Wind Tunnel Test Measurement Technologies

NASA relies on a diverse portfolio of wind tunnel facilities to support aeronautics research, vehicle development, and validation of advanced computational and experimental methods. These facilities are critical for acquiring high-quality aerodynamic and aeroelastic data to inform design decisions, reduce technical risk, and improve predictive capabilities across subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic regimes. Current wind tunnel test measurement technologies, used for both on-body and off-body aerodynamic data acquisition, face limitations related to spatial and temporal resolution, intrusiveness, scalability, test productivity, and the ability to capture complex physical phenomena such as unsteady flow features, model deformation, and fluid structure interactions. In addition, some existing measurement approaches require extensive setup, calibration, or manual intervention, which can increase test time, cost, and operational complexity. As NASA advances new vehicle concepts and adopts more integrated experimental computational engineering workflows, there is a growing need for innovative wind tunnel test measurement technologies that can enhance data quality, expand measurement capabilities, and improve test efficiency. This includes technologies applicable to aerodynamic force and moment measurements, surface and off-body flow characterization, and/or model deformation and aeroelastic response measurements. Solutions may be applicable to existing wind tunnel models, facilities, or test campaigns and should be adaptable for use in at least one NASA wind tunnel. NASA seeks early-stage technologies that can enable more efficient test operations, reduce measurement uncertainty, minimize test intrusiveness, or provide new classes of data that support advanced engineering methods such as computational model validation, uncertainty quantification, and digital engineering. Considerations may include robustness across a range of flow conditions, compatibility with harsh test environments, ease of integration into current test processes, and potential for scalability to future facilities or missions. Phase I efforts should focus on establishing technical feasibility, demonstrating core measurement concepts, and identifying pathways for application within NASA wind tunnel testing environments.