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NASA
Destination Tomorrow
#DEST10
Caption File Transcript
[dramatic music] _ _ [edgy electronic music] _ _ Captioning provided by
N.E.C. Foundation of America. (O'Bryon) COMING UP ON DESTINATION TOMORROW,
A UNIQUE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE SYSTEM MIGHT HELP PILOTS AND PASSENGERS POTENTIALLY
SURVIVE A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. AND WE VISIT THE ANDOYA ROCKET RANGE
IN ANDENES, NORWAY, TO FIND OUT HOW NASA IS INVESTIGATING THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS. PLUS WE'LL TAKE A LOOK BACK AT HOW NASA RESEARCH HELPED CHANGE
THE SHAPE OF AMERICA'S AIR SUPERIORITY IN WORLD WAR II, AND JOHNNY ALONSO
FINDS OUT HOW AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE ON OUR SKIES
AT ALL TIMES. ALL THIS AND MORE NEXT ON DESTINATION TOMORROW. HELLO, EVERYONE.
I'M STEELE McGONEGAL. AND I'M KERA O'BRYON. AND WELCOME TO DESTINATION
TOMORROW. THIS PROGRAM WILL UNCOVER HOW PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE RESEARCH
IS CREATING TODAY'S KNOWLEDGE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND SOLVE THE CHALLENGES
OF TOMORROW. THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE A CELESTIAL PHENOMENON THAT HAVE
AMAZED PEOPLE FOR CENTURIES. THE SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR THE PHENOMENA IS
AURORA BOREALIS, WHICH IS LATIN AND TRANSLATES INTO "THE RED DAWN
OF THE NORTH." ALTHOUGH THEY ARE INCREDIBLE TO WATCH, THE PARTICLES
THAT MAKE UP THE AURORAS ARE ACTUALLY A TYPE OF ELECTRICITY THAT CAN CAUSE
ELECTRICAL SURGES AND DISRUPT SATELLITE OPERATIONS IN SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS
HERE ON EARTH. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THESE PROBLEMS, NASA HAS BEEN WORKING
WITH RESEARCHERS AND ENGINEERS AT THE ANDOYA ROCKET RANGE IN ANDENES,
NORWAY. SOPHISTICATED ROCKETS ARE LAUNCHED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE TO COLLECT
VALUABLE DATA THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE SECRETS OF THE AURORAS. JENNIFER
PULLEY SPOKE WITH DR. STEN ODENWALD AT THE ANDOYA ROCKET RANGE IN ANDENES,
NORWAY, TO FIND OUT MORE. (Pulley) THE AURORA BOREALIS, OR NORTHERN LIGHTS,
IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURAL-OCCURRING PHENOMENA KNOWN TO MAN.
THESE SHIMMERING CURRENTS OF LIGHT, WHICH ARE NORMALLY SEEN NEAR THE ARCTIC
CIRCLE, HAVE INTRIGUED AND INSPIRED OBSERVERS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
UNTIL THE LATE 19th CENTURY, MANY STILL BELIEVED THAT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
WERE DRIVEN BY SUPERNATURAL MEANS RATHER THAN BY NATURAL MEANS. ALTHOUGH
THESE OLD BELIEFS ARE INTRIGUING, WE NOW KNOW THAT THE AURORAS ARE ACTUALLY
CAUSED BY ENERGIZED PARTICLES COLLIDING WITH THE EARTH'S MAGNETOSPHERE.
UNTIL RECENTLY, THE AURORAS HAD LITTLE DIRECT IMPACT ON LIFE HERE ON EARTH,
BUT WITH ALMOST EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET NOW RELYING ON SATELLITES AND
ELECTRICITY AS PART OF THEIR DAILY LIVES, THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND AURORAL
ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED. THIS IS BECAUSE THOSE SAME PARTICLES THAT COLLIDE
WITH THE MAGNETOSPHERE TO CREATE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS CAN ALSO SEVERELY
DAMAGE IMPORTANT SATELLITES AND CAUSE OUTAGES IN ELECTRICAL POWER GRIDS
AROUND THE WORLD. IN AN EFFORT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THESE EVENTS, NASA
IS USING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
AND HOW THEY AFFECT US HERE ON EARTH. I SPOKE WITH NASA GODDARD'S DR.
