[Mission Control]: Ten...
nine... eight...
ignition sequence start, engines on, five...
four... three...
two... one...
all engines running...
[Music]
>>When you think of NASA, you probably think
of space exploration, which is a huge part of what NASA does.
But, what you might not know is that aeronautics,
the science of flight, is also an important piece
of NASA's directive.
It's even in our name - National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
In fact, NASA was conducting flight research long before we
put a man on the moon.
NASA has flown some
of the world's most advanced research technologies leading
to innovations in safety...
[Aircraft Computer]: Pull up!
>>...speed, and efficiency.
We here at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center have been
on the cutting edge of aeronautical development
in pursuit of our goal to advance technology
and science through flight.
[Aircraft flying] [Music]
Our story began in the 1940's
when the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics,
NASA's predecessor agency,
teamed up with the U.S. Air Force
to fly the X-1 rocket plane in pursuit of one question:
could an aircraft and its pilot fly faster
than the speed of sound?
[1940s Film Narrator]: A B-29 will take the XS-1 aloft,
and launch her at an altitude of about 35,000 feet.
The really big moment...through the sound barrier!
[Sonic boom]
The first time ever in level flight.
>>They successfully answered that question in 1947.
New X-planes soon followed,
and throughout the 1950s these aircraft made headlines
with ever-higher speed and altitude records.
The fastest and most remarkable of all the rocket planes,
the X-15, was flown from 1959 to 1968.
There was simply nothing else like it.
Pilots took it to speeds of over 4,500 miles per hour
and some flights reached altitudes so high
that they passed briefly into space.
Many of NASA's X-15 test pilots actually earned their astronaut
wings here.
One of the pilots who did not was a young man named Neil
Armstrong; however, his experiences flying the X-15,
as well as the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle,
provided him the skills he needed on later missions
where he, of course, did end up earning his wings.
[Neil Armstrong]: That's one small step for man...
>>Research aircraft like the X-15 provided valuable information
about the human body in spaceflight, and were critical
in the design of future aircraft and spacecraft.
[Music]
[Radio Chatter]
[Aircraft flying]
The Armstrong Flight Research Center introduced the world
to wingless experimental aircraft.
Flown in the 1960s and 1970s,
these vehicles made a great contribution
to the future of space flight.
In 1977, we applied knowledge gained from the flights
of these lifting bodies when we conducted the Approach
and Landing Tests, a milestone in the development
of the Space Shuttle Program.
[Radio]: Down!
>>The prototype orbiter Enterprise was used
to verify the flying characteristics of the shuttles
and to test the systems before they ever went into space.
These risky flights, five in all, were a success,
and the Space Shuttle program would go on to be one
of NASA's most important achievements
in space travel and exploration.
During the life of the program there were 59 successful shuttle
landings here, including those of the Enterprise.
Today, wingless lifting bodies are making a come back
as Sierra Nevada brings its Dream Chaser to flight status.
Supporting the shuttle program was only one part of our work
in the post-Apollo years.
Have you ever heard the term "Fly By Wire"?
It describes the use of electronics and computers
to control an aircraft.
Taking the place of mechanical or hydraulic systems,
flyby- wire technology was first tested
on a modified F-8 aircraft in 1972.
The flights were dangerous, but they revolutionized aviation.
A fly-by-wire production system first appeared
on the Air Force's F-16 and is now common
on all new commercial airliners, most new business jets,
and even in family automobiles as drive-by-wire systems.
ABS brakes, cruise control, accelerators -
even steer-by-wire - are technologies derived
from research done at NASA Armstrong...
and all are now part of our daily lives.
[Music]
[Aircraft taking off]
Another example of aeronautical innovation NASA conducted
at Armstrong is winglets, which were tested
and validated here in the 1970s and 80s.
By reducing aerodynamic drag,
winglets improve aircraft fuel efficiency; they are now used
on all types of aircraft.
We also conducted tests in the mid '70's to find ways
to reduce drag on long-haul trucks
with aerodynamic fairings,
the results of which have also been widely adopted.
[Truck driving]
As far back as the 1960s's, NASA Armstrong pioneered the use
of a Ground Control Station from which
to fly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, known as UAV's.
Becoming increasingly common today, these aircraft are used
by the center to develop technology that allows them
to see one another
and automatically take evasive action to avoid collisions.
Known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast,
or ADS-B, this tracking technology is something
that all aircraft operating in US airspace must adopt
by January 2020 in order to comply with FAA regulations.
Between 2007 and 2009 one of our UAV's, known as Ikhana,
flew over thick smoke and haze to record hot spots
and the progression of wildfires in California.
Data from the aircraft sensors was downlinked and overlaid
on Google Earth maps, then transmitted in near-real time
to the Interagency Fire Center, where it was made available
to fire incident commanders to assist them
in allocating their fire-fighting resources.
The effects were dramatic enhancements for the fire crews.
Armstrong also operates two early model Global Hawks,
another type of UAV.
These aircraft can fly long distances, remain airborne
for up to 32 hours, and can carry large payloads
of instruments into areas, such as hurricanes,
that are too dangerous for scientists to fly in.
[Music]
NASA has long been involved in Earth Science research
and the Armstrong Flight Research Center
operates a variety of aircraft to support this directive,
including two ER-2's, a DC-8, and a C-20,
as well as the large UAVs.
These aircraft are equipped with instruments that researchers use
to obtain measurements of environmental phenomena,
such as the thickness of ice sheets,
precipitation, and air quality.
Measurements and readings are often combined
with global satellite observations and ground sampling
to better understand these environmental conditions.
[Music]
In the 1990s and early 2000s,
Armstrong tested hybrid propulsion technology
in the hopes of making aviation greener.
