NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

May 17 and 18, 2008
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

No matter how much we've advanced aviation technology, there's one thing NASA engineers have never been able to change: the weather. Weather satellites and advanced forecasting techniques have improved weather prediction, often allowing pilots to avoid severe weather. But planes must take off and land in all sorts of conditions, including the chilliest days of winter.

Come into the cold and see where NASA engineers test and develop techniques to make flying in cold weather safer.

Image right: An engineer tests a full-size helicopter radar housing in the Icing Research Tunnel. Credit: NASA

Built at the end of World War II, the Icing Research Tunnel is the oldest and largest refrigerated icing wind tunnel in the world. It can produce winds that travel up to 395 miles per hour and reach temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility simulates ice formation during flight by spraying a cloud of super-cooled water droplets onto an aircraft component or model.

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