Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Abstract
The objective of the BIG BLUE 4 program is to positively impact the development of NASA's
future workforce by establishing sustainable opportunities for students and faculty based on the
successes of the first three years of the BIG BLUE inflatable-wing Mars airplane project.
Included in this program is the culminating flight experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of
inflatable wings for Mars exploration and efforts to sustain and expand the opportunities for
students and public outreach. The BIG BLUE project involves undergraduate students in a
unique opportunity to experience the excitement of research and development of a complex
aerospace system including state-of-the-art technology and interaction with aerospace industry
professionals. In essence, students join the aerospace workforce while participating in this
project, influencing their decision to choose and pursue an aerospace career when such a choice
is less likely without their involvement.
Four overlapping and complimentary efforts comprise the BIG BLUE 4 program: 1) Mars
aircraft development and flight testing, 2) autonomous technology development for student
UAV competitions, 3) the culminating balloon-launched inflatable-wing Mars airplane flight
experiment and 4) expanding the impact of the BIG BLUE multi-disciplinary Mars exploration
R&D project as a focus for aerospace workforce development.
This proposal is for the first effort in this endeavor and focuses on the development and flight
testing of a Mars aircraft prototype. Student groups in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical
and Computer Engineering will carry out the design, construction, and testing of the vehicle.
These student groups will closely interact with engineers and scientists from NASA and industry
on their design and testing program. Like previous BIG BLUE efforts, student film makers will
document the project for use in outreach and student recruitment.
2
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 1/1/06 → 6/30/07 |
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