TYBs
Hearing on Mind Control and Accountability: Uncovering the Truth of the CIA’s MKULTRA Project
June 30, 2026
Live now
Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets Chairwoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) today announced a hearing on “Mind Control and Accountability: Uncovering the Truth of the CIA’s MKULTRA Experiments.”
During the hearing, members will examine the history and timeline of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) MKULTRA project and its original classification and how the project meets the CIA’s obligation to protect the United States.
Members will also analyze the intelligence community’s unwillingness to declassify information related to MKULTRA and how the lack of transparency has reduced Americans’ trust in government institutions.
“The intelligence community has covered up the nature and classification of the MKULTRA experiments for decades. Americans have been misdirected repeatedly and deserve transparency and accountability from the CIA.
The intelligence community’s unwillingness to deliver the truth has fueled dangerous conspiracy theories and eroded public trust in the federal government.
This hearing aims to explore the history of the MKULTRA experiments, how they have impacted Americans’ wellbeing, and how the intelligence community can win back trust,” said Task Force Chairwoman Luna.
https://oversight.house.gov/release/luna-announces-hearing-on-mkultra-experiments-and-its-impact-on-public-trust/
https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/mind-control-and-accountability-uncovering-the-truth-of-the-cias-mkultra-project/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uupR54Euys
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June 30, 2026
Unusually Smooth Sections of Asteroid Itokawa
Why are parts of this asteroid's surface so smooth? The answer seems likely to do with the dynamics of an asteroid that is a loose pile of rubble rather than a solid rock. The unusual asteroid Itokawa was visited by the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa in 2005 which imaged and documented its unusual structure and mysterious lack of craters. Analyses of the border regions between smooth and rugged sections indicate that jostling of the asteroid might be creating segregation between large and small rocks near the surface, like the Brazil nut effect. The robotic Hayabusa actually touched down on one of the smooth patches, dubbed the MUSES Sea, and collected soil samples. These samples were returned to Earth and are not only giving clues to the ancient history of this unusual asteroid, but also about the early years of our entire Solar System. Computer simulations show that 500-meter asteroid Itokawa may impact the Earth within the next few million years.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4oO4tzYzvE
Magnetic Surge Forecast 2027-2033 | S0 News and frens
June.30.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnnTx5DgMac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3yrIESYl6w (Dutchsinse: 6/29/2026 Rare Illinois Fracking Earthquake Midwest USA Unrest – Forecast area hit directly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDtCjniJ0gc (EarthMaster: 578 Cascadia Tremors along the Cascadia.. South End.. Philippines EQ update. Monday Night…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6hqUFc2qgQ (Time for Truth: Nanoplastics as a New Systemic Risk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keh6Y_wxg3o (MrMBB333: Here we go AGAIN! Stage is set for something BIG!)
https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Severe%20Storms%20Fire%20Up%20Across%20Upper%20Midwest,%20New%20England%20And%20Southern%20Plains
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/ridge-rider-extreme-heat-dome-severe-storms-plains-great-lakes-america-250
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/magnitude-3-5-earthquake-jolts-illinois-widespread-shaking
https://nypost.com/2026/06/29/us-news/californians-race-to-buy-earthquake-preparedness-kits-after-devastating-venezuela-quakes/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/tornado-western-manitoba-9.7252343
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167837
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/6/30/in-pictures-venezuela-earthquakes-death-toll-surpasses-1700
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://weather.substack.com/
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/318063/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Tuesday-30-Jun-2026.html
https://www.solarham.com/
https://www.spaceweather.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental
https://www.spaceweather.gov/news/m58-flare-observed-no-cme-indications-yet
https://spaceweather.com/
https://www.ibtimes.sg/international-asteroid-day-remembering-mysterious-blast-that-flattened-80-million-trees-88752
https://asteroidday.org/
other space objects
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-avalanches-asteroid-vesta-method-regolith.html
https://www.geo.tv/latest/670750-chinas-taiwan-2-reaches-earths-mini-moon-sample-collection-set-to-begin
https://news.ssbcrack.com/silverpit-crater-origin-confirmed-as-ancient-asteroid-impact/
International Asteroid Day: Remembering the Mysterious Blast That Flattened 80 Million Trees
June 29, 2026 20:44
On June 30, 1908, something exploded above a remote stretch of the Tunguska River in Siberia with the force of roughly 10 to 15 megatons of TNT, flattening an estimated 2,000 square kilometers of forest, destroying approximately 80 million trees, and knocking people off their feet more than 60 kilometers away.
