System for Flight Control of Hypersonic Aircraft

Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center have designed an electrode-based system for guidance, navigation, and control of aircraft or spacecraft moving at hypersonic speeds in ionizing atmospheres. The system operates based on the principles of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and uses energy harvested from the ionized flow occurring during flight at hypersonic speeds to power the electromagnet and generate extremely large Lorentz forces capable of augmenting lift and drag forces to steer and control the craft. The energy harvested can alternatively be stored for later use.