Skip to main content

This new NASA air traffic control tech aims for flight efficiency

NASA and the FAA are conducting trial flights to test new air traffic control technology this week around Grant County International Airport in Washington state.

The project aims at overall flight efficiency. The flights testing the plane-guiding technology is one leg of the $35-billion NextGen national aviation revamp underway, according to Wired.

Recommended Videos

The plan is to restructure everything from “preflight prep to arrival, introducing modern planning software, digital instead of voice communication, and GPS-based position-reporting over imprecise radar-based tracking” by 2030.

NASA and the FAA dubbed the air traffic control tests ATD-1, which stands for Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1. Wired reports that “a Boeing 757, a Honeywell business jet, and a Boeing 737” will utilize the plane-guiding tech around the Grant County International Airport so that researches can make an assessment of the technology’s productivity.

The current air traffic control system talks pilots through the landing process while using radar data. NASA project manager Leighton Quon said that because radar data is flawed and voice communication causes delays, more space between airplanes is required.

The new system will speed up communications, add more space for airplane flight patterns, and sharpen tracking precision. It will also save fuel and improve flight arrival times.

“The core of the new system is an on-board GPS receiver and data transmitter known as ADS-B, which can broadcast an aircraft’s position to other aircraft and ground controllers with far greater precision than radar. The setup, already on many business and private aircraft, will be required on commercial airplanes by 2020, mostly to communicate their positions to nearby aircraft, as a safety measure. Folding in the approach management element, Quon says, is a bonus,” reports Wired.

The FAA reports it has spent $7.5 billion on the NextGen air traffic modernization program over the past seven years.

“That investment has resulted in $2.7 billion in benefits to passengers and the airlines to date, and is expected to yield more than $160 billion in benefits through 2030,” the FAA stated in a recent press release.

Jaime Dunkle
Jaime Dunkle specializes in multimedia storytelling and data analysis. Her writing, photography and digital media has won…
NASA’s Mars helicopter aiming for new record on next flight
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter.

Save for the occasional glitch, NASA couldn’t be happier with the way its Ingenuity Mars helicopter is performing on the red planet.

Its first flight on April 19 saw Ingenuity become the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet, effortlessly handling Mars' extremely thin atmosphere. Since then, the 4-pound, 19-inch-tall machine has nailed three additional flights of increasing complexity.

Read more
NASA and SpaceX set new launch date for first operational Crew Dragon flight
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 crew members are seen seated in the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during crew equipment interface training.

 

NASA has revealed a new target date for the first operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station (ISS).

Read more
Star Wars legend Ian McDiarmid gets questions about the Emperor’s sex life
Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This weekend, the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 20th anniversary re-release had a much stronger performance than expected with $25 million and a second-place finish behind Sinners. Revenge of the Sith was the culmination of plans by Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) that led to the fall of the Jedi and his own ascension to emperor. Because McDiarmid's Emperor died in his first appearance -- 1983's Return of the Jedi -- Revenge of the Sith was supposed to be his live-action swan song. However, Palpatine's return in Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker left McDiarmid being asked questions about his character's comeback, particularly about his sex life and how he could have a granddaughter.

While speaking with Variety, McDiarmid noted that fans have asked him "slightly embarrassing questions" about Palpatine including "'Does this evil monster ever have sex?'"

Read more