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The Moon’s light is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere in this April 13, 2025, photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited into a sunset 264 miles above the border between Bolivia and Brazil in South America.

Understanding the Moon helps us understand other planets, how they have evolved and the processes which have shaped their surfaces. It also helps us understand the influence the Moon has had on Earth, the record of the ancient Sun, and it serves as a platform to study the rest of the universe. By using the Moon as our closest testing ground for robotics and instrument systems, we can further human exploration to not only the Moon, but the rest of the solar system.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Image credit: NASA

NASA

The Moon’s light is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere in this April 13, 2025, photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited into a sunset 264 miles above the border between Bolivia and Brazil in South America.

Understanding the Moon helps us understand other planets, how they have evolved and the processes which have shaped their surfaces. It also helps us understand the influence the Moon has had on Earth, the record of the ancient Sun, and it serves as a platform to study the rest of the universe. By using the Moon as our closest testing ground for robotics and instrument systems, we can further human exploration to not only the Moon, but the rest of the solar system.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Image credit: NASA

A Black Moon rises Aug. 23, though you won't see it. Its timing makes it a rare lunar event.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting in December 2023.Credit: NASA/Steve Freeman

As we observe National Aviation Day Tuesday – a tribute to Orville Wright’s birthday – let’s reflect on both America’s and NASA’s aviation heritage and share how we are pushing the boundaries of flight for the nation’s future. Modern NASA grew from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), an agency created by Congress in 1915 to advance U.S. aviation. When President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, NACA was dissolved and its people, laboratories and research programs became the foundation of NASA. These intrepid men and women are the cornerstone of the world’s most capable aerospace industry and their legacy lives on today across all facets of the agency.

The most significant aviation milestones in the twentieth century were achieved through both NASA and NACA research and through the courage of pioneering test pilots. In 1947, the joint NACA/U.S. Army Air Forces (later the U.S. Air Force, or USAF) developed Bell X‑1 flew faster than the speed of sound, shattering the mythical “sound barrier.” This breakthrough, enabled by NACA wind-tunnel data and high-speed aerodynamic expertise, made supersonic flight a reality and led directly to NACA Test Pilot Scott Crossfield being the first human to reach Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, in the Douglass DD558-II a mere six years later. During the X‑15 program of the 1960s, legendary NASA Test Pilots Joe Walker, John McKay, Neil Armstrong, Milt Thompson, and Bill Dana piloted nearly half of the program’s sorties and flew the rocket-powered research plane at altitudes up to 354,200 feet and speeds of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7).

The NASA/USAF-developed North American X‑15 became the world’s first reusable hypersonic aerospace vehicle, reaching space (above 50 miles altitude) on 11 separate missions; it provided essential data on materials, flight control and pilot physiology that helped shape the agency’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. These milestones remind us that our nation’s accomplishments are the result of visionary NASA, Department of Defense, industry engineers, and test pilots working together to achieve audacious goals.

NASA’s commitment to aviation innovation did not stop with early experimental high-speed aircraft. In the 1990s, the U.S. general aviation industry faced a steep decline – production fell from 18,000 aircraft in 1978 to fewer than 1,000 in 1993. NASA saw an opportunity: we envisioned a Small Aircraft Transportation System in which safe, efficient general aviation planes could revitalize a critical industry. To enable that vision, NASA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration, industry, universities, and non‑profits to create the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) consortium in 1994. The AGATE consortium developed safer cockpit displays, crashworthiness improvements, efficient airfoils, and modern manufacturing techniques. These innovations transformed U.S. general aviation, helping spawn industry successes like the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 family of aircraft, which incorporate NASA-derived composite structures and safety features.

In 2004, NASA’s unmanned X‑43A Hyper-X broke world speed records for air‑breathing aircraft, flying at Mach 6.8 and later Mach 9.6. Those flights demonstrated practical scramjet propulsion and proved that hypersonic cruise flight is achievable.

