Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program

Director

Deputy Director

NASA wants to increase innovation in the way airplanes fly and the aviation industry along with it. The Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) project invests in seemingly improbable ideas that might lead to solutions to the problems that plague aviation and impact safety, environmental and community impact, and the global growth in air traffic. The goal of CAS is to rapidly assess the feasibility of novel concepts to determine whether additional investment is warranted.

This project develops state-of-the-art computational and experimental tools and technologies that are vital to Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's (ARMD's) ability to advance the prediction of future aircraft performance in flight, such as first-of-a-kind tools that isolate the complex turbulent airflow around vehicles and within propulsion systems. TTT creates computer-based tools, models and associated scientific knowledge that can be applied to the entire ARMD portfolio.

The UI project supports educating the next generation of aeronautical innovators by providing opportunities for university-led teams to conduct research into transformative technology that supports NASA's research goals. These opportunities include the University Leadership Initiative and the University Student Research Challenge. The idea is to spur universities to take a larger leadership role in advancing ideas that will transform aviation and maintain the nation’s leadership in the global aviation community.