days of 

the program were at Edwards Air 

Force Base.

Challenger and its crew were 

honored in 1987 with the 

renaming of 10th Street East 

north of Avenue M in Lancaster, 

as Challenger Way. Earlier this 

summer Astral Challenger, a 

memorial, was erected at Avenue 

L and Challenger Way to remind 

Antelope Valley residents of the 

sacrifice and bravery it takes to 

forge new frontiers.

“Astral Challenger is a great 

tribute to Challenger and the STS51L crew,” said George Grimshaw, 

who was a former shuttle manager at 

Armstrong. “As NASA makes plans 

to go to Mars and uses commercial 

services to deliver supplies and crews 

to the ISS, it is very important to 

remember those who gave their lives 

in pursuit of the many benefits space 
Top, Space Shuttle Challenger makes a landing at Edwards Air Force Base 

Nov. 6, 1985.

Above, Space Shuttle Columbia makes the overland travel from the Rockwell 

International (now The Boeing Company) facilities in Palmdale to Edwards 

Air Force Base along 10th Street East in Lancaster, which was later renamed 

Challenger Way following the loss of that orbiter.

At left, George Grimshaw, a former NASA Armstrong shuttle manager, 

recalled some of his experiences with Challenger.

 X-Press August 2016

Astral Challenger, page 6

61a-s-0139 NASA

affords us. We honor them when we 

learn from the problems of the past 

and apply what we have learned to 

further our work in space.”

California artist Shana Mabari 

was commissioned to design the 

piece that she considers to be a part 

of the continuum of the Light and 

Space movement that originated in 

California in the 1960s.

“Astral Challenger is conceived 

as a monumental landmark to 

both honor the legacy and ongoing 

achievements of the aerospace 

industry in Lancaster and the 

high desert around it, and to 

commemorate the 1986 Space 

Shuttle Challenger flight,” she said. 

“The rocket-shaped sculpture has 

eight vibrant blue acrylic panels for 

the seven lives lost in the disaster, 

plus one more to collectively 

represent the family members and 

friends who still grieve.”

Astral Challenger is 20-feet 

tall and is illuminated from dusk 

until dawn with LED lights. The 

permanent public art is the first that 

the City of Lancaster commissioned 

for its new Art in Public Places 

initiative.

“I consulted extensively with 

legendary Southern Californiabased fabricator Jack Brogan 

on initial design concepts and 

fabrication specifics,” Mabari 

said. “The fabrication process and 

material selection was a poetic 

layering of engineering specifics 

to create the seamless curved 

silhouette of the sculpture from 

top to bottom. Incorporating light 

into the work allows the piece to 

have both a daytime and nighttime 

personality. It is as if I created 

two sculptures at once, and every 

decision along the way took each 

into consideration.”

The airframe that would become 

Challenger was originally built for 

structural tests and was known as 

STA-99 (Structural Test Article) 

and was not intended for flight, 

Grimshaw explained. However, it 

was decided that the vehicle would 

be redesignated OV-099 and named 

Challenger.

Challenger was the second 

EC79-10370 NASA

Courtesy of George Grimshaw
X-Press August 2016

Astral Challenger... from page 5

 NASA

The STS-51L crew was lost 73 second after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. Crewmembers included, front 

row from left, Michael J. Smith, Francis R. Scobee and Ronald E. McNair. In the back from left are 

Ellison S. Onizuka, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Gregory B. Jarvis and Judith A. Resnik.

orbiter, but was responsible for a lot of firsts in the 

shuttle program, such as first use of lightweight 

external tanks and solid rocket boosters (STS6), first spacewalk from a Shuttle (STS-6), first 

deployment of a tracking data relay satellite and 

Sally Ride became the first woman in space (STS7).

The orbiter also had the first five (STS-7) and 

seven (STS-41G) member crews, first night launch 

and landing of a shuttle (STS-8), Guion Bluford 

became the first African-American in Space (STS8), the first untethered spacewalk (STS-41B), first 

in-flight capture, repair and release of a satellite 

(STS-41C) and Kathryn Sullivan was the first 

woman to walk in space (STS-41G).