Today, we are building on this legacy and pushing the envelope with the X-59. Later this year, NASA Test Pilot Nils Larson will usher in a new era of quiet supersonic flight when he pilots the X‑59 Quesst’s first flight out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The experimental aircraft, designed to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound while producing only a gentle sonic “thump” instead of the traditional loud sonic boom, will provide data vital to achieving the vision in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order “Leading the World in Supersonic Flight.”

Hypersonics research is another pillar to our 21st‑century vision. Lessons from the X‑15, X‑43, and Space Shuttle inform our study of high-temperature materials, flight controls and propulsion. These technologies will not only bolster national security but will also spur the development of ultrafast civil transports, shrinking the world even further. We are also investing in 21st century propulsion, additive manufacturing, and autonomy for light aircraft while also developing advanced air traffic control systems. Partnering with U.S. aerospace industry and the FAA, we will bring true 21st century technology into light general aviation aircraft, ensuring America remains at the forefront of aviation innovation.

I am continually inspired by the ingenuity of our past and the promise of our future. Our roots in NACA remind us that a small group of dedicated men and women can change the world. From the Wright brothers’ pioneering work to the supersonic and hypersonic records set by NASA pilots and vehicles, we have consistently expanded the boundaries of what is possible in flight. Looking ahead, our pursuit of quiet supersonic aircraft, hypersonic technologies, and revitalized general aviation will keep the U.S. aviation industry strong and sustainable for decades to come. On National Aviation Day, we celebrate not only our history but also the teamwork and vision that will carry us into the next century of flight.

Higher, Farther, Faster!

Todd C. Ericson is a senior advisor to the NASA administrator for aerospace research and development

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Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 EditorJennifer M. Dooren Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Flight Innovation
• NASA Aircraft
• Supersonic Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting in December 2023.Credit: NASA/Steve Freeman

As we observe National Aviation Day Tuesday – a tribute to Orville Wright’s birthday – let’s reflect on both America’s and NASA’s aviation heritage and share how we are pushing the boundaries of flight for the nation’s future. Modern NASA grew from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), an agency created by Congress in 1915 to advance U.S. aviation. When President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, NACA was dissolved and its people, laboratories and research programs became the foundation of NASA. These intrepid men and women are the cornerstone of the world’s most capable aerospace industry and their legacy lives on today across all facets of the agency.

The most significant aviation milestones in the twentieth century were achieved through both NASA and NACA research and through the courage of pioneering test pilots. In 1947, the joint NACA/U.S. Army Air Forces (later the U.S. Air Force, or USAF) developed Bell X‑1 flew faster than the speed of sound, shattering the mythical “sound barrier.” This breakthrough, enabled by NACA wind-tunnel data and high-speed aerodynamic expertise, made supersonic flight a reality and led directly to NACA Test Pilot Scott Crossfield being the first human to reach Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, in the Douglass DD558-II a mere six years later. During the X‑15 program of the 1960s, legendary NASA Test Pilots Joe Walker, John McKay, Neil Armstrong, Milt Thompson, and Bill Dana piloted nearly half of the program’s sorties and flew the rocket-powered research plane at altitudes up to 354,200 feet and speeds of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7).

The NASA/USAF-developed North American X‑15 became the world’s first reusable hypersonic aerospace vehicle, reaching space (above 50 miles altitude) on 11 separate missions; it provided essential data on materials, flight control and pilot physiology that helped shape the agency’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. These milestones remind us that our nation’s accomplishments are the result of visionary NASA, Department of Defense, industry engineers, and test pilots working together to achieve audacious goals.

NASA’s commitment to aviation innovation did not stop with early experimental high-speed aircraft. In the 1990s, the U.S. general aviation industry faced a steep decline – production fell from 18,000 aircraft in 1978 to fewer than 1,000 in 1993. NASA saw an opportunity: we envisioned a Small Aircraft Transportation System in which safe, efficient general aviation planes could revitalize a critical industry. To enable that vision, NASA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration, industry, universities, and non‑profits to create the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) consortium in 1994. The AGATE consortium developed safer cockpit displays, crashworthiness improvements, efficient airfoils, and modern manufacturing techniques. These innovations transformed U.S. general aviation, helping spawn industry successes like the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 family of aircraft, which incorporate NASA-derived composite structures and safety features.

