NASA researchers to flying insects: 'Bug off! '
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 13:00
in Physics & Chemistry
When flying insects get in the way of an airplane's wing during takeoff or landing, it's not just the bugs that suffer. Those little blasts of bug guts disrupt the laminar -- or smooth -- flow of air over the airplane's wings, creating more drag on the airplane and contributing to increased fuel consumption. That's why a group of researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center -- the "bug team" -- recently ran several flight tests of coatings that may one day reduce the amount of bug contamination on the wings of commercial aircraft.