While the aircraft has no moving parts, the entire thing will spin for controllability, the same way that the barrel of a rifle spins a bullet to make it fly straighter. This wouldn't be the first aircraft to fly using magnetohydrodynamics, said Anthony Colossa, a researcher at NASA's Glenn Research Center who is not involved in Roy's work. According to Colossa, about eight years ago a NASA team used ionized air propulsion to fly an aircraft that was attached to an external battery. Roy's aircraft would use off-the-shelf batteries to power the electrodes. "When they first did it they thought it was miraculous, an anti-gravity machine, all that stuff," said Colozza. "Then they stuck it into a vacuum and it didn't move." The new aircraft does need air or at least a magnetic field in order to operate; it wouldn't work in outer space or fly between planets, although Roy says it could fly missions on other planets. And don't expect the WEAV to zoom away from Earth like the flying saucers in the movies. "Escaping [Earth's] gravity pool is a different ball game altogether," said Roy. Roy estimates that the first test flight could happen in as little as four months. If successful, the physics of magnetohydrodynamics lend themselves to larger aircraft, making larger-scale versions of the WEAV possible. Whether the aircraft actually flies or not, it is already generating interest. NASA and the U.S. Air Force have both contacted Roy, and UFO theorists have latched onto the development. "We've been getting so many phone calls and emails, you wouldn't believe it," said Roy. Related Links: Eric Bland's blog: Interior Design |
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