Jump to content

Preguntas frecuentes: Estado del retorno de la prueba de vuelo tripulado Boeing de la NASA


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted

9 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Read the article in English here.

Los astronautas de la NASA Butch Wilmore y Suni Williams llegaron al laboratorio orbital el 6 de junio a bordo de la nave Boeing Starliner tras despegar el 5 de junio del Complejo de Lanzamiento Espacial-41 de la Estación Espacial de Cabo Cañaveral, en Florida.

Durante el vuelo de Starliner a la estación espacial, los ingenieros observaron que algunos de los propulsores de la nave no funcionaban como se esperaba y también se observaron varias fugas en el sistema de helio de Starliner. Desde entonces, los equipos de ingeniería de la NASA y Boeing han llevado a cabo varias pruebas de los propulsores, así como revisiones exhaustivas de los datos para comprender mejor la nave espacial. Mientras los ingenieros se esfuerzan por resolver los problemas técnicos antes del regreso del Starliner a la Tierra, el dúo de astronautas ha estado trabajando con la tripulación de la Expedición 71, realizando investigaciones científicas y actividades de mantenimiento.

La NASA tiene previsto llevar a cabo dos revisiones: una del junta de control del programa y una revisión del estado de preparación para el vuelo de la agencia, antes de decidir cómo regresará de manera segura a Wilmore y Williams de la. La NASA espera tomar una decisión sobre el curso a seguir a finales de agosto.

He aquí algunas preguntas frecuentes sobre su misión.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA's Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjacent to the Starliner.

Sobre la misión y su retraso

¿Qué es la prueba de vuelo tripulado Boeing de la NASA?

La la prueba de vuelo tripulado Boeing de la NASA despegó el 5 de junio y es el primer vuelo con astronautas de la nave Starliner a la Estación Espacial Internacional. La prueba de vuelo tiene como objetivo demostrar que el sistema está preparado para misiones de rotación a la estación espacial. La NASA quiere que, además de las naves Soyuz de Roscosmos, haya dos naves estadounidenses capaces de transportar astronautas para garantizar una tripulación permanente a bordo del complejo orbital.

¿Cuáles son los objetivos de la prueba de vuelo tripulado?

Esta prueba de vuelo tiene por objeto demostrar la aptitud del Starliner para ejecutar una misión de rotación de seis meses a la estación espacial. Los objetivos de la prueba de vuelo se desarrollaron para respaldar el proceso de certificación de la NASA y recopilar los datos de rendimiento necesarios para evaluar la preparación antes de los vuelos de larga duración.

¿Por qué la prueba de vuelo tripulado permanecerá más tiempo del previsto a bordo de la estación espacial?

Durante el vuelo de Starliner a la estación espacial, algunos de los propulsores de la nave no funcionaron como se esperaba y se observaron varias fugas en el sistema de helio de Starliner. Aunque la duración inicial de la misión estaba prevista en torno a una semana, no hay prisa por traer de vuelta a casa a la tripulación, por lo que la NASA y Boeing se están tomando un tiempo extra para aprender sobre la nave espacial. Se trata de una lección aprendida del accidente del transbordador espacial Columbia. Nuestros equipos de la NASA y Boeing están estudiando minuciosamente los datos de las pruebas y análisis adicionales en el espacio y en tierra, proporcionando a los gestores de la misión datos para tomar la mejor y más segura decisión sobre cómo y cuándo traer de vuelta a casa a la tripulación.

Si se diera una emergencia en la estación espacial, ¿cómo volverían Butch y Suni a casa?

El Starliner sigue siendo la principal opción para Butch y Suni si se produjera una emergencia y tuvieran que abandonar rápidamente la estación. No existe una necesidad urgente de traerlos a casa, y la NASA está utilizando el tiempo extra para comprender los problemas técnicos de la nave espacial antes de decidir un plan de regreso.

¿Cuánto tiempo podrían permanecer Butch y Suni en la estación espacial si no regresan a bordo de Starliner?

Si la NASA decidiera devolver la nave Starliner sin tripulación, Butch y Suni permanecerían a bordo de la estación hasta finales de febrero de 2025. La NASA replanificaría la misión SpaceX Crew-9, enviando solo dos tripulantes en lugar de cuatro a finales de septiembre. Butch y Suni regresarían a la Tierra tras el incremento programado para Crew-9 a principios del próximo año.

