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By NASA
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose for a photo during a training session.Credit: SpaceX NASA astronauts Michael Finke and Zena Cardman will connect with students in Minnesota as they answer prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) questions aboard the International Space Station.
The Earth-to-space call will begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and will stream live on the agency’s Learn With NASA YouTube channel.
Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, to Elizabeth Ross at: 952-838-1340 or elizabeth.ross@pacer.org.
The PACER center will host this event in Bloomington for students in their Tech for Teens program. The organization aims to improve educational opportunities and enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with disabilities and their families. The goal of this event is to help educate and inspire teens with disabilities to consider opportunities in STEM fields.
For nearly 25 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Golden Age explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See more information on NASA in-flight downlinks at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
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Gerelle Dodson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-511
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 15, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Artemis ISS Research STEM Engagement at NASA View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Research Aircraft for electric Vertical takeoff and landing Enabling techNologies Subscale Wind Tunnel and Flight Test undergoes a free flight test on the City Environment Range Testing for Autonomous Integrated Navigation range at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on April 22, 2025.NASA/Rob Lorkiewicz Flying the friendly skies may one day include time-saving trips in air taxis to get from point A to point B – and NASA researchers are currently working to make that future a reality.
They are using wind tunnel and flight tests to gather data on an electric Vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) scaled-down small aircraft that resembles an air taxi that aircraft manufacturers can use for their own designs.
As air taxis take to the skies, engineers need real-world data on air taxi designs to better understand flight dynamics and design better flight control systems. These systems help stabilize and guide the motion of an aircraft while in flight, making sure it flies safely in various conditions.
Currently, most companies developing air taxis keep the information about how their aircraft behaves internal, so NASA is using this small aircraft to produce public, non-proprietary data available to all.
“NASA’s ability to perform high-risk flight research for increasingly automated and autonomous aircraft is really important,” said Siena Whiteside, who leads the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) project. “As we investigate these types of vehicles, we need to be able push the aircraft to its limits and understand what happens when an unforeseen event occurs…”
For example, Whiteside said, “…when a motor stops working. NASA is willing to take that risk and publish the data so that everyone can benefit from it.”
Researchers Jody Miller, left, and Brayden Chamberlain, right, stand by a crane that is used for tethered flight testing of the Research Aircraft for electric Vertical takeoff and landing Enabling techNologies Subscale Wind Tunnel and Flight Test at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on Oct. 18, 2024.NASA/Ben Simmons Testing Air Taxi Tech
By using a smaller version of a full-sized aircraft called the RAVEN Subscale Wind Tunnel and Flight Test (RAVEN SWFT) vehicle, NASA is able to conduct its tests in a fast and cost-effective manner.
The small aircraft weighs 38 pounds with a wingspan of six feet and has 24 independently moving components.
Each component, called a “control effector,” can move during flight to change the aircraft’s motion – making it an ideal aircraft for advanced flight controls and autonomous flight research.
The testing is ongoing at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Researchers first used the center’s 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel in 2024 and have since moved on to flight testing the small aircraft, piloting it remotely from the ground. During initial flight tests, the aircraft flew while tied to a tether. Now, the team performs free flights.
Lessons learned from the aircraft’s behavior in the wind tunnel helped to reduce risks during flight tests. In the wind tunnel, researchers performed tests that closely mirror the motion of real flight.
While the scale aircraft was in motion, researchers collected information about its flight characteristics, greatly accelerating the time from design to flight.
The team also could refine the aircraft’s computer control code in real time and upload software changes to it in under 5 minutes, saving them weeks and increasing the amount of data collected.
Researchers Ben Simmons, left, and Greg Howland, right, upload software changes in real time to the Research Aircraft for electric Vertical takeoff and landing Enabling techNologies Subscale Wind Tunnel and Flight Test at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on Aug. 8, 2024, during testing in the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel.NASA/David C. Bowman Partners in Research
NASA developed the custom flight controls software for RAVEN SWFT using tools from the company MathWorks.
