Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2021)
Recipient: RESEARCH IN FLIGHT LLC
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2018-12-20 to 2021-12-19
Current total value of award: $540000
Description: NASA RESEARCH ANNOUCEMENT (NRA) FOR MOODULAR GENERALIZED FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING AIRCRAFT AERO-PROPULSIVE, STABILITY, AND CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS  NASA CONTINUES TO INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL OF ADVANCED, INNOVATIVE PROPULSION AND AIRFRAME CONCEPTS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY FOR FUEL AND NOISE REDUCTION AND TO ENABLE NEW VISIONS FOR FLEXIBLE, ON-DEMAND TRAVEL FOR THE PUBLIC. THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF ADVANCED VEHICLE DESIGNS SUCH AS BLENDED WING BODIES AND DISTRIBUTED ELECTRIC PROPULSION HAVE LONG BEEN KNOWN, BUT THESE DESIGNS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO TRANSITION INTO THE COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC DOMAIN BECAUSE OF GAPS IN THE ABILITY TO EFFICIENTLY AND RELIABLY MODEL THEM IN THE DESIGN TOOL SETS. MODELING THESE DESIGNS IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING FOR THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PHASE WHERE MISSION TARGETS AND PERFORMANCE GOALS ARE FIRST TRANSLATED INTO POTENTIAL AIRCRAFT DESIGNS THAT CAN MEET THOSE GOALS. HOWEVER, CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF UNCONVENTIONAL AIRFRAME (GEOMETRIES THAT DIFFER FROM THE HISTORICALLY POPULAR  WING-AND-TUBE  DESIGN OR WHICH TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FLOW AUGMENTATION TO IMPROVE LIFT/DRAG CHARACTERISTICS) AND UNCONVENTIONAL PROPULSION (ENERGY FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN CARBON LIQUID FUEL) CONCEPTS AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE CURRENTLY USED WITHIN NASA FOR TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED CONCEPTS TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY PULL, AND INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF NEW CONCEPTS. NASA S SYSTEMS ANALYSTS NEED IMPROVED CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS TOOLS TO SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS. MANY TRADITIONAL METHODS OF SIZING AIRCRAFT CONTROL SURFACES AND ASSURING ACCEPTABLE HANDLING QUALITIES HAVE LOST THEIR VALIDITY AS MORE UNCONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT ARE BEING STUDIED, AND ADDITIONAL DYNAMIC MODES MIGHT BECOME UNSTABLE. NASA IS SEEKING TO DEVELOP METHODS FOR ANALYSIS OF AIRCRAFT STATIC AND DYNAMIC STABILITY CHARACTERISTICS SUITABLE FOR UNCONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT IN THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN STAGE. THE METHODS SHOULD BE VERIFIED AND DEMONSTRATED THROUGH SIMULATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF UNCONVENTIONAL FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS WITH TIGHT COUPLING OF PROPULSION AND AERODYNAMICS CHARACTERISTICS, INCLUDING EVALUATION OF ACTIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS TO ENABLE DESIGN OF UNCONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT. THIS STATEMENT OF WORK IS THE RESULT OF A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED BY RESEARCH IN FLIGHT, LLC FOR AWARD UNDER THE NASA HEADQUARTERS ARMD NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT (NRA) ENTITLED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN AERONAUTICS 2018, AMENDMENT NNH18ZEA001N, SUBTOPIC 2.1.6. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL DEVELOP TOOLS, PROCESSES, AND METHODS THAT ALLOW THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGNER OR ANALYST TO ASSESS AND EVALUATE THE STABILITY AND CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS OF UNCONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS.