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By NASA
13 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Getty Images University Student Research Challenge (USRC) seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics. USRC will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for their projects and with the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign. The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator – requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public.
The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
Eligibility: NASA funding is available to all accredited U.S. institutions of higher education (e.g. universities, four-year colleges, community colleges, or other two-year institutions). Students must be currently enrolled (part-time or full-time) at the institution. NASA has no set expectations as to the team size. The number of students participating in the investigation is to be determined by the scope of the project and the student Team Leader.
The USRC solicitation is currently Closed with Proposals next due June 26, 2025. Please visit NSPIRES to receive alerts when more information is available.
A USRC Q&A/Info Session and Proposal Workshop will be held May 12, 2025, at 2pm ET ahead of the USRC Submission deadline in June 2025. Join the Q&A
Please email us at HQ-USRC@mail.nasa.gov if you have any questions or to schedule a 1 on 1.
USRC Awards
Context-Aware Cybersecurity for UAS Traffic Management (Texas A&M University)
Developing, testing, and pursuing transition of an aviation-context-aware network authentication and segmentation function, which holistically manages cyber threats in future UAS traffic control systems.
Student Team: Vishwam Raval (Team Lead), Michael Ades, Garett Haynes, Sarah Lee, Kevin Lei, Oscar Leon, McKenna Smith, Nhan Nick Truong
Faculty Mentors: Jaewon Kim and Sandip Roy
Selected: 2025
Reconnaissance and Emergency Aircraft for Critical Hurricane Relief (North Carolina State University)
Developing and deploying advanced unmanned aerial systems designed to locate, communicate with, and deliver critical supplies to stranded individuals in the wake of natural disasters.
Student Team: Tobias Hullette (Team Lead), Jose Vizcarrondo, Rishi Ghosh, Caleb Gobel, Lucas Nicol, Ajay Pandya, Paul Randolph, Hadie Sabbah
Faculty Mentor: Felix Ewere
Selected: 2025
Design and Prototyping of a 9-phase Dual-Rotor Motor for Supersonic Electric Turbofan (Colorado School of Mines)
Designing and prototyping a scaled-down 9-phase dual-rotor motor (DRM) for a supersonic electric turbofan.
Student Team: Mahzad Gholamian (Team Lead), Garret Reader, Mykola Mazur, Mirali Seyedrezaei
Faculty Mentor: Omid Beik
Selected: 2024
Project F.I.R.E (Fire Intervention Retardant Expeller) (Cerritos Community College)
Mitigating wildfires with drone released fire retardant pellets.
Student Team: Angel Ortega Barrera (Team Lead), Larisa Mayoral, Paola Mayoral Jimenez, Jenny Rodriguez, Logan Stahl, Juan Villa
Faculty Mentor: Janet McLarty-Schroeder
Selected: 2024
Learning cooperative policies for adaptive human-drone teaming in shared airspace (Cornell University)
Enabling new coordination and communication models for smoother, more efficient, and robust air traffic flow.
Student Team: Mehrnaz Sabet (Team Lead), Aaron Babu, Marcus Lee, Joshua Park, Francis Pham, Owen Sorber, Roopak Srinivasan, Austin Zhao
Faculty Mentor: Sanjiban Choudhury, Susan Fussell
Selected: 2024
Crowdfunding Website
Investigation on Cryogenic Fluid Chill-Down Time for Supersonic Transport Usage (University of Washington, Seattle)
Investigating reducing the boil-off of cryogenic fluids in pipes using vortex generators.
Student Team: Ryan Fidelis (Team Lead), Alexander Ala, Kaleb Shaw
Faculty Mentor: Fiona Spencer, Robert Breidenthal
Selected: 2024
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “Students win NASA grant to develop AI for safer aerial traffic“
Clean Forever-Flying Drones: Utilizing Ocean Water for Hydrogen Extraction in Climate Monitoring (Purdue University)
An ocean-based fueling station and a survey drone that can refuel in remote areas.
