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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA/Lori Losey
The best way to solve a mystery is by gathering evidence and building a case. That’s exactly what NASA researchers are doing with a series of research flights aimed at advancing a sensor for supersonic parachutes. The clues they find could help make these parachutes more reliable and safer for delivering scientific instruments and payloads to Mars.
These investigative research flights are led by the EPIC (Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy) team at NASA’s Armstrong Fight Research Center in Edwards, California. During a June flight test, a quadrotor aircraft, or drone, air-launched a capsule that deployed a parachute equipped with a sensor. The flexible, strain-measuring sensor attached to the parachute did not interfere with the canopy material, just as the EPIC team had predicted. The sensors also provided data, a bonus for planning upcoming tests.
“Reviewing the research flights will help inform our next steps,” said Matt Kearns, project manager for EPIC at NASA Armstrong. “We are speaking with potential partners to come up with a framework to obtain the data that they are interested in pursuing. Our team members are developing methods for temperature testing the flexible sensors, data analysis, and looking into instrumentation for future tests.”
The flight tests were a first step toward filling gaps in computer models to improve supersonic parachutes. This work could also open the door to future partnerships, including with the aerospace and auto racing industries.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) funds the EPIC work through its Entry Systems Modeling project at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The capsule and parachute system were developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NASA Armstrong interns worked with Langley to build and integrate a similar system for testing at NASA Armstrong. An earlier phase of the work focused on finding commercially available flexible strain sensors and developing a bonding method as part of an STMD Early Career Initiative project.
NASA researchers Paul Bean, center, and Mark Hagiwara, right, attach the capsule with parachute system to the Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy test experiment on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA researchers are developing technology to make supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.NASA/Christopher LC Clark Derek Abramson, left, and Justin Link, right, attach an Alta X drone to the Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy test experiment on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Abramson is NASA chief engineer at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory, where Link also works as a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems. NASA researchers are developing technology to make supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.NASA/Christopher LC Clark An Alta X drone is positioned at altitude for an air launch of the Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy test experiment on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA researchers are developing technology to make supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.NASA/Christopher LC Clark The parachute of the Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy test experiment deploys following an air launch from an Alta X drone on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA researchers are developing technology to make supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.NASA/Christopher LC Clark The Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy project team examines a capsule and parachute following an air launch from an Alta X drone on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA researchers are developing technology to make supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.NASA/Christopher LC Clark Share
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Last Updated Jul 29, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactJay Levinejay.levine-1@nasa.gov Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:07:00 Highlights and liftoff of Vega-C flight VV27 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, at 23:03 local time on 25 July (03:03 BST/04:03 CEST on 26 July).
Flight VV27 was operated by Arianespace and launched Airbus’s four CO3D satellites and the French space agency CNES MicroCarb mission.
The four small satellites in the CO3D constellation (an abbreviation of the French 'Constellation Optique en 3D') are set to map the globe in three dimensions from low Earth orbit, to serve public and private sector needs.
MicroCarb is designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide on a global scale. ESA coordinated and procured the launch of MicroCarb on behalf of the European Commission, as part of its In-Orbit Demonstration / In-Orbit Validation (IOD/IOV) programme.
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA researcher Darren Nash monitors experimental communications equipment on NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 during a flight test over NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025.NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA engineers are exploring how the technology used in existing cellphone networks could support the next generation of aviation.
In April and May, researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland built two specialized radio systems to study how well fifth-generation cellular network technology, known as 5G, can handle the demands of air taxi communications.
“The goal of this research is to understand how wireless cellphone networks could be leveraged by the aviation industry to enable new frontiers of aviation operations,” said Casey Bakula, lead researcher for the project, who is based at Glenn. “The findings of this work could serve as a blueprint for future aviation communication network providers, like satellite navigation providers and telecommunications companies, and help guide the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan for future advanced air mobility network requirements in cities.”
Instead of developing entirely new standards for air taxi communications, NASA is looking to see if the aviation industry could leverage the expertise, experience, and investments made by the cellular industry towards the development of reliable, secure, and scalable aviation networks. If 5G networks could provide an “80% solution” to the challenge, researchers can focus on identifying the remaining 20% that would need to be adapted to meet the needs of the air taxi industry.
