1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,400 For today's show, Jennifer and I are flying to California 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,160 to learn how the people who get airplanes in and out of airports, 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,600 pilots, and NASA are putting safety first. 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,600 That's right, and you know, almost 2 million people like us 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,600 travel by airplane every day. 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,900 Air travel links us to the rest of the world, 7 00:00:15,900 --> 00:00:19,200 and usually we don't pay much attention to how it works, 8 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:20,600 or who makes it work. 9 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,500 But with millions of people flying, 10 00:00:22,500 --> 00:00:25,900 airplanes, pilots, and airports have to be safe. 11 00:00:25,900 --> 00:00:30,000 Just who regulates the safety of airplanes, pilots, and airports? 12 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,200 The FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration. 13 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,300 Their primary responsibility is maintaining the safety of public aviation. 14 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:39,600 The FAA develops air traffic rules, 15 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,500 operates airport towers and air traffic control centers, 16 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:44,800 and encourages new aviation technology, 17 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:46,900 some of which is being developed by NASA. 18 00:00:46,900 --> 00:00:49,300 We'll see some of those technologies later. 19 00:00:49,300 --> 00:00:52,100 ...San Francisco is now boarding. 20 00:00:52,300 --> 00:00:54,300 Dan, that's our flight. Come on. 21 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:00,700 You know, right now, as we board, 22 00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:03,700 the airport's control tower has received our pilot's flight plan, 23 00:01:03,700 --> 00:01:07,100 and will soon be directing our airplane as it taxis to the runway. 24 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:10,100 Hey, there's the control tower. 25 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:13,700 Right now, in that tower, people are observing us and other airplanes 26 00:01:13,700 --> 00:01:15,900 to make sure everything runs safely on the ground. 27 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:19,300 Meanwhile, inside the plane, we have our seatbelts fastened. 28 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:21,300 Shh. Sorry. 29 00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:24,700 While the flight attendant gives us safety procedures. 30 00:01:24,700 --> 00:01:27,900 Just like pilots and the people in airport towers have safety rules, 31 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:32,900 passengers, like us, can make sure we are as safe as possible on the airplane. 32 00:01:32,900 --> 00:01:34,500 For example... 33 00:01:34,500 --> 00:01:39,300 Excuse me, sir. You're going to have to turn off that cell phone and computer. 34 00:01:39,300 --> 00:01:42,300 They can interfere with the airplane's communication systems. 35 00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:49,900 Well, now that we're airborne, we're being tracked on radar. 36 00:01:50,100 --> 00:01:53,900 Soon, our airport tower hands us off to an air traffic control center. 37 00:01:53,900 --> 00:01:56,500 There are 21 of these centers in the United States, 38 00:01:56,500 --> 00:01:59,900 and each center controls a specific area of airspace. 39 00:01:59,900 --> 00:02:01,900 What is airspace? 40 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:03,900 The space where aircraft fly. 41 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:05,900 These control centers communicate with pilots 42 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:09,300 and safely direct all airplanes that enter their airspace. 43 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:13,900 When you consider all the airplanes that fly every day, that's a huge job. 44 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:17,700 During our flight, we'll pass through about six different airspaces, 45 00:02:17,700 --> 00:02:22,300 and as we pass through each one, we're monitored by an air traffic control center. 46 00:02:22,300 --> 00:02:26,700 Each center gives our pilot information about weather, air traffic around us, 47 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:29,700 and it helps us navigate the best route. 48 00:02:29,700 --> 00:02:32,300 You know, I hope our pilot takes us over Colorado. 49 00:02:32,300 --> 00:02:35,700 I would love to see it from here. 50 00:02:35,700 --> 00:02:39,700 Hey, maybe next time NASA Connect will give us our own private jet. 51 00:02:39,700 --> 00:02:40,700 And then we could... 52 00:02:40,700 --> 00:02:44,700 Right, Dan. Until then, fly and coach, buddy.