NASA concepts for future airliners

[Hobbes]

NASA has been funding research into new airliner concepts, aiming at reducing cost, fuel consumption and noise. The initial results are in:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/flight_2025.html

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplanes.html

[raafif]

Still playing around with the German "Victoria" wing from 1945 I see
Would the single fan be powerful enough for take-off or would it need Jato ?

There was a plan for a nucular-powered tug to pull 2 airliners across oceans with them only using their own engines to take-off & land.  It seemed that the flying-boat tug would only fly over water as, to fly over land, the nuclear power-plant would need extra shielding in case of a crash which made it too heavy to save the amount fuel to make it economical.

Here's a Lockheed / NASA one from 1980 -- re-engine with Turbo-jets like one of the Boeing AVC blended-wings & maybe ...