Visitors to AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 had the opportunity to take a close look at the latest in NASA aerospace technology during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual airshow Monday, July 23, through Sunday, July 29, at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The NASA Exhibit Pavilion, located in Aviation Gateway Park, was packed with exciting interactive simulators, models, displays, exhibits and videos that highlighted the truly groundbreaking work happening at NASA centers across the U.S.
Visitors learned about NASA’s all-electric X-57 Maxwell and the recently-announced supersonic X-59 QueSST aircraft, and had a chance to meet NASA test pilots who will fly these aircraft. The X-57 takes to the skies in 2019 to demonstrate how electric propulsion can be 500 percent more efficient than conventional aircraft. The X-59 will fly in 2023 and demonstrate how the latest technology can reduce the loud sonic boom typically associated with supersonic flight to a soft thump.
The X-59 QueSST will test its quiet supersonic technologies by flying over communities in the United States. Credits: NASA
Visitors also had the opportunity to try their hand flying the same simulators that NASA pilots and engineers use as they train to fly these X-planes. Also available were exhibits showcasing NASA’s work with unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft icing research, as well as theSpace Launch System and Earth science missions.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center displayed the last S-3B Viking to fly that the agency used for research into engine icing, communications systems development for unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace, and algae bloom monitoring on Lake Erie.
The NASA Pavilion in Aviation Gateway Park is the agency’s hub for displays and hands-on activities at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Credits: NASA
