NASA seeks public's help to envision future of aviation

Washington: In a bid to increase innovation in aviation, the US space agency NASA has asked the people to share ideas for the future of flight.

The challenge Future-Scaping our Skies, open only for participants from the US, aims to foresee how societal, technological, regulatory, environmental, economic, and political changes over the next 30 years may impact aviation, and vice versa.

"We're calling on the public to give us their visions of the future connected to aviation, as well as related needs," said Keith Wichman, lead of the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project at NASA's Langley Research Centre in Hampton, Virginia, in a statement.

"The input we receive from this challenge will help us build a better understanding of possible future state scenarios and make better decisions about technology developments today," Wichman added.

The participants must foresee for the next 30 years the scenarios in aviation, describe key events, trends, dependencies, risks, as well as the potential impacts on society. Multimedia can also be used to illustrate ideas. Top nine ideas will be awarded.

"The diverse range of responses could help inform NASA's aviation-related efforts. We are excited to see what the public can envisage," Wichman said.

The last date to submit the ideas is May 31.