STEN ODENWALD HERE AT THE ANDOYA ROCKET RANGE IN ANDENES, NORWAY, TO FIND
OUT MORE. IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED PROCESS THAT LEADS TO AN AURORA ONCE
YOU SEE IT. THE WHOLE PROCESS IS SORT OF HIDDEN FROM VIEW. WE UNDERSTAND
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE PARTICLES GET FROM THE OUTER PARTS OF THE MAGNETIC
FIELD OF THE EARTH AND INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, BUT WE DON'T SEE THE DETAILS,
YOU KNOW, HOW THE PARTICLES GO FROM ONE KIND OF A SYSTEM INTO ANOTHER,
HOW THEY GET BOOSTED IN ENERGY. EVEN AT THIS LATE STAGE, WE DON'T EXACTLY
KNOW WHAT THE PARTICLES ARE THAT PRODUCE THE AURORA. TRACKING THEM FROM
WHERE THEY'RE PRODUCED AND WHERE THEY'RE ENERGIZED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO
THE ATMOSPHERE IS STILL SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE
SATELLITE AND ROCKET EXPERIMENTS THAT ARE TRYING TO FILL IN THOSE MISSING
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS, WE MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK. THE SUN IS CONSTANTLY
EMITTING STREAMS OF ELECTRICALLY CHARGED PARTICLES IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
THIS STREAM OF CHARGED PARTICLES IS CALLED THE SOLAR WIND. SINCE THE SUN
IS 93 MILLION MILES AWAY, IT TAKES ABOUT THREE DAYS FOR THE PARTICLES
TO REACH EARTH. AS THE SOLAR WINDS FLOW BY THE EARTH, IT CAUSES A DISTURBANCE
IN THE EARTH'S MAGNETOSPHERE. THIS DISTURBANCE ENERGIZES CURRENTS OF PARTICLES,
WHICH ARE STEERED BY MAGNETIC FORCES TOWARDS THE EARTH'S POLES. THESE
ENERGIZED PARTICLES COLLIDE WITH OXYGEN AND NITROGEN ATOMS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE,
WHICH PRODUCE THE COLORFUL LIGHT THAT WE SEE IN THE AURORA. ALTHOUGH BEAUTIFUL
TO WATCH, THESE CURRENTS OF PARTICLES ARE ACTUALLY A FORM OF ELECTRICITY
WHICH CAN GENERATE UP TO 800 GIGAWATTS OF ELECTRICAL POWER. THIS ELECTRICAL
ENERGY FLOWING IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE CAN CAUSE CURRENTS TO FLOW IN THE
GROUND, PRODUCING DISRUPTIONS IN COMMUNICATION, ELECTRICAL OUTAGES, AND
FUEL LEAKS. THE HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES FLOWING IN SPACE THAT OFTEN ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS CAN ALSO HIT SATELLITES, DAMAGING THEIR SENSITIVE ELECTRONICS
AND CREATING FALSE COMMANDS. THIS CAN WREAK HAVOC ON TELEVISION, PAGER,
AND OTHER COMMUNICATION SERVICES HERE ON EARTH. NASA RESEARCHERS HOPE
TO FIND NEW WAYS TO PREDICT NOT ONLY WHEN THESE STORMS WILL HIT EARTH
BUT ALSO HOPE TO FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THEIR DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS WHEN THEY
DO. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOOLS YOU USE TO STUDY THE NORTHERN LIGHTS? WE
HAVE SATELLITES THAT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON
WITH A SOLAR STORM AND THE PRODUCTION OF AURORA LITERALLY FROM CRADLE
TO GRAVE. WE HAVE SATELLITES THAT WATCH THE SOLAR SURFACE FOR THE BIG
LEAPS OF MATTER AND ENERGY. WE'VE GOT SATELLITES THAT LOOK AT THE WIND
IN BETWEEN THE PLANETS TO WATCH WHAT THAT'S DOING. WE ALSO HAVE SATELLITES
THAT ARE IN TIGHTER ORBITS TO THE EARTH SO THAT THEY CAN LOOK AT THE POLES
OF THE EARTH AND SEE THE AURORA HAPPEN. THEY CAN ALSO MEASURE ELECTRIC
FIELDS IN SPACE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SPACE, AND THEY CAN ALSO SEE THE
INVISIBLE FLOWS OF PARTICLES AROUND THE EARTH. AND THEN FINALLY, WE HAVE
ROCKETS THAT GO UP INTO THE AURORA FROM THE BOTTOM AT THE SAME TIME THAT
THE SATELLITES ARE PASSING OVERHEAD, SO WE CAN KIND OF SEE THE PHYSICS
IN BETWEEN, FLOWS OF PARTICLES INWARDS, AND THE ROCKETS SEE THE ELECTRICAL
FIELDS THAT ARE SET UP BY THESE THINGS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE GET THIS COMPLETE
PICTURE FROM ROCKETS AND SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS. SO WHY IS NORWAY SUCH
A POPULAR PLACE TO STUDY THE NORTHERN LIGHTS? IT TURNS OUT THAT NORWAY
IS IN A PLACE THAT'S VERY FAVORABLY LOCATED TO ACTUALLY SEE THE AURORA
DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. SO YOU CAN LAUNCH THE ROCKETS DIRECTLY UP VERY QUICKLY
TO GET INTO THE AURORA AT THE TIME THAT THEY'RE CHANGING. DR. ODENWALD,
HOW DO YOU THINK NASA RESEARCH IS HELPING US BETTER UNDERSTAND THE AURORA
AND ITS IMPACT ON EARTH? WELL, NASA'S INVESTED AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME AND
EFFORT INTO PROVIDING SCIENTISTS WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT THEY
NEED TO REALLY MAKE POWERFUL AND INSIGHTFUL DISCOVERIES ABOUT HOW AURORA
WORK. AND THAT FEEDS INTO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE LIVE
IN IN SPACE AND HOW THAT AFFECTS HUMAN TECHNOLOGY, OUR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
OF SATELLITES THAT WE HAVE THERE, THE HEALTH OF ASTRONAUTS BECAUSE OF
THE ENERGETIC PARTICLES. IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER. AND IF WE CAN DEEPLY UNDERSTAND
SPACE WEATHER EFFECTS WITH THE HELP OF NASA TECHNOLOGY, IT'S GOING TO
BE MUCH EASIER FOR US TO OPERATE IN SPACE, AND THAT'S THE DIRECTION THAT
WE WANT TO GO AS A CIVILIZATION. AURORAS OCCUR AROUND BOTH THE NORTHERN
AND SOUTHERN GEOMAGNETIC POLES. WHILE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE KNOWN AS
THE AURORA BOREALIS, THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS ARE REFERRED TO AS THE AURORA
AUSTRALIS. COMING UP, WE'LL FIND OUT ABOUT AN INNOVATIVE NEW PARACHUTE
SYSTEM WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE PLANE RATHER THAN THE PERSON INSIDE. BUT
FIRST, DID YOU KNOW THAT SOLAR FLARES CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS TO ASTRONAUTS
OUTSIDE THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE? IN AUGUST 1972, AN INTENSE SOLAR PROTON
EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN THE FLIGHTS OF APOLLO 16 AND 17. IF THE APOLLO
17 ASTRONAUTS HAD BEEN ON THE WAY TO THE MOON DURING THAT TIME, THE ASTRONAUTS
WOULD HAVE ABSORBED LETHAL DOSES OF RADIATION WITHIN TEN HOURS OF BEING
EXPOSED. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE WELL OVER 250,000 ACTIVE GENERAL AVIATION
AIRPLANES AROUND THE WORLD. THESE SMALL AIRCRAFT ARE NOT ONLY A VERY POPULAR
FORM OF TRANSPORTATION BUT ARE ALSO RELATIVELY SAFE. UNFORTUNATELY, ABOUT
1 IN EVERY 300 OF THESE PLANES ARE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT EVERY YEAR.
TO MAKE GENERAL AVIATION FLYING SAFER, NASA HAS FUNDED AN INNOVATIVE NEW
PARACHUTE RECOVERY SYSTEM WHICH, WHEN DEPLOYED, MAY ACTUALLY ALLOW PILOTS
TO WALK AWAY FROM WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. TONYA
ST. ROMAIN FINDS OUT MORE. (St. Romain) THE SIGHT OF SMALL AIRCRAFT FLYING
AROUND OUR SKIES IS A FAMILIAR ONE TO MOST OF US. THESE SMALL GENERAL
AVIATION, OR G.A., PLANES ARE FAVORITES OF PRIVATE PILOTS, SMALL BUSINESSES,
AND FLIGHT SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THEIR RELATIVE LOW COST AND THE FREEDOM
THEY PROVIDE. ALTHOUGH THESE AIRCRAFT ARE VERY SAFE, ABOUT 1,600 OF THEM
ARE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS EVERY YEAR, AND QUITE OFTEN, THESE ACCIDENTS
CAN BE FATAL. IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT MANY OF THESE ACCIDENTS FROM BECOMING
FATAL, NASA HAS FUNDED AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM WHICH USES A BALLISTIC PARACHUTE
MOUNTED ON THE PLANE WHICH, WHEN DEPLOYED, CAN ACTUALLY SAVE THE PLANE
AND THE PASSENGERS FROM A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. I SPOKE WITH LISA JONES
AT NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TO FIND OUT MORE. PARACHUTE RECOVERY SYSTEMS
ARE NOT NEW. THEY'VE BEEN USED TO RETURN OUR ASTRONAUTS FROM THE MOON.
APOLLO PROGRAM, FOR INSTANCE. THEY'VE BEEN APPLIED TO THE MILITARY AIRCRAFT
SUCH AS THE F-11 CREW ESCAPE MODULE. IT FLOATS DOWN ON A PARACHUTE RECOVERY
SYSTEM. NOW THEY'RE BEING APPLIED TO GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT. AND IN
THE STRUCTURAL DESIGNS, THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO SAVE MONEY AND WEIGHT, BECAUSE
YOU CAN ACTUALLY DESIGN THE STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE PARACHUTE SYSTEM.
