THE YEAR IN REVIEW

TOGETHER, WE DISCOVER.

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. Each day, Langley’s diverse workforce drives mission success.

EXPLORE WITH US.

Many hands, many minds contribute to every groundbreaking NASA mission. Innovation requires energy, talent, and fresh perspectives, so Langley expands opportunity and spreads inspiration far and wide.

A BETTER WAY TO WORK.

At Langley, we forge partnerships with businesses and groups that are aligned with our values and vision. Our collaborators share our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goals.

LANGLEY LEADERSHIP

LANGLEY LEADERSHIP

Langley Leadership

From the Director

"NASA's astounding success in 2022 shows what's possible when we work together. When we link our talents, energy, and goodwill, there's no obstacle we can't overcome, no frontier we can't explore."

Clayton P. Turner, Center Director

Clayton P. Turner

Center Director

Langley Leadership

From the Deputy Director

"The people of NASA Langley dug deep and delivered sky-high success in 2022. Once again, the team's determination brought benefits to all."

Dave Young, Deputy Director

Dave Young

Deputy Director

Langley Leadership

From the Associate Director

"At Langley, we're building a welcoming culture where people of all backgrounds and walks of life converge to help NASA achieve great things."

Lisa Ziehmann, Associate Director

Lisa Ziehmann

Associate Director

Langley Leadership

From the Associate Director, Technical

"The center's role in the world of aerospace has grown into something more connected and collaborative. We believe this new mode will yield amazing advances for the American people and the world."

Kevin Rivers, Associate Director, Technical

Kevin Rivers

Associate Director, Technical

Our Missions

Space Exploration

Reach to Deep Space

As NASA prepares to send astronauts to the Moon and beyond, Langley's expert engineers create tools to energize human and robotic exploration.

Aeronautics

Fly Everywhere

NASA's aeronautics researchers find ways to fly that are faster, cheaper, safer, and cleaner. They also build systems that will help drones take on jobs from package delivery to search and rescue.

Science

Understand Earth and Beyond

Langley scientists and their partners expand knowledge of Earth's atmosphere and how our planet absorbs and reflects sunlight — drivers of weather and our changing climate. Scientists also unlock the secrets of deep space.

STEM Engagement

Explore With Us

At Langley, enthusiasm for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math is sky high. The team finds ways to inspire young people in underserved communities, sharing a sense of possibility and wonder.

Fiscal 2022

3,516

Workforce

$1.03

Budget (Billion)

204

Patents & Inventions

362

Internships

our work

WE REACH FOR NEW HEIGHTS TO REVEAL THE UNKNOWN FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANKIND
Click on the photos below to see our progress.

: Indicates Transformation

Expanding Excellence
NASA invents new technologies that make historic human exploration of Mars possible. Inflatable heat shields — tested successfully in 2022 — may be key to landing large payloads on the red planet.

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LOFTID
NASA's Next Wind Tunnel
New aircraft will take shape faster thanks to NASA's first new wind tunnel in decades. The Flight Dynamics Research Facility will cut costs and expand test capabilities.

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Construction
A New Kind of Airport
With more helicopter-style aircraft poised to buzz through American skies, NASA maps out a new vision for urban flight.

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Advanced Air Mobility
Accuracy Matters
Powerful sensing systems will enable space exploration as well as autonomous aircraft of tomorrow. Together, NASA and industry build new possibilities.

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Sensor Tests
Eye on Air Quality
TEMPO will be the first space-based tool monitoring major air pollutants across North America hourly during daytime. It will revolutionize air quality forecasts and help people with lung disease breathe easier.

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Prepare for Launch
Million Match Moment
Citizen scientists who record and share weather data get to explore STEM and help protect our home planet.

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Hands-On Science
A Cleaner Way to Fly
NASA helps the nation address climate change by making flight sustainable. An experimental design for airliners aims to trim fuel consumption by 10 percent.

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Aviation Innovation
Taming of the Boom
Routine supersonic passenger flight over land would transform the aviation industry — and lives around the globe. The Quesst mission attacks one major hurdle: the disruptive sonic boom.

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Fly Faster
Walking on Air
The whole idea of flight to me has always been fascinating … It just really excites the child in me." --Walt Silva, X-59 Structures Lead

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Langley People
Bridging the Gap
"NASA has shown me that you need both humanities —communication, journalism, writing — and STEM to solve some of the problems of the world."
— Karen Yang, Langley summer intern

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Langley People
Elevate to Innovate
A second round of funding from NASA helps minority college students explore ways to improve aerospace manufacturing while also learning entrepreneurship.

