About Us

NASA Ames’ Simulation Laboratories - or “SimLabs” - are comprised of three  facilities. The Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) is the world's largest motion-based simulator and can simulate a variety of vehicles, either currently existing or at the conceptual stage. The Crew-Vehicle Systems Research Facility (CVSRF) specializes in human factors work and houses a Boeing 747-400 simulator, an Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (ACFS), and an Air Traffic Control simulator.  FutureFlight Central (FFC) is a simulated air traffic control tower that can also be used as a visualization tool for other types of visual databases.

Through the Virtual Airspace Modeling and Simulation Project, the SimLabs facilities are being integrated with each other to provide simultaneous cockpit and air traffic control perspectives.  This unique capability enables systems-level analyses of concepts across multiple domains and creates the building blocks for simulating more of the operations encompassed within the national airspace system. Other software tools include the Virtual Laboratory (VLAB), a software package which allows researchers to participate in simulations from remote locations.

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