NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY
ROADMAPS AND PRIORITIES
Restoring NASA’s Technological Edge
and Paving the Way for a New Era in Space
Steering Committee for NASA Technology Roadmaps
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
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OTHER REPORTS OF THE AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD
An Interim Report on NASA’s Draft Space Technology Roadmaps (Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board [ASEB], 2011)
Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA’s Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Programs (ASEB, 2011)
Preparing for the High Frontier— the Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era (ASEB, 2011)
Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era (Space Studies Board [SSB] with ASEB, 2011)
Summary of the Workshop to Identify Gaps and Possible Directions for NASA’s Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Programs (ASEB, 2011)
Advancing Aeronautical Safety: A Review of NASA’s Aviation Safety-Related Research Programs (ASEB, 2010)
Capabilities for the Future: An Assessment of NASA Laboratories for Basic Research (Laboratory Assessments Board with ASEB, 2010)
Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth-Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Final Report (SSB with ASEB, 2010)
Final Report of the Committee to Review Proposals to the 2010 Ohio Third Frontier (OTF) Wright Projects Program (WPP) (ASEB, 2010)
America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs (SSB with ASEB, 2009)
Approaches to Future Space Cooperation and Competition in a Globalizing World: Summary of a Workshop (SSB with ASEB, 2009)
An Assessment of NASA’s National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (ASEB, 2009)
Final Report of the Committee for the Review of Proposals to the 2009 Engineering and Physical Science Research and Commercialization Program of the Ohio Third Frontier Program (ASEB, 2009)
Fostering Visions for the Future: A Review of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (ASEB, 2009)
Launching Science: Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA’s Constellation System (SSB with ASEB, 2009)
Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Interim Report (SSB with ASEB, 2009)
Radioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration (SSB with ASEB, 2009)
Assessing the Research and Development Plan for the Next Generation Air Transportation System: Summary of a Workshop (ASEB, 2008)
A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program (ASEB, 2008)
Launching Science: Science Opportunities Provided by NASA’s Constellation System (SSB with ASEB, 2008)
Managing Space Radiation Risk in the New Era of Space Exploration (ASEB, 2008) NASA Aeronautics Research: An Assessment (ASEB, 2008)
Review of NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program: An Interim Report (ASEB, 2008)
Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA’s Constellation System: Interim Report (SSB with ASEB, 2008)
United States Civil Space Policy: Summary of a Workshop (SSB with ASEB, 2008)
Wake Turbulence: An Obstacle to Increased Air Traffic Capacity (ASEB, 2008)
Limited copies of ASEB reports are available free of charge from:
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
National Research Council
The Keck Center of the National Academies
500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001
(202) 334-2858/aseb@nas.edu
www.nationalacademies.org/aseb
STEERING COMMITTEE FOR NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAPS
RAYMOND S. COLLADAY, RC Space Enterprises, Inc., Chair
JOHN D. ANDERSON, JR., Smithsonian Institution
JAMES B. ARMOR, JR., ATK Spacecraft System & Services
EDWARD F. CRAWLEY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RAVI B. DEO, EMBR
WALT FAULCONER, Strategic Space Solutions, LLC
PHILIP D. HATTIS, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
TAMARA E. JERNIGAN, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
JOHN C. KARAS, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
JOHN M. KLINEBERG, Loral Space and Communications, Ltd. (retired)
IVETT A. LEYVA, Air Force Research Laboratory
LESTER L. LYLES, The Lyles Group
H. JAY MELOSH, Purdue University
DANIEL R. MULVILLE, Independent Consultant
DAVA J. NEWMAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RICHARD R. PAUL, Independent Consultant
LISELOTTE J. SCHIOLER, National Institute of Aerospace
GERALD SCHUBERT, University of California, Los Angeles
PROPULSION AND POWER PANEL
JOHN R. ROGACKI, Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Chair
DOUGLAS M. ALLEN, Independent Consultant
HENRY W. BRANDHORST, JR., Carbon-Free Energy, LLC
DAVID E. CROW, University of Connecticut
ALEC D. GALLIMORE, University of Michigan
MARK W. HENLEY, Boeing Research and Technology
