NASA Aeronautics

🤫 High-Speed Flight
🚁 Revolutionizing Engineering Methods
✈️ Air Traffic Management
🍃 Ultra-Efficient Aviation

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

Wheels up for NASA’s X-59. ✈️

In its first wheels-up flight, the aircraft revealed its sleek, streamlined design—key to reducing sonic booms to a quiet thump.

See how this milestone moves us closer to quiet supersonic flight over land:
https://t.co/GZ6BvYWwX3

[NASA Armstrong @NASAArmstrong]

A double birthday celebration! 🎉

@NASA and @EdwardsAFB in California teamed up to honor NASA Armstrong’s 80th and America’s 250th with STEM activities, a NASA flyover with sonic boom, and remarks from astronaut Matthew Dominick. 🇺🇸 ✈️

Explore more about Armstrong's 80th: https://t.co/WoQxyzdQHP

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

✈️ Six flights. One week. Fastest speed to date.

NASA’s X-59 completed its busiest week of flight testing yet — and reached Mach 1.53, approximately 1,010 mph, its fastest speed to date. 💨

See how the team is expanding the aircraft’s flight envelope: https://t.co/9bOQOTCApB

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

🎓 Success Story: University of Nevada, Reno

Check out this unexpected impact. ✈️

Through NASA's University Leadership Initiative, researchers worked on advanced simulations and testing for airborne systems that sparked the launch of a new Aerospace Engineering program. 🚀

🔗 https://t.co/idIGwGTZHc

[NASA Armstrong @NASAArmstrong]

We’re celebrating NASA research test pilot David “Nils” Larson, who earned the 2026 Iven C. Kincheloe Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for outstanding accomplishment in flight test! ✈️ 🌟

From the X-59’s first flight to its first flight reaching Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet altitude, Nils’ pioneering work drives aerospace innovation forward.

Congratulations, Nils, on an inspiring achievement!

🔗: https://t.co/P8XnDSfsW0

[NASA Ames @NASAAmes]

Smoother skies ahead✈️

NASA is developing technologies that are modernizing and digitizing the commercial flying experience, from the departure to the sky to the arrival. Learn more: https://t.co/hOEAoHtLBY

[Learn With NASA @LearnWithNASA]

⏰ Today is the day!

The deadline to apply for a NASA Spring 2027 internship is tonight, Sept. 14, at 11:59pm ET.

Get your application in before time runs out: https://t.co/UuI8tRrtoc

[NASA's Glenn Research Center @NASAglenn]

Virtual reality demos. Artemis exhibits. Scientists, experts, and some of your favorite @NASA stars.

We're bringing it all to YOU! 🚀✈️🌟

Discovery Days are returning to @GLScienceCtr in downtown Cleveland: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 and 19.

Mark your calendars for this free, family-friendly event: https://t.co/gDeRSGBq6r

[NASA Langley Research Center @NASALangley]

Today we celebrate NASA Langley trailblazer Dr. Christine Darden on her 84th birthday!🎉

A supersonic pioneer, her work in sonic boom prediction and minimization helped pave the way for NASA’s Quesst mission — changing how we’ll all fly in the future.

Happy birthday to a true legend who continues to inspire generations!✨

[NASA @NASA]

AvGeeks, assemble!

MAX POWER lands in Florida on Nov. 7–8, with an F‑104 flyover by the Starfighters and NASA’s ER‑2 on static display. Get the details: https://t.co/1DVwblNmua

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

What happens after the X-59 goes supersonic? ✈️

NASA’s X-59 reached a major milestone on June 5, 2026, completing its first supersonic flight! Hear what’s next for the quiet supersonic aircraft in the latest episode of the Small Steps, Giant Leaps podcast.

🎧🔗 https://t.co/CULtbz2OEA

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

A perfect #FlightSpark to close out National Aviation Week! ✈️✨

From dreaming in the cockpit as a child to leading flight operations at @NASAArmstrong, Shawn Kern’s aviation journey is what #FlightSpark is all about. 💙

[NASA Armstrong @NASAArmstrong]

"Every great journey starts with a single moment of wonder. As a child, I was too small to reach the controls, but still big enough to dream."
— Shawn Kern, Director for Flight Operations (Acting)

✨ What sparked your love of aviation?
Share your #FlightSpark! Post a photo that captures your Flight Spark, a photo of where that journey has taken you today, and a short caption.

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

🎓 Student Spotlight: Dr. Max Li

How can hands-on research help shape the next generation of aviation leaders? ✈️

Through NASA's University Leadership Initiative (ULI), Dr. Max Li began his research journey as an MIT Ph.D. student contributing to a Stanford-led ULI project. Today, he’s an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and a co-investigator on a ULI project led by UC Berkeley. 🚀🎓

Explore his journey and see how ULI is helping develop the people shaping the future of flight ✈️: https://t.co/49SlWyyBTE

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

💡 Transforming the future of aviation starts with bold ideas.