The center’s shuttle landing and recovery 

team supported all 10 of Challenger’s missions, 

including five lakebed and two runway landings.

For Grimshaw, the most memorable of those 

landings was STS-61A, Challenger’s last landing 

at NASA Armstrong, then called NASA Dryden. 

A decision was made to tow the orbiter back to 

the center via the lakebed. Tests had validated the 

area of the lakebed was hard enough to tow over.

“Challenger’s nose wheels, and then main tires, 

began to sink to the point that the tow bar over 

extension alarm went off and we had to stop 

towing,” Grimshaw recalled. “The tow bar was 

reset and the tug driver tried to resume the tow, 

but Challenger wouldn’t budge and the alarm 

went off again.”

Innovation was required.

“In order to get Challenger on to the shuttle 

ramp, Charlie Baker, who was the shuttle area 

manager at the time, brought out several sheets 

of 1-inch plywood,” he explained. “Challenger 

was jacked up and a sheet of plywood was slid 

under the nose wheels and the left and right main 

wheels, and then Challenger was lowered. Then, 

another sheet of plywood was placed in front of 

each of those sheets of plywood. We resumed 

towing ops very slowly.”

It was a complex operation.

“As Challenger’s wheels rolled off one series 

of plywood and onto another, we moved the 

plywood left behind and placed it front of the 

sheet of plywood the wheels were on,” Grimshaw 

said.  “We continued this rotation until all of 

Challenger’s wheels were on the concrete of the 

Shuttle Area ramp. That was the last time we used 

this route to get the orbiter to Dryden.”

For those people who drive by the monument, 

they will have an opportunity to remember the 

sacrifices of the seven brave souls who challenged 

the unknown and think about the next generation 

of astronauts waiting for their chance to discover 

new frontiers in space.

The NASA Space Shuttle program has had a number of successes, but Space Shuttle Columbia broke 

apart 16 minutes from landing on Feb. 1, 2003. From left, the crew included David Brown, Rick D. 

Husband, Laurel Blair Sutton Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, William C. McCool and 

Ilan Ramon.

 NASA
 X-Press August 2016

By Dava Newman

NASA deputy administrator

NASA science takes many shapes, 

and we’re always pushing the 

boundary of what is achievable. I’ve 

just had an incredible opportunity 

to take part in one of our amazing 

missions that is gazing beyond our 

solar system in a unique way.

The flying observatory called 

SOFIA, the Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared 

Astronomy, was in Christchurch, 

New Zealand, to study parts of 

the universe more easily visible 

from the Southern Hemisphere. It 

carries a 2.5-meter telescope inside 

a Boeing 747SP jetliner to observe 

the cosmos at infrared wavelengths. 

These observations are not possible 

from the ground, because water 

vapor in Earth’s atmosphere absorbs 

almost all the infrared light before it 

reaches the ground’s surface. SOFIA 

flies above 99 percent of this water 

vapor, at 38,000-45,000 feet in 

altitude, while carrying some of the 

world’s most powerful instruments 

not currently available on spacebased observatories.

These unique capabilities enable 

scientists to study the origins 

of our universe in ways that no 

other observatory can. I flew 

with the SOFIA team as they 

observed multiple targets in space: 

a nova (explosion of a star) in the 

constellation Sagittarius; one of 

the biggest stars known, named 

Eta Carinae, that will explode as 

a supernova relatively soon; and 

a large, newly forming star called 

IRAS 16562-3959. The science 

flight lasted ten hours, and at 61 

degrees south latitude we witnessed 

the amazing aurora australis.

In addition to its powerful 

observing capabilities, SOFIA also 

has the unique ability to allow 

guest investigators, educators, 

journalists, and other related 

professionals to fly on an observing 

mission and see the research 

process first hand. The educators 

fly on the observatory as part 

of NASA’s Airborne Astronomy 

Ambassadors (AAA) program, 

a competitive professional 

development opportunity designed 

to implement active teaching 

methods, inspire students, and 

enhance scientific literacy for 

learners of all ages. The educators 

take what they learn on SOFIA 

back into their classrooms and 

communities to convey the value of 

scientific research, the importance 

of scientific and design processes, 

and the wide variety of science, 

technology, engineering, and math 

(STEM) career paths available to 

students.

