A Look into the NASA FOCUS Lab

NASA FOCUS Lab
This week in the Aerospace Department seemed to go by rather quickly and uneventfully, probably because of my anticipation for the coming fall break. I can’t say that there was a single event that overshadowed another; rather, there were many interesting aerospace-related events and discussions. This week I was able to build and begin test flying my balsa wood glider for Theory of flight. Though, the most interesting thing I was able to do this week comes from my Intro to Aerospace class.
I had the opportunity to tour and learn more about the NASA FOCUS Lab in the BAS. The lab, which is an acronym for Flight Operations Center- Unified Simulation, was originally funded by NASA. The lab is designed to mimic an airline and gives senior Aerospace students the opportunity to run a highly accurate airline simulation, dubbed “Universal e-Lines”. I think one of the most interesting aspects of the FOCUS lab is the fact it gives Aerospace students from every concentration the opportunity to work together and develop the communication skills needed in the aviation industry. It was interesting to learn about the separate positions in the FOCUS lab and the responsibility that each student has in these positions. I was also interested to learn that the student team in the lab can monitor real-time the flight of an Aerospace student in the CRJ simulator at the airport. Overall, the NASA FOCUS lab is a great opportunity for Aerospace students to gain a bigger picture of how an airline functions and the communication and teamwork required for the successful operation of an airline.

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