NASA researchers Darren Nash, left, and Brian Kachmar review signal data captured from experimental communications equipment onboard NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 on April 17, 2025.NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna 5G networks can manage a lot of data at once and have very low signal transmission delay compared to satellite systems, which could make them ideal for providing location data between aircraft in busy city skies. Ground antennas and networks in cities can help air taxis stay connected as they fly over buildings, making urban flights safer.
To conduct their tests, NASA researchers set up a system that meets current 5G standards and would allow for future improvements in performance. They placed one radio in the agency’s Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and set up another radio on the roof of Glenn’s Aerospace Communications Facility building. With an experimental license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct flights, the team tested signal transmissions using a radio frequency band the Federal Communications Commission dedicated for the safe testing of drones and other uncrewed aircraft systems.
During testing, NASA’s PC-12 flew various flight patterns near Glenn. The team used some of the flight patterns to measure how the signal could weaken as the aircraft moved away from the ground station. Other patterns focused on identifying areas where nearby buildings might block signals, potentially causing interference or dead zones. The team also studied how the aircraft’s angle and position relative to the ground station affected the quality of the connection.
These initial tests provided the NASA team an opportunity to integrate its new C-Band radio testbed onto the aircraft, verify its basic functionality, and the operation of the corresponding ground station, as well as refine the team’s test procedures. The successful completion of these activities allows the team to begin research on how 5G standards and technologies could be utilized in existing aviation bands to provide air-to-ground and aircraft-to-aircraft communications services.
Experimental communications equipment is secure and ready for flight test evaluation in the back of NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025. NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna In addition to meeting these initial test objectives, the team also recorded and verified the presence of propeller modulation. This is a form of signal degradation caused by the propeller blades of the aircraft partially blocking radio signals as they rotate. The effect becomes more significant as aircraft fly at the lower altitudes air taxis are expected to operate. The airframe configuration and number of propellers on some of the new air taxi models may cause increased propeller modulation effects, so NASA researchers will study this further.
NASA research will provide baseline performance data that the agency will share with the FAA and the advanced air mobility sector of the aviation industry, which explores new air transportation options. Future research looking into cellular network usage will focus on issues such as maximum data speeds, signal-to-noise ratios, and synchronization between aircraft and ground systems. Researchers will be able to use NASA’s baseline data to measure the potential of new changes or features to communications systems.
Future aircraft will need to carry essential communications systems for command and control, passenger safety, and coordination with other aircraft to avoid collisions. Reliable wireless networks offer the possibility for safe operations of air taxis, particular in cities and other crowded areas.
This work is led by NASAs Air Mobility Pathfinders project under the Airspace Operations and Safety Program in support of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission.
NASA Pilot Mark Russell emerges from NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 after mobile communication tests at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025. NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna Share
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Last Updated Jul 23, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
Damian Hischier of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California, takes part in testing of a virtual reality-infused pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on May 30, 2025. NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete Commercial companies and government agencies are increasingly pursuing a more immersive and affordable alternative to conventional displays currently used in flight simulators. A NASA research project is working on ways to make this technology available for use faster.
Mixed reality systems where users interact with physical simulators while wearing virtual reality headsets offer a promising path forward for pilot training. But currently, only limited standards exist for allowing their use, as regulators have little to no data on how these systems perform. To address this, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley invited a dozen pilots to participate in a study to test how a mixed-reality flight simulation would perform in the world’s largest flight simulator.
“For the first time, we’re collecting real data on how this type of mixed reality simulation performs in the highest-fidelity vertical motion simulator,” said Peter Zaal, a principal systems architect at Ames. “The more we understand about how these systems affect pilot performance, the closer we are to providing a safer, cost-effective training tool to the aviation community that could benefit everyone from commercial airlines to future air taxi operators.”
A National Test Pilot student observes the mixed-reality pilot simulation in the VMS at Ames on May 30, 2025.NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete Mixed reality blends physical and digital worlds, allowing users to see physical items while viewing a desired simulated environment. Flight simulators employing this technology through headset or a similar setup could offer pilots training for operating next-generation aircraft at a reduced cost and within a smaller footprint compared to more traditional flight simulators. This is because pilots could rely more heavily on the visuals provided through the headset instead of large embedded visual displays in a physical motion simulator.
During the testing – which ran May 23-30 – pilots donned a headset through which they could see the physical displays and control sticks inside the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) cab along with a virtual cockpit overlay of an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle through the head-mounted display. When the pilots looked toward their windscreens, they saw a virtual view of San Francisco and the surrounding area.
