NASA Armstrong X-Press April 2018

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Volume 60 Number 4 April 2018 QSF18 on target By Matt Kamlet will replace current restrictions, Armstrong Public Affairs which are in place due to the sonic An upcoming NASA supersonic boom produced by aircraft that fly research flight series will examine faster than the speed of sound. methodology and technology to be “We are doing important research used in future community response that is a precursor to a national effort testing with the agency’s Low-Boom to understand how people react Flight Demonstrator aircraft, or to the sound of a quiet supersonic LBFD. aircraft flying overhead,” said The flight series, called Quiet Commercial Supersonic Technology Supersonic Flights 2018, or Project Manager Peter Coen. “We QSF18, will use a NASA F/A- are learning about the best ways 18 research aircraft performing a to engage communities, collect unique supersonic dive maneuver acoustic data and conduct surveys in that produces a sound similar to a NASA response to sounds that people in a community normally do not hear.” soft “thump” in comparison to the The F/A-18 is a key part of an upcoming sonic boom response survey in Texas. sonic boom typically associated NASA has conducted similar with supersonic flight. The goal of research in the past to develop the flights is to study techniques and advance community response for obtaining accurate community technology and methods. The response data, using surveys, to the Waveforms and Sonic boom reduced sounds of supersonic flight Perception and Response project, over a community that is relatively or WSPR, took place in 2011 at unfamiliar with these sounds. Edwards Air Force Base, where sonic The flights will be conducted by booms are relatively common. teams from Armstrong, Langley In that research project, 100 Research Center in Virginia and volunteer residents of Edwards used Johnson Space Center in Texas a questionnaire to provide feedback and will take place in the area of on low-amplitude “thumps” Galveston, Texas, in November. created with the F/A-18 quiet dive This effort will provide key maneuver. WSPR and subsequent information to support planning research flight series at Edwards AFRC2017-0111-35 NASA/Lauren Hughes for the future LBFD community further developed data collection response flights, which will begin Bob Hunte, an engineer at Applied Physical Sciences Corp. of Groton, Con- methods and test protocols. as early as 2022. The LBFD flights necticut, calibrates one of several microphones used for Waveforms and Sonic In QSF18, NASA will put in turn will provide data supporting boom Perception and Response Risk Reduction, which advanced technology for those techniques to the test over a new noise standards for supersonic gathering community response to sonic booms. The Quiet Supersonic Flights flight over land. These new standards 2018 series will include the use of similar microphone technology. QSF18, page 8 www.nasa.gov/ X-Press April 2018 ATom continues sampling mission By Ellen Gray Earth science at NASA’s Goddard NASA’s Earth Science News Team Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Two thirds of Earth’s surface Maryland. The model combines are covered by water – and two weather forecasts with known thirds of Earth’s atmosphere reside atmospheric chemistry to tell them over the oceans, far from land and where and when a pollution plume the traditional ways that people will intersect the flight path. “But it measure the gases and pollutants misses a lot of the detail. It’s giving that cycle through the air and you an understanding of where around the globe. While satellites the stuff is coming from, and that in space measuring the major gases allows you to refine your science. can close some of that gap, it takes So we’re not out there discovering an aircraft to find out what’s really uncharted lands, but it’s like, I have happening in the chemistry of the a map of Iowa, and I’ll drive around air above the oceans. That’s where there, and that map is probably, NASA’s Atmospheric Tomography depending on how old it is, 95 (ATom) mission comes in. percent right. It’s the 5 percent Since 2016, a team of scientists wrong that’s interesting.” with 25 advanced instruments One of those interesting aboard NASA’s DC-8 research deviations occurred over the Arctic, aircraft has sampled over 400 NASA/Róisín Commane according to atmospheric scientist different gases and a broad range and ATom team researcher Róisín Sea ice in the Arctic is seen from NASA’s DC-8 in January 2017. of airborne particles on month- Commane at Columbia University long excursions from Alaska down in New York City. “One of the the Pacific to New Zealand, then largest pollution plumes we’ve seen over to South America and up the wasn’t predicted by the models, Atlantic to