NASA Tests New Autopilot Technology on F/A-18 Jet  

Photo Courtesy of NASA

By Ashley Addington 





NASA has completed the first round of tests on the new autonomous flight control system that has been integrated into NASA’s F/A-18 jet. The evaluation is a step toward seeing how the autopilot would work on the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. 



The new system that allows the modification is called the Adaptive Augmenting Controller. This system will allow the Space Launch System rocket to be able to respond to a vehicle and environmental variations that tend to occur during a flight. This type of system would mark a new milestone for the organization. 



"By flying a high-performance F/A-18 jet in a manner similar to our rocket, we're able to simulate SLS's flight conditions and improve our software," Tannen VanZwieten, SLS flight controls working group lead, said in a press release. "The innovative system that we are testing at Dryden is advancing flight control technology by adding an adaptive element, which is new for launch vehicles. We're using this technology to expand the capabilities of the SLS a bit more than what is possible with a traditional design." 



More than 40 tests were conducted at NASA’s Dryden facility, which sits on Edwards Air Force Base, and the jets were tested in 70-second periods. During the test the operators created a variety of scenarios to test how the system would handle the jet. 



The flight system is anticipated to be ready by 2017. The first flight on the SLS will be conducted with the use of a 70-metric-ton lift capacity configuration and carry an unscrewed Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit.



As the system evolves, NASA aims to improve the lift capability to 130 metric tons to be able to complete more distant and more complex missions.