Making the Skies Safer.

This article focuses on the development of the wind-shear detection system developed by researchers at the Airborne Wind-Shear Detection and Avoidance Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The development began when alarm over commercial airline crashes related to wind shear moved the U.S. government into action. Researchers needed to develop a simulation model that gave pilots enough warning time before entering a microburst. In investigating the right sensor technology, the NASA team settled on X-band Doppler radar. INSET: THE WIND-SHEAR PHENOMENON.