European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Supersonic Crystal Ball gazing by Edmund l. Andrews new York times y about the year 2010. It May be possible Lor Globe Trotters to Fly from los Angeles to Tokyo at two or three limes the Speed of sound cutting the nine hour trip to three or tour hours and pay Only slightly More than they would Lor a ticket on a Boeing 747 that at least is the goal of officials a the National aeronautics and space administration their counterparts in Europe and Japan and of executives at most of the world s aircraft makers no one is yet sure whether such a plane is possible but hundreds of millions of dollars Are being spent to find out this year. Nasa began a five year. $284 million program to assess the likelihood of solving the most formidable problems associated with building the aircraft ii the results Are Good Nasa officials want to follow up with a far bigger Effort to develop the component technologies this i not the space plane dubbed the "x-30" that As envisioned by former president Reagan would travel into space from existing airports and travel Al 25 times the Speed of sound that Nasa says is still 40 years away As a passenger plane a new civilian supersonic transport might sound like an easy Challenge the first passenger supersonic plane the concorde has been flying commercially at Mach 2, or twice the Speed of sound since 1976 military fighter planes have been flying faster than Mach 3 for even longer. What makes the new project so daunting is the need to develop a plane that is not Only feasible but environmentally acceptable and commercially successful to do that it will have to satisfy a wide Range of often competing demands for size Speed Range and safely everyone is still in the study phase said Michael Henderson. The head of High Speed civil transport activity Al the Boeing co what we have to do first is understand the economic viability " in the last three years aircraft manufacturers have arrived Al a rough consensus on the performance requirements for a new supersonic transport Speed it should Fly at two to three limes the Speed of sound Only moderately faster than the concorde size it must carry 250 to 300 passengers compared with 100 for the concorde to generate enough Revenue Range it should be Able to Fly about 7,000 Miles without refuelling Long enough to travel from los Angeles to Tokyo the concorde s Range is 3,500 Miles. Cost to Al Kracl enough passengers fares should be Only 11 percent to 15 percent higher than those for subsonic planes environmental safety because the plane would cruise at 55.000 to 60.000 Leet. Many experts Are worried that its emission of nitrogen oxides could devastate the Ozone layer that Shields the Earth from the Sun s life threatening ultraviolet rays. The new engines will have to Burn far More cleanly than those now in use reduced Airport noise the engines must also be quieter than those of the concorde if the plane is to win approval from local communities to take off As frequently As conventional subsonic planes. Reduced sonic Boom if possible aircraft designers would like to limit the Boom enough for the plane to win permission for supersonic flights Over land most of these requirements imply Trade oils environmental safety and reduced noise Are Likely to add weight Hurt efficiency and Cut Range. Developing an acceptable solution to these problems Means finding ways to balance competing needs As Well As developing new technologies and new sources of efficiency. These include identifying lighter and stronger materials More efficient engines and novel aerodynamic designs. These Are Tough issues said Donald Graf who oversees the High Speed civil transport program at Mcdonnell Douglas corp. But Given All the advances we have today that we did t have 20 years ago there Are reasons to be  if development does proceed the costs Are expected to be huge. The supersonic concorde has been lying air France it refining the key technologies is expected to Cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion according to government and Industry experts. Developing a working aircraft would Cost another $10 billion to $15 billion. In the past building a new air plane meant that you had to beat the company said James p. Loomis director of the Center for High Speed commercial flight at the Battelle memorial Institute a research organization in Columbus Ohio. This Effort will in All likelihood mean that four or five companies will have to join  the most serious concern and the top priority of Nasa s now five year program is the potential for damaging the Ozone layer. Scientists believe that nitrogen oxide emissions released in the stratosphere could be lethal if they destroyed the Ozone layer and increased the ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground. But the evidence remains unclear. Nasa s goal therefore is to develop a More accurate understanding about the danger and to develop engines thai reduce emissions to one tenth their current level. Aerospace experts already have a general idea of the plane s other technical characteristics. In contrast to the Needle like shape of the concorde Iho new plane is Likely to have Broad triangular wings that provide better lift throughout the flight. It s called a double Delta because the Forward part Lett room for Tutu Tench air sucked through tiny Micro pores drilled through the skin of the aircraft can reduce drag by thinning the Boundary layer of air where turbulence occurs. A . Microscopic grooves inscribed on tape applied to the aircraft s ski have been shown to reduce drag up to 8 percent. Put pm of airflow designers strive to product smooth flow in the layer of Elf a would be to reduce the layer by sucking air through the Craft s surface and pump i Gines. Reducing the drag of air turbulence could result in substantial fuel savings a inexpensive As Jet travel is  streamlined nags that would encircle the body of an Airliner could break up Large eddies into smaller Aiea Sof turbulence reducing drag even things As Small As the crushed bodies of los cd can cause eddies thai increase turbulence and drag a retractable panel to shield Wing edges it Tow altitudes is being a wiped. Page 14 stars and stripes wednesday