THE PARACHUTE WORKS LIKE THIS. DURING AN EMERGENCY EVENT, IF THE PILOT
FEELS THAT HE'S ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT OR HAS LOST CONTROL,
HE MUST TURN OFF THE ENGINE, THEN SIMPLY PULL FIRMLY ON THE PARACHUTE
RELEASE HANDLE LOCATED ABOVE HIS HEAD. THE PARACHUTE, WHICH IS PROPELLED
BY A SOLID-FUEL ROCKET MOTOR, IS RELEASED FROM A SPECIAL OPENING ON TOP
OF THE FUSELAGE. THREE KEVLAR STRAPS CONNECT THE PARACHUTE TO THE AIRFRAME
AND HELP SLOW THE AIRCRAFT, GUIDING IT THROUGH A LEVEL DESCENT. ALTHOUGH
THE PARACHUTE SYSTEM ALREADY HAS 155 SAVES WITH ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT, THE
FIRST SAVE IN A GENERAL AVIATION PLANE CAME IN OCTOBER OF 2002, WITH THE
AIRCRAFT SUFFERING LITTLE DAMAGE AND THE PILOT WALKING AWAY FROM THE CRASH
WITH NO INJURIES AT ALL. SO, LISA, IS THIS PARACHUTE SYSTEM JUST FOR NEW
AIRCRAFT, OR CAN IT BE RETROFITTED ON OLDER PLANES? THE PARACHUTE SYSTEM
DESIGN CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO OLDER AIRCRAFT DESIGNS. IT'S JUST, YOU
WOULD HAVE TO DO SOME MODIFICATION TO THE STRUCTURE, MAKE SURE THAT THE
STRUCTURE COULD HANDLE THE LOADS THE SYSTEM PUTS ON THE AIRFRAME, AND
ALSO BE CERTIFIED FOR IT. LISA, WHAT ARE SOME SITUATIONS WHERE A PILOT
WOULD NEED TO USE THIS DEVICE? AS A PILOT CAN TELL YOU, THERE'S MANY TIMES
WHEN THINGS CAN GO BAD QUICKLY WHEN FLYING. SO THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
SCENARIOS WHERE THIS SYSTEM MAY BE DEPLOYED. (St. Romain) SOME SITUATIONS
WHERE A PARACHUTE RECOVERY SYSTEM COULD BE USED ARE LOSS OF CONTROL OF
THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO ICING, ENGINE FAILURE, AND AIRFRAME STRUCTURAL FAILURE.
ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS IS
PILOT DISORIENTATION. MANY PILOTS ARE ONLY RATED TO OPERATE AN AIRCRAFT
UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES, OR V.F.R. BUT IN ORDER TO FLY IN BAD WEATHER,
A PILOT SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO FLY UNDER I.F.R., OR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT
RULES. IF A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES-RATED PILOT ENCOUNTERS WEATHER WHERE HE
CAN'T SEE VISUAL LANDMARKS OUTSIDE THE PLANE, THEN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION
CAN OCCUR. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE PILOT LITERALLY CANNOT DETERMINE IF
HIS PLANE'S IN LEVEL FLIGHT OR IF IT'S TURNING OR BANKING. VERY FREQUENTLY,
THE V.F.R. PILOT WILL RELY ON HIS INSTINCTS RATHER THAN HIS INSTRUMENTS,
WHICH CAN LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC OUTCOME. WITH THE PARACHUTE RECOVERY
SYSTEM ON BOARD, NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION, THE PILOT HAS ONE LAST,
BEST OPTION TO SAVE NOT ONLY THE AIRCRAFT BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE LIVES
OF EVERYONE ON BOARD. I KNOW THIS IS BEING USED FOR GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT,
BUT IS THERE A CHANCE THAT IT COULD BE USED ON LARGER PLANES? I THINK
IT CAN BE APPLIED TO SOME OF THE BUSINESS JETS, WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
10-, 12-, 14-PASSENGER, PERHAPS. THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE REALLY INVESTIGATED
CLOSELY. BUT FOR APPLICATION TO A TRANSPORT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE THAT.
THE STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AIRCRAFT WOULD BE ENORMOUS TO HANDLE
THAT, AS WELL AS THE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE CHUTE ITSELF TO BE
ABLE TO TAKE THE ENERGY OF A LARGE TRANSPORT. SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE
ABLE TO USE THIS EFFICIENTLY ON ANYTHING OF MUCH SIZE GREATER THAN A GENERAL
AVIATION AIRCRAFT. SO, LISA, WHY IS NASA WORKING ON THIS TYPE OF PROJECT?
NASA HAS A PROGRAM CALLED THE AVIATION SAFETY PROGRAM, AND IN THAT, WE'RE
LOOKING AT DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS TO IMPROVE SAFETY EVERYWHERE. SOME
OF THAT IN THE EARLY PART OF THE PROGRAM WAS FOCUSED ON GENERAL AVIATION.
