Recapturing NASA's Aeronautics Flight Research Capabilities (2012) / Chapter Skim
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3 Organization, Collaboration, and Communication - A Way Forward
3 Organization, Collaboration, and Communication - A Way Forward
Pages 46-64
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From page 46... ...
The erosion in NASA's aeronautics research budget and the failure to prioritize flight research relative to other NASA objectives largely reflect a failure by the agency to adequately focus its research objectives, conduct compelling research relevant to the aerospace industry, and effectively communicate results to the public, Congress and the White House, and scientists and engineers working in aeronautics fields. The continued decline in NASA's aeronautical research budget related to flight research activities is likely to have serious long-term consequences relative to the development of innovative aerospace technology and could ultimately result in the erosion of the U.S.
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From page 47... ...
Inter-center teamwork is reduced as each center is forced to compete for its share of the diminishing NASA aeronautics budget. As mentioned in previous chapters, the organizational structure of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)
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From page 48... ...
Center directors could no longer leverage their assets to allow participation in major programs with "in kind" dollars from their baseline funding. Full cost recovery constraints within NASA aeronautics research often preclude leveraging of center assets to make effective partnerships with outside customers.
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From page 49... ...
NASA aeronautics could explore examples of effective databases in other areas of NASA, particularly in the Science Mission Directorate, in order to develop a strategic aerospace database resource for information generated under NASA aeronautics flight research programs. In addition, one common problem with flight research projects is that when the projects are finished, the data are often not published.
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From page 50... ...
NASA's aeronautics research program funding has declined to the point that the agency is unable to advance many projects from the simulation or wind tunnel stage to the flight testing stage. The decadal survey of civil aeronautics3 conducted by the National Research Council in 2006 identified the 51 highest-priority research and technology challenges for NASA.
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From page 51... ...
These entrepreneurially driven companies helped revolutionize the aerospace industry through the development of disruptive technology related to UAVs. The total cost of the ERAST program was approximately $160 million over a 10-year period, a relatively modest sum even relative to the current NASA aeronautics budget.
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From page 52... ...
SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Photo EC95-43207-76 by Tony Landis; available at http://www.dfrc.nasa. gov/gallery/photo/Pathfinder/Large/EC95-43207-76.jpg.
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From page 53... ...
NASA aeronautics research is entirely capable of initiating a program aimed at developing cost-effective flight research vehicles to demonstrate innovative aerospace technology in flight. Such programs could take advantage of modern concepts and techniques, such as rapid prototyping and robotic technologies, to keep costs affordable, with funding of $30 million to $50 million over a 3-year period.
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From page 54... ...
COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY AND UNIVERSITIES Recently the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board established the Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable (ARTR) to "define and explore critical issues related to NASA's FIGURE 3.4 The AFTI F-111 Mission Adaptive Wing test aircraft in 1986, one of many joint research projects NASA participated in during the 1980s.
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From page 55... ...
SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Photo EC93-2081-1.
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From page 56... ...
SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Photo EC98-44440-4 by Carla Thomas.
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From page 57... ...
The committee believes that this roundtable is a good first step toward improving communication between NASA and other partners, although the agency may be able to expand on such relationships and institutionalize this process, something that other countries have done with their own research programs. For example, Germany's DLR utilizes a five-member Scientific-Technical Advisory Council (made up of four external members plus one DLR executive board member)
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From page 58... ...
, which conducts aeronautics research within its Air Vehicles and Propulsion directorates. These two directorates employ more than 1,600 civilian, military, and contractor personnel, located primarily at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and have a combined budget of $595 million.
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From page 59... ...
The AFRL Air Vehicle and Propulsion directorates have a combined budget larger than NASA's aeronautics research budget. AFRL appears to have a very strong customer focus, with regular meetings with its military customers.
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From page 60... ...
Because of the high fraction of work that comes from industrial partners, research strategy is defined largely by industry requirements. With a budget about one-tenth that of NASA aeronautics research, and primarily coming from external resources, the IAR-NRC is extremely customer-focused and uses its resources to best serve the Canadian aerospace industry.
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From page 61... ...
Current practices, such as full cost recovery, may make similar collaborations impossible. SOURCE: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Photo EC94-42478-3.
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From page 62... ...
The aeronautics program could look to other parts of NASA for ideas and innovation. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS NASA aeronautics research requires significant improvement in management, organization, and leadership to address the serious concerns described in this report.
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From page 63... ...
aerospace industry and uni versities as well as key government agencies to ensure the relevance of its flight research programs to national needs. Recommendation: NASA aeronautics' leadership should study designating Dryden Flight Research Center as the primary flight research organization of NASA, with responsibility for the efficient use of NASA flight research aircraft, facilities, and other support resources.
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