Key idea: New technology is a key to helping NASA advance its long-term exploration goals for the benefit of all. To support its effort, the agency announced Thursday (March 16) it will create two new institutes to develop technology in critical areas for engineering and climate research.
Original author and publication date: NASA – March 16, 2023
Futurizonte Editor’s Note: Two new NASA’s institutes will develop so far unthinkable technology. Star Trek is looking more and more as a documentary.
From the article:
Two new Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs) will leverage teams led by U.S. universities to create multidisciplinary research and technology development programs critical to NASA’s future. By bringing together science, engineering, and other disciplines from universities, industry, and non-profits, the institutes aim to impact future aerospace capabilities through investments in early-stage technology.
One of the research institutes will focus on quantum sensing technology in support of climate research. The other will work to improve understanding and help enable rapid certification of metal parts created using advanced manufacturing techniques.
“We’re thrilled to draw on the expertise of these multi-university teams to create technology for some of our most pressing needs,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“Their work will enable next-generation science for studying our home planet and broaden the use of 3D-printed metal parts for spaceflight with state-of-the-art modeling.”
Each institute will receive up to $15 million over five years.
The University of Texas at Austin will lead the Quantum Pathways Institute, focused on advancing quantum sensing technology for next-generation Earth science applications. Such technology would enable new understanding of our planet and the effects of climate change.
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh will lead Institute for Model-based Qualification & Certification of Additive Manufacturing (IMQCAM) aiming to improve computer models of 3D-printed – also called additively manufactured – metal parts and expand their utility in spaceflight applications. The institute will be co-led by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