Student Team: Holman Lau (Team Lead), Nikolai Baranov, Andrej Damjanov, Chloe Hardesty, Smit Kapadia
Faculty Mentor: Li Qiao
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Intelligent drone for detection of people during emergency response operation (Louisiana State University and A&M College)
Using machine learning algorithms for images and audio data, integrated with gas sensing for real-time detection of people on UAS.
Student Team: Jones Essuman (Team Lead), Tonmoy Sarker, Samer Tahboub
Faculty Mentor: Xiangyu Meng
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Advancing Aerospace Materials Design through High-Fidelity Computational Peridynamic Modeling and Modified SVET Validation of Corrosion Damage (California State University, Channel Islands)
Modeling electrochemical corrosion nonlocally and combining efforts from bond-based and state-based theory.
Student Team: Trent Ruiz (Team Lead), Isaac Cisneros, Curtis Hauck
Faculty Mentor: Cynthia Flores
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Swarm Micro UAVs for Area Mapping in GPS-denied Areas (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
Using swarm robotics to map complex environments and harsh terrain with Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs)
Student Team: Daniel Golan (Team Lead), Stanlie Cerda-Cruz, Kyle Fox, Bryan Gonzalez, Ethan Thomas
Faculty Mentor: Sergey V. Drakunov
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “Student Research on Drone Swarm Mapping Selected to Compete at NASA Challenge“
AeroFeathers—Feathered Airfoils Inspired by the Quiet Flight of Owls (Michigan Tech University)
Creating new propeller blades and fixed wing design concepts that mimic the features of an
owl feather and provide substantial noise reduction benefits.
Student Team: William Johnston (Team Lead), Pulitha Godakawela Kankanamalage, Amulya Lomte, Maria Jose Carrillo Munoz, Brittany Wojciechowski, Laura Paige Nobles, Gabrielle Mathews
Faculty Mentor: Bhisham Sharma
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Laser Energized Aerial Drone System (LEADS) for Sustained Sensing Applications (Michigan State University)
Laser based, high-efficiency optical power transfer for UAV charging for sustained flight and monitoring.
Student Team: Gavin Gardner (Team Lead), Ryan Atkinson, Brady Berg, Ross Davis, Gryson Gardner, Malachi Keener, Nicholas Michaels
Faculty Mentor: Woongkul Lee
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
LEADS team Website
UAM Contingency Diagnosis Toolkit (Ohio State University)
A UAM contingency diagnosis toolkit which that includes cognitive work requirements (CWRs) for human operators, information sharing requirements, and representational designs.
Student Team: Connor Kannally (Team Lead), Izzy Furl, Luke McSherry, Abhinay Paladugu
Faculty Mentor: Martijn IJtsma
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Project Website
Web Article: “NASA Awards $80K to Ohio State students through University Research Challenge“
Hybrid Quadplane Search and Rescue Missions (NC A&T University)
An autonomous search and rescue quadplane UAS supported by an unmanned mobile landing platform/recharge station ground vehicle.
Student Team: Luis Landivar Olmos (Team Lead), Dakota Price, Amilia Schimmel, Sean Tisdale
Faculty Mentor: A. Homaifar
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Drone Based Water Sampling and Quality Testing – Special Application in the Raritan River (Rutgers University, New Brunswick)
An autonomous water sampling drone system.
Student Team: Michael Leitner (Team Lead), Xavier Garay, Mohamed Haroun, Ruchit Jathania, Caleb Lippe, Zachary Smolder, Chi Hin Tam
Faculty Mentor: Onur Bilgen
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Project Website
Development of a Low-Cost Open-Source Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Machine – Arc One (Case Western Reserve University)
A small-scale, modular, low-cost, and open-source Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) platform.