THERE ARE 1,000 LIVES A YEAR LOST TO GENERAL AVIATION ACCIDENTS, AND THIS
TYPE OF SYSTEM CAN REALLY IMPROVE THOSE NUMBERS AND HOPEFULLY GET THOSE
DOWN WHERE WE CAN SEE A LOT MORE PEOPLE WALKING AWAY FROM ACCIDENTS. (Breckenridge)
WHEN LOOKING BACK AT AMERICAN FIGHTER PLANES OF WORLD WAR II, AN IMPRESSIVE
RECORD OF AERIAL VICTORIES STANDS OUT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN THE
LATER STAGES OF THE WAR, WHEN AMERICAN AIR SUPERIORITY DOMINATED BOTH
THE PACIFIC AND EUROPEAN COMBAT THEATERS. BUT SURPRISINGLY, THIS WAS NOT
THE CASE IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THE WAR. EARLY AMERICAN FIGHTERS COULD
NOT ALWAYS MATCH THE SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY OF THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT THAT
THEY WERE FACING. TO HELP FIND A WAY TO IMPROVE THE AIRCRAFT AMERICAN
PILOTS WERE FLYING, U.S. MILITARY PLANNERS TURNED TO NASA'S PREDECESSOR,
NACA, WHICH THEY HOPED COULD FIND A WAY TO HELP THE UNITED STATES GAIN
AIR SUPERIORITY OVER WORLD WAR II'S BATTLEFIELDS. ON THE EVE OF WORLD
WAR II, WITH THE PROSPECT OF WAR LOOMING IN THE UNITED STATES, MILITARY
PLANNERS BEGAN AN EXHAUSTIVE LOOK AT THE PREPAREDNESS AND EQUIPMENT THAT
IT WOULD USE TO FIGHT A WAR. ONE AREA WHERE THE UNITED STATES HAD FALLEN
NOTICEABLY BEHIND TO ITS FUTURE ENEMIES WAS IN AIRCRAFT. MANY OF THE AIRCRAFT
THAT U.S. PILOTS WERE FLYING WERE MUCH SLOWER AND LESS MANEUVERABLE THAN
THE AIRCRAFT THAT THEY WOULD SOON BE FACING IN COMBAT. WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE
IN HAND, A CONCERTED EFFORT WAS MADE BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO FIND WAYS
TO QUICKLY IMPROVE THE AMERICAN AIRCRAFT SITUATION. SINCE NASA'S PREDECESSOR,
NACA, OR THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS, WAS THE PREEMINENT
AERONAUTICS LAB IN THE COUNTRY, A LARGE PART OF THIS EXAMINATION FELL
TO THEM. NACA RESEARCHERS KNEW THAT THEY COULD IMPROVE AN AIRCRAFT'S PERFORMANCE
BY SIMPLY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DRAG THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED. THIS WAS
CALLED DRAG CLEANUP. THE NAVY'S XF2A BREWSTER BUFFALO WAS THE FIRST OF
MANY MILITARY AIRCRAFT TESTED BY NACA IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.
RESEARCHERS AT THE NACA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TOOK ONLY FIVE DAYS TO
DETERMINE SEVERAL KEY AREAS IN WHICH THE BUFFALO COULD BE IMPROVED. TO
THE UNTRAINED EYE, THE BUFFALO APPEARED AERODYNAMICALLY CLEAN. HOWEVER,
THE WIND TUNNEL INFORMATION SHOWED A VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE. MANY PARTS,
LIKE THE GUN SIGHTS, THE ENGINE COWLING, AND LANDING GEAR ON THE BUFFALO
PROTRUDED INTO THE SLIPSTREAM, CAUSING INCREASED DRAG, WHICH SLOWED THE
AIRCRAFT TREMENDOUSLY. THE RESEARCHERS AT NACA MODIFIED THESE PROBLEM
AREAS, WHICH INCREASED THE BUFFALO'S SPEED BY AN IMPRESSIVE 10%. SUCH
A PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT WITHOUT RAISING ENGINE POWER OR REDUCING FUEL
EFFICIENCY IMMEDIATELY CAUGHT THE EYE OF MANY AIRCRAFT DESIGNERS. EXTRA
SPEED FOR A FIGHTER PLANE, EVEN AS LITTLE AS 15 MILES PER HOUR, COULD
DETERMINE WHO WON OR LOST IN AN AERIAL DOGFIGHT. WHEN LANGLEY RESEARCHERS
STREAMLINED THE U.S. NAVY'S F4F WILDCAT, IT WAS ABLE TO FLY A FULL 45
MILES PER HOUR FASTER. THE F4F'S SUCCESSOR, THE F6F HELLCAT, WAS ALSO
STREAMLINED, MAKING IT FASTER AND MORE MANEUVERABLE, ABLE TO REACH A MAXIMUM
SPEED OF 375 MILES PER HOUR. THIS EXTRA SPEED PROVED VALUABLE IN COMBAT,
ALLOWING HELLCAT PILOTS TO DESTROY NEARLY 5,000 ENEMY PLANES IN AERIAL
ENGAGEMENTS. NACA LANGLEY PROVED A KEY STOPPING POINT FOR DOZENS OF AIRCRAFT
ON THEIR WAY TO COMBAT DUTY IN WORLD WAR II. DURING ONE MONTH ALONE, IN
JULY 1944, 36 U.S. ARMY AND NAVY PLANES WERE EVALUATED IN DETAILED STUDIES
OF STABILITY, CONTROL, AND PERFORMANCE. NACA LANGLEY TESTED 137 DIFFERENT
AIRPLANE TYPES BETWEEN 1941 AND 1945 EITHER IN WIND TUNNELS OR IN FLIGHT.
WHILE NACA'S PIONEERING DRAG CLEANUP WORK HELPED SAVE THE LIVES OF MANY
AMERICAN PILOTS DURING WORLD WAR II, IT ALSO SHORTENED THE WAR CONSIDERABLY
AND SAVED THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD. DURING THE WORLD
WAR II ERA, NACA RESEARCHERS ALSO WORKED ON A SERIES OF WING DESIGNS CALLED
THE LOW-DRAG SERIES. THESE WING DESIGNS WERE SO SUCCESSFUL IN IMPROVING
AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE THAT THEY ARE STILL BEING USED BY AIRPLANE DESIGNERS
TODAY. COMING UP, WE FIND OUT HOW NEW SATELLITES MAY HELP SCIENTISTS BETTER
UNDERSTAND THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. BUT FIRST, DID YOU KNOW THAT CHARLES
LINDBERGH SHOT DOWN A JAPANESE FIGHTER IN WORLD WAR II? ALTHOUGH LINDBERGH
WAS NOT IN THE MILITARY, HE WAS SECRETLY ASKED TO TEACH AMERICAN PILOTS
HOW TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF THEIR P-38 LIGHTNINGS. DURING A TRAINING
MISSION ON JULY 28, 1944, LINDBERGH ENCOUNTERED A JAPANESE SONIA AIRCRAFT.