In 2004, NASA’s unmanned X‑43A Hyper-X broke world speed records for air‑breathing aircraft, flying at Mach 6.8 and later Mach 9.6. Those flights demonstrated practical scramjet propulsion and proved that hypersonic cruise flight is achievable.

Today, we are building on this legacy and pushing the envelope with the X-59. Later this year, NASA Test Pilot Nils Larson will usher in a new era of quiet supersonic flight when he pilots the X‑59 Quesst’s first flight out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The experimental aircraft, designed to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound while producing only a gentle sonic “thump” instead of the traditional loud sonic boom, will provide data vital to achieving the vision in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order “Leading the World in Supersonic Flight.”

Hypersonics research is another pillar to our 21st‑century vision. Lessons from the X‑15, X‑43, and Space Shuttle inform our study of high-temperature materials, flight controls and propulsion. These technologies will not only bolster national security but will also spur the development of ultrafast civil transports, shrinking the world even further. We are also investing in 21st century propulsion, additive manufacturing, and autonomy for light aircraft while also developing advanced air traffic control systems. Partnering with U.S. aerospace industry and the FAA, we will bring true 21st century technology into light general aviation aircraft, ensuring America remains at the forefront of aviation innovation.

I am continually inspired by the ingenuity of our past and the promise of our future. Our roots in NACA remind us that a small group of dedicated men and women can change the world. From the Wright brothers’ pioneering work to the supersonic and hypersonic records set by NASA pilots and vehicles, we have consistently expanded the boundaries of what is possible in flight. Looking ahead, our pursuit of quiet supersonic aircraft, hypersonic technologies, and revitalized general aviation will keep the U.S. aviation industry strong and sustainable for decades to come. On National Aviation Day, we celebrate not only our history but also the teamwork and vision that will carry us into the next century of flight.

Higher, Farther, Faster!

Todd C. Ericson is a senior advisor to the NASA administrator for aerospace research and development

Share

Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 EditorJennifer M. Dooren Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Flight Innovation
• NASA Aircraft
• Supersonic Flight

This quiz is dedicated to the mechanical marvels that have rolled across the surfaces of alien worlds: the iconic space rovers!

You want a piece of this? You won't have to wait long for as this Disney+ animated sequel strikes back on Sept. 19.

A collaboration between NASA and the small business Aloft Sensing produced a new compact radar system that will enable researchers to leverage High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platforms to observe dynamic Earth systems. This new radar is small, provides highly sensitive measurements, and doesn’t require GPS for positioning; eventually, it could be used on vehicles in space.

HALE InSAR flies aboard a high-altitude balloon during a test-flight. This lightweight instrument will help researchers measure ground deformation and dynamic Earth systems. Credit: Aloft Sensing

Long before a volcano erupts or a mountainous snowpack disappears, millimeter-scale changes in Earth’s surface indicate larger geologic processes are at work. But detecting those minute changes, which can serve as early warnings for impending disasters, is difficult.

With support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO ) a team of researchers from the small aerospace company Aloft Sensing is developing a compact radar instrument for observing Earth’s surface deformation, topography, and vegetation with unprecedented precision.

Their project, “HALE InSAR,” has demonstrated the feasibility of using high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) vehicles equipped with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to observe changes in surface deformation mere millimeters in size and terrain information with centimetric vertical accuracy.

“It’s a level of sensitivity that has eluded traditional radar sensors, without making them bulky and expensive,” said Lauren Wye, CEO of Aloft Sensing and principal investigator for HALE InSAR.

HALE vehicles are lightweight aircraft designed to stay airborne for extended periods of time, from weeks to months and even years. These vehicles can revisit a scene multiple times an hour, making them ideal for locating subtle changes in an area’s geologic environment.

InSAR, a remote sensing technique that compares multiple images of the same scene to detect changes in surface topography or determine structure, is also uniquely well-suited to locate these clues. But traditional InSAR instruments are typically too large to fly aboard HALE vehicles.

HALE InSAR is different. The instrument is compact enough for a variety of HALE vehicles, weighing less than 15 pounds (seven kilograms) and consuming fewer than 300 watts of power, about as much energy as it takes to power an electric bike.

