NASA Tech Briefs Insider Blog

System Detects Hazardous Materials Released in Aircraft Cabins

Researchers at Purdue University are developing a system that uses
mathematical models and sensors to locate passengers releasing hazardous materials or pathogens inside airline cabins. The research has shown that the technique can track a substance to an area the size of a single seat.

The technique, called “inverse simulation,” analyzes how a material disperses throughout the cabin and then runs the dispersion in reverse to find its origin. Sensors track the airflow pattern and collect data related to factors such as temperature, velocity, and concentration of gases and particles in the air.

According to the researchers, the technique might enable officials to identify passengers responsible for the unintentional release of germs, such as contagious viruses, or the intentional release of pathogens or chemical agents in a terrorist attack.

For more information, click here.

In a crash, keeping the occupants alive and uninjured is paramount. As a part of the Structural Dynamics Branch in the Research and Technology Directorate at NASA Langley, the Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) tests the safety of aircraft by crashing them. Dr. Karen Jackson is part of the research team.

According to Dr. Jackson, “LandIR was originally built in the early 1960s as a lunar landing research facility. Now LandIR is a full-scale test facility for air and spacecraft. We’re evaluating landing and attenuating systems for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, the Orion. These are not for lunar impacts, but when the capsule comes back to Earth.”

Read the “Who’s Who at NASA” interview with Dr. Karen Jackson on page 10 of the April issue, or click here.

The “Research Opportunities in Aeronautics” announcement from NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate seeks research in several new topic areas for the Next Generation Air Transportation System Air Traffic Management Airspace Project and the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project.

The primary goal of the Airspace Systems Program is to develop revolutionary concepts, capabilities, and technologies that will enable significant increases in the capacity, efficiency, and flexibility of our National Airspace System. A major focus of the Subsonic Fixed Wing project is to develop improved prediction methods and technologies for future subsonic aircraft with lower noise, lower emissions, and higher performance.

For evaluation criteria and deadlines click here.