How NASA flight tests new technology

Flight tests are central to turning breakthrough ideas into reality, transforming bold concepts into safer, more efficient technologies that benefit the public. From flying humans faster than the speed of sound to proving designs that helped shape the space shuttle, teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have used flight testing for nearly 80 years to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance aviation.

Every NASA test flight — whether studying new software, hardware, or the revolutionary technology of an experimental X-plane — depends on engineers, researchers, pilots, maintenance crews, and control room operators working together. Preflight work often includes computer analysis, simulation, wind tunnel testing, and ground tests to assess an aircraft’s ability to withstand flight forces and environments; experienced operators then evaluate how things work in actual flight because lab tests alone cannot reveal everything.

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