AS THE SONIA TURNED TO ATTACK, LINDBERGH FIRED A SHORT BURST, SENDING
THE SONIA DOWN IN FLAMES. UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE CAN BE
VERY DIFFICULT. A MIXTURE OF GLOBAL WEATHER PATTERNS, GREENHOUSE GASES,
AND AIRBORNE PARTICLES CAN MAKE THE OVERALL PICTURE FOR SCIENTISTS VERY
CONFUSING. TO HELP PROVIDE A BETTER PICTURE OF HOW ALL OF THESE VARIABLES
AFFECT THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, NASA RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING NEW ATMOSPHERIC
SATELLITE SYSTEMS. THESE NEW SYSTEMS WILL NOT ONLY WORK TO PROVIDE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE BUT WILL LEAD TO BETTER PREDICTION
MODELS. STEPHANIE NEVIN FINDS OUT MORE. (Nevin) IN RECENT YEARS, RESEARCHERS
HAVE SEEN AN ALARMING WARMING TREND IN THE GLOBAL CLIMATE. REPORTS OF
INCREASING TEMPERATURES, THINNING GLACIERS, AND RISING SEA LEVELS HAVE
LED TO WIDESPREAD SPECULATION THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS BEING CAUSED BY GREENHOUSE
GASES THAT RESULT FROM MAN'S ACTIVITIES. CLIMATE MODELS THAT PREDICT THE
EARTH'S FUTURE CLIMATE PATTERNS INDICATE THAT GLOBAL WARMING COULD CONTINUE
TO INCREASE IF THE CONCENTRATION OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE
CONTINUES TO RISE. EVEN THOUGH THESE CLIMATE MODELS ARE POWERFUL TOOLS
IN PREDICTING FUTURE GLOBAL CLIMATE, A MORE DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF
CLOUDS AND AEROSOLS COULD LEAD TO MORE ACCURATE CLIMATE-PREDICTION MODELS.
RESEARCHERS MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHY THE CLIMATE IS WARMING, IF IT
IS BEING AFFECTED BY GREENHOUSE GASES, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO CHANGE IT.
THAT IS WHY RESEARCHERS AT NASA ARE PREPARING SIX INNOVATIVE SATELLITE
SYSTEMS, WHICH WHEN LAUNCHED WILL PROVIDE KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE. TWO OF THESE SATELLITES, C.A.L.I.P.S.O. AND CLOUDSAT, WILL
FOCUS PRIMARILY ON AEROSOLS AND CLOUD STRUCTURES, PROVIDING MUCH MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT HOW CLOUDS AND AEROSOLS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND
HOW THEY'RE AFFECTING THE ATMOSPHERE'S RADIATION BALANCE. I SPOKE WITH
LAMONT POOLE AT NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TO FIND OUT MORE. IT'S IMPORTANT
TO STUDY CLOUDS AND AIRBORNE PARTICLES, WHICH WE CALL AEROSOLS, BECAUSE
BOTH OF THEM HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON THE EARTH'S CLIMATE, JUST LIKE
GREENHOUSE GASES SUCH AS CARBON DIOXIDE. BUT UNLIKE GREENHOUSE GASES,
WHICH WARM THE PLANET, AIRBORNE PARTICLES AND CLOUDS CAN EITHER HAVE A
WARMING EFFECT OR A COOLING EFFECT, DEPENDING ON THEIR TYPE AND THEIR
ALTITUDE. BECAUSE OF THESE COMPLICATING FACTORS, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO
REPRESENT CLOUD AND AEROSOL PROCESSES ACCURATELY IN CLIMATE MODELS THAT
ARE USED TO FORECAST THE CLIMATE IN THE FUTURE. SO THE DATA THAT WE WILL
BE COLLECTING FROM CLOUDSAT AND C.A.L.I.P.S.O. WILL PROVIDE A MUCH MORE
ACCURATE PICTURE OF CLOUD AND AEROSOL PROCESSES. SO WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THE C.A.L.I.P.S.O. AND CLOUDSAT SATELLITES? THEY'RE GOING TO BE
LAUNCHED ON THE SAME ROCKET, AND WHEN THEY GET THEIR ALTITUDE, THEY WILL
SEPARATE INTO DIFFERENT BUT VERY CLOSELY MATCHED ORBITS. IN FACT, AS C.A.L.I.P.S.O.
AND CLOUDSAT ORBIT THE EARTH, THEY WILL BE WITHIN 10 TO 15 SECONDS OF
EACH OTHER IN THEIR ORBIT. CLOUDSAT AND C.A.L.I.P.S.O. ARE GOING TO BE
FLYING AS PART OF A FORMATION OF SATELLITES THAT'S CALLED THE AFTERNOON
CONSTELLATION, OR THE A-TRAIN FOR SHORT. (Nevin) THE A-TRAIN WILL ACTUALLY
CONSIST OF SIX SEPARATE SATELLITES FLYING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ONE ANOTHER.