Student Team: Vishnushankar Viraliyur Ramasamy (Team Lead), Robert Carlstrom, Bathlomew Ebika, Jonathan Fu, Anthony Lino, Garrett Tieng
Faculty Mentor: John Lewandowski
Selected: 2023
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “PhD student wins funding from NASA and develops multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students to build novel machine“
Low Cost and Efficient eVTOL Platform Leveraging Opensource for Accessibility (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
Lowering the barrier of entry into eVTOL deployment and development with a low cost, efficient, and open source eVTOL platform
Student Team: Martin Arguelles-Perez (Team Lead), Benjamin Bishop, Isabella Laurito, Genaro Marcial Lorza, Eman Yonis
Faculty Mentor: Venkatesan Muthukumar
Selected: 2022
Applying Space-Based Estimation Techniques to Drones in GPS-Denied Environments (University Of Texas, Austin)
Taking real-time inputs from flying drones and outputting an accurate state estimation with 3-D error ellipsoid visualization
Student Team: James Mitchell Roberts (Team Lead), Lauren Byram, Melissa Pires
Faculty Mentor: Adam Nokes
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Project Website
Web Article: “GPS-free Drone Tech Proposal Lands Undergrads Spot in NASA Challenge“
Underwing Distributed Ducted Fan ‘FanFoil’ Concept for Transformational Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic Performance (Texas Tech University, Lubbock)
Novel highly under-cambered airfoils with electric ducted fans featuring ’samara’ maple seed inspired blades for eVTOL application
Student Team: Jack Hicks (Team Lead), Harrison Childre, Guilherme Fernandes, David Gould, Lorne Greene, Muhammad Waleed Saleem, Nathan Shapiro
Faculty Mentor: Victor Maldonado
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Web Articles: “Improving Ducted-Fan eVTOL Efficiency” (AvWeek), “Sky Taxies“
Urban Cargo Delivery Using eVTOL Aircrafts (University Of Illinois, Chicago)
A bi-objective optimization formulation minimizing total run costs of a two-leg cargo delivery system and community noise exposure to eVTOL operations
Student Team: Nahid Parvez Farazi (Team Lead), Amy Hofstra, Son Nguyen
Faculty Mentor: Bo Zou
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “PhD student awarded NASA grant to investigate urban cargo delivery systems“
Congestion Aware Path Planning for Optimal UAS Traffic Management (University Of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
A feasible, provably safe, and quantifiably optimal path planning framework considering fully autonomous UAVs in urban environments
Student Team: Minjun Sung (Team Lead), Christoph Aoun, Ivy Fei, Christophe Hiltebrandt-McIntosh, Sambhu Harimanas Karumanchi, Ran Tao
Faculty Mentor: Naira Hovakimyan
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “NASA funds UAV traffic management research“
AeroZepp: Aerostat Enabled Drone Glider Delivery System / Whisper Ascent: Quiet Drone Delivery (University of Delaware)
An aerostat enabled low-energy UAV payload delivery system
Student Team: Wesley Connor (Team Lead), Abubakarr Bah, Karlens Senatus
Faculty Mentor: Suresh Advani
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Sustainable Transport Research Aircraft for Test Operation (STRATO) (Rutgers University, New Brunswick)
An open source, efficiently driven, optimized Active Flow Control (AFC) enhanced control surface for UAV research platforms
Student Team: Daulton James (Team Lead), Jean Alvarez, Frederick Diaz, Michael Ferrell, Shriya Khera, Connor Magee, Roy Monge Hidalgo, Bertrand Smith
Faculty Mentor: Edward DeMauro
Selected: 2022
Crowdfunding Website
Web Articles: “SoE Students Eligible for NASA University Student Research Challenge Award“, “Senior Design Team Captures NASA Research Challenge“
A recorded STRATO USRC Tech Talk
Dronehook: A Novel Fixed-Wing Package Retrieval System (University Of Notre Dame)
Envisioning a world where items can be retrieved from remote locations in a simple fashion from efficient fixed-wing UAVs
Student Team: Konrad Rozanski (Team Lead), Dillon Coffey, Bruce Smith, Nicholas Orr
Faculty Mentor: Jane Cleland-Huang
Selected: 2021
Crowdfunding Website
Web Article: “Notre Dame student team wins NASA research award for drone scoop and grab technology“
Aerial Intra-city Delivery Electric Drones (AIDED) with High Payload Capacity (Michigan State University)
