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[music]

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Flying an F-16 isn't for the faint of heart.

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Especially during a flight test for the

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ACAT project at NASA's Dryden Flight

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Research Center.

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Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology

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has been a joint effort between NASA

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and the Air Force for 25 years.

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But, its implementation is just on the horizon.

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The technology uses a computer system

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designed to prevent planes from crashing.

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The ACAT project is developing a technology primarily

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intended to improve aviation safety

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The project that we just finished completing

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addresses ground collision avoidance,

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which is actually currently the major

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leading cause of fatalities in aviation.

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We are going to be going on to address

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air collision avoidance,

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which is the second leading cause.

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The technology can be applied

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to more than just aviation, as well.

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It could be applied to any sort of vehicle

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that has to avoid some sort of a collision threat.

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So, the potential in the future is quite large

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and we hope that we can expllore that.

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The last 15 years of research have been focused

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on refining the technology so that it

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doesn't interfere with missions involving

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required dangerous maneuvers.

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However, the system would still take over

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when the pilot is disoriented or unable

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to control the aircraft.

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During flight testing project pilots activate the

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computer system by performing different maneuvers.

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One of the cardinal rules in flight test

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is we never go beyond our own comfort level.

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We actually pad the system a little bit

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so it gives a fly up before the operational system would.

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while we're getting very close to the ground,

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we'd never go past our comfort level.

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However, there is that small margin

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where you're not past your comfort level

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but you're going right up to it

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which can be pretty stressful. Your hand is

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right on the stick right on the paddle switch.

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You're, you're kind of gearing up

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to speed up your reflexes because when

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the time comes to avoid the ground you

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have less than a second of reaction time

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to do that.

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Since ACAT was funded in 2007, five fatalities

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have resulted from accidents that could

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have been prevented had the software been in place.

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After 25 years of developing and testing

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it may seem that this technology

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is a long time coming.

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But, when his value is taken into consideration,