NASA Tests Space Launch System Autopilot

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NASA Tests Space Launch System Autopilot Technology on F/A-18 Jet

An F/A-18 research jet simulated various flight conditions that NASA's Space Launch System may experience as it makes its way from the launch pad to space, to evaluate the rocket's flight control system. The tests are helping engineers design a system that can autonomously adjust to unexpected conditions during flight.

NASA has completed the first tests with an F/A-18 research jet to evaluate the autonomous flight control system for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

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Algorithms + F/A-18 Jet = Vital Testing for SLS Flight Control System

Raise your hand if, in a math class, you ever said, "When will I ever use this in my life?"

Four young engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., can answer that question: They are using math to develop algorithms, or complex step-by-step equations, that can make an F/A-18 fighter jet fly like the Space Launch System (SLS) -- NASA's next heavy-lift launch vehicle.

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Math Models Make F-18 into Space Launch System

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center talk about the new flight control system for the agency's Space Launch System. When completed, the rocket will be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle to support deep space missions.

Credit: NASA/MSFC

Source: NASA - Multimedia

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LVAC: Advancing the Technology Readiness Of SLS Adaptive Controls

Can a rocket maneuver like an airplane?

And can an airplane act as a surrogate for a maneuvering rocket?

NASA engineers demonstrated just that when they used a NASA F/A-18 aircraft recently to simulate a rocket in its early flight phase to test adaptive software for NASA's new rocket the Space Launch System (SLS), the largest, most powerful launch vehicle for deep space missions.

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