A high-payload capacity delivery drone capable of safely latching and charging on electrified public transportation systems
Student Team: Yuchen Wang (Team Lead), Hunter Carmack, Kindred Griffis, Luke Lewallen, Scott Newhard, Caroline Nicholas, Shukai Wang, Kyle White
Faculty Mentor: Woongkul Lee
Selected: 2021
AIDED Crowdfunding Website
AIDED Project Website or Team Website
Web Articles: “Spartan Engineers win NASA research award” and “NASA Aeronautics amplification“; “Ross Davis & Gavin Gardner on The Guy Gordon Show“; “MSU Students Create Delivery Drone for NASA“; “Student drone project flying high with help from NASA“
A recorded USRC Tech Talk
Robotic Fabrication Work Cell for Customizable Unmanned Aerial Systems (Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University)
A robotic, multi-process work cell to autonomously fabricate topologically optimized UASs tailored for immediate application needs
Student Team: Tadeusz Kosmal (Team Lead), Kieran Beaumont, Om Bhavsar, Eric Link, James Lowe
Faculty Mentor: Christopher Williams
Selected: 2021
Crowdfunding Website
RAV-FAB Project Website
Web Articles: “Drones that fly away from a 3D printer: Undergraduates create science nonfiction” and “3D printing breaks out of the box / VTx / Virginia Tech“
NASA VT USRC Web Article: “USRC Students Sees Success with Crowdfunding, NASA Grants“
Publication: Hybrid additive robotic workcell for autonomous fabrication of mechatronic systems – A case study of drone fabrication – ScienceDirect
Team Social Media: Instagram: @ravfab_vt; LinkedIn: @rav-fab; YouTube
View RAV-FAB USRC Tech Talk #1 or USRC Tech Talk #2
Real Time Quality Control in Additive Manufacturing Using In-Process Sensing and Machine Learning (Cornell University)
A high-precision and low-cost intelligent sensor-based quality control technology for Additive Manufacturing
Student Team: Adrita Dass (Team Lead), Talia Turnham, Benjamin Steeper, Chenxi Tian, Siddharth Patel, Akula Sai Pratyush, Selina Kirubakar
Faculty Mentor: Atieh Moridi
Selected: 2021
Crowdfunding Website
AMAS Project Website
Web Article: “Students win NASA challenge with 3D-printer smart sensor“
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on this topic
AVIATA: Autonomous Vehicle Infinite Time Apparatus (University of California, Los Angeles)
A drone swarm system capable of carrying a payload in the air indefinitely
Student Team: Chirag Singh (Team Lead), Ziyi Peng, Bhrugu Mallajosyula, Willy Teav, David Thorne, James Tseng, Eric Wong, Axel Malahieude, Ryan Nemiroff, Yuchen Yao, Lisa Foo
Faculty Mentor: Jeff Eldredge
Selected: 2020
Crowdfunding Website
AVIATA Project Website
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on AVIATA
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
Redundant Flight Control System for BVLOS UAV Operations (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
A redundant flight control system as a “back-up” to the primary flight computer to enhance safety of sUAS
Student Team: Robert Moore (Team Lead), Joseph Ayd, and Todd Martin
Faculty Mentor: John Robbins
Selected: 2020
Crowdfunding Website
Web Articles: “NASA Web Article“; “Drone Innovation Top Embry-Riddle Entrepreneurship Competition“
Follow the team’s progress at: https://www.facebook.com/Assured Autonomy
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on this topic
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
Multi-Mode Hybrid Unmanned Delivery System: Combining Fixed-Wing and Multi-Rotor Aircraft with Ground Vehicles (Rutgers University)
Extending drone delivery distance with a multi-mode hybrid delivery system
Student Team: Paul Wang (Team Lead), Nolan Angelia, Muhammet Ali Gungor
Faculty Mentor: Onur Bilgen
Selected: 2020
Crowdfunding Website
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on this topic
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
AVIS: Active Vortex Inducing System for Flow Separation Control to Improve Airframe Efficiency (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Use an array of vortex generators that can be adjusted throughout flight to increase wing efficiency
Student Team: Michael Gamarnik (Team Lead), Shiva Khanna Yamamoto, Noah Mammen, Tommy Schrager, Bethe Newgent
Faculty Mentor: Kelly Griendling
Selected: 2020
Go to AVIS team site
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on AVIS
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
NASA Web Article
Hybrid Airplanes – An Optimum and Modular Approach (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo)