No crater was ever found. Whatever it was almost certainly a rocky asteroid or comet fragment; it had disintegrated in the atmosphere before impact. Had it arrived over a populated city, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
Every year on June 30, the world marks International Asteroid Day to ensure that anniversary is not just remembered, but used as a reminder that space rocks of all sizes are real, they are trackable, and the science of defending against them has never been more advanced.
Why This Day Exists and Who Made It Official
In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/90, officially declaring June 30 International Asteroid Day.
The resolution followed a proposal by the Association of Space Explorers, an organization of astronauts and cosmonauts, which was endorsed by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, known as COPUOS.
The stated aims of the day are two-fold: to raise public awareness about the risk of asteroid impacts, and to inform the public about what international crisis communication steps would be taken if a genuine near-Earth object threat were ever identified.
The UN's own description of the day makes the intent clear: this is not a day of fear. It is a day of preparation.
What Is a Near-Earth Object and How Many Are There?
Near-Earth Objects, or NEOs, are asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them within approximately 195 million kilometers of the Sun within the orbital neighborhood of Earth.
Of particular concern are those that come within roughly 7.5 million kilometers of Earth's orbit and are larger than 140 meters in diameter.
Objects of that size and at that proximity are classified as potentially hazardous. According to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, more than 36,000 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered to date.
The vast majority pose no threat at any foreseeable point. But tracking, characterizing, and monitoring all of them is a continuous scientific effort involving observatories and space agencies worldwide.
The Two Events That Define the Risk: Tunguska and Chelyabinsk
The Tunguska event remains the largest asteroid impact in recorded history. But a second, more recent event underlines why even small objects demand attention.
On February 15, 2013, an asteroid approximately 18 meters across and weighing roughly 11,000 tonnes entered the atmosphere at 18.6 kilometers per second and disintegrated over Chelyabinsk, Russia.
The energy released was approximately 440 kilotons of TNT, making it the most energetic impact event recognized since Tunguska. Around 1,500 people were injured, primarily from shattered glass from the shockwave.
Nobody had detected it coming. That last fact is what drives the urgency behind planetary defense.
Chelyabinsk was small enough that no monitoring system at the time would have flagged it in advance. The gap between what we track and what we miss is the gap that planetary defense science is racing to close.
The Global Early Warning System: IAWN and SMPAG
Following the COPUOS recommendations endorsed in 2013, two international bodies were established in 2014 that now form the backbone of Earth's planetary defense infrastructure.
The International Asteroid Warning Network, known as IAWN, links observatories, research institutions, and space agencies worldwide through defined communication protocols.
If a credible asteroid threat is identified, IAWN is the mechanism through which governments would be notified, consequences analyzed, and response planning coordinated.
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The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, or SMPAG, works alongside it as an inter-space-agency forum whose job is to identify the technologies needed to deflect a threatening asteroid and build international consensus on when and how to use them.
Together, the two bodies represent the closest thing Earth currently has to an early warning and response system for asteroid threats.
We Have Already Moved an Asteroid: The DART Mission
The most important development in planetary defense history took place on September 26, 2022, when NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART spacecraft deliberately crashed into Dimorphos, a 160-meter moonlet orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Didymos.
The impact shortened Dimorphos's orbital period around Didymos by 33 minutes, significantly more than scientists had projected, demonstrating that a kinetic impactor technique could successfully and meaningfully redirect an asteroid.
The mission was, as NASA planetary defense officer Lindley Johnson said at the time, proof that "we are no longer powerless."
ESA's follow-up Hera mission, launched in 2024, is now traveling toward the Didymos system to study the aftermath of the DART impact in detail and build the scientific dataset needed to refine deflection models for future use. Its arrival is expected in late 2026.
