Drucella Andersen

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

August 25, 1993
(Phone: 202/358-4727)

RELEASE: 93-152

NASA BOOSTS HYPERSONIC RESEARCH WITH UNIVERSITY GRANTS

NASA is funding three new university research centers that

will foster the next generation of researchers and engineers in
hypersonic aeronautics -- flight at more than 5 times the speed of
sound.

Syracuse University, N.Y., the University of Maryland,

College Park, and the University of Texas at Arlington were chosen
from 30 applicants to develop science and engineering curricula
that will train students to do leading-edge hypersonic research.
Each school will receive $200,000 annually for 3 years.

"These schools had the best mix of proposed curricula,

research activities, management ability and willingness to share
program costs," said Vincent L. Rausch, Director for NASA's
National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) office, which manages the
agency's hypersonic research. "We think this is an excellent way
to connect academia with our national-level hypersonic efforts."

Under the grants, the schools will create undergraduate and

graduate curricula, analytical and experimental course work and
text materials aimed at hypersonic aeronautics. The schools also
will do basic and applied research for hypersonic vehicles, with
an emphasis on airbreathing engines.

NASA is funding the three centers to counter today's shortage

of young hypersonic researchers, which has resulted from a lack of
U.S. activity in the field from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.
Scientists and engineers with more than 25 years of experience now
dominate the field. Many of them likely will retire in a few
years.

"We expect hypersonic aircraft development to increase both

here and abroad before the end of the decade," said Rausch, "so
the talent pool we hope to create with this program will be
critical to U.S. competitiveness in aeronautics."

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Although hypersonic propulsion is a major focus, the three

university research centers also will work in aerodynamics,
materials and structures, stability and control, test methods and
systems integration. NASA will encourage the schools to work
closely with one or more NASA research centers for their mutual
benefit and to foster the exchange of data with the aerospace
community.

NASA also will urge the universities to increase the

participation by women, minorities and disabled people in the
hypersonic research and training activities.

The National Aero-Space Plane program is a joint effort by

NASA and the Department of Defense to develop technologies for
future vehicles that would provide efficient, less costly access
to space. Vehicles derived from NASP technology would take off
horizontally, fly into orbit using airbreathing engines as their
primary propulsion, then return to land on a runway.

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