NASA STTR 2005 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (SBC):		RESEARCH INSTITUTION (RI):
NAME:	Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.	NAME:	Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona
ADDRESS:	3292 E Hemisphere Loop	ADDRESS:	888 North Euclid Avenue, #515
CITY:	Tucson	CITY:	Tucson
STATE/ZIP:	AZ  85706-5103	STATE/ZIP:	AZ  85719-4824
PHONE:	(520) 573-6300	PHONE:	(520) 626-4607

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name,Email)
Anthony   Mulligan
amulligan@acrtucson.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Significant advances in several key technologies such as material sciences, manufacturing, miniaturization, and active flow control suggest that the time has come to address the issue of affordable General Aviation (GA). These new technologies when combined with advanced avionics and propulsion concepts will make GA affordable and ecologically sustainable. With a greater ease of vehicle operation, GA can become available to a much larger clientele and provide strong impulses for the aerospace industry. When a large number of new technologies are combined in a revolutionary way, validation of the entire system at the design and development stage becomes highly desirable. We propose building and flight testing a dynamically scaled model of NASA's GA demonstrator that will feature many important elements of the new GA concept.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed 1/3 scale model will be a test-bed for testing of the dynamical behavior of the envisioned Next Generation Aviation Demonstrator (NGAD). It will also serve as a low-cost/ low-risk test-bed for novel technologies such as high lift devices, circulation control, and tail-fan propulsion. The proposed development and flight test program should demonstrate that scaled models can considerably reduce the cost and risk involved when developing radically new aircraft concepts.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to the research goals of the dynamically scaled NGAD, ACR will be able to directly benefit from the design and initial development of a light UAV airframe. Just like the goals of the full scale NGAD, the dynamically scaled model will have significant advantages over current light UAV designs. Noise reduction and safety are two of the biggest advantages. In a military context, most UAVs of this class are extremely loud, and can be heard long before being detected by other means. The shrouded fan and enclosed engine of the NGAD will both reduce and shift the noise signature of the aircraft. In civilian UAV applications, noise reduction shares the same value as it does in regards to tail-fan aircraft. Another advantage of the shrouded fan design is safety. By enclosing the propeller, the greatest danger to the ground crew of a UAV is removed.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Autonomous Control and Monitoring Composites Guidance, Navigation, and Control Multifunctional/Smart Materials On-Board Computing and Data Management Pilot Support Systems Telemetry, Tracking and Control