In places across the U.S., tree cover is shrinking – forests are burned by wildfires on the West Coast and drowned by rising sea levels along the East. From the ground, it’s hard to assess the scale of the losses and the effects disappearing trees have on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and climate change.

NASA To Measure Forest Health from Above

NASA research pilots David Zahn, left, and Wayne Ringleberg at the controls of Joby Aviation's S4 simulator entering and testing flight path data to develop navigation codes. Credits: Joby Aviation

In a world that runs on data, computer simulations are among our most powerful tools for investigating any scenario. The same is true for NASA Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) researchers as they plan the future of the national airspace. Together with industry partners, these researchers are delivering the data needed to allow self-flying electric air taxis and drones to execute flight paths as easily as your phone maps your car’s route.   

On the Fly: NASA Researchers Map Air Taxi Maneuvers in Simulator

COWVR, at center, and TEMPEST, not shown, were installed aboard the International Space Station in late 2021 and since then have provided valuable weather data to forecasters tracking tropical cyclones. The two instruments are part of the U.S. Space Force STP-H8 demonstration mission. Credit: NASA

Known as COWVR and TEMPEST, the duo is demonstrating that smaller, less expensive science instruments can play an important role in weather forecasting.

Dynamic NASA-Built Weather Sensors Enlisted to Track Tropical Cyclones

Defined by a human designer, and filled in by an artificial intelligence program, this scaffold was milled from a solid block of aluminum and features connections for mirrors and instruments as well as pathways preserved for laser light and human hands to attach and adjust sensors. Credit: Henry Dennis

Spacecraft and mission hardware designed by an artificial intelligence may resemble bones left by some alien species, but they weigh less, tolerate higher structural loads, and require a fraction of the time parts designed by humans take to develop.

NASA Turns to AI to Design Mission Hardware

An electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle flies in a designated lane along a regional route in this render of potential Advanced Air Mobility operations. NASA virtual tabletop discussions allow researchers and industry to conduct proactive problem-solving in areas like aircraft navigation, flexibility, and flight paths, which are necessary for these operations to safely integrate into the national airspace. Credits: NASA / Kyle Jenkins

Tabletop exercises allow researchers to explore options and test scenarios in fields from military strategy and cybersecurity to disaster response planning. Now, NASA is using tabletop exercises to test how electric air taxis will fit safely into the national airspace – allowing passengers to one day hop across town or to a neighboring city by using new highways in the sky.

NASA Sets Table for Safe Air Taxi Flights

A satellite image of the Mississippi River Delta with land shown in bright green and water shown in dark blue. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michael Taylor and Adam Voiland, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey

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NASA To Measure Forest Health from Above

On the Fly: NASA Researchers Map Air Taxi Maneuvers in Simulator

Dynamic NASA-Built Weather Sensors Enlisted to Track Tropical Cyclones

NASA Turns to AI to Design Mission Hardware

NASA Sets Table for Safe Air Taxi Flights

Satellites Help Scientists Track Dramatic Wetlands Loss in Louisiana