“With ATD-2 we’ve demonstrated during the past two years we’re able to move aircraft in a more efficient manner, which is resulting in time saved, fuel saved, and less CO2 released.”
Source: Shawn Engelland, NASA’s ATD project manager, commenting on recent research... The focus of the research – known as Airspace Technology Demonstration-2, or ATD-2 – is on enabling the coordination of schedules among those who manage the movement of aircraft from an airport gate to a spot in the sky after takeoff where they can safely join with the overhead traffic – like a car merging onto a freeway.