We propose to develop a tool for NASA researchers based on IDL and DAP for user-friendly remote data access.  A popular data analysis tool in the NASA research community is IDL (Interactive Data Language).  A main limitation presently on performing data analysis with IDL for NASA researchers is that often the data to analyze is located remotely from the scientist, and also, often the data is too  
large to transfer for local analysis.    Researchers have developed a  
protocol for accessing remote data, the Data Access Protocol (DAP), and one can use DAP from within IDL, but presently using the DAP-IDL interface is both limited and cumbersome.  We propose to develop a more powerful, user-friendly interface to DAP for IDL.  At the completion of this work, users will be able to browse remote data sets from an IDL GUI, have an interactive IDL command line session simultaneous with the remote visualization and write custom IDL functions that will act on the remote data with results displayed locally.  We will make all of these IDL-DAP tools usable seamlessly for any IDL user.
NASA has identified needs for compact high-energy-density primary and secondary batteries.  Lithium and Lithium Ion cells, respectively, are meeting these needs for both manned and unmanned needs.  The high power available in some of these cell chemistries can cause substantial internal heating in the event of sustained internal and external heating.  At sufficiently elevated temperatures, cell components can react energetically causing cell case rupture, and in some cases, fire.  The proposed will develop and demonstrate an internal means of controlling short circuit, which is chemically and electrochemically compatible with the cell's active materials.  Using suitable controls, safe handling of an external short circuit will be demonstrated in small cells.
Available digital dosimeters are bulky and unable to provide real-time monitoring of dose for space radiation.  The complexity of space-flight design requires reliable, fault-tolerant equipment capable of providing real-time dose readings during a mission, which is not feasible with the existing thermo-luminescent dosimeter (TLD) technology, especially during extravehicular activities (EVA).  Real-time monitoring is important for low-Earth orbiting spacecraft and interplanetary space flight to alert the crew when Solar Particle Events (SPE) increase the particle flux of the spacecraft environment.  
The Phase-II project will design and fabricate a prototype Dosimeter-on-a-Chip (DoseChip) for personal dosimetry comprised of a tissue-equivalent scintillation crystal coupled to a solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM).  The ubiquitous nature of CMOS technology provides a standardized development platform, and the ability to integrate the supporting electronics into a miniature, lightweight design.
The DoseChip provides a tissue-equivalent response to the relevant energies and types of radiation for low-Earth orbit and interplanetary space flight to the moon or Mars and will be sensitive to the dose rates and particle fluxes of ambient Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) to the higher rates of major SPE.  The DoseChip will complement the existing Crew Passive Dosimeters by providing real-time dosimetry and as an alarming monitor for SPE.
For lunar-based fission power systems that will support In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) or Mars robotic and manned missions, power requirements may vary from 10s to 100s of kWe to support initial human missions and longer term lunar bases.  Due to the large amounts of waste heat generated by these systems, a key consideration is the development of lightweight, highly efficient heat rejection systems (HRS) that can operate at elevated temperatures (~550 K).  Our innovation is the integration of an ultra-light radiator panel with a lightweight titanium heat pipe.  Our approach will reduce the total mass by 32&#37; compared to our baseline design.  In addition, our innovation will greatly surpass the performance of carbon-composite systems under consideration and represents a lower risk approach to achieve a practical HRS.  In Phase I, we demonstrated the feasibility by fabricating, demonstrating, and delivering a proof-of-concept panel.  During Phase II, we will fabricate, test, and deliver a full-scale prototype.
In this Phase II effort Toyon will increase the state-of-the-art for video/image systems.  This will include digital image compression algorithms as well as system level integration, encompassing the image sensor all the way to compressed imagery data transport.  To accomplish these goals Toyon will design a complete FPGA-based video compression system. The novel aspect of this design lies in the dynamically reconfigurable hardware IP cores that will interface to an embedded processor. Similar to a software defined radio (SDR) system where separate RF waveforms are loaded at runtime, Toyon aims to reload separate image compression encoders.  This enables the use of several different image/video compression standards, all on the same hardware platform.  The dynamically reconfiguring architecture of this system enables a single image sensor and hardware platform to handle the two most common space video camera applications, while still maintaining low power consumption in a highly integrated package.  First, H.264 for high framerate, real-time video for situational awareness and surveillance.  Second, lossless JPEG200 encoding for scientific and research post-processing.  However, due to limited funds for this Phase II design, we will most likely work with a purchased H.264 IP core along with a standard JPEG compression core, which Toyon developed on the Phase I of this program.  Providing the capability to reconfigure for both motion video and still image compression will provide near-term utility and demonstrate feasibility for Phase III development.  Toyon will target the solution to a custom fully radiation hardened hardware platform.  Potential radiation hardened components include a Xilinx FPGA, Xilinx PROM, Atmel SRAM memory, Aeroflex voltage regulators, and a Cypress CMOS image sensor paired with space-ready optics.
The development of a library of Common MDO Objects is proposed, in which the software objects will automate a variety of recurring problems in the development of MDO systems. The focus of the Phase I project was development of MDO objects to implement multi-fidelity modeling and simulation within MDO systems, and to implement general inter-disciplinary mapping/coupling algorithms that can apply to disciplines such as aerodynamics, structures, and thermal. These modules will make it much easier to develop MDO applications, as the common issues can be solved by simply selecting the appropriate "MDO Object".  In Phase II we extend this to the problems of design space exploration, uncertainty quantification, and analysis/test correlation, and demonstrate the approach on a set of MDAO problems.
NAL Research Corporation proposes to develop a small, light-weight, low-cost transceivers capable of establishing satellite communications links for telemetry and control during the launch and ascent stages of flight. The proposed transceiver will offer continuous and truly global coverage. When data are sent from a launch vehicle, the signals are received immediately by one of the LEO satellites and relayed in real-time to command and control center via either Public Switched Telephone Network/Public Data Networks (PSTN/PDN), directly to another transceiver, through the Internet or through a direct IP address. The entire process can take a fraction of a second. This will provide electronic global access to airborne vehicles from any place.
We are developing CAD tools, models and methodologies for electronics design for circuit operation in extreme environments with focus on very low temperatures (&lt;20K). These new tools and methodologies will give rise to circuit designs that minimize the requirements for external heat sources that are currently often necessary for operation of low-temperature electronics. Such technology would significantly improve reliability, performance and lifetime of electronics that are used for space applications, including satellites and space travel. This will be achieved through the development of unique circuits and simulation tools that are derived from novel physics-based modeling techniques and verified by experiment. Temperature-stable designs and design methods will be provided as well. The new cryogenic design tools will greatly reduce the chances of error during actual circuit implementation, and thus reduce the number of design cycles, thereby substantially decreasing fabrication times and expenses. Models and CAD tools are relatively inexpensive as compared to fabrication costs; thus the results of this project should provide a very large return on investment.
The proposed research program aims at developing a variable-fidelity software tool set for aeroservothermoelastic-propulsive (ASTE-P) modeling that can be routinely applied to the design of aerospace vehicles. The toolset can be applied to conventional vehicle types as well as hypersonic vehicles. The major issues involved in ASTE-P modeling and simulation will be significantly and extensively investigated in this project, which include full coupling between fluid/structure/control dynamics, the aeroservothermoelastic-propulsive instability, the viscous/turbulent effects, shock and shock-boundary layer interaction, as well as the large unsteady and highly nonlinear aerothermal dynamic loading on structure of vehicles. The interface of the structure/control surface dynamic vibration modes with flows will be modeled using particle-based material point method (MPM) in an integrated dynamic fluid-structure interaction environment. The MPM is essentially a particle-based method which avoids dealing with the time-varying mesh distortions and boundary variations due to structure/control surface deformations and/or motions (i.e. wing flutters, FCS/structural mode interaction, PSD turbulence response), thus being significantly more robust and computationally efficient than the traditional finite element methods that must utilize moving-boundary and mesh-regeneration. The results achieved in Phase I have demonstrated the initial capability; the end software in Phase II will be fully capable of ASTE-P analysis and evaluation for aerospace vehicles.
This SBIR effort examines the feasibility of an innovative fabrication technology incorporating sand casting and friction stir processing (FSP) for producing affordable near net shape components made from high performance Ni-based superalloys.  Sand casting is a relatively inexpensive casting method not traditionally used to manufacture superalloy castings.  Instead of expensive "invested" ceramic shells found in investment casting, the molds are produced from a mixture of inexpensive fine sand and/or graphite powder.  Friction stir processing is an emerging microstructural modification technique based on friction stir welding (FSW).  It can be applied to enhance the microstructure-properties of the cast material thus improve the damage tolerance capabilities.  This step is needed to allow cast superalloy rocket propulsion components to be used without casting factors.  If this unique technology can be successfully developed and applied, it will have the tremendous potential for reducing the weight and cost of Ni-based superalloy castings that are used in industries as diverse as rocket propulsion, aircraft engines, land-based gas turbines, and chemical process industry pumps and valves.
The proposed Phase 2 project consists of the physical integration of our Phase 1 small, compact exciter with a "flight like" igniter or spark plug capable of hot-fire testing.  The exciter/igniter unit will operate to a pre-established subset of expected flight performance requirements established and met in Phase 1.  The exciter/igniter unit will physically integrate the exciter electronics with an igniter (spark plug) to demonstrate "end-to-end" functionality capable of providing ionizing voltage greater than 20 kV for a spark energy of 45 to 50 mJ at a rate of 200-300 sparks per second.  The exciter is about half the weight and will occupy about half the volume of the current state-of-the-art exciters.  The integrated exciter/igniter eliminates the problems associated with long HV cable runs; as long as long as 4 feet, and the potential for erroneous connections.  The development of this integrated exciter/igniter unit will follow a phased approach covering design, development, analysis, assembly, test and verification.  The implications of the proposed project are for space and weight savings in the overall development of green propulsion systems as applicable to research projects in Exploration Systems and specifically applicable to Topic X9 Propulsion and Propellant Storage.
NASA is planning a series of human and robotic missions to explore the Moon and later Mars. According to NASA SBIR topic O1.10, directionally selectable, steerable antennas for mounting on human helmets, robots, and fixed structures (e.g. habitats) are needed in surface networks for these missions. These antennas must meet the specific performance requirements for lunar/planetary surface network and the demanding transport and operational space environments. In Phase-1 research, WEO established specific RF performance and physical/environmental requirements for the antenna, and designed, fabricated, and tested a breadboard smart antenna model to see whether it is feasible to meet these requirements. The Phase-1 results demonstrated the feasibility of this technical approach, thus justify Phase-2 research. WEO now proposes a two-year Phase-2 program to develop a brassboard "Smart Multifunction Antenna for Lunar/Planetary Surface Network." In the proposed Phase-2 research, the deliverables include an optimized brassboard model of a smart multifunction antenna. The parts and materials used in the hardware, the fabrication process, as well as other issues regarding this brassboard model will be compatible with and scalable to those of the final deliverable antennas for Phase-3 and deployable models, which must meet NASA's stringent transport and operational requirements, constraints of space mission environment, and the limited weight and size for mounting on astronauts and robots, fixed nodes, and other platforms.
Manned lunar exploration will require extravehicular activity (EVA) suits that surpass existing technology.  We propose an innovative thermal control system for EVA suits that uses an absorption heat pump with a flexible radiator that offers reduced size, lighter weight, conformability, rugged construction, and freeze tolerance.  The heat pump absorbs a crew member's metabolic heat and rejects it via radiation to the environment.  Innovative materials and construction enable a lightweight and flexible system that is rugged and easily repairable.  In Phase I we proved feasibility by assessing material suitability for lunar operations, demonstrating the critical fabrication steps for key components, then testing these components to demonstrate thermal performance.  In Phase II we will build, demonstrate, and deliver a complete prototype heat pump system.
With the increasing power demands and longer life spans of space vehicles, their thermal management becomes ever more critical.  Accompanying this is an unprecedented need for reduction in spacecraft size and weight.  However, reduced weight leads to higher power densities, and waste-heat dissipation densities have grown by an order of magnitude with the use of smaller, more powerful electronics.  Active thermal control methods are needed to cope with the increasing heat dissipation requirements and environmental extremes.  In recent years, spacecraft have employed mechanically pumped fluid loops to efficiently transfer large amounts of thermal energy between two points by means of a forced liquid convention loop.  The development of long-life fluid pumps, however, has not kept pace with the demands of advanced thermal control systems.  Conventional electric motor-driven fluid pumps are heavy, bulky, inefficient, and prone to wear.  In Phase I, the operation and storage of Lynntech fluid pump over a range of environmental extremes was demonstrated.  In Phase II, Lynntech will develop a fluid pump significantly smaller, lighter, and more efficient than conventional pumps currently used in NASA spacecraft.
The innovation is a Near Infrared Photon-Counting Sensor (NIRPCS), an imaging device with sufficient sensitivity to capture the spectral signatures, in the wavelength range 0.9-1.7 um from very faint extra-solar targets and events with high resolution.  The NIRPCS will have near zero read noise and dark rates below the read noise to support photon counting for frame capture times as high as 10 seconds.  Up to 10/5 frames can be sequentially captured and digitally averaged.  Important NASA applications for the NIRPCS include spectral measurements on extra-solar planets in search of water and bio-markers and measuring the dynamics of galaxies at high redshift to better understand the formation process.  The technical objectives of Phase II are centered on more focused study on the behavior of the TE photocathode at the very low cooling temperatures anticipated for the ultimate implementation of this sensor technology by NASA for the astronomy application. The modeling results of the Phase I effort showed that reduction of the electric field in the InP, due to applied cathode bias, reduced the bias dependant hole avalanche and absorber generation contributions to the cathode dark current. Factors of 3.8x and 48.2x reduction in dark current resulted for two redesigned cathodes at an operational temperature of 200K and +2V cathode bias. This occurred by redesign of the epitaxial structure in which the p-doped cap layer was eliminated. However, too much reduction of the electric field in the InP may also reduce the escape probability of hot electrons in the InP to vacuum thereby reducing quantum efficiency. Therefore a technical Phase II objective is to execute a design of experiment (D.O.E) to determine the best epitxial design for maximum quantum efficiency and reduced dark current.
ZIN Technologies, Inc. is developing a novel Miniature Treadmill with resistive exercise capability for use in spaceflight exercise countermeasures and broad terrestrial therapeutic applications. The treadmill offers excellent periodic impact exercise to stimulate bone remodeling and cardiovascular activity as well as an added component of resistive exercise to encourage all-body muscle maintenance. The goal of this project is to demonstrate by design and analysis that the proposed treadmill will satisfy the stringent volumetric, power, and performance requirements demanded by lunar missions and provide the active feedback necessary to control the treadmill and display Daily Load Stimulus (DLS). We are additionally developing a new novel speed control algorithm in which the runner can modulate the treadmill speed through adjusting their stride.  A new subject load device is being developed for use in providing a more earthlike gravity replacement load to astronauts during spaceflight. We along with our partner the Cleveland Clinic believe that a hybrid compact exercise device along with the direct feedback of DLS is a unique and new approach that will provide a superior in space exercise system than ones currently in use on ISS.
Future planetary exploration missions such as those planned by NASA and other space agencies over the next few decades require advanced chemical and biological marker measurement technologies that will help answer fundamental questions about the composition of the Solar System and the possibility of past and present extraterrestrial life. Electrical/electrochemical array-based systems are highly suited for space and terrestrial applications because of their robustness, high-sensitivity, low-power requirement, inherent miniaturization capability through microfabrication, and diverse transducer mechanisms which permit detection of a broad range of chemical and biological targets. Scribner Associates will leverage its expertise in analytical instrumentation for arrays and impedance spectroscopy to develop an advanced array impedance analyzer for use with existing (e.g., Mars Oxidation Instrument) and future chemical and biological sensor arrays for planetary exploration.  The instrument will be versatile: It will be capable of conducting DC and multi-frequency AC impedance measurement of arrays with large numbers of sensing elements. Successful development of the impedance array analyzer will facilitate multiple mission deployments with arrays tailored to specific mission objectives therefore ensuring efficient investment of NASA resources.
Long range, RF space communications do not meet anymore the bandwidth requirements or power constraints of future NASA missions. Optical communications offer the potential to dramatically increase the link bandwidth and decrease the emitter power. High-bandwidth, long-range optical communications require reliable high-gain, photon-counting detectors operated at moderate cooling with high detection efficiency, large aperture, sub-nanosecond temporal resolution, low intrinsic noise, and capability to handle large optical background. These requirements have not been met yet by single detector designs.

We propose to develop a novel large area, photon-counting detector in infrared, operated with moderate cooling, gain greater than 10^6, detection efficiency greater than 50&#37;, 100 MHz saturation counting rate, at least 500 MHz bandwidth, and configurable area. 

The approach is to develop compact, photon-counting detector arrays based on designs processed in high-volume manufacturing with validated reliability and infrared converters processed on large silicon wafers. This innovation provides a simple solution to high-bandwidth ground-space and space-space optical communications by mitigating optical aperture ? additive noise requirements. In Phase I, we will investigate the integration of the infrared converter into the photon detector processing flow, and will develop the electronics to increase the detector bandwidth and its saturation-counting rate.
Smart materials control of aero-surfaces based on shape memory alloys
(SMA) is seeing increased use for improving of future subsonic fixed
wing aircraft aero-surface controls. Such SMA actuators have the
potential of lowering weight and increasing reliability through direct
control. The binary NiTi system has been a preferred system but these
alloys have austenite finish Af transition temperature in a reported
range of 90 - 100C, which is too low for many applications. Therefore,
there is strong interest in developing a class of ternary and/or
quaternary alloys that incorporate Pd and/or other elemental additions.
MRi is proposing to develop NiTiPd and NiTiPd+ X alloys that are capable
of being directly formed via vacuum plasma spray (VPS) processing. These
alloys have been shown to increase Af transformation temperature to over
350C, however, these alloys are also significantly less ductile and more
prone to casting segregation. The proposed innovation has the potential
to eliminate the typical cast/rolling/extrusion procedures typically
used with NiTi alloys with a near-net vacuum plasma spray (VPS) forming
process. If successful, the alloy and process development work to be
conducted on the Phase I investigation would enable the VPS process to
directly form shapes from NiTiPd-X alloys. The proposed Phase I research
would be aimed at developing specific NiTiPd+X where X could be Hf, Zr
and even B. The development work would focus on developing as deposited
structures that would yield Af transition temperature from 130 - 300C.
If successful, the development would enable the cost effective
manufacture of higher temperature shape memory alloy actuators for use
as remote actuation of aero-control surface and engine controls.
With the expected extension of duration of the space missions outlined in NASA's Vision of Space Exploration, such as a manned mission to Mars or the establishment of a lunar base, the need to produce potable water from onboard wastewater streams in a closed-loop system becomes critical for life support and health of crew membranes. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a compact process that has proven its ability to remove inorganic and organic contaminants from space mission wastewater. Our Phase I feasibility study indicate that the use of low-energy composite hollow fiber RO membranes developed at Santa Fe Science and Technology resulted in a 65-80&#37; increase in the production of purified water compared to that obtained from the corresponding low-energy RO flat-sheet membrane without sacrificing the water quality of the permeate stream. Therefore, replacing existing spiral wound membrane elements in the RO subsystem with hollow fiber membrane elements will reduce the batch processing time or enable a lower feed pressure to be employed due to the use of higher productivity membrane elements. This will lower the overall power requirement for the RO subsystem. Phase 2 will be based on expanding the size of the membrane element in order to develop several working prototype membrane elements that can eventually be mounted in the RO subsystem of the closed-loop Integrated Water Purification System. Also during Phase 2, we will explore the use of hydrophilic polymeric coatings to determine whether it is possible to minimize the rate of membrane fouling due to the high concentration of organics in the wastewater feed stream.
The overall technical objective of the proposed Phase II program is to complete a system-level demonstration to show the capability and benefits of integrating this backup radiator/Variable Conductance Heat Pipe (VCHP) with the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG).  The Phase I project developed a feasible VCHP radiator design that can be integrated with the ASRG.  In Phase II, a trade study will be conducted to optimize the VCHP design.  A superalloy heat pipe will be fabricated from Haynes 230, which has good strength at the 850&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C operating temperature and long term life tests with alkali metals.  In addition to the VCHP, a General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) simulator and a Heater Head simulator will both be designed and fabricated.  Testing of the VCHP with the GPHS and Heater Head simulators will verify the ability of the VCHP to provide backup cooling for the Stirling convertors.  The goal at the end of the program would be to bring the concept to Technology Readiness Level 5: Component Validation in a Relevant Environment.
NASA often must deal with the issue of protecting EMI sensitive payloads and instrumentation from damage due to radiated energy.  Many of these EMI sensitive payloads can be damaged by seemingly benign sources such as communication networks or microwave ovens. The problem becomes more difficult when these sensitive payloads and instrumentation require movement from one location to another.  It is extremely difficult and time consuming to identify and characterize the potential threat to these payloads with current tools and techniques. 

Soneticom proposes to utilize a small network of sensors to quickly and efficiently identify and locate sources of EMI radiation. Once the source is located Soneticom will utilize available signal parameters such as Received Signal Strength (RSS) at each sensor to estimate the signal strength at any point within the network's coverage area.  Figure 2.1 is a conceptual diagram of how this innovation might look once displayed on a map. 

Soneticom will utilize the existing Lynx Geolocation platform which has the capability to identify and locate an EMI radiation source in the 20 MHz - 30 GHz range.  The Lynx system will provide the hardware platform to develop algorithms required to estimate the signal strength across the network's coverage area
The objective of this proposal is to study and demonstrate novel GaAsNP/GaP/AlGaP technology for use in extreme photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion.  NASA and the scientific community are interested in solar missions that go as far as Saturn or even into near sun conditions.  Such missions present a challenging problem for PV technology.  In addition to the requisite high efficiency and reduced solar cell payload mass, these missions require a PV technology that can withstand the increased solar intensity, radiation and temperature.  

We propose studying two possible solar cell designs:  The first design utilizes novel, wide gap GaP-based materials to provide bandgaps well suited for high-temperature operation and to enhance function in high radiation and near sun missions.  Such an approach will enable solar cells to operate at and above 450 Celcius with the highest possible efficiency.  As part of this study we would investigate the deposition of AlGaP on GaP to provide materials with bandgaps at or above 2.4 eV.  The second design we will investigate uses more standard materials that EpiWorks has already developed for different applications.  This design would employ InAlP (2.4eV bandgap) lattice-matched to GaAs as the key wide gap material.  We will study the expected temperature dependence and other key thermal properties of such a design and compare to the GaP-based approach.
Phoenix Integration will develop a collaborative simulation and design environment that will seamlessly integrate the people, data, and tools required for analyzing and designing complete vehicle systems. This next generation environment will help NASA to accurately assess and trade-off competing air vehicle concepts early in the design process. Working within the environment, geographically distributed team members will be able to easily construct large multi-disciplinary multi-fidelity system simulations from a custom library of reusable analysis components. A key feature of the environment will be "numerical zooming", i.e. the ability to incorporate numerical analyses of varying levels of fidelity in the simulation. Interfaces and tools will be provided that will allow users to configure the system simulation and securely execute it using heterogeneous computing resources. A simulation data library will allow users to share models, results, and conclusions with one another, and will serve as a searchable information repository. The expected results of the Phase I research will be a working prototype that will demonstrate key aspects of the proposed design environment. The Phase II program will result in a comprehensive framework environment that will help NASA achieve Fundamental Aeronautics Program goals for a broad range of air vehicles.
Spacecraft projects today consist of many different cooperating companies and institutions. The project members typically use different thermal design analysis software, making the vital exchange of data between team members difficult, costly, or impossible. One solution would be for everyone to use the same software, such that there would be no loss of data when exchanging models and predictions. However, the end result would be little innovation in thermal design software. Competition drives the development of new technologies, but also creates communication barriers. Each tool suite has unique capabilities and specializations, such that a superset of all tools would represent a tremendous advance in and of itself. We propose to develop a "best of both worlds" solution by adopting and extending an international open standard, STEP, for data exchange of thermal models, results, and test data. Such a standard, if available in all major design tools without limiting the unique capabilities of each, allows customers, contractors, and subcontractors to work simultaneously on the same project while using different software. It also allows each organization to choose the best software for each mission, component, and even design task, resulting in the best overall total project efficiency.
Reaction wheel disturbances are some of the largest sources of noise on sensitive telescopes. Such wheel-induced mechanical noises are not well characterized. Disturbances can be amplified by wheel and other structural dynamics (for example, isolator modes), that are coupled to gyroscopic effects and therefore are wheel speed dependent. Tonal disturbances and wheel structural modes thus sweep across a frequency band. When one or more tones crosses the frequency of an observatory mode, a large jitter response will result. These higher harmonic effects have not been very significant in the past, for larger spacecraft having looser pointing requirements. However, many current and planned missions have much tighter pointing requirements than past missions. The higher harmonic wheel disturbances are being found to interact with structural modes to cause jitter exceedances. The lack of knowledge of higher harmonic wheel disturbance behavior forces engineers to carry more conservatism in the observatory design, resulting in potentially higher costs.  The proposed innovation is a modeling tool that will create a hybrid physical/empirical wheel disturbance model from reaction wheel Induced Vibration data, suitable for high-confidence on-orbit jitter prediction.
This proposal is for a flexible navigation system for deep space operations that does not require 
GPS measurements. The navigation solution is computed using an Unscented Kalman Filter that 
can accept any combination of range, planet chordwidth, and angle measurements using any ce- 
lestial object. The UKF employs a full nonlinear dynamical model of the orbit including gravity models and disturbance models. The filter will estimate both states and parameters. The integrated system employs a sensor that uses novel image processing to extract planetary chordwidths. The extra-solar system body sensor will employ band limiting imaging with the band selected to maximize reliable autonomous object identification.
Future astrophysics missions will require lightweight, thermally stable, submillimeter reflectors in sizes of 4m and greater.  To date, graphite fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) construction has been used in many cases to ideally meet the reflector needs of submillimeter and microwave instruments, but only in sizes upto 2m.  This project significantly advances the size and accuracy capability of GFRC reflector technology for future missions by focusing on innovation in two limiting areas: precision mandrel fabrication, and core induced surface error.  Mandrel cost and quality can often be thee most significant budget and schedule challenge to a reflector program.  To reduce cost, recent commercial innovations in optical grinding and polishing will be investigated for applicability to fabrication of a 4m convex tool.  A variety of traditional and non-conventional tool materials will be considered.  No-mandrel assembly concepts will also be investigated.  To improve reflector surface accuracy, improvement is needed to mitigate the anisotropic nature of GFRC core.  Novel methods of attaching core elements to faceskins will be investigated, as well as alternative core materials and manufacturing approaches.  Phase 1 will result in a preliminary point design for a 4m-class submm reflector.  Concepts for improvement in mandrel cost and quality, and reduction of core induced surface error, will be defined.  After verification of these concepts in early Phase 2, a 4m-class prototype reflector will be built and tested that demonstrates all key aspects of a multi-meter full-scale reflector design and build.
Real-time dosimetry is needed to provide immediate feedback, so astronauts can minimize their exposure to ionizing radiation during periods of high solar activity.   Optical radiation monitors provide continuous detection of e- and n.  Radiation induced changes in the optical properties of each sensor's active material are interpreted via software to estimate the dose from each type of particle. Compared to traditional scintillation detectors, Luna's radiation monitors are more compact and better able to identify particle types.  Luna's unique sensor design and detection capabilities enable estimation of the energy and direction of the most energetic particles.  Advanced optical radiation monitors are also less prone to the radiation induced degradation that plagues diode dosimeters.
The Exploration Systems architecture presents some propulsion challenges
that require new technologies to be developed.  To solve these
challenges, NASA needs new technologies for long term cryogenic
propellant storage, management and acquisition applications in-space as
well as on the lunar surface.  These technologies will impact cryogenic
systems for space transportation orbit transfer vehicles, space power
systems, spaceports, spacesuits, lunar habitation systems, robotics, and
in situ propellant systems.  The sizes of these systems range from the
small (&amp;lt; 20 m3 for supercritical air and payload cooling) to very
large (&amp;gt; 3400 m3 for LOX and LH2 propellant storage).  Advanced
materials are needed to help solve the unique requirements of these
small to very large storage systems.  Thus, this SBIR project will focus
on improving the strength of aerogels which are the lightest weight and
best insulation material known.  Improvements in the strength of
aerogels would allow these materials to be used as advanced insulation
materials capable of retaining structural integrity while accommodating
large operating temperatures ranging from cryogenic to elevated
temperatures.  The properties of the aerogels will be tailored by
controlling their densities and strengthened by reinforcing them with
fibers and modifying the aerogel framework with organic crosslinking agents.
This SBIR proposal is to establish a platform technology of space durable thermally/electrically conductive fabrics for space environment applications.  The fabrics are based on nanoengineered fibers and yarns under development at NanoTex Corp.  With increased emphasis on long term manned space missions with limited resources, there is increased need for efficient passive thermal control systems. Furthermore, the proposed fabrics are multifunctional as they will have improved strength and tenacity, designed electrical conductivity, and greater thermal stability.
The insertion of new technology in the cockpit, especially "smart" technology designed to become an additional crewmember, will necessarily impact flight-related operations and crew functioning. We propose to develop an observer-based assessment tool, and associated measures, that will allow National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researchers to assess the impact of new technologies on crew resource management (CRM) performance. This is particularly important because the new FAA Advisory Circular on CRM training specifically calls for specialized training and evaluation in advanced technology cockpits (AC 120-51E, Page12, Part 13c). Our proposed approach is innovative in two respects. First, in contrast to existing measures of CRM performance, the measures will be sensitive to performance effects related to the insertion of crew-centered technologies in the cockpit. Second, the performance measures will be implemented in a hand-held PC instrument, the Scenario-based Performance Observation Tool for Learning in Team Environments?Aerospace Crew-centered Technologies (SPOTLITE-ACT), with a relational database that will allow for easy collection, storage, and retrieval of experimental data. SPOTLITE-ACT will provide NASA researchers with the capability to measure and evaluate the effects of crew-centered technologies on pilot performance.
The Lunar Materials Handling System (LMHS) is a method for transfer of bulk materials and products into and out of process equipment in support of lunar and Mars in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The LMHS conveys solids to the ISRU vessel, provides a gas-tight pressure/vacuum seal, and minimizes wear related to abrasive particles. Lunar and Mars ISRU scenarios require that equipment be operated over many cycles with minimal consumption of expendables and with minimal leakage in order to maintain high overall process leverage. ISRU processes can be demonstrated in the laboratory to establish basic feasibility with respect to reagent leverage. Reagent leverage is defined as the mass of commodity produced divided by the mass of reagents consumed. However, the process leverage component related to equipment wear and loss of gasses, reagents, or product through seals and valves is more difficult to establish from laboratory testing. The LMHS increases equipment life and minimizes process losses, thereby increasing overall leverage and reducing uncertainties in ISRU process evaluation. The LMHS is based on a seal arrangement by which lunar regolith can be introduced into and removed from reaction chambers operating under a wide range of batch operating conditions.
The innovation of the proposed effort is a unique automated process for the analysis, design, and sizing of CEV structures and TPS.  This developed process will permit hundreds of conceptual and preliminary design trade studies to be performed in a matter of only a few days rather than several months. This shorter time is made possible by replacing or reducing currently required experienced analyst interaction (man in the loop) with predefined knowledge based sizing templates and floating virtual structural component definitions for both surfaces zones and connecting bonded/bolted joints. The resulting capability will be an open architecture built within the HyperSizer&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; commercial software suitable for internally integrating NASA or industry developed specialty discipline analysis codes and externally integrating HyperSizer with NASA larger design systems. This new capability will be unique in that no other commercial or non-commercial tool will have the same level of depth, breadth, accuracy, speed, verification &amp; validation, and software robustness for performing weight prediction and reduction, structural integrity margins-of-safety reporting, and reliability prediction and improvement.  