More Than a Threat: Asteroids as Time Capsules of the Solar System
Asteroid science is not only about protection. Many asteroids are chemically pristine objects that have not changed significantly since the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago.
Studying them gives scientists a direct window into the conditions that prevailed when Earth and the other planets were being assembled from dust and rock.
The Japanese Hayabusa2 mission returned samples from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu in 2020, finding organic molecules and amino acid precursors, deepening understanding of how the building blocks of life may have arrived on early Earth.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu in 2023, the largest such sample ever brought back from space, revealing hydrated silicates and carbon-rich material that scientists are still analyzing.
Each sample is, in effect, a time capsule: material that predates the planets, carrying the chemical history of the solar system's first moments.
The 2029 Moment: Apophis and the Once-in-a-Millennium Flyby
On April 13, 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass Earth at a distance of approximately 32,000 kilometers closer than the satellites in geostationary orbit that beam television signals and weather data to the planet below. It will not hit Earth.
Scientists are certain of that. But it will be visible to the naked eye across Europe, Africa, and western Asia, watched by billions of people as a moving point of light crossing the night sky, a once-in-a-millennium celestial event.
The UN General Assembly declared 2029 the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense in 2024 to harness that moment.
Multiple space agencies are preparing missions to fly alongside Apophis during its approach, turning the flyby into one of the most closely observed asteroid events in scientific history.
Where Planetary Defense Stands Today
Catastrophic asteroid impacts are among the rarest events in Earth's geological history. The last mass extinction-level strike is estimated to have occurred 66 million years ago.
But rare is not the same as impossible, and the unique feature of this particular threat is that it is the only natural disaster currently within humanity's technical ability to prevent entirely, provided the detection comes early enough.
"The more we learn about asteroid impacts, the clearer it becomes that the human race has always lived with this risk," the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs has noted. "What is new is our ability to do something about it."
Advances in wide-field telescopes, autonomous sky surveys, space-based infrared detection systems, and international data-sharing networks are steadily narrowing the window of surprise.
International Asteroid Day exists to keep that progress funded, that cooperation active, and that public awareness alive.
On June 30, 2026, 118 years after Tunguska, the mission remains exactly what it was then: watch the sky, understand what is in it, and be ready.
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NASA, SBA Announce New Initiative to Scale American Space Economy
Jun 29, 2026
NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched the SBIC-NASA Initiative on Monday to increase investment in American manufacturers of industrial components and providers of technologies critical to space exploration to support a sustained presence on the Moon and Mars.
Under the Memorandum of Agreement, NASA will identify technology priorities and connect businesses to funding opportunities through the agency’s new NASA Office of Strategic Capital.
The initiative also will be a part of SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program, which provides leverage that matches private capital raised by investment funds and is designed to enhance fund-level investment returns.
“To achieve President Trump’s National Space Policy, NASA needs a stronger industrial base capable of moving at the speed this new space race demands,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“Through the NASA Office of Strategic Capital, this partnership with the SBA will help small businesses access the capital they need to scale, strengthen critical supply chains, rebuild America’s industrial might, and deliver the outcomes necessary to ensure the United States leads the next era of space exploration.”
By augmenting the investable capital for investment funds licensed by the SBA under this SBIC-NASA Initiative, the new initiative expands access to capital for small businesses within the space industry.
“To meet President Trump’s objective of securing American leadership on every frontier, the SBA and NASA are partnering to supercharge the industrial base behind our space program and connect the innovators building critical technologies with needed capital,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “Through this partnership with NASA, the SBA is mobilizing private sector investment to fuel the small businesses, manufacturers, and innovators that are driving American space dominance.
By aligning capital with strategic national priorities, this exciting effort will help launch the next great era of space exploration.”
Under the agreement, NASA will define strategic aerospace technology focus areas and identify supply chain needs.
The SBA will use those priorities to attract and license qualified private investment funds that commit to invest at least 60% of their capital into NASA-identified focus areas, including:
Energy production, infrastructure, and storage
Nuclear power and propulsion
Advanced software, avionics, and communications systems
Specialized materials and components
Inhospitable environment infrastructure
Scaled launch infrastructure
Biomedical and life support technology
Through this partnership between NASA and SBA, capital will flow into space industry sectors and upstream supply chain components vital to the National Space Policy and critical to national and economic security.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sba-announce-new-initiative-to-scale-american-space-economy/
https://www.nasa.gov/strategiccapital/
https://x.com/SBA_Kelly/status/2071706529271566614
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2071937485903458668
What to Expect: Commercial Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift
June 29, 2026 5:22PM
At launch
A mission to boost the orbit of NASA’s sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is targeted to launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, at 10:17 p.m. UTC+12 (6:17 a.m. EDT), from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
LINK, a robotic servicing spacecraft built by American startup Katalyst Space for this mission to extend Swift’s science lifetime, will launch on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.
While there is no livestream available for launch, NASA will continue to provide written updates on the agency’s Swift blog.
After launch
After LINK reaches orbit, the Katalyst team’s first step is to acquire a signal from the spacecraft, confirming its solar panels have deployed and the power systems are working.
Then the spacecraft will go through several weeks of checkouts, a process called commissioning, where controllers on the ground turn on and test various systems to ensure everything is working.
With commissioning complete, the team can then maneuver LINK toward Swift. As it approaches, LINK will collect and send images of Swift to the ground, where teams at Katalyst and NASA will assess the planned grab points.
This rendezvous and capture will be a slow and careful process that could take about a month. Once its robotic arms are attached to Swift, LINK can begin to slowly push Swift upward.
Over the course of a few months, LINK will attempt to return Swift close to its original launch altitude. Then, LINK will detach, leaving Swift in its new orbit.
After boost
After the orbit boost, NASA can restart the observatory’s full system and telescope operations in a process like the one Swift went through after its launch in 2004. It could take a month or more to return to its full science capabilities.
These estimated timeframes may vary. Flexibility is built into the teams’ approach to allow them to pause, assess data, and adjust as needed.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/06/29/what-to-expect-commercial-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/06/30/launch-of-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-scrubs-due-to-weather/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/
Astronauts Ready for Tuesday Spacewalk to Repair Canadarm2 Robotic Arm
June 29, 2026 1:14PM
The Expedition 74 astronauts are ready for a spacewalk on Tuesday following the completion of spacesuit configurations and procedure reviews on Monday.
The International Space Station’s three cosmonauts kept busy throughout the day servicing Roscosmos scientific, electronics, and life support systems.
Mission managers have given the final go for NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir to begin a spacewalk at 8:35 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 30.
Williams and Meir will work in the vacuum of space for about six hours and 40 minutes and replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm that was installed on the orbital outpost on April 26, 2001.
This will be the duo’s second spacewalk together. NASA+ will begin its live coverage at 7 a.m. EDT on June 30.
Williams and Meir spent Monday organizing spacewalking tools and checking spacesuits inside the Quest airlock where they will exit the space station for the robotics maintenance job.
Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) assisted the upcoming spacewalkers with the tool work and studied the delicate maneuvers they will use to position the Canadarm2 for its repair job.
Hathaway and Adenot will monitor the spacewalkers on Tuesday, help them in and out of their suits, and carefully maneuver Canadarm2 into position for repair access.
All four astronauts gathered together at the end of Monday’s shift for a final procedures review and a readiness conference with specialists on the ground.
In the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting laboratory, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov swapped out electronics gear then photographed windows inside the Zvezda and Poisk modules for analysis.
The two-time station resident also joined the astronauts for a portion of their spacewalk procedure reviews.
Flight engineer Sergei Mikaev kicked off his shift charging batteries and checking cable connections.
Afterward, Mikaev tested the activation of atmospheric purification valves, checked the condition of lights in the Zarya module, and filled out a questionnaire documenting his experience with international crews and flight controllers from around the world.
Flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev replaced a computer hard drive inside scientific hardware that measures the radiation environment the space station experiences while orbiting Earth.