¿Se quedarán Butch y Suni en el espacio hasta 2025?

No se ha tomado ninguna decisión. La NASA sigue evaluando todas las opciones a medida que aprende más sobre el sistema de propulsión de Starliner. Butch y Suni podrían regresar a bordo de Starliner, o podrían volver como parte de la misión SpaceX Crew-9 de la agencia a principios del año que viene.

¿Puede Starliner volar sin astronautas?

Sí, Starliner puede desacoplarse y abandonar la órbita de forma autónoma, si la NASA decide que la nave regrese sin tripulación.

¿Podría la NASA enviar una nave SpaceX Dragon para traer de vuelta a Butch y Suni?

If NASA decides to return them aboard a SpaceX Dragon, NASA will replan its SpaceX Crew-9 mission by launching only two crew members in late September instead of four. Butch and Suni would then return to Earth after the regularly scheduled Crew-9 increment early next year.

¿Por qué necesita la NASA dos sistemas de transporte de tripulación?

The main goal of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is two, unique human spaceflight systems. Should any one system encounter an issue, NASA still has the capability to launch and return crew to ensure safety and a continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station.

NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore (at center) pose with Expedition 71 Flight Engineers (far left) Mike Barratt and Tracy C. Dyson (far right), both NASA astronauts, in their spacesuits aboard the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

Sobre los astronautas

¿Están Butch y Suni atrapados en la estación espacial?

No, Butch y Suni están a salvo a bordo de la estación espacial, trabajando junto a la tripulación de la Expedición 71. También han participado activamente en las pruebas y reuniones técnicas del Starliner. Butch y Suni podrían volver a casa a bordo de la nave Starliner en caso de emergencia. La agencia también dispone de otras opciones de regreso, en caso necesario, tanto para la planificación de contingencias como para el regreso en condiciones normales.

¿Están preparados Suni y Butch para una estancia más larga en la estación?

Butch y Suni ya han realizado dos estancias de larga duración a bordo de la estación. Los astronautas de la NASA se embarcan en misiones plenamente conscientes de los diversos escenarios que podrían materializarse. Esta misión no es diferente, y entendían las posibilidades e incógnitas de este vuelo de prueba, incluyendo la posibilidad de permanecer a bordo de la estación más tiempo del previsto.

¿Cuánto duraría una estancia prolongada de Butch y Suni en comparación con la duración de otras misiones en la estación espacial?

Una estancia típica a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional es de unos seis meses, y algunos astronautas de la NASA han permanecido en la estación espacial durante misiones de mayor duración. Las misiones anteriores han proporcionado a la NASA gran cantidad de datos sobre los vuelos espaciales de larga duración y sus efectos en el cuerpo humano, que la agencia aplica a cualquier misión con tripulación.

¿Tienen los astronautas todo lo que necesitan (por ejemplo, comida, ropa, oxígeno, artículos personales, etc.)?

Sí. La Estación Espacial Internacional está bien provista de todo lo que necesita la tripulación, incluidos alimentos, agua, ropa y oxígeno. Además, la NASA y sus socios de la estación espacial lanzan con frecuencia misiones de reabastecimiento al complejo orbital con suministros y carga adicionales.

Recientemente, llegaron a la estación una nave espacial Cygnus de Northrop Grumman que transportaba 3.720 kilogramos (8.200 libras) de alimentos, combustible, suministros y material científico, y una nave espacial de reabastecimiento Progress que transportaba 2.721 kilogramos (6.000 libras) de carga. La NASA tiene previstas misiones adicionales de SpaceX de reabastecimiento durante lo que queda de 2024.

¿Qué están haciendo a bordo de la estación espacial?

La tripulación sigue supervisando los sistemas de vuelo del Starliner y recopilando datos de rendimiento para la certificación de sistemas. La NASA también está aprovechando el tiempo extra de Butch y Suni a bordo del laboratorio orbital, donde han completado varios experimentos científicos, tareas de mantenimiento y han colaborado en los preparativos de las caminatas espaciales. Algunos de los experimentos científicos que han llevado a cabo recientemente incluyen nuevas formas de producir cables de fibra óptica y el cultivo de plantas a bordo del complejo orbital.

¿Pueden hablar con sus familiares y amigos?

