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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
Dr. Natasha Schatzman Receives Vertical Flight Society (VFS) Award
The Forum 81 award was presented to Natasha Schatzman (center), with the award given by the parents of Alex Stoll, Mark and Lyn Stoll, and flanked by VFS Chair of the Board Harry Nahatis (left) and VFS Executive Director Angelo Collins (right). Source: https://gallery.vtol.org/image/AloOB. Photo Credit: Warren Liebmann In May 2025, Dr. Natasha Schatzman, aerospace engineer in the Aeromechanics Office at NASA Ames Research Center, received the inaugural Alex M. Stoll Award from the Vertical Flight Society (VFS). This award honors a professional in the field of vertical flight who “demonstrates an exceptional commitment to advancing not only the mission of their organization but makes extraordinary contributions to enhancing the well-being and happiness of their colleagues.” Dr. Schatzman began her career at Ames in 2008 as a student intern while simultaneously completing her undergraduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). She stayed at Georgia Tech through graduate school and finished her Ph.D. dissertation in 2018 in the Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Department. Currently, Dr. Schatzman is focusing on assessments of rotorcraft performance and aeroacoustics through experimentation and modeling at Ames Research Center. The Alex M. Stoll Award is the second time she has been honored by the VFS. In 2023, Dr. Schatzman received the François-Xavier Bagnoud Vertical Flight Award which is given to a member “who is 35 years old or younger for their career-to-date outstanding contributions to vertical flight technology.” More information on Dr. Schatzman’s 2025 award is at: https://vtol.org/awards-and-contests/vertical-flight-society-award-winners?awardID=28
About the Author
Osvaldo R. Sosa Valle
Osvaldo Sosa is a dedicated and detail-oriented project coordinator at NASA Ames Research Center, where he supports operations for the Aeronautics Directorate. He is part of the Strategic Communications Team and serves as managing editor for the Aeronautics topic on the NASA website. With experience in event coordination, logistics, and stakeholder engagement, Osvaldo brings strong organizational and communication skills to every project. He is passionate about driving innovation, fostering strong leadership, and streamlining operations to enhance team collaboration and organizational impact.
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By Space Force
The Department of the Air Force released a memorandum, Jan. 22, directing the department to stand down all civilian and military DEI offices, as well as cancel all military and civilian education and training course focused on DEI.
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By USH
A video taken by an airline passenger reportedly during a commercial flight over the UK shows what seem to be two figures standing on a layer of clouds.
The intriguing footage has sparked a wave of speculation online. While some viewers suggest the figures could be supernatural beings, closer analysis of the footage reveals additional shapes emerging through the clouds as the camera pans from left to right, image below.
This has led others to theorize that the "figures" might actually be exhaust stacks or other tall structures releasing steam, breaking through a fog layer and creating an illusion of human-like forms.
Rather than supernatural entities, the phenomenon is more likely an example of pareidolia, a psychological tendency to perceive familiar shapes, such as faces or figures, in random patterns.
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By NASA
NASA has taken a big step forward in how engineers will assemble and stack future SLS (Space Launch System) rockets for Artemis Moon missions inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The VAB’s High Bay 2 has been outfitted with new tooling to facilitate the vertical integration of the SLS core stage. That progress was on full display in mid-December when teams suspended the fully assembled core stage 225 feet in the air inside the high bay to complete vertical work before it is stacked on mobile launcher 1, allowing teams to continue solid rocket booster stacking simultaneously inside High Bay 3 for Artemis II.
The fully assembled SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for the Artemis II test flight is suspended 225 feet in the air inside the newly renovated High Bay 2 at Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The core stage was lifted to enable engineers to complete work before it is stacked on mobile launcher 1 with other rocket elements. With the move to High Bay 2, technicians now have 360-degree tip to tail access to the core stage, both internally and externally.NASA With the move to High Bay 2, technicians with NASA and Boeing now have 360-degree tip to tail access to the core stage, both internally and externally. Michigan-based supplier Futuramic Tool and Engineering led the design and build of the Core Stage Vertical Integration Center tool that will hold the core stage in a vertical position.
“High Bay 2 tooling was originally scheduled to be complete for Artemis III. We had an opportunity to get it done earlier and that will put us in a good posture to complete work earlier than planned prior to moving the core stage for Artemis II into the full integrated stack over into in High Bay 3,” said Chad Bryant, deputy manager of the NASA SLS Stages Office. “This gives us an opportunity to go in and learn how to rotate, lift, and move the core stage into the high bay.”
This move also doubles the footprint of useable space within the VAB, giving engineers access to both High Bay 2 and High Bay 3 simultaneously, while also freeing up space at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to continue work on the individual elements for future SLS core stages.
High Bay 2 has a long history of supporting NASA exploration programs: during Apollo, High Bay 2, one of four high bays inside the VAB, was used to stack the Saturn V rocket. During the Space Shuttle Program, the high bay was used for external tank checkout and storage and as an extra storage area for the shuttle.
Under the new assembly model beginning with Artemis III, all the major structures for the SLS core stage will continue to be fully produced and manufactured at NASA Michoud. Upon completion of manufacturing and thermal protection system application, the engine section will be shipped to Kennedy for final outfitting.
The 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for NASA Artemis II is seen being moved from a horizontal position to a vertical position in High Bay 2 at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With the move to High Bay 2, NASA and Boeing technicians now have 360-degree access to the core stage both internally and externally. (NASA) “Core stage 3 marks a significant change in the way we build core stages,” said Steve Wofford, manager of the SLS Stages Office. “The vertical capability in High Bay 2 allows us to perform parallel processing from the top to bottom of the stage. It’s a much more efficient way to build core stages. This new capability will streamline final production efforts, allowing our team to have 360-degree access to the stage, both internally and externally.”
The fully assembled core stage for Artemis II arrived July 23, 2024, at Kennedy, where it remained horizontal inside the VAB transfer aisle until its recent lift into the newly outfitted high bay.
Teams at NASA Michoud are outfitting the remaining core stage elements for Artemis III and preparing to horizontally join them. The four RS-25 engines for the Artemis III mission are complete at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and will be transported to NASA Kennedy in 2025. Major core stage and exploration upper stage structures are in work at NASA Michoud for Artemis IV and beyond.
NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
News Media Contact
Jonathan Deal
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
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