D.3 Transformational Tools and Technologies Project (TTT1) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is NASA Headquarters ARMD Amendment 5 to the Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2015 NASA Research Announcement (NRA). It is offered as a discretionary grant opportunity under Funding Opportunity Number NNH15ZEA001N, subtopic area D.3 titled "Transformational Tools and Technologies Project (TTT1)."

2) What is the main purpose of the TTT1 call?

The purpose is to fund foundational research that strengthens the core tools, methods, and validation approaches used by NASA and the broader aeronautics community to analyze, design, and optimize future air vehicles and systems. The call emphasizes transformational improvements in modeling and simulation capabilities.

3) What technical areas does NASA emphasize most in this call?

The announcement emphasizes modeling and simulation improvements, particularly in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), aero-thermo-chemistry, fluid-structure interaction (FSI), and integrated materials and structures simulation.

4) How many awards did NASA anticipate making?

NASA anticipated making about 10 awards under this amendment.

5) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is indicated in the provided information.

6) What CFDA number and program area apply to this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 43.002 (Aeronautics) within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

7) How is the technical scope organized?

The announcement is structured around 11 specific research subtopics (listed in Appendix D.3) intended to address major barriers to reliable prediction and efficient design for next-generation aeronautics.

8) Why is turbulence a major focus in the subtopics?

A large portion of the topics address turbulence because it remains one of the dominant sources of uncertainty and computational expense in aerodynamic prediction at relevant scales and complexities.

9) Which subtopics relate to turbulence modeling, simulation, and validation?

The subtopics include turbulence modeling and simulations (1.1) and turbulence modeling CFD validation experiments (1.4). The pairing suggests interest in both model/theory development and high-quality experimental datasets for assessment, calibration, and improvement of models.

10) What kinds of advances are implied by "robust and efficient solution techniques"?

It typically points to advances in numerical algorithms and solvers that improve stable convergence, accuracy, and speed across challenging flow regimes and geometries.

11) What is meant by "extreme scale geometry and mesh generation environments"?

This reflects the need for modern pre-processing pipelines that can handle very large, complex configurations and enable high-performance computing workflows, especially for large-scale CFD problems.

12) What is the goal of "rapid viscous aerodynamic analysis and design methods"?

This subtopic targets methods that can incorporate viscous effects (important for real-world aerodynamic performance) without the prohibitive turnaround times often associated with the highest-fidelity CFD, supporting faster design iteration.

13) What structural modeling capabilities is NASA interested in for early design work?

NASA highlights tools and methods for increased fidelity structural modeling for conceptual design and optimization (1.6), indicating interest in improving early-phase structural representations used in trade studies and optimization.

14) What does the call seek under high-fidelity nonlinear FSI analysis and design?

Subtopic (1.7) focuses on coupled aeroelastic and aero-structural phenomena where airflow and structural response interact, which is especially important for flexible, lightweight, or novel configurations.

15) Are propulsion and combustion topics included, or is it only aerodynamics and structures?

Propulsion-related physics and multi-physics modeling challenges are included. The subtopics go beyond aerodynamics into liquid sprays and combustion chemistry/modeling.

16) What does "liquid spray modeling and simulations" cover?

Subtopic (1.8) addresses atomization, droplet dynamics, and spray-turbulence interactions relevant to fuel injection and combustor performance.

17) What combustion chemistry topics are included?

Two subtopics explicitly target combustion chemistry and sensitivity to fuel composition: reduced chemical kinetics models (1.9) and turbulent combustion models (1.10).

18) Why are reduced chemical kinetics models mentioned?

Reduced kinetics generally aims to capture key chemical behavior with fewer species and reactions, supporting computational tractability while retaining predictive accuracy, including when fuel properties vary.

19) What is the focus of turbulent combustion models in this call?

Turbulent combustion modeling (1.10) focuses on how turbulence and chemistry interact under realistic engine conditions, with an emphasis on predictive tools that remain practical for analysis and design.

20) What does the "Vision 2040" materials and structures topic refer to?

Subtopic (2.1) references "Vision 2040" for integrated, multiscale materials and structures modeling/simulation. This points to longer-horizon capability building across scales, with the goal of better integration between materials behavior, structural performance, and system-level design decisions.

21) Who could apply, based on the posting description?

The opportunity was described as open to unrestricted applicants, meaning it was broadly available to eligible entity types (subject to any clarifications in the full solicitation text).

22) What were the key dates for this opportunity?

It was posted April 30, 2015. A Notice of Intent (NOI) was due May 11, 2015. Full proposals were due June 15, 2015. The archive date was July 15, 2015.

23) Was a Notice of Intent (NOI) part of the process?

Yes. A Notice of Intent (NOI) was due on May 11, 2015, based on the provided information.

24) Where was the full announcement available?

The full announcement was made available through NSPIRES.

25) Who was the point of contact for access issues?

The point of contact listed for access issues was L. Renee Williams, identified as the NRA Manager and a Langley Research Center (LaRC) program analyst associated with the Transformational Tools and Technologies Project under the Transformative Aero Concepts Program within ARMD.

26) Which NASA organization released this amendment?

NASA Headquarters, through the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), released the amendment.

27) What is the relationship between TTT1 and ARMD programs?

TTT1 is described as part of the Transformational Tools and Technologies Project under the Transformative Aero Concepts Program within ARMD.

28) What kind of research is NASA trying to enable through these subtopics?

Research that breaks through barriers to reliable prediction and efficient design, especially at the scales and complexities relevant to next-generation aeronautics, with a strong emphasis on improving the underlying analysis and simulation toolchain and its validation.