This innovation will involve four tasks: 1) Development of knowledge based sizing templates; 2) Development of floating virtual components; 3) Support for NASA on-going multi-disciplinary design system integration activities; and 4) Development of an automated HyperSizer-FEM iteration process for achieving FEA load convergence.
The utilization of space resources can enable sustained affordable exploration of the Moon and beyond in the nation's Exploration Initiative.  The availability of low-cost, abundant indigenous electric power is critical to the aggressive implementation of space resource utilization. This power-rich space environment can be achieved by the generation of electrical power from thin film photovoltaic solar cells produced on the surface of the Moon from lunar resources. This concept of operation offers a specific advantage in the capability of continuous power growth by addition of solar cells, manufactured in situ, to an expanding power grid.  Such an effective power system on the Moon would lower operational risks of future robotic and manned missions through higher reliability. In addition, such architecture has the capability to deliver power at a decreasing cost per kWh beyond the first 100 kWh or so. We propose the development of the key thin film silicon solar cell technologies needed to demonstrate the fabrication of thin-film solar cells on the surface of the Moon, and to present a preliminary design of a roving vehicle to support these operations.
Silicon carbide matrix composites can produce turbomachinery structures with 1500&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C service temperature capability at less than one-half the weight of metallic structures.  This would translate into substantial improvement in rocket (or aircraft) system performance.  However, SiC composites do not have adequate long term stability under hot, humid turbine engine conditions.  Thus, reliable environmental barrier coating (EBC) technology needs to be developed for SiC composites for long duration or reusable turbomachinery applications.  

The preceding SBIR Phase I program proved feasibility of our technology to improve environmentally durability of silicon carbide CMCs.  The Phase II program will refine coating materials and processes. A comprehensive test matrix is included to assess repeatability in environmental barrier performance.  Next, this technology will be used to produce representative turbine engine test articles.  Surmet has teamed with a major prime contractor, so as to develop technology that is useful towards near-term NASA systems.  Key environmental barrier testing work will be conducted at specialized test facility that simulates turbine engine environment.  Thus, the Phase II program will provide a strong foundation for a follow-on Phase III program which will start implementation into specific NASA system(s).
Our goal is develop a smart, transcutaneous device for individualized circadian (sleep) therapy by responsive release of melatonin, in microgravity.  Additionally, this concept ?shown in figure 1?is modular and multifunctional by design.  So, with minimal changes, we envision being able to use same device for the controlled release of other medicines and nutrients, in space as well as on Earth.  For space-travel, a variety of countermeasures must be developed to oppose the harmful effects of longterm flights and exposures to other gravitational fields.  Furthermore, each astronaut responds to a certain medicine or combination of medicines in a unique manner.  Circadian disruption, or acute (chronic) degradation of sleep quality or quantity, is a known risk during space-flight.  Techova will develop a unique device for the responsive delivery of melatonin, integrating (i) inherently conductive polymer-based valves, (ii) nano- and micro-structured sensors and (iii) non-invasive virtually pain-free micro-needle arrays.  Our team builds upon previous research critically needed to develop this novel transdermal release device.  The ability to monitor the progression of circadian (sleep) disruption and respond to the unique changes in the body chemistry of each individual (patient) offers an unprecedented opportunity to deliver specific, personalized medical care during space flight.
The present proposal describes  the development of an adaptive Computed Tomography Imaging Spectrometer (CTIS), or "Snapshot" spectrometer which can "instantaneously" capture a full 3D data cube. The technology is applicable to hyperspectral imaging for remote sensing of extra-terrestrial planetary bodies and deep space objects. The snapshot capability of the technology makes it possible to capture transient events otherwise inaccessible with conventional pushbroom or whiskbroom imagers. The adaptive component of the innovation is a liquid crystal spatial light modulator which replaces the standard computer generated hologram in this technology. As such it can be rapidly tuned at KHz rates for optimal performance in real time improving the signal to noise ratio and data cube image reconstruction.
Nanohmics proposes to develop a handheld blood analyzer for micro- and hypo-gravity missions.  The prototype instrument will combine impedance analysis with optical spectroscopy techniques to provide a reliable means of performing a complete blood count (CBC) using microliters of sample.  An advantage of this hybrid strategy is that a complete blood cell count can be achieved using a microfluidic approach that is controlled via a commercially available personal digital assistant (PDA).  Recent advances in the handheld computing market have led to small, powerful, devices that are able to interface and control the microelectronics necessary to operate and collect data from the microfluidic chip and maintain a low power budget.   The instrument will exploit both the optical and impedance properties of the whole blood to gain discrimination of the individual components and indices (RBC, WBC, Hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, WBC differential, and RBC indices).  The large amount memory and processing power afforded by the PDA will allow the device to store the blood profiles of many individuals and track their changes from test to test.
This project will focus on the strategic, routine incorporation of medium-resolution satellite imagery into operational agricultural assessments for the global crop market. Automated algorithms for rapid extraction of field-level crop area statistics from Landsat and Landsat-class imagery (including SLC-off L7 data, AWiFS, ASTER, and NPOESS/OLI) will be developed. For prototype development, the project will collaborate with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The algorithms, based on Bayesian Probability Theory, will incorporate multiple lines of evidence in the form of prior and conditional probabilities and will implement an innovative approach to supervised image classification allowing for automated class delineation. The knowledge-based expert classifiers prototyped during Phase I will be tested and validated at selected pilot sites across the globe. The overall results of the project will enhance global agricultural production estimates by improving the timeliness and accuracy of field-level crop area estimates. It addresses the NASA SBIR subtopic by developing unique, rapid analyses for the extraction of crop area statistics from medium-resolution imagery. The developed technologies will support both the scientific and commercial applications of ES data and will be benchmarked for practical use against an international model for agricultural production estimates.
In this Phase I SBIR program, high thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) nanocrystal quantum dot (NQD) thermoelectric (TE) materials will be developed that have thermal efficiency properties far better than traditional bulk thermoelectric materials. The proposed TE materials improve performance by increasing electrical conductivity while reducing thermal conductivity. In the proposed work, TE devices will be fabricated from solidified quantum dot films that are formed from colloidally synthesized NQDs using consolidation and second phase precipitation. The overall goal of the program is to develop an advanced thermoelectric nanomaterial that will offer significant cost, flexibility, and performance benefits for NASA applications.
NASA is expending a significant amount of effort to develop large imaging telescope systems to explore the Evolution of the Universe (SEU).  Adaptive optics will play a large role in these efforts because of the need to produce high quality imaging with lightweight optical systems.  Adaptive optics allows the spacecraft designer to sacrifice traditional requirements with regard to weight and stiffness in order to make the spacecraft as light as possible.  However, the adaptive systems must be compact and lightweight also.  Normal AO systems utilize a series of discreet components to satisfy the correction requirements.  These would consist of tip/tilt mirror and deformable mirrors.  Xinetics has engaged in developing a series of integrated adaptive optical components that will improve the optical quality of traditional wavefront control systems while simultaneously reducing system volume, weight, and cost.  The proposed effort is the result of a strategic vision to develop small robust wavefront control systems designed to be employed in spaced based optical systems.  Xinetics proposes designing and building a 1024-ch integrated wavefront corrector using Photonex module technology and Xinetics cofired ceramic actuators.
The purpose of this NASA SBIR Phase I proposal is to develop a novel type of high resolving power diffraction gratings based on volume Bragg gratings technology. The key innovation to be used for creation of these gratings is the patented technology on production of high efficiency volume diffractive elements in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass on which OptiGrate has an exclusive license from the University of Central Florida. Gratings with diffraction efficiency more than 90&#37; and resolving power up to 20,000 will be demonstrated for the spectral analysis applications in the visible and near-IR spectra (from 400 to 2700 nm). These gratings will have 25- to 50-mm aperture with the spectral resolution down to 50 pm and less. This, to the best of our knowledge, will exceed parameters of all comparable gratings available nowadays. Moreover, PTR volume diffractive gratings are stable over time for decades, thermally-stable up to 400??C, their resistance to CW laser radiation exceeds 10 kW/cm^2, and laser-induced damage threshold is 10 and 40 J/cm^2 for 1- and 8-nm pulse width, respectively. Absorption of these gratings is only 0.1 cm^-1 at 1 um wavelength after exposure to 10 Mrad of gamma radiation.
We will fabricate and test microfluidic designs for a micro-electromechanical system based complete blood count (CBC) analysis in separate modules and integrate them into a working prototype.  A first module constitutes a hydrodynamic focusing injector and cell impedance meter.  A second module takes hydrodynamically focused cells and measures light scatter in the forward and orthogonal directions, as well as of fluorescence emission intensities from specific cell types using novel signal collection designs and micrometer scale, and Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes that produce time-correlated photocount statistics from multiple optical sources.  The third module will serve for blood sample dilution, routing, automated lysing and removal of human erythrocytes.  This unit will also incorporate a sensor for measuring hemoglobin (Hgb) concentration.  The proposed blood analyzer will utilize innovative optical and fluidic designs on a modular platform that enable compactness, high sensitivity, and robust service, while requiring no operator intervention.
A recently developed mathematical folding theory has great value for deployable space structures and in situ manufacture of large beams, panels and cylinders.  The new technology offers diverse capacity to design, manufacture, and self-assemble periodically folded sheet material.  The range of materials includes many customized core materials for laminated panels, cellular habitat walls, structural beams, parabolic reflectors, and efficient truss systems that can be packaged ideally as a roll of sheet material and deployed in space by inflation or passive radiation.  The algebraic linkage conditions on the deployment of a folded structure forms an over-constrained system of equations.  The deployment kinetics are only possible due to engineered relationships between the neighboring facet geometry, and globally requires a uniform angular change in fold extension across the pattern.  This implies that fixing an individual fold angle fixes all of the fold angles in its neighboring region.  If the fold angles are all made rigid, then the entire structure is highly over-constrained and forms a very robust truss system.  The goal is to introduce the technology by demonstrating the diversity of folding architectures that can be directly applied to deployable space structures, and by developing the associated design and simulation software to transfer this know-how to the engineering community.
This proposal introduces an innovative concept aimed to develop, for the first time, a 1k pixel far infrared focal-plane array with the following key design features:
1-	A top-illuminated, 2D germanium array (32x32 single or 64x64 mosaic) with the possibility of extension to very large formats.  The quantum efficiency is enhanced by metalizing the bottom surface for a second pass.
2-	A 2-side buttable 32x32 (64x64 mosaic) CTIA readout multiplexer using advanced cryo-CMOS process.  The unit-cell design is optimized for far IR detectors, eliminates detector debiasing, and improves pixel uniformity.  The readout is operational down to at least 2.0K.
3-	A novel, direct hybrid design using indium-bump technology.  This integrated design offers superior noise performance and effectively addresses the readout glow, detector heating, and thermal mismatch between the detector and the readout.  This is the key discriminator of this project.
The projected sensitivity of this array as well as the 1k pixel (4k pixel mosaic) format meets the stated requirements of future NASA instruments.  This effort fits well within the scope of the SBIR Subtopic S4.01 and will be a benefit to many large and small NASA projects such as SOFIA and SAFIR.
In this Phase I program, the Infoscitex (IST) team focused primarily on the design and fabrication of a prototype high accuracy electro-textile mesh leading to a prototype that weighed 0.42 kg/m2 and provided 99.8 percent reflectivity during testing at 38GHz.  Light weight composite fiber core materials have been identified for the Phase II effort allowing the team to extrapolate a mesh areal weight of 0.21 kg/m2.

During the Phase I effort, the IST team also investigated passive inter-modulation (PIM) testing and developed material based design solutions to eliminate PIM for these prototype meshes.  Limited US facilities exist for testing high frequency generated PIM and as a result, both the IST team and NASA have pledged to develop this service for both the NASA exploration and Air Force Responsive Space programs in the proposed Phase II program.

A unique wrapped rib approach to providing precision deployable antenna structures was also investigated.  The resulting preliminary antenna support structure design was estimated to have an areal weight of 0.88 kg/m2.  With refinements in Phase II, the structure is envisioned to provide sufficient shape definition for the parabolic antenna surface accuracy requirements for Ka band communication.
Most major accidents do not result simply from proximal, physical events, but from the gradual drift of an organization to a state of heightened risk.  Risk often increases so gradually that no one notices, as safeguards and constraints are relaxed due to conflicting goals.  When a mishap occurs, it is almost inevitable that some event will trigger an accident.  A comprehensive risk analysis method must include organizational decision-making, system complexity, technical innovation, evolution over time, and non-linear, indirect, and feedback relationships.  A new risk analysis approach addressing these issues has been developed at MIT.  This approach asserts that organizational structure and behavior can be modeled, analyzed, and engineered.  It is based on the STAMP (System-Theoretic Accident Modeling and Processes), STAMP-based hazard analysis (STPA), and system dynamics modeling.  When it was applied to a risk analysis of the NASA independent technical authority (for the NASA Chief Engineer's Office), it became apparent a simplified methodology and tool support could benefit such a risk analysis effort.  Safeware Engineering Corporation proposes to develop an innovative modeling methodology and software tool support for the application of this rigorous new risk analysis approach as the next step toward development of an organizational risk management tool.
The proposed project is aimed at developing a model based diagnostics system for spacecraft that will allow real time assessment of its state, while it is impacted by a failure mode, and provide to the crew the possible reconfiguration strategies to continue the mission. 
While a lot of research is being done on the development of Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) system, very little effort is made to provide the spacecraft with the capability to use IVHM information in order to assess the possible strategies possible when a failure event has impacted the vehicle. A model based system can use its understanding of the system state to deduce the potential reconfiguration commands and optimize the outcome in order to preserve the mission goals.
Our proposed project is targeted at supporting the spacecraft fault tolerance capability by searching the system states space and selecting the most appropriate sequence of actions to execute in order to optimize the possibility of mission success, by reconfiguring the spacecraft to a desired new state.
Tunable laser spectrometers are used by NASA for investigations of planetary atmospheric constituent gases. The availability of widely tunable long-wavelength (3 to 12?Ym) lasers operating at room temperature would allow such spectrometers to a wider range of gas species detection sensitivity increased by orders-of-magnitude relative to near-infrared lasers currently used in these applications. Aculight proposes to demonstrate a novel mid-infrared laser technology capable of room temperature operation at any wavelength between 2 and 17?Ym. We will demonstrate, for the first time, continuous wave optical parametric oscillation in the new nonlinear material, orientation-patterned Gallium Arsenide (OP-GaAs) and show that it can be pumped by low cost, compact fiber-based sources developed for the telecommunications industry.
ATA has demonstrated the primary innovation of combining a precision MEMS gyro (BAE SiRRS01) with a high bandwidth angular rate sensor, ATA's ARS-14 resulting in a low-noise, high bandwidth hybrid sensor, or HYSENS in a Phase I SBIR.  The primary emphasis in Phase I development was the implementation and real-time demonstration of the sensor fusion algorithms that combined the output from a MEMS gyro and the ARS-14 resulting in a HYSENS that exhibits a bandwidth of DC to 2000 Hz and NEA of less than 0.1 &amp;#61549;rad rms (0.5-2000 Hz integration bandwidth), thus meeting the requirement specified in the SBIR SOW.

	The HYSENS has first applicability in optical Inertial Reference units for used in Free Space Laser Communication. The HYSENS-based IRU, or HIRU, that is proposed for the Phase II effort will result in the state of the art in compact optical IRUs.  The significance of the HIRU innovation is that the HIRU will escalate the state-of-the-art in small, precision optical IRUs by virtue of minimal mechanical envelope, low mass, high performance, both in jitter mitigation and Inertial Attitude Knowledge (IAK), and power dissipation. In addition, the HYSENS was designed from the onset to be highly modular and flexible by virtue of the sensor fusion algorithms and computational architecture to allow rapid integration of higher performance MEMS gyros into future versions of the HYSENS.
Large-scale agent systems have become a key part of in modeling and simulation tools such as NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation System (ACES), an agent-based simulation of the National Airspace System (NAS).  As distributed real-world systems comprised of many autonomous decision-making entities become more complex, so do their corresponding individual models and simulation systems.   However, existing tools for low-level single host debugging, data and event collection and local analysis do not adequately address the problem of understanding large distributed systems consisting of thousands of autonomously executing agents. In this Phase II effort, we propose to create a comprehensive semantic debugging and knowledge discovery and analysis system for agent-based simulations called IntelliTrace.  The key innovation behind semantic and model driven system analysis is that it will bridge the gap between the semantics of model execution and the resultant implementation behavior realized within a software system.  We will use theses tools and capabilities to develop and demonstrate a methodology and approach for application-level analysis, knowledge and discovery and data mining and analysis.
The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) calls for encouraging commercial participation as a top-level objective. Given current and future commercial activities, how should the government satisfy this objective? How can simulation of future companies determine the most likely to emerge? This innovation seeks to answer such questions envisioning a diverse set of four possible future space companies (orbital habitats/hotels, orbital tourist delivery, propellant depots, lunar excursion tourism, and lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization), examining their business case in spreadsheet-based models (both deterministically and probabilistically), modeling them in a higher fidelity agent-based modeling (ABM) environment (that is new to the aerospace industry but has been used by the authors of the proposal), determining the impact on a company's financial bottom-line, and finding potential cost savings to the government of using those products and services in future space exploration activities. Phase I will entail basic research of each of the four of case studies (or companies) as they are referred to here, spreadsheet-based modeling and analysis of each case study, and preliminary definition of the behaviors required for agent-based modeling. Phase II will entail development of a high fidelity, agent-based model of each company, their competitors, and their customers (commercial and the government).
Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) is a high performance heat transport device using capillary forces to circulate the working fluid in a closed loop.  Conventional LHPs usually have one capillary pump (evaporator) to acquire waste heat from a heat source.  Recent efforts have focused the development of LHPs that contain two or more evaporators.  Even though two-evaporator LHPs performed very well, the volume of each compensation chamber (CC) became much larger than that of the single-evaporator counterpart.  The reason was that all but one CC would be liquid-filled during normal operation.  The one that was not liquid-filled had to be large enough to accommodate the system liquid expansion at maximum temperature.  As a result, LHPs with more than 3 evaporators were not feasible for practical applications simply because the CCs became prohibitively large.  In the current research, the CCs of a multiple-evaporator LHP were capillarily-linked.  In other words, the CCs always contained a mixture of liquid and vapor (two-phase), allowing the loop to operate with a much smaller fluid charge.  Consequently the required CC volume was also reduced.
This innovative SBIR Phase II proposal plans to develop new multifunctional high temperature capable TCMS technologies based on the identified needs for the thermal control and ESD functions of the exploration mission hardware and also for the heat rejection system. These efforts can also serve uniquely the Crew Exploration Vehicle radiator systems needs.  The TCMS for the radiators of the both CEV and exploration missions need to operate at higher elevated temperatures and provide the space environment stable low ratio of (solar absorptance/emittance) performance in high radiation orbits involving intense UV, electrons and protons along with stable charge mitigation. The CEV application also needs it to withstand typical launch environments. According to the phase I findings, none of the state-of-an-art material systems that are currently in use are designed for the needs of the space environment stable operation at elevated temperatures, and hence, can not meet the same. The Phase I efforts proved the feasibility and identified the next generation solid state chemistries and processing requirements that can provide the multifunctional space stable performance at higher temperatures and also provided the unique guidance for tailoring the ESD performance when these very large thermal control areas get exposed to very low temperatures. The proposed phase II efforts will continue R&amp;D and scale up the synthesis of the identified candidate engineered passivated pigments and validate its space environment stability with use of recently developed next generation negative CTE passivated additives with abilities to tailor CTE, thermal shock and thermal cycling performance. Thus, these Phase II efforts can provide the next generation "Robust" validated TCMS products that can be exposed to the elevated temperatures (500C) and conducting tasks geared towards putting together plasma spray technology and experience base as applied to TCMS for various exploration missions.
To develop reliable THz sources with high power and high DC-RF efficiency, Virginia Diodes, Inc. will develop a thorough understanding of the complex interactions that occur within a chain of nonlinear frequency multipliers. These nonlinear interactions can cause rapid variations in power as the frequency or input power are tuned, including nulls and power surges that can damage individual components. Today, these problems are mitigated in three ways; i) mechanical tuning or bias adjustments, ii) laborious tweaking of each component in the chain until acceptable system performance is achieved, or iii) reduction of the system bandwidth and/or power specifications to avoid the most dramatic effects. However, each of these "solutions" either fundamentally limits the electrical performance of the terahertz source or dramatically reduces the ease-of-use of the system. This proposed effort represents the first systematic study of the complex interactions between cascaded nonlinear multiplier stages, with the goal of developing new multiplier and system designs that will reduce these unwanted effects. The resulting terahertz sources will achieve greater reliability, efficiency, bandwidth, and ease-of-use. In addition the new design rules will greatly reduce system design cycles and enhance manufacturability, thereby reducing costs. The knowledge gained through this research will be used to achieve vastly improved terahertz sources for NASA's atmospheric and radio astronomy missions; as well as a wide range of emerging commercial applications such as imaging systems for security screening and industrial process control.
The objective of this research is to develop algorithms for online health monitoring and prognostics (prediction of the remaining life of a component or system) in aerospace applications. The specific areas of need addressed by this project relate to fusion of sensor-based diagnostics with degradation models, management and propagation of uncertainty, autonomous model updating, and practical considerations such as reducing data volume and storage requirements. The algorithms developed in this project represent the generalizable aspects of predictive prognosis; the only application-specific portions are the fault model and the diagnostic signal processing. The Phase I work successfully demonstrated the basic features of the prognosis algorithms using data for several bearing fault examples. In Phase II, Sentient will develop these algorithms into a complete, full-featured prognosis architecture. Application-specific fault models and diagnostics for a NASA relevant application will also be developed in Phase II, and these will be used to demonstrate the complete Phase II prognostic system. Sentient will leverage extensive test data available from other closely related projects to thoroughly evaluate the new prognostic algorithms. This data includes studies of bearing cage instability phenomena conducted in a unique space environment test rig. Combined with the new prognosis algorithms, this will be directly applicable to help understand and predict recent bearing anomalies observed in the CMGs of the International Space Station.
Ridgetop's role is to develop electronic prognostics for sensing power systems in support of NASA/Ames ADAPT testbed. The prognostic enabled power systems from Ridgetop are to be integrated into NASA's Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT) and later used in the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).   Prognostics will provide power supply "state of health", remaining useful life (RUL) and notify operators of impending failures so that load-shedding or orderly switch-overs can be supported.

Using the ADAPT at NASA/Ames Research Center, Ridgetop will design, implement and validate a prototype prognostic sensor that employs both analog circuits and digital logic in a microcontroller unit (MCU) or microproprocessor controller (MPC) to "prognostics-enable" a high efficiency switching power converter.
The ADAPT is a testbed, developed to explore health-management systems in manned spaceflight with three main goals: 1) to assess performance of diagnostic tools and algorithms against a standardized testbed and repeatable failure scenarios, 2) to develop prognostic models (performance degradation, remaining life estimation) for spacecraft subsystems, and 3) prototype Advanced Caution and Warning System (ACAWS) algorithms and user interfaces.  

By developing effective and practical prognostics for a power supply, Ridgetop's role will be to extend the capabilities of the ADAPT testbed.
The objective of the proposed work is to develop a rugged, low power, passively cooled X-Ray source that is compatible with miniaturized XRD systems.  The XRD instruments would be used for in situ measurements on planetary surfaces. This X-ray source will integrate an X-ray emitting vacuum tube and both low and high-voltage power supplies into a compact and lightweight unit. This X-ray source will enable further miniaturized X-ray instruments to be deployed for surface and subsurface exploration of the solar system. 

