Although NASA software engineers have created thousands of computer programs, the NASA Structural Analysis Program, or NASTRAN, is considered one of the most successful and widely used. Originally created for spacecraft design, NASTRAN and other useful programs are available to private industry worldwide to improve the manufacturing of non-aerospace structural components before prototyping even begins.
NASTRAN, software developed to help NASA engineers perform structural analysis in the 1960s, soon became a ubiquitous software tool in industry. It was the first of its kind and opened the door to computer-aided engineering. Still popular today, it’s been used to help design everything from airplanes and cars to nuclear reactors and roller coasters. At NASA, it continues to be used to design space- and aircraft.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts structural analysis within your city's automotive environment!