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Benefits To You
A Home for Discovery, Collaboration
A new five-story, 175,000-square-foot laboratory helps researchers and their partners create sensors to investigate climate change, improve autonomous vehicles, and expand knowledge of our solar system.

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Measurement Systems Laboratory
The Search for Reliable Energy
Weather and solar data collected by NASA scientists helps communities find renewable energy, design sustainable buildings, and improve farming.

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Benefits To You
Learning, Growing
"My career path at NASA has been steady. I like to think that my motto is 'to work on cool things and learn something new every day.'"
— Daniel Mangosing, web developer and software release administrator for DEVELOP program

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Langley People
Seeing the Future
College students imagine airports of tomorrow through a NASA competition focused on more accessible, sustainable flight.

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Students Compete
Volcano Brings Burst of Data
Eruptions like the one near the South Pacific Island of Tonga give scientists a window into atmospheric systems and a chance to improve climate predictions.

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Understand Earth
Hello from Headquarters
Members of a local youth chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers get a behind-the-gates tour of Langley and meet dignitaries including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

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Engineering Progress
Langley Lifts Artemis
Ideas shaped at Langley will help NASA put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish a permanent human presence there as a stepping stone to Mars.

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Moon to Mars
Feeling the Heat
With a deeper understanding of how heat shields react when zooming through a planet's atmosphere, NASA builds better landers for human exploration.

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Safe Landings
Explore Safely
"Being here now, part of the team that’s going to ensure that astronauts are safe on this next step as we go beyond low Earth orbit is the most exciting thing I’ve done."
Dr. Martha Clowdsley, deputy project manager for Exploration Capabilities RadWorks Project

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Langley People
Learning to Fly on a Moon of Saturn
A component of a drone-like vehicle designed to fly on Titan was tested in a Langley wind tunnel. Called Dragonfly, it begins its journey before the end of the decade.

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Our Solar System
NASA Looks at Safety of Future Flight
Before new types of aircraft carrying people and cargo take to the skies, engineers need to know what would happen if they crash.

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Crash Test
From Space, NASA Observes a Warming Earth
An orbiting instrument measures how much of the sun’s energy is absorbed by Earth and how much is emitted to space. An imbalance means Earth is warming.

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Climate
Virginia Teachers Show Impact of Math
A teacher ambassador program helps instructors give students an inspiring taste of computer modeling and simulation.

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Tomorrow's Workforce

Show Less

Our POWER applied science project — now in its 25th year — has played a part in hundreds of thousands of energy-saving and crop-modeling projects worldwide. This year we are averaging 4.5 million data orders per month and still growing!”
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Paul Stackhouse
Senior Research Scientist at Langley and leader of the Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources, or POWER, project
The longer I work in climate science and learn from the data about how humans have impacted our planet, the more I appreciate the fragility of our one and only home, and the more I want to take care of it.
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Yolanda Shea
Project Scientist for the CLARREO Pathfinder mission
What motivates me most is that our research and observations will benefit society.
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Ali Omar
Langley’s Deputy Director of Science (Acting)
I hope everyone can find that kind of passion thread where they get to do something that they really love and enjoy and get paid for it. And NASA is a really great place for that.
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Tim Lewis
Acting Deputy Manager for Science and Technology Utilization in Langley’s Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate
My experience as a NASA intern has helped me strengthen valuable skills such as accountability, strong work ethic, time and project management skills, and effective decision making.
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Lucy Somervill
Langley fall intern who worked with the SABERS team
The Measurement Systems Laboratory was designed as a place where researchers and engineers from different technical disciplines would cross paths. Those connections can lead to exciting discoveries and solutions.
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Chris Edwards
Associate Director for Science, Langley Engineering Directorate
The NESC (NASA Engineering & Safety Center) does great work—I appreciate the integrity of the teams and the focus on safety, and the value they add to the programs.
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Jonathan Austin
Commercial Crew Program Loads Subsystem Manager in the Loads, Induced and Dynamic Environments group
This is a culmination of a 30-year career for me. The day that I heard that we had been approved to move forward with the X-59, I think was probably the most emotional day I've ever had at NASA.
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Lori Ozoroski
Aerospace Engineer working on the Quesst mission's X-59 aircraft
Much of what we’re doing is taking composites production to the next level. We’re using materials that can be formed into parts faster and using machines to automate assembly and inspection.
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Rick Young
Project Manager for the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing, or HiCAM, project