Aerospace Ambition Podcast

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Episode 12 of the "Aerospace Ambition Podcast," featuring Dr. Richard Moore, is now here!

Talking Points

• How does NASA make aviation more sustainable?

• Why makes Chase Experiments so complex?

• How does NASA collaborate with the DLR?

• How do sustainable aviation fuels influence contrail formation?

• What is the influence of newer engine technologies?

• How does NASA decide which kind of SAF to investigate?

Guest

We're thrilled to have Dr. Richard Moore of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration join our program. Richard, a Research Physical Scientist, has been with NASA’s Langley Research Center's Science Directorate since 2014, where he contributes significantly to the NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group and the NASA Langley Lidar Applications Group. His focus is on studying atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on air quality, clouds, and climate. Using instrumented aircraft like the NASA DC-8, P-3B, and C-130, Richard directly observes aerosols and trace gases in the atmosphere, aiming to enhance our understanding of atmospheric components via NASA’s spaceborne remote sensors. 

Resources

• Very short video: https://youtu.be/ZMWXlUi68ng

• Very short video: https://youtu.be/vuZhkaJzSHE

• Short Video: https://youtu.be/CMU0b6CmGw0

• 2021, Voigt et al. "Cleaner burning aviation fuels can reduce contrail cloudiness": https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00174-y

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Episode 11 of the "Aerospace Ambition Podcast" has arrived, starring Dr Roger Teoh! Prepare for a captivating discussion!

Talking Points

• What was the unfinished business which made Roger come back to research?

• What does he find so frustrating about uncertainties?

• What are the top 4 factors influencing contrail climate forcing?

• Are people aware of the actual effects of SAFs on contrail formation?

• How is the contrail forecasting tool he & breakthrough are working on better than the existing CoCiP?

• Should we do contrail avoidance? Should we fly less?

Guest

Dr Roger Teoh is a visiting scholar from Imperial College London. Having earned his PhD in Aviation and the Environment from the same institution in 2020, Roger's research now focuses on the intersection of aviation and climate change. He is dedicated to assessing and reducing the climate effects of aviation emissions and contrail cirrus. It's a pleasure to have you with us today, Roger!

Resources

• 2023, Teoh et al. "A high-resolution Global Aviation emissions Inventory based on ADS-B (GAIA) for 2019–2021": https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2023/egusphere-2023-724/

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Episode 10 of the "Aerospace Ambition Podcast" is here, featuring Dr Alejandro Block! Get ready for an engaging conversation!

Talking Points

• What is the role of IATA for achieving net-zero & which role do non-CO2 emissions play?

• What are the certainty gaps for avoiding contrails?

• Are too many or too few airlines trialling contrail avoidance?

• How many aircraft do we need to gather enough in-situ humidity data?

• Is the airspace really already too packed for any kind of operational contrail management?

• What is the counterfactual scenario? Would a contrail form even if all flights avoid an ISSR region?

• Why is his confidence low that we'll get to a good quantification of non-CO2 effects in 2024?

• Are satellites good enough to be taken for contrail detection?

Guest

It brings us great pleasure to feature Dr. Alejandro Block from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he serves as the Manager for New Energies and Technologies. Alejandro led the development of IATA's net-zero roadmap. Holding a PhD in aerospace propulsion, he is also a Research Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University and a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He has contributed extensively to international publications focusing on aviation emissions and environmental impact.

Resources

• IATA Non-CO2 Aviation Emissions: https://www.iata.org/contentassets/5499da2b3b7d46b3b13be4dad54a9689/policy-position-non-co2-aviation-emissions.pdf

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Welcome to Episode 9 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast,” featuring the one and only Prof. Steven Barrett (MIT). Join us for a riveting dialogue that promises to enlighten!

Talking Points

• Are we talking about contrail management too much?

• How is ARPA-E with the PreTrails program related to Star Trek?

• What has Steven’s umbrella to do with predicting ISSRs?

• What are the 3 biggest problems in running contrail management at scale?