Butch y Suni disfrutan de muchas de las comodidades que tenemos aquí en la Tierra. Pueden enviar correos electrónicos, llamar por teléfono y hacer videoconferencias con sus familiares y amigos cuando tienen tiempo libre a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional.

iss071e217183 (June 25, 2024) -- As the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above Earth, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore captured this image of Spain and Morocco. The Strait of Gibraltar separates the two countries and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Sobre el plan de regreso

¿Cuáles son las otras opciones para traer de vuelta a Butch y Suni?

La NASA dispone de dos sistemas estadounidenses de transporte espacial capaces de transportar tripulación a la estación y de vuelta. Aunque no se ha tomado ninguna decisión, la NASA está considerando varias opciones para hacer regresar a Butch y Suni de la estación espacial, incluido su retorno a bordo de la nave Starliner, si se autoriza, o como parte de la misión SpaceX Crew-9 de la agencia en febrero de 2025.

¿Es más seguro traerlos a casa a bordo de una nave Dragon de SpaceX?

Los vuelos de prueba tripulados son intrínsecamente arriesgados y, aunque las misiones de rotación puedan parecer rutinarias, tampoco están exentas de riesgos. Es competencia de la NASA evaluar ese riesgo antes de cada vuelo y determinar si es aceptable para la tripulación.

¿Qué otras medidas está tomando la NASA para traerlos a casa?

La NASA ajustó el lanzamiento de la Tripulación-9 de SpaceX y el regreso de la Tripulación-8 de la agencia, lo que permite más tiempo para finalizar los planes de regreso de Starliner. La NASA también está examinando las asignaciones de tripulación para garantizar que Butch y Suni puedan regresar con Crew-9 si fuera necesario.

Para consultar el blog de la NASA y obtener más información sobre la misión (en inglés), visita: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      3 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      Gateway’s HALO module at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, on April 4, 2025, shortly after its arrival from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA continues to mark progress on plans to work with commercial and international partners as part of the Gateway program. The primary structure of HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrived at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, where it will undergo final outfitting and verification testing.
      HALO will provide Artemis astronauts with space to live, work, and conduct scientific research. The habitation module will be equipped with essential systems including command and control, data handling, energy storage, power distribution, and thermal regulation.
      Following HALO’s arrival on April 1 from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, where it was assembled, NASA and Northrop Grumman hosted an April 24 event to acknowledge the milestone, and the module’s significance to lunar exploration. The event opened with remarks by representatives from Northrop Grumman and NASA, including NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Lori Glaze, Gateway Program Manager Jon Olansen, and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik. Event attendees, including Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator Todd Ericson, elected officials, and local industry and academic leaders, viewed HALO and virtual reality demonstrations during a tour of the facilities.
      Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, and Dr. Jon B. Olansen, Gateway Program manager, on stage during an April 24, 2025, event at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, commemorating HALO’s arrival in the United States. Northrop Grumman While the module is in Arizona, HALO engineers and technicians will install propellant lines for fluid transfer and electrical lines for power and data transfer. Radiators will be attached for the thermal control system, as well as racks to house life support hardware, power equipment, flight computers, and avionics systems. Several mechanisms will be mounted to enable docking of the Orion spacecraft, lunar landers, and visiting spacecraft.
      Launching on top of HALO is the ESA (European Space Agency)-provided Lunar Link system which will enable communication between crewed and robotic systems on the Moon and to mission control on Earth. Once these systems are installed, the components will be tested as an integrated spacecraft and subjected to thermal vacuum, acoustics, vibration, and shock testing to ensure the spacecraft is ready to perform in the harsh conditions of deep space.