Model and test powertrain to maximize the efficiency of hybrid airplanes
Student Team: Nicholas Ogden (Team Lead), Joseph Shy, Brandon Bartlett, Ryker Bullis, Chino Cruz, Sara Entezar, Aaron Li, Zach Yamauchi
Faculty Mentor: Paulo Iscold
Selected: 2019
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on this topic
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
ATLAS Air Transportation (South Dakota State University)
A multipurpose, automated drone capable of comfortably lifting the weight of an average person
Student Team: Isaac Smithee (Team Lead), Wade Olson, Nicolas Runge, Ryan Twedt, Anthony Bachmeier, Matthew Berg, Sterling Berg
Faculty Mentors: Marco Ciarcia, Todd Letcher
Selected: 2019
A recorded USRC Tech Talk #1 and USRC Tech Talk #2 on ATLAS
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
Software-Defined GPS Augmentation Network for UAS Navigation (University Of Oklahoma, Norman)
A novel solution of enhanced GPS navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles
Student Team: Robert Rucker (Team Lead), Alex Zhang, Jakob Fusselman, Matthew GilliamMentors: Dr. Yan (Rockee) Zhang (Faculty Mentor), Dr Hernan Suarez (Team Technical Mentor)
Faculty Mentors: Marco Ciarcia, Todd Letcher
Selected: 2019
Crowdfunding Website
A recorded USRC Tech Talk on this topic
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
UAV Traffic Information Exchange Network (Purdue University)
A blockchain-inspired secure, scalable, distributed, and efficient communication framework to support large scale UAV operations
Student Team: Hsun Chao (Team Lead) and Apoorv Maheshwari
Faculty Mentors: Daniel DeLaurentis (Faculty Mentor), Shashank Tamaskar
Selected: 2018
Web Article: “Student-developed communication network for UAVs interests NASA“
The recorded poster session at the TACP Showcase 2021
University Student Research Challenge
University Leadership Initiative
University Innovation Project
Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More
4 min read NASA University Research Program Makes First Award to a Community College Project
Article 1 month ago 3 min read NASA Selects New Round of Student-Led Aviation Research Awards
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Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related Terms
University Student Research Challenge View the full article
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By NASA
NASA astronaut Christopher Williams poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Chris Williams will embark on his first mission to the International Space Station, serving as a flight engineer and Expedition 74 crew member.
Williams will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft in November, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the trio will spend approximately eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
During his expedition, Williams will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations that help prepare humans for future space missions and benefit humanity.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Williams graduated with the 23rd astronaut class in 2024. He began training for his first space station flight assignment immediately after completing initial astronaut candidate training.
Williams was born in New York City, and considers Potomac, Maryland, his hometown. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Stanford University in California and a doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, where his research focused on astrophysics. Williams completed Medical Physics Residency training at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He was working as a clinical physicist and researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston when he was selected as an astronaut.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Eric Garza, técnico de ingeniería en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelos Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, corta madera contrachapada a medida para las tablas del piso temporal del avión demostrador experimental X-66 el 26 de agosto de 2024.NASA/Steve Freeman Lee esta historia en español aquí.
La NASA diseño unas tablas de piso temporales para el avión MD-90, que se utilizaran mientras el avión se transforma en el demostrador experimental X-66. Estas tablas de piso protegerán el piso original y agilizarán el proceso de modificación.
En apoyo al proyecto Demostrador de Vuelo Sostenible de la agencia, un pequeño equipo del Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelos Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, construyó tablas de piso temporales para ahorrarle tiempo y recursos al proyecto. La retirada e instalación repetidas del piso original durante el proceso de modificación requería mucho tiempo. El uso de paneles temporales también garantiza la protección de las tablas del piso original y su aptitud para el vuelo cuando se finalicen las modificaciones y se vuelva a instalar el piso original.
“La tarea de crear las tablas de piso temporales para el MD-90 implica un proceso meticuloso dirigido a facilitar las modificaciones, manteniendo la seguridad y la eficacia. La necesidad de estas tablas de piso temporales surge del detallado procedimiento necesario para retirar y reinstalar los pisos originales del fabricante (OEM, por su acrónimo inglés),” explica Jason Nelson, jefe de fabricación experimental. Él es uno de los dos miembros del equipo de fabricación – un técnico de ingeniería y un inspector – que fabrica acerca de 50 tablas de piso temporales, con dimensiones que varían entre 20 pulgadas por 36 pulgadas y 42 pulgadas por 75 pulgadas.
Una máquina de madera corta agujeros precisos en madera contrachapada para las tablas del piso temporal el 26 de agosto de 2024, en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California. El piso fue diseñado para el avión de demonstración experimental X-66. NASA/Steve Freeman Nelson continuó, “Como estas tablas OEM se quitarán y volverán a instalar varias veces para acomodar las modificaciones necesarias, las tablas temporales ahorrarán al equipo tiempo y recursos valiosos. También proporcionarán el mismo nivel de seguridad y resistencia que las tablas OEM, garantizando que el proceso se desarrolle sin problemas y sin comprometer la calidad.”
El diseño y la creación de prototipos del piso fue un proceso meticuloso, pero la solución temporal desempeña un papel crucial en la optimización del tiempo y los recursos en los esfuerzos de la NASA por avanzar en la seguridad y la eficiencia de los viajes aéreos. El proyecto Demostrador de Vuelo Sostenible de la agencia busca informar la próxima generación de aviones pasajeros de un solo pasillo, que son las aeronaves más comunes de aviación comercial de todo el mundo. La NASA se asoció con Boeing para desarrollar el avión de demostración experimental X-66. El Taller de Fabricación Experimental de Armstrong de la NASA lleva a cabo modificaciones y trabajos de reparación en aeronaves, que van desde la creación de algo tan pequeño como un soporte de aluminio hasta la modificación de la estructura principal de las alas, las costillas del fuselaje, las superficies de control y otras tareas de apoyo a las misiones.
Eric Garza, técnico de ingeniería en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, observa cómo una máquina de madera corta agujeros para las tablas del piso temporal el 26 de agosto de 2024. El piso fue diseñado para el avión de demostración experimental X-66. NASA/Steve Freeman Artículo Traducido por: Priscila Valdez
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Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactSarah Mannsarah.mann@nasa.gov Related Terms
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By NASA
5 Min Read NASA Langley’s Legacy of Landing
The first image of the Moon taken by the cameras on the Lunar Orbiter in 1966. Credits: NASA Landing safely on the surface of another planetary body, like the Moon or Mars, is one of the most important milestones of any given space mission. From the very beginning, NASA’s Langley Research Center has been at the heart of the entry, descent and landing (EDL) research that enables our exploration. Today, NASA Langley’s legacy of landing continues at the forefront of present day lunar missions and as NASA prepares for future travel to more distant worlds.
Project Mercury: 1958
Project Mercury was the United States’ first human-in-space program, led by NASA’s Space Task Group located at NASA Langley. There were five major programs of study and experimentation.
An airdrop study that helped us understand the characteristics of the Mercury capsule as it returned to Earth. A group of study focused on the escape systems, ultimately becoming known as the launch abort system. Exhaustive wind-tunnel studies of the blunt-nosed capsule design and its aerodynamic stability at various altitudes and speeds and angles of reentry, all with a focus on making the capsule safe and stable. A study on the problem of landing impact, resulting in the development of absorption systems that minimized the shock of impact to the capsule’s pilot. Studies into the use of drogue parachutes and their characteristics at high altitudes and speeds, ensuring that they would be able to stabilize and slow the capsule’s descent for a safe landing. All of this research went on to inform the subsequent Gemini and Apollo programs. All of this research went on to inform the subsequent Gemini and Apollo programs.
