basic research is also conducted in the fields of 

 science of psychology, mathematics and computer 

 sciences, and social sciences. 



Role of Basic Research 



It is evident from the Space Act that one of 

 NASA's principal missions is the conduct of basic 

 research itself— provided that it is relevant to 

 aeronautical or space activities. As noted m the 

 preceding section, basic research is conducted for 

 the purpose of increasing knowledge in many 

 branches of science relevant to aeronautics and 

 space. Chief among these are the physical, envi- 

 ronmental, life, and engineering sciences. In addi- 

 tion, however, this basic research contributes to 

 NASA's accomplishing its other aeronautics and 

 space missions as well. Specifically, NASA's basic 

 research: 



• Provides, through the engineering sciences, 

 the fundamental knowledge to make possible 

 advances in aeronautical and space technolo- 

 gies which are themselves a NASA objective, 

 and which contribute to the development of 

 aeronautical and space vehicles of improved 

 capability, performance, and economy. Im- 

 proved aeronautical vehicles are the responsi- 

 bility of others, e.g., the Department of De- 

 fense (DOD) or the private sector. Improved 

 space vehicles are within the purview of 

 NASA and make possible further space re- 

 search and exploration. 



• Provides, through the environmental sciences, 

 the fundamental knowledge to aid in identifi- 

 cation and realization of the benefits that can 

 accrue from applications of aerospace tech- 

 nology to observing and predicting weather, 

 climate, and ocean conditions, locating and 

 describing natural resources, and surveying 

 the physical environment. 



• Provides, through the life sciences, the funda- 

 mental knowledge of man and his ability to 

 survive and perform in space that contributes 

 importantly to the achievement of manned 

 space flight. 



• Maintains a highly skilled and motivated sci- 

 entific team, both within and without the Fed- 

 eral establishment, and the institutions to 

 support them in carrying out the NASA mis- 

 sion. 



Examples of Basic Research 



Numerous examples exist of NASA's support of 

 basic research in aeronautics and space sciences. 



1 86 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 



In space science, they are, in many cases, asso- 

 ciated with successful space flight projects, and 

 the research conducted is a direct out-growth of 

 data and observations from instruments carried by 

 the spacecraft. In aeronautics, they result from 

 theoretical and laboratory work and from flights of 

 experimental or testbed aircraft. Both in-house 

 and out-of-house investigators are usually involved 

 in these research activities, and no distinction is 

 herein drawn between them. Some of the more 

 significant examples are: 



• Investigation of the structure, composition, 

 and properties of the terrestrial planets (Mars, 

 Venus. Mercury) and their atmospheres. 

 Flight projects included Mariners 4, 6, 7, and 

 9 (Mars), Mariner 5 (Venus), Mariner/Venus/ 

 Mercury, and Vikings 1 and 2 (Mars). 



• Investigation of the structure, composition, 

 and properties of the moon, using data ac- 

 quired in the Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar 

 Orbiter programs, and data and samples re- 

 turned from the Apollo lunar exploration pro- 

 gram. 



• Investigations of the outer planets (Jupiter, by 

 Pioneers 10 and II). 



• Investigations of the structure, composition, 

 radiative properties, and dynamics of the sun. 

 Many space flight projects contributed, in- 

 cluding Orbiting Solar Observatories (OSO) 

 and the Apollo Telescope Mount carried on 

 the manned Skylab spacecraft. 



• Investigations in ultraviolet and high energy 

 astronomy. Flight projects included Orbiting 

 Astronomical Observatories II and III, the 

 Uhuru satellite, and the Small Astronomy 



Satellites. 



• Research on the origin of life and the search 

 for extraterrestrial life. 



• Research on the composition and structure of 

 the earth's atmosphere, using sounding rock- 

 ets, balloons, and satellite infrared and micro- 

 wave measurements. 



• Research in microgravity materials processes, 

 through experiments carried on board rocket 

 and satellite systems containing various class- 

 es of experiments involving the physics and 

 chemistry of materials. 



• Research in computational fluid dynamics, 

 utilizing the powerful computer systems that 

 have become available in recent years. These 

 computers have made possible basic research 

 of fluid flow involving complex configurations 

 and the dilficult-to-handle transonic flow re- 

 gime. 



• Research in supercritical airfoil aerodynam- 

 ics, providing new concepts in airfoil design 

 that are leading toward applications that in- 



