Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Space age swimsuit reduces drag, breaks records
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Copyright Year | 2008 |
| Description | A space shuttle and a competitive swimmer have a lot more in common than people might realize: Among other forces, both have to contend with the slowing influence of drag. NASA s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate focuses primarily on improving flight efficiency and generally on fluid dynamics, especially the forces of pressure and viscous drag, which are the same for bodies moving through air as for bodies moving through water. Viscous drag is the force of friction that slows down a moving object through a substance, like air or water. NASA uses wind tunnels for fluid dynamics research, studying the forces of friction in gasses and liquids. Pressure forces, according to Langley Research Center s Stephen Wilkinson, dictate the optimal shape and performance of an airplane or other aero/hydro-dynamic body. In both high-speed flight and swimming, says Wilkinson, a thin boundary layer of reduced velocity fluid surrounds the moving body; this layer is about 2 centimeters thick for a swimmer. |
| File Size | 143430 |
| Page Count | 2 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20090002494 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t2b907m10 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2008-09-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Man/system Technology And Life Support Viscous Drag Pressure Drag Water Fluid Dynamics Wind Tunnels Drag Aerodynamics Garments Swimming Boundary Layers Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |