National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research 2001 Program Solicitation
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A2.01 21st Century Air-Traffic Management
A2.02 Flight Technologies for Improved Aviation System
Capacity
A2.03 Intelligent Aerospace Systems Management
A major NASA goal in global civil aviation is to triple the aviation system throughput in all weather conditions while maintaining safety. An additional goal is to significantly reduce the cost of air travel. These increases in the capacity and productivity of the National Airspace System (NAS) can be achieved through development of revolutionary ground-based and airborne operations systems, new vehicle technologies and utilization of advanced computational approaches and information technology methodologies for aerospace system development.
A2.01 21st Century Air-Traffic Management
Lead Center: ARC
Participating Center(s): None
Innovations in Air-Traffic Management (ATM) are required to make current systems more efficient as well as improve the next generation National Airspace System (NAS). The challenge for the next generation ATM system is to accommodate growth in air traffic while reducing the aircraft accident rate by a factor of five within 10 years from 1997, and by a factor of ten within 20 years. This can only be achieved by the development of decision support tools for controllers, pilots and airline operations, and by the introduction of technical innovations in communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS). It requires a new look at the way airspace is managed and the automation of some crew functions, thereby intensifying the need for a careful integration of machine and human performance. In addition, advances in technologies such as Differential GPS (DGPS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting (ADS-B) are revolutionizing aerospace operations. These and other advanced technologies will advance the development of Runway Independent Aircraft that do not require conventional runways, as well as, improve operations at existing airport infrastructures. These technologies show promise in enhancing the efficiency and safety of airport traffic management. Innovative and economically attractive approaches are sought to advance technologies in the following areas:
To achieve the NASA objective of tripling the aviation system capacity within 25 years, revolutionary changes to the current civil operational environment are envisioned. These changes include new and improved vehicle technologies to fully accomplish this objective. Runway-Independent Aircraft with a vertical or extremely-short takeoff and landing (ESTOL) flight capability will enable the mobility required to achieve door-to-door delivery of people, goods, and services within this new air transportation system. These vehicles must meet civil global aviation requirements for safer, quieter, more efficient, and affordable aircraft. These requirements directly influence the Aerospace Technology objectives identified by NASA to support the Agency's mission.
Many aspects of the aeromechanics and flight control of rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft are not thoroughly understood or predictable enough to enable efficient and accurate design processes for economically-viable civil aircraft with a vertical flight capability. NASA requires innovative methods, approaches, and technologies that describe phenomena involved in rotorcraft and powered-lift aerodynamics, dynamics, acoustics and autonomous control; provide greater knowledge of the detailed characteristics of these phenomena; and permit well-verified designs. Innovative developments with applications to advanced tilt rotors, revolutionary powered-lift aircraft, a spectrum of helicopter configurations, personal vertical flight transportation vehicles, and hover-capable unmanned aerial vehicles of all sizes are needed to refine the next generation of civil aircraft that will meet civil global aviation requirements for safer, quieter, more efficient, and lower direct operating cost aircraft. These requirements directly impact the Research and Technology Programs identified by NASA to support the agency's objective of increased aviation system capacity as well as improved mobility, reduced noise, increased safety, and innovation in technology and engineering.
Examples of research topics currently of importance include: efficient design
tools which reduce design cycle time; improved vehicle performance with reduction
in ownership and operation costs; advanced active control strategies/methodologies
for aeromechanics, flight control, and enhanced vehicle capability; innovative
solutions for reduction of airframe vibration, vibratory loads, and radiated
noise; and technologies for improved safety. Adaptation of emerging technologies
such as biologically-inspired engineering, information technology, and nano-technologies
is also encouraged. New analysis methodologies addressing the unique aspects
of civil rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft through CFD/CSM/CAA for individual
and integrated vehicle systems are also sought.
With the dramatic increase in computational capability and information technology, several alternative approaches to traditional vehicular guidance, navigation, and control have been offered. These approaches include neural networks, annealing algorithms, biomimetics, and fuzzy logic. Many of these approaches have had specific applications in the aerospace industry, but less so than in other commercial industries. Safety is often cited as a contributing factor for this difference; however, that citation is becoming less defensible with the promulgation of these ideas into vehicles outside the aerospace domain.
The objective of this subtopic is to both bolster and foster collaboration between the aerospace environs and these recent computational and informational approaches. Airborne vehicles of all types will be considered; however, emphasis on hovering and extremely short takeoff and landing powered-lift vehicles, both manned and unmanned, will be given. Technology innovations sought include:
Unmanned aerial vehicle guidance and control
Flight control and integrated flight propulsion control
Helicopter flight control
Open architecture information sharing
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