National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research & Technology Transfer 2003 Program Solicitations
TOPIC A3 Airspace Systems
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A3.01 21st Century Air-Traffic Management
NASA's Airspace Systems (AS) program is investing in development of revolutionary improvements and modernization for the air traffic management (ATM) system. The AS Program will enable new aircraft, new aircraft technologies and air traffic technology to safely maximize operational efficiency, flexibility, predictability and access into airspace systems. The major challenges are to accommodate projected growth in air traffic while preserving and enhancing safety; provide all airspace system users more flexibility and efficiency in the use of airports, airspace and aircraft; reduce system delays; enable new modes of operation that support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commitment to "Free Flight" and maintain pace with a continually evolving technical environment, and provides for doorstep-to-destination transportation developments. AS Program objectives are: Improve mobility, capacity, efficiency and access of the airspace system; Improve collaboration, predictability and flexibility for the airspace users; Enable modeling and simulation of air transportation systems; Enable runway-independent aircraft and general aviation operations; and Maintain system safety and environmental protection. NASA is working to develop, validate and transfer advanced concepts, technologies and procedures through partnership with the FAA, other Government agencies and in cooperation with the U.S. aeronautics industry.
A3.01 21st Century Air-Traffic Management
Lead Center: ARC
Participating Center(s): DFRC
The challenges in Air Traffic Management (ATM) are to create the next generation system and to develop the optimal plan for transitioning to the future system. This system should be one that (1) economically moves people and goods from origin to destination on schedule; (2) operates without fatalities or injuries resulting from system or human errors or terrorist intervention; (3) seamlessly supports the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); (4) is environmentally compatible; (5) supports an integrated national transportation system and is harmonized with global transportation. This can only be achieved by developing ATM concepts characterized by increased automation and distributed responsibilities. It requires a new look at the way airspace is managed and the automation of some controller functions, thereby intensifying the need for a careful integration of machine and human performance. As these new automated and distributed systems are developed, security issues need to be addressed as early in the design phase as possible.
To meet these challenges, innovative and economically attractive approaches are sought to advance technologies in the following areas:
- Decision support tools (DST) to assist pilots, controllers and dispatchers in all parts of the airspace(surface, terminal, enroute, command center)
- Integration of DST across different airspace domains
- Next generation simulation and modeling capability: models of uncertainty and complexity, National Airspace System (NAS) operational performance, economic impact
- Distributed decision making
- Security of advanced ATM systems
- System robustness and safety: sensor failure, threat mitigation, health monitoring
- Weather modeling and improved trajectory estimation for traffic management applications
- Role of data exchange and data link in collaborative decision-making
- Modeling of the NAS
- Distributed complex, real-time simulations: components with different levels of fidelity, human-in-the-loop decision agents
- Environmentally friendly ATM and aircraft operations
- Automation concepts for advanced ATM systems
- Application of methodologies from other domains to address ATM research issues
- Intelligent software architecture
- Runway-independent (e.g., VTOL, STOL, and V/STOL) aircraft technologies required to meet national air transportation needs and to satisfy requirements for airline productivity, passenger acceptance, and community friendliness
- Intermodal transportation technologies
- Technologies fostering the operation of unpiloted aircraft within NAS under control of the ATM system, including, but not limited to, innovative control, navigation, & surveillance (CNS) concepts
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