      In tandem with HALO’s outfitting at Northrop Grumman, the Power and Propulsion Element – a powerful solar electric propulsion system – is being assembled at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California. Solar electric propulsion uses energy collected from solar panels converted to electricity to create xenon ions, then accelerates them to more than 50,000 miles per hour to create thrust that propels the spacecraft.
      The element’s central cylinder, which resembles a large barrel, is being attached to the propulsion tanks, and avionics shelves are being installed. The first of three 12-kilowatt thrusters has been delivered to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland for acceptance testing before delivery to Maxar and integration with the Power and Propulsion Element later this year.
      Learn More About Gateway Facebook logo @NASAGateway @NASA_Gateway Instagram logo @nasaartemis Linkedin logo @NASA Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 25, 2025 ContactLaura RochonLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
      Artemis Artemis 4 Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Space Station General Humans in Space Explore More
      2 min read NASA Welcomes Gateway Lunar Space Station’s HALO Module to US
      From Italy to Arizona: Gateway’s first habitation module takes a major step on its path…
      Article 3 weeks ago 2 min read NASA Prepares Gateway Lunar Space Station for Journey to Moon
      Assembly is underway for Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element, the module that will power the…
      Article 2 months ago 2 min read Advanced Modeling Enhances Gateway’s Lunar Dust Defense
      Ahead of more frequent and intense contact with dust during Artemis missions, NASA is developing…
      Article 3 months ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
      Missions
      Humans in Space
      Climate Change
      Solar System
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Students take a tour of the Glenn International Space Station Payload Operations Center at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where researchers operate International Space Station experiments, during 4-H Day on June 14, 2024.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Ohio middle school students will step into the shoes of real-world NASA professionals for a day of career exploration and hands-on activities at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Nearly 200 students are slated to participate in TECH Day at NASA Glenn on May 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Media are invited to attend.
      TECH Day is designed to inspire and inform the next generation of innovators by introducing them to clear and attainable career pathways into the aerospace industry. Students will tour NASA Glenn facilities, participate in an interactive engineering challenge, and engage with professionals to learn about the wide range of careers in STEM fields.
      Student tours will include the following Glenn facilities:
      Graphics and Visualization Lab, where researchers create engaging projects using virtual and augmented reality Glenn International Space Station Payload Operations Center, where researchers remotely operate experiments aboard the International Space Station Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory, a unique indoor space designed to mimic the surface of the Moon and Mars 10×10 Supersonic Wind Tunnel, NASA Glenn’s largest and fastest wind tunnel facility Creating Clear Pathways
      Developing early and accessible entry points into STEM careers is essential to meeting the growing demand for a skilled technical workforce. NASA STEM engagement events help students visualize their future and better understand the technical experience needed for a career in the aerospace sector. Opportunities like this equip students with the skills to further technological advancement and become the STEM professionals of tomorrow.
      Media interested in attending should contact Jacqueline Minerd at jacqueline.minerd@nasa.gov no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30. Interviews with experts will take place from 9 to 10 a.m.
      For more information on NASA Glenn, visit: 
      https://www.nasa.gov/glenn
      -end- 
      Jacqueline Minerd
      Glenn Research Center, Cleveland 
      216-433- 6036  
      jacqueline.minerd@nasa.gov

