The following research projects are currently underway in SSDL.
| Main Topic | Description | Sponsor/Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Entry, Descent and Landing Technology Development for Future High Mass Mars Entry Systems | Identification of technology challenges and potential solutions for large-scale EDL systems.
|
NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA ARMD, NASA ESMD |
| Aerodynamic and Structural Investigation of Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators | Design, analysis and testing of inflatable aerodynamic decelerators for use at Earth and Mars. Application to supersonic and/or hypersonic flight. | NASA Langley Research Center, ILC Dover, NASA ARMD, Boeing, DARPA |
| Space Systems Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization |
|
JPL, NASA Langley Research Center |
| Guidance, Control, and Mission Design for Hypersonic Deployable Aerodynamic Devices | System- and subsystem-level analyses to support guidance and control system development, mission design, and requirements definition for vehicles employing hypersonic deployable aerodynamic devices. | Charles Stark Draper Laboratory |
| F6 Fractionated Spacecraft | Analyses, methods development, and design support for assessing flexibility-related benefits of spacecraft fractionation in the areas of responsiveness, reliability, risk, cost, and overall value returned. Efforts are directed in support of DARPA's F6 spacecraft flight demonstration program. | Orbital Sciences Corporation, DARPA |
| Multi-Moon Tour Design | Pathfinding and Delta-V optimization for multi-body tour options for the next flagship mission to outer planets. | JPL |
| Rapid Reconnaissance and Response Nanosatellite | Autonomous detection of a thermal target via satellite remote sensing. Relay of the target coordinates to an unmanned aerial vehicle for high-resolution imaging. Student spaceflight system and mission operations development. | AFOSR, GTRI, JPL, Arizona State University |