The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today Texas A&M University (TAMU) was selected for a one-year, $500,000 applied research award to develop both analytical and empirical procedures to quantify high-altitude and near-space atmospheric weather encounters for current and future hypersonic flight system designs.
The proposed research, sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH), will be jointly undertaken by TAMU, Wichita State University, National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR), Prairie View A&M University, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM).
During hypersonic flight, the physical and chemical environment can vary substantially because of the presence of natural environments, such as clouds and electrical discharges. These conditions are exacerbated by the effects such as temperature, pressure, gas composition, flow velocity, and turbulence. These can result in damaging effects that alter the aerodynamics of the vehicle and cause severe material damage and structural failures. This research aims to understand and predict the system impacts of these complex and coupled hypersonic environments.
One of the main objectives of the UCAH and JHTO is workforce development. This project will provide cutting-edge hypersonics, diagnostics, and materials research to graduate and undergraduate students at several universityies, including one of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities members.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military's technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.
