NASA's Fly By Wire

 

    Since its creation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been changing the aviation industry through its research and development. During the early space testing and mission's, NASA engineers realized that spacecraft design and operations would rely heavily on computers. One of the advancements that was designed was the digital flyby wire system (DFBW) (Creech, 2007). The success and reliability of the DFBW would eventually enter the military and commercial aviation worlds.

    NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center showed the efficiency of DFBW by using multiple computers to operate the system. The use of multiple computers to improve the safety of flight by eliminating the possibility of computer failure from crippling an aircraft (Creech, 2007). The computers also make optimal control deflection choice quicker than the pilot, making the aircraft fly stable or straight and true. The first successful DFBW aircraft was accomplished by Dryden on May 25, 1972 using an F-8C Crusader. The system would later be replaced by a triple redundant digital system that provides backup computer abilities. This system was developed by NASA's Langley Research Center.

    The reason for the big push of DFBW comes from the support of Neil Armstrong. Using DFBW and computer guidance during the Apollo missions, Armstrong understood the reliability of the system and the potential it would have in the military and commercial aviations world. The system replaced heavier less reliable hydraulic systems, with electrical wires and digital computers (Dunbar, n.d.). The system would later return to space on the Space Shuttle as a primary source of control for the astronauts.

References

Creech, G. (2007, November 30). Digital Fly By Wire: Aircraft Flight Control Comes of Age. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved on 30 January 2022 from https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/improvingflight/fly_by_wire.html

Dunbar, B. (n.d.). Aeronautics. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved on 30 January 2022 from https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2889731143924266694/3825268555823414677