Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Aeronautics: Breakthrough Technologies to MeetFuture Air and Space Transportation Needs and Goals

摘要

After the completion of the National Research Council (NRC) report, MaintainingU.S. Leadership in Aeronautics: Scenario-Based Strategic Planning for NASA's Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology requested that the NRC remain involved in its strategic planning process by conducting a study to identify a short list of revolutionary or breakthrough technologies that could be critical to the 20 to 25 year future of aeronautics and space transportation. These technolgies were to address the areas of need and opportunity identified in the above mentioned NRC report, which have been characterized by NASA's 10 goals (see Box ES-1) in 'Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology: Three Pillars for Success' (NASA, 1997). The present study would also examine the 10 goals to determine if they are likely to be achievable, either through evolutionary steps in technology or through the identification and application of breakthrough ideas, concepts, and technologies. After gathering information and collecting ideas from a broad cross section of the aerospace community, the committee organized and conducted a Breakthrough Aerospace Technologies Workshop, which was held on February 19 and 20, 1998, to provide additional input; and assist the committee in assessing the technologies and concepts that had been compiled during the previous five months. The committee and the workshop participants adopted a broad definition of 'breakthrough technology,' which included: (1) discrete technologies that might result in revolutionary improvements in capability; and (2) broad technology areas that might enable dramatic improvements through either evolutionary or revolutionary developments. In addition, the committee and workshop participants recognized that breakthrough capabilities for complex systems, such as air vehicles, launch vehicle, and their related infrastructures, often result from the novel integration of existing 'off-the-self' technologies, rather than from revolutionary changes or sudden advances in knowledge or techniques.