DL­R­magazine 166 – Next stop: the fu­ture

Abstract

Lightweight, manoeuvrable and safe: the Safe Light Regional Vehicle (SLRV) features on the cover of Issue 166 of the DLRmagazine and is one of the new vehicle concepts developed at DLR with the potential to shape the future of transport. When designing such vehicles, researchers find it important that their drive systems are as resource-efficient as possible. To this end, the SLRV prototype is powered by a combination of a fuel cell and a battery, and runs on hydrogen. This is just one of the ways that DLR is combining cutting-edge fundamental research with the applied development of innovative ideas. In the field of aviation, DLR is researching how aircraft can be made more fuel-efficient. To do so, the balance between stability and flexibility is crucial. Wolf Krüger from the DLR Institute of Aeroelasticity is investigating particularly flexible aircraft wings and explains in an interview why there is still no need to worry when you see them bend while looking out of an aircraft window. Meanwhile, researchers at DLR in Oldenburg are trialling the sustainable energy supply of the future. This issue of the DLRmagazine takes you on a visit to their new NESTEC laboratory. Another highlight in this issue is the story of Blaubeuren, the largest stony meteorite ever found in Germany. The Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf has now determined the impressive age of this heavyweight from outer space: it landed on Earth approximately 10,000 years ago. Other topics include an overview of 40 years of applied remote sensing at DLR where researcher process information from Earth observation satellites and forge valuable tools from their data. You can discover a project to secure communication and navigation systems against cyberattacks. And the magazine also takes you to the new DLR Responsive Space Cluster Competence Center in Trauen, where experts pursue the ambitious goal of replacing defective or missing satellites within seven days – a project that could make a James Bond film look like a documentary.