NASA Tests Air Taxi Resilience By Dropping Its Body From A Height

JAKARTA NASA is trying to develop air taxis with the best level of protection. One of the efforts the US space agency made was to test the resilience of the fuselage.

Recently, NASA conducted a collision test on the fuselage of an aerial taxi. This test was carried out at NASA's Maritime Research Center which was on its way by dropping the plane from a height of ten meters.

The plane that was dropped has been modeled like an air taxi and is made of a high-level steel structure. The material used is referred to as a gantry. During the testing, the researchers monitored whether the material used could absorb the shape force.

"This test will help develop safety regulations for state-of-the-art air mobility aircraft, leading to safer designs," Justin Littell, head of the air taxi durability test, said in a statement.

When the plane was dropped, the plane swung before landing to the ground. The impact simulations are similar to the resistance test conducted in 2022. However, the researchers are now adding 10 degrees of rotation to the plane's trajectory.

After the air taxi crashed, the researchers evaluated how the structure and battery were able to withstand the collision. The failure experienced by air taxis is said to have been in accordance with the predictions in computer simulations that used data from the 2022 trial.

Data from this test will be shared with the public. This is expected to improve research and development of air taxis. The lessons learned will help the industry evaluate aircraft design resilience before operating on residential areas.