NASA Selects Six Wild Ideas in Aviation for Further Stud

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June 22, 2015

RELEASE 15-132

NASA Selects Six Wild Ideas in Aviation for Further Study

NASA has selected six proposals to study transformative ideas that might
expand what's possible in aviation, shifting the boundary between fantastic
and futuristic.

NASA research teams have gotten the go-ahead to explore some big ideas that
could transform aviation in (graphics, left to right)) safe and efficient
global operations, ultra-efficient commercial vehicles, low-carbon
propulsion, and autonomy.

During a day-long meeting in April, 17 teams pitched their ideas to NASA
managers. The ideas ranged from environmentally-friendly electric propulsion
that uses an aircraft's structure as a battery, to computer programs that
safely allow new airplane designs to go more quickly from concept to use.
NASA managers likened the scene to a television reality show in which
aspiring entrepreneurs try to sell their ideas to a panel of savvy investors.

"We may find none of these ideas will work," said Doug Rohn, NASA's
Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program director in the agency's
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). "On the other hand, we
could learn they look promising and worth additional longer-term investment."

Funded under NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, the studies
will run from two to 2.5 years. The project teams are made up of NASA
employees from a variety of technical disciplines working across the
agency's aeronautics centers in Virginia, California and Ohio. Each study
involves work across multiple centers and disciplines, and directly addresses
at least one of NASA's strategic research goals for aeronautics.

"The idea of the project is this is an investment process, where we're using
almost venture capital-like principles. But instead of money, our return on
investment is in knowledge and potential solutions to future challenges in
aviation," Rohn said.

At the close of the project study period, successful ideas may be picked up
and funded for additional exploration through other ARMD programs.

For more information about these six projects, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/1IT9tiv

For more information about NASA's aeronautics research, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics

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