NASA opens first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years at Virginia facility

NASA opened its first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, launching the Flight Dynamics Research Facility. Built in partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration, the 25,000-square-foot site replaces two wind-tunnel facilities that had been operating for more than 80 years, as part of NASA’s infrastructure modernization and cost-reduction goals. The temperature-controlled tunnel features a vertical test section 20 feet in diameter and 24 feet tall, and can produce wind speeds up to 117 mph. Four 750-horsepower motors drive an eight-bladed, 14-foot-diameter fan using lightweight carbon-fiber blades.