ANTHONY K. HYDER, University of Notre Dame
IVETT A. LEYVA, Air Force Research Laboratory
PAULO C. LOZANO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOYCE A. McDEVITT, Independent Consultant
ROGER M. MYERS, Aerojet General Corporation
LAWRENCE J. ROSS, Aerospace Engineering Associates, LLC
RAYMOND J. SEDWICK, University of Maryland
GEORGE F. SOWERS, United Launch Alliance
ROBOTICS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND NAVIGATION PANEL
STEPHEN P. GOREVAN, Honeybee Robotics, Ltd., Chair
JULIE A. ADAMS, Vanderbilt University
EDWARD J. GROTH III, Princeton University
PHILIP D. HATTIS, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
JONATHAN P. HOW, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JAMES W. LOWRIE, Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control-Orlando
DAVID P. MILLER, University of Oklahoma
JONATHAN R. SALTON, Sandia National Laboratories
DONNA L. SHIRLEY, Managing Creativity
GEORGE W. SWENSON, JR., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
INSTRUMENTS AND COMPUTING PANEL
JAMES L. BURCH, Southwest Research Institute, Chair
PHILIP E. ARDANUY, Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems
WEBSTER CASH, University of Colorado, Boulder
JOHN A. HACKWELL, The Aerospace Corporation
ROBERT J. HANISCH, Space Telescope Science Institute
DAVID Y. KUSNIERKIEWICZ, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
JOEL R. PRIMACK, University of California, Santa Cruz
GERALD SCHUBERT, University of California, Los Angeles
DANIEL A. SCHWARTZ, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
ALAN M. TITLE, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center
DANIEL WINTERHALTER, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
CARL WUNSCH, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
HUMAN HEALTH AND SURFACE EXPLORATION PANEL
BONNIE J. DUNBAR, Independent Consultant, Chair
DAVID L. AKIN, University of Maryland, College Park
DALLAS G. BIENHOFF, The Boeing Company
ROBERT L. CURBEAM, JR., ARES Corporation
GREGORY J. HARBAUGH, Sigma Chi Foundation
TAMARA E. JERNIGAN, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
DANIEL R. MASYS, University of Washington, Seattle
ERIC E. RICE, Orbital Technologies Corporation
RONALD E. TURNER, ANSER
MATERIALS PANEL
MOOL C. GUPTA, University of Virginia, Chair
GREGORY R. BOGART, Sandia National Laboratories
DONALD M. CURRY, The Boeing Company
JOHN R. HOWELL, University of Texas, Austin
GEORGE A. LESIEUTRE, Pennsylvania State University
LISELOTTE J. SCHIOLER, National Institute of Aerospace
ROBERT E. SKELTON, University of California, San Diego
GEORGE W. SUTTON, SPARTA (retired)
ENTRY, DESCENT, AND LANDING PANEL
TODD J. MOSHER, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Chair
JOHN D. ANDERSON, JR., Smithsonian Institution
TYE M. BRADY, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
BASIL HASSAN, Sandia National Laboratories
STEPHEN RUFFIN, Georgia Institute of Technology
ROBERT J. SINCLAIR, Airborne Systems of North America
BYRON D. TAPLEY, University of Texas, Austin
BETH E. WAHL, Independent Consultant
GERALD D. WAHLBERG, North Carolina State University (retired)
Staff
ALAN C. ANGLEMAN, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
JOSEPH K. ALEXANDER, Senior Program Officer
IAN W. PRYKE, Senior Program Officer
ROBERT L. RIEMER, Senior Program Officer
JOHN WENDT, Senior Program Officer
MAUREEN MELLODY, Program Officer
CATHERINE A. GRUBER, Editor
AMANDA R. THIBAULT, Research Associate
DIONNA WILLIAMS, Program Associate
TERRI BAKER, Senior Project Assistant
RODNEY HOWARD, Senior Project Assistant
LINDA WALKER, Senior Project Assistant
ANNA B. WILLIAMS, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD
RAYMOND S. COLLADAY, RC Space Enterprises, Inc., Chair
LESTER LYLES, The Lyles Group, Vice Chair
ELLA M. ATKINS, University of Michigan
AMY L. BUHRIG, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group
INDERJIT CHOPRA, University of Maryland, College Park
JOHN-PAUL B. CLARKE, Georgia Institute of Technology
RAVI B. DEO, EMBR
VIJAY DHIR, University of California, Los Angeles
EARL H. DOWELL, Duke University
MICA R. ENDSLEY, SA Technologies
DAVID GOLDSTON, Harvard University
R. JOHN HANSMAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOHN B. HAYHURST, The Boeing Company (retired)
WILLIAM L. JOHNSON, California Institute of Technology
RICHARD KOHRS, Independent Consultant
IVETT LEYVA, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base
ELAINE S. ORAN, Naval Research Laboratory
ALAN G. POINDEXTER, Naval Postgraduate School
HELEN R. REED, Texas A&M University
ELI RESHOTKO, Case Western Reserve University
EDMOND SOLIDAY, United Airlines (retired)
Staff
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director
CARMELA J. CHAMBERLAIN, Administrative Coordinator
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