NASA and MathWorks are partners under a Space Act Agreement to accelerate the design and testing of flight control approaches on RAVEN SWFT, which can apply to future novel aircraft.
The work has allowed NASA’s researchers to develop new methods to reduce the time for an aircraft to achieve its first flight and become a finished product.
RAVEN SWFT serves as a steppingstone to support the development of a potential larger, 1,000 pound-class RAVEN aircraft that will resemble an air taxi.
This larger RAVEN aircraft is being designed in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology and also would serve as an acoustical research tool, helping engineers understand the noise air taxi-like aircraft create.
The larger aircraft would allow NASA to continue to collect data and share it openly.
By performing flight research and making its data publicly available, NASA aims to advance U.S. leadership in technology development for safe, quiet, and affordable advanced air mobility operations.
Watch this Air Taxi Tests Video
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Last Updated Aug 13, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactDiana Fitzgeralddiana.r.fitzgerald@nasa.govLocationNASA Langley Research Center Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA Glenn Research Center High School Engineering Institute participants, left to right: Evan Ricchetti, Edan Liahovetsky, and Doris Chen, prepare to add weights to their rover to test the effectiveness of their wheel grouser designs on Friday, July 18, 2025. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis This summer, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland hosted the NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute, a free, work-based learning experience designed to prepare rising high school juniors and seniors for careers in the aerospace workforce.
“The institute immerses students in NASA’s work, providing essential career readiness tools for future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-focused academic and professional pursuits,” said Jerry Voltz of NASA Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement.
Throughout the five-day sessions (offered three separate weeks in July), students used authentic NASA mission content and collaborated with Glenn’s technical experts. They gained a deeper understanding of the engineering design process, developed practical engineering solutions to real-world challenges, and tested prototypes to address key mission areas such as:
Acoustic dampening: How can we reduce noise pollution from jet engines? Power management and distribution: How can we develop a smart power system for future space stations? Simulated lunar operations: Can we invent tires that don’t use air? NASA Glenn Research Center High School Engineering Institute participants, left to right: Adriana Pudloski, Anadavel Sakthi, Aditya Rohatgi, and Alexa Apshago, make modifications to the control system program for their rover on Friday, July 18, 2025. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Voltz said he hoped students left the program with three key takeaways: a deeper curiosity and excitement for STEM careers, firsthand insight into how cutting-edge technology developed in Cleveland contributes to NASA’s most prominent missions, and most importantly, a feeling of empowerment gained from engaging with some of NASA’s brightest minds in the field.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA employees Broderic J. Gonzalez, left, and David W. Shank install pieces of a 7-foot wing model in preparation for testing in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in May 2025. The lessons learned will be shared with the public to support advanced air mobility aircraft development. NASA/Mark Knopp The advanced air mobility industry is currently working to produce novel aircraft ranging from air taxis to autonomous cargo drones, and all of those designs will require extensive testing – which is why NASA is working to give them a head-start by studying a special kind of model wing. The wing is a scale model of a design used in a type of aircraft called a “tiltwing,” which can swing its wing and rotors from vertical to horizontal. This allows the aircraft to take off, hover, and land like a helicopter, or fly like a fixed-wing airplane. This design enables versatility in a range of operating environments.
Several companies are working on tiltwings, but NASA’s research into the scale wing will also impact nearly all types of advanced air mobility aircraft designs.
“NASA research supporting advanced air mobility demonstrates the agency’s commitment to supporting this rapidly growing industry,” said Brandon Litherland, principal investigator for the test at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Tool improvements in these areas will greatly improve our ability to accurately predict the performance of new advanced air mobility aircraft, which supports the adoption of promising designs. Gaining confidence through testing ensures we can identify safe operating conditions for these new aircraft.”
