March 4, 2011

On February 8-9, 2011, Member Mark Rosekind and Special Assistant James Conneely visited the Exploration Technology Directorate at the NASA Ames Research Center and were briefed on a diverse range of NASA projects related to aviation safety. Dr. Patty Jones, Deputy Director of the Exploration Technology Directorate, organized an informative visit with many NASA scientists to learn about their latest research and future directions and applications for their efforts.

The next day, Member Rosekind and Jim visited TESLA Motors to hear about their plans to build an all-electric sedan based on the success and technology in their currently available roadster.

Then on February 10, 2011, Member Rosekind and Jim went to the ‘Googleplex’ in Mountain View, CA for a demonstration of Google’s autonomous driving cars.  They met with the Google Car Team that includes several scientists who have won the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge and discussed the safety implications and potential of autonomous vehicle technology.     After a lively meeting, Member Rosekind and Jim took a 15-minute ride in an autonomous Google Car. See the New York Times for more information on the Google Car.