In 1985, the 11-acre wind tunnel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The largest of the three, the Unitary Plan Wind tunnel, has tested almost all NASA crewed space vehicles, including the space shuttle, and is the only one still in use today. "Of particular note are three tunnels later designated key national resources." "Wind tunnels are central to Ames' history," says Ames' historical website. The Air Force passed Moffett Airfield to NASA in 1994, when the military base closed. Some of its original facilities include multiple wind tunnels used to test and refine aircraft and guided missiles today, the facilities serve similar purposes for satellites. It does not store any personal data.From the start, Ames was bent toward urgent research in aircraft structures. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The aircraft is currently flying a series of missions out of Christchurch, New Zealand, where it is studying celestial objects best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. SOFIA is based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, and the program, science and mission operations are managed by Ames. Bower also discussed the process of planning a typical 10-hour flight, avoiding bad weather and restricted airspace while packing in as many scientific observations as possible.įlying at an altitude on 40,000 feet (12,200 meters) puts SOFIA above 99 percent of the water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere, giving the telescope a much clearer view of the cosmos than that of ground-based observatories. SOFIA flight planner Kenneth Bower gave a talk about the 747SP’s history and how it was modified to carry the telescope. The display included a scale model of the SOFIA aircraft and an infrared camera demonstration. NASA’s Human Systems Integration Division displayed Astroskin, a lightweight garment containing sensors than track and astronauts vital signs and activity levels and air traffic control systems under development for the safe low-altitude flight of drones.Īnother display was dedicated to the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy ( SOFIA), which is a Boeing 747SP aircraft that has been extensively modified to carry a 8.8-foot (2.7 meter) reflecting telescope. The helicopter technology demonstrator is being designed to climb up to 10 feet (three meters), hover for up to 30 seconds, and incrementally travel farther and farther distances. It was attended by about 1,200 members of the public and included exhibits, demonstrations and talks by NASA researchers.Īmong the exhibits at the event included displays of small spacecraft, a foldable heat shield called the Adaptive Deployable Entry system Project ( ADEPT) and a full-scale prototype of the Mars Helicopter, which is scheduled to fly with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. The July 13, 2018, event focused on the center’s research contributions to the space agency’s exploration missions. Photo Credit: Jim Sharkey / SpaceFlight Insider A full-scale model of the Mars Helicopter Scout that is slated to travel to the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 rover.
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