WASHINGTON -- NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has amended its NASA Research Announcement to solicit additional research proposals. The "Research Opportunities in Aeronautics 2007" announcement solicits proposals for the Hypersonics project in several new areas.

The Hypersonics project will focus the research on some of the toughest challenges in the field. They include the development of materials for airframe and propulsion applications that can withstand severe temperatures for extended periods of time. The research also will look to develop predictive models for compressible flow, turbulence, heating, ablation, combustion, and their interactions.

Other research will focus on the creation of advanced control techniques for vehicles that fly in the hypersonic flow regime as well as the generation of new experimental techniques that can be used to validate theoretical and computational models. In addition, the project seeks to develop propulsion systems that integrate high-speed turbine engines or rockets and scramjets, and will tie together all of the close interactions among the airframe, inlet, nozzle, and propulsion systems.

Specific evaluation criteria, deadlines and points of contact for these research topics and other project areas are available in the announcement at - http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ -