To paraphrase astronaut Neil Armstrong, a test of three scale models of NASA's next-generation crew capsules Tuesday was a small step for the space agency and a big step for mankind.
That's because the tests--in which scientists from NASA's Ames Research Center here put two models of the so-called crew exploration vehicle, or CEV, through a series of wind tunnel experiments--are among the very earliest actions in the development of the capsules for future manned missions to space.
A group of observers got to see behind the scenes of some very groundbreaking work Tuesday, with the loud rushing of wind through the tunnels making it somewhat hard to hear and a very cool 1,200-pound model of the space shuttle being set up for its own tests in the wind tunnel in the background.
"The tests are the first look we have at the aerodynamics of the next generation of the crew exploration vehicle," said Thomas Edwards, director of aeronautics at NASA Ames. The space shuttle marks the final stages of the first era of space exploration, and the CEV models are kicking off the next stage, according to Edwards.
c|net
That's because the tests--in which scientists from NASA's Ames Research Center here put two models of the so-called crew exploration vehicle, or CEV, through a series of wind tunnel experiments--are among the very earliest actions in the development of the capsules for future manned missions to space.
A group of observers got to see behind the scenes of some very groundbreaking work Tuesday, with the loud rushing of wind through the tunnels making it somewhat hard to hear and a very cool 1,200-pound model of the space shuttle being set up for its own tests in the wind tunnel in the background.
"The tests are the first look we have at the aerodynamics of the next generation of the crew exploration vehicle," said Thomas Edwards, director of aeronautics at NASA Ames. The space shuttle marks the final stages of the first era of space exploration, and the CEV models are kicking off the next stage, according to Edwards.
c|net
