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Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s associate administrator for aeronautics, wrapped up his tour of the agency’s four primary aeronautics centers with a visit to NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley last week. At Ames he visited the Mission Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies (MADCAT) demonstrator, where researchers use emerging digital composite manufacturing and fabrication methods to build ultra-light aircraft structures that can provide adaptive and aerodynamically efficient future air vehicles. The MADCAT demonstrator will be flight tested over the summer to assess the feasibility of the proposed aerostructure concept.
While at Ames, Shin gave an overview of NASA’s 10-year aeronautics budget plan to accelerate the adoption of green aviation technologies. The plan includes funding for building a series of experimental aircraft, and for expanded work in air traffic management field demonstrations of tools that can reduce fuel use and delays. Ames personnel briefed Shin on a number of aeronautics activities at the center, including the integrated computation and experimental work supporting the Environmentally Responsible Aviation project. This team planned and executed a series of tests of a hybrid wing body aircraft in a wind tunnel at Ames, helping to advance the development of green aviation technologies and concepts.
Shin also presented awards to Ames staff who distinguished themselves through their approach to their work in aeronautics, and who achieved notable results during fiscal year 2015. Five winners were honored, including three individuals and two groups.
Media contact: Sharon Lozano, Ames Research Center