Next, Fedyaev wrapped up his shift with orbital plumbing in the Nauka science module and ventilation system maintenance in the Zvezda service module.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/29/astronauts-ready-for-tuesday-spacewalk-to-repair-canadarm2-robotic-arm/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/30/astronauts-prepare-to-exit-station-for-robotics-repair-spacewalk/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/30/astronauts-begin-spacewalk-to-repair-canadarm2-robotic-arm/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-astronaut-chris-williams-preps-for-spacewalk/
https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/us-spacewalk-95/
NASA OIG Response To Congress On GSFC Closures and Layoffs
June 29, 2026
Keith’s note: On 21 November Rep. Lofgren (D-CA), ranking minority member on the House Science Committee, sent a letter requesting that the NASA OIG look into cancellations and closures at NASA Goddard.
NASA OIG has now responded with a short report and Lofgren has commented on that report. Quotes and original letters below.
Lofgren’s 29 June 2026 response to the NASA OIG review: “This 4-page memo says little and has done nothing to assuage my concerns.
I am committed to continuing the necessary oversight, and asking the hard questions that need to be answered, to ensure that Goddard can continue to serve as the world’s preeminent center for scientific achievement in space.”
NASA OIG response: “During our limited review, we did not identify any laws, regulations, or Agency policies that prohibited the accelerated relocations and closures at Goddard.
As it pertains to actions taken during the lapse in appropriations, Center management followed an Agency-developed process to receive approvals for select staff to be excepted from furlough status for relocation activities.
Additionally, the Center did not issue any new contracts or task orders during the government shutdown for the moves, and all physical moves were within the scope of existing contracts.”
Original Lofgren letter: “We write to request that your office initiate a formal audit of NASA’s management of the Goddard Space Flight Center.
Specifically, we request that your office evaluate the agency’s recent actions regarding the relocation and closure of buildings, laboratories, facilities, equipment, and personnel at Goddard, including (but not limited to) the main Goddard campus in Greenbelt, Maryland.
As Members of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (“the Committee”), we are deeply concerned that the agency’s actions are degrading Goddard’s scientific and technical capabilities, and that they may be inflicting long-term damage on Goddard’s ability to carry out its responsibilities and NASA’s ability to carry out the responsibilities that have been given to it by Congress. We are also troubled by the lack of transparency that has characterized NASA’s implementation of these closures and relocations, both towards Congress and towards affected Goddard employees themselves.
We believe an independent audit is necessary to determine the true impact of the recent – and ongoing – disruptions at Goddard.
Such an audit would greatly assist the Committee as it considers the steps that will be necessary to ensure Goddard continues to serve as a pillar of NASA science, engineering, and space flight, and a world-class research and development facility.”
https://nasawatch.com/2026/06/29/nasa-oig-response-to-congress-on-gsfc-closures-and-layoffs/
https://nasawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Final-Memorandum-IG-26-005-Review-of-Goddard-Space-Flight-Centers-Transformation-Efforts.pdf
https://nasawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-11-21-NASA-OIG-Letter-on-Goddard.pdf
extra NASA
https://www.newswise.com/articles/nasa-s-chandra-reveals-red-white-blue-universe-for-us-250th
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/amaa-2026-nasa-jpl-details-3d-printed-lattice-design-for-mars-sample-return-impact-protection-252696/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/thruster-test-in-jpls-electric-propulsion-lab/
https://www.nasa.gov/general/ames-stars-of-the-month-july-2026/
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/nasas-newest-wind-tunnel-builds-on-legacy-of-innovation/
extra extra NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/ames/science/laboratory-astrophysics-newsletter/lan3/
https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/northwest-earth-and-space-science-pathways-project-celebrates-student-innovation-through-roads-from-earth-to-venus-national-challenge/
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/worldview-image-archive/little-water-left-san-carlos-reservoir
https://www.nasa.gov/general/mapping-earths-observations-featuring-betsy-ford/
NASA’s Newest Wind Tunnel Builds on Legacy of Innovation
Jun 29, 2026
For more than 100 years, wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have helped shape the future of flight.
Now, two of NASA’s longest-serving facilities — the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel and the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel — will pass the torch to the Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF), the first major NASA wind tunnel built in more than 40 years.
“The FDRF has a combination of features found in no other single facility in the world,” said Mike Fremaux, retired chief engineer for the Intelligent Flight Systems division at NASA Langley.
“It’s a high-performance vertical wind tunnel with a large test section capable of conducting all manner of tests to assess the dynamics of flight vehicles.”