      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Jeremy Johnson, a research pilot and aviation safety officer, poses in front of a PC-12 aircraft inside the hangar at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Johnson flies NASA planes to support important scientific research and testing.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna Jeremy Johnson laces his black, steel-toed boots and zips up his dark blue flight suit. Having just finished a pre-flight mission briefing with his team, the only thing on his mind is heading to the aircraft hangar and getting a plane in the air.
      As he eases a small white-and-blue propeller aircraft down the hangar’s ramp and onto the runway, he hears five essential words crackle through his headset: “NASA 606, cleared for takeoff.”
      This is a typical morning for Johnson, a research pilot and aviation safety officer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Johnson flies NASA planes to support important scientific research and testing, working with researchers to plan and carry out flights that will get them the data they need while ensuring safety.
      Johnson hasn’t always flown in NASA planes. He comes to the agency from the U.S. Air Force, where he flew missions all over the world in C-17 cargo aircraft, piloted unmanned reconnaissance operations out of California, and trained young aviators in Oklahoma on the fundamentals of flying combat missions.

      Jeremy Johnson stands beside a C-17 aircraft before a night training flight in Altus, Oklahoma, in 2020. Before supporting vital flight research at NASA through a SkillBridge fellowship, which gives transitioning service members the opportunity to gain civilian work experience, Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force and flew C-17 airlift missions all over the world.Credit: Courtesy of Jeremy Johnson He’s at Glenn for a four-month Department of Defense SkillBridge fellowship. The program gives transitioning service members an opportunity to gain civilian work experience through training, apprenticeships, or internships during their last 180 days of service before separating from the military.
      “I think SkillBridge has been an amazing tool to help me transition into what it’s like working somewhere that isn’t the military,” Johnson said. “In the Air Force, flying the mission was the mission. At NASA Glenn, the science—the research—is the mission.”
      By flying aircraft outfitted with research hardware or carrying test equipment, Johnson has contributed to two vital projects at NASA so far. One is focused on testing how well laser systems can transmit signals for communication and navigation. The other, part of NASA’s research under Air Mobility Pathfinders, explores how 5G telecommunications infrastructure can help electric air taxis of the future be safely incorporated into the national airspace. This work, and the data that scientists can collect through flights, supports NASA’s research to advance technology and innovate for the benefit of all.
      Jeremy Johnson pilots NASA Glenn Research Center’s PC-12 aircraft during a research flight on Thursday, April 17, 2025.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna “It’s really exciting to see research hardware come fresh from the lab, and then be strapped onto an aircraft and taken into flight to see if it actually performs in a relevant environment,” Johnson said. “Every flight you do is more than just that flight—it’s one little part of a much bigger, much more ambitious project that’s going on. You remember, this is a small little piece of something that is maybe going to change the frontier of science, the frontier of discovery.”
      Johnson has always had a passion for aviation. In college, he worked as a valet to pay for flying lessons. To hone his skills before Air Force training, one summer he flew across the country in a Cessna with his aunt, a commercial pilot. They flew down the Hudson River as they watched the skyscrapers of New York City whizz by and later to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright brothers made their historic first flight. Johnson even flew skydivers part-time while he was stationed in California.
      Jeremy Johnson in the cockpit of a PC-12 aircraft as it exits the hangar at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland before a research flight on Thursday, April 17, 2025.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna Although he’s spent countless hours flying, he still takes the window seat on commercial flights whenever he can so he can look out the window and marvel at the world below.
      Despite his successes, Johnson’s journey to becoming a pilot wasn’t always smooth. He recalls that as he was about to land after his first solo flight, violent crosswinds blew his plane off the runway and sent him bouncing into the grass. Though he eventually got back behind the stick for another flight, he said that in that moment he wondered whether he had the strength and skills to overcome his self-doubt.
      “I don’t know anyone who flies for a living that had a completely easy path into it,” Johnson said. “To people who are thinking about getting into flying, just forge forward with it. Make people close doors on you, don’t close them on yourself, when it comes to flying or whatever you see yourself doing in the future. I just kept knocking on the door until there was a crack in it.”
      Explore More
      2 min read NASA, Boeing, Consider New Thin-Wing Aircraft Research Focus
      Article 19 hours ago 3 min read Nine Finalists Advance in NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge
      NASA has named nine finalists out of the 45 semifinalist student essays in the Power…
      Article 2 days ago 4 min read NASA Tests Ultralight Antennas to Benefit Future National Airspace
      Article 3 days ago View the full article
    • By NASA
      3 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      The C-20A aircraft, based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flies over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California for the Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission on Feb. 28, 2025. The DUST mission collected airborne data about snow water to help improve water management and reservoir systems on the ground.NASA/Starr Ginn As part of a science mission tracking one of Earth’s most precious resources – water – NASA’s C-20A aircraft conducted a series of seven research flights in March that can help researchers track the process and timeline as snow melts and transforms into a freshwater resource. The agency’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) installed on the aircraft collected measurements of seasonal snow cover and estimate the freshwater contained in it.
      “Seasonal snow is a critical resource for drinking water, power generation, supporting multi-billion dollar agricultural and recreation industries,” said Starr Ginn, C-20A project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.  “Consequently, understanding the distribution of seasonal snow storage and subsequent runoff is essential.”
