The Center for Autonomous Systems & Technologies (CAST) stimulates interdisciplinary research and the open exchange of ideas in the expanding area of autonomous drones, robots, and satellites for use in science, industry, and medicine. A renovation of the first floor of the 1940s-era von Kármán Building, at the heart of CAST is a 3-story tall, open-air drone testing arena and observation deck, formed by covering an existing courtyard. This dynamic space provides researchers a place to demonstrate their ideas under variable environmental conditions. Testing in the arena is supported by indoor “maker and marker-spaces”, shared by researchers, students, and industry partners.