NASA researcher Norman W. Schaeffler adjusts a propellor, which is part of a 7-foot wing model that was recently tested at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In May and June, NASA researchers tested the wing in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel to collect data on critical propeller-wing interactions. The lessons learned will be shared with the public to support advanced air mobility aircraft development.NASA/Mark Knopp In May and June, NASA tested a 7-foot wing model with multiple propellers in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at Langley. The model is a “semispan,” or the right half of a complete wing. Understanding how multiple propellers and the wing interact under various speeds and conditions provides valuable insight for the advanced air mobility industry. This information supports improved aircraft designs and enhances the analysis tools used to assess the safety of future designs.
This work is managed by the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project under NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program in support of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission, which seeks to deliver data to guide the industry’s development of electric air taxis and drones.
“This tiltwing test provides a unique database to validate the next generation of design tools for use by the broader advanced air mobility community,” said Norm Schaeffler, the test director, based at Langley. “Having design tools validated for a broad range of aircraft will accelerate future design cycles and enable informed decisions about aerodynamic and acoustic performance.”
In May and June, NASA researchers tested a 7-foot wing model in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The team collected data on critical propeller-wing interactions over the course of several weeks.NASA/Mark Knopp The wing is outfitted with over 700 sensors designed to measure pressure distribution, along with several other types of tools to help researchers collect data from the wing and propeller interactions. The wing is mounted on special sensors to measure the forces applied to the model. Sensors in each motor-propeller hub to measure the forces acting on the components independently.
The model was mounted on a turntable inside the wind tunnel, so the team could collect data at different wing tilt angles, flap positions, and rotation rates. The team also varied the tunnel wind speed and adjusted the relative positions of the propellers.
Researchers collected data relevant to cruise, hover, and transition conditions for advanced air mobility aircraft. Once they analyze this data, the information will be released to industry on NASA’s website.
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Last Updated Aug 07, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.gov Related Terms
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By NASA
View of the NASA Glenn Research Center hangar from the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport runway during a testing flight on Thursday, June 13, 2024. The Operations and Integration Building sits to the hangar’s right.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian Hanna NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is seeking proposals for the use of its historic aircraft hangar, along with a parking lot, tarmac, and a small neighboring office building. Proposals are due by 1 p.m. EDT on Nov. 28.
The hangar, formally known as the Flight Research Building, is available for lease by signing a National Historic Preservation Act agreement for a 10-year base period and two optional five-year extensions.
NASA first announced plans to lease the Flight Research Building and other facilities in May 2024 under the government’s Enhanced Use Lease authority. These lease agreements allow space, aeronautics, and other related industries to use agency land and facilities, reducing NASA’s maintenance costs while fostering strategic partnerships that spur innovation.
“Glenn is making great progress as we modernize our Cleveland and Sandusky campuses to support NASA’s future missions,” said Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, Glenn’s center director. “Through Enhanced Use Leases, we’re ensuring full use of land and facilities while preserving an iconic, historic building and creating regional economic opportunities.”
The property available for lease includes up to 6.7 acres of land, which contains the heated aircraft hangar, Operations and Integration Building, parking lot, and tarmac. The hangar is 160 feet by 280 feet, and the Operations and Integration Building is 5,947 square feet. Proceeds from this lease will be used to maintain Glenn facilities and infrastructure.
Visible from Brookpark Road and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Glenn’s hangar was the first building completed after the center was established in 1941. It has sheltered many unique aircraft used to perform vital research. From studying ice accumulation on aircraft wings to the first use of laser communications to stream 4K video from an aircraft to the International Space Station, Glenn flight research has contributed to aviation safety, atmospheric studies, and cutting-edge technology development.
Interested parties should contact both Carlos Flores at carlos.a.flores-1@nasa.gov and Diana Munro at diana.c.munro@nasa.gov to sign up for a walk-through from Monday, Sept. 8, to Friday, Sept. 12, or the week of Oct. 6.
For a 360-degree virtual tour of the Flight Research Building, visit:
https://www3.nasa.gov/specials/hangar360/
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Jan Wittry
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-433-5466
jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jul 31, 2025 Related Terms
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