      The Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission mapped snow accumulation over the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and the Rocky Mountains in Idaho. Mission scientists can use these observations to estimate the amount of water stored in that snow.
      Peter Wu, radar operator from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, observes data collected during the Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission onboard NASA’s C-20A aircraft on Feb. 28, 2025. The C-20A flew from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to collect data about snow water.NASA/Starr Ginn “Until recently, defining the best method for accurately measuring snow water equivalent (SWE) – or how much and when fresh water is converted from snow – has been a challenge,” said Shadi Oveisgharan, principal investigator of DUST and scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The UAVSAR has been shown to be a good instrument to retrieve SWE data.”
      Recent research has shown that snow properties, weather patterns, and seasonal conditions in the American West have been shifting in recent decades. These changes have fundamentally altered previous expectations about snowpack monitoring and forecasts of snow runoff. The DUST mission aims to better track and understand those changes to develop more accurate estimates of snow-to-water conversions and their timelines.
      “We are trying to find the optimum window during which to retrieve snow data,” Oveisgharan said. “This estimation will help us better estimate available fresh snow and manage our reservoirs better.”
      The Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission team assembles next to the C-20A aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Feb. 28, 2025. From left, radar operator Adam Vaccaro, avionics lead Kelly Jellison, C-20A project manager Starr Ginn, pilot Carrie Worth, pilot Troy Asher, aircraft mechanic Eric Apikian, and operations engineer Ian Elkin.NASA/Starr Ginn The DUST mission achieved a new level of snow data accuracy, which is partly due to the specialized flight paths flown by the C-20A. The aircraft’s Platform Precision Autopilot (PPA) enables the team to fly very specific routes at exact altitudes, speeds, and angles so the UAVSAR can more precisely measure terrain changes.
      “Imagine the rows made on grass by a lawn mower,” said Joe Piotrowski Jr., operations engineer for NASA Armstrong’s airborne science program. “The PPA system enables the C-20A to make those paths while measuring terrain changes down to the diameter of a centimeter.”
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 24, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactErica HeimLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
      Armstrong Flight Research Center Airborne Science C-20A Earth Science Earth's Atmosphere Jet Propulsion Laboratory Science Mission Directorate Explore More
      6 min read NASA Tests Key Spacesuit Parts Inside This Icy Chamber
      Article 5 hours ago 2 min read 2025 EGU Hyperwall Schedule
      EGU General Assembly, April 27 – May 2, 2025 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall…
      Article 7 hours ago 5 min read NASA Airborne Sensor’s Wildfire Data Helps Firefighters Take Action
      Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Armstrong Flight Research Center
      Humans in Space
      Climate Change
      Solar System
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      2 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      A Boeing-built X-66 full-span model underwent testing in the 11-Foot Transonic Unitary Plan Facility at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley between January and March 2025.NASA / Brandon Torres NASA and Boeing are currently evaluating an updated approach to the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project that would focus on demonstrating thin-wing technology with broad applications for multiple aircraft configurations.
      Boeing’s proposed focus centers on a ground-based testbed to demonstrate the potential for long, thin-wing technology. Work on the X-66 flight demonstrator – which currently incorporates a more complex transonic truss braced wing concept that uses the same thin wing technology as well as aerodynamic, structural braces — would pause for later consideration based on the thin-wing testbed results and further truss-braced configuration studies. 
      Under this proposal, all aspects of the X-66 flight demonstrator’s design, as well as hardware acquired or modified for it, would be retained while the long, thin-wing technology is being investigated with more focus. NASA and Boeing would also continue to collaborate on research into the transonic truss-braced wing concept.
      The proposal is based on knowledge gained through research conducted under the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project so far.
      Since NASA issued the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator award in 2023, the project has made significant progress toward its goal of informing future generations of more sustainable commercial airliners. Boeing and NASA have collaborated on wind tunnel tests, computational fluid dynamics modeling, and structural design and analysis aimed at exploring how best to approach fuel-efficient, sustainable designs.
      This research has built confidence in the substantial potential energy-savings benefits that technologies investigated through the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project and other NASA research can make possible. The Boeing proposal identifies the thin-wing concept as having broad applications for potential incorporation into aircraft with and without truss braces. 
      NASA and Boeing are discussing potential options for advancing these sustainable flight technologies. NASA’s ultimate goal for this sustainable aircraft research is to achieve substantial improvements for next-generation airliner efficiency, lower costs for travelers, reduced fuel costs and consumption, and increase U.S. aviation’s technological leadership. 
      Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More
      4 min read NASA Tests Ultralight Antennas to Benefit Future National Airspace
      Article 2 days ago 2 min read A Fond Farewell: NASA’s C-130 Begins New Mission in California
      Article 6 days ago 3 min read NASA Studies Wind Effects and Aircraft Tracking with Joby Aircraft
      Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Missions
      Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project
      Aeronautics STEM
      Explore NASA’s History
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 24, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactRobert Margettarobert.j.margetta@nasa.gov Related Terms
      Aeronautics Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Green Aviation Tech Integrated Aviation Systems Program Sustainable Flight Demonstrator View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...