NASA’s Newest X-Plane Takes to the Skies

NASA’s next-generation blended-wing-body aircraft completed its first flight today at Edwards Air Force Base in California. 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 new version, which, like the older version, is a scale model with a wingspan of about 20 feet, is designed to evaluate low-speed stability and a low-noise design. (www.wired.com) Mehr...