The objectives will be achieved with an X-ray source that combines the advantage of easy thermal management and simple control electronics. The concept relies on the use of state-of-the-art ceramic materials that combines very good electrical insulation properties with good thermal conductivity. This source will allow using the grounded-cathode geometry for simple and compact electronics, and rely on the heat-sinking properties of the electrical insulator for heat dissipation to ground. The most promising material for this application is Aluminum Nitride (AlN). Objective specifications for the source to be developed are as follows: 
Accelerating Voltage (25 kV), Electron Beam Current (200 uAmps), X-ray Spot Size (50 microns), X-ray Tube Dimensions (65 mm x 25 mm,lxd)
From Concept Maps to Knowledge Amplification Project
ACQUIRE: Agent-based Complex QUerying and Information Retrieval Engine Project
Agent-based Optimization of Distributed Air Traffic Management Project
Integrated Large Scale Zonal Meniscus Project
Energy Efficient Cryogenic Transfer Line with Magnetic Suspension Project
Fully Integrated Digital Cockpit for Emerging SATS Aircraft Project
Hydrogen-Air Fuel Cell for High Altitude Aircraft Use Project
High Efficiency, Microchannel Reactors For ISRU Applications Project
Reconfigurable Guidance for Reusable Launch Vehicles Project
Sub-Micron Particle Removal From Gas-Water Mixtures Without Flow Restrictions Project
Virtual Collaborative Training and Operations Simulation System Project
Integrated Plant/Animal Habitat (IPAH) Project
Compact Scalable Navigation and Stabilization System for Spectral Imagers Project
Time Modulated Ultra-wideband Phased Array and SAR Radar Project
Methods for Assessing the Stability and Robustness of Distributed ATM Systems Project
Feedback-Controlled Detached Directional Solidification System Project
In this SBIR effort we propose an innovative approach for the
integration of Decision Support Tools (DSTs) for increased situational
awareness, improved cooperative scheduling and collaborative
decision-making in all parts of the air space. We propose to investigate
two types of integration models based on the extent and feasibility of
the level of integration and use appropriate game theoretic approaches
to analyze these models. The proposed models are: (i) Data-sharing DST
integration model: In this model, DSTs will primarily share data that is
required for each DST to take a decision before an event happens. Based
on the shared data each DST acts independently (ii) Interacting DST
integration model: In this model, DSTs not only share data but also
advise each other to act in such a way to reduce the level of conflict.
Tools based on repeated strategic games and cooperative bargaining games
will be used. We primarily focus on integrating Traffic Management
Advisories (TMAs) across multiple centers as the application domain for
the Phase I effort.
Wideband In-Situ Electromagnetic Sensor for Exploring Planetary Subsurface Project
RAME: A Supervisory System Enforcing Design for Safety and Mission Success Project
Ultra Lightweight Deployable Boom Project
Bone Ultrasonic Scanner (BUSS) for Bone Health Assessment Project
High-Frequency Low-Temperature Regenerative Heat Exchangers Project
Adjoint-Based Design Software Using Adaptive Finite Element Methods Project
Noninvasive Automated Diagnostic System for Aircraft Wiring Project
Electrochromic Variable Emissivity Devices for Thermal Control Project
Electrochromic Thermal Stabilization of Large Deployable Structures Project
Alchemist - Air Separation Technology Development Project
A Real-time Sensor for Hydrogen Cyanide in Spacecraft Atmospheres Project
A Real-Time Photogrammetric Imaging System for Flight Control Surfaces Project
Handheld Sensing Device for Pathogenic Detection Project
Thermophotovoltaic and Thermionic Power Systems with Film Concentrators Project
Low-Cost Fabrication of Pyroelectric thin films for IR Sensors by Combustion CVD Project
Active Control of Rotor-Lock Noise in Turbofan Engines Project
A miniature underwater vehicle/benthic lander for through-ice deployment Project
A Magnetic Refrigerator for Cooling at 2 K Project
High Thermal Conductivity Fabric Project
1024 x 1024 Liquid Crystal Multi-Level Spatial Light Modulator Project
A Plan Execution System For Web-Based Scientific Data Integration Project
Method of Cellular Monitoring Using Detection of Autocrine and Paracrine Signals Project
Ultraviolet Water Treatment and Biofilm Reduction Using Black Light Materials Project
Transoner Power Transfer for TWT Power Systems Project
Rare Earth Permanent Magnets Based on the Metastable SmCo13 Phase for XIPSs Project
LOX Transfer Pump Project
A Novel MEMS for Rapid Biocontamination Assessment on Flight Hardware Project
A Small Transport Aircraft Fuel Tank Inerting System Project
A Universal Method to Render Diverse Surfaces Antimicrobial Project
Molecular Self-Assembly of Low-Loss Piezoelectric Films for MEMS Devices Project
Ultrahigh Energy Propulsion By Pulsed Magnetic Field Compression of Fissile Plas Project
New Technique to Identify the Onset of Combustion Instability Project
Portable Water Purification System Utilizing Ambient Temperature Catalysts Project
Superresolution Optical Microscope Project
Global Natural Earth Visualization for Image2000 Platform Project
Ultralight Star Polymer Photovoltaics Project
Novel Reagent-less Protein Detection Using Nanotechnology Project
Automated Test Generation in Intelligent Systems (GENISYS) Project
Detecting Fossilized Microscopic Life Forms on Mars with Dual-Energy CT Project
Growth of Nd-Doped Y2O3 Crystals for Space Based Ozone Laser Transmitters Project
Multiuser Collaboration for Planetary Mobility and Robotics Project
An Improved Solar Panel for Micro and Nano-satellites Project
Agent-based Simulation of NAS Project
A Collaborative Software Tool to Improve the Dynamic Testing Process Project
Particle Physics Transport Code for Simulation of Biological Shielding Project
High Performance, Microfabricated Converters for Deep Space Probes Project
Advanced Liquid Crystal on Silicon Optical Phased Arrays Project
Miniature Automated Cell Sorting System Project
Thinned, Back-Illuminated UV Sensitive CMOS APS Sensor Project
Field Joining of Ceramic Matrix Composites Project
Improved Carbon Dioxide Reduction System Project
Surface Enhanced Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes for Near-IR Detection Project
Embossing of Aluminum LIGA Heat Exchangers and Lead Micro Regenerators Project
Lightweight Auto-Inflating Self-Rigidizing Booms Project
Real-Time Flight Simulation for Rotorcraft Wake Encounters and Vortex Ring State Project
Visible-IR AOTF Spectrometer for Hyperspectral Imaging in SpaceBased Application Project
High Speed Information Exchange between Spacecraft Subsystems Project
Intelligent Wireless Sensor Communication for Health Monitoring Project
Optimal Path Planning for Formation Flying Applications with Collision Avoidance Project
Electrically Variable Compact Optical Remote Imaging Spectroscopic Filter Project
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Processing Incorporating coremicro IMU and GPS Data Project
Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Ammonia to Nitrogen and Water Project
Plug-n-Play Reasoning Components Enabling Team Formation Among Autonomous Agents Project
FLIGHT WEIGHT MAGNETS USING CARBON NANOTUBES Project
Rayleigh/Mie Lidar for Non-intrusive Measurement of Aircraft Air Data Parameters Project
Silicon Lighweight Mirrors (SLMs) for UV and Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Mirrors Project
Ultrahigh Throughput Flow Cytometer for Cell and Molecular Analysis in uG Project
Magnetic Sail Project
A Comprehensive Prediction and Control System for Combustion Processes Project
A Microfluidic Ion Analyzer Project
Vortex Universal Stoichiometric Preburner (VUSP) for Liquid Rocket Engines Project
Optical Relative Attitude Sensor for Short-Range Navigation Project
Magnesium Composites With Corrosion and Wear Resistant Coatings Project
Novel Advancements in Internet Based Real-Time Data Technologies Project
Neural Network Based Bioimpedance Cardiac Output Monitor Project
Rotating Chamber Pulse Detonation Engine Project
High Thermal - Stability Reaction Bonded SiC CMCs Project
Measurement/Model of Effects of Grazing Flow on Resonator Impedance Project
An Elastically Controlled Network Technology for Remote Testing and Monitoring Project
Digital Flow Diagnostics System for Complex Flows Project
Monitoring Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity of Anti-tumor Drugs in Microgravity Project
Distributed, Dynamic Space-Based Logistics Contingency Planning Project
The primary objective of this SBIR is to develop epitaxial GaN films with threading dislocation density less than 10^6 cm^-2. We propose an innovative approach combining two Pulsed Energy technologies: plasma-energy-controlled Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) to deposit high quality epitaxial GaN films, and in situ Pulsed Energy Annealing to decrease the dislocation density ( to &lt; 10^6 cm-2). Unlike low energetic techniques (such as MBE or CVD), PLD's energetic range of pulsed plasma can be controlled with process parameters, resulting in a wide range of plasma energetic for film deposition. Recently, Neocera fabricated high quality epitaxial GaN films using the plasma-energy-controlled PLD process, resulting in strong photoluminescent emission at room temperature. This approach is further extended in this Phase I, with an in-situ "Pulsed" Energy Annealing, to greatly improve the film crystallinity. The pulsed laser or pulsed electron beam, with 20-50 ns pulse width and high power density (~10^8W/cm^2), induces melting and a rapid epitaxial formation in ~100 nanoseconds, anneling out dislocations. This unique combination of two pulsed energy technologies is expected to provide the most advanced deposition process for epitaxial GaN films with low dislocation density.
Development of an Aircraft Nodal Data Acquisition System (ANDAS) is proposed.  The proposed methodology employs the development of a very thin (135&amp;#61549;m) hybrid microminiature sensor assembly (MSA) incorporating a micro-electro-mechanical-sensor (MEMS) array, a short-haul radio transceiver, a data mux, memory, power management module, a replaceable battery cartridge, and an antenna.  Various MSA packaging concepts will be evaluated using modified MEMS and commercially available ICs (in die form). A final packaging design for batch fabrication in Phase II will be developed. The MSA would be designed as a cement-and-forget-device (except for the battery). A cpomactPCI modular host would manage the MSA nodes as a part of a scatternet/piconet arrangement.  The host will be almost entirely made up of COTS hardware and software.  Cost estimates for MSA and the host system will be provided.
We are proposing to leverage the Missile Defense Agency investments in high-performance propulsion systems for low-cost space missions with large Dv requirements, for example, a soft lunar lander.  This design concept exploits a core set of hardware developed under past and current Department of Defense (DoD) investments. The propulsion system concepts under consideration are from the DoD's Missile Defense Kinetic Kill Vehicle programs such as EKV, THAAD, ASAT and LEAP.   These are bipropellant, storable and hypergolic system that use high-performance propellants (MMH/NTO).  This subtopic is seeking technologies with the superior performance for orbital control, for on-orbit applications including storage capability and propulsion.  This propulsion system should allow transfers from LEO or GTO to lunar orbit or similar destinations.  These missions have in common the substantial Dv propulsion requirements that cannot be met with the existing flown propulsion systems on current small spacecraft missions (for example, SNAP-1, Cubesats, Orbcomm or similar missions).  Our proposed solutions offers that capability at an affordable but credible cost.
This Phase I SBIR proposal describes proposed development of a conceptual design for a Self-Calibrating Vector Helium Magnetometer (SVHM) for design and fabrication of a SVHM brass-board model in Phase II. The SVHM instrument is capable of making both scalar and vector component measurements of Earth and planetary magnetic fields. The SVHM innovation is use of the scalar field value to self-calibrate the vector measurements thereby eliminating the three fluxgate vector magnetometers and an independent scalar magnetometer usually required to correct for fluxgate drifts and offsets. The SVM concept was demonstrated under an ESTO IIP contract. The SVHM concept can achieve a dynamic range of +/-100,000 nT, vector and scalar accuracy with self-calibration of 1 nT, and sensitivity of 5 pT /?)Hz. Miniaturization of the SVHM instrument to meet volume, power and mass goals will be achieved using fiber-coupled laser pump source and resonance drive, which permits miniaturization of the SVM sensor by reducing helium cell volume, by a factor of 10. The feasibility of designing and fabricating a brass-board SVHM model using advanced laser and digital components will be established in Phase I. A self-calibration and test protocol will be developed for demonstration in Phase II.
CSA Engineering proposes the design of an adaptive aeroelastic mode suppression for advanced fly-by-wire aircraft, which will partition the modal suppression function from the rigid-body Flight Control System (FCS).  CSA is recognized as having world-class expertise in the areas structural dynamics, vibration control, and control-structure interaction.  Phase 1 will leverage expertise in structural dynamics and system-identification to develop adaptive filtering algorithms which operate in both the spatial and time domains to identify/estimate key aeroelastic generalized (modal) DOF and suppress aeroservoelastic interactions while minimizing the degradation of phase margin with respect to the FCS.  During Phase 1, CSA will develop an end-to-end aeroelastic aircraft dynamic model of appropriate complexity as well as related sensors and measurement systems which will support the adaptive mode suppression effort.  Sensors and measurement systems will be evaluated concurrently with adaptive filtering algorithms with regard to convergence, stability, and robustness.  Filter architecture parameterization and constraints will be investigated.  The goal of this development is to partition the suppression of aeroservoelastic interactions separate from the rigid body FCS, enabling FCS design and configuration/adaptation to be independent of aeroservoelastic considerations.
Luna Innovations Incorporated proposes to develop a high performance Ge quantum dots-based infrared (IR) imaging camera on Si substrate. The high sensitivity, large format imaging camera with a spectral response in the 1-4um region is extremely important for many NASA space and Earth programs. Luna's approach will allow significant reduction in price of the infrared imaging camera, increase pixel count and radiation hardness, reduction of dark current, increase of operation temperature while keeping all other performance metrics competitive with current state of the art technologies. Furthermore, Si substrates is very attractive in IR FPA technology, not only because it is less expensive and available in large area wafers but also because the coupling of the Si substrates with Si readout circuitry in an FPA structure allows fabrication of very large arrays exhibiting long-term thermal cycle reliability.
New engine fan blade containment structures are being manufactured with advanced composite structures such that they can withstand blade-out events. The use of advance composites requires the understanding of the possible effects of aging degradation on the performance of "hard wall" or "soft wall" composite fan containment structures to ensure durability in their use in jet engine applications. Acellent Technologies, Inc. proposes to develop an innovative, low-cost and reliable system for assessment of the integrity of composite fan containment structures that will automatically monitor in real-time the location and extent of damage in the containment structure. The system will utilize a network of miniature sensors integrated with the structure to scan the entire structural area for any impact events, resulting structural damage and monitor degradation due to usage. Phase I will focus on developing a prototype of the system and demonstrating functionality to detect damage both on the inner and exterior surface of the fan containment structure.
Guidance and control system design for hypersonic vehicles is more challenging than their subsonic and supersonic counterparts. Some of these challenges are (i) coupling between the aerodynamic, structural and propulsion sub-systems (ii) uncertainty involved in modeling these couplings and (iii) state-space constraints. Proposed research seeks to address these challenges using advanced robust control system design techniques. Key components of the proposed research are (i) hypersonic vehicle modeling, (ii) uncertainty representation, (iii) robust controller designs, and, (iv) robustness evaluation tools. Personnel at OSI have extensive experience in the area of flight control system design and flight vehicle modeling. 
	Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility by using existing longitudinal hypersonic vehicle models. Phase II research will pursue three dimensional modeling of the hypersonic vehicle alongside advancing the control system design. A complete version of the control system design software will be developed and provided to NASA by the end of Phase II work.
Various planned NASA missions require thermal switches for active thermal control. As an example cryocoolers, including redundant coolers are incorporated on select missions. The redundant coolers operate when deteriorating or defunct coolers are deactivated. However, integration of redundant coolers may cause substantial parasitic heat loads unless the cold regions are thermally  connected to the active cryocooler only. The overall system efficiency will depend in part on the efficacy of the intervening thermal switches. We propose to develop a highly effective, innovative prototype thermal switch that combines two recently developed technologies. First, it employs a highly conductive thermal contact at a low applied force. Secondly, the heat switch employs an innovative bi-stable actuator. The actuator requires little energy to switch between states and can achieve motion on the order of millimeters. This available motion exceeds the tens to hundreds of microns needed to engage the contact, enabling complete separation, and thus, excellent thermal isolation in the off state. Combining the inherently high on- and low off-conductance of the contacts with the bi-stable actuator positioning  provides for a highly effective, innovative thermal switch, potentially enabling significant performance enhancement of NASA missions.
M4 Engineering proposes to develop a method of incorporating several analyses into one process and then optimizing the structure.  This method will allow for significant weight savings of structural compoents by incorporating analyses for damage tolerance, and durability in the design phase.  Damage tolerance analyses, especially, have been difficult to iterate on since it has been time consuming to create models of each damage condition.  The proposed method will be a highly efficient and useful method in reducing weight of structures.
Venus retains many secrets pertaining to its formation and evolution.  NASA is interested in expanding its ability to explore the deep atmosphere and surface of Venus through the use of long-lived balloons and landers.  Survivability in extreme high temperatures and high pressures is also required for deep atmospheric probes to giant planets.  This Phase I proposal discloses technology that will permit operation and survivability in high-temperature/high-pressure planetary environments such as Venus.
The goal of this Phase I effort is to demonstrate the feasibility of a very high temperature thermal control system and to experimentally demonstrate a 1251 kJ/Kg thermal storage medium.
The successful completion of such an effort requires dramatic advances in technology, areas in which Mainstream has tremendous experience and has excelled in the past.  However, although no extremely high temperature heat rejection system has ever been fabricated anywhere in the world, this critical requirement is necessary to achieve long-life operation on Venus and other planets.  This effort represents a major leap over the current state of the art, and Mainstream is uniquely suited to perform this task.
The proposed project will investigate the feasibility of utilizing ThinKom's low cost electronically scanned array (ESA) antenna concepts to enable affordable airborne hazard detection and avoidance radar systems with greatly enhanced performance relative to those currently deployed. This technology is comprised of a unique integrated feed/phase shifter/radiator topology that can be realized using very low cost manufacturing techniques and COTS electronics. Although it utilizes a densely spaced array of discrete radiators that allows the "grating lobe free" operation of traditional high cost phased arrays, the architecture is amenable to "quasi-monolithic" construction from a small number of inexpensive parts. It also enables the use of a highly reliable, low cost, low power consumption beam steering controller. The estimated total loss through the feed, phase shifter, and radiator is less than 1 dB at X-Band. The Phase I program will focus on creating a design for a small proof-of-concept (POC) ESA, and on doing a hardware demonstration of the phase shifter architecture. When fabricated under a Phase II program the POC unit will demonstrate the revolutionary cost reduction potential of this technology.
Space flight cryocoolers will be able to handle limited heat loads at their expected operating temperatures and the current leads may be the dominant contributor to the heat load. In the present SBIR, we propose an innovative approach that could significantly reduce heat loads introduced by current carrying leads in a variety of space flight cryocoolers. Our approach uses high-temperature superconducting (HTS) current leads with zero dissipation for DC currents, developed on flexible low-thermal conductivity substrates (ceramic yttria stabilized zirconia). The unique film/substrate combination when implemented for developing low-thermal budget DC current leads is expected to allow thermal loads less than 1 mW when operated between 80K and 10K.  Successful accomplishment of program objectives will lead to a unique, low thermal load, superconducting current lead platform, significantly enhancing the  over all performance of the cryogenic subsystems.
Delta Velocity Corporation proposes the development of a very low cost, highly responsive nanosat launch system.  We propose to develop an integrated propulsion system and launch vehicle configuration that provides responsiveness approaching that of solid propellant systems using a non-toxic storable liquid bipropellant mix, an innovative single pressure vessel stage design, and an integrated engine/tankage system.  The system combines these innovative propulsion technologies with proven sounding rocket operations concepts to minimize cost.  Our two stage nanosat launch system uses rail launch and static stability in early flight phases and a deliberate non-optimum stage sizing to eliminate the requirement for an expensive flight termination system and associated ground infrastructure.  Our focus on inherent system safety and maximum vehicle simplicity benefits the responsiveness, reliability, and cost of space launch.  The propellants chosen are inexpensive, easy to handle, and inherently safe.  These room temperature storable propellants allow use of common, low cost vehicle materials and construction techniques.  The system is scalable, allowing it to be adapted to a wide range of space launch systems.  The design simplicity of the configuration promises to reduce costs and improve responsiveness of space launch systems.
Achieving low-cost space missions implies lowering all phases of mission development, including spacecraft design, assembly, integration and test. The concept of the wireless spacecraft bus is something most technical people are at least half familiar with - the half which includes wireless data transfer, something available on every computer laptop today. But wireless is not really wireless if the power is delivered through wires. Both power and data need to be delivered wirelessly for the true potential impact of wireless to be made on spacecraft design, build, integration, and test.
Integrating today's commonplace wireless data systems into spacecraft would seem to be a logical step in spacecraft development, but to date has not been implemented widely if at all. AeroAstro proposes an innovative solution to design and build micro-spacecraft (and spacecraft components) harnessing the true promise of wireless systems. The overall objective of the proposal is to develop and demonstrate a truly wireless spacecraft bus - exhibiting not only wireless data, but also wireless power distribution. By definition, this wireless approach is inherently modular, and alleviates the need for wire harnesses of any type while simultaneously making staged built-in-test possible concurrently during spacecraft assembly.
M4 Engineering proposes the development of an adaptive structural mode control system.  The adaptive control system will begin from a "baseline" dynamic model of the system, which will be updated as the system is operated.  This allows the control inputs to be tailored to the observed behavior of the system across a range of flight conditions, weight conditions, and failure conditions, while accounting for uncertainty in structural dynamics and aerodynamics.  The development of the adaptive control system involves a selection of a set of adaptive control algorithms, which will then be implemented and tested on a set of example problems.  The performance of the algorithms will be evaluated and additional development and enhancements will be subsequently recommended.
Existing communications systems for spacecraft provide a choice between either large aperture (&gt;3m) or high frequency (&gt;X-band), but not both.  These systems use either deployable mesh reflectors, which are limited in their operating frequency by the facets and RF reflectivity of the mesh itself, or rigid surface reflectors, which are limited in their aperture by the size of the launch vehicle fairing.  Deployable solid-surface reflectors have the potential to enable both a large aperture and high frequency operation but are compliant and inherently difficult to fabricate to a precise surface contour.  The proposed innovation is to develop methods for optimizing the surface contour of solid-surface deployable reflector systems using built-in adjustors.  This allows for antenna systems with high data rate and high gain for interplanetary communications and other missions.  Technical feasibility of this approach will be demonstrated in Phase 1 with the design, structural analysis, assembly, and demonstration of a tunable solid surface reflector thereby advancing the innovation to a TRL 5.  The Phase 1 demonstration unit will incorporate tuning adjustors, an existing reflector shell, and a simplified backing structure.  This will provide the methodology for a flight-ready demonstration unit to be completed as part of the Phase 2 contract.
Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. (ASC) has developed a 128 x 128 frame, 3D Flash LADAR video camera which produces 3-D point clouds at 30 Hz. Flash Ladar Video Cameras are 3D vision systems that return range and intensity information for each pixel in real time.  The ASC camera is the equivalent of 16000 range finders on a single chip.  This allows the sensor to act as a 3D video camera with functionality well beyond just range finding.  A previous Phase I EDL project used an ASC camera at the JPL mars yard to gather test data. Hazard Identification, and Entry Decent and Landing applications were investigated and the data demonstrated that a Flash LADAR system can resolve landing hazards and is suitable as an EDL sensor.
	In response to this solicitation ASC will study unit cell designs that will increase sensitivity and dynamic range and allow for more compact unit cells that will yield higher density arrays.  The Phase two effort will yield a ROIC design and fabrication of a unit cell.  The end result will be a ROIC design ready for Phase 3 production of a large area array.  These improvements will increase the TRL level of this sensor.
Estimation of aerodynamic models for the control of damaged aircraft using an innovative differential vortex lattice method tightly coupled with an extended Kalman filter is proposed.  The approach exploits prior knowledge about the undamaged aircraft to reduce the order of the estimation problem. Test maneuvers will be designed to improve the observability of the system dynamics. The derived performance model will then be used to determine the aircraft flight envelope, performance parameters and the maneuver limits. The objective is to develop an aircraft performance model online to permit the derivation of viable landing guidance laws for damaged aircraft. 
   Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept using a NASA-supplied aircraft simulation. Complete aircraft performance estimation system will be developed during the Phase II research and evaluated in real-time, high-fidelity simulations.
NASA, the Department of Defense (DoD), and Commercial spacecraft
programs have the desire to minimize program costs while continuing to
ensure mission robustness and flexibility.  The spacecraft system that
is a cost driver throughout the program life cycle is the Command and
Data Handling System (C&amp;amp;DH), along with the associated algorithms
and software.  Advanced Solutions Inc (ASI) plans to develop C&amp;amp;DH
software which can be targeted and adapted to a wide variety of C&amp;amp;DH
hardware architectures and mission requirements.  We also recognize the
need to streamline the entire spacecraft development lifecycle and
provide a product that not only provides highly autonomous core flight
software that is adaptable to any mission, but also has the ability to
replace traditional development, integration and test elements.  This
will be accomplished by expanding upon our revolutionary On-board
Dynamic Simulation System (ODySSy) to allow the C&amp;amp;DH system to
support all phases of the spacecraft lifecycle.  Additionally, the
traditional test control room is now unnecessary and is replaced by the
mission control architecture to provide a true test-like-you-fly
environment.  The test team, mission control team, and data analyst's
can be in remote locations through use of the Web-Based Data
Distribution Network (WebDDN).
NASA's next generation of x-ray observation missions require x-ray calorimeters with superior energy resolution. Semimetallic HgTe has already proven itself as an excellent soft x-ray absorber material due to its low heat capacity. The alloy Hg0.834Cd0.166Te is predicted to also have zero energy gap at T=0 K and a heat capacity even less that that of HgTe due to: (i) a greater Debye temperature (resulting in a lower lattice heat capacity), and (ii) a smaller electron effective mass (resulting in a lower electronic heat capacity). Thus Hg0.834Cd0.166Te-based microcalorimeter arrays are expected to have an energy resolution superior to that of HgTe-based ones. We propose the growth of single crystal Hg0.834Cd0.166Te layers by molecular beam epitaxy on Si substrates. Mercury vacancies will be filled after growth to reduce the possibility of them acting as acceptors and introducing a significant electronic heat capacity. The Hg0.834Cd0.166Te layers will be characterized by x-ray diffraction to asses their structural quality and crystallinity, FTIR mapping to confirm the uniformity of their energy gaps and alloy compositions, Hall measurements to assess their electrical transport properties, etch pit density
counts to determine dislocation densities, transmission electron microscopy to determine microscopic structural information, and heat capacity measurements at mK temperatures to test their promise as high energy resolution quantum calorimeters.
The NASA/L'Garde Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE)flown in STS-77 has
showed the potential of this class of structures in significantly
reducing the costs for space access. It also pointed the way to future
work.  Numerous studies and ground tests on real hardware conducted by
L'Garde since then, have shown the extension of these advantages to
rigidizable parabolic reflectors and provided further proof for their
manufacturability, their significant stowage volume advantages. and
their controlled deployment.  The most significant issue that remains is
their surface accuracy under the influence of, mainly, thermal loads.
The structural films laminates that must be used in their construction
exhibit positive thermal expansion coefficients adversely affecting
their accuracy in the frequency range &amp;gt;1-3 GHz.  In Phase 1 of this
effort L'Garde and SARA intend to design and analyze a corrective system
for inflatable and/or rigidizable antennas comprised of a phased array
feed capable of correcting phase errors and a movable feed platform to
correct for focal point shifts.  If the corrective system feasibility is
proven and we proceed to Phase 2, such a system will be designed, built
and tested on a subscale inflatable or rigidizable reflector.  This
system can have profound positive effects on space communications.
Piezoelectric motors operate on the principal of high frequency oscillation of high force precision ceramic elements.  The high power oscillations are converted to rotary motion through a novel conversion mechanism to produce high torque precision motion when compared with traditional electromagnetic motors.  Dynamic Structures and Materials (DSM) proposes to focus the Phase I innovation on the development and design of a precision rotary conversion mechanism that will take the piezoelectric oscillatory power and produce rotary motion for operation at cryogenic and extreme environments.  DSM has already demonstrated operation of its high force linear motor actuators for environments as low as 77 K.  The proposed rotary motor should operate from approximately 25K to 400 K and should provide very low or no outgassing as well as operational capabilities in hard vacuum. The technology is proposed for applications in the area of rover control, driving operational equipment, instruments, and other such facilities. This proposal addresses DSM's perceived approach to the development of flight-scalable demonstration components for the novel rotary motor technology.
This proposed Phase I effort will investigate and develop the necessary innovations to realize the Hybrid Ocean Wind Sensor system that will provide critical measurements to support the XOVWM  planned for 2014 and serve as a true testbed for this mission by providing active and passive, C and Ku-band measurements of the ocean surface from high altitude platforms. The Phase I effort will focus on developing the HOWS system design and determining the design and feasibility to realize a  low loss electronic steering, dual beam antenna and a low power, compact transceiver module that supports active and passive remote sensing of the ocean vector wind. 

The proposed HOWS system will acquire measurements critical to assessing the design of the next generation scatterometer missions planned for 2014 (XOVWM). The HOWS system also fulfill a critical need of TPC/NHC for continuous, accurate, wide area coverage of the oceans surface vector wind field and provide hurricane researchers at HRD and other institution with critical measurements to improving the understanding of tropical cyclone intensification. The NASA Global Hawk UAV and the NOAA G-IV aircraft are just two potential platforms for this instrument. With its lower power, stealthy active and passive design, it is perfectly suited for military theatre operations and search and rescue operations over the ocean.
NASA has serious unmet needs for simulation tools capable of predicting the behavior of lunar regolith in proposed excavation, transport and handling systems.  Current simulation tools do not include the effects of triboelectric and photo-ionization induced charges on regolith particles.  Existing DEM or FE models largely focus on coarse smooth non-brittle particles and lack adequate fidelity for fine cohesive powders comprised of friable particles with irregular shapes.  As such, they are inadequate for assessing the reliability of regolith excavation and handling systems, and even less so for evaluation of engineering trade offs between total system mass, power and energy consumption.

