NASA, NFL Team Up to Showcase Space, Aeronautics Innovation
NASA announced a new collaboration with the National Football League to bring America’s strengths in space exploration and aeronautics innovation to NFL games. As part of the agency’s new Inspiration Tour, NASA will conduct flyovers, astronaut appearances, and fan engagement at games across the United States. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said this is the first season NASA is taking part in flyovers at NFL games, bringing the excitement of the space program directly to fans, and linked the effort to NASA’s goals of returning to the Moon, building a Moon Base, advancing fission-powered spacecraft, and pushing boundaries in aeronautics, science, and discovery. He added that partnering with the NFL gives NASA a platform to inspire the next generation.
NASA participation is targeted for four games: 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons in Pittsburgh; 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints in Baltimore; 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams in Philadelphia; and 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Additional details will be released before each game, and more dates may be added.
Flyovers scheduled at some games will showcase NASA’s fleet of aircraft, which are used for high-speed testing, high-altitude research, astronaut training, and more. Regularly flying the aircraft maintains the health of the fleet and publicly demonstrates new technologies that may be applied to future commercial air travel.
Led by Isaacman, the Inspiration Tour convenes academic, industry, and public sector stakeholders to connect NASA with the people, technologies, and organizations that drive American leadership in space. The tour will culminate in MAX POWER, a public exposition of American air and space innovation, Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 on and near Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Held in honor of America’s historic 250th anniversary, the multi-day, family-friendly event will showcase next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles, and technologies intended to help define the future of transportation in air and space.