NASA calls on public to help envision the future of flight

Washington: In an attempt to increase innovation in aviation, the US space agency NASA invites public to help envisionthe future of flight.

The Future-Scaping our Skies challenge, aims to foresee how societal, technological, regulatory, environmental, economic, and political changes over the next 30 years may impact aviation, and vice versa.

"We're calling on the public to give us their visions of the future connected to aviation, as well as related needs," said Keith Wichman, lead of the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project at NASA's Langley Research Centre in Hampton, Virginia, in a statement.

"The input we receive from this challenge will help us build a better understanding of possible future state scenarios and make better decisions about technology developments today," Wichman added.

NASA is asking participants to build a timeline of at least 30 years that envisions a possible future scenario in aviation, describing key events, trends, dependencies, risks, and potential impacts on society. Submitters may also use multimedia to illustrate their ideas. The top nine ideas will be awarded by NASA.

"The diverse range of responses could help inform NASA's aviation-related efforts. We are excited to see what the public can envisage," Wichman said.

NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project is conducting this challenge. However, the challenge is only open to participants from the United States.The last date to submit the ideas is May 31.