HAMPTON, Va. - From landing on Mars to autonomous flight on Earth, a new facility at NASA Langley Research Center is expected to take humanity to new heights.
On Wednesday, NASA broke ground on the Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF) — a vertical wind tunnel more than 120 feet high.
According to Langley, the 25,000 square foot, $43 million building will support research for entry, descent, and landing on planetary bodies including the moon, Mars and Saturn's moon Titan. It will also advance research in earth-bound experimental aircraft and autonomous flight vehicles.
“It’s gonna replace two facilities at Langley Air Force Base that are 80 years old," said Allen Kilgore, Director of NASA Langley's Research Directorate, who adds that a vertical wind tunnel changes how scientists can test scaled-down models of vehicle designs. “We blow wind over it, gravity brings it down and we kind of hold it in place there. That will allow us to study the dynamics of the vehicle.”
The groundbreaking comes less than two weeks before NASA launches its Artemis I mission — taking an unmanned rocket around the moon and back; setting the stage for the first woman and next man to land on the moon in the coming years.
Clayton Turner, Director of NASA Langley Research Center says the FDRF will play a major role in further exploration.
"It’s going to be critical where we’re going to land on moons of Saturn, it’s going to be critical when we want to have that package delivered on our front door," he told News 3.
The facility is part of a revitalization plan aimed at reducing Langley's footprint and overall costs.
In addition to Kilgore, Turner, and others from NASA, several politicians spoke at Wednesday's groundbreaking, including Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck, Rep. Bobby Scott (D), and Virginia Transportation Secretary Shep Miller.
The Flight Dynamics Research Facility is scheduled to open in late 2024.