Pilots performed three typical flight maneuvers under four sets of motion conditions. Afterward, they were asked to provide feedback on their level of motion sickness while using the head-mounted display and how well the simulator replicated the same movements the aircraft would make during a real flight.
An initial analysis of the study shows pilots reported lower ratings of motion sickness than NASA researchers expected. Many shared that the mixed-reality setup inside the VMS felt more realistic and fluid than previous simulator setups they had tested.
As part of the test, Ames hosted members of the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, which studies factors that influence human performance in aerospace. Pilots from the National Test Pilot School attended a portion of the testing and, independent from the study, evaluated the head-mounted display’s “usable cue environment,” or representation of the visual cues pilots rely on to control an aircraft.
Peter Zaal (left), observes as Samuel Ortho (middle) speaks with a National Test Pilot student during the mixed reality pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames on May 30, 2025. NASA will make the test results available to the public and the aviation community early next year. This first-of-its-kind testing – funded by an Ames Innovation Fair Grant and managed by the center’s Aviation Systems Division – paves the way for potential use of this technology in the VMS for future aviation and space missions.
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By NASA
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Thermal Energy Conversion Branch team and the University of Leicester’s Space Nuclear Power team pose for a photo at the center in Cleveland following a successful test in January 2025.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis To explore the unknown in deep space, millions of miles away from Earth, it’s crucial for spacecraft to have ample power. NASA’s radioisotope power systems (RPS) are a viable option for these missions and have been used for over 60 years, including for the agency’s Voyager spacecraft and Perseverance Mars rover. These nuclear batteries provide long-term electrical power for spacecraft and science instruments using heat produced by the natural radioactive decay of radioisotopes. Now, NASA is testing a new type of RPS heat source fuel that could become an additional option for future long-duration journeys to extreme environments.
Historically, the radioisotope plutonium-238 (plutonium oxide) has been NASA’s RPS heat source fuel of choice, but americium-241 has been a source of interest for the past two decades in Europe. In January, the Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the University of Leicester, based in the United Kingdom, partnered through an agreement to put this new option to the test.
One method to generate electricity from radioisotope heat sources is the free-piston Stirling convertor. This is a heat engine that converts thermal energy into electrical energy. However, instead of a crankshaft to extract power, pistons float freely within the engine. It could operate for decades continuously without wear, as it does not have piston rings or rotating bearings that will eventually wear out. Thus, a Stirling convertor could generate more energy, allowing more time for exploration in deep space. Researchers from the University of Leicester — who have been leaders in the development of americium RPS and heater units for more than 15 years — and NASA worked to test the capabilities of a Stirling generator testbed powered by two electrically heated americium-241 heat source simulators.
“The concept started as just a design, and we took it all the way to the prototype level: something close to a flight version of the generator,” said Salvatore Oriti, mechanical engineer at Glenn. “The more impressive part is how quickly and inexpensively we got it done, only made possible by a great synergy between the NASA and University of Leicester teams. We were on the same wavelength and shared the same mindset.”
Salvatore Oriti, mechanical engineer in the Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, adjusts the Stirling testbed in preparation for testing at the center in January 2025.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis The university provided the heat source simulators and generator housing. The heat source simulator is the exact size and shape of their real americium-241 heat source, but it uses embedded electric heaters to create an equivalent amount of heat to simulate the decay of americium fuel and therefore drive generator operation. The Stirling Research Lab at Glenn provided the test station, Stirling convertor hardware, and support equipment.
“A particular highlight of this (testbed) design is that it is capable of withstanding a failed Stirling convertor without a loss of electrical power,” said Hannah Sargeant, research fellow at the University of Leicester. “This feature was demonstrated successfully in the test campaign and highlights the robustness and reliability of an Americium-Radioisotope Stirling Generator for potential future spaceflight missions, including long-duration missions that could operate for many decades.”
The test proved the viability of an americium-fueled Stirling RPS, and performance and efficiency targets were successfully met. As for what’s next, the Glenn team is pursuing the next version of the testbed that will be lower mass, higher fidelity, and undergo further environmental testing.
“I was very pleased with how smoothly everything went,” Oriti said of the test results. “Usually in my experience, you don’t accomplish everything you set out to, but we did that and more. We plan to continue that level of success in the future.”
For more information on NASA’s RPS programs, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/rps
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