1 00:00:01,020 --> 00:00:02,990 Narrator: NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden was 2 00:00:02,990 --> 00:00:05,730 recently joined by local United States Congressman 3 00:00:05,730 --> 00:00:08,820 Mike Honda to see cutting edge technology being 4 00:00:08,820 --> 00:00:10,810 developed at NASA's Ames Research Center 5 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:13,030 in Silicon Valley. 6 00:00:13,030 --> 00:00:14,830 The first stop was to inspect a model of a 7 00:00:14,830 --> 00:00:16,750 commercial aircraft in the test section of the 8 00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:19,280 Unitary wind tunnel at Ames. 9 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,690 The model is part of NASA's effort to develop 10 00:00:21,690 --> 00:00:23,460 green aviation solutions by 11 00:00:23,460 --> 00:00:26,060 increasing fuel efficiency. 12 00:00:26,060 --> 00:00:28,140 A theme that was shared during the day is that 13 00:00:28,140 --> 00:00:30,910 NASA is with you when you fly, both in the air 14 00:00:30,910 --> 00:00:32,790 and on the ground. 15 00:00:32,790 --> 00:00:35,480 Charles Bolden: Your Ames family here will continue 16 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:37,990 to play a critical role in leveraging these 17 00:00:37,990 --> 00:00:40,370 investments to help ensure that America 18 00:00:40,370 --> 00:00:43,960 remains "Number 1" in aeronautics. 19 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:45,880 Narrator: The tour then showcased the virtual air 20 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,550 traffic control tower called FutureFlight Central. 21 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:52,180 Ames researchers demonstrated advanced software 22 00:00:52,180 --> 00:00:54,770 designed to improve ground traffic efficiency at 23 00:00:54,770 --> 00:00:57,420 airports, meaning less time idling and 24 00:00:57,420 --> 00:01:00,490 taxiing on the ground. 25 00:01:00,490 --> 00:01:03,060 Bolden and Honda took a ride in a prototype of a 26 00:01:03,060 --> 00:01:05,600 Nissan driverless car. 27 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:07,720 Ames' partnership with the automobile company 28 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,280 brings together Nissan and NASA researchers 29 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,220 to share expertise in the development 30 00:01:12,220 --> 00:01:14,940 of autonomy technology. 31 00:01:14,940 --> 00:01:17,730 The tour then showcased new developments in NASA's 32 00:01:17,730 --> 00:01:20,460 robotic vehicle technology and control systems 33 00:01:20,460 --> 00:01:23,050 at the Ames Roverscape. 34 00:01:23,050 --> 00:01:25,130 The technologies being developed here will help 35 00:01:25,130 --> 00:01:28,880 future robotic missions explore the solar system. 36 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,500 Bolden took over the joystick for a rover called 37 00:01:31,500 --> 00:01:34,040 K-REX and quickly discovered how fast and 38 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,390 effective it was at covering ground and climbing 39 00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:37,940 over obstacles. 40 00:01:37,940 --> 00:01:40,780 Crowd: (Laughter) Bolden: Whew! 41 00:01:40,780 --> 00:01:42,290 Narrator: The tour concluded with a chance to 42 00:01:42,290 --> 00:01:45,930 visit NASA's Arc Jet facility at Ames. 43 00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:48,990 This unique facility recreates the extreme heat 44 00:01:48,990 --> 00:01:51,220 spacecraft encounter when plunging through 45 00:01:51,220 --> 00:01:53,650 a planet's atmosphere, and is a key part 46 00:01:53,650 --> 00:01:57,070 of preparing for a journey to Mars. 47 00:01:57,070 --> 00:01:59,380 An innovative concept was on display for a 48 00:01:59,380 --> 00:02:02,280 deployable heat shield that opens similarly to an 49 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,430 umbrella, but is made using a special carbon-based 50 00:02:05,430 --> 00:02:07,720 flexible fabric. 51 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,040 The tour of Ames was an important chance for 52 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,260 Bolden and Honda to see how Silicon Valley 53 00:02:12,260 --> 00:02:16,400 innovation is helping NASA's missions.