Early studies of aerodynamics showed that the shape of a wing has enormous effects on flight – but there isn’t just one “best” wing shape. That definition will change for different aircraft, for different flights of the same aircraft, and even for different segments of a single flight. The Mission Adaptive Digital Composites Aerostructures Technology, or MADCAT, team at NASA’s Ames Research Center is designing a wing that can change its shape to adapt to changing flight conditions. Constructed of lightweight lattice structures made of carbon fiber materials, the goal is to reduce drag, leading to more efficient airplanes.

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