CELESTE A. NAYLOR, Information Management Associate
CHRISTINA O. SHIPMAN, Financial Officer
SANDRA WILSON, Financial Assistant
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Preface
In late 2010, NASA developed a set of 14 draft roadmaps to guide the development of space technologies under the leadership of the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT).1,2 Each of these draft roadmaps focuses on a particular technology area (TA). The roadmaps are intended to foster the development of advanced technologies and concepts that address NASA’s needs and contribute to other aerospace and national needs. In June of 2010, Robert Braun, NASA’s Chief Technologist at the time, requested that the National Research Council (NRC) conduct a study to review the roadmaps. The role of the study was to gather and assess relevant community input, make recommendations and suggest priorities to inform NASA’s decisions as it finalizes its roadmaps, and undertake a time-sequenced and prioritized advanced space technology development program that lays the technical foundation for future NASA missions. The full statement of task appears in Appendix A of this report. Specific elements of the statement of task include the following:
• Establish a set of criteria to enable prioritization of technologies within each and among all of the technology areas that the NASA technology roadmaps should satisfy;
• Consider technologies that address the needs of NASA’s exploration systems, Earth and space science, and space operations mission areas, as well as those that contribute to critical national and commercial needs in space technology;
• Integrate the outputs to identify key common threads and issues and to summarize findings and recommendations; and
• Prioritize the highest-priority technologies from all 14 roadmaps.
In response to this request, the NRC appointed the 18-member Steering Committee for NASA Technology Roadmaps and six study panels with a total of 56 additional experts. The study panels were organized by technical area, based on the organization of the 14 roadmaps, as follows:
1The draft roadmaps are available at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/roadmaps/index.html.
2 This study (and the 14 draft roadmaps) does not cover aeronautics technologies except to the extent that they are needed to achieve NASA and national needs in space. Guidance on the development of core aeronautics technologies is already available in the National Aeronautics Research and Development Plan, which was published in 2010 by the White House National Science and Technology Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy. It is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/aero-rdplan-2010.pdf.
• Panel 1: Propulsion and Power
— TA01 Launch Propulsion Systems
— TA02 In-Space Propulsion Technologies
— TA03 Space Power and Energy Storage
— TA13 Ground and Launch Systems Processing
• Panel 2: Robotics, Communications, and Navigation
— TA04 Robotics, TeleRobotics, and Autonomous Systems
— TA05 Communication and Navigation
• Panel 3: Instruments and Computing
— TA08 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems
— TA11 Modeling, Simulation, and Information Technology and Processing
• Panel 4: Human Health and Surface Exploration
— TA06 Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems
— TA07 Human Exploration Destination Systems
• Panel 5: Materials Panel
— TA10 Nanotechnology
— TA12 Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing
— TA14 Thermal Management Systems
• Panel 6: Entry, Descent, and Landing Panel
— TA09 Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems
After initial discussions by the study chair and a few members of the steering committee and staff to plan committee meetings and draft a uniform set of evaluation criteria, an initial meeting of the steering committee and all six panels was held in Washington, D.C. The January 2011 meeting reviewed and approved the evaluation criteria and study process and also served as a forum to discuss the content of the roadmaps with NASA staff. The steering committee subsequently held three additional meetings between January and September 2011 for information gathering, deliberations, and report writing. During that same time period, each of the six panels also held two additional meetings and hosted a 1-day public workshop for each roadmap under its purview. At each public workshop, the study panels engaged with invited speakers, guests, and members of the public in a dialogue on the technology areas and their value to NASA based on the common evaluation criteria established by the steering committee. More detailed information on each workshop, including a complete agenda and copies of many presentations, can be viewed at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DEPS/ASEB/DEPS_060733.
