NASA Update

E&E REDAC Meeting

August 31, 2016
NASA Aeronautics Six Strategic Thrusts

Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations

• Enable full NextGen and develop technologies to substantially

reduce aircraft safety risks

Innovation in Commercial Supersonic Aircraft

• Achieve a low-boom standard

Ultra-Efficient Commercial Vehicles

• Pioneer technologies for big leaps in efficiency and 

environmental performance

Transition to Low-Carbon Propulsion

• Characterize drop-in alternative fuels and pioneer 

low-carbon propulsion technology

Real-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance

• Develop an integrated prototype of a real-time safety 

monitoring and assurance system

Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation

• Develop high impact aviation autonomy applications

6 Strategic Research and Technology Thrusts

www.nasa.gov http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/armd-strategic-implementation-plan.pdf 2
ARMD Programs with Strategic Thrusts

MISSION PROGRAMS

SEEDLING PROGRAM

Airspace Operations 

and Safety Program

Advanced Air 

Vehicles Program

Integrated Aviation 

Systems Program

Transformative 

Aeronautics Concepts 

Program

• Safe, Efficient Growth in 

Global Operations

• Real-Time System-Wide 

Safety Assurance

• Assured Autonomy for 

Aviation Transformation

• Ultra-Efficient Commercial 

Vehicles

• Innovation in Commercial 

Supersonic Aircraft

• Transition to Low-Carbon 

Propulsion

• Assured Autonomy for 

Aviation Transformation

• Flight Research-Oriented 

Integrated, System-Level 

R&T support all six thrusts

• X-Planes / Test 

Environment

• High-risk, leap-frog ideas 

supporting all six thrusts

• Critical cross-cutting tools 

and technology 

development

www.nasa.gov 3
NASA Aeronautics Ready for Flight

2008-2013 2014/15 2016/17 2018-2026

Ready for X-Plane Integration & 

Demonstration

N+3 Subsonic & 

Supersonic 

Concept/Technology 

Studies

Ground Testing of N+3 configurations and 

technologies

LBFD 

PDR

Complete

d

8 Integrated Tech Demos Completed, Tech 

transitioned to industry. HWB ready for Flight 

Dem/Val.

Ready for NextGen TBO Integration & 

Demonstration

NASA FAA 

NextGen Research 

Transition Teams 

(RTTs) Initiated

Technology Transitions to FAA: MSP, 

EDA, PDRC, TSAS

ATD-1 Completed 

and transferred to 

FAA

ATD-2, 3 

Completed 

& Transferred to 

FAA

NASA Aero Vision 

and Strategy 

Established Roadmaps 

Completed

N+2 Environmentally 

Responsible Aviation 

(ERA) Project 

Initiated

www.nasa.gov

UEST PDR

Completed
Fund the Next Major Steps to Efficient, Clean and Fast Air Transportation Mobility

Ten Year Investment Plan—FY 2017 Budget Accelerates Key 

Components of NASA Aeronautics Plan

Revolutionizing

Operational Efficiency

Enabling Tools & 

Technologies

Fostering Advanced 

Concepts & Future 

Workforce Accelerate 

demonstration of full 

gate-to-gate Trajectory 

Based Operations

Start a continuing 

series of 

experimental aircraft 

to demonstrate and 

validate high impact 

concepts and 

technologies. Five 

major demonstrations 

over the next 10+ 

years in the areas of 

Ultra-Efficiency, 

Hybrid-Electric 

Propulsion, and Low 

Noise Supersonic 

Flight

Major series of ground 

experiments to ready 

key technologies for 

flight

Research and ground 

demonstration for an 

advanced small engine 

core for very high 

bypass engines and as 

a hybrid-electric 

propulsion enabler

Development of next 

generation physicsbased models needed 

to design advanced 

configurations

Increased investment in 

new innovation through 

the NASA workforce and 

Universities

Leverage 

Non-Traditional 

Technology Advances

Pursue challenge prizes 

in areas such as energy 

storage, high power 

electric motors, advanced 

networking and autonomy

Build off of major current developments and accomplishments Continue to incentivize 

new innovation

Major New Initiative Increase to AOSP

within IASP

Increases to AAVP 

and TACP

Increase to TACP

www.nasa.gov

UAS

Strong continued research 

leadership in enabling 

UAS integration into the 

National Airspace. 