ONCE IN ORBIT, EACH SATELLITE WILL CROSS THE EQUATOR WITHIN MINUTES OF
ONE ANOTHER, TAKING SPECIFIC ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS. ALTHOUGH EACH SATELLITE
HAS A UNIQUE MISSION, THE DATA RETRIEVED WILL BE COMBINED TOGETHER, PROVIDING
DETAILED OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE CONDITION OF EARTH AND ASSISTING SCIENTISTS
WITH MAKING PREDICTIONS RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE. BY COMBINING INFORMATION
FROM THE DIFFERENT SATELLITES, SCIENTISTS WILL BE ABLE TO GAIN MUCH MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE PLANET THAN THEY COULD FROM ANY
SINGLE MISSION ALONE, GREATLY IMPROVING PREDICTION CAPABILITIES. ONCE
THESE SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE, WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE OUTCOME WILL BE? OUR
ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION TO DECISION
MAKERS IN GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE SO THAT INFORMED AND BALANCED DECISIONS
ON HOW TO MITIGATE OR ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE CAN BE MADE. AND NASA'S
GOING TO PLAY A VERY CRUCIAL ROLE IN THIS PROCESS BECAUSE OF OUR CAPABILITIES
IN DEVELOPING AND FLYING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS C.A.L.I.P.S.O. AND
CLOUDSAT. NASA RESEARCHERS ARE NOT ONLY STUDYING THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
FROM SPACE BUT ARE ALSO MAKING AIRBORNE MEASUREMENTS BY USING SPECIALLY
ADAPTED AIRCRAFT. BY THE YEAR 2010, THE F.A.A., OR FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION,
ESTIMATES APPROXIMATELY 1 BILLION PASSENGERS WILL TRAVEL ON BOARD COMMERCIAL
PLANES. AS AIR TRAVEL INCREASES, PILOTS ARE FACED WITH MORE CONGESTION
ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR. AND WHILE PILOTS ARE ULTIMATELY IN CONTROL
OF THEIR OWN AIRCRAFT, IT IS THE AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WHO ARE DIRECTING
THEM THE MOMENT THE PLANE LEAVES THE GATE, KEEPING IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION
AS THE PLANE TRAVELS EN ROUTE. OUR OWN JOHNNY ALONSO FINDS OUT HOW THIS
COMPLEX SYSTEM KEEPS OUR SKIES ORGANIZED AND OUR PLANES ON SCHEDULE. (Alonso)
DURING PEAK AIR TRAVEL TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE ABOUT 5,000
AIRPLANES IN THE SKY EVERY HOUR, WHICH IS ABOUT 50,000 AIRCRAFT OPERATING
IN OUR SKIES EVERY DAY. FROM THE TIME THE PLANE PUSHES BACK FROM THE GATE
UNTIL IT ARRIVES AT THE GATE OF ITS FINAL DESTINATION, IT IS BEING HANDLED
BY AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS. THESE CONTROLLERS MUST COORDINATE THE MOVEMENTS
OF THOUSANDS OF AIRCRAFT, KEEP THEM AT SAFE DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER,
AND DIRECT THEM DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING FROM AIRPORTS. AIR-TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR DIRECTING AIRCRAFT AROUND BAD WEATHER
AND ENSURING THAT TRAFFIC FLOWS WITH MINIMAL DELAY FOR BOTH COMMERCIAL
AND PRIVATE AIRCRAFT. I SPOKE WITH GARY LOHR FROM NASA LANGLEY TO FIND
OUT HOW IT WORKS. (Lohr) AN AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER'S PRIMARY TASK WAS
SEPARATING AIRPLANES. HOWEVER, THEY DO PROVIDE OTHER SERVICES, SUCH AS
TRAFFIC ADVISORIES, WEATHER INFORMATION, AND OTHER STATUS TYPES OF INFORMATION
FOR THE NATIONAL AIR SPACE SYSTEM. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOOLS USED BY
AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS? PRIMARY TOOL USED BY CONTROLLERS FOR SEPARATION
SERVICES IS CALLED RADAR, WHICH STANDS FOR RADIO DETECTION AND RANGING.
AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS, FROM AN ANTENNA, A RADIO BEAM IS TRANSMITTED.
