NASA Designation of Their Ames Facility to Be Lead Center for Helicopter Research and Development

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) decision to designate the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, as the lead center for helicopter research and development was examined. The basis for the NASA decision was a report by a group headed by the Director of the NASA Lewis Research Center which recommended that a single management focus for all helicopter research and technology be established. Three options were considered: (1) making Ames the lead center; (2) making the Langley Research Center in Virginia the lead center; or (3) centralizing the headquarters role.