The National Search and Rescue Plan updated and signed by participating parties, including NASA in 2007, states that "NASA will support Search and Rescue (SAR) objectives through research and development or application of technology to search, rescue, survival, and recovery systems and equipment, such as location tracking systems, transmitters, receivers, and antennas capable of locating aircraft, ships, spacecraft, or individuals in potential or actual distress."
Dr. Lisa Mazzuca Search and Rescue Mission Manager + Read More
Anthony Foster Search and Rescue Deputy Mission Manager + Read More
NASA to Test Emergency Locator Transmitters by Crashing Airplane
Using a Cessna 172 dropped from a height of 100 feet, NASA’s Search and Rescue Mission Office will simulate a severe but survivable plane accident Wednesday, Aug. 26 to test emergency locator transmitters (ELTs). NASA Television will air live coverage of the test, which is scheduled to happen between 1 and 2 p.m. EDT.
Second Crash Test Harvests Valuable Data to Improve Emergency Response
July 29, 2015 -- With a thunderous rattle, the Cessna 172 aircraft plowed into the soil as its windshield smashed, its wings wrenched and its fuselage flipped -- tail over nose -- onto its back.
It was a startling sight, but one that left researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, pleased.
Having been hoisted 100 feet into the air by cables, the aircraft plummeted onto a slab of dirt in a violent but controlled experiment that will help NASA improve aviation emergency response times.
