NASA Aeronautics Research 

John-Paul Clarke

Chair, NAC Aeronautics Committee

January 18, 2023

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov
NASA Aeronautics – Vision for Aviation in the 21st Century

www.nasa.gov | 2

ARMD continues 

to evolve and 

execute the 

Aeronautics Strategy

https://www.nasa.gov/

aeroresearch/strategy

U.S. leadership for a new era of flight
Four Transformations for Sustainability, Greater Mobility, and Economic Growth

Four Transformations for Sustainability, Greater Mobility, and Economic Growth www.nasa.gov | 3
U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan

Global Context for Sustainable Aviation

U.S. aviation goal is to achieve 

net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan is aligned with

• U.S. economy-wide goal

• International Civil Aviation Organization

• Air Transport Action Group

CO2 Emissions (in MtCO2

)

Frozen 2019

Technology Trajectory

Airline Fleet 

Renewal

New Aircraft 

Technology

Operations Improvement

Sustainable 

Aviation Fuel 

Uptake:

50% Emission 

Reduction

Sustainable 

Aviation Fuel 

Uptake:

100% Emission 

Reduction

2019 CO2

Emissions 

Level

U.S. domestic flights of all carriers

and international flights of U.S. carriers

The U.S. is working with the global community to achieve net-zero 

www.nasa.gov | 4 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 using a common basket of measures.
Sustainable Flight National Partnership

Next-Generation Capability on the Path to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050

Accelerate toward net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 through 25-30% energy efficiency improvements

in next-generation transports, 100% sustainable aviation fuel, and optimal trajectories.

Advance engine

efficiency and 

emission reduction

Enable integrated 

trajectory optimization

Advance airframe

efficiency and

manufacturing rate

Enable use of 100% 

sustainable aviation fuels

www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov | 5
FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29

Subsonic Transports: Integrated Technology Development

Planned

www.nasa.gov | 6

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) 

Model Based Systems 

Analysis & Engineering

Transonic Truss Braced Wing (AATT) 

Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft 

Manufacturing

(HiCAM) 

Hybrid Thermally Efficient 

Core (HyTEC)

Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

Technologies (AATT)

Technology Readiness Target

Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD)

Achieve TRL 6 in time for industry 

product decision-making

Mfg & Structural Demonstration

Core Demonstration

Flight Tests

TC Completion

“Digital Flight Test”

TC Completion

Flight Test

Notional
High-Speed Commercial Flight

Sustainable transformation of the speed of air travel

Addressing the unique barriers to sustainable, 

environmentally responsible high-speed flight

The Quesst 

Mission generates 

key data to support 

development of en 

route certification 

standards based on 

acceptable sound 

levels

www.nasa.gov | 7
Distribution

Center/Warehouse

Inter-City

eV/STOL

Inter-city

eCTOL

Cargo 

Delivery

Air

Ambulance

Cross-metro

Transfer

Airport

Transfer

Cargo

Delivery

Fleet

Operations

Medical

Transfer

Small 

Package Delivery

High Density

Corridor

Regional

Network

Rural Operations Urban Operations

On Demand

Air-Taxi

Advanced Air Mobility Mission

www.nasa.gov | 8

Wildfire Fighting 

Operations

Safe, sustainable, affordable, and accessible aviation 

for transformational local and intraregional missions
www.nasa.gov | 9 Inform Small Electric Aircraft Propulsion Standards and Certification

NASA's X-57 is Pathfinder for Electric Propulsion

Share technical insights 

and lessons learned

Ground and flight validation of electric 

motors, battery, and instrumentation

Enable new

configurations

Structural 

testing

Computational 

simulations

Operational 

checkouts

Motor nacelle 

design & testing

Wind-tunnel

validation

LEAPTech

experiment

INDUSTRY

First flight is early 2023
Evolution of 

Airspace 

Operations 

and Safety S-curves

(Today) (~2035) (~2045)

Trajectory

Automated in-time safety 

monitoring and alerting services

Collaborative

Integrated predictive risk 

mitigation across domains

Highly-Automated

Automatically-assured adaptive 

in-time safety management

Digital Transformation of ATM

www.nasa.gov | 10
University Leadership Initiative

ARMD’s Agile Innovation Ecosystem

NASA Leadership for the Aviation Community –

Exploration, Invention, and Innovation 

Convergent Aeronautics Solutions University Student Research Challenge

www.nasa.gov | 11
University Leadership Initiative (ULI) Engaging the University Community

In ULI, the universities take the lead, build their 

own teams, and set their own research path.