HALE InSAR leverages previously-funded NASA technologies to make such detailed measurements from a small platform: a novel electronically steered antenna and advanced positioning algorithms embedded within an agile software-defined transceiver. These technologies were developed under ESTO’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP) and Decadal Survey Incubation (DSI) Program, respectively.

“All of the design features that we’ve built into the instrument are starting to showcase themselves and highlight why this payload in particular is distinct from what other small radars might be looking to achieve,” said Wye.

One of those features is a flat phased array antenna, which gives users the ability to focus HALE InSAR’s radar beam without physically moving the instrument. Using a panel about the size of a tablet computer, operators can steer the beam electronically, eliminating the need for gimbles and other heavy components, which helps enable the instrument’s reduced size and weight.

A close up HALE InSAR fixed to a high-altitude airship. The flat planar antenna reduces the instruments mass and eliminates the need for gimbles and other heavy components. Credit: Aloft Sensing

“SAR needs to look to the side. Our instrument can be mounted straight down, but look left and right on every other pulse such that we’re collecting a left-looking SAR image and a right-looking SAR image essentially simultaneously. It opens up opportunities for the most mass-constrained types of stratospheric vehicles,” said Wye.

Using advanced positioning algorithms, HALE InSAR also has the unique ability to locate itself without GPS, relying instead on feedback from its own radar signals to determine its position even more accurately. Brian Pollard, Chief Engineer at Aloft Sensing and co-investigator for HALE InSAR, explained that precise positioning is essential for creating high-resolution data about surface deformation and topography.

“SAR is like a long exposure camera, except with radio waves. Your exposure time could be a minute or two long, so you can imagine how much smearing goes on if you don’t know exactly where the radar is,” said Pollard.

Navigating without GPS also makes HALE InSAR ideal for field missions in austere environments where reliable GPS signals may be unavailable, increasing the instrument’s utility for national security applications and science missions in remote locations.

The Aloft Sensing team recently achieved several key milestones, validating their instrument aboard an airship at 65,000 feet as well as small stratospheric balloons. Next, they’ll test HALE InSAR aboard a fixed wing HALE aircraft. A future version of their instrument could even find its way into low Earth orbit on a small satellite.

Wye credits NASA support for helping her company turn a prototype into a proven instrument.

“This technology has been critically enabled by ESTO, and the benefit to science and civil applications is huge,” said Wye. “It also exemplifies the dual-use potential enabled by NASA-funded research. We are seeing significant military interest in this capability now that it is reaching maturity. As a small business, we need this hand-in-hand approach to be able to succeed.”

For more information about opportunities to work with NASA to develop new Earth observation technologies, visit esto.nasa.gov.

For additional details, see the entry for this project on NASA TechPort.

Project Lead: Dr. Lauren Wye, CEO, Aloft Sensing

Sponsoring Organization: NASA’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP)

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Details

Last Updated

Aug 19, 2025

Related Terms

• Earth Science Division
• Earth Science Technology Office
• Science-enabling Technology
• Technology Highlights

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A collaboration between NASA and the small business Aloft Sensing produced a new compact radar system that will enable researchers to leverage High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platforms to observe dynamic Earth systems. This new radar is small, provides highly sensitive measurements, and doesn’t require GPS for positioning; eventually, it could be used on vehicles in space.

HALE InSAR flies aboard a high-altitude balloon during a test-flight. This lightweight instrument will help researchers measure ground deformation and dynamic Earth systems. Credit: Aloft Sensing

Long before a volcano erupts or a mountainous snowpack disappears, millimeter-scale changes in Earth’s surface indicate larger geologic processes are at work. But detecting those minute changes, which can serve as early warnings for impending disasters, is difficult.

With support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO ) a team of researchers from the small aerospace company Aloft Sensing is developing a compact radar instrument for observing Earth’s surface deformation, topography, and vegetation with unprecedented precision.

Their project, “HALE InSAR,” has demonstrated the feasibility of using high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) vehicles equipped with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to observe changes in surface deformation mere millimeters in size and terrain information with centimetric vertical accuracy.

“It’s a level of sensitivity that has eluded traditional radar sensors, without making them bulky and expensive,” said Lauren Wye, CEO of Aloft Sensing and principal investigator for HALE InSAR.

HALE vehicles are lightweight aircraft designed to stay airborne for extended periods of time, from weeks to months and even years. These vehicles can revisit a scene multiple times an hour, making them ideal for locating subtle changes in an area’s geologic environment.

InSAR, a remote sensing technique that compares multiple images of the same scene to detect changes in surface topography or determine structure, is also uniquely well-suited to locate these clues. But traditional InSAR instruments are typically too large to fly aboard HALE vehicles.

HALE InSAR is different. The instrument is compact enough for a variety of HALE vehicles, weighing less than 15 pounds (seven kilograms) and consuming fewer than 300 watts of power, about as much energy as it takes to power an electric bike.

HALE InSAR leverages previously-funded NASA technologies to make such detailed measurements from a small platform: a novel electronically steered antenna and advanced positioning algorithms embedded within an agile software-defined transceiver. These technologies were developed under ESTO’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP) and Decadal Survey Incubation (DSI) Program, respectively.

“All of the design features that we’ve built into the instrument are starting to showcase themselves and highlight why this payload in particular is distinct from what other small radars might be looking to achieve,” said Wye.

One of those features is a flat phased array antenna, which gives users the ability to focus HALE InSAR’s radar beam without physically moving the instrument. Using a panel about the size of a tablet computer, operators can steer the beam electronically, eliminating the need for gimbles and other heavy components, which helps enable the instrument’s reduced size and weight.

A close up HALE InSAR fixed to a high-altitude airship. The flat planar antenna reduces the instruments mass and eliminates the need for gimbles and other heavy components. Credit: Aloft Sensing

“SAR needs to look to the side. Our instrument can be mounted straight down, but look left and right on every other pulse such that we’re collecting a left-looking SAR image and a right-looking SAR image essentially simultaneously. It opens up opportunities for the most mass-constrained types of stratospheric vehicles,” said Wye.

Using advanced positioning algorithms, HALE InSAR also has the unique ability to locate itself without GPS, relying instead on feedback from its own radar signals to determine its position even more accurately. Brian Pollard, Chief Engineer at Aloft Sensing and co-investigator for HALE InSAR, explained that precise positioning is essential for creating high-resolution data about surface deformation and topography.

“SAR is like a long exposure camera, except with radio waves. Your exposure time could be a minute or two long, so you can imagine how much smearing goes on if you don’t know exactly where the radar is,” said Pollard.

Navigating without GPS also makes HALE InSAR ideal for field missions in austere environments where reliable GPS signals may be unavailable, increasing the instrument’s utility for national security applications and science missions in remote locations.

The Aloft Sensing team recently achieved several key milestones, validating their instrument aboard an airship at 65,000 feet as well as small stratospheric balloons. Next, they’ll test HALE InSAR aboard a fixed wing HALE aircraft. A future version of their instrument could even find its way into low Earth orbit on a small satellite.

Wye credits NASA support for helping her company turn a prototype into a proven instrument.

“This technology has been critically enabled by ESTO, and the benefit to science and civil applications is huge,” said Wye. “It also exemplifies the dual-use potential enabled by NASA-funded research. We are seeing significant military interest in this capability now that it is reaching maturity. As a small business, we need this hand-in-hand approach to be able to succeed.”

For more information about opportunities to work with NASA to develop new Earth observation technologies, visit esto.nasa.gov.

For additional details, see the entry for this project on NASA TechPort.

Project Lead: Dr. Lauren Wye, CEO, Aloft Sensing

Sponsoring Organization: NASA’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP)

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 19, 2025

Related Terms

• Earth Science Division
• Earth Science Technology Office
• Science-enabling Technology
• Technology Highlights

Explore More

1 min read Snapshot Wisconsin Celebrates 10 Years and 100 Million Photos Collected!

The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this…

Article


2 weeks ago

2 min read Polar Tourists Give Positive Reviews to NASA Citizen Science in Antarctica

Article


1 month ago

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Article


2 months ago

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