NASA EcoDemostrator

NASA joined with partners in October to generate critical new data on sustainable aviation fuel through Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator project. As Boeing’s second ecoDemonstrator Explorer aircraft flew, switching between sustainable aviation fuel and conventional jet fuel, NASA’s DC-8 aircraft collected data that measured emissions and contrail particles from both types of fuel.

The DC-8, based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is the largest flying science laboratory in the world. The data it collected will help advance our understanding of how sustainable aviation fuel affects contrails, which trap heat in the atmosphere. NASA and Boeing were joined by partners including GE, the German Aerosapce Center, World Energy, and the Federal Aviation Administration.