As NASA\u27s designated Center of Excellence in Space Propulsion, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) recently established the Propulsion Research and Technology Division (PRTD), an organization responsible for the theoretical and experimental study of advanced propulsion concepts and technologies. Although the scope of the division is broad, the mission is quite focused - to demonstrate the critical propulsion functions and technologies underpinning the transportation systems and spacecraft needed to achieve NASA\u27s Grand Vision for exploration, commercial development and ultimately human settlement of space. The division is intended to serve as a bridge that takes promising technologies from the conceptual or early experimental stage to proof-of-concept. The aim is to address the key issues associated with promising high-payoff technologies, some of which were conceived decades ago, to where they can be seriously considered for advanced development. This paper describes the division\u27s research strategy and summarizes its current activities