Broad community input was also solicited from a public website where 144 individuals provided 244 sets of comments on the draft roadmaps in terms of criteria (such as benefit, risk and reasonableness, and alignment with NASA and national goals) that the steering committee established. The individuals providing these inputs included 91 personnel from NASA (including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory), 6 from other government organizations, 26 from industry, 16 from academia, and 5 from other organizations or no organization at all. (The data provided in the public input forms can be found at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/asebsurvey/tabs/publicview.aspx.) In addition, 87 sets of general comments were received via e-mail from 7 individuals who completed the public input forms noted above and from 68 individuals who did not. These individuals included 47 personnel from NASA (including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory), 1 from another government agency, 7 from industry, 4 from academia, 5 from other organizations, and 11 whose organization is unknown.
Based on the important input from the community and its own deliberations, the steering committee prepared a brief interim report that makes high-level observations on the roadmaps and addresses the advisability of modifying the technologies included within each of the existing draft roadmaps, as well as technology gaps that cut across multiple roadmaps. This interim report is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13228.
From these various forms of public input, as well as their own internal deliberations, the study panels prioritized technologies for each of their assigned roadmaps into high, medium, and low categories; described the value of the high-priority technologies; identified gaps in the draft roadmaps; identified development or schedule changes of the technologies covered; and summarized the public workshop that focused on the draft roadmap. The results of
the panels’ work are summarized in this report in 14 appendixes (D through Q; one for each roadmap). This input from the panels was then integrated by the steering committee and documented in the main body of this report.
The steering committee and panels would like to acknowledge the significant contributions of the following staff members of the Aerospace Corporation who assisted the steering committee, the panels, and the NRC staff in this effort: Torrey Radcliffe, Dean Bucher, Robert Kinsey, Kristina Kipp, Marcus Lobbia, and Gregory Richardson. Finally, I wish to personally recognize the hard work and dedicated efforts of the steering committee, and of the panel members and their chairs, and the outstanding support from the NRC staff, without which we would not have been able to meet our delivery milestones. In particular, the tireless and professional attention to all aspects of the study by Alan Angleman and Michael Moloney supported by Maureen Mellody was exceptional.
Raymond S. Colladay, Chair
Steering Committee for NASA Technology Roadmaps
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Ellen Bass, University of Virginia,
Robert H. Bishop, Marquette University, David C. Byers, Consultant,
Elizabeth Cantwell, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Robert L. Crippen, U.S. Navy (retired),
Joseph H. Koo, University of Texas, Austin,
Kurt Kreiner, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems,
Jonathan Lunine, Cornell University,
Alfred U. MacRae, MacRae Technologies,
Bruce D. Marcus, TRW (retired),
Edward D. McCullough, The Boeing Company (retired),
Joseph Nainiger, Alphaport Incorporated,
Michael Norman, University of California, San Diego,
Robert Pinkerton, Orbital Sciences Corporation,
George H. Rieke, University of Arizona,
Stephen M. Rock, Stanford University, and
Al Sacco, Jr., Texas Tech University.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse any conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Martha P. Haynes, Cornell University, and Ronald M. Sega, Colorado State University. Appointed by the NRC, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Contents
Technology Development Program Rationale and Scope,
Stakeholders: Research and Development Partners and End Users,
2 TOP TECHNICAL CHALLENGES AND HIGH-PRIORITY TECHNOLOGIES BY ROADMAP
Technology Evaluation Process and Criteria,
Summary of Top Technical Challenges and High-Priority Technologies by Roadmap,
3 INTEGRATED RANKING OF TOP TECHNICAL CHALLENGES AND HIGH-PRIORITY TECHNOLOGIES
Highest-Priority Level 3 Technologies Across All Roadmaps,
4 OBSERVATIONS AND GENERAL THEMES
Foundational Technology Base and Development of Low-TRL Technology,
Flight Testing and Demonstrations and Technology Transition,
B Revised Technology Area Breakdown Structure
D TA01 Launch Propulsion Systems
E TA02 In-Space Propulsion Technologies
F TA03 Space Power and Energy Storage
G TA04 Robotics, Tele-Robotics, and Autonomous Systems
H TA05 Communication and Navigation
I TA06 Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems
J TA07 Human Exploration Destination Systems
K TA08 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems
L TA09 Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems
N TA11 Modeling, Simulation, and Information Technology and Processing
O TA12 Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing
P TA13 Ground and Launch Systems Processing
Q TA14 Thermal Management Systems
R Biographies of Committee Members and Staff
1Note that Appendixes D through R are not included in the print version of this report. They appear in the electronic version of the report, which is available on the CD-ROM that accompanies the printed report and is posted as a free PDF on the National Academies Press website at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13354