In pursuit of these objectives, DLR links basic research with innovative applications, thus accomplishing the transfer of knowledge and research results to industry and politics.

In this way, DLR scientists are making a significant contribution to Germany's position as a scientific and economic hub, and to economic growth in Europe as a whole, for instance through the deployment of fuel cell technology, a satellite mission to explore the universe, and new approaches to energy research. Aeronautics

The objectives of DLR's aeronautics research are to strengthen the competitive advantage of the national and European aeronautical industry and aviation sector, and to meet political and social demands. One of DLR's main tasks in this area is to help reduce the adverse environmental effects of aviation emissions.

In order to achieve this, DLR focuses especially on the development and application of new technologies such as the fuel cell and materials such as carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP).

Antares: The first aircraft to take off using fuel cell technology
Antares is the world's first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using fuel cell propulsion. The maiden flight of this high-tech motorglider is scheduled to take place in May 2009. The aircraft is based on the Antares 20E motorglider.

In cooperation with Lange Aviation GmbH, DLR has installed a 20-kW fuel cell system and hydrogen tanks underneath the specially strengthened wings. In this way, the fuel cell system can supply sufficient energy for the operation of the aircraft's engine, propeller and on-board electronics. This enables Antares to take off and fly with zero emissions.

In the future, it will be possible to carry out the necessary tests for the further development of fuel cell technology in aviation more quickly and cost-efficiently by using the motorglider instead of DLR's large Airbus A320 ATRA research aircraft, which already has a fuel cell system that can take over the on-board power supply in case of an emergency.

ATRA: Fuel-saving electrically powered nose wheel for Airbus aircraft
This spring, DLR's A320 ATRA research aircraft will undergo its first taxi tests using an electrically powered nose wheel. Significant fuel savings can be achieved and noise pollution at airports can be reduced by using this new drivetrain.

Lighter aircraft thanks to carbon fibre materials
In early February, the CFK Valley in Stade and the planned centre for lightweight construction and production in Augsburg will take German research into the application of carbon fibre materials to a new level.

DLR is one of the key partners in the future activities at these locations. In Augsburg, for instance, DLR will not just contribute with the fruits of its aeronautics research, but also the robotics expertise of its space institutes.

Energy
All areas of economic, public and private life are dependent on energy supply, which means that energy research is of great economic importance as well. Recent political problems relating to energy supply have shown that Germany needs to make structural changes to its energy policy, and that it should invest considerably more resources in energy research than before.

DLR sets the benchmarks for the rest of Europe in this field and it is at the forefront of new developments.

Solar thermal tower power plant to be taken into operation in Julich
A solar thermal tower power plant will be taken into operation by the public utility company of the city of Julich in spring 2009. Plane mirrors with a total surface area of 20 000 square metres redirect the solar radiation onto a so-called receiver that has been installed on a tower at a height of 55 metres.

This receiver, which forms the core of the plant, was developed and patented at DLR. The solar tower allows researchers in Germany to conduct test and development activities right around the corner, so to speak.

The results they obtain can then be transferred to much larger plants in the sunbelt countries of southern Europe or North Africa. Solar thermal power plants hold great potential for the global energy supply of the future.

Hybrid power plant: gas turbine to be coupled with a fuel cell
DLR is also developing a hybrid power plant that couples a gas turbine with a high-temperature fuel cell (SOFC). In the long term, researchers hope that it will be able to produce electricity with the highest possible level of efficiency.

The secret of this innovative power plant design lies in the connection between the high-temperate fuel cell and the gas turbine, through which the hot exhaust gases of the fuel cell enter the combustion chamber of the gas turbine.

By way of comparison, a gas turbine generates electricity with an efficiency of 40 percent, whereas the fuel cell achieves an efficiency of 46 percent. Even in comparison to individual components of the highest quality, the hybrid power plant can achieve an efficiency increase of 14 percentage points.

In addition to this, DLR is developing more environmentally friendly decentralised power plant designs in collaboration with power supply company EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG.

Coupling a thermal gasifier or a biogas reactor to a micro gas turbine is a potential solution for the efficient production of electricity and heat from biomass in small plants in the lower power range. The new components and conceptual designs are implemented together in pilot and demonstration plants.

Focusing on the big picture: the Energy Pilot Study 2009 for the German Ministry for the Environment
As in previous years, DLR will draw up the 2009 edition of the Energy Pilot Study ("Leitstudie 2009") on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium fur Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit; BMU), outlining the development of Germany's energy supply over the period 2009 - 2050.

The study will assess whether Germany will be able to meet its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by expanding renewable energy and by realising its full potential for energy conservation.

Transportation
The economic costs of traffic congestion are enormous. Noise and exhaust emissions put a strain on the environment. The influence of transportation on the climate is no longer disputed. The most important topics for DLR's transportation research in the year 2009 are electric vehicle technology and alternative propulsion.

This, for instance, includes the further development of the thermoelectric generator TEG, which can generate electrical energy from the heat of exhaust gases. In 2009, the DLR researchers want to develop a generator that has a higher capacity than current models.

New vehicle structure designs can lead to drastic weight reductions. In 2009, DLR researchers will work on a prototype for the front end of the SuperLIGHTCar.

Innovative vehicle energy systems, lighter coachwork, Next Generation Train
This year, scientists working on the development of the pioneering Next Generation Train will open a crosswind and tunnel simulator for trains and heavy goods vehicles that is based on new research methodology.

With regard to DLR's research on airport management, this year will see the start of the Total Airport Management Suite project for integrated landside-airside airport management, a joint project with the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Technologie; BMWi) and national partners. DLR's research on the correlations between traffic growth and environment will focus on analysing the current and future potential for pure electric vehicles from a user's perspective.

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