Development and Application of an Integrated Approach toward NASA Airspace Systems Research

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Airspace Systems Program is contributing air traffic management research in support of the 2025 Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Contributions support research and development needs provided by the interagency Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). These needs generally call for integrated technical solutions that improve systemlevel performance and work effectively across multiple domains and planning time horizons. In response, the Airspace Systems Program is pursuing an integrated research approach and has adapted systems engineering best practices for application in a research environment. Systems engineering methods aim to enable researchers to methodically compare different technical approaches, consider system-level performance, and develop compatible solutions. Systems engineering activities are performed iteratively as the research matures. Products of this approach include a demand and needs analysis, system-level descriptions focusing on NASA research contributions, system assessment and design studies, and common systemlevel metrics, scenarios, and assumptions. Results from the first systems engineering iteration include a preliminary demand and needs analysis; a functional modeling tool; and initial system-level metrics, scenario characteristics, and assumptions. Demand and needs analysis results suggest that several advanced concepts can mitigate demand/capacity imbalances for NextGen, but fall short of enabling three-times current-day capacity at the nation's busiest airports and airspace. Current activities are focusing on standardizing metrics, scenarios, and assumptions, conducting system-level performance assessments of integrated research solutions, and exploring key system design interfaces.

Aeronautics and astronautics: Recent progress and future trends

“…The Vision 2020 initiative describes a future system with 99 per cent punctuality in all weather conditions, with a fivefold reduction in the average accident rate of EU and US operators, capable of halving the CO 2 emissions per passenger-kilometre and of eliminating noise nuisance outside the airport boundary both day and night [5]. Analogously, NASA has set up the Next Generation Air Transportation System program, NextGen, with a 2025 horizon to make key contributions along similar guidelines [120,121]. To improve the overall airspace system, NextGen relies to a much greater extent on information sharing and collaborative decision making across the entire network of systems and participants, including pilots, air traffic controllers, and airline operations personnel [120].…”

“…Analogously, NASA has set up the Next Generation Air Transportation System program, NextGen, with a 2025 horizon to make key contributions along similar guidelines [120,121]. To improve the overall airspace system, NextGen relies to a much greater extent on information sharing and collaborative decision making across the entire network of systems and participants, including pilots, air traffic controllers, and airline operations personnel [120].…”

“…We all know very good examples of co-operation at a personal or institutional level, but collaboration on a larger scale is more infrequent. Thence, initiatives like GARTEUR, to harmonize and gather research efforts of all European aerospace research centres [42], or the close collaboration between Federal Aviation Administration and Eurocontrol to establish common definitions, scenarios, and metrics regarding the future air transportation system [120], are truly welcome.…”