2 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>NASA\/Quincy Eggert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe design and build of a unique NASA pod<\/a>, produced to advance computer vision for autonomous aviation, was recently completed in-house at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/a> in Edwards, California, by using the center\u2019s unique fabrication capabilities. The pod is called the NASA Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE). NASA Armstrong can take an idea from a drawing to flight with help from the center\u2019s Experimental Fabrication Shop<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/AFRC2024-0023-18\/AFRC2024-0023-18~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1535&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA researcher James Cowart adds the top back onto the NASA Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE) sensor pod at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in late February 2024. The pod houses sensors, wiring and cameras. The AIRVUE pod was flown on a helicopter at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is used to collect data for future autonomous aircraft.<\/div>\nNASA\/Genaro Vavuris<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNASA subject matter experts developed the idea for the project, after which engineers drew up plans and selected materials. The Experimental Fabrication Shop received those plans and gathered the materials to fabricate the pod.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
After the pod was built, it moved to NASA Armstrong\u2019s Engineering Support Branch, where electronics technicians and other specialists installed instruments inside of it. Once completed, the pod went through a series of tests at NASA Armstrong to make sure it was safe to fly at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on an Airbus H135 helicopter. The engineering team made final adjustments to ensure the pod would collect the correct data prior to installation. More about the design and fabrication process, and the pod\u2019s capabilities, is available to view in a NASA video<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The design and build of a unique NASA pod<\/a>, produced to advance computer vision for autonomous aviation, was recently completed in-house at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/a> in Edwards, California, by using the center\u2019s unique fabrication capabilities. The pod is called the NASA Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE). NASA Armstrong can take an idea from a drawing to flight with help from the center\u2019s Experimental Fabrication Shop<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n NASA subject matter experts developed the idea for the project, after which engineers drew up plans and selected materials. The Experimental Fabrication Shop received those plans and gathered the materials to fabricate the pod.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n After the pod was built, it moved to NASA Armstrong\u2019s Engineering Support Branch, where electronics technicians and other specialists installed instruments inside of it. Once completed, the pod went through a series of tests at NASA Armstrong to make sure it was safe to fly at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on an Airbus H135 helicopter. The engineering team made final adjustments to ensure the pod would collect the correct data prior to installation. More about the design and fabrication process, and the pod\u2019s capabilities, is available to view in a NASA video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>
![\"A](\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/AFRC2024-0023-17\/AFRC2024-0023-17~large.jpg?w=1919&h=1536&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
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