Nature-inspired rocket-nozzle redesign stands by for liftoff
When it comes to rockets, bell-shaped engines are the norm. But they’re not the most efficient shape. Engineers have relied on this design only because it avoids a known overheating risk faced by a more efficient engine. Now, though, three 17-year-olds have redesigned the nozzle of the more efficient aerospike engine to better manage heat. They’re hoping that one day their new tech might literally shoot for the stars. Devin Wanchoo, Michael Obeng and Mazon Ben Chouikha attend Governor’s School at Innovation Park in Manassas, Va. Their new work began as a way to satisfy a class assignment. “We wanted to do something in aerospace. We wanted to do something involving biomimicry. And then we wanted to do something that no one has done before,” says Michael. Those motivations led them to refine a better rocket system. Michael Obeng (left), Mazon Ben Chouikha (middle) and Devin Wanchoo (right) hold a model of their new aerospike nozzle. They’ve improved the heat tolerance of the aerospike design using a novel machine-learning algorithm and some inspiration from Mother …
