NASA Aeronautics

Official National Aeronautics and Space Administration Website

  • Air Force Pilot, SkillBridge Fellow Helps NASA Research Soar

    Jeremy Johnson laces his black, steel-toed boots and zips up his dark blue flight suit. Having just finished a pre-flight mission briefing with his team, the only thing on his mind is heading to the aircraft hangar and getting a plane in the air. As he eases a small white-and-blue propeller aircraft down the hangar’s […]

  • NASA, Boeing, Consider New Thin-Wing Aircraft Research Focus

    NASA and Boeing are currently evaluating an updated approach to the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project that would focus on demonstrating thin-wing technology with broad applications for multiple aircraft configurations. Boeing’s proposed focus centers on a ground-based testbed to demonstrate the potential for long, thin-wing technology. Work on the X-66 flight demonstrator – which currently […]

  • NASA Tests Ultralight Antennas to Benefit Future National Airspace

    NASA engineers are using one of the world’s lightest solid materials to construct an antenna that could be embedded into the skin of an aircraft, creating a more aerodynamic and reliable communication solution for drones and other future air transportation options.  Developed by NASA, this ultra-lightweight aerogel antenna is designed to enable satellite communications where […]

  • A Fond Farewell: NASA’s C-130 Begins New Mission in California

    NASA’s C-130 Hercules, fondly known as the Herc, went wheels up at 9:45 a.m., Friday, April 18, as it departed from its decade-long home at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, for the final time. The aircraft is embarking on a new adventure to serve and protect in the state of California where it is […]

  • NASA Calibrates Second Shock-Sensing Probe for X-59 Testing

    When you’re testing a cutting-edge NASA aircraft, you need specialized tools to conduct tests and capture data –but if those tools need maintenance, you need to wait until they’re fixed. Unless you have a backup. That’s why NASA recently calibrated a new shock-sensing probe to capture shock wave data when the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic […]

  • NASA Studies Wind Effects and Aircraft Tracking with Joby Aircraft

    NASA engineers began using a network of ground sensors in March to collect data from an experimental air taxi to evaluate how to safely integrate such vehicles into airspace above cities – in all kinds of weather. Researchers will use the campaign to help improve tools to assist with collision avoidance and landing operations and […]

  • NASA Supports Next Generation of Innovators

    When young minds come together to test their knowledge and creativity in technology and innovation, the results are truly inspiring. In its sixth year, Aerospace Valley Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at East High School in Lancaster, California, proved to be another success. During three action-packed days, hundreds of students from around the world showcased their […]

  • Testing in the Clouds: NASA Flies to Improve Satellite Data

    In February, NASA’s ER-2 science aircraft flew instruments designed to improve satellite data products and Earth science observations. From data collection to processing, satellite systems continue to advance, and NASA is exploring how instruments analyzing clouds can improve data measurement methods. Researchers participating in the Goddard Space Flight Center Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) […]

  • Going Home: NASA Retires S-3B Viking to POW/MIA Museum

    After supporting the center’s research missions for more than a decade, NASA’s S-3B Viking aircraft is moving on from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to begin a new and honorable assignment. The aircraft is heading to the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum in Jacksonville, Florida, where it will be on display, honoring all Prisoners […]

  • NASA Supports Wildland Fire Technology Demonstration

    Editor’s Note: This article was updated April 16, 2025, to reflect the March 26 start date of NASA’s Alta X flights and provide additional details about the data collected. Advancements in NASA’s airborne technology have made it possible to gather localized wind data and assess its impacts on smoke and fire behavior. This information could […]