This program brings the 

excitement, challenges, discoveries, 

and teamwork of SOFIA operations 

to the public on a national and 

international scale. Indeed, SOFIA 

itself is a partnership between 

NASA and the German Aerospace 

Center (DLR) – our wonderful 

partner in many areas that also 

flies educators to the stratosphere 

aboard this incredible airborne 

science observatory. This one-ofa-kind program seeks excellence 

by promoting both advancement 

and literacy in science, technology, 

engineering, art, mathematics, 

and design (STEAMD) to prepare 

a 21st century, interdisciplinary 

workforce.

SOFIA investigates the infrared 

universe to make discoveries light 

years away. It’s an example of vital 

NASA science expanding our 

journey of discovery – and I look 

forward to following its scientific 

discoveries in the years ahead.

Newman experiences SOFIA mission 

 Courtesy of the U.S. Embassy New Zealand/ Ola Thorsen

NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman flies aboard the Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.

Scholarship... from page 3

job in aerospace.”

The annual scholarship provides 

$2,000 a year for up to four years 

for attendance at a four-year college 

or university. The recipient must 

maintain a minimum grade-point 

average of 3.0 or higher to retain 

the scholarship. Applicants must be 

high school seniors whose parents 

work at Armstrong.

Her parents said they couldn’t be 

prouder.

“I am really excited for her,” 

said Dede Dinius, her mom, and 

an Armstrong visual information 

specialist. “She has always been 

financially aware and now she has 

earned some contributions toward 

her education. I am excited for 

her that her hard work has been 

acknowledged.”

Clint Dinius, Katelynn Dinius’ 

dad, added, “I’m thankful for 

NASA Armstrong’s support of 

Katelynn’s education.”

Dinius earned a 4.28 gradepoint average and was valedictorian 

of her graduating class. She earned 

the Principal Award for academic 

achievement every semester, the 

Curriculum Award of Excellence 

and the Advanced Placement 

Calculus Subject Award. She also 

was a member of the national 

English, Spanish and honors 

societies and the California 

Scholarship Federation.

She also is a member of Mu 

Alpha Theta (the United States 

mathematics honors society). 

During her last semester at Paraclete 

Dinius was part of the Lockheed 

Martin Corp. Conceptual Design 

Internship program. 

Dinius was awarded a Certificate 

of Special Congressional 

Recognition from California 

Senator Steve Knight and a 

scholarship from the Society of 

Woman Engineers. She was actively 

involved in the Rosamond Civil Air 

Patrol and tutored students, as well 

as taking piano lessons and ballet 

classes.

She lettered as a member of the 

varsity cross-country and track 

teams. Dinius was an active member 

of the Key Club, Irish Club, Drama 

Club and the Environmental Club. 

In addition, she was a news editor 

for Clete News and communications 

officer and retreat leader for the 

Campus Ministry. As part of her 

involvement in her church youth 

group, she does monthly community 

service projects.

The exchange council scholarships 

are named for former Armstrong 

employees, with honorees selected 

on a rotating basis, such as Finch 

this year. Finch was a center 

engineer who specialized in stability 

and control and worked on aircraft 

such as the X-5, the XF-91 and the 

legendary X-15 rocket-powered 

aircraft. Scholarship funds are raised 

from council activities, including 

proceeds from vending machines, 

the Armstrong Gift Shop, cafeteria 

sales and fundraising events.
National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

NASA Armstrong Flight 

Research Center

P.O. Box 273

Edwards, California, 93523-0273

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use, $300

Editor: Jay Levine, 

Logical Innovations, ext. 3459

Managing Editor: Steve Lighthill, NASA

Chief, Strategic Communications:

 Kevin Rohrer, NASA

Address: P.O. Box 273, 

Building 4800, MS 1422

Edwards, California, 93523-0273

Phone: 661-276-3449

FAX: 661-276-3167

The X-Press is published the first Friday of 

each month for civil servants, contractors 

and retirees of the NASA Armstrong Flight 

Research Center.