Grainflow Dynamics proposes to develop a high-fidelity DEM model incorporating a new charge-spot model for electrostatic forces arising from localized charge patches on the surfaces and in the interiors of individual particles, and also including an innovative new comprehensive cohesive-contact model.  Grainflow Dynamics further proposes to demonstrate the ability of the new cohesive-contact model to mimic the compaction and dispersion behavior of lunar regolith simulants JSC-1A and JSC-1AF.  This work will lead to an improved engineering design tool that can be used by NASA engineers and contractors developing designs for ISRU equipment, to evaluate reliability of various configurations, and the trade-offs of system designs.
MSI Photogenics has combined two new technologies for neutron detection into a system that has the potential to offer enhanced neutron spectroscopy for several NASA programs. The detector utilizes lithium gadolinium borate, a new scintillator offering a number of performance improvements over existing materials, and capture-gated signal analysis a technique that identifies neutrons by a unique dual signal produced in the detector. Only neutrons produce this signal, giving the detector excellent discrimination against background and the ability to measure the energy of the neutrons.  The program will determine the detection efficiency of this system for 12 neutron energies; thermal, epithermal and energies from 1-10 MeV.  The detection efficiency for neutron energies between 10-150 MeV will also be investigated.   An estimate of neutron dose will be developed using the ICRP factors for neutron energies and the accuracy of the dose estimate provided by the Photogenics system will be evaluated.
Seldon Laboratories, LLC, will apply its patented carbon nanotube filtration technology for air and nanoscale particulate engine exhaust filtration to NASA's Lunar Exploration challenges. This project focuses on the problem of efficient removal of nanoscale (10-100nm) and larger lunar dust particulates from air using a nanostructured fiber media containing carbon nanotubes. Lunar dust presents an important challenge to Lunar exploration and habitation, nonetheless it has some unique properties that can be taken advantage of in designing specialized filtration media capable of achieving efficient removal from air.  The rough surface shape combined with the electrically and magnetically charged nature of the dust means that rough, electrically activated filtration media will be effective tools for filtration.  Seldon's work with its proprietary fused carbon nanotube media offers a unique path to significant new purification applications that meet important needs for NASA's Lunar Exploratory Initiatives.  The unique physical properties of the carbon nanotubes will be capitalized upon to create a filtration media with high efficiency and low pressure drop that can be electrically powered to enhance filtration of charged lunar dust particles.
A novel approach is proposed for the suppression of the aircraft's structural vibration to increase the resilience of the flight control law in the presence of the aeroelastic/aeroservoelastic (AE/ASE) interactions. Currently aircrafts with non-adaptive control laws usually include roll-off or notch filters to avoid AE/ASE interactions. However, if changes in the aircraft configuration are significant, the frequencies of the flexible modes of the aircraft may be shifted and the notch filters could become totally ineffective. With the proposed approach, the flexible modes can be consistently estimated in real-time via system identification algorithm. The identified flexible modes information is sought to be injected to the adaptive control algorithm to update a set of pre-chosen basis functions, These are the key elements for the effectiveness of the proposed method. As a result, undesirable effects of elastic modes will be suppressed while the whole system stability being maintained. Two case/analysis scenarios will be considered. First, the feedforward filter topology will be mainly used to reduce any atmospheric induced structural vibration of the aircraft. Second, the adaptive feedback control is triggered to suppress any AE/ASE interactions, and prevent any possible Flutter/Limit Cycle Oscillation (LCO) of the actual flexible aircraft.
Strong science motivations exist for exploring hard to reach terrain on Mars and the leading systems proposed to do so require tethers. While tethers are used extensively in terrestrial fields, much research and development must take place to better assess their use for landed Mars missions and to raise the Technology Readiness Level of the solution. Many different technologies will need to be developed and carefully integrated to meet the goal of producing a capable, fault resistant system. 

We intend to begin creating a body of work which will directly impact the development of a tether system usable for exploration of extreme terrain on Mars. 

The three R&amp;D areas begin with the highest priority: (1) Tether
design: Low volume &amp; mass tether that transmits power, data &amp; structural
loads while sustaining environments. (2) Spool design: Reliable, flight
relevant spooling mechanism. (3) Increased system intelligence &amp;
reliability: Controls approaches for tethered vehicle operations; Sensing
tension &amp; dynamic length; Maintaining 3d position knowledge of tether in
terrain; Considerations for later work towards fault diagnosis &amp; recovery.
Long-life, high-capacity cryocoolers are a critical need for future space systems utilizing stored cryogens.  The cooling requirements for planetary and extraterrestrial exploration missions, Crew Exploration Vehicles, extended-life orbital transfer vehicles, and space depots will range from 10 to 50 W at temperatures between 20 and 120 K.  Turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are ideal for these systems because they are lightweight, compact and very efficient at high cooling loads, in addition to their inherent attributes of high reliability; negligible vibration; long, maintenance-free lifetimes; and flexibility in integrating with spacecraft systems and instruments.  To date, space-borne turbo-Brayton technology has been developed for low cooling loads.  During the proposed program, Creare will develop an advanced, high efficiency turbine optimized for a high-capacity cryocooler.  The advanced turbine will enable a landmark reduction in cryocooler input power and overall cooling system mass.  In Phase I, we will define the requirements for a particular mission class, develop the conceptual design of a multistage cryocooler to meet these requirements, develop the preliminary design of the advanced turbine and perform proof-of-concept tests.  During Phase II, we will fabricate the turbine and demonstrate its performance at prototypical operating conditions.
The multi-cell thermal battery (MCTB) is a device that can recover a large fraction of the thermal energy from heated regolith and subsequently apply this energy to heat up cool regolith. The individual cells of the MCTB contain a thermal storage media that is specifically designed for optimal performance at a given temperature range. Each of these cells is charged with thermal energy from hot regolith that has been used in a lunar ISRU application. Once the MCTB is charged, the heat is transferred from the battery to newly harvested regolith. In this manner over 85&#37; of the heat can be transferred from the expended to the new regolith. This is a large improvement especially considering that this reduces the heating requirement to produce 1000 kg of O2 from lunar regolith from an average of 1 kW to only 0.15 kW (assuming 3&#37; O2 recovery by weight). The other irreducible power consumption of lunar ISRU O2 production is electrolysis which consumes at least 0.3 kW. Hence, using the MCTB decreases the irreducible power consumption of lunar ISRU by 65 &#37;.
Development of energy storage capable of operational temperatures of 380:C and 486&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C with a specific capacity 200 Wh/kg for use as a power source on the Venusian surface and for planetary probes in similar high temperature atmospheres and where ambient pressures of 90 atmospheres are to be expected.  This proposal provides for further research and development of the Li(Al)CoS2 high temperature energy storage chemistry to develop high temperature space energy storage, which will enable the in situ exploration of the atmosphere of Venus and deep atmospheres of Jupiter or Saturn for future NASA missions. This energy storage will provide power for thermal control systems, high temperature electronics and sensors, and high temperature motors and actuators. The approach has a parallel path of evaluation of low melting point electrolyte for 380:C operation and optimization of the 486:C Venus energy storage chemistry. The final task is battery level characterization at various temperatures and discharge rates, with implementation of the previously completed design of a robust battery/cell container and ceramic to metal seals.
We propose to develop a significant improvement in the performance of diode-pumped, Nd:YLF lasers by employing direct optical pumping of the upper level of the 1-micron laser transition. This novel pumping technique has been applied to other Nd laser systems, notably Nd:YAG and Nd:vanadate, but to our knowledge this has not been successfully applied to Nd:YLF laser systems. Q-Peak is in a unique position to develop this technique specifically for Nd:YLF owing to the extensive work that we have done over the past decade in developing our patented MPS systems, which employ Nd:YLF as the gain medium. Researchers who have applied this pumping technique to Nd:YAG have shown an increase in slope efficiency of about 20&#37; and a reduction in thermal load of about 30&#37;. We expect to see similar levels of improvement in Nd:YLF performance in this project.
Proposed is a high power, high efficiency, high reliability compact eye-safe LIDAR source.  The diode pump source is an electrically series-connected array of single emitters coupled into an optical fiber known commercially as Pearl. During the course of the program nLight will transfer and improve its present record 1470-nm diode technology to a AuSn solder bond line, while also elongating the cavity for better performance.  During the second phase of the program, internal gratings will be added to the diodes to narrow the emission line width providing better absorption in the Er:YAG system and a Er:YAG laser meeting the requirements set forth in the solicitation, pumped by the source developed over the course of the program's two phases, will be demonstrated.
This SBIR Phase I addresses the development of electrochemical ultracapacitors (ECs) using graphitic nanosheets as the electrode material. The advantages Eltron's technology will be the reduction of device size due to superior power densities and relative powers. These materials also display reduced discharge response times compared to state of the art materials; this is advantageous for pulsed power applications such as burst communications and flash LIDAR. Eltron's carbon nanostructures are highly conductive and offer an ordered mesopore network. These attributes will provide more complete electrolyte wetting, and faster release of stored charge compared to activated carbon.
Preliminary studies have shown that Eltron's materials meet or exceed the performance of major EC manufacturers. The Phase I objectives will be to further increase performance with regards to high power/short duration demands.  The technology is currently at a TRL 3 and we expect to reach a TRL 4 by the end of Phase I.  In Phase II studies we will optimize the materials' performance and scale up prototype cells and validate performance in critical test environments.
TRS Technologies proposes micromachined single crystal piezoelectric actuator arrays to enable ultra-large stroke, high precision shape control for large aperture, lightweight and cryogenic adaptive optics structures for future NASA Science and communications applications. The proposed concept will advance the state-of-art actuators for deformable mirrors considering the excellent cryogenic properties (with d33 and d31 at 30K similar or higher than that of PZT at room temperature) of single crystal piezoelectrics, large stroke and high actuator density. In this Phase I project, TRS will investigate the feasibility of using micromachined single crystal piezo actuator array for deformable mirrors. Single crystal piezoelectric microactuator arrays will be fabricated and characterized at temperature from 20 K to 300 K. Driving electronics for piezo actuator array, and DM modeling incorporating piezo microactuators will be investigated in Phase I as well. In Phase II, optimized single crystal piezoelectric actuators will be designed, fabricated, characterized and integrated into a deformable mirror structure for full evaluations.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will research a novel deformable mirror design for NASA adaptive optics telescope applications . The innovation offers reliable mechanics for the strained architecture, facilitating dynamic modeling and the control of the overall mirror system. A system-level finite element analysis and design optimization, in combination with proof-of-concept experimental verification methods, will be adopted to identify the most promising design for the future adaptive optics telescope systems. Focus will be given to improve the long time reliability and stability of the system while reducing thermal distortions for the mirror system. In Phase I, the proposed deformable mirror system will be designed and extensively modeled using finite element analysis technique to examine its electro-mechanical response, thermal-mechanical responses, and the various radiation-induced thermal-mechanical responses, respectively. Based on the design, Phase I will see the prototyping and testing of a 5x5 array sub-scale model.
M4 Engineering proposes to develop a generalized reduced order model generation method.  This method will allow for creation of reduced order aeroservoelastic state space models that can be interpolated across a range of flight conditions.  This development will be a significant advance to the process of control law development, especially in the design of control systems required to provide flutter suppression, gust load alleviation, and ride quality enhancement.  The proposed technique will be an excellent compliment to modern linear and nonlinear aeroservoelastic analysis methods.
As air-breathing combustion applications advance, increased use of fuel for cooling, combined with cycle advancements, leads to a situation where the fuel can become superheated.  While this can lead to potential benefit in terms of the eventual fuel injection process, with enhanced atomization and evaporation, it creates a significant challenge relative to any computational design tools that might be used in these systems.  Dealing with the superheat behavior in the injection of a liquid fuel requires substantially more physical phenomena to be accounted for compared to a subcooled system.  As a result, detailed data and models for this behavior as encountered in practical fuels are needed in order to validate and evolve the models needed.  In the work proposed, emphasis will be given to the injection of a plain liquid jet under superheated conditions.  In Phase I the behavior of the liquid internal to the injector will be addressed, with both models and experiments carried out.  The models evolved will be incorporated into an existing simulation environment developed by ERC for atomization of liquid jets.  In addition, data will be available for CFD validation.
We are proposing to exploit (in an innovative way) existing, readily available, GNC sensors for the purpose of precision lunar landing.  Majority of previous lunar lander concepts with the precision/pinpoint landing capability required expensive and risky development of new GNC and landing sensors (scanning lidars, multi-beam mm-ww radar, etc.).  Our proposed alternative consists solely of existing and low-cost sensors that synergistically leverage each capability and compensate for individual sensor weaknesses.  For example, we can use a simple single-beam low-frequency radar altimeter (available at low-cost off-the-shelf, and proven on several Mars lander missions).  The low-frequency radar can meet the maximum slant range requirements much easier than the mm-wave sensor but it does not have the adequate multiple narrow beam capability of the Apollo LM or Viking lander radar.  However, the optical descent imaging measurement (using DSMAC-type sensor) can supplement the single beam radar measurement and obtain the same information about the complete state vector.  There are several similar concepts implemented in this sensor suite of complementing strengths and weakness of individual sensors.
The Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) J-2X engine will power the upper stage of the Ares I and the earth departure stage (EDS) of the Ares V, which will enable manned travels to the Moon and eventually Mars.  Building on Apollo heritage, the J-2X is a derivative of the J 2 engine.  One unique feature of the J-2X is its planned carbon/carbon (C/C) composite nozzle extension, which will replace the heavy metallic extension and increase engine performance.  Currently, NASA and PWR plan to employ a Noveltex or Naxeco C/C nozzle extension from a foreign supplier on the J-2X.  
Plasma Processes Inc., with the support from ATK Launch Systems, proposes a program with the primary goal of demonstrating a domestically produced C/C composite nozzle extension for use on the J-2X.  The specific objectives include evaluation of higher strength C/C materials and manufacturing methods, investigation of oxygen protective coatings and design of nozzle extension subcomponent.  The team of Plasma Processes, Inc. and ATK Launch Systems offers a state of the art skill set that is uniquely suited to the Phase I program.
Research Support Instruments, Inc. (RSI) proposes to develop the Friction-Sensing Retroreflector Array Patches (FRAP), a technology that will measure the shear stress distribution on aerodynamic surfaces in ground test facilities with high resolution, sensitivity, and bandwidth.  Unlike the oil-film interference method, FRAP patches will not be thinned as a function of time during a test.  No knowledge of the streamlines of the flow will be needed in order to calculate the local stress distribution; this will avoid the tracers needed with the oil-film interference approach.  Flexible patches of FRAP arrays, inexpensive due to simple, mass-production-compatible microfabrication techniques, will be interrogated using a light source and camera. FRAP will be independent of the flow species and applied as a very thin, flexible, adhesive material.  The Phase I goals will be to design sensors, develop a microfabrication technique and use it to fabricate prototype units, demonstrate feasibility, and select the most promising design for Phase II development.  In Phase II, the prototype units will be field-demonstrated at NASA facilities, with manufacturing issues and realistic operating conditions addressed.  The result will be a product that will address a critical NASA instrumentation need.
TIAX proposes to develop as a novel negative electrode active material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. This material will fill the gap between the state-of-the-art high energy density (e.g. graphitic carbon or amorphous tin-carbon composite) and high charging rate capability (e.g. nano-Li4Ti5O12) anode materials. The novel anode material will have specific capacity of 625 mAh/g and electrochemical potential of ~0.9 V vs. Li, making it capable of meeting NASA battery energy target of 180 Wh/kg.  The mechanism of its electrochemical cycling will be by zero-strain topotactic lithiation/delithiation, making it capable of meeting NASA's requirements for cycle life and for rapid recharge capability.  This novel anode material will provide for lithium-ion batteries having enhanced safety by virtue of its being non-toxic and having low thermal reactivity.  Furthermore, the use of this novel anode chemistry will enable the implementation of other lithium-ion battery system enhancements, such as improved electrolytes.  The Phase I program will demonstrate synthesis of the targeted material composition in the desired structure, and will demonstrate electrochemical performance of that material.  Correlations between physical, structural and electrochemical properties of this novel anode material will be investigated through the course the program.
Impact Technologies LLC, with support of the University of California Santa Cruz, proposes to develop and demonstrate a set of enhancements to NASA's Hybrid Diagnostic Engine (HyDE) that represent valuable and, in some cases, critical features for IVHM system developers in NASA and non-NASA application domains. Specifically, the Impact team believes that in order for HyDE to transition to a broad customer base, HyDE must meet commercial-grade software standards as well as provide 1) an innovative and powerful software-based model validation and verification environment must be integrate with Matlab/Simulink, 2) sophisticated third party plug-ins to translate from a Bayesian Network modeling paradigm and integrate generic signal validation tools and 3) the capability to generate and deploy models for common embedded targets in an efficient and user friendly package. The project team intends to define, develop and demonstrate the feasibility of these innovative and significant enhancements to HyDE with NASA's Advanced Diagnostic and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT) as a realistic and sufficiently complex case study.
Field Programmable Gate Arrays are a widely used technology; however, they are generally limited in reprogrammability. Radiation hard, low power and high density ReProgramable FPGAs (RP-FPGAs) would be a tremendous asset in long duration missions. The ability to adapt to changeing mission profiles and on board capabilities is highly desirable. We herein propose to develop a RP-FPGA for flight use. In Phase I we will prove basic device concepts working with a leading FPGA manufacturer. In Phase II we will develop a viable demonstration prototype that will enable routine Phase III device manufacture.
CFD modeling and simulation has been heavily invested in decades of manpower by a large community of researchers. However, the excessive numerical diffusion inherently caused by discretization errors plus the possibly largest/finest grid requirement for rotor wake modeling prevents CFD to be routinely used in practical engineering calculations. The proposed Gradient Transport Correction (GTC) method provides an innovative artificial compression that can serves as a general confinement for greatly enhancing the resolution of rotor wake capturing while significantly reducing the grid requirement. In this proposal, we have demonstrated the great potential of GTC method to counteract the numerical dissipation and absolutely preserve the wake vortical structure with a small number of grid cells. Phase I will develop an initial capability, and the capability to be established in Phase I will be developed into a general engineering tool that has engineering analysis accuracy as well as transparent set-up for a broad range of important engineering calculations, such as computing hover performance, high-lift and separation flows, as well as various types of multiple rotors.
Element beneficiation from a moving, ionized plasma can be accomplished through the principles of mass spectroscopy.  Two US patents were recently awarded to the PI on a means to separate all isotopes of regolith in a single pass using either a continuous or pulsed operation.  This method of in-situ resource utilization has been studied at a system level, and results published at a national space conference.  Phase I of the proposed work will extend the favorable results obtained so far towards a system-level model of the process suitable for more accurate computation of performance metrics.  Mathematical models of the SiO2 molecule dissociation, ionization, transport and separation will be derived and applied to the patented apparatuses.  Preliminary calculations on silicon extraction indicate the potential for solar cell production at approximately $6/Watt, a 50 times improvement over other proposed methods of space-based manufacture.  We will apply this novel method of beneficiation to a simultaneous extraction of oxygen and silicon.  Key questions to be answered include estimates of the physical dimensions conducive to efficient extraction (Watts/kg, kg/sec), which will drive system parameters of mirror size, solar power needs (for magnetrons and chillers), shielding, thermal management and infrastructure.  Milestones within the six-month project will be:  (1) vaporization, energy flow and system architecture; (2) addition of self-shielding, double-ionization, three-dimensional considerations and slag rates; (3) inlet design considerations, multiple molecule separation, and velocity profiling; and (4) composite separation rates and overall tranfer function characterization.  Upon completion of Phase I we will have detailed design equations needed to construct a prototype oxygen extraction unit during Phase II.
We propose that the Membrane Optical Shell Technology (MOST) substrate fabrication approach be extended with a specific focus on advanced off-axis very light weight, cost advantaged, optical surfaces for future telescope applications. The approach is based on a proven combination of 1) continuous thin film materials with space heritage, 2) inherent low areal density (40 to 200g/m2) surfaces, 3) cost and time advantaged fabrication techniques that 4) impart structural shell stiffness through the induction of permanent curvature, yielding 5) interferometrically confirmed optically sufficient low surface roughness and thickness variation and rapidly improving global figure metrics, 6) volume efficient stacking or compact roll stowage and robust passive self deployment, and when needed, 7) compatibility with boundary control/adjustment to provide initial phasing and reject environmental disturbances.  In the PI, building on our base of past research, we will demonstrate ability to directly fabricate the desired off axis segmented surfaces, continue to improve global figure metrics, address potential structural load survival and dynamic concerns, and begin to address other key issues critical toward improving TRL levels. This will prepare the way for a detailed PII ground demonstration and adoption into a flight program which is a key step in any realistic commercialization plan for space hardware.
Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are metal alloys (Nickel-Titanium, for example) that change shape when heated. When drawn and processed in wire form, the shape change is an aggressive contraction with useable lifetimes of millions of cycles. Despite this fact, SMAs have largely been a scientific curiosity, finding very little commercial use as actuators since their discovery over 30 years ago. The apparent lack of practical application may be due to their low recoverable strain (~4&#37; of total wire length). MIGA Motor Company has numerous international patents covering Displacement Multiplication (DM) techniques that allow us to package strokes of over 1 inch in highly compact, lightweight packages. Our current commercially available linear actuators provide 1/2" of stroke with 4.5 pounds of output force. We propose to develop several high force variants of the DM designs, allowing up to 45 pounds of force in a device weighing less than 2 ounces.  The manufacturing techniques that we have developed in manufacturing the DM actuators have paved the way to expansion into the high force realm: high reliability wire attachment methods, use of high temperature thermoplastics, Teflon-coated or over-molded precision chemically-etched stainless-steel motive elements, and various load-sharing techniques have enabled the design of these actuators to finally become a reality.
Light propagation in the sea and the consequent remote sensing signals seen by aircraft and spacecraft is fundamentally governed by the inherent optical properties (IOP) of the water, which is known to vary in all 4 dimensions, i.e. space and time. No versatile, non-moving full 0-pi volume scattering function sensing system exists at this time, although this company has developed an all solid state small forward angle system, LISST (The system was originall designed as a particle size distribution sensor, LISST-100; it would continue to have this capability), and a (moving-parts)scanning non-autonomous system was developed by a Ukrainian group. At the current time, this PI is building a backscatter system with ONR support to observe the Mueller matrix from 177-180 degrees. Intermediate angles are not reachable. In this proposal, I will build an all-solid state system combining the forward and backward angles, with side angles. We use an innovative solution to cover the wide dynamic range of the VSF. Along with VSF, the system shall measure beam attenuation (hence the phase function), and temperature and depth as auxiliary measurements. It will be battery operated and will have on-board data storage. At the heart of the innovation is a relatively new laser, novel drift-compensated detector set, and an innovative detector placement to streamline the system.
Robots will be precursors to human exploration of the lunar surface.
They will be expected to prepare the lunar surface for human habitation
as well as conduct scientific investigations.  As humans arrive the
robots should be able to shift to providing direct assistance to human
exploration activities.  Such tasks require a new generation of robotic
vehicles -- a generation that has flexible, dexterous manipulation
capabilities and adjustable software controllers that can shift between
remote teleoperation, autonomy and co-located human interaction.  Our
innovation consists of two components.  The first component is a
reconfigurable, dexterous manipulator that is designed to be mounted on
a mobile robot.  The manipulator will be light-weight and low-power.  It
will contain a reconfigurable number of up to seven degrees-of-freedom.
The second component is a software system that can adjust control of the
manipulator from teleoperated to autonomous and that can control the
mobile robot and the manipulator as a coordinated unit.  We propose to
implement a method called Coordinated Resolved Motion Control that will
automatically and jointly control the rover as well as the manipulator
such that the manipulator will stay away from singularities.  Together
these two innovations will substantially increase the capabilities of
NASA rovers, making them more efficient and effective.
Applied Scientific Research has recently developed a Lagrangian vortex-boundary element method for the grid-free simulation of unsteady incompressible laminar-turbulent flow in/around complex geometries. The evaluation of the velocities due to vortex and boundary elements, which constitute roughly 90&#37; of the simulation cost, are accelerated via a scalably parallel adaptive fast multipole method (FMM) for distributed computing. The objective of this proposal is to incorporate hardware acceleration into the latter using a cluster of graphical processing units (GPU). During Phase I, the direct interaction component of FMM (vortex only), which constitutes roughly half the computational cost, will be offloaded onto one GPU. Feasibility will be demonstrated by achieving order-of-magnitude GPU speedup over a CPU. Phase II activities will involve the porting of the entire FMM code (for both vortex and boundary elements) onto a cluster of GPUs. The developed grid-free flow simulation software for GPU clusters is expected to provide significant price/performance improvement over traditional CPU clusters, thereby allowing simulations for larger and more physically realistic problems.
To address NASA Johnson Space Center needs for gas separation and collection technology for lunar in-situ resource utilization, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Selective Photoinitiated Electrophoretic Separator (SPIES) System, based on selective photoionization and electrophoresis.  This approach incorporates a novel system design for selective photoionization for electrophoresis of selected gases, for electrophoretic processing, to meet the NASA requirement for equipment with low launch mass to separate hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium, water, ammonia, and methane.  The SPIES system launch weight and energy consumption will be 33&#37; of those of the current distilling/purification systems because it eliminates the requirements for consumables and downstream distillation equipment.  While requiring minimal system maintenance, this system will operate without consumables, and will be easily reconfigurable for different ISRU scenarios.  In Phase I POC will establish the feasibility of the SPIES system by assembling a proof-of-concept prototype and demonstrating separation of a simulated lunar volatile, reducing development risk in Phase II.  In Phase II POC plans to optimize the SPIES system design and assemble an advanced system prototype that can perform multiple gas separation tasks, enabling NASA to selectively remove and purify a range of gas streams in lunar solar resource prospecting.
In order to address the NASA lunar mission, DESC proposes to develop a
proton exchange membrane (PEM) closed-loop pure oxygen fuel cell for
application to lunar surface exploration, building upon DESC's expertise
and fundamental demonstrations in closely related technology.  Building
upon the recent NASA SBIR Phase II and Navy SBIR Phase I work, the
static feed URFC hardware will be converted for primary fuel cell
performance.  The cell performance will be characterized with two or
more membrane-electrode assembly configurations with a goal of achieving
the highest efficiency.  Sub-scale stacks will be tested for durability.
Thermal modeling will be conducted to predict the level of heat removal
required by scale-up stacks.  Thermal management techniques will be
investigated to permit effective scale-up.
This Phase I SBIR project investigates a novel approach to vector magnetometry based on high precision measurements of the total magnetic field.  The calibration is based on the measurement of the Larmor frequency of an atomic vapor.  The accuracy should be sufficient to determine the curl of the magnetic field from measurement points separated by about 80 meters.  A novel magnetic modulation technique will be compared to the technique used in Cassini and Ulysses.  Two methods for controlling the atomic density will be compared.
Fibertek has developed transmitters for Lidar and 3D imaging
applications based on fiber optics architectures both at 1064nm.  We
have demonstrated an all fiber transmitter producing as much as 15W at
10Kpps.  This all-fiber based transmitter produces pulses at 1064nm as
short as 750ps and can have its repetition rate varied from 10Kpps to
several 10s of Mpps.  In addition the transmitter central wavelength can
be tuned.  The space-qualifiable 1064nm transmitter we propose here for
Long Range Communication is based on these development efforts.  We
propose here to extend the operation of our architecture to 150ps pulses
and demonstrate the front end during the Phase-I portion of this effort
operating between 1Mpps and 60Mpps.  We will also work to maintain near
transform limited pulses and as high wall-plug efficiency as possible.
An Engineering-Unit, designed with space traceable electronic
components, will be delivered at the end of the Phase-II portion of this
SBIR effort.
This SBIR Phase I proposal introduces a fast speed bandwidth controllable tunable filter for hyper-/multi-spectral (HS/MS) imagers.  It dynamically passes a variable narrow band spectral component (li) from the visible to Infrared (IR).  The filter has the following projected specifications: &gt;95&#37; in-band transmittance, &lt;0.1&#37; out-band leakage, &gt;1,000 nm tuning range, a few to hundred nanometer variable bandwidth, 0.05 ms/nm tuning speed, large optical aperture size (102 ' 102 possible), and excellent environment stability against temperature fluctuation, mechanical impact and vibration. These performance characteristics, particularly the variable bandwidth, are not reachable for both commercial products on-the-shelf and state-of-the-art technologies. This filter is a vital enabling component for many photonics instruments such as multi- and hyper-spectral imaging system, Ladar/Lidar, mine detector, and optical beam steerer for tracking, ranging, measure and free-space optical communication. 