When the FDRF opens later this year, it will provide enhanced versions of the capabilities offered by the two legacy facilities. The FDRF’s test section will allow researchers to drop models into a rising vertical airflow.
This will offer researchers the ability to conduct spin tests of aircraft and free-flight tests of vehicles designed to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere from space.
The FDRF will play an integral role in conducting research that supports NASA’s aeronautics, science, and space exploration missions. Like many NASA facilities, the FDRF’s story is rooted in a history of innovation.
12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel
When the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel began operations in 1939, aviation looked very different than it does today.
It was built for NASA’s predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to study the controllability of airplanes using free flight.
Aircraft models flew unsupported in the wind it generated, instead of being mounted to supports. Multiple operators used rudimentary remote controls to operate the models in the tunnel.
The facility that housed the tunnel boasted a unique design: a 60-foot diameter sphere. The configuration allowed the tunnel to move and adapt to the flight paths of free flying models.
“Pilots” could use hydraulic actuators, pivoting the tunnel’s test section to match the models’ movements. The spherical design made it easy for air from the facility’s fan to recirculate through the tunnel, regardless of the pitch angle of the test section.
In 1958, NASA moved the free-flight tests to another Langley tunnel.
The agency deactivated the 12-Foot’s hydraulic actuators, fixing its test section into a horizontal position, and began using it for more conventional testing, looking at how aerodynamic force affected the stability and control of strut-mounted models.
The 12-Foot supported major projects throughout its 86 years of service, from the transition from bi-planes to monoplanes between two world wars, through the development of supersonic aircraft.
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Revolutionary designs saw testing in the 12-Foot, from the forward-swept-wing X-29 and the X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Demonstrator, to the more recent X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, and the aeroshell for NASA’s Dragonfly, a unique rotorcraft designed to explore Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
The 12-Foot closed in 2025, but its legacy will be both felt and seen at the FDRF. Six wooden fan blades and the central metal fan hub from the 12-Foot are on display inside the FDRF’s control room.
20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel
While the 12-Foot tested new ideas for aircraft and components, the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel played a critical role in aviation safety.
Opened in 1941, the Vertical Spin Tunnel was designed to study aircraft stall and spin characteristics. Its aim was to prevent deadly accidents in which an aircraft enters an uncontrolled spin.
The vertical design allowed models to fall into the rising airflow, simulating how aircraft behave during a spin. Researchers hand-launched models into the tunnel’s vertically rising airstream to evaluate those characteristics.
The tunnel quickly became one of the most important spin-testing facilities in the world.
Research supported commercial aviation, parachute design systems, NASA space missions, and the development of nearly every U.S. military aircraft designed since World War II.
Models from many of those tests will be on display in the FDRF’s lobby, a testament to the Vertical Spin Tunnel’s rich history.
“It is great to showcase the legacy of work that started in the NACA days and will continue going forward for decades to come,” Fremaux said.
New era of flight research
The FDRF will continue NASA’s commitment to world-class facilities and the unique expertise of the agency’s workforce.
“That’s what kept those other facilities going,” Fremaux said. “Not just the buildings, the fans, and the motors, but also the expertise associated with those facilities. You can’t have one without the other.”
The FDRF will build not only on the history of the 12-Foot tunnel and the Vertical Spin Tunnel, but on their equipment, including many of their major test rigs, instrumentation, and data systems, were repurposed for use in the FDRF, reducing costs and development time.
As NASA returns astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program, the FDRF will play a vital role in testing the technologies for entry, descent, and landing that will ensure a safe return to Earth.
esearch within the FDRF also will support science missions to planets and moons with atmospheres, such as Venus and Saturn’s moon, Titan.
The 25,000-square-foot facility will play a major role in experimental research for NASA’s development of X-planes, autonomous flight vehicles, and drones.
“For me, seeing FDRF come alive and being prepared to begin supporting important agency missions, after 30 years of working on the concept behind the scenes with formal and informal teams of motivated, innovative coworkers, is the most rewarding capstone I could have in my career,” Fremaux said.
Just as the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel and the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel supported decades of aerospace innovation, the FDRF is ready to shape the future of flight.
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