5 rounds of solicitations

$157M of awards

Seeking and awarding proposals 

addressing all strategic thrusts

and special topics

• 23 awards with 64 universities

• 7 HBCUs and 10 other MSIs

• 406 proposals submitted

• 280 different proposing

Principal Investigators

• 3189 team members

• 20–50 students per team

www.nasa.gov | 12
Control Station

Bravo

Predictive

Analysis

Mesh 

network

Wildfire Detection/Mitigation Concept 

of Operations

www.nasa.gov | 13
NASA Hypersonic Research

• NASA considering an integrated commercial high-speed strategy to leverage synergy across the portfolio

• Advance fundamental research and maintain strong partnership with DoD to support national security priorities, 

leverage DOD technology/flight demonstrations

• Understanding and solving significant technical challenges to enable commercial opportunities

Combined Cycle 

Engine Testing

Re-usable Hypersonic 

Propulsion

Design Tools & Uncertainty 

Quantification

FOCUS AREAS

Fundamental Research

Flow Physics & High Temp Materials

Facility Capabilities and Workforce 

Development

Laser measurements of the 

boundary layer

www.nasa.gov | 14
Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities (AETC) Portfolio

NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)

Moffett Field, CA

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)

Hampton, VA

Portfolio Objectives

▪ Strategically manage, operate, 

sustain, and improve a critical portion 

of aerosciences ground test capabilities 

in support of Agency testing 

requirements, DOD collaboration

▪ Ensure the strategic availability and 

ease of access of a minimum critical 

suite of aerosciences ground test 

assets that are necessary to meet the 

long-term needs of the nation.

Portfolio Scope 

▪ Aerosciences ground test facilities deemed 

critical to Agency

▪ Investments in operations, maintenance, 

new capability and test technology, data 

systems and security, and CFDexperimental integration investments

NASA Internal Use Only www.nasa.gov | 15

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC)

Cleveland, OH
Back Up

www.nasa.gov | 16
Aeronautics FY 2023 Budget Request

www.nasa.gov | 17

$ Millions

FY 2022

Request 1/

FY 2022

Enacted 2/ FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027

Aeronautics $914.8 $880.7 $971.5 $990.9 $1,010.7 $1,030.9 $1,051.5 

Airspace Operations and Safety 147.4 156.2 159.0 164.2 183.6 196.8 

Advanced Air Vehicles 243.7 253.2 269.5 287.2 270.5 235.9 

Integrated Aviation Systems 258.6 288.9 287.1 284.0 296.4 322.3 

Transformative Aeronautics Concepts 148.0 155.9 158.0 158.0 163.0 176.6 

Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities 117.0 117.3 117.3 117.3 117.3 119.9 

• Supports a robust Sustainable Flight National Partnership to enable highly efficient next generation aircraft and ensure 

U.S. leadership in aviation

• Conducts the first flight of the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator in 2023. These flight tests will provide data to the 

global aviation community to reassess the ban on supersonic flight over land and implement noise regulations acceptable 

to local communities

• Supports Advanced Air Mobility to ensure U.S. leadership in an emerging aviation market that studies have projected to 

generate an annual market value of $115 billion by 2035

• Increases funding to develop revolutionary, beyond next-generation zero-emissions aircraft concepts and technologies 

through the highly successful University Leadership Initiative

• Funds a new effort to improve aerial responses to wildfires by leveraging NASA UAS traffic management (UTM) 

technologies

1/ - Full-year appropriations for FY 2022 were not enacted at the time this budget was prepared. Therefore, the FY 2022 column reflects the FY 2022 President's Budget Request. 

2/ - FY 2022 Enacted reflects amounts specified in H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 at the Account level.