• Are we running the risk that false positives deviate flights into ISSRs hence creating a double negative effect?

• Is the concept of “big hitters” helpful in preventing contrail cirrus warming?

Guest

Steven holds the prestigious H. N. Slater Professorship of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Leading the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and directing the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, he focuses on advancing the aviation field towards zero environmental impact. His areas of research include developing low emission propulsion technologies, contrail avoidance strategies, and assessing the sustainability of SAFs.

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Welcome aboard Episode 8 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast,” featuring our distinguished guest, Joachim Majholm! Don’t miss out on this enlightening conversation!

This time, we're excited to have Joachim Majholm join us. With a successful career as a business leader, serial entrepreneur, and adept communicator spanning two decades, Joachim is the founder of Blue Lines. This initiative is dedicated to raising awareness about the environmental impacts of contrails and accelerating the implementation of policies to mitigate the warming effects caused by airline contrails. Additionally, Joachim has recently taken on the role of Senior Consultant for Contrails at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Welcome, Joachim!

Talking Points

• How did Joachim get into contrails and founded Blue Lines?

• What is the role of Blue Lines in this ecosystem?

• Which airlines are spearheading contrail research and trials?

• Why is it so hard to bring about change to airlines processes?

• Why Is contrail avoidance not a case for startups? Would he ever invest?

• How is the EU taking a startup approach to regulation?

Resources

• Delta Air Lines: https://news.delta.com/business-imperative-delta-outlines-roadmap-more-sustainable-travel 

• Air France: https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/other-impacts-aviation-climate#sustainableaviation#climatetech#aambition#AerospaceAmbitionPodcast#Innovation

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Welcome aboard Episode 7 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast,” featuring our esteemed guest Rémi Chevallier! Get ready for an engaging conversation!

In today's episode 7, we're excited to introduce Rémi Chevallier, a doctoral candidate at ENAC and AIRBUS. With expertise in aviation, data science, optimization, and avionics, Rémi has recently made waves with his paper on detecting contrails using satellite and air traffic data. His work, which he showcased at the Sustainable Skies Conference, promises intriguing insights. A warm welcome to Rémi on the podcast!

Discussion Highlights

• Rémi’s innovative method for observing contrails: What sets it apart?

• How does Rémi's approach differ from the methods of DLR & Google?

• The limitations of satellite-only observations for contrail analysis.

• The influence of weather conditions on predicting contrails.

• Is it possible to assess contrails' climate impact from space?

• The role of collaboration among aviation stakeholders in enhancing accuracy.

• Debating if contrail avoidance is a comprehensive solution for aviation sustainability.

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Embark on a journey with Episode 6 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring our distinguished guest Alejandra Martín Frías!

We're excited to have Alejandra join us in this episode. A pioneer in the field of operational contrail management, Alejandra serves as the Head of Contrail Research and Sustainability at FLIGHTKEYS and is also deeply involved in an industrial PhD focusing on Contrail Mitigation strategies. Her innovative work was recently highlighted at the Sustainable Skies Conference, involving collaborations with major organizations such as Breakthrough, Google, and American Airlines.

Talking Points:

• Exploring FLIGHTKEYS' contribution to contrail management & its flight planning software products.

• Understanding the advantages of integrating research directly into operational applications.

• Examining the balance between simulated experiments & actual in-flight trials.

• Investigating airlines' perspectives on contrail management & their acceptable fuel trade-offs.

• Discussing alternative methods to the CoCiP model for predicting contrail formation.

• Delving into how FLIGHTKEYS' cost optimizer in flight planning can incorporate contrail impact considerations.

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In this episode 5, we're thrilled to welcome Dr. Bethan Owen, a respected reader at The Manchester Metropolitan University and a distinguished United Nations co-rapporteur in the International Civil Aviation Organization Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, through which she co-chairs the Emissions Regulations Group. Welcome to the podcast, Bethan!

Talking Points:

• Exploring the intersection of science and policymaking for real-world impact.

