NASA and Partners Scaling to New Heights 

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA and partners from Aerostar and AeroVironment discuss a simulation of a high-altitude air traffic management system for vehicles flying 60,000 feet and above in the Airspace Operations Lab (AOL) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. NASA/Don Richey NASA, in partnership with AeroVironment and Aerostar, recently demonstrated a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept that could pave the way for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes. This work seeks to open the door for increased internet…

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NASA Develops Pod to Help Autonomous Aircraft Operators 

The NASA Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE) sensor pod is attached to the base of a NASA helicopter at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida in April 2024 before a flight to test the pod’s cameras and sensors. The AIRVUE pod will be used to collect data for autonomous aircraft like air taxis, drones, or other Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. NASA/Isaac Watson For self-flying aircraft to take to the skies, they need to learn about their environments to avoid hazards. NASA aeronautics researchers recently…

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NASA Noise Prediction Tool Supports Users in Air Taxi Industry

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The results from a NASA software tool called OVERFLOW, used to model the flow of air around aircraft, are shown in this image. NASA Several air taxi companies are using a NASA-developed computer software tool to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers working in fields related to NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to see early in the aircraft development process how design elements like propellors or wings would perform. This saves the industry time and…

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NASA Advanced Air Mobility Partnerships

12 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA is partnered with other government agencies, industry, and academia to conduct Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) research to benefit a future transportation system with routine flight of air taxis and drones. See the current partnerships below and in the map above. AerostarSioux Falls, South DakotaNASA and Aerostar are conducting collaborative evaluation of a NASA prototype simulated Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) system. AeroVironmentSimi Valley, CaliforniaNASA and AeroVironment are conducting research, development, testing, and evaluation of a NASA prototype…

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NASA Flies Drones Autonomously for Air Taxi Research

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An Alta-8 small Unmanned Aircraft System testbed vehicle flies above NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Flying beyond visual line of sight from observers on the ground required special approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA. NASA / Bowman Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia recently flew multiple drones beyond visual line of sight with no visual observer. The drones successfully flew around obstacles and each other during takeoff, along a planned route, and…

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