The Phase I objective is to demonstrate the feasibility for the tunable filter while the Phase II objective is to optimize the filter through which prototype filter(s) will be developed.  The success of this project will open a new era for manufacturing tunable band-pass filters with the desired performance characteristics.
Hot structures fabricated from ceramic composite materials are an attractive design option for components of future high-speed aircraft, re-entry vehicles and propulsion systems to reduce weight and increase performance. One important detail in the design of such structures is that of joining and attachment. Large-area hot structures will likely be fabricated by mechanically joining smaller component sub-assemblies. Conventional metallic fasteners and fastening techniques do not provide structurally tight joints over a wide temperature range. A metallic fastener, which is snug at room temperature, will loosen at elevated temperature due to its relatively high thermal expansion. Excessive preloading at room temperature to maintain a tight joint at elevated temperature may be detrimental to the structural integrity of the joint. Ceramic composite fasteners on the other hand can be designed with near-perfect thermo-elastic compatibility with the adherends, however their prohibitively high cost to produce severely restricts their utility. The objective of this proposed program is to demonstrate the feasibility of a unique, cost-effective thermal stress-free ceramic composite mechanical fastener system suitable for assembly of high-temperature ceramic composite structures. The innovative fastener design facilitates joining load-bearing hot structural assemblies and can be produced at a cost much lower then other competing designs and methods. Ceramic composite fasteners will be produced and experimentally evaluated to determine the shear and tensile properties of the fasteners both individually and of respective lap-joined ceramic composite assemblies.
In stark contrast to current stagnation-based methods for capturing airborne particulates and biological aerosols, our demonstrated, cost-effective electrospray technology employs an entirely different approach based on the remarkable effectiveness of small, highly charged liquid droplets formed from an electrospray source to "getter" both particles and polar molecules dispersed in a gas. Less capable and expensive collection system technologies are generally based on stagnation of high velocity ambient airflow on a collecting surface. The momentum of particles and heavy molecules precludes their following gas streamlines during this stagnation. Instead, they concentrate and are trapped on the detector's surface if the surface is "sticky," or concentrated in the surface boundary layer, which can be separated from the mainstream flow and collected. Typically, current separation methodology collects about 50 percent of the particles between 1.0 and 10 microns in diameter from a flow of 500 L/min with a power consumption of up to 500 watts; i.e., about 1 watt of power is required for a small fan to compress 1 liter of air per minute to produce the high velocity airflow necessary for effective trapping of small bio-particles and heavy molecules. However, our electrospray technology consumes negligible power and achieves virtually 100 percent particle collection. In fact, we have demonstrated that the power efficiency of electrospray gettering for a single electrospray emitter to collect 100 percent of the particles, without a fan, at 10,000 times greater than the power efficiency of state of the art systems.
The recent performance increases in graphics processing units (GPUs) have made graphics cards an attractive platform for implementing computationally intense applications.  With their numerous parallel computational pipelines and SIMD architecture, modern GPUs can outperform high-end microprocessors by one to three orders of magnitude, depending on the problem.  Most work to date at EM Photonics and elsewhere has focused on accelerating specific applications by porting core engines onto the GPU.  In this project, we propose the development of general purpose computational libraries capable of solving numerous core numerical functions on commodity graphics cards.  These solvers will be based on accepted, industry-standard interfaces and will be easy to integrate with current and future applications.  The result will be a GPU-based numerical coprocessor capable accelerating a wide range of computationally intense functions, thereby reducing processing times in applications where numerical computations are the primary bottleneck.
To be used naturally in design optimization, parametric study and achieve quick total time-to-solution, simulation must naturally and personally be available to the scientist/engineer, as easily as email or word-processing. Environments such as Matlab/IDL allow ease of use, but unless simulations are extremely fast, they cannot be used naturally.

Many large-scale numerical calculations require storage and computation that grow as the square/cube of the number of variables, including such linear algebra operations as solving dense linear systems, computing eigen-values/vectors, and others. The use of fast algorithms such as the fast multipole method (FMM) coupled with iterative methods allows many problems of interest to be solved in near linear time and memory. We have taken a leadership role in applying and extending the FMM to various problems in acoustics, fluid flow, electromagnetics, function fitting and machine learning.
Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) are now ubiquitous in game consoles, in workstations and other devices and are special purpose processors for graphics, that are predicted to shortly achieve performance in the hundreds of gigaflop range for specialized calculations (much faster than COTS PCs) at low price points.
It is conceivable now to equip personal workstations with several CPUs and GPUs, and solve problems with millions or billions of variables quickly using fast algorithms. We will take an important algorithm with wide applicability: the FMM, and implement it on the widely available heterogeneous CPU/GPU architecture, and prove the feasibility of accelerating it tremendously. A fundamental reconsideration of the algorithm that maps appropriate pieces on to the correct part of the architecture forms the basis of our approach. Developed software will be tested, and benchmark problems solved. A library of software that will support the porting of the FMM and other scientific computing to the CPU/GPU architecture will be developed.
Satellite and space systems designers of long duration lunar and planetary missions continue to find it difficult to provide the ever increasing amount of memory considering the impact on platform size and weight. Under SBIR contract NNG04CA25C NxGen Electronics Inc has developed a radiation hardened Ferro Electric Random Access (FRAM) memory which will have 2Mb density and radiation characteristics useful for many satellite and space applications. The design and building of prototype chips is being completed under this contract. However, funding was insufficient for full radiation characterization. In addition, feedback from potential customers, including JPL and other prime contractors, indicates that even more density would be useful in the same footprint. NxGen has been developing rugged, high reliability, light weight 3D memory stacking technology which would improve the density over a monolithic package by a factor of 8. Although other technologies, such as MRAM, are being developed with the promise of high density, our understanding is that NASA/JPL would find the FRAM technology superior from a number of perspectives including density, performance and cost. Under sub-topic O1.05, Reconfigurable &amp; Reprogrammable Communications Systems, sub-sub-topic, "Component Technology", we believe this proposal qualifies as novel advancement in memory density.
This SBIR project proposes to develop a gas-kinetic Navier-Stokes solver for simulation of hypersonic flows in thermal and chemical non-equilibrium. The Navier-Stokes solvers adopted in current hypersonic CFD codes like LAURA and GASP use Riemann solver for the convection part and central scheme for the diffusion part. As a result, their integration with DSMC in the transitional and rarefied flow regimes may cause an artificial flow across the interface between CFD/DSMC zones because of the inconsistency in the estimated fluxes. On the other hand, the proposed gas-kinetic BGK solver for the Navier-Stokes equations (BGK-NS) computes the inviscid and viscous fluxes as a single entity, consistent with the DSMC approach. Furthermore, this BGK-NS solver has been demonstrated very accurate for hypersonic heat transfer prediction. The approach has also been successfully extended for solution of the Burnett equations whereas the macroscopic Burnett approach has some numerical difficulties. This SBIR project will further extend this BGK-NS solver to hypersonic flows in thermal and chemical non-equilibrium. In Phase I, a prototype non-equilibrium BGK-NS solver will be developed for the nitrogen shock dissociation cases and then in Phase II, a gas-kinetic CFD counterpart of LAURA will be fully developed and well validated.
One of the great hurdles to further development and evaluation of
nuclear thermal propulsion systems is the issue surrounding the release
of radioactive material from the fuel during ground testing and its
subsequent impact on test facility siting and operation.  Therefore, the
development of a crack resistant coating system on fuel elements nuclear
thermal propulsion that is insensitive to hydrogen corrosion and erosion
is considered enabling.  Ceramic Composites Inc. (CCI) proposes a
systematic approach for CVD deposition and evaluation of a family of
zirconium carbide (ZrC) and niobium carbide (NbC) coating systems for
both uranium carbide-zirconium carbide solid solution [(U,Zr)C]-graphite
composite fuel elements and advanced triple carbide (uranium
carbide-ziconium carbide-niobium carbide) solid fuel elements designed
for use in space nuclear power and propulsion reactors.  These
refractory metal coating systems will be evaluated in high temperature
hydrogen in concert with a preliminary performance modeling effort.
Orbital Research has successfully demonstrated a dry electrode (no electrolyte or gel required) for heart rate and ECG monitoring.  Preliminary data has indicated that the electrode can be incorporated into a garment that does not require an adhesive for successful data collection.  Further preliminary data indicates that respiration rate can be deduced from the ECG waveform captured from the dry electrodes. The Orbital Lunar Health Monitor (LHM) will incorporate the patented dry electrode with other commercially available sensors in a garment resulting in fully wearable monitor of Astronaut Health.  The data from each of the sensor is processed, yielding a comprehensive image of overall health. Environment sensors are also incorporated to detect longer term health threats.  The LHM is comfortable and non-inhibiting. The Orbital Lunar Health Monitor is intended to enable continuous monitoring of health status of Astronauts both in  intra- and extra-vehicular sorties.
The innovation is a Near Infrared Photon-Counting Sensor (NIRPCS), an imaging device with sufficient sensitivity to capture the spectral signatures, in the wavelength range 0.9-1.7 um from very faint extra-solar targets and events with high resolution.  The NIRPCS will have near zero read noise and dark rates below the read noise to support photon counting for frame capture times as high as 10 seconds.  Up to 10E5 frames can be sequentially captured and digitally averaged.  Important NASA applications for the NIRPCS include spectral measurements on extra-solar planets in search of water and bio-markers and measuring the dynamics of galaxies at high redshift to better understand the formation process.  The technical objectives of Phase I in the development of the NIRPCS include i) determine which sensor components from an existing NIR sensor must be optimized to achieve NIR photon counting performance of frame capture times as lone as 10 seconds; and ii) create technical specifications for a NIRPCS prototype that would be developed under a Phase II SBIR program.  The Work Plan has the following tasks: i) Review of improvement in photocathode QE and dark charge reduction; (ii) photocathode dark current modeling; and iii) prototype specification.
Both FAA and NASA research has highlighted the need for efficient and
equitable allocation of NAS resources and increased operational
flexibility.  In particular, market-based mechanisms are needed for
transferring system-imposed delay from more critical to less critical
flights.  In this SBIR, we will develop a National Airspace Resource
Exchange System (NRES) that will provide the FAA and the aviation
community with a means for trading scarce resources and priorities for
ATM services.  Today's airspace system has rudimentary market mechanisms
in place.  However, these are valid only for highly specialized
circumstances: airport arrival slot trading in ground delay programs
applied by FAA traffic managers.  We propose to develop an
infrastructure necessary to support secondary markets for the full
spectrum of NAS resources and services.
Development of an advanced composite bipolar plate is proposed for a unitized regenerative fuel cell and electrolyzer system that operates on pure feed streams (H2/O2 and water, respectively).  The composite bipolar plate can greatly simplify "closed-loop" unitized fuel cell/electrolyzer power systems, as it eliminates the need for saturators, a second stack and water/gas phase separation.  It provides a substantial system improvement over presently used alkaline systems in that it allows for simple high pressure operation with a high differential pressure.  Additionally, it allows for dead-ended H2 and O2 feed for the fuel cell, eliminating parasitic pumping losses required for water removal.  Phase I will demonstrate composite bipolar plate-based fuel cell and electrolyzers, and quantify the composite bipolar plate transport and mechanical properties required for system design.  In Phase II a full unitized composite bipolar plate stack would be designed and built to size according to NASA requirements.
In response to the solicitation for advances in critical components of instruments for enhanced scientific investigations on future planetary mission, Q-Peak proposes to develop an extremely compact, robust, efficient, Q-switched, solid state laser, producing 10-mJ, nanosecond-duration pulses, for use as a source for laser-induced breakdown spectrometers and lidar systems. One of our innovations is the application of "D-rod" laser-diode side-pumping technology to the laser material Nd:YLF, which possesses substantially higher energy storage and will provide significantly higher output energies for the same volume compared to the more common Nd:YAG laser crystal. The negligible stress-induced birefringence and greatly reduced thermally induced distortion of Nd:YLF will allow us to provide linear polarization and excellent laser-beam quality from a conduction-cooled system. Another innovation is the use of passive Q-switches, Cr4+: YAG or F2-: LiF saturable absorbers that will greatly improve laser reliability and also eliminate the size and weight associated with active Q-switching. A key factor of our design is quasi-CW pumping with a variable duty cycle, which will not only reduce power consumption but will allow for developing a variable repetition rate source (as high as a 1 kHz), thereby reducing the data acquisition time.
The Mars Gas Hopper, or "gashopper" is a novel concept for propulsion of a robust Mars flight and surface exploration vehicle that utilizes indigenous CO2 propellant to enable greatly enhanced mobility. The gashopper will first retrieve CO2 gas from the Martian environment to store it in liquid form at a pressure of about 10 bar. When enough CO2 is stored to make a substantial flight to another Mars site, a thermal storage bed is heated to ~1000 K and the CO2 propellant is warmed to ~300 K to pressurize the tank to ~65 bar. A valve is then opened, allowing the liquid CO2 to pass through the hot thermal storage bed that heats and gasifies the CO2 for propulsion. Gashopper can be designed to function as either ballistic flight vehicles or winged airplanes, with the former offering simplicity and the latter greater range. The advantage of the gashopper is that it provides Mars exploration with a fully controllable aerial reconnaissance vehicle that can repeatedly land and explore surface sites as well.
The key technical issue that determines the potential performance of a gashopper is the overall specific heat of the thermal storage bed. In previous work, Pioneer Astronautics has demonstrated working gashopper airplanes and ballistic flight vehicles that utilized magnesium oxide pellets for thermal storage. While convenient for test purposes, MgO has a specific heat that is only roughly equal to CO2. This severely limits the attainable mass ratio and thus vehicle range. In contrast, lithium has four times the specific heat of CO2, so its use as a gashopper thermal bed material would greatly improve vehicle performance.  The low density and liquid nature of high temperature lithium makes its utilization for gashopper engines a challenge. In the proposed program, Pioneer will resolve this challenge by designing, building, and testing high specific heat gashopper engines using liquid lithium for thermal storage.
Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation (AASC) proposes to demonstrate extended service lifetime of space tethers in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment by using Filtered Cathodic Arc Plasma Deposition (FCAPD) to deposit a high quality protective coating onto space tether material.  Protective coatings deposited by FCAPD have low defect density, excellent adhesion to space tether material, low mass and thickness and have been shown in initial laboratory tests to protect against atomic oxygen (AO) erosion on Kapton as well as Zylon.  Because of the low process temperature (&lt;80 oC), FCAPD can minimize the thermal effects the process has on the tether material, which is believed to be a major disadvantage of current types of protective coatings such as Photosil , TOR-LM and POSS.  These polymer coatings offer a level of protection against AO and UV damage, but at a significant cost to the tether's tensile strength .
The technical challenge of imaging planets in other star systems is resolving these dim objects in the close vicinity of a bright star. This challenge requires the suppression of direct and scattered light from the star without attenuating or distorting the planet's image. We will develop and demonstrate high performance apodized occulting and pupil masks using a metal/metal oxide film blended to have an effective refractive index of 1.0. These masks provide for high optical density (OD) and high spatial thickness gradients with out introducing variations in phase or optical thickness. These films can be used for apodized occulting masks as well as pupil masks and baffles.

An imaging coronagraph is an astronomical instrument used to study dim objects such as brown dwarfs or planets that are in the vicinity of very bright objects such a star. A critical component of the coronagraph is an apodized occulting mask.  This mask is a high quality optical component which has a point of high optical density that can be used to block the light from the star without distorting or occulting the image of objects in close proximity to the star. The occulting spot must have sufficient optical density to reduce the intensity of the bright star to at least that of that of the dim object. the image, the optical density must be radially apodized from high OD at the center to very low OD with in 1 mm or so and in a controlled manner. Furthermore, the occulting spot should not induce a phase change or optical path difference for rays passing through different parts of the occulting spot. The proposed solution is to deposit films with a metal/metal oxide blend such that the effective index of the blended film is 1.0 and matches the refractive index of the entrance media. By matching the refractive index of the film and air/vacuum, the optical path of rays passing through the variable thickness of the film are the same length.
This SBIR Phase I project proposes the development of lightweight compact nanostructured catalytic reactors for air purification from toxic gaseous organic pollutants, particulate matter, and microorganisms.  Volatile organic compounds will be catalytically oxidized when the contaminated air stream is passed through high-density arrays of uniform ultra-high aspect ratio, high surface area, cylindrical nanoreactors.  Such unique architecture provides improved mass and heat transfer and ensures conversion of volatile organics into non-toxic products with unmatched efficiency.  Room temperature oxidation of formaldehyde at low ppm level has already been confirmed.  In addition, particulate matter, bacteria and fungi will be filtered out from the air stream at the reactor surface (nanopore diameter of the proposed reactors will not exceed 300 nm).

The proposed low-mass, low-volume and low-power-consumption reactors are intended to replace and extend functionality of conventional packed-bed catalytic oxidizers used currently for removal of trace organic contaminants from spaceship atmospheres.  The Phase I work will focus on fabricating the reactor prototypes and evaluating of their performance in catalytic oxidation of selected volatile organic compounds.
Experimental measurements of rotor blades are important for
understanding the aerodynamics and dynamics of a rotorcraft. This
understanding can help in solving on-blade problems as well as in
designing and optimizing the blade profiles for improved aerodynamics
and noise attenuation in the next generation rotorcraft. Therefore, a
Wireless Optical Pressure/Strain Sensor (WOPSS) system for helicopter
on-blade pressure and strain measurement is proposed to utilize the
benefits of low coherence interferometry system to create an innovative
real-time pressure and strain measurement technique. Leveraging past and
current experiences with fiber optic sensor development, a
proof-of-concept of optical pressure/strain sensor system with wireless
data acquisition and transfer capability will be demonstrated at the end
of Phase I. The distributed optical pressure/strain sensor measurements
will be used to obtain real-time dynamic pressure fields and mode shapes
and displacements by integrating strain data for the helicopter rotor
blade. Phase I efforts will conduct optical pressure and strain sensor
design analysis to meet on-blade pressure and strain measurement
requirements and demonstrate a proof-of-concept prototyped wireless
optical pressure and strain sensor package.
Impact Technologies, with support from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Honeywell, propose to develop and demonstrate a suite of real-time Fault Contingency Management (FCM) algorithms for application within an Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) system. The proposed FCM software will implement a novel vehicle subsystem fault accommodation approach based on a seamless integration between real-time system health identification and adaptive controller techniques.  Specifically, the continuous health assessment algorithms include a real-time adaptive recursive system identification algorithm and an enhanced real-time moving horizon estimation (MHE) algorithm that will be developed and implemented on a prototype embedded system. 

The proposed FCM software hierarchy will act from the subsystems level up through the vehicle level and will implement fault-accommodating control, health management, and contingency management to accomplish its goal. The significant technology advancement proposed herein is based on the use of dynamic simulation models in a real-time computing environment to not only update health status predictions, but also to determine "on the fly" how accommodate for them.  At the conclusion of Phase I, the project team will deliver a proof-of-concept demonstration of the proposed techniques running on an embedded platform using high fidelity propulsion and aircraft simulation models.
One of the most effective sensor modalities for situational awareness is imagery. While typically high bandwidth and relegated to analog wireless communications, continuing advances in consumer IC development hold the promise to revolutionize image data collection and its transport. In this effort, Toyon proposes to develop a high performance wireless video node that offers not only ultra low cost and power consumption but is also particularly well suited to NASA mission needs. Our solution includes the use of not only advanced ICs, but also custom wireless communication protocols that enable transport of high frame-rate video over bandwidth-constrained links. In particular, Toyon will leverage CMOS sensor, H.264, and UHF transceiver ICs along with an Arm7-based MCU, which includes a variety of open-standard data connectivity options. As such, our solution is both highly-integrated and offers well-defined data interfaces in order to speed integration into flight systems. Toyon will leverage a proven novel medium access control (MAC) layer that employs dynamic channel allocation (DCA). We will provide ah hoc connectivity along with multi-hop capability through a source-driven network layer.
To address the NASA Earth Science Division need for high-speed fiber optic multiplexers for next generation lidar systems, Luminit proposes to develop a new Fiber Optic Micromultiplexer (FOMM) based on InP/InGaAsP photonic integrated circuits (PIC) and digital optical switches (DOS).  This approach makes innovative use of a modular expandable binary tree architecture for robust high-speed switching with a new application of the latest PIC and DOS technology.  This approach enables us to design a lightweight (200 g), compact multiplexer that consumes only 1 A of electricity and can switch a fiber-coupled NIR laser transmitter among 16 single-mode fiber outputs in 4 ns while consuming only 5 W of electricity.  In Phase I, Luminit will demonstrate the feasibility of ~20 ns switching and ~1 W laser power with a proof-of-principle 1-to-4 FOMM that has three electro-optical fiber switches, which will reduce the development risk of a Phase II 1-to-16 prototype that incorporates the PIC/DOS technology.  The demonstrated results will offer NASA enhanced return signal and image resolution for lidar systems.
New technology is needed for sensing and characterizing incipient defects, and assessing the effects of aging in aerospace components. Next generation materials, including nickel-based superalloys that are exceedingly difficult to inspect with existing technology are being adopted by designers and manufacturers. The ability to ascertain the remaining life of a spacecraft component, and develop mitigation procedures to improve safety and reliability, are critical.
	RMD proposes a revolutionary new imaging technology based on microscopic, solid-state sensors, magnetic imaging and "eddy current mapping". The new nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology will be used to detect, map and characterize nano-scale cracks and corrosion in superalloys and metallic components. The data will be used to develop an accurate model for the prediction of defect propagation resulting from aging.
	The NDE technology will improve spacecraft integrity and safety, reduce the cost and complexity of inspection, and characterize incipient defects and defect propagation. It can be used during materials selection and testing and for evaluating components in the field as they age. 
	The technology taxonomy areas addressed by this proposal include: avionics and astrionics, information, materials, sensors and sources, structures, and verification and validation.
Robots are expected to fulfill an important role in manned exploration operations.  They can reduce the risk of crew EVA and improve crew productivity on routine tasks.  They can be supervised locally by astronauts or remotely by ground control.  In a sense, robots will become members of the operational team.  Just like human teams, these human-robot teams must exchange information, follow established protocols, and coordinate their activities to ensure that mission operations are safe and effective.  Supporting such team operations requires infrastructure for human-robot interaction.  TRACLabs proposes to develop a software framework that facilitates human-robot teaming, from team formation until completion of team operations. We will build on the existing Distributed Collaboration and Interaction (DCI) System, a software multi-agent system developed by TRACLabs to assist human-automation interaction.  DCI provides a software agent for each human team member that delivers services supporting mission duties.  An innovation of this project is providing DCI agents for robots as well as humans in the team.  Another innovation is the use of human models to give robots insight into human behavior to improve interaction.  Phase I will produce a software framework prototype for human-robot interaction and a framework design for implementation in Phase II.
Environmental control systems for manned lunar and planetary bases will require condensing heat exchangers to control humidity.  Condensing surfaces must be hydrophilic to ensure efficient operation and biocidal to prevent growth of microbes in the moist, condensing environment.  The coatings must be extremely stable and adhere to the condensing surface for many years.  We propose an innovative condenser that will enable highly efficient heat transfer using an innovative coating that has proven to be highly biocidal, hydrophilic, and stable.  In Phase I we will prove feasibility by demonstrating the performance of the proposed hydrophilic and biocidal surface under prototypical conditions.  In Phase II we will demonstrate a full-size, prototype condenser designed to meet the requirements for future lunar and planetary bases.
To address NASA needs for hard X-ray telescopes for starlight detection and wavefront analysis, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop an Adjustable Lobster-Eye X-ray telescope (ALEX) based on POC's Lobster-Eye optics.  This approach incorporates two important innovations:  (1) new ALEX design--an adjustable array of smaller Lobster-Eye lenses for improved sensitivity, and (2) lens fabrication from two sets of iridium-coated semiconductor-grade silicon plates via POC-patented technology, satisfying the requirement for high flatness compatible with operating wavelengths. These innovations reduce weight 2-3 times compared to conventional Wolter I telescopes, increase angular resolution (8 arcseconds) and versatility, and reduce cost.  In high-sensitivity mode, ALEX will have an effective collecting area of &gt;1600 sq. cm. in the 0.25 40 keV range, and operate up to at least 80 keV; in wide-angle mode, ALEX will span a field of view &gt;1.8 deg. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of ALEX technology by building/testing a prototype single Lobster-Eye lens, reducing Phase II development risk.  In Phase II POC will develop a fully functional prototype lens array and demonstrate its performance as a hard X-ray telescope. These results will allow NASA to build lightweight, high-performance hard X-ray telescopes.
With increased commercial competition, great pressure is being applied to effect aerodynamic design changes that will improve fuel economy and performance. But, for example, as we are now concerned with small changes in drag count, potential sources of improvement are much more likely to be masked by poor flow quality.  We may have reached the stage where the lack of suitable facility flow quality will hinder and dictate the rate of progress of ground based testing.  Few measurements have been made in the Nation's wind tunnels, and in those cases, large discrepancies have been found between full-scale and predicted performance.  Consequently, there is an urgent need for in-situ measurements to measure flow quality and the performance of turbulence and noise suppression devices.  To meet these challenges, a unique research program is proposed to clarify and alleviate the aerodynamic problems associated with adverse wind tunnel flow quality.  It combines innovative advances in data base assessment and management, and new approaches to turbulence instrumentation and analysis.  Standardized turbulence measurement techniques and data analysis procedures will be established and used to document the flow quality in our major test facilities.
RL Associates, Inc. proposes to conduct research leading to the development of a shortwave infrared (SWIR) range-gated LIDAR system for use in detecting external obscurants and hazards.  Working in conjunction with a database of optical properties for known obscurants, the system will be capable of identifying the type and severity of the hazard.  While several different LIDAR ranging techniques are currently employed for airborne detection applications, the RL Associates Inc. hazard detection and mitigation system is based upon our patented range-gated technique used in our FireLidar system.  This technique allows not only detection of obscurants, but can also be used to image through obscurants and thus mitigate the hazard.  RL Associates Inc. is currently leading the industry in shortwave infrared (1.5 um) active imaging systems and plans to use that technology in developing the SWIR LIDAR Hazard Detection System.  This system will be compact and lightweight and will operate around 1.5 um, which is safe to the human eye.
With the increasing power demands and longer life spans of space
vehicles, their thermal management becomes ever more critical.
Accompanying this is an unprecedented need for reduction in spacecraft
size and weight.  However, reduced weight leads to higher power
densities, and waste-heat dissipation densities have grown by an order
of magnitude with the use of smaller, more powerful electronics.  Active
thermal control methods are needed to cope with the increasing heat
dissipation requirements and environmental extremes.  In recent years,
spacecraft have employed mechanically pumped fluid loops to efficiently
transfer large amounts of thermal energy between two points by means of
a forced liquid convention loop.  The development of long-life fluid
pumps, however, has not kept pace with the demands of advanced thermal
control systems.  Conventional electric motor-driven fluid pumps are
heavy, bulky, inefficient, and prone to wear.  Lynntech proposes to
extend the operating temperature range of its long-life, low-power,
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Many commercially available digital dosimeters are bulky and are unable to properly measure dose for space radiation.  The complexity of space flight design requires reliable, fault-tolerant equipment with the capability of providing real-time dose readings during a mission, which is not feasible with the existing thermo-luminescent dosimeter (TLD) technology.  
The project will create a compact, lightweight, energy-efficient dose meter comprised of a tissue-equivalent scintillation crystal coupled to a solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM), which is an array of CMOS photodiodes, operated in Geiger avalanche mode.  The ubiquitous nature of CMOS technology provides a standardized development platform, and the ability to integrate all the supporting electronics into a miniature, simple design.  
	In Phase I, we will model the expected dosimeter performance and characterize the performance of a prototype dosimeter exposed to high-energy protons, which simulates radiation in the space environment.  We will also determine the TLD-dose equivalence of our measurements.  In Phase II, we will create the support software and design and fabricate a finalized chip that includes readout electronics, power supply, memory storage, and other interfacing components.
NanoSonic proposes to develop a low-weight, non-invasive in situ autonomous health-monitoring system for crewmembers' lunar extravehicular activity (EVA).  This novel sensor technology aims at monitoring health status to improve comfort and efficiency of astronaut as well as to eliminate catastrophic failure to the individual and mission.  The sensor system would consist of a fully-interconnected, non-invasive, and wearable Metal Rubber&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;-Textile sensor, which would be worn underneath the protective spacesuit (outer-vehicular wear) and/or can also be integrated into the inner lining of suits worn inside NASA exploratory lunar vehicles.  The comfortable, durable, and low mass density fabric sensor network would be developed via Metal Rubber(TM) technology and nanostructured materials for mapping crewmembers' health status via advanced intrinsic physiological monitoring.  Metal Rubber&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; is fabricated as a conformal coating or free-standing material via layer-by-layer, molecular self-assembly, which enables thickness and placement control over multiple constituents for true nanostructured multifunctionality; while advanced polymers have allowed scale-up to free-standing materials (several mm thick).  Metal Rubber&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; requires less than 0.03 volume &#37; of metal, allowing the manufacturing a cost effective, low-weight material.  NanoSonic's proposed health-monitoring system would address monitoring the astronauts' metabolic rate, heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG), and body temperature for both EVA and intra-vehicular activities.
Long-duration missions may one day present the most demanding situations
ever encountered in manned spaceflight. Success will therefore depend on
the knowledge and flexibility of the crew and the critical tools at
their disposal. This Phase I proposes to combine intelligent tutoring
with highly interactive 3D simulation software to create an on-demand
situational training and operations support system. This platform will
provide a means for Astronauts to assess necessary actions in routine
and emergency situations, quickly select from a software-determined
selection of simulation-based training materials or job aids, and link
to information including logistics or vehicle health status to more
effectively conduct tasks in a just-in-time scenario.  The Phase I
prototype will demonstrate key system functionality as applied to a
critical EVA procedure. The Phase II will create a tool for authoring
training in this environment, along with a prototype interfaced with an
integrated vehicle health management system to provide instant access to
repair and maintenance procedures based on system status.  Intelligent
simulations can also be used in a non-scripted mode for testing of new
procedures in emergency situations. Pre-flight, they also serve as more
effective ground trainers and provide an interface to simulated
equipment for optimization of human interactions.
Development of a simple method for on-orbit or advanced mission Total Organic Carbon (TOC) monitoring has been a goal for many years. This proposal seeks to develop a method that is, above all else, simple, inexpensive, and maintenance-free. Previous programs to develop flight hardware, including CHeCS, PCWQM, and previous SBIR-funded efforts, failed to produce workable hardware and were relatively complex and expensive. Since the product water in a closed life support system will not likely vary in characteristics as much as terrestrial water and wastewater samples for which commercial TOC instrumentation is designed to analyze, adaptation of the complex commercial methods for spacecraft application should not be required. We therefore propose to fabricate a simple, low-volume, flow-through device that is based on a micro-reactor to convert organics to organic acids, followed by liquid-phase detection of the acids. Innovative detection methods that do not require frequent calibration are proposed. Phase I will consist of prototype fabrication followed by feasibility tests to quantitatively assess reactor performance and detector sensitivity and precision. Phase II will result in high-fidelity instrumentation that is suitable for flight qualifiication.
The Stratospheric Deployment Parafoil is a proposed technology that will be designed and tested to provide a greatly superior parachute precision delivery system under thin atmosphere conditions, including Mars entry.  Current systems incorporate a parachute which lacks the controllability necessary for precision landing.  The non-controllable parachutes act only as a delivery system but afford no way to direct the parachute descent.  The new technology will eliminate the uncontrollable system and, rather than using a round parachute variant, will have a high L/D parafoil capable of precision control and landing.  This controllable parafoil will have a multistage deployment sequence which will accomplish high speed, even supersonic parachute deployment with the parachute in a reefed condition.  The first stage of the deployment will approximate a conical ribbon parachute which will slow the system to subsonic speeds.  Once the system has slowed sufficiently, subsequent stages of the deployment will transition the non-controllable parachute to a fully controllable, precision-landing parafoil.
We propose to develop and commercialize a new class of extreme
ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coatings containing the rare-earth element
gadolinium (Gd), designed as efficient narrow-band reflective mirror
coatings operating near normal incidence in the 60-65 nm wavelength
range.  This long-wavelength region of the EUV includes the important
solar emission lines O V near l=63.0 nm and Mg X near l=61.0 nm, formed
at intermediate temperatures in the solar atmosphere.   While
narrow-band EUV multilayer coatings are by now widely used in NASA
missions for high-resolution solar imaging at wavelengths shorter than
35 nm, the observations made at those wavelengths probe coronal and
transition region lines formed at either low (e.g., He II at l=30.4 nm)
or high (e.g., numerous Fe lines) temperatures.  In contrast, the 6065
nm wavelength region provides a unique spectral window in which to
observe intermediate-temperature solar emission lines.  However,
efficient multilayer coatings operating in this range have been
unavailable until now.  The successful development of efficient, stable
Gd-based multilayers as we propose, based on preliminary experimental
results, will therefore enable the construction of new high-resolution
solar telescopes tuned to O V or Mg X that will complement existing
multilayer telescopes tuned to shorter EUV wavelengths, thereby
providing more complete temperature coverage, and leading to better
understanding of the solar atmosphere, its variability, and its crucial
role in driving space weather.  EUV imaging instruments incorporating
the multilayer technology we propose to develop may be included in
future missions such as RAM, Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter, as well as
future GOES satellites and new Explorer-class missions.  The proposed
innovation thus directly supports NASA's SBIR &amp;quot;S3.04 Optical
Devices for Starlight Detection and Wavefront Analysis&amp;quot; subtopic.
The overall goal of the proposed program by Epitaxial Technologies is to develop monolithic time delay integrated avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays with sensitivity and dynamic range at least an order of magnitude better than currently available ladar sensors and free-space optical communication terminals. We will accomplish this by monolithically integrating on the same chip, APD arrays with transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) incorporating novel time delay integration elements. In Phase I of this project, we will design, model and simulate the performance of 1064-nm APD array chips with built-in time delay integration (TDI) elements that will enable sensitivity enhancement by as much as a factor of 32 compared to the performance of existing APD arrays. In Phase II, we will design, fabricate and test 32 x 32 TDI APD arrays and (1 x 16) monolithic photoreceivers with TDI unit cells. We will use microlens technology to further improve the fill factor to 90&#37;. Finally, we will combine the arrays with readout integrated circuits (ROIC) using an innovative bonding technique at the wafer level and deliver packaged sensor units to NASA GSFC.
This SBIR Phase I proposal describes a fiber optic mass flow gauge that will aid in managing liquid hydrogen and oxygen fuel storage and transport. The increasing use of hydrogen as a fuel places the safety of facilities and personnel at the forefront of concern, making an explosion proof fiber optic system a desirable option.  Further, the actual available fuel can depart significantly from the expected quantity due to variable boil-off and leak rates and inaccurate measurements.  Measurement accuracy can be complicated by low gravity, stratification of the liquid density and temperature, the presence of a gas phase, the wetting of tank surfaces by the liquid and the lack of suitable sensors and instruments.  The Phase II objective is to deliver a prototype that will withstand the high pressures and flow rates at liquid hydrogen and oxygen temperatures demanded by rocket propulsion systems.
To address the NASA need for new flexible food packaging materials with effective high barrier against oxygen and moisture to protect food, minimize weight and waste, and ensure a shelf life of 3-5 years for NASA future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, Luminit, LLC proposes to develop a new One-Component Encapsulating (ONCE) material matrix based on hybrid sol-gel technology.  ONCE brings together a new chemical synthesis of sol-gel, polymer, and zirconium-dioxide nanoparticles to form a coating, which has excellent water vapor barrier properties, with a unique combination of sol-gel and polymer nanocomposite matrix in a transparent, flexible, and UV-curable conformal coating that meets the NASA requirements: high barrier flexible packaging coatings that protect from oxygen and water vapor; less mass and volume; no metallic components; transparent; heat sealable; microwavable; and they maintain the foods' 3-5 year shelf life.  In Phase I Luminit will develop a polymer-based glass-like sol-gel ONCE encapsulated coating for high barrier flexible packaging materials, and demonstrate its resistance to oxygen and water vapor, 100 mg per square meter per day.  Phase II will scale up and optimize the ONCE process to cost efficiently produce ONCE material matrices for more comprehensive oxygen and water vapor resistance.
NASA is planning a series of human and robotic missions to explore the Moon and later Mars. According to NASA SBIR topic O1.10, surface networks are needed for these missions. In particular, for surface networks, NASA needs reconfigurable, directionally selectable, steerable, multi-frequency switched patch or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays to be mounted on human helmets, robots, and fixed structures (e.g. habitats). These antennas must meet the specific performance requirements for lunar/planetary surface network and the demanding transport and operational space environments. Wang Electro-Opto Corporation (WEO) proposes an SBIR Phase-1 program to develop a "Smart Multifunction Antenna for Lunar/Planetary Surface Network." Two general design approaches will be investigated initially: beamsteering array and MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) array. The technical approach will leverage WEO's existing well-published smart, multifunction, broadband, conformal and low-profile antennas developed for DoD (Department of Defense) terrestrial applications. The proposed Phase 1 research will aim at demonstrating, by breadboard experiments, the feasibility of the technical approach in meeting NASA's specific operational requirements, the constraints of space mission environment, and the limited room on astronauts and robots, fixed nodes, and other platforms. WEO will select the more promising one of these two approaches, based on performance criteria and other NASA inputs, for possible brassboard development in Phase 2.
Planetary exploration presents challenges for mobility, fuel efficiency, payload weight management, robustness, and thermal as well as radiation protection.  There is a need for lightweight structures in space transport, vehicle systems, instrumentation, planetary access, as well as operations including facilities and habitats.  These vehicles, equipment, and structures will be subjected to rigorous environmental exposures and assaults.   Innovations that increase specific strength and stiffness, reduce weight, provide radiation shielding, enhance thermal management, and improve robustness, in a safe, reliable, cost effective manner will contribute to the success of these missions.  