• Debating the immediate implementation of contrail management and the need for operational trials.

• Assessing the alignment between ICAO & EU on contrails, given the recent innovation fund tender by the European commission

• Identifying aviation's Non-CO2 effects and the surrounding uncertainties.

• Weighing the importance of CO2 reduction strategies against the "low-hanging fruit" of contrail management.

• Comparing the Lee et al. studies from 2021 and 2023 (both of which she co-authored, links below).

• Unravelling the roles of ICAO, CAEP, FAA, EASA in aviation rule making.

Guiding the discussion on the complexities of mitigating non-CO2 aircraft emissions are Marius Wedemeyer and Kieran Tait.

Resources

1. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ea/d3ea00091e

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231020305689

3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20771-3

4. https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/environment/icao-aircraft-engine-emissions-databank

5. https://www.icao.int/publications/documents/9889_cons_en.pdf

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In today's Episode 4, we have the privilege of hosting Professor Ian Poll, a distinguished figure in the field of aerospace engineering. Renowned in both academic and industrial circles, Professor Poll is an emeritus professor at Cranfield University, former Chairman of the Defence Scientific Advisory Committee, and has held esteemed positions within the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was also a member of NERC.

Join us as we delve into Professor Poll's significant contributions to aerospace engineering. Our discussion will cover a range of thought-provoking topics including the dual role of aviation in the climate crisis, the concept of demand management within the aviation industry, strategies for contrail management, the potential of cooling clouds in combating climate change, and the metrics for assessing contrail management. We'll also examine the financial aspects of contrail management and the risks airlines face without proactive measures in this arena. Welcome to the show, Ian!

Talking points

• Why is aviation both part of the problem and part of the solution for the climate crisis?

• What would demand management mean for the aviation industry?

• What ways are there to implement contrail management?

• Can cooling clouds be used to reverse climate change?

• What is the right baseline which contrail management should be measured against?

• What factors determine if a contrail is warming or cooling for the environment?

• Where does contrail management end and where does geoengineering start?

• Is there money to be made in contrail management?

• Which risks are airlines running if they don’t act proactively?

Resources

• Poll Schumann Model: https://elib.dlr.de/135592/1/Poll_Schumann_estimation_method_fuel_burn_performance_aircraft_cruise_part_1_fundamentals_2020.pdf

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In today's Episode 3, we're thrilled to introduce Marc Shapiro, the Director of the Contrails team at Breakthrough Energy in the US. Marc and his team are at the forefront of developing innovative research tools aimed at reducing the aviation sector's impact on climate. Collaborating with renowned research groups like MIT and DLR, alongside tech giants such as Google, and operational bodies including Eurocontrol and the National Air Traffic Service, they're making significant strides in this challenging field. Contrails, those aircraft-induced clouds familiar to us all, account for 1-2% of the total global climate impact. Under Marc's leadership, the team at Breakthrough is pioneering efforts to predict where these clouds may form and assess their climate-warming potential.

Today, we dive deep into the groundbreaking work of Marc and his team, exploring the challenges and opportunities in understanding and managing contrails' impact on our climate. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be enlightened by the remarkable advancements in aviation climate research. Welcome, Marc!

Talking points:

• Exploring the True Costs of Contrail Management

• Comparing Strategies: Pre-tactical vs. Real-Time Contrail Management

• The Role of AI and Weather Forecasting in Contrail Prediction

• Inside Google & Breakthrough's Partnership: Advancing ML

• Why the Contrail Problem Remains Largely Untouched by Startups

• Progress Toward Climate-Optimized Air Travel: How Close Are We?

• Future of Contrail Management: Regulations & Carbon Credits

• The 2030 Vision for Contrail Management: Who Will Lead and Breakthrough Energy's Role

Ressources

• Breakthrough Contrails: https://contrails.org/

• Contrails Open Source Models: https://py.contrails.org/

• Contrails Map: https://map.contrails.org/

• Mobile App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/contrails-observer/id6454432163