Topics

This subtopic addresses NASA's need to develop technologies for producing space systems that can operate without environmental protection housings in the extreme environments of NASA missions. Key performance parameters of interest are survivability and operation under the following conditions: Very low temperature environments (Example: temperatures on the surface of Moon as low as -180° C).Co ...

The NASA state-of-the-art in space computing utilizes 20-year-old technology and is inadequate for future missions. In conjunction with the US Air Force, NASA is investing in the development of the High Performance Space Computing (HPSC) Chiplet, a radiation-hardened multi-core processor that will improve space computing capabilities by two orders of magnitude. While these efforts will provide an ...

This subtopic encompasses the development of reusable, hot structure technology for structural components exposed to extreme aerodynamic heating environments on aerospace vehicles. A hot structure system is a multifunctional structure that can reduce or eliminate the need for a separate thermal protection system (TPS). The potential advantages of using a hot structure system in place of a TPS with ...

NASA manned and robotic missions to the surface of planetary or airless bodies require Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL). For many of these missions, EDL represents one of the riskiest phases of the mission. Despite the criticality of the EDL phase, NASA has historically gathered limited engineering data from such missions, and use of the data for real-time Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) ...

NASA is advancing deployable aerodynamic decelerators to enhance and enable robotic and human space missions. The benefit of deployable decelerators is that the entry vehicle structure and thermal protection system (TPS) is not constrained by the launch vehicle shroud. It has the flexibility to more efficiently use the available shroud volume and can be accommodated within a smaller volume for Ear ...

Plume/Surface Interaction Analysis & Ground Testing As NASA and commercial entities prepare to land robotic and crewed vehicles on the Moon, it will be important to understand the terminal descent environments to which both the landing vehicle and the surrounding area on the lunar surface will be subjected. The ability to model and predict the extent to which regolith is transported in the vicinit ...

Exascale Computing  NASA scientists and engineers are increasingly turning to large-scale numerical simulation on supercomputers to advance understanding of complex Earth and astrophysical systems, and to conduct high-fidelity aerospace engineering analyses. The goal of this subtopic is to increase the mission impact of NASA's investments in supercomputing systems and associated operations and se ...

The mission of the NASA Applied Sciences Program within the Earth Science Division is to transfer the results of earth science research for use by commercial firms, other government agencies, and non-profit organizations as part of decision support systems. As a research organization, NASA works via collaboration with the private sector understand and deliver earth science application tools and da ...

NASA researchers have begun exploring the application of Machine Learning (ML) to accelerate science and open up new understandings. While there are many problems that can be addressed with ML, the adoption of these techniques and technologies are slow due to the large learning curve associated with the application of this technology and the applicability of commercial tools to specific problems o ...

Innovative System Modeling Methods and Tools  Several concept/feasibility studies for potential large (flagship) Astrophysics missions are in progress: Large UV Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), Origins Space Telescope (OST), Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx), and Lynx. Following the 2020 Astrophysics decadal rankings, one of these will likely proceed to early Phase A where the infusi ...