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Mission
Research and technology play a vital role in ensuring the safety,
environmental compatibility, and productivity of the air transportation
system and in enhancing the economic health and national security of
the Nation. However, numerous factors, including growth in air traffic,
increasingly demanding international environmental standards, an aging
aircraft fleet, aggressive foreign competition, and launch costs that
impede affordable access and utilization of space, represent formidable
challenges to the Nation.
The mission of this Enterprise is to pioneer the identification,
development, verification, transfer, application, and commercialization
of high-payoff aeronautics and space transportation technologies. Through
its research and technology accomplishments, it promotes economic growth
and national security through a safe, efficient national aviation system
and affordable, reliable space transportation. The plans and goals of
this Enterprise directly support national policy in both aeronautics
and space, documented in "Goals for a National Partnership in Aeronautics
Research and Technology" and "National Space Transportation Policy."
This Enterprise works in alliance with its aeronautics and space transportation
customers, including U.S. industry, the university community, the Department
of Defense (DoD), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the
other NASA Enterprises, to ensure that national investments in aeronautics
and space transportation technology are effectively defined and coordinated
and that NASA's technology products and services add value, are timely,
and have been developed to the level at which the customer can confidently
make decisions regarding the application of those technologies.
The Enterprise also has Agency responsibility for technology
transfer and commercialization. This function is provided as an Agency-wide
service to ensure wide, rapid transfer of NASA-developed technologies
to U.S. industry for the social and economic benefit of all U.S. citizens.
Questions to Address
The Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology Enterprise
is responsible for answering the question: How do we enable revolutionary
technological advances that provide air and space travel for anyone,
anytime, anywhere more safely, more affordably, and with less impact
on the environment and improve business opportunities and global security?
Goals
The Enterprise has three major technology goals supported
by ten enabling technology objectives (detailed in the Enterprise Roadmap)
and a service goal.
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Technology Goals
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Global Civil AviationEnable U.S. leadership
in global civil aviation through safer, cleaner, quieter and more
affordable air travel.
Revolutionary Technology LeapsRevolutionize
air travel and the way in which aircraft are designed, built, and
operated.
Access to SpaceEnable the full commercial
potential of space and expansion of space research and exploration.
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Service Goal
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Research and Development (R&D) ServicesEnable,
and as appropriate provide, on a national basis, world-class aerospace
R&D services, including facilities and expertise, and proactively
transfer cutting-edge technologies in support of industry and U.S.
Government R&D.
Strategies and Outcomes
To help achieve these goals, the Enterprise has restructured
its research program and management processes. We include our customers
and stakeholders from the beginning of our strategic planning process
through program definition, implementation, and evaluation. Enterprise
leadership manages a clearly defined portfolio of technology investments
to ensure alignment with national needs and support of the Enterprise
and Agency strategy. The Enterprise has clearly designated Lead Centers
for the implementation of the technology programs.
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The three major pillarsGlobal Civil Aviation, Revolutionary
Technology Leaps, and Access to Space. |
The technology objectives of the Enterprise are outcome focused and "stretch"
beyond our current knowledge base. Although we do not know in advance how to
achieve the goals and objectives, the development of investment strategies is
issue driven. Investments are focused on the critical issues associated with the
goals and objectives where technology can be a determining factor. This requires
the analysis of current as well as future issues. In other words, to achieve 10-
or 20-year goals, the Enterprise must not only address current issues associated
with a goal, but also seek to anticipate and address issues associated with
future aviation and space systems. For example, to achieve a reduction in the
aircraft accident rate, the Enterprise must address not only issues that are
currently causing accidents, but issues that might cause accidents in the future,
such as digital information integrity. The result of this process is the
development of an investment strategy and goal metrics to guide program
development.
The outcome-focused nature of the goals and objectives project the end-state
within the air and space transportation systems. However, the Enterprise does not
control the air and space transportation systems. Manufacturers, airlines,
general aviation operators, space transportation operators, the FAA, and DoD are
some of the primary organizations that ultimately implement the technologies and
systems that will achieve the goals. Therefore, the goals provide a constant
driver for the Enterprise to work in partnership with our customers to ensure the
technologies that are developed are the right technologies, at the right time,
and the right level of maturity in order to maximize the probability of
implementation. A principal strategy of the Enterprise is to create alliances and
work in partnership in every aspect of planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Both the Enterprise's Base R&T and Systems Technology programs are
focused on achieving the goals and objectives by working to the same
goal/objective investment strategy and metrics. The character of the Base R&T
program will be to maintain a broader set of technology investments and to
specifically target fundamental and barrier issues. Base R&T elements will:
(1) support the maturation of technology to a level that it can be confidently
integrated into a Systems Technology program; (2) directly transfer
technology to the external customer community as appropriate; and (3) provide the
basis for new Systems Technology programs. The character of the Systems
Technology programs will be to specifically target an integrated set of
technologies that advance the goal/objective metrics and can be confidently
developed and advanced to a level of maturity sufficient for transfer and
adoption by the external customer community.
Roles and Responsibilities
The NASA Centers' primary missions to support the Aeronautics and Space
Transportation Technology Enterprise are listed in the table below.
Center |
Mission |
Ames Research Center |
Aviation Operation Systems |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
Flight Research |
Langley Research Center |
Airframe Systems |
Lewis Research Center |
Aeropropulsion |
Marshall Space Flight Center |
Space Transportation Systems |
Stennis Space Center |
Rocket Propulsion Testing |
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