Greenland, and across which came from fires in Siberia. the Arctic Ocean. Far from land, So ATom has given us a snapshot the atmosphere above the ocean is of what we might be missing,” she where to find the cleanest air on said. the planet – at least in theory. Over Tracking plumes is only the first the course of three deployments, step. The next is getting a better and with their fourth and final understanding of how they change trek beginning in late April, the as they linger over the ocean. For team has found surprising levels example, the hydrocarbons from of pollutants above the Pacific, smoke plumes react in sunlight Atlantic and Arctic oceans. with other gases to form ozone, a “It is astounding to see such greenhouse gas and air pollutant dense pollution in the middle of best known as the main ingredient in the ocean, so far from the source city smog. The instruments aboard regions,” said ATom’s principal the DC-8 can detect both ozone NASA/National Center for Atmospheric Research/Sam Hall investigator Steve Wofsy of Harvard itself and all the gases that produce University, recalling their flight up A researcher photographed the sea ice as the DC-8 flew over the Arctic in ozone by chemical reactions. This the center of the Atlantic and their January 2017. means that in addition to tracking stop at Ascension Island halfway ozone in plumes from land, the between Africa and South America, of pollutant chemicals we measure by incomplete combustion from ATom team can also determine just south of the equator. had very high amounts. On each fires, are one of the tools used by how much is produced from other “As we descended the first time, revisit since that first one, we have the ATom team to get an idea of gases over the ocean. we were stunned to find ourselves found a similar pall extending for what they might see on each leg of The center of the Pacific Ocean is in a thick haze of smoke and dust thousands of kilometers, spanning their flight. It’s also one of the tools much farther from land than is the that originated in Africa, thousands the entire tropical Atlantic Ocean,” they are evaluating. center of the Atlantic. There, ATom of kilometers to the east. The haze he said. “One of the great things about observed generally low ozone levels, had an unappealing yellow-brown Computer models that simulate ATom is showing how well the but the production of new ozone hue and was so thick we couldn’t the movement of the major gases model generally works,” said see the ocean. All of the hundreds such as carbon monoxide, created Paul Newman, chief scientist of World Tour, page 7 X-Press April 2018 News at NASA Bridenstine is new NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine became NASA’s 13th administrator April 23. “NASA represents the best of the United States of America,” he said. “We lead, we discover, we pioneer, and we inspire. I look forward to our journey together.” As part of the swearing-in AFRC2018-0071-8 NASA/Lauren Hughes ceremony, Vice President Mike Shin spoke about the bright future for NASA aeronautics and the world outlook on aviation. Pence and Bridenstine spoke live with NASA astronauts Scott Shin talks Tingle, Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold, who currently are living and working 250 miles above the aeronautics, Earth aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts honors teams offered congratulations and NASA Aeronautics Research shared stories of their experiences Mission Directorate Associate on the orbiting laboratory. Administrator Jaiwon Shin visited “The appropriations bill that Armstrong April 10 to talk about is now law renews focus on how it’s going and award two 2017 human spaceflight activities and AA awards to Armstrong team leads. expands our commercial and Lockheed Martin was selected international partnerships. It also April 3 to build the Low Boom continues our pursuit of cutting- Flight Demonstrator, which was edge science and aeronautics a good day for NASA. The future AFRC2018-0071-3 NASA/Lauren Hughes breakthroughs,” Bridenstine told for NASA aeronautics, which John Carter accepts an AA award from Jaiwon Shin and David McBride. agency leadership. includes the X-57 that will arrive Bridenstine was confirmed by at Armstrong later this year, looks the U.S. Senate April 19, to serve good, he added. as the agency’s administrator. John Carter accepted an AA Before this position, he award recognizing Cheng Moua served in the U.S. House of and the X-56 team for recovering Representatives for the state from substantial initial challenges of Oklahoma, where he held to the X-plane’s current successes. positions on the House Armed Also awarded was Matt Services Committee and the Kamlet, who led the Sonic Booms Science, Space and Technology in Atmospheric Turbulence Committee.

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