Our Changing Planet

The Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery offers an exhibition that explains how aerospace technology can detect and help mitigate rising temperatures.

Innovations in technology touch our lives every day. Who hasn’t heard of artificial intelligence or cryptocurrencies, for example? But think of the other innovations that often go unnoticed: the ability to unlock your phone and computer using your face or how your car recognizes you and starts playing your favorite songs as soon as you open the door. To help inform our visitors about the latest developments in technologies specific to the aerospace industry, the National Air and Space Museum is opening the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery, which will feature rotating exhibitions that examine the latest impressive innovations. The inaugural exhibition in the new gallery is dedicated to climate change, which many view as one of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The new climate change exhibition, which will open this summer, is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of all aspects related to the phenomenon. Rather, our focus has been on how aerospace innovations are helping us to both understand what is happening and how we can potentially mitigate the causes and effects.

Innovations often come at a price that is, initially, not always fully appreciated. The introduction of the steam engine (in the early 1700s) followed by the internal combustion engine (in the 1800s) were marvelous inventions that brought the world closer together and eventually led to the development of automobiles and airplanes. Combustion engines, however, are powered by fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Over time, as our dependency on these innovations has increased, so has the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The result is that the average global temperature has increased by about 1.7° Fahrenheit since 1880. While this increase might not seem like a lot, it can affect nature’s delicate balance.

Much of the global effects of climate change have been documented by satellites orbiting Earth. Since the 1960s, when NASA launched Tiros-1, the world’s first weather satellite, and Landsat 1, the first satellite to monitor the Earth’s surface, we have been steadily collecting data. Today, more than 100 satellites from over a dozen countries are in Earth orbit, and they have returned a staggering amount of data. In the new gallery, it’s not possible to display everything and to discuss all the different satellites and their instruments. Instead, we present models of some modern spacecraft—such as the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (IceSat-2) launched in 2019—that have measured the retreating ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. We also have spares of some of the instruments that have been launched into orbit, such as the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), the main instrument on Landsat 7, which has been operating since 1999. Among many observations, ETM+ has recorded how vegetation typically found in warmer areas is moving northward toward the poles as our planet warms.

Specially designed aircraft are also helping us bridge the gap between what we can see and measure on the ground versus what we can observe from space-based satellites. In 1985, for example, NASA purchased a Douglas DC-8 aircraft and modified it. The airplane can now carry 30,000 pounds of scientific instruments, supporting up to 45 scientists. The DC-8 has been used for such research as the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom), which studied, from 2016–18, how atmospheric chemistry is transformed by various air pollutants.

One of the most profound aerospace innovations in recent years is the uncrewed aerial vehicle, commonly referred to as a “drone.” These small aircraft are revolutionizing how scientists do fieldwork (see “Remote (Controlled)”). Before drones became widely available, it would often take days in the field for a researcher to collect data on the size and distribution of the features they were studying. Now, however, a drone can fly over the same field area within a few hours, collecting imagery and other data that enables scientists to conduct investigations often at a scale of centimeters. Drones have become a critical innovation in studying the effects of climate change on the ground, while helping scientists better interpret the data collected from spacecraft in orbit.

Visitors to the new gallery will have the opportunity to conduct their own climate change experiments via a mechanical interactive. Two spherical containers will be filled with atmospheres containing different amounts of carbon dioxide—while subjected to the same heat sources. Visitors can then observe the basic physics of how higher amounts of carbon dioxide trap more heat in the container. The phenomenon is similar to an experiment performed by American scientist Eunice Foote. In 1856, Foote published a paper showing how carbon dioxide absorbed heat. Her research also predicted that higher amounts of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere could lead to climate change.

Progress in science is based in part on researchers piecing together evidence to make interpretations and draw conclusions—a practice that is explored in the new gallery. Many people are aware that atmospheric models can be used to predict increases in global temperatures, and that the predictions will become reality if we don’t do anything to mitigate climate change. Atmospheric models can be difficult to understand, however, and it’s easy to see why some people might discount them altogether. Scientists also form predictions based on observations, including those made by orbiting satellites and low-flying drones. We also perform experiments. These different ways of observing the world have now come together to show us that humans are causing rapid changes in Earth’s climate. 

So, what can we do about it? Interestingly, many innovations that could help alleviate climate change are coming from aerospace technology. One such example is renewable energy. Much of the technology behind solar panels came out of the space program. Early satellites used batteries, which were heavy and didn’t last long. By 1964, however, NASA launched the Nimbus weather satellite, which powered itself entirely via a 470-watt solar array. With advancements in solar technology, people are increasingly relying on solar cells and panels to generate electricity for their homes, cars, and gadgets.

The wind turbine industry, too, has employed basic aerospace principles to build larger and more efficient turbines. Larger blades can capture more wind, while more aerodynamic turbines can spin faster. The largest wind turbines can now rotate up to 180 mph.

In the effort to negate climate change, conventional agriculture presents challenges. Fertilizers used to enhance crop growth, for example, often release nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, while ranching and rice cultivation release methane. Both gases have more of a warming effect on our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Here, too, aerospace innovations are helping to lessen the effects of warming temperatures. Global positioning satellites are aiding farmers in applying fertilizers more precisely. In addition, specialized drones can apply fertilizers and pesticides with less waste than traditional cropduster aircraft.

Spinoffs from human spaceflight have also been beneficial. NASA teamed up with Florikan, a Florida-based fertilizer manufacturer, to develop a fertilizer that is now used on the International Space Station to grow plants. Because the fertilizer is released in a controlled way over time, fewer applications are required, resulting in less waste. Florikan’s fertilizer is also used for Earth-based agriculture, resulting in less nutrient runoff.

One of the important questions the new gallery asks is: How can we make air transport sustainable? Though the challenge is formidable, there is room for optimism. Beyond emitting carbon and other greenhouse gases, air travel creates contrails that have a cumulative warming effect. New aircraft such as NASA’s X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator and blended wing-body designs can improve aerodynamic efficiency and lessen the formation of contrails. 

The most promising technologies are new sources of aircraft propulsion. Examples range from all-electric aircraft such as the Pipistrel Velis Electro—the first certificated electric aircraft—to ZeroAvia’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Both are featured prominently in the exhibition. Another popular propulsion option is sustainable aviation fuel—hydrocarbon bio and synthetic fuels—which reduces emissions during manufacturing. The challenge is that existing aircraft are highly optimized for performance, so sustainability enhancements in design, propulsion, and fuels have significant tradeoffs on vehicle performance. These enhancements also affect the economics of air travel. The good news is that innovators are making rapid progress on the practicality of these new technologies.

The new gallery is itself an innovation, offering our first-ever immersive experience. About a dozen projectors will display images, videos, and information across all four walls of the gallery. The idea for doing this was borne from our celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 2019, when we projected a short film onto the Washington Monument to commemorate the historic moon mission. The unconventional film experience proved enormously popular. We hope you’ll enjoy our recreation of this cinematic magic when you visit the new gallery. 

Bob Craddock is a geologist at the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. He co-authored this story with three curators from the National Air and Space Museum: Colleen Anderson, Roger Connor, and Samantha Thompson.

The Climate Change exhibition is generously supported by: Jacobs; GE Aerospace; Linde. Founding support for the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery is generously provided by: The Hillside Foundation – Allan and Shelley Holt

This article, originally titled “Our Changing Planet,” is from the Winter 2025 issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.

Want to receive ad-free hard copies of Air & Space Quarterly? Join the Museum's National Air and Space Society to subscribe.