NASA brings exploration's future to EAA Oshkosh airventure 2005

Elvia H. Thompson
Headquarters, Washington July 22, 2005
(Phone: 202/358-1696 or at Oshkosh: 920/426-1810)

Fred Johnsen
Dryden Flight Research Center
(Phone: 661/276-2998 or at Oshkosh: 920/426-1810)

RELEASE: 05-197

NASA BRINGS EXPLORATION'S FUTURE TO EAA OSHKOSH AIRVENTURE 2005

Aircraft flying over Mars and supersonic transports so quiet they can
fly over land on Earth are in NASA's view of the future at Experimental
Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture 2005, July 25-31 in Oshkosh, Wis.

NASA scientists, engineers, educators, and communicators bring a slice of
tomorrow to the EAA's annual air show, in an exhibit that reaches for the
sky. The exhibit will showcase Aeronautics -- the first "A" in "NASA." The
exhibits will include other NASA programs that contribute to the Vision for
Space Exploration. The exhibits will display the diversity of skills and
technology that NASA brings to support the Vision for Space Exploration and
its recurring research theme: Earth, Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Earth is represented in a wide array of aeronautical advancements intended
to make flying safer, more accessible, quieter, and more efficient.
Interactive displays also will showcase how NASA scientists use exotic
high-flying aircraft and satellites to take the environmental pulse of our
home planet.

Visitors will experience a "journey" to the Moon and Mars when in the
interactive Exploration Dome. The Dome is a 95-square-foot hexagon-shaped
exhibit. Those who enter the Dome will find themselves in a
three-dimensional theater featuring a five-screen presentation that turns
the dome's interior into a seamless floor-to-wall-to-ceiling display of
other worldly destinations.

Mars as a stop on the way to work in deep space will be featured by an
exhibit about a remotely operated Mars airplane. NASA engineers are using
their Earthbound research to develop a remotely operated aircraft. It could
be deployed from a spacecraft in the Martian sky. The aircraft could be
programmed to gather data at an altitude and speed that is above that
attainable by surface rovers and below that of orbiters.

A special flight test device that enabled NASA engineers to eject pieces of
Space Shuttle fuel tank insulating foam at supersonic speeds will be in the
NASA display. This unique hardware allowed NASA to map the characteristics
of foam debris to help make future Space Shuttle launches even safer.

Since the next launch of the Space Shuttle may coincide with the show, the
NASA exhibits building will provide the public with live television coverage
of that event. Launch is currently scheduled for no earlier than 10:39 a.m.
EDT on Tuesday, July 26, from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Visitors will be able to hear from NASA engineers how mathematical formulas
that explain how birds and fish move in flocks and schools can be programmed
to keep a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) out of each other's way
in a fluid grouping that is more sophisticated and flexible than a
traditional piloted formation. A possible result might be networked UAVs
teaming to help safely fight wildfires, or conduct coordinated search and
rescue efforts.

NASA specialists and industry continue to evolve the Small Aircraft
Transportation System (SATS), intended to make personalized air travel more
accessible to more people. Small airplanes with sophisticated, yet
intuitive, navigation capabilities could bring the dream of personal flight
to thousands of people who now rely on commercial airlines or crowded
freeways. SATS could help relieve overloaded airline hub terminals by
letting people fly directly to smaller airports near their destinations.

Educators and parents can learn about NASA educational materials and
programs from NASA education specialists at the show. Aerospace craftspeople
will be on hand to reveal some mysteries of science, and to show how they
create the experiments that have propelled America forward as a leader in
aerospace technologies.

NASA representatives are also scheduled to give Forum talks throughout the
run of the show. On Thursday, July 28, NASA Associate Administrator for
Aeronautics Dr. J. Victor Lebacqz will address NASA Aeronautics in 21st
Century at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

For more about NASA's aeronautics programs on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov
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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info