This proposal offers an innovative solution utilizing fundamental mechanical engineering principles taken to a multi-hierarchical level.   Directionally oriented reinforced composites, structural foam, honeycomb, and core-shell designs are mature technologies.  The distinguishing element of the approach for this proposal is the unique, new to the world, X-aerogel core material developed by NASA GRC.  Aerogels are touted as the lowest-density solid materials known and have excellent insulation capacity but are extremely fragile.  Through conformal polymer crosslinking of the silica structure, these sol-gel castings can be strengthened into the realm of load bearing materials at densities in the 0.2 to 0.3 g/cc range.  Further, this proposal explores manipulation of the core material nanostructure through surfactant induced micelle formation.  This will create controlled morphology nano-honeycomb, which is expected to greatly enhance the strength and reliability versus the sol-gel random nanofoam through elimination of stress concentrators and optimal distribution of load.  When these cores are coupled with advanced composite skins, resulting structures are extremely lightweight with strength, stiffness, and insulation performance far beyond what is currently commercialized.
Intelligent Light, the makers of the FIELDVIEW CFD post-processing software, in response to NASA SBIR Phase 1 solicitation, proposes an effort that addresses A2.10 Rotorcraft-Acoustics. The proposed work shall result in a specialized prototype post-processing system designed for large rotorcraft acoustics problems. This system is designated as RCAAPS ? Rotorcraft Computational Aero-Acoustics Post-processing System. It is designed to expedite the exploration of large transient datasets that result from multi-physics based (i.e. Large-Eddy Simulation with aeroelasticity and acoustics) simulations as it pertains to rotorcraft performance predictions especially maneuver. It consists of specially configured hardware, flow solver, acoustics and post-processing software enhanced to take advantage of contemporary SMP computer clusters during both compute and I/O. The prototype system developed under this SBIR will revolutionize the way investigators explore large datasets and allows for more complete and thorough use of the complete CFD and acoustics data.
A versatile class of high-performance structural joints is proposed where massive interatomic bonds over the large surface areas of nanostructured surfaces constitutes the primary joining mechanism.  The new nano-engineered joints embody nanomaterials which are self-assembled and anchored onto the joining surfaces.  Compatible functionalization of nanomaterials on opposite surfaces creates favorable energetic conditions for their effective engagement and joining via massive primary (chemical) bond formation.  Complementary self-assembly techniques will be used for rapid, low-cost, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly processing and anchorage of nanomaterials upon substrate surfaces.  Various nanomaterials and anchorage conditions can be used for different substrates (ceramics, metals, polymers, composites) and service requirements.  The length of nanomateials would be selected to compensate for the surface roughness.  The proposed joints can be engineered to provide broad ranges of mechanical performance, accommodate various material incompatibilities (e.g., thermal expansion mismatch), and different functionalities (e.g., thermal/thermal conductivity, or reversibility).  The proposed Phase I research will establish the theoretical potential of the proposed nano-engineered joints, and will develop and characterize a precursor joint system embodying the proposed joining principles in order to verify the technical merits of the technology and its commercial potential.
This innovative research effort is directed at determining, quantitatively, the convective heat transfer coefficients applicable to a Montgolfiere balloon operating in an atmosphere simulating that of Titan.  It is anticipated that a platform such as this will provide the mobility desired to explore that part of the solar system.  Utilizing only the waste heat available from an on board power source, it should be possible to circumnavigate Saturn's largest moon.  Accurate knowledge of free convection is essential for predicting the performance and mitigating the risk for such a mission.  In order to simulate a volume of gas large enough to inflate a model balloon at 77K, vacuum insulation panels will be used to minimize the thermal losses.  At the conclusion of this Phase I effort, a final report will establish the feasibility of this approach and describe the future applications of this technology.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating waveguides in stoichiometric lithium tantalite (SLT) for highly efficient, quasi-phase matched (QPM) frequency conversion of continuous wave and high peak-power, quasi-continuous laser sources used in lidar-based remote sensing and ranging applications. The key innovation in this effort is the use of large diameter, optical quality, z-cut SLT, which has only recently become commercially available, as the waveguide substrate material.    Relative to the standard congruently grown lithium tantalate wafers, stoichiometric lithium tantalate wafers have significantly higher optical damage thresholds, stronger nonlinear and electro-optic response, an expanded transparency window and significantly reduced poling field. Furthermore, because the stoichiometric materials are not lithium deficient, the fabricated waveguides are expected to be optically stable.  During the Phase I effort the feasibility of fabricating waveguides in z-cut SLT wafers using annealed proton exchange will be determined, and the impact that variations in processing conditions have on the optical properties will be measured. In the Phase II effort, the waveguide fabrication and poling technology will be refined and grating structures suitable for specific NASA applications requiring wavelength conversion.
We propose to develop electronics for operation at temperatures that range from -230&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to +130&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C.  This new technology will minimize the requirements for external heat sources that are currently necessary for operation of low-temperature electronics. Such technology would significantly improve reliability, performance, lifetime of electronics that are used for space applications, including satellites and space travel. This will be achieved through the development of unique circuits that are derived from novel physics based device and circuit modeling techniques and verified by experiment. Statistical methods will be employed to connect the resistive heating caused by individual devices to heating of the entire integrated circuit. Special algorithms will be further developed which allow for determination of operating conditions where the intrinsic operation of the circuit will allow for sufficient heat generation to eliminate carrier freeze-out and efficient operation of integrated circuits in environments ranging from -230&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to +130&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C. For situations where intrinsic circuit resistive heating at cryogenic temperatures is insufficient to overcome carrier freeze out, we will design on-chip micro-heaters to provide direct heating to chips at the submicron device level. Thermal modeling of packaging will also be performed. With the intrinsic temperature control established, we will design specific single electron latchup immune circuits for application extreme environments.
The proposed SBIR Phase I plan of research seeks to develop and
demonstrate an integrated architecture designed to compensate for
combined propulsion, airframe, effector, and structural damage caused by
catastrophic system failure or an intentionally hostile act.  Whereas
prior damage-adaptive control work focused on reconfiguring from
unforeseen aerodynamic changes (e.g., effector or airframe damage), the
proposed damage-adaptive control approach also accounts for the current
health of the propulsion systems and key structural elements.  The
integrated controller merges available system identification and
diagnostic information to compute a new &amp;quot;safe&amp;quot; operating
envelope for the vehicle that accounts for identified changes in
structural integrity/dynamics.  Once this envelope is computed, the
controller then proceeds to compute (1) an achievable flight path for
landing the aircraft, and (2) a set of inceptor (or effector) and
propulsion commands that will track the computed achievable reference
trajectory in a decoupled way  all the while assuring that, if
physically possible, the aircraft will not excite dangerous structural
modes or create structural loads that would risk further damage.  The
research will also investigate advisory and retrofit implementations of
the proposed approach that will enable early V&amp;amp;V and implementation.
ZIN Technologies, Inc. proposes a novel Miniature Treadmill with resistive exercise capability for use in spaceflight exercise countermeasures and broad terrestrial therapeutic applications. The treadmill device we propose will offer excellent periodic impact exercise to stimulate bone remodeling and cardiovascular activity as well as an added component of resistive exercise to encourage all-body muscle maintenance. The goal of this project is to demonstrate by design and analysis that the proposed treadmill will satisfy the stringent volumetric, power, and performance requirements demanded by lunar missions and provide the active feedback necessary to control the treadmill and display Daily Load Stimulus (DLS). We along with our partner the Cleveland Clinic believe that a hybrid compact exercise device along with the direct feedback of DLS is a unique and new approach that will provide a superior in space exercise system than ones currently in use on ISS. This project will culminate at the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) level having requirements defined and performance verified through analysis and technology demonstration on existing facilities. The technical aspects of the work can be divided into three key areas: Dual Track Treadmill Technology, Resistive Subject Loading Device, and Active Feedback Bio-Instrumentation.
Model-based machinery diagnostic and prognostic techniques depend upon high-quality mathematical models of the plant.  Modeling uncertainties and errors decrease system sensitivity to faults and decrease the accuracy of failure prognoses.  However, the behavior of many physical systems changes slowly over time as the system ages.  These changes may be perfectly normal and not indicative of impending fail-ures; however, if a static a priori model is used, modeling errors may increase over time, which can ad-versely effect health monitoring system performance.  Clearly, one method to address this problem is to employ a model that adapts to system changes over time.  The risk in using data-driven models that learn online to support model-based diagnostics is that the models may ``adapt'' to a system failure, thus ren-dering it undetectable by the diagnostic algorithms.  An inherent trade-off exists between accurately track-ing normal variations in system dynamics and potentially obscuring slow-onset failures by adapting to failure precursors that would be evident using static models.  
Barron Associates, Inc. and the University of Virginia propose an innovative solution that brings together Barron Associates' proven model-based diagnostic and prognostic algorithms with adaptive system identi-fication algorithms enhanced specifically for health monitoring applications that would benefit from online learning.
To address the NASA need for coatings to protect and strengthen tether
materials for Momentum-exchange Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER)
technology, Luminit, LLC, proposes to develop a new UV-curable Hybrid
Nanocomposite (UVHN) tether coating material matrix, based on hybrid
sol-gel technology.  Its principal innovations include (1) synthesis of
titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles by a sol-gel method to
form a coating protecting against ultraviolet (UV) radiation and atomic
oxygen (AO); and (2) novel use of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a
coupling agent that strengthens the material matrix, and promotes
adhesion to tether materials.  These innovations enable the UVHN to meet
the NASA requirements for coatings that protect existing tether
technology from the effects of UV and AO in the LEO environment, with
improved tensile strength and longevity of existing tether.  In Phase I
Luminit will develop a glass-like polymer hybrid sol-gel UVHN protective
coating for NASA's tether polymer materials, and demonstrate that it is
resistant to UV and AO.  In Phase II we will scale up and optimize the
UVHN process to cost efficiently produce UVHN material matrices for more
comprehensive UV and AO resistance tests.  The resulting product will
make MXER propellantless propulsion more reliable in raising and
maintaining spacecraft orbits.
NASA has many needs for maintenance and repair technologies for long-duration human space missions.  We propose to develop a compact, portable, vacuum-compatible, multi-axis Manipulator/Machining Center (M/MC) to satisfy many of NASA's needs.  Our M/MC will provide complex manipulation during: layer-additive manufacturing; collection of geometric data for reverse-engineering; real-time non-destructive evaluation; and non-destructive material property determination.  Our M/MC will also finish-machine near-net-shape parts produced using layer-additive manufacturing.  Design features of our M/MC will: minimize mass, volume, and power consumption while providing required capabilities; maximize life and reliability; and enable our M/MC to operate in space-based vacuum, microgravity, and partial-gravity environments.  In Phase I, we will: generate a preliminary design of our M/MC; project the machining performance, mass, volume, and power consumption of our M/MC; and show how our M/MC can be integrated with layer-additive equipment.  In Phase II, we will design-in-detail, build, and test a prototype M/MC.  In Phase III, we will design, build, and sell M/MCs to the government and private sector.
The research team at The Ohio State University has been developing technologies to suppress jet noise using localized arc filament plasma actuators and are in the process of demonstrating this type of technology at NATR facility at NASA Glenn Research Center.  The localized arc filament plasma actuators developed at OSU are the only actuators that can be used currently for active control of flow and noise in high Reynolds number and high-speed flows, such as jets, mixing layers, combustors, cavity, etc. However, the lack of availability of appropriate plasma generator has been a hindrance to this technology development.  One of the challenges is designing and developing a power supply which can derive up to 64 actuators. The current Phase I SBIR program will explore some new technologies for the design of such a power supply.  The research team will focus on building the power supply for NASA during the Phase II program and also will make significant efforts in commercializing this product by making it much more energy sufficient, user friendly, and compact.
This SBIR Phase I effort proposes the development of a potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) waveguide phase modulator for future integration into a Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) used for high spectral resolution aerosol and cloud lidar applications.  The PLC is a monolithic substrate that integrates key optical and electro-optical components.  These individual components are currently used to lock a seed laser and high power host laser to an iodine absorption line.  This technology is important for lidar systems requiring high frequency stability and accuracy.  The PLC concept advances NASA's lidar systems due to its compact, efficient, and reliable design, thus enabling use on small aircraft and satellites.  The key objective in this SBIR proposal is to establish the feasibility of fabricating a low-voltage, 250MHz waveguide phase modulator in KTP that can support moderate optical powers at 532nm.  A baseline PLC design will be presented that will incorporate the phase modulator.   The focus of the Phase II effort will be to fabricate a PLC with integrated phase modulator based on this Phase I study.
Long Range Space RF Telecommunications seeks solutions for long range missions using modular deep space transponders with smaller size and lower power components. While reconfigurable signal processing is typically performed in FPGA's, RF hardware is not nearly as agile, but if it were (small high Q filters, broadband actives) power savings and compact flexible RF radio architectures would be possible. As applied to an identified existing S and X band TTC transponder, the innovation described herein applies to EW and broadband RF channelizers, and commercial Software Defined Radios.

The proposed innovation seeks to demonstrate that a universal, reusable and digitally programmable RFIC combining avionics proven MEM's and SiGe BiCMOS (130~180 nm) technology is that solution.  The effort will demonstrate the sufficiency of a RF CMOS switch for the application described.  On chip RF primitive circuits are combinatorial configured along with on or off chip ruggedized piezo film MEM's filters/resonators, providing a practical and reliable RF macro block configurable for receive or transmit modes from &lt;100 MHz to &gt;8 GHz.  Primitive RF building blocks are electronically reconnected on chip to enable such RF macro functions as RF up/downconverter, IQ mod/demodulator, and image reject mixer; digital I/O and bias circuitry is included.
The goal of this Project is to develop a high-fidelity computational tool for accurate prediction of aerothermal environment on transatmospheric vehicles. This computational tool will be based on the Unified Flow Solver (UFS) developed at CFDRC for hybrid simulations of rarefied, transitional and continuum flows. In this Project, the UFS will be enhanced with advanced non-equilibrium chemistry coupled to radiation transport and plasma capabilities. The enhanced UFS will include Boltzmann/continuum solvers for gas species and plasma electrons, state-to-state vibrational kinetics of molecules, advanced non-equilibrium chemistry coupled to radiation transport with real gas effects, and charged particle transport and chemistry. Our two strong points are (i) master equations coupled with nonequilibrium chemistry in a multidimensional code, and (ii) Boltzmann solvers for charges and neutral particles providing the capability of using the code both for reentry flows and for the low-temperature plasma flows. Phase I will be devoted to evaluation of physical models, initial implementation and demonstration of new capabilities. In Phase II, these capabilities will be fully developed, validated and demonstrated for selected benchmark problems. The availability of the proposed tool will bring the fidelity of modeling high speed flows of molecular gases to a next level and enable computational investigation of innovative concepts of plasma technologies for different applications.
Preliminary design of aircraft structures is multidisciplinary, involving knowledge of structural mechanics, aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, structural dynamics and design concepts. Even though analysis tools and computing resources have improved significantly, very little attention is being paid to the required data exchange and seamless interoperability for true multi-disciplinary analysis. Indeed there is a lot to be gained in performing multi-disciplinary  analysis up front in the design cycle during the conceptual design phase as changes during  mid or tail end of the design process are often expensive and difficult to implement. The net result is increased cost and performance limiting weight penalties on the air vehicle. It is essential to consider the impact of several design disciplines simultaneously to arrive at a satisfactory design where generated data for each discipline is seamlessly generated or available to each design discipline.
The proposers will develop a computer language compiler to enable inexpensive, low-power, integer-only processors to carry our mathematically-intensive comptutations at high speed, with excellent computational accuracy. This will enable space systems designers to select from a wide range of radiation-hard processors for math-intensive command and data handling applications such as spacecraft attitude control, advanced sensing, instrument data processing and calibration, and autonomous operation.

Integer-only processors are capable of accurate math-intensive computing if properly programmed using a fixed point computational model. This presents a major challenge to the program designer. Software tools are available to help the programmer analyze fixed point implementations, but not to create them. This kind of trial-and-error design cycle can be expensive, time-consuming and error-prone.

Our compiler will analyze system specifications, such as input data ranges and formats, architectural constraints, and a description of the computational algorithm. It will insert data scaling operations into the integer instruction stream to make the most effective use of the internal data representation. The resulting code will be an order of magnitude faster and more compact than a software floating point implementation, with very competitive computational accuracy. 

This technology will be available for NASA programs immediately after Phase 2.
For many applications there exists a need for mechanically strong composite materials of high optical quality and transparency equivalent to window glass. One method of increasing the mechanical strength of polymers is to reinforce them with high-strength cylindrical glass fibers. In most cases, however, the introduction of glass fibers into an optically transparent polymer destroys the transparency of the polymer and an object at distances greater than a few feet cannot be clearly seen through them. MO-SCI Corporation proposes to develop novel large high-strength and optically transparent, flexible panels of glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites, as light-weight structural components, by layering a polymer matrix reinforced with glass ribbons (micron-size glass fibers with rectangular cross section) and a tough compliant polyurethane film. MO-SCI Corporation has produced research quantities of rigid epoxy-matrix composites which use glass ribbons that are index matched to the polymer matrix to be used as high-strength windows as described in U.S. patent 5,665,450  and licensed to MO-SCI Corporation. The objective of this proposal is to use this technology to produce nearly defect-free composites as demonstration samples for marketing structurally strong and impact resistant composites that are optically transparent.
The Stellar Imager, an ultraviolet, sparse-aperture telescope, was one of the fifteen Vision Missions chosen for a study completed last year.  Stellar Imager will enable very high angular resolution images of stellar surfaces.  The baselined design is a Fizeau beam combiner with 20 to 30 separated (free-flying) elements.

This proposal is for funding to develop and test an alternative beam combiner design for the Stellar Imager Mission.  We designate this new combiner the Spatial Frequency Remapper (SFR).  In the SFR, the large field-of-view of the Fizeau design is sacrificed in favor of simultaneous observations at multiple wavelengths.  Also, depending on the details of the design of the rest of the telescope, the SFR should either produce better images or relax the very tight stability requirements.  Since the large field of view of the Fizeau combiner is not needed for the mission, the SFR, if it works, is clearly the better design; it's only expense is the addition of one or perhaps two extra reflections, needed to incorporate the spectral dispersion.

