{"id":385,"date":"2026-08-03T16:32:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=385"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:36","slug":"this-is-how-nasa-flight-tests-new-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=385","title":{"rendered":"This is How NASA Flight Tests New Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Teresa Whiting<\/p>\n

NASA Armstrong Public Affairs Specialist<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jun 23, 2026<\/span><\/div>\n
Article<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Flight tests are a big part of how NASA turns breakthrough ideas into reality. From flying humans faster than the speed of sound to proving designs that helped shape the space shuttle, flight testing transforms bold concepts into safer, more efficient technologies that benefit the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlight tests are a way to safely and effectively prove new technology, which helps certification authorities certify equipment,\u201d said Wayne Ringelberg, chief pilot at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. \u201cIt helps industry iterate and make systems better, and it promotes research in areas where new ideas can be developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA Armstrong have used flight testing in the Southern California desert to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance aviation. Thanks to that work, NASA-developed innovations are aboard every U.S. commercial aircraft and inside every control tower today. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe space side of NASA uses flight test, too. Every mission, like Artemis II, is never routine,\u201d Ringelberg said. \u201cEverything we\u2019re doing when flying a test mission is something new or different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/a><\/figure>
\n
NASA test pilots Jim Less, left, and Nils Larson walk away from a hangar at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2026. The pilots support the agency\u2019s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) project, which aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Christopher LC Clark<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Every NASA test flight \u2014 whether it\u2019s studying new software, hardware, or the revolutionary technology of an experimental X-plane \u2014\u00a0relies on engineers, researchers, pilots, maintenance crew, control room operators, and many others working together.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperienced operators and engineers evaluate how things work in flight,\u201d Ringelberg said. \u201cMost new technologies are designed to work in a lab or can be tested in a wind tunnel or other facility, but you never really know how they\u2019ll perform until you fly them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preflight tests often include computer analysis, simulation, wind tunnel testing, and ground tests focused on an aircraft\u2019s ability to withstand the forces of flight and the environments through which it may fly. After hardware or software is deemed safe to fly, researchers turn the mission over to the flight test team. <\/p>\n

To support testing, NASA Armstrong maintains an aircraft fleet modified to create space for new hardware or instruments, as well as the ability to integrate new software. These aircraft are flying laboratories<\/a>, and pilots are trained to accomplish experimental missions.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/a><\/figure>
\n
An F-15 research aircraft sits on the ramp at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. NASA pilots Jim Less, front seat, and Carrie Worth prepare for the flight. The agency\u2019s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article is attached to the bottom of the F-15. The project aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Carla Escamilla<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For example, flight testing recently helped NASA gather critical data on laminar flow, or the smooth flow of air, over a wing. The work could lower fuel costs for future airliners. Computer modeling, wind tunnel tests, and other methods helped advance the research, but to find out even more about how the wing concept could reduce drag for future airliners, NASA used a scale model in actual flight.<\/p>\n

NASA researchers strapped the Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF<\/a>) model wing to the belly of one of NASA Armstrong\u2019s F-15s. The arrangement allowed them to collect all the information they would need without doing the extensive, costly modifications required to install a full-scale wing on an aircraft.<\/p>\n

After a flight series is complete, engineers and researchers analyze the data. Did the instrument work as designed? Did the experimental aircraft perform safely at a high altitude? Did the software operate as planned? Each test raises its own set of questions to evaluate. <\/p>\n

NASA continues working with academia, the Department of War, and industry partners to advance U.S. aviation through flight test and bring new benefits to the flying public.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Share<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

Details<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Last Updated<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Jun 22, 2026<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Editor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Dede Dinius<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Contact<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Teresa Whiting<\/div>\n
teresa.whiting@nasa.gov<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

Related Terms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n