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Armstrong Flight Research Center
did amazing things this year,

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helping advance NASA's mission
to explore the unknown in air and space.

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Innovate for the benefit of humanity

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and inspire the world through discovery.

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NASA's X-57 Maxwell

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All electric aircraft reached
another milestone toward first flight.

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Lithium
ion battery packs were successfully

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installed and powered the plane's motors.

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Armstrong is advancing
all electric propulsion technology

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that will make aviation more efficient,
quiet and environmentally friendly.

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NASA and Lockheed
Martin teams made great progress

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assembling NASA's X-59 quiet
supersonic experimental aircraft.

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The crew successfully added the tail

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completed final installation of the nose,
performed

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a system check of the ejection seat
and installed the engine.

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Preparations continued for a future X-59
flight tests

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that could open the door to commercial
supersonic flights over land.

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Testing validated supersonic shockwave
imaging and measuring systems

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installed in chase aircraft that gather
critical data on the X-59’s Sonic thump.

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The chase

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aircraft also received a new life
support system

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to provide pilots with enough oxygen
during high altitude flights,

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and testing was conducted to verify
microphone stations

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that will be used to measure the thumps
on the ground.

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Advanced
Air Mobility is NASA's vision to map out

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a safe, accessible and affordable
new air transportation system.

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With the addition of new technology

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such as electric aircraft concepts
and increased automation, NASA's

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mission is researching how industry
aircraft can be integrated into the skies.

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ARMSTRONG Team members are leading
testing, simulation and information

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sharing efforts alongside researchers
from NASA's other aeronautics centers.

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Armstrong is leading an effort
to build a small scale

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version of NASA's
new hybrid electric aircraft concept.

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Four Transport category aircraft.

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Flights were conducted
to test the integrated flight Power

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and Propulsion Controls approach.

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Armstrong's

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flight loads laboratory completed
one of its biggest loads calibration

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efforts with an F/A-18E Super Hornet
from Naval Air Systems Command.

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Testing helped establish design limits
and ensure safety of flight and crew.

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87 load cases were applied to exercise
as structural response.

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NASA's
taking flight training and preparation

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to new heights at Armstrong's
simulation laboratory.

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One of a kind experimental simulations
are providing researchers, engineers

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and pilots with a safe environment
to practice test conditions.

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The first phase of NASA's new flight data
archiving and acquisition

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system was released to help engineers
record access process

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and analyze the vast amount of data
collected during flight testing.

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This phase enables better support of X-59
envelope expansion,

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flight testing.

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NASA's Armstrong's
C-20A aircraft conducted

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geological observations of California
to document the long term

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behavior of active landslides
and the San Andreas Fault.

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The science aircraft deployed to Maine
to validate soil moisture algorithms.

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And to Alaska and Canada
to study the effects

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of climate change
on Arctic and boreal ecosystems.

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A group of university

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students and mentors flew aboard
Armstrong's DC-8 aircraft to study

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air quality as part of NASA's
Student Airborne Research program.

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The DC-8 studied dangerous
engine icing conditions at high altitudes

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and deployed to Cabo Verde off the coast
of Africa to measure winds, aerosols,

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precipitation and other conditions
that influence convection.

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Armstrong's ER-2 aircraft supported NASA's

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multi-year
airborne science campaign to track U.S.

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snowstorms.

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The high altitude aircraft also studied
how convective storm

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systems affect air pollution
ecosystems and provided

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critical information on natural disasters
such as volcanoes, wildfires and drought.

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They also studied the amount of light
reflected off the moon.

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The King Air B200 science
aircraft supported NASA's campaign

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to study small ocean
whirlpools, eddies and currents

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and the role these ocean processes
play in the movement of heat, nutrients,

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oxygen and carbon from the ocean surface

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to the layers below.

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After 732 nights observing,

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NASA's SOFIA project ended September 29th,

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2022.SOFIA was a mission of discovery,

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revealing, unseen and sometimes unseeable,

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parts of our universe, including water
on the sunlit surface of the moon.

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The first type of molecule ever to form
in the universe and the intricate magnetic

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field structures involved in the formation
of stars and spiral galaxies.

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The Boeing 747SP jetliner was modified

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to carry the 38,000-pound, 100
inch telescope.

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Engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center
developed a garage door like mechanism

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that rolled up to let the telescope
observe the skies.

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By 2014, the observatory reached
its full operational capability,

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and for eight years,
SOFIA enabled astronomers

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around the world
to study the infrared universe

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and unveil impressive
cosmic events and objects invisible

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to other telescopes.

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NASA's Flight Opportunities

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program supported suborbital flight
campaigns, including parabolic flight

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testing innovations designed for a broad
range of space based capabilities,

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including 3D printing, medical care,
biotechnology,

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food and farming, power systems
and propellant gauging.

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As part of NASA's TechRise Student
Challenge, 57 student teams in grades 6

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to 12 and their teachers designed
and built space technology payloads

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to test on future suborbital rocket
or high altitude balloon flights.

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Winners of NASA's first TechLeap prize
launched their technologies

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this summer on high altitude balloon
flights testing Earth Observation

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Technologies at Stratospheric Heights,
thanks to Center Innovation Fund Awards.

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NASA's continues to create
innovative solutions to address

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some of the most pressing aerospace
challenges.

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New weather sensors were designed
to measure atmospheric pressure,

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temperature, relative humidity,
air quality and 3D wind velocities.

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And a new magnetic connector that releases

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payloads quickly and reliably was tested
and could have applications

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for aircraft, spacecraft and space
exploration.

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An early career
initiative project team is researching

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how magnets can be used to attach
and release cryogenic fuel lines

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and withstand the dust in the unforgiving
environments of the moon and Mars.

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Another early career Initiative project
team is testing highly elastic strain

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sensors to aid
in the design of supersonic parachutes

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used for Mars exploration.

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This year, Fiber Optic Sensing System

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Researchers continued Armstrong's
support of heat shield development.

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FOSS developers adapted their technology
to support NASA's

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demonstration of an inflatable heat
shield technology

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that could help land heavy payload
cheaply on Mars.

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In 2013 and 2014, NASA's Armstrong's
flight loads

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laboratory conducted structural tests
on the donut shaped inflatable device

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designed to more effectively
slow down the spacecraft

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upon atmospheric reentry to earth
or other planets.

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November's return from orbit
demonstration was the next step

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in the technology's development.

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All eyes were

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on Artemis one in November.

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The first launch of NASA's
mega moon rocket,

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the Space Launch System,
and the Orion spacecraft.

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As NASA builds
a long term presence on the moon.

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Previously, NASA's
Armstrong played key roles in the Orion

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launch Abort System
Developmental test, Orion parachute tests,

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autonomous flight control system testing,

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and the spacecraft Launch Abort System
Demonstration this year.

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Armstrong's Global Hawk unmanned aircraft
collected rockets systems health data

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during the Artemis One launch
and in preparation for Artemis

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two engineers are supporting development
and integration of a system

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to collect heat shield data
during launch, NASA's Armstrong

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Innovators, pilots and mission support
teams attended events geared towards

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inspiring the next generation
of innovators.

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The center participated with exhibits
and hands on demonstrations,

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showcasing aviation inspired technology
and the latest in NASA's

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aeronautics, research, space,
exploration, science and more.

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That's Armstrong
Flight Research Center's 2022 Highlights.