IT BOUNCES OFF THE AIRCRAFT AND IS RETURNED TO THE RADAR ANTENNA. AND
THERE'S A PRESENTATION ON THE RADAR DISPLAY OF WHAT YOUR POSITION IS BASED
ON THAT RETURN. YOU CAN SEE BEHIND US THERE'S A DISPLAY, WHICH IS PART
OF THE RADAR SYSTEM THAT CONTROLLERS USE. AND YOUR POSITION, AS WELL AS
THE POSITION OF OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE SYSTEM WILL BE PRESENTED ON THE
DISPLAY AND GIVE THE INFORMATION THE CONTROLLER NEEDS TO PROVIDE AIR-TRAFFIC
SERVICES TO YOU. SO DOES ONE CONTROLLER HANDLE MY PLANE WHILE IT'S IN
THE AIR? THERE ARE NUMBER OF CONTROLLERS THAT WILL HANDLE YOUR FLIGHT
AS YOU MOVE THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM. ONCE YOU DEPART, YOUR FLIGHT WILL BE
HANDED OFF TO YET ANOTHER CONTROLLER, AND THAT PROCESS CONTINUES THROUGHOUT
THE DURATION OF YOUR FLIGHT. THE PRIMARY DELINEATION OF WHAT A CONTROLLER'S
RESPONSIBLE FOR IN A RADAR ENVIRONMENT IS CALLED A SECTOR. SO AS A CONTROLLER
WORKS YOU THROUGH HIS OR HER SECTOR, YOU'LL BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER
SECTOR, WHERE ANOTHER CONTROLLER WILL WORK YOU. SO, GARY, WAIT. WALK ME
THROUGH THIS. WHAT HAPPENS FROM DEPARTURE TO ARRIVAL, FROM GATE TO GATE?
ASSUMING THERE AREN'T ANY DELAYS, YOU'LL TAXI OUT TO YOUR DEPARTURE RUNWAY,
AND THERE'S A CONTROLLER THAT ISSUES TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND DECONFLICTS
YOU FROM OTHER AIRPLANES ON THE GROUND. THERE'S A CONTROLLER THAT WILL
ISSUE A TAKEOFF CLEARANCE FOR YOU AND YET ANOTHER CONTROLLER THAT WILL
WORK YOU AS YOU'RE CLIMBING TO YOUR CRUISING ALTITUDE-- AS A MATTER OF
FACT, SEVERAL CONTROLLERS. AS AIRPLANES MOVE FROM ONE SECTOR TO THE NEXT,
THERE'S A TRANSFER OF WHAT WE CALL CONTROL, AND THERE'S A TRANSFER OF
COMMUNICATIONS SO THAT YOU'LL BE IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH EACH CONTROLLER
ALONG THE WAY. AND THIS PROCESS CONTINUES ALL THE WAY TO YOUR DESTINATION
AIRPORT, AND YOU MAY TALK TO 10 OR 15 DIFFERENT CONTROLLERS EN ROUTE TO
YOUR DESTINATION. PRIOR TO DESCENDING INTO THE TERMINAL AREA AT YOUR DESTINATION
AIRPORT, THERE ARE SEVERAL CONTROLLERS INVOLVED IN SEQUENCING YOU INBOUND
AT THAT AIRPORT AND ASSIGNING THE ARRIVAL RUNWAY. ONCE YOU GET THERE,
YOU'LL LAND, YOU'LL TAXI CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY, AND YOU'LL BE ISSUED TAXI
INSTRUCTIONS. THEY'LL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO YOUR GATE. BUT THAT'S BASICALLY
HOW THE PROCESS WORKS. WOW, AND I THOUGHT THE PILOT WAS IN CONTROL OF
THE WHOLE FLIGHT. WELL, THE PILOT IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFE
OPERATION OF HIS OR HER AIRPLANE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO ADHERE
TO AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROL INSTRUCTIONS. JUST LIKE WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING YOUR
CAR, THERE ARE CERTAIN SIGNS THAT BASICALLY TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE REQUIRED
TO DO. AS YOU GET TO A BUSY INTERSECTION, YOU MAY HAVE TO SLOW THE CAR
DOWN. IF THERE'S A RED LIGHT, YOU HAVE TO STOP, BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING
TO ACCOMMODATE OTHER CARS, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY CAR OUT THERE.
THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE WAY THE AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM WORKS. THERE
ARE CONTROL INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE ISSUED, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY
AIRPLANE. (Alonso) DO YOU GET TICKETS? SOMETIMES. [laughs] SOMETIMES.
SO IN THE FUTURE, WILL AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROL BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN IT IS
TODAY? I THINK SO. WE'RE OF COURSE NOT BUILDING MORE AIRPORTS. WE'RE NOT
BUILDING MANY MORE RUNWAYS EITHER. SO WE HAVE TO OPTIMIZE THE USE OF THE
FACILITIES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AND TO THAT END, NASA'S LOOKING AND
CUTTING-EDGE CONCEPTS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO MAKE BETTER UTILIZATION OF THOSE
FACILITIES BOTH IN TERMS OF CAPACITY-- THAT IS TO SAY, THE NUMBER OF AIRPLANES
YOU CAN GET IN AND OUT OF AN AIRPORT AT A GIVEN TIME-- AND SAFETY, AS
WELL. AND THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE CONCEPTS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPLORED
BY NASA AND CONTINUE TO BE EXPLORED. I GOT A QUE--HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE
CHANNEL ON THIS? I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE CABLE ON THIS THING? THAT'S ALL FOR
THIS EDITION OF DESTINATION TOMORROW. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'M STEELE
McGONEGAL. AND I'M KERA O'BRYON. FOR ALL OF US HERE AT NASA, WE'LL SEE
YOU NEXT TIME. Captioning provided by N.E.C. Foundation of America. Captioning
by Kirsten at CaptionMax www.captionmax.com
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