Passion Meets Precision at NASA’s Flight Research Lab
Long before they helped shape NASA’s future aerospace breakthroughs, Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Justin Link were in their garages and homes building radio‑controlled aircraft, testing new ideas, and flying their creations at hobby events. That early passion now fuels the work of NASA’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory at the agency’s Armstrong Flight […]
NASA's Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is where the passion for flying meets precision engineering. Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Justin Link, all former hobbyists, now lead a team that develops advanced guidance and navigation systems for future lunar and Martian landings.
The laboratory uses small, remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft to test new concepts that would be difficult, risky, or expensive to evaluate at full scale. Abramson, the chief engineer, brings his naval aviation experience and engineering expertise to technical oversight and system design. Hall, the chief pilot, is known for his creative problem-solving and commitment to flight safety.
Link, the drone pilot, specializes in designing and fabricating research vehicles. Together, they work on the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment, an advanced guidance and navigation system that will help spacecraft land precisely and avoid potential hazards. The team's shared passion for flight began in their garages and homes, where they built radio-controlled aircraft, tested new ideas, and flew their creations at hobby events.
Written by urgent.news from NASA's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
