Under a new partnership between NASA and the National Football League (NFL), NASA will organize flyovers, astronaut appearances and fan events at NFL games across the United States. The games scheduled to feature participation as part of the Inspiration Tour are as follows: Pittsburgh Steelers-Atlanta Falcons in Pittsburgh at 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13; Baltimore Ravens-New Orleans Saints in Baltimore at 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20; Philadelphia Eagles-Los Angeles Rams in Philadelphia at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4; and New York Jets-Cleveland Browns in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11.
Flyovers at some of the games will feature aircraft NASA uses for high-speed testing, high-altitude research and astronaut training. The tour, led by Jared Isaacman, will bring together academic, industry and government organizations that support American leadership in space. The tour will conclude with the MAX POWER event, to be held Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 around NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event will showcase next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles and aerospace technologies.
Why it matters
The collaboration takes NASA’s space and aeronautics work beyond traditional science events and brings it to NFL fans across the United States. The fact that the aircraft to be showcased are used for testing, high-altitude research and astronaut training also shows that the program serves to highlight NASA’s different mission areas. The participation of academic, industry and government organizations in the same tour turns the event into a platform where different actors in the American space program are presented together. The finale around Kennedy Space Center brings technologies ranging from aircraft to spacecraft and autonomous systems together at the same event; however, it has not yet been announced which aircraft will be showcased at which games or how the astronauts will participate.