Extending the UAS in the 

NAS project for an 

additional 4 years

Hypersonics

Increased investment to 

ensure a strong National 

fundamental research 

capability

Increases to IASP and 

AAVP

New Aviation 

Horizons
FY 2017 Budget

6

$ Millions FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026

Aeronautics $642.0 $640.0 $790.4 $846.4 $1,060.1 $1,173.3 $1,286.9 $1,294.2 $1,307.6 $1,218.1 $829.7 $839.5 

Airspace Operations and Safety 154.0 159.4 159.2 176.2 189.1 221.5 198.7 200.9 193.2 175.5 167.8 

Advanced Air Vehicles 240.6 298.6 277.4 308.8 311.6 312.6 321.3 315.0 318.9 317.7 326.7 

Integrated Aviation Systems 150.0 210.0 255.4 381.4 493.0 556.7 591.5 612.2 525.0 203.8 210.6 

Transformative Aeronautics 

Concepts 97.4 122.3 154.4 193.8 179.7 196.2 182.8 179.4 181.0 132.7 134.4 

Aeronautics budget includes paid-for 10-year mandatory funding from the Administration’s 21st Century Clean 

Transportation Plan. See appendix for additional detail.

Mandatory Budget Authority

$ Millions FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 Outyears

21st Century Clean Transportation Plan 100 200 400 500 600 1900

Airspace Operations and Safety 18 20 35 45 75 170

Advanced Air Vehicles 30 41 79 80 65 305

Integrated Aviation Systems 37 84 196 300 370 1170

Transformative Aeronautics Concepts 15 55 90 75 90 255

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator 56

Integrated Aviation Systems 56

www.nasa.gov
NASA Aeronautics Strategic Portfolio Model

www.nasa.gov

Strategic Thrust Roadmaps

Tech Challenges

SIP Outcomes 

Drives Top-Down 

Planning

Roadmaps Provide 

Guidance for 

Project / Center 

Innovation and 

Planning

Partnerships & 

Performance Create a 

Feedback Loop
8

NASA Efficient Vehicle – Subsonic Transport:

Research Strategy, 2015-2035+

NASA strategy supports each of the three Community Outcomes (2015-2025, 2025-2035, 2035+)

COMMUNITY

OUTCOMES

Prove practicality of revolutionary and 

transformational aircraft concepts and 

technology via large-scale integrated 

demonstrations

Develop and validate enabling tools, methods, and processes

Execute early-stage exploration and development of gamechanging concepts and technology to overcome the technical 

challenges of efficient, quiet flight

NASA 

Strategy

Revolutionary improvements 

in community noise and 

energy efficiency

to achieve fleet-level

carbon neutral growth 

relative to 2005

2015

20252035

Meet the economic and 

environmental demands

and on a defined path

to fleet-level

carbon neutral growth

Transforming capabilities 

in community noise and 

energy efficiency enabling 

a 50 percent reduction in 

fleet-level carbon output 

relative to 2005

June 14, 2016
9

NASA Low Carbon Propulsion:

Research Strategy, 2015-2035+

Explore and demonstrate combustor concepts

that exploit future alternative fuels

Advance scientific understanding relating fuels

to combustion to emissions to atmospheric impact

Characterize the performance and emissions of an

increasing spectrum of alternative jet fuels

in advanced combustors

NASA 

Strategies 2015

20252035

Introduction of Low-carbon 

Fuels for Conventional 

Engines and Exploration of 

Alternative Propulsion 

Systems 

Introduction of 

Alternative Propulsion 

Systems

to Aircraft of All Sizes

Initial Introduction of 

Alternative Propulsion 

Systems

COMMUNITY

OUTCOMES

Alternative

Energy/Power

Architectures

Aviation

Alternative

Fuels

(drop-in)

Explore and demonstrate vehicle integration synergies

enabled by hybrid electric propulsion

Gain experience through integration and demonstration

on progressively larger platforms

Increasingly electric aircraft propulsion

with minimal change to aircraft outer mold lines

June 14, 2016
Summary – A New Era for NASA Aeronautics

Investing In Our Future - Investments in NASA’s cutting edge aeronautics 

research today are investments in a cleaner, safer, quieter and faster 

tomorrow for American aviation:

• A future where Americans are working in stable, well-paying jobs.

• A future where we fly on aircraft that consume half as much fuel 

and generate only one quarter of current emissions.

• A future where flight is fueled by greener energy sources.

• A future where our air transportation system is able to absorb 

nearly four billion more passengers over the next 20 years without 

compromising the safety of our skies.

• A future where our airports are better neighbors because aircraft 

noise is contained well within the airport boundary.

• A future where people can travel to most cities in the world in six 

hours or less in an airplane that can fly faster than the speed of 

sound on bio-fuels.

www.nasa.gov