Other NASA aeronautical research has improved fuel efficiency,
lowered noise levels, and reduced harmful emissions,
but much more can be done in these areas.
That's why NASA implemented the Environmentally Responsible
Aviation Project to explore and document the feasibility,
benefits, and technical risks
that will further reduce the impact
of aviation on the environment.
The goal is to reduce aircraft fuel consumption, emissions
and noise simultaneously...
a much more difficult challenge than working
to reduce them individually.
As part of this project, NASA Armstrong performed ground tests
with its DC-8, measuring emissions
and fuel performance of biofuels.
Results indicated as much as a 50 percent reduction
in emissions at takeoff thrust- a difference
which could significantly improve the air quality
around airports.
And we are currently working on
an Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge flight experiment
that will demonstrate a single, non-rigid wing flap
that can be flexed in different ways;
this leads to more efficient control methods when airborne.
Flying from 2007 to 2013 at Armstrong,
the X-48 subscale Hybrid Wing Body was another program
in NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation portfolio.
NASA, Boeing Phantom Works, Cranfield Aerospace of the U.K.,
and the Air Force Research Laboratory,
partnered to study the structural, aerodynamic,
and operational advantages of the Hybrid model,
sometimes called a Blended Wing Body.
The concept is a cross between a conventional aircraft
and a flying wing.
The design has the potential to yield
up to thirty percent better fuel economy
than traditional aircraft due to its unique shape.
[Music]
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,
known as SOFIA, is a partnership between NASA
and the German Aerospace Center, DLR.
The flying observatory consists
of a highly modified 747SP former airliner carrying a
17-metric ton, German-built, infrared telescope.
Missions are flown at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet,
putting the telescope above 99 percent
of the Earth's water vapor.
Being able to reposition the telescope anywhere
on Earth is a unique capability: not long ago, for example,
it enabled astronomers to chase Pluto's shadow
as it moved across the Earth,
and SOFIA was able to study the dwarf planet
for a much longer period of time than a stationary observatory.
The aircraft, flown out of Armstrong's Palmdale hangar,
is making infrared astronomy missions available
to the international science community.
[Aircraft taking off]
[Music]
Armstrong Flight Research Center flies modified high-performance
aircraft as test beds for a variety
of flight research experiments.
In the 90s we used F-18s to test
and demonstrate thrust vectoring,
which is a standard feature on today's F-22.
We used F-15s for a series of experiments
on intelligent flight control systems,
a variation of which appears on the F-35.
This system makes it possible to recover
from what otherwise would be catastrophic failure
of equipment, systems, or even portions of the aircraft itself.
[Music] [Aircraft flying]
[Aircraft Computer]: Pull up! Pull up!
Altitude!
>>Long involved in aviation safety, NASA Armstrong,
working with the US Air Force,
has been developing automatic collision avoidance technologies
for over 20 years.
The most recent version
of Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology, or ACAT,
flew on an Air Force F-16D.
This integrated hardware and software system is designed
to detect and avoid ground collisions.
[Aircraft flying]
[Radio chatter]
In an effort to introduce this development
into general aviation,
researchers at Armstrong have been using a small UAV, DROID,
to demonstrate the ability
to implement it using common cell phone technology,
which provides for low cost and high accessibility.
[Aircraft flying]
[Radio chatter]
From its very inception,
NASA Armstrong has explored supersonic flight.
Today, the goal in this field is
to enable supersonic transportation over land.
[Sonic boom]
Because planes traveling
at supersonic speeds cause sonic booms...
[Sonic boom]
...which are potentially disruptive to people
and structures on the ground, our researchers are working
to minimize the booms' impact at ground level.
[Music]
We conduct tests of future supersonic wings
and aerodynamic designs, as well as research into the effects
of sonic booms on structures and people, in pursuit of our goal
to one day achieve quiet or low-level sonic booms.
[Sonic boom]
Armstrong continues to apply flight research
and test techniques to new launch systems...
[Radio]: Launch, launch, launch!
>>harboring innovative ideas that are now under study
and will rapidly be brought to flight.
[Rocket liftoff]
[Music]
[Crowd] Five, four, three, two, one...
>>NASA Armstrong also manages the agency's Flight Opportunities
Program, created to provide opportunities
for space technologies to be demonstrated and validated
in relevant environments.
In 2011, seven companies were selected to integrate
and fly a variety of technology payloads at reduced costs,
a central goal of the program.
These payloads, flown on reusable,
commercial vehicles near the boundary of space,
are helping to pave the way for future space exploration.
[Rockets] [Music]
NASA has shifted its approach to space exploration.
The agency is partnering with a variety of private companies
to develop cost effective crew and cargo transportation
to Low Earth Orbit, known as LEO.
Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser Space System,
which has already done flight-testing here
at Armstrong, is one example of this.
With increased reliance on private industry
for LEO transportation, NASA will be able to focus
on deep space exploration,
taking us into outer space farther
than we have ever been before.
[Music] [Radio chatter]
[Music]
So, as you can see, there is a lot more to NASA
than space exploration.
NASA works everyday to solve the challenges that still exist
in our nation's air transportation system.
With green aviation, the agency is helping create safer,
cleaner, and more effective travel for everyone
through fuel-efficient flight planning, and the reduction
of aircraft fuel consumption, emissions, and noise.
Here at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center,
we are conducting an unprecedented array
of science missions that will seek new knowledge
and understanding of Earth, the solar system, and the universe.
[Music] [Radio chatter]
>>At Armstrong, we are pioneers, taking the first step
in proving new flight technologies,
which have practical implications here on our planet
and improve our ability to explore beyond.
[Music]