Introduction |
||
|
“The making available
to agencies directly concerned with national defense The foregoing statement is an excerpt from the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which in part established the formal relationship between NASA and those responsible for the defense of the nation. Since its initial operations over 80 years ago, the Langley Research Center has maintained an appropriate priority within its research activities to ensure the quality, timeliness, and applications of its research in accordance with this congressional act. As a result, Langley and the Department of Defense (DOD) have maintained a strong and productive relationship. This critical teamwork has been nurtured by mutual respect and recognition that the close working arrangements have benefited both parties. Langley’s support of specific military aircraft development programs and Langley’s fundamental research have provided many benefits to the DOD. By virtue of its independent agency perspective, Langley’s assessments of evolving technology and aircraft systems have provided, and continue to provide, the DOD with unbiased analysis, opinions, data, and extremely valuable recommendations for decisions about aeronautical technology issues in its aircraft programs. Langley’s staff has been frequently called upon to participate or represent the DOD in early assessments and selections of competing aircraft designs. In addition, Langley’s unique wind tunnels, simulators, and computational facilities have been extensively utilized for evaluations and development of military aircraft. The DOD benefits from the extensive experiences and corporate knowledge of the Langley staff as a result of Langley’s participation in a vast number of aircraft development programs. The multidiscipline expertise at Langley is viewed as a unique capability and resource for the nation. The DOD frequently requests the participation of Langley on review boards and accident investigations. The DOD also recognizes that technical problem-solving exercises during aircraft development programs frequently do not provide the fundamental understanding or design tools necessary to avoid similar problems in future aircraft programs. Therefore, the DOD encourages Langley to conduct follow-on research and frequently assists NASA in obtaining the resources required for these efforts. Finally, the DOD and its supporting industries value the innovative concepts and technical capabilities provided by the ongoing fundamental research programs at Langley. Breakthrough concepts in aeronautics take years of dedicated research to bring to maturity and readiness for application. Many examples are discussed herein where Langley conceived, assessed, and reduced the risk of application of enabling technology when that technology was critically needed for the development of major DOD aircraft programs. Providing support to the DOD in the development of military aircraft has provided Langley with very significant benefits. By responding to DOD’s requests, Langley maintains relevance in research endeavors and receives test assets, valuable data, and validation of research concepts. For example, DOD normally provides wind-tunnel models for assessments in Langley’s unique wind-tunnel facilities. (For more information about selected Langley wind tunnels, see the appendix.) After the critical objectives of aircraft development programs have been met, these models are frequently made available to Langley researchers for generic research and assessments of advanced concepts, which provides a mechanism for research studies that might not be otherwise funded within the Langley budget. By participating in problem-solving exercises with DOD, Langley researchers are exposed to a myriad of real-world requirements and constraints, thereby gaining valuable awareness of limitations in designing and conducting research within specific technical disciplines. Researchers also experience the implication of off-design flight conditions on new technologies, and thus obtain a much broader outlook for future research opportunities. Another valuable benefit to Langley is the application and validation of research concepts and technical analysis methods. By becoming a team member in DOD aircraft development programs, Langley researchers obtain highly valued flight-test data and feedback that is unaffordable within NASA budget constraints. The single most important benefit of the DOD and Langley partnership, however, is the application of new technologies to this nation’s first-line military aircraft, thereby helping to ensure the continued supremacy of the airpower of the United States. |
||
|
NASA Official |
Questions |
Page Curator |
Last Updated |