NASA’s Van Allen Probe A to Re-Enter Atmosphere 

NASA’s Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, almost 14 years after launch. From 2012 to 2019, the spacecraft and its twin, Van Allen Probe B, flew through the Van Allen belts, rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, to understand how particles were gained and lost. The belts shield Earth from cosmic radiation, solar storms, and the constantly streaming […]

About Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities (FDC) Project

The FDC project conducts complex integrated small-scale flight research to validate the benefits of new technologies. By modifying aircraft from FDC’s support fleet, the project enables aggressive, success-oriented flight campaign schedules. While many technologies are at mid-levels of technology readiness, the FDC project supports all phases of technology maturation.   FDC’s support aircraft fleet enables safety chase and in-flight experimental measurements for a variety of […]

NASA Armstrong Director Brad Flick to Retire After 40 Years of Service

On Monday, NASA announced Bradley Flick, director of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, will retire Thursday, March 19, after a nearly 40-year career advancing aeronautics and flight research. Flick began his NASA journey in 1986 as a flight systems engineer and rose through the ranks to lead the center. His career spanned […]