Interviews, photos and video b-roll are available. Worth International Airport, Texas as part of an ambitious research program to reduce costs and delays at the nation's major airports. These systems monitor weather conditions, predict the motion and decay of aircraft wakes, and compare the predictions with wake observations from a laser-radar system, or lidar. Wakes from large planes can cause problems ranging from passenger discomfort to serious accidents in smaller planes that fly into wake vortices. The data will help determine when aircraft spacing can be safely reduced during inclement weather.
Interviews are available.
The panels are undergoing various strength tests at NASA Langley. Interviews, photos and video b-roll are available. Models of various sizes and materials are undergoing testing for ground effects, aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic properties, and dynamic stability in several wind tunnels.