Do NASA's Wind Tunnel and Propulsion Test Facilities Serve National Needs?

The nation has invested billions of dollars in wind tunnel and propulsion test facilities— investments that have created a testing infrastructure that has helped secure the country’s national security and prosperity through advances in commercial and military aeronautics and space systems. Many of these facilities exist within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Over the past two decades, NASA has reduced the number of these facilities by one-third, has identified additional facilities to be closed, and is experiencing patterns of declining use in some facilities that suggest they too may face closure. Given these trends, the RAND Corporation was asked to clarify the nation’s aeronautic testing needs and the continuing place that NASA’s facilities have in serving these needs. The research answered five basic questions: (1) What are the nation’s current and future needs for aeronautic prediction capabilities? (2) What roles do NASA’s facilities play in serving these needs? (3) How well aligned is its portfolio of facilities with national needs? (4) How “healthy” is its portfolio? and (5) How should it manage that portfolio?