Feb 25 2016

From The Space Library

Release M16-017 NASA Administrator to Make X-Plane Announcement at Reagan National Media Event

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Research Jaiwon Shin will be at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, at 1:30 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 29, to discuss with media NASA’s advanced aeronautic concepts. They’ll also make an announcement about the agency’s plan for a series of experimental aircraft.

Bolden and Shin will discuss NASA’s research into green aviation technologies, a critical part of President Obama’s push to build a clean transportation system for the 21st century, and the agency’s New Aviation Horizons initiative, which is a 10-year plan to build a series of experimental aircraft, or X-planes. Models and graphics of potential X-plane designs will be on site for viewing.

Representatives from the Aerospace Industries Association and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics also will attend.

The media event will be held at the south end of Reagan National’s Terminal B on the ticketing level next to the Alaska Airlines/Delta Airlines ticket areas. Reporters should park in the Terminal B parking area for closest entry. If being dropped off, enter through Door 1 on the Departures ramp.

Release 16-03 NASA Licenses New Communication Technology for Unmanned Aircraft

NASA has developed technology that may enable unmanned aircraft to fly safely in the national airspace along with piloted aircraft. The patent-pending integrated communications and control system is capable of collision warnings as well as real-time traffic and weather updates.

This communication system brings unmanned aircraft a step closer to flying in the national airspace using an aircraft tracking system called the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, or ADS-B, which is to be mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration for most aircraft by 2020.

NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate researchers have been working on technologies that would allow these unmanned aircraft to share the national air space with piloted aircraft through its program called Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Air Space or UAS in the NAS.

Center Director David McBride for NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, recently signed a license agreement with Vigilant Aerospace Systems of Oklahoma City.

"We are excited to enter into a license agreement with Vigilant Aerospace Systems allowing for the transfer and commercialization of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast System for Own-ship, under direct control of the pilot, and Traffic Situational Awareness technology," said Laura Fobel, chief of Armstrong's technology transfer office. "We look forward to working with Vigilant over the coming years."

Vigilant Aerospace Systems intends to commercialize the technology as part of its new FlightHorizon product suite and equip manned and unmanned aircraft with the hardware and software that provides synthetic cockpit views and detect-and-avoid commands to improve flight safety for all kinds of aircraft.

"One of major advantages of this system is that it uses existing FAA infrastructure to help keep drones away from other aircraft," said Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace Systems. "It also gives nearby aircraft the ability to be aware of the drone and improves situational awareness for the drone operator."

The new technology has been tested extensively on Armstrong's remotely piloted aircraft named Ikhana. Also known as a Predator B, Ikhana supports both science missions and aeronautical technology development such as the UAS in the NAS project.

"We were excited about licensing this technology because we see the potential for these particular inventions to not only make significant contributions to flight safety for both unmanned and manned aircraft but also to be a platform technology for the future of flight automation," said Epperson.

NASA Invites Media to Talk to Small Satellite Experts, Tour Labs


NASA will host members of the media to learn about NASA’s small spacecraft technology development and upcoming launches, and to tour assembly and testing facilities on Tuesday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. PST at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

NASA leadership, scientists and engineers involved in small spacecraft technology will speak about the growing importance of small spacecraft in space exploration, share milestone accomplishments and discuss the series of NASA-funded technology demonstration missions set to launch this year. These small satellite missions are designed to push the boundaries of space-to-Earth communications for CubeSats, test satellite-to-satellite communications and demonstrate the small spacecraft autonomous movement capabilities.

Panelists will include:

• Andrew Petro, program executive, Small Spacecraft Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Roger Hunter, program manager, Small Spacecraft Technology Program at Ames
• Ehson Mosleh vice president, Systems & Mission Assurance, CubeSat Proximity Operations Demonstration (CPOD) project, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. in Irvine, California
• Richard Hodges, principal investigator, Integrated Solar Array and Reflecterray Antenna (ISARA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California
• Richard Welle, principal investigator, Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) project and director, Microsatellite Systems department, The Aerospace Corporation, in El Segundo, California

Following the panel briefing, media will take a tour of laboratories, test facilities and the Multi-Mission Operations Center, where engineers build, test and later track and facilitate the operation of the spacecraft and payloads.

Panelists will discuss the Nodes satellites scheduled to deploy in early March from the International Space Station, and the ISARA, OCSD and CPOD projects, all of which are funded by the Small Spacecraft Technology Program. The tour also will include visits to laboratories for the Eu:CROPIS and BioSentinel projects, which both support science missions managed by Ames.

Interested members of the news media who wish to attend should contact Kimberly Williams at kimberly.k.williams@nasa.gov before 5 p.m. on March 7 for credentials.

The Small Spacecraft Technology Program is managed by Ames and funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.