**Acknowledgements**

The authors thank the NASA Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP), directed by Dr. John Cavolowsky for funding this research. The M-SHELLS sub-project is part of the Convergent Aeronautical Solutions (CAS) project under the TACP Program. CAS is directed by Isaac Lopez, Project Manager, Marty Waszak, Deputy Project Manager and Daniel Williams, CAS Liaison Officer at Langley. We thank Dr. Nicholas Borer, Jeff Viken, and the X-57 Maxwell Systems Analysis and Integration team for their guidance. Thanks are also due to Kevin Roscoe, Greg Howland, David A. Hare, Luke Laub, David Klassman, and Frank Leone for performing the *Tempest* structural weight

measurement and deflection tests, and to Russell Smith and Brett Bednarcyk for leading the fabrication team, and for providing the M-SHELLS coupon structural test results. Authors also acknowledge technical support from Dr. Dave Krause and Dr. Patricia Loyselle, NASA Glenn Research Center, William Kimmel, Chief Technologist, Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD), Philip Arcara, Branch Head, and Mark Guynn, Assistant Branch Head, Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB). Thanks are also due to all the technical reviewers for improving the report significantly. Technical discussions with Dr. Wu Li, Dr. Natalia Alexandrov, Jason Kirk and Dr. Jesse Quinlan for improving the chapter are greatly appreciated.

