Weight, performance and durability are critical drivers for any aerospace system.  Reduced vehicle and system weight can enable reduced fuel consumption and emissions (aircraft), reduced launch costs and complexity (spacecraft) and increased payload capacity.  Performance improvements can enhance vehicle and mission capability.  System and vehicle durability are important since they impact mission safety and effectiveness.  Nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing have the potential to help address each of these concerns by enabling such developments as lightweight, multifunctional materials, low power and volume sensors with high selectivity and sensitivity, radiation hard, fault tolerant electronics, and higher output energy generation and storage devices.  NASA has developed a 20+ year plan for the development of nanostructured materials and devices and their insertion in NASA missions.  NASA is pursuing technology needs identified in this roadmap in partnership with other Federal agencies under the National Nanotechnology Initiative's Signature Initiatives, in particular the NNI Nanomanufacturing Signature Initiative.  This presentation will provide a perspective on future needs identified in the roadmap, the relationship between NASA's nanomanufacturing R&D and the NNI Nanomanufacturing Signature Initiative and a few examples of current research activities focused on meeting those needs.

Opportunities and challenges in nanomanufacturing for aerospace applications

248th National Meeting (2014)

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