X-Press August 2016

Tecnam... from page 1

ESAero, the prime contractor for the 

X-57 project. Having the aircraft in 

front of them allowed engineers to 

verify the modifications that had 

been made to the design during the 

fabrication process, which will make 

integration of the electric propulsion 

system possible.

ESAero Vice President of 

Operations Trevor Foster, who is 

the company’s principal investigator 

on X-57, says the excitement level 

has reached new heights since the 

aircraft’s arrival.

“I’ve never worked on a NASA 

X-plane before, this is a very exciting 

experience for me,” Foster said “It 

has become very real for everyone 

to actually have some hardware to 

touch. Everything up until now has 

been on paper and photographs, so 

everyone is very excited and looking 

forward to the next several years.”

Once final inspections at ESAero 

are complete, the aircraft will be 

transported to Scaled Composites 

in Mojave, California, where it will 

undergo the first modification into a 

fully electric airplane with the stock 

Tecnam configuration. This will 

allow the team to validate the safety 

of the all-electric power system and 

two large motors in flight before the 

new wing is integrated. The planned 

final version will feature 12 small, 

electric-driven propellers along a 

high-aspect ratio wing’s leading edge 

and two larger electric cruise motors 

out on the wing tips.

The experimental high-aspect 

ratio wing is being designed at 

NASA Langley and fabricated by 

Xperimental LLC in San Luis 

Obispo, California. The wing’s 

electric propellers will be used 

to generate lift during takeoff 

and landing only, while the two 

outboard motors will be used 

during cruise.

The wing will be integrated onto 

the fuselage once the electric power 

validation flights are complete. 

The vehicle will be powered by 

a battery system, developed by 

Electric Power Systems of the City 

of Industry in California.

The current phase of integration 

is a power system risk reduction 

for the final configuration. This 

includes replacing the two inboard 

reciprocating engines with 

electric motors, which are under 

development by Joby Aviation 

in Santa Cruz, California. Once 

the electric integration for this 

phase takes place, the aircraft will 

undergo ground tests to analyze 

the system. Flight tests for this 

initial modification are planned 

for the spring of 2018.

X-57 is the result of research 

and testing done through the 

Convergent Aeronautics Solutions’ 

(CAS) sub-project SCEPTOR, 

which falls under the Transformative 

Aeronautics Concepts Program. 

NASA’s goal of meeting and 

overcoming the challenges of today’s 

aviation starts with potentially 

revolutionary ideas, and CAS was 

instrumental in supporting the idea 

of zero-carbon-emitting distributed 

electric propulsion.

“I am very excited that NASA 

Aeronautics has started the 

Convergent Aeronautic Solutions 

project where cross-center teams 

can propose revolutionary ideas 

that if feasible, can graduate that 

new technology into one of the 

mainstream aeronautics projects 

for further research and validation,” 

stated NASA Armstrong Deputy 

Aeronautics Research Director Starr 

Ginn.

“Unboxing the airplane today 

was an exciting milestone for those 

of us who have been advocating for 

several years the need to design, 

build and fly an electric airplane, 

and understand the system 

integration challenges, technology 

gaps and showcase a new area of 

vehicle design space with distributed 

electric propulsion.”

SCEPTOR will become the 

first CAS sub-project to graduate 

to the Flight Demonstrations 

and Capabilities project under 

the Integrated Aviation Systems 

Program, and X-57 will be the first 

of a series of increasingly larger 

electric aircraft in support of the 

New Aviation Horizons initiative.

The Italian Tecnam aircraft fuselage, P2006T, was unloaded from its shipping container after its arrival in California and will be integrated with the 

wing for electric propulsion to become the X-57, or Maxwell.

AFRC2016-0212-85 NASA/Ken Ulbrich