The work that will be accomplished, including Phase 2, will include A) completing the analysis of the design as it pertains to Stellar Imager, B) performing a laboratory test at longer wavelengths to verify the soundness of that design and C) developing a more rigorous test of its imaging capabilities to be performed on a large, ground-based telescope.  This final item will be the main component of the commercialization plan.
Simulation technology plays an important role in rocket engine test facility design and development by assessing risks, identifying failure modes and predicting anomalous behavior of critical systems.  Advanced numerical tools assume greater significance in supporting testing and design of high altitude testing facilities because of the greater inter-dependence and synergy in the functioning of the different sub-systems.  This is especially true for J2-X testing because of a challenging operating envelope linked to variable throttle conditions at relatively low chamber pressures.  Facility designs require a complex network of diffuser ducts, steam ejector trains, fast operating valves, spray nozzles and flow diverters that need to be characterized for steady state performance.  More importantly, integrated facility designs will also have to be evaluated for startup/shutdown transients that can trigger engine unstart modes leading to catastrophic failure.  The proposed innovation expands on the multi-element unstructured CFD which has been validated for complex valve/feed systems and high pressure propellant delivery systems used in engine and component test stands at NASA SSC.  The focus here will be on extending this capability to include advanced models for supersonic diffuser design, steam ejector performance, spray nozzle cooling efficiency, plume aspiration dynamics and isolation valve operation.
In-space valves for the main fuel and oxidizer feed systems are required
to provide precise control, wide throttling range and handle rapid
on-off control. These design requirements result in significant
unsteady, transient effects both on the fluid mass flow rate, as well as
the torque required from the actuators controlling the valve. However,
there currently are no fundamental analytical or numerical modeling
tools that can predict the unsteady/transient performance of these
valves; current design tools are limited to quasi-steady models and
empirical correlations.  The innovation proposed here is a
high-fidelity, comprehensive numerical tool that can characterize the
transient performance of these flight valves and provide design support.
Geometry complexity and numerical accuracy problems associated with
resolving valve configurations with moving surfaces are addressed via a
grid adaption strategy within an unstructured framework. Unsteady
effects due to both turbulence interactions as well as multi-phase
cavitation are addressed with advanced numerical framework that
incorporates both real-fluid thermodynamics for cryogens as well as
advanced LES models for unsteady turbulence modeling.  The tools and
technology developed here would directly impact design support efforts
for the J-2X upper-stage engine in the Ares 1 launcher envisioned under
the Constellation program for the mission to the moon.
All NASA exploration systems operate in the extreme environments of space (Moon, Mars, etc.) and require reliable electronics capable of handling a wide temperature range (-180:C to +130:C) and high radiation levels. To design low-temperature radiation-hardened (rad-hard) electronics and predict circuit and system characteristics, such as error rates, modeling tools are required at multiple levels. To determine the electrical responses of transistors and circuits to radiation events, physics-based Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) and mixed-level tools are required. This project will provide models and tools that will improve capabilities for prediction of technology-dependent responses to radiation in wide temperature range, which will lead to better design of rad-hard electronics, better anticipation of design margins, and reduction of testing cost and time. Future NASA missions will use nanometer-scale electronic technologies which call for a shift in how radiation effects in such devices and circuits are viewed. Nano-scale electronic device responses are strongly related to the microstructure of the radiation event. This requires a more detailed physics-based modeling approach, which will provide information for engineering models used in device and integrated circuit (IC) design. Hence, the proposed innovation: detailed high-energy-physics-based simulations of radiation events (using Geant4-based software, from Vanderbilt University) efficiently integrated with advanced device/circuit response computations by CFDRC NanoTCAD three-dimensional (3D) mixed-level simulator. This will also enable a big number of statistically meaningful runs on a massively parallel supercomputing cluster. The extreme low temperature physics models combined with radiation effects simulations will be obtained by leveraging another CFDRC project for Extreme Environment Electronics, serving the NASA RHESE Program (led by NASA-MSFC).
A major challenge of the use of adaptive systems in safety-critical applications is the software life-cycle: requirement engineering through verification and validation. Adaptive systems incorporate learning to adapt the control system to the current operating conditions of the system, certifying their performance is a complex and tedious process. Ongoing effort in the development of tools for verification and validation of adaptive control systems, there is little research directed at the development of analytical methods. Learning rules for adaptive systems derivation using Lyapunov's second method, is based on the derivation of an energy-type function whose derivative must be negative to guarantee convergence therefore the asymptotic stability of the system. The first problem is that Lyapunov's second method provides a sufficient condition for stability thus the synthesis of an appropriate Lyapunov function for a particular application is a major challenge. The second problem in many applications, including the design of adaptive neural flight control systems, it is only possible to prove that the derivative of the Lyapunov function is non-positive, rather than being negative. For practical purpose, it is only possible to conclude that the control system errors are ultimately bounded, and it not possible to estimate the magnitude of these errors or the time it takes for these errors to converge to their steady-state limits. The objective of this research project is to develop analytical methods for the analysis of adaptive neural networks (ANN) based flight control systems including analytical estimates of the settling time and the steady-state magnitudes of the error dynamics. The magnitudes of the error bounds will be related to the performance handling qualities of the system and provide very important information about the performance of the closed-loop system.
In Phase I Harmonic Devices proposes to investigate the feasibility of a low-power, low-volume, lightweight, frequency agile, and fault tolerant EVA radio based on the co-design of the transceiver with high Q contour mode piezoelectric resonators and filters, low-loss switches, and tunable capacitors.  The radio will span from VHF to S-band frequencies (or higher) and support voice, data, and video capabilities.

HDI's contour mode aluminum nitride (AlN) technology allows the CAD level definition of arrays of filters, resonator, switches, and tunable capacitors, with operating frequencies from 10 MHz to several to several GHz, all on a single silicon chip.

The proposed work represents a radio architecture paradigm shift in which arrays of high-Q micromachined elements (resonators, switches, tunable capacitors) are embedded in the transceiver circuit blocks.  Conceptually, the library of low-Q circuit elements (resistors, inductors, capacitors) traditionally available to the RFIC designer are supplemented with HDI's high-Q components.

In the Phase I study HDI will design and evaluate novel high-Q component-based transceiver circuit blocks (LNA, oscillators/synthesizers, power amplifiers, etc.), optimize the design of its RF micromachined components for embedding in RFICs, and determine the optimum radio architecture to leverage its high-Q micromachined component technology.
We have developed a next-generation thruster under a Phase II SBIR which
we believe can meet NASA requirements after some modifications and
improvements. It is the first practical example of chemically-augmented
electric propulsion, using efficient laser diodes focused on an
exothermic fuel tape  to make a jet. We own the patents on this
technology. Advantages of our thruster technology are large thrust/power
ratio (up to 1.35mN/W) and thrust density, small minimum impulse bit
(10nN-s) and instantaneous thrust control. Other advantages are absence
of magnetic fields, high voltage, toxic chemicals, fuel and/or oxidizer
storage tanks, heaters or valves, and the fact that the source of
concentrated energy is physically removed from the thrust converter, so
that only the fuel, not some engine component, wears or ablates during
operation. Engine lifetime will be limited only by the amount of fuel
onboard, not by the 200k year lifetime of the diode lasers which
generate the ms pulses.  Problems which we want to address in this Phase
I effort are inadequate ablative layer thickness control which has led
to excessive rms thrust noise, a footprint which is larger than we would
like and plume contaminants generated by carbon doping used for laser
absorption in the present fuel tape. Our goal is 1&amp;#37; rms thrust noise and
an order-of-magnitude reduction in contaminants deposited by the
thruster plume.
The Gimbal-stabilized Compact Hyperspectral Imaging System (GCHIS) fully
integrates multi-sensor spectral imaging, stereovision, GPS and inertial
measurement, gimbal-stabilization, and gimbal-pointing-and-tracking
capabilities into a compact light weight package. Advanced adaptive
Kalman filter and attitude calibration algorithms are embedded for
precision inertial measurement and real-time platform
stabilization/pointing control. Innovative multi-thread-coded, fully
parallel execution software is implemented with the latest multi-core
CPU, which makes operation of GCHIS seamless. GCHIS concurrently
acquires pushbroom hyperspectral imagery and multispectral snapshot
stereo pairs. It features: 1) at least a 1392 pixel swathwidth and 5nm
spectral resolution in the VNIR range for hyperspectral imaging; 2) at
least 1600 x 1200 frame size for four band multispectral imaging; 3) 12
bit digitization depth for all imaging components; 4) less than 20lbs
complete instrument mass; and 5) 1/100 degree platform
stabilization/pointing accuracy. GCHIS has a fast data rate for high
resolution and large area coverage. GCHIS can deliver one-foot
resolution orthorectified hyperspectral imagery and inch level
resolution multispectral stereo imagery. With gimbaled stabilization and
programmable pointing, GCHIS is highly resistant to air turbulence and
can handle diverse flight profiles, e.g. non-linear corridors and block
areas, high and low altitudes, re-visiting or repeated measurement for
change detection, and etc.
The innovation proposed here is to provide a multi-physics modeling tool for materials damage assessment for application to future aircraft design.  The software compute engine is based on an existing state-of-art multi-physics solver using first principles of mechanical engineering.  Phase I will solve two significant NASA cases using this solver: 1) Coupled fluid-structure simulation of an aircraft wing with aeroelastic behavior and possible fragmentation of the wing, and 2) Simulation of a fuel tank rupture at a ground test facility including trajectory computation of the large fragments. Upon successful demonstration on these two problems, Phase II will proceed to enhance the Multi-Physics, fluid-structure-thermal, compute engine with: 1) a Graphical User Interface (GUI) wrapper to control the simulation, 2) The addition of continuum damage models, 3) a library of models for current NASA materials damage assessment cases, and 4) documentation of the GUI, delivery of the software and on-site training classes.  The GUI will allow non-expert users to import existing models from commercial CAD packages and Finite Element codes.  Using a desktop Personal Computer, engineers can quickly make accurate and reliable damage assessment decisions for future aircraft structures.
The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a wearable health monitoring system for the human body that is functional, comfortable, bendable in 3 dimensions, durable, water-proof, washable, and light-weight. This new technology area of wearable health systems, sometimes referred to as smart-clothing, promises to allow for a secondary human nervous system that connects various different electronic devices positioned on or around the human body. As the shrinking in size and weight of electronic circuits has progressed, it is now possible for the modern human astronaut to carry increasing numbers of different electronic devices and sensors such as thermometers, gas monitors, microphones, altimeters, digital processors, digital memory, and push-button controls. These devices allow the astronaut to access data about their current environment and health status, and communicate with other astronauts and/or databases to send and receive information of value. As the variation in the number of devices and sensors that can be deployed increases greatly, a new technology is required to allow the seamless integration of these devices with the human astronaut so that the devices can be electrically powered, operated, re-charged, and communicate with each other over a digital pathway.
Manned lunar exploration will require extravehicular activity (EVA) suits that surpass existing technology.  We propose an innovative thermal control system for EVA suits that uses an absorption heat pump with a flexible radiator that offers reduced size, lighter weight, conformability, rugged construction, and freeze tolerance.  The heat pump absorbs a crew member's metabolic heat and rejects it via radiation to the environment.  Innovative materials and construction enable a very lightweight and flexible system that is rugged and easily repairable.  In Phase I we will prove feasibility by assessing material suitability for lunar operations, demonstrating the critical fabrication steps for key components, then testing these components to demonstrate thermal performance.  In Phase II we will build, demonstrate, and deliver a complete prototype heat pump system.
An innovative, ultra low noise, single chip cavity oscillator is proposed. The oscillator is fully integrated on standard MMIC process. It operates in the frequency range of 50 ? 100 GHz with phase noise of -112 at 100 KHz offset. At the core of the oscillator is a rectangular cavity based resonator. To our knowledge, this is the first ever implementation of a waveguide cavity on standard MMIC process. This new technique, will allow the realization of ultra small high performance integrated oscillators for future market demands. In the future, a phase locked oscillator can be implemented on a single chip. The PLO will consist of a cavity oscillator, phase frequency detector, prescaler and a loop filter. All components can be integrated on a standard GaAs HBT process.
The objective is to develop and demonstrate the use of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for computations of gas turbine combustor flow and transport processes, using the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations on Cartesian grids with local mesh refinement and multigrid acceleration. The basic software for the coupled multigrid algorithm will be developed and demonstrated on simple flows. A Cartesian grid generator, capable of converting complex geometry into an unstructured Cartesian mesh, will be developed. These LES and numerical methods will then be applied to representative gas turbine combustor flows.
The modeling of NLTE hypersonic flows combines several disciplines: chemistry, kinetics, radiation transport, fluid mechanics, and surface science. No single code or model has been able to capture, with high fidelity, all the complex effects that come into play, especially at higher velocities. Spectral Sciences, Inc. proposes to create an innovative software tool to develop and demonstrate high-fidelity chemistry, radiation, and flow models for NLTE hypersonic flows that will address all the important effects in a unified way. SSI will demonstrate an end-to-end capability to simulate the kinetics and radiation transport for NLTE hypersonic flows through the development of prototype software and demonstration for a candidate hypersonic flow scenario. The software will be designed to be modular, in order that they can be used by other codes and other applications. Testing and validation will include studies of the interaction of gases in the shock layer with the ablating material making up the thermal protection system of the vehicle as well as an assessment of other available codes. It is intended that the software tool be used as a benchmark to test lower-fidelity models, or as an inexpensive substitute for laboratory or field tests.
The structural design during the early development of an aircraft focuses on strength, fatigue, corrosion, maintenance, inspection, and manufacturing.  Usually the acoustic requirements are met after the design of the fuselage structure has been completed.  Ideally the structural-acoustic concerns should enter the design cycle early and they should be considered along with other main design disciplines within a Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) environment.  The proposing firm is uniquely positioned for developing technology which will bring structural-acoustic simulations early in the airframe design process because of their Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) product for structural-acoustic simulations of large systems, and their development of a general purpose code for Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization under Uncertainty (MDO-U).  The proposed Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of including structural-acoustic simulations in early airframe design.  An adjoint sensitivity formulation will be implemented in the EFEA for enabling the utilization of the EFEA within a design optimization environment.  In a case study a representative airframe structure will be optimized simultaneously for two different disciplines, using common design variables.  An impact type of concern (representative of impact applications for rotorcraft and aircraft, and of shock applications for launch vehicle dynamics) and a structural-acoustic performance due to structure-borne and air-borne excitations (representative to aircraft, rotorcraft, and launch vehicle applications) will be considered.  The MDO-U and the EFEA codes will be utilized in the case study, which will demonstrate the feasibility and the value of bringing structural-acoustics early in the design cycle.
Thorleaf Research, Inc. proposes to develop a rugged, miniaturized, low
power MEMS-based gas chromatograph (GC) capable of handling the high
inertial loads encountered during planetary missions. This will provide
key enabling technology for mission planners, especially where hard
landers or penetrators may be required to meet science objectives within
challenging mass, volume and power constraints. Our innovative approach
employs high strength inert materials to provide a direct interface
between components such as a MEMS-GC injector chip, valves and GC
column.  This eliminates fittings and tubing connections to greatly
enhance robustness, improve system inertness and reduce mass. We believe
it will be possible to develop the miniaturized GC system at a mass of
about 200 grams, with an average power consumption of less than 50 mW
for isothermal operation.  Our use of a modular design approach will
make it possible to interface the proposed miniaturized GC to miniature
mass spectrometers, ion mobility spectrometers, or other detectors of
interest to NASA.  The goal of our proposed SBIR Phase 1 effort is to
demonstrate feasibility for a miniaturized, high inertial load
MEMS-based gas chromatograph, and to develop a detailed design for
fabricating and demonstrating prototype instrumentation in Phase 2.
Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuits (MMIC) provide the technology base for miniaturization of microwave payloads in spacecraft.  While MMIC chips are widely available for amplifiers, switches, converters, etc., there is only a limited supplier base for MMIC signal sources.  Hittite has recognized the need and introduced a family of MMICs for phase-locking loops and phase-locked oscillators.  Hittite's MMICs include; VCOs, frequency multipliers and dividers, programmable counters, phase-frequency detectors, and loop amplifiers.  This proposal describes and approach of integrating many of those MMIC parts into a single chip for frequency synthesis without VCOs.  This choice of the scale of integration will support the design architecture for frequency synthesizers with versatility of a wide range of operating frequencies. The selected design goals will allow signal generation from 100 MHz to 12 GHz.  The phase noise floor of the synthesizer is expected to be ?150 dBC/Hz at 100 MHz offset.  Design approaches for all component parts of the proposed MMIC are presented.
A novel approach is proposed for very efficient, very reliable, low
weight, wide-bandgap medium power SSPAs for Space applications operating
at 400 MHz and 8GHz.
The purpose of the Enhanced Brine Dewatering System (EBDS) is to provide an easily scalable means of completely recovering usable water from byproducts created by reverse osmosis water purification systems without the use of consumable wicks. Extended duration Lunar and Mars missions will require the conservation and recovery of water to allow for autonomous closed environments that in turn can dramatically reduce launch mass and reduce stowage volumes. The EBDS will build on previous developments in condensing heat exchangers to establish reliable, passive, and energy-efficient methods for recovering water by focusing on the phase separation methods employed at the brine evaporator. The EBDS uses evaporation surfaces treated with antifouling agents to eliminate biological growth and hydrophilic coatings to increase efficiency. These surface treatments are also employed at the condensing heat exchanger. In addition to limiting bio-fouling the brine evaporation system is designed to completely and autonomously recover usable water and isolate waste salts. Crew interaction is limited to periodically removing the bio-isolated waste byproducts from the system.
The proposed Plasma Air Decontamination System (PADS) is a trace contaminant control device based on non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma technology that operates at ambient pressure and temperature and has the potential to replace the existing Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) used on the International Space Station and future exploration vehicles. Non-thermal atmospheric plasma has been proven successful in the destruction of a variety of organic carbons found in space craft environments. The prototype plasma reactor on which the PADS will be based has also shown successful destruction of organic carbon with good power efficiency. Incorporation of this technology would facilitate a decrease in size or total elimination of the intensive re-supply of activated carbon for adsorbent beds, and possible elimination of the high temperature catalytic reactor. This would result in significant savings in launch mass and cost for long duration missions and a reduction in power requirements with the elimination of the catalytic reactor. This system also has great potential to be scaled to a variety of applications, allowing realization of the benefits that come with having systems common to multiple life support systems such as lower mass logistics and spares.
TerraMetrics, Inc., proposes an SBIR Phase I R/R&amp;amp;D program to
investigate and develop a key web services architecture that provides
data processing, storage and delivery capabilities and enables
successful deployment, display and visual interaction of diverse,
massive, multi-dimensional science datasets within popular web-based
geospatial platforms like Google Earth, Google Maps, NASA's World Wind
and others. The proposed innovation exploits the use of a wired and
wireless, network-friendly, wavelet-compressed data format and server
architecture that extracts and delivers appropriately-sized blocks of
multi-resolution geospatial data to client applications on demand and in
real time. The resulting format and architecture intelligently delivers
client-required data from a server, or multiple distributed servers, to
a wide range of networked client applications that can build a
composite, user-interactive 3D visualization of fused, disparate,
geospatial datasets. The proposed innovation provides a highly scalable
approach to data storage and management while offering geospatial data
services to client science applications and a wide range of client and
connection types from broadband-connected desktop computers to wireless
cell phones. TerraMetrics offers to research the feasibility of the
proposed innovation and demonstrate it within the context of a live,
server-supported, Google Earth-compatible client application with
high-density, multi-dimensional NASA science data.
Maracel Systems and Software Technologies, LLC proposes a revolutionary Range-Based Auto Focus (RBAF) system that will combine externally input range, such as might be received from a tracking radar or GPS telemetry downlink, with advanced image processing to provide long range optical systems with optimal focus while mitigating distortions due to atmospheric disturbances.  The system will be optimized to focus on moving targets generating potentially high focus dynamics and to focus only on the subject of the imagery ? not background artifacts such as rocket plumes.  The significant implication of this development is a substantial improvement in the quality and quantity of data gathered by optical data acquisition systems.  Through research, empirical trials, and algorithm development, the outcome of the Phase I effort will be a prototype system that demonstrates the improved focus capabilities and commercial viability of the RBAF system.  Phase II development will result in production packages with comprehensive interface documentation for modular components of a complete RBAF system that may be manufactured and integrated with long-range optical systems without further engineering design effort.  This will yield a complete product ready for commercialization that includes production quality technical and user documentation.
Formation flight can provide the benefits of a large effective telescope using precision formation flying of smaller, lower cost, collaborating telescopes. A decentralized architecture for estimation and control provides several key advantages including reduced communication and processing overheads as well as increased tolerance to a single point of failure. Since a decentralized design relies on  communicating information between individual spacecraft, it becomes critical to enumerate and quantify the effect of information sharing on estimation, control and guidance systems performance for the entire formation. The goal of this project is to analyze these interactions between information communication, estimation, control and guidance systems as well as to develop analysis tools to help the TPFI team evaluate various trade-offs involved in designing these systems. During the proposed effort, we will bring together new advances in the fields of Robust Control, Risk Sensitive Optimal (RSO) control, and Covariance Intersection (CI) to combine information shared across the formation. We will study the impact of communications topologies on estimation performance, develop methods to reduce disagreements between parallel estimators, design control and guidance laws that are robust to estimation disagreements and study scalability issues for formations with large number of spacecraft. Phase I effort will also deliver a software analysis tool to help the NASA TPFI team evaluate trade-offs for candidate TPFI architectures.
We propose to develop and test key technologies needed for an integrated, high thrust colloid thruster system with no moving parts, for spacecraft attitude control and tip-off rotation cancellation.  Busek has already successfully demonstrated the use of porous substrates as planar emitters for colloid thrusters.  In this proposal we will pursue enabling technologies for such a thruster, such as a passive feedsystem and an isolation membrane for separating the propellant in the reservoir from the thruster head prior to launch.  Advancements to date suggest viable approaches for the development of a cost-effective, reliable, and flexible thruster configuration.
With aircraft automation increasingly able to control flight autonomously, situational awareness and engagement of the crew can suffer.  To improve aviation safety further we need new paradigms to balance between exploiting increasingly powerful technologies and retaining and promoting aeronautical decision making (ADM) by the crew.
This proposal explores integrating H-mode, a flight control system developed by researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) that shares workload with pilots to leverage the unique capabilities of human pilots and automated control systems, with OZ, a primary flight display system under development at eSky. OZ provides a single-screen display for IMC flight, mapping external objects such as airports, waypoints, air traffic, weather etc. onto the primary flight display.  The hybrid system (H/OZ) will allow the pilot both to retain situational awareness and to monitor the flight and select alternative actions at critical points.  H/OZ will marry the superior situational awareness capability of OZ with the superior cooperative flight control of H-mode.  
In phase 1, eSky will develop a design for H/OZ and explore the feasibility of key new design elements.  eSky will map the user interface of H-mode into the OZ display and add functionality to both.  In collaboration with LaRC, the Florida Institute for Human &amp; Machine Cognition and the University of Maryland, eSky will identify specific areas critical to the performance of H/OZ and use rapid prototyping to evaluate the usability of the new design elements.  New OZ functionality will be evaluated using an eSky OZ laptop simulator.  H-mode prototyping will be done in the NASA LaRC H-mode simulator. Feasibility will be tested by demonstrating that the OZ display metaphor supports full H-mode functionality without compromising the usability of the H-mode user interface.   Phase 2 will focus on creating an H/OZ simulator and on usability and performance testing.
Existing cognitive performance test batteries consist of synthetic tasks that, while they may probe isolated cognitive functions, provide an incomplete and unconvincing picture of an individual's true cognitive capacity within the total context of space missions. In essence, they are 'laboratory' measures that appear unrelated to the real-world environment.  This leads to user non-compliance or rejection.  The present proposal describes a technique for integrating traditional cognitive performance measures with assessment of the system and mission in which the individual must operate. This yields quantified measures of the person's cognitive ability to perform specific jobs in space. Specifically, an entertaining and scientifically rigorous assessment tool is integrated with a sleep/fatigue model and a quantified workload estimate for each task. This is accomplished by selecting tests based on task analyses of what the astronaut actually has to do, using the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST) to predict performance capacity as a function of sleep/rest, and integrating a mathematical vector to quantify the  workload of specific tasks. The resulting "Person-System-Mission (PSM) index" provides a totally new and unique way not only to assess present cognitive capability, but to diagnose specific causes of decrement, and to suggest remedial actions.
TYRC of Tallahassee, Florida will design, fabricate and test a novel magnet for space applications. This lightweight magnet will be designed to operate at higher temperatures reducing the refrigeration requirements for space based magnet applications. When built, the proposed magnet system will enable more efficient, reliable, cost-effective space based operations than alternatives presently available.
ElectroChem proposes technology advances in its unique PEM IFF water electrolyzer design to meet the NASA requirement for an electrolyzer that will operate very efficiently both at low current densities and at high pressures.  This SBIR effort will develop technical solutions to the draw-back of high pressure operation, namely hydrogen gas crossover losses, that is, an increased diffusion of hydrogen across the membrane which effectively decreases the efficiency.

Two approaches to reducing gas permeation through the membrane at high pressure will be investigated: 1) The use of palladium thin films embedded in the membrane; and 2) The use of Nafion proton conductive polymer-clay nanocomposite blends.  Two different bonding approaches and membrane configurations will be used for the first approach.  Determining the best composition is the key for the second approach.

Promising candidates will be determined by two tests:  1) hydrogen permeability tests; and 2) proton conduction measurements to assure that the effects of reducing hydrogen permeability will not affect electrochemical proton conduction.

Finally, the most promising candidates will undergo their final Ph I proof of concept tests in a PEM IFF electrochemical cell. 

Phase I will lead to the Ph II development of a complete PEM IFF Electrolyzer System and delivery of a demonstration unit to NASA.
Orion requires a rendezvous and docking sensor to provide relative
navigation information during proximity operations and docking. In order
to dock, the sensor must provide full six degree of freedom (6 DOF)
relative position and relative attitude information at a rate sufficient
for the rendezvous spacecraft guidance system to robustly control the
docking maneuver. Orion faces critical weight issues that make inclusion
of multiple sensors for AR&amp;amp;D unlikely in its baseline configuration.
Locations for mounting the sensors external to the spacecraft are also
critical issues. A bore sight camera however will be included in the
design to furnish crew video data for the final docking maneuvers.
Clever utilization of this existing Orion bore sight camera can provide
a robust 6DoF capability with only the addition of vision processing software.
High quality GaN epitaxial films are key to current efforts for development of both high-power/high-speed electronic devices and optoelectronic devices.   In fact, solid state lighting, high-temperature and high-power electronics, microelectronic and mechanical sensors, and high-efficiency solar cells are all poised at a new level of development. This enormous market is waiting for low-cost, high quality substrates to achieve performance and fabrication economies of scale.  This NASA SBIR phase I project addresses the development of a dislocation filter that can routinely prepare low-stress GaN thin films with threading dislocation densities below 1E7 cm-2. The method relies on using a low-angle ion beam to induce both nanofilter for defect reductions and to inhibit droplet formation at low growth temperatures. Dislocation densities have so far been determined by standard etch pit densities method.  The goal the project to optimize the defect nanofilter to reduce the TD to less than 1E6 cm-2.  To obtain a more practical evaluation of the effectiveness and commercial viability of the method, heterojunction field effect transistors with high electron mobility will be fabricated in these ultra-low defect density films. These high-quality material based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) will enable high linearity power amplifiers with excellent thermal stability and frequency response.  A plus would be if these were compatible with the mature silicon technology that is already in place. The new method to fabricate GaN-based high-performance devices on low defect substrates would be scalable to large area wafers, allowing the technology to be economical.  The proposed method to grow on low-stress, low-dislocation density films will lead to the production of electronic devices of unparalleled performance.
This effort entails the validation of a RANS turbulent scalar transport model (SFM) for high speed propulsive flows, using new experimental data sets and accompanying large-eddy simulation (LES) solutions. The SFM has been used to predict local values of the turbulent Prandtl and Schmidt numbers and also provides the rms scalar fluctuation values that are used with assumed PDF models for turbulent combustion. Performing the experimental work in unison with LES studies ensures that the two sets of data will be fully compatible, and may be used to support SFM model validation. Work to date indicates some deficiencies in the present SFM model for high speed mixing problems where the two streams have very different densities, which we will attempt to resolve in this program. PIV data for the transverse injection of hot air and helium/nitrogen mixtures into a Mach 3.5 stream will be obtained in unison with LES studies to yield scalar fluctuation data not readily obtained in experiments.  SFM upgrades will be performed using this unified data. Experiments will be performed by Dr. Seiner and coworkers at U. Miss using a new 12"x12" trisonic tunnel and existing slot/round jet injector models.
Future Spacecraft and instruments for NASA's Science Mission Directorate will require increasingly sophisticated thermal control technology.  A need exists for efficient, lightweight Vapor Compression Cycle (VCC) systems, for medium-to-low cooling loads (i.e. less than 2 kW).  While conventional VCC technology is relatively compact and efficient for multi-kW loads, it is difficult to find a system that strikes a balance between coefficient of performance, weight and size within the sub-kW range.  The particular system proposed will be a highly efficient Mini-VCC featuring custom compressor and heat-exchanger technology.  The compressor is a highly efficient, high power density rotary compressor designed for 500 W of heat removal with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 3.  In the Phase I effort Rini Technologies Inc. (RTI) proposes to develop a compressor capable of handling variable heat loads up to 500 W, with variable temperature lift capability to suit NASA's specific needs.  Detailed component testing will be performed, and the results coupled with NASA's specific needs will result in a complete system recommendation for a Phase II effort.  The following Phase II effort will result in delivery of an efficient, lightweight, reliable and compact prototype VCC for NASA missions.
Microcosm, with Space Micro., and HRP Systems will design a plug-and-play (PnP) star sensor for small satellites.  All three companies are well experienced in developing PnP systems for the U. S. Air Force during the past 6 years.  On an existing Phase II Air Force SBIR program, Microcosm built a prototype star sensor called MicroMak.  The sensor proposed here will focus on PnP compatibility for NASA missions of interest.   The PnP star sensor recurring cost target is $150 K to $200 K, with a  mass between 0.5 and 1 kg.  Expected NASA mission applications necessitate a modified version of the baseline MicroMak sensor, including:  1) Interfaces compatible with a new PnP avionics architecture, 2) radiation-hardened focal plane arrays (FPAs) and processing electronics to enable longer mission life.  The baseline MicroMak sensor was designed with inherent radiation-tolerant features: complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) FPAs with no direct space view, and all-reflective optical elements.  The new PnP star sensor will build on MicroMak heritage and provide a modular, PnP-compatible, long-life star sensor for NASA missions, at low cost compared with traditional star sensors.  A cost and mass reduction of a factor of 2 or more over traditional sensors is expected.
Atmospheric entry is one of the most critical phases of flight during planetary exploration missions. During the design of an entry vehicle, experimental and analytical methods are used; however, the current integration level of experimental and analytical methods with planetary entry simulations is low.  Comprehensive software, comprised of multiple design tool components for simulating planetary entry, analyzing experimental data, and evaluating configuration modifications and control designs, will be developed.  The software will be configured so that it can accommodate vehicles ranging from blunt bodies to aircraft-like configurations.  Furthermore, the software will be designed as an extension of current aircraft flight dynamics theory so that aerospace engineers with basic flight dynamics knowledge will have an easy transition to entry body flight dynamics.  Merging of the aircraft and entry vehicle flight dynamics enables educational institutions to adopt entry vehicle flight dynamics as an extension to current aircraft flight dynamics educational programs. This will promote the education of the next generation of engineers with the basic knowledge of entry flight dynamics. The proposed software will run on a desktop / laptop computer so that proof-of-concept design work can be done easily, efficiently, and at low cost.
Advatech Pacific proposes to develop a Virtual Satellite Integration Environment (VSIE) for the NASA Ames Mission Design Center.  The VSIE introduces into NASA Mission Design Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools and processes, which haven proven themselves in the industrial manufacturing world.  In addition to COTS PLM tools, the VSIE hinges on two key concepts: An enhanced Digital Mock-Up (termed DMU++) and the so-called Common Geometry Strategy.
 