Apollo Program: 1962
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed to putting Americans on the surface of the Moon and shortly after that historic declaration, NASA’s Apollo program was born. In the years that followed, the original team of NASA astronauts completed their basic training at NASA Langley’s Lunar Landing Research Facility (LLRF). When Apollo 11 successfully landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969, NASA Langley had played a pivotal role in the monumental success.
Lunar Orbiter: 1966
The Lunar Orbiter missions launched with the purpose of mapping the lunar surface and identifying potential landing sites ahead of the Apollo landings. From 1966 to 1967, the five successful Lunar Orbiter missions, led and managed by Langley Research Center, resulted in 99% of the moon photographed and a suitable site selected for the upcoming human landings.
Viking: 1976
After the success of Apollo, NASA set its sights further across the solar system to Mars. Two Viking missions aimed to successfully place landers on the Red Planet and capture high resolution images of the Martian surfaces, assisting in the search for life. Langley Research Center was chosen to lead this inaugural Mars mission and went on to play key roles in the missions to Mars that followed.
HIAD: 2009 – Present
Successful landings on Mars led to more ambitious dreams of landing larger payloads, including those that could support future human exploration. In order to land those payloads safely, a new style of heat shield would be needed. Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology was positioned as an answer to the payload problem, enabling missions to use inflatable heat shields to slow down and protect a payload as it enters a planet’s atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.
IRVE – 2009-2012
Two successful Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiments (IRVE) proved the capability of inflatable heat shield technology and opened the door for larger iterations.
LOFTID – 2022
The Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) followed in the footsteps of its predecessor IRVE with a larger aeroshell that could be deployed to a scale much larger than the shroud. The 2022 successful test of this technology further proved the capability of HIAD technology.
MEDLI 1 and 2: 2012 & 2020
As a part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, NASA Langley’s Mars Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) was designed to gather data from the MSL entry vehicle’s heatshield during its entry and descent to the surface of Mars. MEDLI2 expanded on that groundbreaking data during the Mars 2020 mission which safely landed the Perseverance rover after successfully entering the planet’s arid atmosphere, and enabling improvements on the design for future entry systems.
Curiosity Rover
Curiosity was the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars when it launched in 2011. Leading up the mission, Langley engineers performed millions of simulations of the entry, descent and landing phase — or the so-called “Seven Minutes of Terror” — that determines success or failure. Curiosity continues to look for signs that Mars once was – or still is – a habitable place for life as we know it.
CLPS: 2023 – Present
The Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative takes the Artemis mission further by working with commercial partners to advance the technology needed to return humans to the Moon and enable humanity to explore Mars.
NDL
Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) technology, developed at Langley Research Center, uses lasers to assist spacecraft in identifying safe locations to land. In 2024, NDL flew on the Intuitive Machines’ uncrewed Nova-C lander, with its laser instruments designed to measure velocity and altitude to within a few feet. While NASA planetary landers have traditionally relied on radar and used radio waves, NDL technology has proven more accurate and less heavy, both major benefits for cost and space savings as we continue to pursue planetary missions.
SCALPSS
Like Lunar Orbiter and the Viking missions before it, Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) set out to better understand the surface of another celestial body. These cameras affixed to the bottom of a lunar lander focus on the interaction between the lander’s rocket plumes and the lunar surface. The SCALPSS 1.1 instrument captured first-of-its-kind imagery as the engine plumes of Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander reached the Moon’s surface. These images will serve as key pieces of data as trips to the Moon increase in the coming years.
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Angelique Herring
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Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 EditorAngelique HerringContactJoseph Scott Atkinsonjoseph.s.atkinson@nasa.govLocationNASA Langley Research Center Related Terms
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