Aerospace Design and Structures
Structural Dynamics: Advancing a new generation of tiltrotors
Design Engineering: Future flight designs, from supersonic to urban air mobility, becoming reality
Non-deterministic Approaches: Hypersonics benefit from computational efficiencies
Materials: Machine learning and the “inverse problem” take center stage with design, manufacturing, testing and analysis
Adaptive Structures: Morphing structures reveal path to sustainable, quiet aviation
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization: Researchers extend the boundaries for integration and application of multidisciplinary design optimization
Systems Engineering: Supply chain delays contribute to broader challenges
Survivability: U.S. Department of Defense advances survivability for spacecraft, aircraft and personnel
Spacecraft Structures: Webb telescope’s massive sunshield does its job in space, development begins on the next breakthrough space structures
Aerospace Outreach
Aerospace Sciences
Atmospheric Flight Mechanics: Flying farther and faster on and off Earth
Guidance, Navigation and Control: Fusion of multiple sensors and advanced algorithms facilitate new autonomous operation capabilities
Aerodynamic Measurement Technology: High-speed imaging methods demonstrate new diagnostic capabilities
Astrodynamics: Leveraging gravitational complexity for better orbits
Atmospheric and Space Environments: Machine learning, flight experiments highlight progress in aerospace environments
Meshing, Visualization and Computational Environments: New software releases headline year’s achievements
Plasmadynamics and Lasers: Plasma-assisted propulsion and energy: toward carbon-free, high-efficiency processes
Applied Aerodynamics: Progress in the wind tunnel, virtual tunnel, air and digital spaces
Aeroacoustics: Pursuing a quieter future in civil aviation
Ground Testing: Significant enhancements and improvements to test capability
Modeling and Simulation: Simulating future air and space operations to ensure safety
Thermophysics: Successful flight experiments provide new hypersonic insights
Fluid Dynamics: Utilizing fluid mechanics and data sciences to enable high-speed aeropropulsion
Aircraft Technology, Integration and Operations
Air Transportation Systems: Air transportation encounters inflationary headwinds on its recovery from pandemic
Aircraft Operations: Aircraft operators rebound but continue to struggle with delays
Balloon Systems: Balloon missions soar to new heights
VSTOL Aircraft Systems: Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft dominate powered-lift community focus
Electrified Aircraft Technology: Electrified aircraft ground and flight tests continue progress toward sustainable aviation
Flight Testing: Going fast, going high or just going somewhere, flight testers were busy
Lighter-Than-Air Systems: LTA Research building second, bigger zeppelin as first prepares for flight
Hypersonic Technologies and Aerospace Planes: Operational expendable hypersonics and the race for reusability
Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems: Parachutes from air and space
General Aviation: Post-pandemic comeback and breakthroughs for electric flight
Aircraft Design: Year of new designs, retirement of venerated models
Information Systems
Human-Machine Teaming: Aerospace community continues to harness potential of human-machine teaming
Software: CAPSTONE software bug, Russian hacking Ukraine computer systems and data integrity advances among the year’s highlights
Computer Systems: Computing advances allow planetary missions to leap forward
Digital Avionics: Enabling advances in aircraft operations
Sensor Systems and Information Fusion: Multisensor systems and information fusion enables new capabilities in multiple domains, from U.S. Space Force to urban air mobility
Communications Systems: Operators make progress on constellation deployment for secure, low-cost global connectivity
Aerospace Cybersecurity: Space and aviation sectors take steps to guard against increased cyberattacks
Intelligent Systems: Year of autonomy in Alaskan glaciers, flight, Earth orbit, cislunar space and Mars
Integration
Supersonics: Bringing civil supersonic flight closer to fruition
CFD Vision 2030: Continued progress toward the CFD Vision 2030 goals
Space Exploration: Space exploration’s giant eye in the sky opens
Transformational Flight: Transformational flight prepares path to operations
Aerospace Traffic Management: U.S. prepares for new entrants in the national airspace
Propulsion and Energy
Hybrid Rockets: Advancements in laser ignition systems, active controls, hybrid biofuels and suborbital sounding rockets
Propellants and Combustion: Ammonia for clean and sustainable propulsion
Electrified Aircraft Technology: Electrified aircraft ground and flight tests continue progress toward sustainable aviation
Gas Turbine Engines: Gas turbine engines focus on decarbonization of commercial air travel
Solid Rockets: Major strides in hypersonic booster development and weapons appropriations highlight 2022
Inlets, Nozzles and Propulsion Systems Integration: New integration and alternative fuel initiatives create greater efficiency, reduce emissions
Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion: Nuclear propulsion: bringing human presence to Mars
Liquid Propulsion: Opportunities abound with the world’s most powerful rockets
Terrestrial Energy Systems: Progress toward hydrogen aviation
Energetic Components and Systems: Propellant from Mars, metallic combustion and an exploding foil initiator
High-Speed Air-Breathing Propulsion: Ramjet and scramjet propulsion mature, advancing weapon capabilities
Pressure Gain Combustion: Rotating detonation engines at the forefront of pressure gain combustion
Aerospace Power Systems: Strategic year for resumption of lunar missions and beyond
Electric Propulsion: Variety grows and performance improves in space electric propulsion
Space and Missiles