NASA virtual event showcases agency's efforts to transform aviation

NASA virtual event showcases agency's efforts to transform aviation
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 13, 2023

NASA held a virtual showcase last week to demonstrate the agency's efforts in transforming aviation to become more innovative and sustainable. The event called ImaginAviation focused on different areas of aerospace development, featuring NASA's subject matter experts in each area.

One of the focus areas of the event was the use of drones for disaster response, specifically for persistent wildfire suppression and surveillance. Dr. Marcus Johnson, from the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO), shared insights on the mature technology that can help manage aerial disaster response and safeguard first responders and communities.

Another area of focus was the Advanced Air Mobility mission, which aims to create a pilotless air taxi for commutes, package delivery via drones, and ambulance services in the sky. Jeanne Yu, chief strategist for NASA's Sky for All initiative, discussed how to build the necessary infrastructure to make it safe and accessible for everyone.

NASA is also working on commercial supersonic air travel through its Quesst mission, which includes its X-59 aircraft designed to break the sound barrier without producing a loud sonic boom. NASA's Peter Coen and Lori Ozoroski shared their insights on ensuring that new aircraft are not disruptive to communities.

With the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in aviation by 2050, NASA has embarked on projects such as the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator and research on aircraft design, components, materials, and fuel. Rich Wahls, NASA's mission integrator for the Sustainable Flight National Partnership, discussed the agency's collaboration with industry and international partners to achieve this goal.

As NASA continues to explore other planets, research in aeronautics plays a critical role in aircraft design in different atmospheres. Christine Gregg, a research engineer with NASA's Mission Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies, shared her insights on how aeronautics research has contributed to projects like the Ingenuity Mars helicopter.

Lastly, NASA research engineer Shivanjli Sharma discussed the importance of harnessing data generated by aviation systems and turning it into actionable information that makes air travel more convenient, reliable, and safe.

While the event has concluded, recordings of the sessions are available on the ImaginAviation website for those who missed it. The agency's subject matter experts are also available for interviews.