NASA has selected four university teams to advance aviation research through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems ✈️ to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities. 🚁

Learn more about the teams and their research: https://t.co/CH9VCIg3cb

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

"My father got his private pilot’s license the year that I was born, so I grew up around airplanes. We took family vacations that way and he flew us to summer camp. He took us to airshows, and we often went to the local airports just to watch the planes take off and land. All of this instilled in me a love of aviation.

I got my private pilot's license when I was 17 and went on to become an Aeronautical Engineer. @NASA I’ve had the opportunity to work on F-18 HARV, F-16XL, Space Shuttle, X-43A, Orion, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and most recently X-59, with extraordinary project teams that have produced some amazing flight research!"
— Laurie Grindle, Director, Aeronautics Division

✨ What sparked your love of aviation?

Celebrate #NationalAviationDay by sharing your #FlightSpark! Post a photo that captures your Flight Spark, a photo of where that journey has taken you today, and a short caption.

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

"As a child, I didn’t have a single defining moment where aviation ‘clicked’ for me. Instead, my spark came from a constant curiosity I loved taking things apart just to understand how they worked. I wasn’t particularly disciplined in school, but thanks to parents who were deeply involved, I learned to follow through and finish what I started.

That curiosity carried me to Syracuse University for a mechanical engineering degree, and then to @NASAglenn in Cleveland, where I began a career that allowed my interest in aviation to evolve into true passion. Outside of work, that fascination led me to remote‑control aircraft and high‑power model rocketry, hands‑on outlets that kept me connected to the joy of flight.

Today, I’m the propulsion lead for the X‑59 program, contributing to an aircraft that represents the future of aeronautics innovation. My spark wasn’t a moment it was a lifelong path of curiosity, support, and the excitement of discovering how things fly."
— Ray Castner, NASA Propulsion Lead, Quesst Mission

✨ What sparked your love of aviation?

Celebrate #NationalAviationDay by sharing your #FlightSpark! Post a photo that captures your Flight Spark, a photo of where that journey has taken you today, and a short caption.

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

From soaring with the wind to shaping the future of flight. 🪂✨✈️

Check out how Lars Jonas Jonsson’s #FlightSpark took him from paragliding to supporting NASA’s work in unmanned aircraft systems.
#NationalAviationDay

[NASA Ames @NASAAmes]

"As long as I can remember, I’ve always looked up at the sky wondering what it would feel like to be up there. Traveling on commercial airplanes fed that curiosity, but the real spark came when I first soared through the air myself. Flying a paraglider felt like borrowing wings from the wind, an experience that truly ignited my love for aviation.

My aeronautics journey has taken me around the world and now into supporting NASA’s work in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). I get to wear many hats, from developing new concepts and designs to flight testing, evaluating, and implementing emerging technologies for a better and safer world. Each step feels like riding a powerful updraft, lifting me higher, widening my horizon, and fueling my excitement to keep learning and sharing with what I can, while soaring toward new experiences."

— Lars Jonas Jonsson, NASA Field and Flight Evaluation Lead for ACERO

✨ What sparked your love of aviation?
#FlightSpark #NationalAviationDay

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

From his first flight to Artemis III. ✈️✨🚀

Follow NASA astronaut and Artemis III commander Randy “Komrade” Bresnik’s #FlightSpark from aviation to spaceflight, and see where his journey is headed next.

#NationalAviationDay

[Randy "Komrade" Bresnik @AstroKomrade]

#NationalAviationDay is time to remember the #FlightSpark that started my aviation journey. Maybe it was during my first flight pictured here when I was 1 ½ yrs old (although my mother said I fell asleep!)

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

Talk about taking your #FlightSpark to new heights! 🪂✨

Check out how one tandem skydive sparked a passion that’s led NASA intern Sriya Pothapragada to nearly 200 jumps.

#NationalAviationDay

[NASA Ames @NASAAmes]

"My mom and I were randomly talking about skydiving, and I decided to impulsively book a tandem skydive on a family trip we were taking to the Pocono Mountains back in September 2019. It ended up being one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Since then, I have earned my USPA (United States Parachuting Association) A- and B-licenses, made just under 200 skydives (195), competed at collegiate nationals, and earned my USPA coach rating! It has been incredible to progress in the sport and do things I never thought I could."

— Sriya Pothapragada, NASA Exobiology Intern

✨ What sparked your love of aviation?
#FlightSpark #NationalAviationDay

[NASA Aeronautics @NASAaero]

From aviation to Artemis. ✈️🚀

Check out NASA’s SLS Chief Engineer John Blevins’ passion for flying!

What’s your #FlightSpark? #NationalAviationDay

[NASA Marshall @NASA_Marshall]

Happy #NationalAviationDay! ✈️

For NASA’s John Blevins, his #FlightSpark started in 1984 and only picked up speed in 2000 when he joined #NASAMarshall. With years of experience owning and flying different aircraft, Blevins brings a pilot’s perspective to the machines that will take humans back to the Moon as Chief Engineer for NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) Program.

“Strapping yourself into a flying machine changes the way you think about designing one,” Blevins said.