Matt Kamlet, CBS Los Angeles

EDWARDS (CBSLA.com) Most air travelers dont know it, but NASA is with you when you fly.

Thats right the first A in NASA stands for Aeronautics, and the agency continues to develop methods to improve the safety, efficiency, and adaptability of air travel.

In fact, much of the technology seen in both commercial and private flight today, from impact-absorbing seats to the fly-by-wire system used virtually everywhere, was developed locally by NASA.

Most of the general public associates NASA almost exclusively with Low-Earth orbit, spaceflight, or ambitions of deep space exploration. However, the goal of improving flight within the boundaries of our own planets atmosphere continue to accelerate at an exciting pace, and much of the research, testing, and execution takes place right here, in our own back yard.

The Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), formerly Dryden Flight Research Center, is located about an hour and a half northeast of Los Angeles, at the historic Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards, which has served as home to specialized astronaut training for decades, including for the Apollo lunar-landings and the original Mercury Seven astronauts, continues to provide a backbone for perfecting the methods that keep us safe and improve our ability to fly.

A number of these technologies were discussed in depth at AFRC this week, with a particular emphasis on a groundbreaking new technology that could save hundreds of lives each year.

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS), developed at AFRC, is a revolutionary software that aims to greatly reduce incidents of controlled flight into terrain aircraft accidents.

These accidents represent the second leading cause of fatalities of air-related fatalities, causing about 100 deaths per year in the US. At times, pilots may become disoriented, distracted due to weather, or incapacitated due to G-forces, while an undetected obstruction becomes unavoidable.

The Auto-GCAS seeks to make these accidents a thing of the past.

Read the rest here:

NASAs Innovative Ground Collision Avoidance System Could Save Hundreds Every Year