DMU typically addresses mechanical form, fit and function of a component or sub-assembly in the assembly context. We propose to go one step further and address electrical power, data, and other similar interfaces in the DMU to automatically detect compatibility issues beyond mere mechanical fit. This will be an enabling functionality for rapid mission design and integration of components from a database of existing off-the-shelf hardware such as the database currently under development at the NASA Ames Mission Design Center. 

The Common Geometry Strategy was introduced in the late 1990s in both the commercial aircraft engine and automotive industries, however, it has so far not found its way into satellite design or satellite mission design. The fundamental idea is that the same Master Model geometric information is readily available to all disciplines and individuals that need geometric information to perform their job. Since a particular disciplinary specialist may require only an abstraction of the detailed 3D-geometry, the idea of a "Context Model" is introduced. The Context Model is a simplified representation of the detailed 3D CAD model, which is simplified precisely to the level of detail required by the specialist, while maintaining full associativity to the Master Model geometry, so that it either automatically updates when the Master Model geometry changes, or at least notifies the specialist that it is out of date.
Spacecraft fires create exception risks to crew members.  There is usually no place to escape.  Even small amounts of hardware damage can compromise a mission.  The most effective fire extinguishing agents, Halons, are prohibited because of the toxicity and corrosiveness of combustion byproducts.  Early warning fire sensors are needed that can operate effectively in zero gravity; that means no convection to transport smoke or fire-generated gases to point sensors.  Avionics compartments are often densely packed and filled with dead spaces that do not exchange air well with circulating air streams.  Southwest Sciences proposes the development of a thermal mirage sensor for detecting incipient spacecraft fires.  The sensor will use highly miniaturized, low power cameras to image a simple geometric pattern projected onto a flat surface.  Thermally induced image distortions will provide early fire warning.  The sensor will operate autonomously; we anticipate a networked set of such sensors, each having sufficient signal processing capability to determine sensor health and alarm conditions.  Our innovation includes the use of highly miniaturized, low cost components.  The cross line projector is a laser pointer combined with a small (4 mm W 4 mm) piece of etched clear plastic; diffraction forms the line pattern.  There are no moving parts.
In this SBIR effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop a suite of laser-based diagnostics for the study of reactive and non-reactive hypersonic flows.  These sensors will utilize diode laser spectroscopy to determine several critical parameters including gas temperature, velocity, and composition.  Moreover, by using both multiple lines-of-sight and multiple wavelengths, the analyzer will also provide a measure of the spatial distribution of these important gas parameters in an engine test facility.  The SBIR instrument will be the first system capable of providing real-time, rapid quantification of these important combustion parameters in NASA's hypersonic test facilities.  Such quantification is essential to the development of improved reactive CFD models and subsequent hypersonic propulsion systems for future aerospace vehicles.
Development of a new generation of high speed rotorcraft has been hampered by both an absence of strong predictive methods for rotors operating at very high advance ratio and a dearth of relevant test data.  Phase I initiated work on these challenges with rotor tests and development of enhanced analyses for high speed flight.  Phase I testing produced useful data on model scale autorotating rotors at advance ratios up to 1.7, thereby supporting analysis development and laying the groundwork for further Phase II testing.  Enhanced yawed flow models for comprehensive rotorcraft analyses were also investigated and an enhanced lifting surface blade/wake model was developed and validated for improved modeling in this regime.  Additionally, Phase I studied CFD grid generation and flow analysis methods for improved modeling of reversed and strong spanwise flows.  Phase II will see further high advance ratio rotor tests, up to 2.5, and CFD analysis supporting the development of new validated models suitable for extreme yawed flow.  These new models will be incorporated into CDI's commercial rotorcraft aerodynamics software for immediate use in rotorcraft design and flight simulation codes.  A hierarchy of models will be developed supporting applications ranging from high resolution CFD to real-time simulation.
Recent work on distributed multi-spacecraft systems has resulted in a number of architectures and algorithms for accurate estimation of spacecraft and formation states. The estimation accuracy achievable during spacecraft formation operation depends not only on the algorithms, but also on their actual implementation and communication related delays. Typically, the algorithms are implemented on a real-time multi-tasking processor that allocates on-board computational resources to multiple tasks according to some scheduling policy. The processor's task scheduler may induce delays and preempt measurement processing and estimation tasks in favor of other tasks. Hence, estimation accuracy and in general the performance of any embedded algorithm can be significantly lower than expected during execution. The goal of this project is to develop distributed spacecraft state estimation algorithms that account for real-time multi-tasking processor constraints and delays in the availability of measurements and make the best use of limited onboard computing resources. We bring together new advances in advanced Kalman filtering techniques to develop an innovative framework for the design of embedded distributed state estimation algorithms and software. We will deliver to NASA JPL a novel ``any time'' Kalman Filter (AKF) architecture and software for distributed state estimation that, i) selects and uses the best measurements under given CPU constraints, and ii) continues to improve the accuracy of estimates by opportunistically using any additional CPU resources that become available.
This SBIR Phase II project proposes the development of lightweight compact nanostructured catalytic reactors for air purification from toxic gaseous organic pollutants, particulate matter, and microorganisms.  Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) will be catalytically oxidized inside high-density arrays of uniform cylindrical nanopores that comprise the reactor.  The nanopores of the catalytic substrate are conformally coated with appropriate catalyst, forming ultra-high aspect ratio, high surface area, cylindrical nanoreactors.  Such unique architecture provides improved mass and heat transfer and ensures conversion of volatile organics into non-toxic products with unmatched efficiency.  

The proposed low-mass, low-volume and low-power-consumption reactors are intended to replace conventional packed-bed catalytic oxidizers used currently for removal of trace organic contaminants from spacecraft atmospheres.  The Phase I project unequivocally demonstrated the feasibility of VOCs oxidation and confirmed the strong competitive advantages of the proposed architecture over conventional reactors and structured catalysts.  The Phase II goal now is to develop, fabricate and validate nanochannel reactor prototypes, and to initiate their integration into air purification modules.  The expected result is commercially viable, low-cost, compact yet highly efficient and robust nanochannel reactors for air purification.
To enhance aerodynamic design capabilities, Desktop Aeronautics proposes to significantly improve upon the integration (performed in Phase 1) of a new sweep/taper integrated-boundary-layer (IBL) code that includes transition prediction with a Cartesian Euler solver developed at NASA. This combined solver will play an important role in the preliminary design of both conventional and unconventional aerospace vehicles traveling at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds. Complex aircraft configurations may be easily analyzed with the practically automated surface intersection and Cartesian mesh generation of the Euler solver. The proposed design-oriented approach to transition prediction will permit rapid assessment of aircraft that exploit natural laminar flow to reduce drag. To facilitate design and numerical optimization using the new aerodynamic analysis, a parameterized geometry engine that can quickly model complex aircraft configurations will be interfaced with the Euler/IBL solver. Desktop Aeronautics will also develop a set of optimization tools well-suited to use with the geometry engine and aerodynamic analysis. This set of tools will permit aerodynamic shape optimization and multidisciplinary design at earlier stages in the vehicle development process.
TerraMetrics, Inc., proposes a Phase II R/R&amp;D program to implement the TerraBlocks&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; Server architecture that provides geospatial data authoring, storage and delivery capabilities. TerraBlocks enables successful deployment, display and visual interaction of diverse, massive, multi-dimensional science datasets within popular web-based geospatial platforms like Google Earth and NASA World Wind.

TerraBlocks is a wavelet-encoded data storage technology and server architecture for NASA science data deployment into widely available web-based geospatial applications. The TerraBlocks approach provides dynamic geospatial data services with an emphasis on 1) server and data storage efficiency, 2) maintaining server-to-client science data integrity and 3) offering client-specific delivery of large Earth science geospatial datasets. The TerraBlocks approach bridges the gap between inflexible, but fast, pre-computed tile delivery approaches and highly flexible, but slower, map services approaches. 

The pursued technology exploits the use of a network-friendly, wavelet-compressed data format and server architecture that extracts and delivers appropriately-sized blocks of multi-resolution geospatial data to geospatial client applications on demand and in interactive real time. 

The Phase II project objective is to provide a complete and fully-functional prototype TerraBlocks data authoring and server software package delivery to NASA and simultaneously set the stage for commercial availability. The Phase III objective is to commercially deploy the TerraBlocks technology, with the collaboration of our commercial and government partners, to provide the enabling basis for widely available third-party data authoring and web-based geospatial application data services.
Next-Generation Collaboration Tools to Support Telescience and Outreach Project
Ge Semiconductor Devices for High-Performance Cryogenic Power Electronics Project
Solar Blind AlGaN Photocathode Project
Cryogenic Advanced Loop Heat Pipe in Temperature Range of 20-30K Project
Automated On-Board Diagnostics for Copper and Fiber Aircraft Wiring Project
MMW Pyroelectric Sensor Array Project
Trajectory and Performance Models for Earth and Planetary Balloons Project
Multipurpose Li-Ion Spacecraft Battery Project
Fluorogenic Cell-Based Biosensors for Microbial Monitoring Project
Micro-Sampling Probe and Programmable Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis Inlet System Project
Low Cost General Aviation Traffic Information System Project
Nanotube Composite Materials For Balloons and Aerobots Project
Methane to Aromatics on Mars Project
A Plasma Source for Generation and Inflation of Large Scale Magnetospheres Project
A Collaborative Hypersonic Air-breathing Vehicle Design Environment Project
A Lightweight EVA Emergency System Project
Low Temperature Cryocooler Project
Additives to Increase Fuel Heat Sink Capacity Project
High Specific Strength Isotropic MMCs for Turbomachinery Applications Project
Evacuated Microsphere Insulation Panels Project
Stitched Composite Hollow Core Fan Blade Project
This SBIR will develop a design decision support tool that will assist
designers in providing a powerful, supportive work environment for
aviation crews that  support the maintenance of a high level of
situation awareness in the flight environment. DeSAT will be developed
as a design decision support system providing the capability to (1)
analyze the situation awareness requirements associated with operational
requirements (which could include ground based or flight based crew
members), (2) compare situation awareness information requirements to
system design features to identify potential situation awareness
problems and deficiencies early  in the design process, and (3) evaluate
the degree to which design concepts support SA via the Situation
Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT).  DeSAT will be developed
for analysis of SA for both individual crew stations and for distributed
teams operating across flight and time.  DeSAT will allow designers to
modify design concepts early in the design process to ensure that they
provide the needed situation awareness to system users.
Miniaturized Ultraviolet Absorption Ozonesonde for Small Aerial Platforms Project
Ten Megawatt RF Plasma Thruster Project
Inflatable Structure for Tensioned Membrane Planar Antennas Project
Shared Aperture Diffractive Optical Elements for LIDAR Reception Project
Observation Chambers for Dynamic Microscopic Flow Visualization (DYNASCOPE) Project
Inherently Electrostatic Dissipative Polymers for Space Project
Carbon Nanotube-Fiber Optic Skin Friction and Temperature Sensor Project
Flywheel Energy Storage System for Small- and Medium-Size Spacecraft Project
Structurally Integrated Reusable Launch Vehicle Thermal Protection Project
High Performance Capacitor for Pulsed Plasma Thruster Project
Advanced Holographic miniature sun sensor optical system Project
An Advanced Multispectral Imager for Marine and Coastal Remote Sensing Project
Long Focal Length Large Mirror Fabrication System Project
Compact Trace Gas Analysis for Airborne Applications Project
Authoring software for developing 3D photo-realistic terrain models. Project
An Integrated Optical System for Synoptic Remote Sensing Validation: The DOLPHIN Project
A Real-Time Monitor to Predict Loss of Control due to Pilot-Induced Oscillations Project
Enhanced Energy-Absorbing Aircraft Seats Project
Upper and Lower Bounds in Finite Element Analysis of Aerospace Structures Project
A Practical Fuel Tank Inerting System for Commercial Aircraft Project
Sensor Integrated Synthetic Vision System Project
Low Cost Engine Test Stand for 500 lb Thrust Class Engines Project
Robotic Bioreactor for Cell Culture in Space Applications (DYNACULT) Project
CoilABLE Elastic Memory Composite Deployable Structure Project
Multiple Configuration Space Environment (MCSE) Project
Time-Domain Nonlinear Characterization of Acoustic Liner Response Project
Multi-Stage Pulse-Tube Cryocoolers for Sensor and Electronics Applications Project
Chlorophyll Fluorescence-Based Plant Health Monitor Project
Multi-Frequency Airborne Radar System for Aircraft Icing Avoidance Project
Nanopowder Synthesis in a Microgravity Environment Project
Stacked Waveguide Imaging Spectrometer for Airborne and Spaceborne Applications Project
A Proton Collimator for IEC Fusion Propulsion Project
A Transmission Ultrasound Camera for Imaging of Extravascular Gas In Vivo Project
Advanced Thin Film PV UltraFlex Solar Array System Project
Hardware Development of Dimensionally-Stable Articulated Deployable Mast Project
SiC Fiber Optic Sensors for Turbine Engine Monitoring Project
Quantum Dots with Improved Uniformity for IR Sensors Project
Subsurface Coring Sampler System Project
High-Performance Carbon Nanotube-Based Composites Project
Miniature Flow Cytometer and Cell Sorter for Use in Low Gravity Project
Icing Conditions Infrared Imaging System Project
Ejector Pump Flow Control for Increased Compressor Operability Project
Thick-Section PIP Derived CMC Components Project
Syntactic Titanium Foam Propellant tank Project
349-nm Source for Direct Detection Measurements of Winds Project
Distributed Pressure Sensor Project
Novel Approach to the Fabrication of a C-SiC Blisk Project
Cool-Wall Vortex Combustion Chamber (CWVCC) Project
Cog-Gauge is a portable hand-held game that can be used by astronauts and crew members during space exploration missions to assess their cognitive workload decrements that possibly result from fatigue, stress, or neurocognitive deficits.  Cog-Gauge combines behavioral workload assessment using a dual-task approach with predictive workload models to counter the effects of game learning.  The game will be built using an iterative usability driven approach where emphasis will be placed on building an engaging relevant game that builds from contextual task analysis and user profiling.  The specific technical challenges foreseen are integrating two approaches of cognitive workload modeling, and using learning curves to model game learning, then using algorithms to determine a user's workload as soon as they complete a timed interaction with the game.  Specific questions to address pertain to feasibility of proposed solution and hardware/software requirements.
Aniuk Consulting, LLC, proposes to create a GIS software toolkit for monitoring areal snow cover extent and producing streamflow forecasts.  This toolkit will be packaged as multiple extensions for ArcGIS 9.2 and provides users with a means for easily ingesting NASA EOS satellite images (for snow cover analysis), preparing hydrologic model inputs, and visualizing streamflow forecasts.  Primary products include: a technique for predicting the presence of snow under clouds in satellite images; a software tool for producing gridded temperature and precipitation forecasts; and a suite of tools for visualizing hydrologic model inputs and results.  The toolkit will be an expert system designed for operational users that need to generate numerous streamflow forecasts accurately and in a timely-fashion without having to hassle with the science and physics behind the hydrologic model. This proposal targets the "Data Analyzing and Processing" research initiative announced by the Goddard Space Flight Center by exploiting spatial tools in order to increase the utility of scientific research data, models, and visualizations.  The beauty of the proposed toolkit is the ability to incorporate hydrologically relevant spatial datasets at the applied, operational level to produce high quality functional products.
Physical Sciences Incorporated (PSI) and United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) propose to develop, characterize, and evaluate the performance of innovative nanocatalysts that are homogeneously dispersed (0.01 &#37; - 0.1 &#37; by wt.) within a synthetic endothermic hydrocarbon fuel for ramjet, scramjet, and Rocket-Based Combined-Cycle (RBCC) applications.  Coke build-up will be significantly reduced since the catalyst will be expelled with the product gases and liquids from the cracking system into the combustion zone.  Increased cracking efficiencies will result using the nanocatalyst due to the higher surface area/volume and dramatically enhanced settling times compared to conventional microcatalysts.  As a result, higher heat sinks due to endothermic cracking will be obtained.  The reaction product distribution and efficiencies of the nanocatalytic hydrocarbon cracking reaction will be measured using standard chromatography methods.  Use of the alternative synthetic fuel is advantageous due to its low sulfur content, high thermal stability, high endotherm, and production through a non-petroleum based reaction.  In Phase II, new nanocatalysts will be synthesized, characterized, and tested. Catalytic efficiency will be optimized.  The implications of the nanocatalyst on combustion performance will be evaluated.  
This program comprises TRLs 1 through 3 within Phase 1.
Impact Technologies, in cooperation with Raytheon, proposes to develop and demonstrate an innovative prognostics approach for aircraft digital electronics. The proposed non-invasive prognostic approach consists of advanced software and a minimal sensing, focused on incipient fault detection, isolating failure modes and predicting remaining useful life using improved prognostic models. The innovations will include development and validation of physics of failure models, applicable to a broad range of CMOS digital systems; associated damage accumulation models; and a signal processing and feature extraction approach for detecting and isolating VLSI failure modes.  In this approach, cradle-to-grave health state awareness is achieved through the use of model-based assessments in the absence of fault indications, and by updating these model-based assessments with sensed information. The PowerPC MPC7447 microprocessor will be used for validation testing during this program based on its use in such systems as the F-35 fighter Integrated Core Processor (ICP) and the fact that it is representative of the wide spread CMOS technology found in modern digital devices.  Finally, a commercialization path beginning with testing of the technologies within Raytheon's Labs will be presented along with the team's vision of how e-Prognostic technologies can be transitioned into safety critical commercial and military digital.
Major concerns for implementing a practical built-in structural health monitoring system are prediction accuracy and data reliability. It is proposed to develop robust state-of-the-art structural health management (SHM) technologies to overcome these concerns.  The proposed solution will be capable of detecting and quantifying damage with a high probability of detection (POD), accurately predicting the residual strength and remaining life of the structures with confidence, and providing information which will allow appropriate preventative actions on the monitored structure. To achieve the objectives the proposed technology will first optimize the sensor network configuration for the SHM system to achieve the highest probability of detection.  Next, robust diagnostic techniques will be developed to achieve quantifiable damage location and size estimation that account for the uncertainties induced by the environments or the system itself continuously during flight or at scheduled maintenance intervals. Finally, efficient probabilistic prognostic methods will be integrated with diagnostic outputs to provide real time estimation of residual strength and remaining life of the damaged structure. Both metallic and composite stiffened aircraft panels will be instrumented and tested under simulated flight conditions to validate the proposed technology. The work will be performed collaboratively between Acellent and Stanford University.
We propose to develop a planetary exploration XRD/XRF instrument based on a hybrid diffraction approach that complements powder XRD analysis, similar to that of the CheMin instrument of MSL, with single crystal diffraction analysis.  Powder XRD will be used when fine grained samples are available, either as received or prepared by a sample grinding facility onboard the lander.  Single crystal XRD using polychromatic radiation (Laue diffraction) will be applied when samples are too coarse to use pXRD.  Laue analysis will allow identification of minerals in unprepared samples and enable ab-initio determination of crystalline phases unknown to current crystallographic databases.  The concept can be applied as a contact instrument fitted to the robotic arm, or to an onboard instrument.  Both transmission and reflection geometries are possible.  We will develop the system for Venus surface deployment.  We will emphasize the diffractometer development on high throughput and power efficiency without compromising resolution.  The need for high throughput is motivated by the limited life span of a Venus lander.  The Phase 1 research will focus on demonstrating the use of Laue diffraction for mineral identification and investigating the technical options for X-ray source, X-ray optics and detectors.
The goal of this work is developing new thermoelectric materials for use in fabricating solid state cooling devices and electrical power generators, which are 200 to 300&#37; more efficient than current thermoelectric materials and can operate in temperatures ranging from cryogenic to 700 C.  These materials will be made from new nano-composites, using fabrication techniques developed at Eltron. 

The proposed thermoelectric composite's matrix has already demonstrated exceptional ability for functioning in the environment of space.  Used in a cooling system, these materials will provide an effective means for controlling the temperature of surfaces subject to the rapidly changing temperatures encountered in space.  They can be used to prevent development of large temperature gradients and thereby prevent the mechanical stresses that accompany them.  Used for power-generation, these new materials will be very efficient both because of the properties that the nano-phase materials and its matrix bring to the thermoelectric material.  Because of the difficulties presented in the harsh environment of space, thermal management and power generation is most easily provided through devices that do not have any moving parts, are very durable, do not require maintenance, and operate efficiently over a wide range of temperatures.  The proposed materials meet all these requirements.
NASA mission planning in the next decade includes small spacecraft and secondary flight opportunities on Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs), specifically Atlas V and Delta IV.  NASA's use of EELVs is accelerated because of the impending termination of the Delta II launcher.  Nearly all EELVs slated for launch have significant excess payload capacity.  The EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) Ring was developed by CSA Engineering under an Air Force SBIR to utilize excess lift capability by providing a secondary mission capability.  

ESPA, as built, can provide access to space for NASA lunar and science missions.  However, to ensure that diverse NASA mission objectives can be achieved with the best possible mission configurations, structural tailoring of the ESPA will be required.  The proposed effort will develop modular features of ESPA that are required for optimal NASA mission configurations targeting, but not necessarily limited to, the following:
(1) Separable ESPA: Separation capability built into the ESPA Ring.
(2) Hierarchical ESPA: Scaling of the ESPA design for larger EELV payloads and for small launch vehicles.
(3) ESPA Mounts: Interior and exterior mounting for spacecraft and auxiliary structures.

Phase 1 will establish feasibility for the modular ESPA designs.  Plans will be presented for flight qualification of all designs.  Phase 2 will produce flight qualified hardware to at least TRL 6 for a design determined to be the most desirable for near-term NASA implementation.
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER in Topic O1.10 has identified the need to provide surface communications networks for human and robotic missions to explore the Moon and Mars.  The network nodes will be located at fixed sites, as well as on robotic vehicles and on humans that are moving about on the surface.  The purpose is for relatively short range, but highly reliable, support of bi-directional voice, video and data services.  Such nodes will be attached to sensors, other devices, Rover robots, access network terminals and humans. The requirement for low cost means that the hardware should leverage available and emerging commercial off-the-shelf technology (COTS) to the extent possible.  

The work completed under topic O1.10 is intended to be compatible and integrated with results from other topics. Understanding that this topic includes requirements for the integration of a number of communication and networking technologies, proposed herein is a self-healing, ad hoc, disruption tolerant network, including protocols for intelligent, autonomous link management and reliability.  For purposes of the Phase I demonstration, the wireless network will operate at 60 GHz, and utilize emerging commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology for cost minimization.
Thermal energy storage systems with 300 ? 1000 kJ/kg energy density through either phase changes or chemical heat absorption are sought by NASA. This proposed effort will design, fabricate and demonstrate an energy storage system utilizing a composite of silicone polymers (organosiloxanes) and sorption materials.  The proposed technology would provide cooling from a source at 100&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C or higher.  In proof-of-concept experiments, related composites have already been produced, and energy densities exceeding 400 kJ/kg have been demonstrated. The innovative encapsulation technology can provide a barrier that prohibits poisoning of the sorption material by planetary atmospheric gases, and ensuring long-duration storage and safe handling before and during mission. The composites can be produced in a form that facilitates conformal coverage of intricate parts and hard to reach surfaces.
Aircraft design is a complex process requiring interactions and exchange of information among multiple disciplines such as aerodynamics, strength, fatigue, controls, propulsion, corrosion, maintenance, and manufacturing.  A lot of attention has been paid during the past fifteen years in the Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) nature of the aircraft design process.  However, a consistent void in aircraft design is the ability to integrate high-fidelity computational capabilities from multiple disciplines within an organized MDO environment.  Integrating high fidelity simulation technology (that has been developed over the years though significant investments) within a MDO environment will constitute a disruptive technological development in aircraft design.  Currently, each high fidelity simulation is rather compartmentalized, and at best a sequential interaction process is exercised.  Integrating the high-fidelity computational capabilities from multiple disciplines within an organized MDO environment will provide the ability to capture the implications that design changes in a particular discipline have to all other disciplines.  It will also be possible to share design variables among disciplines and thus identify the direction that design variables should follow based on objectives and constraints from multiple disciplines.  During the Phase I effort the feasibility of utilizing high fidelity CFD simulations for shape optimization and combining them with a structural finite element simulation for strength considerations within a multi-discipline design optimization environment will be demonstrated.  A wing configuration will be analyzed for showcasing the different steps of this development and the benefits.
NASA desires to generate and store gases including oxygen and nitrogen at sub-critical conditions as a part of its lunar and spacecraft atmospheric systems. Oxygen at pressures up to 3000 psia is particularly desired for refilling storage tanks for lunar and in-flight applications including recharging high-pressure gas bottles for EVA/EMU, lunar rovers and surface hoppers, and lunar chemical process reactors requiring oxygen as a reactant. To address these needs, Reactive Innovations, LLC proposes to develop a compact high-pressure oxygen concentrator that can take low-pressure atmospheric gas and generate a separate stream of high-pressure pure oxygen. During the Phase I program, we will modify and adapt our high-pressure reactor hardware to compress and separate an oxygen stream up to 3000 psia from an ambient air source containing nitrogen and oxygen. A predictive performance model will be developed for the oxygen concentrator allowing NASA mission planners to conduct trade studies on metrics including the generated oxygen rate per compressor mass and power requirements. By the end of the Phase I effort, this concentrator will be at a Technology Readiness Level of 3 with a Phase II program delivering a 3000 psia operational oxygen generator and compressor at a TRL of 4-5.
Single frequency high power lasers have been considered to be an enabling technology for NASA's Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). PolarOnyx proposes, for the first time, an ultra low noise high power (&gt; 1W, scalable to 10W) single frequency (&lt; 1 KHz) fiber laser source to meet with the requirement of solicitation. It is a specialty fiber based MOPA. The mode selection in seed laser is achieved by using a fiber based ultra narrow bandpass filter. The side mode suppression ratio can thus be suppressed over 80 dB. In the amplifier stage, our unique spectral shaping technology enables us to reduce the SBS and ASE noise significantly by using a commercially available YDF and reuse the residual pump to further increase the efficiency. Radiation hardness will be intensively studied in selection of space qualified fibers and components. A tabletop experiment will be demonstrated in Phase I time frame for proof of concept. A compact prototype will be delivered in Phase II meeting major space qualification such as radiation hardness.
The proposed innovation is a self-contained, self-powered, robust flight test sensor array for the determination of separation.  The proposed system uses off the shelf, currently available technology to create a reusable distributed sensor array, which requires no external wiring or power source.  The system is based on a novel instrumented tuft technology.  A distributed array of tuft sensors are embedded in a flexible, self-adhesive backed sheet of polymide substrate.  The proposed separation sensor array will provide real-time, accurate determination of separation across a wide range of flight conditions.  The self-contained blanket array can be quickly and easily applied to aircraft surfaces in question.  No wiring, external power, or remote viewing is required for acquisition.  After testing is complete, the system can be quickly removed and reused.  Additionally, the system could be miniaturized for use in ground test facilities or applied to other types of vehicles.  The proposed separation sensor array promises to provide a realizable, accurate, efficient, and cost effective measurement system.
Trace species measurement on unmanned atmospheric research craft suitable for interplanetary travel is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques.  Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and strong species selectivity.  Balloonsonde, kite, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or glider deployment demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight and power requirements.  Vista Photonics proposes to develop rugged, compact, battery-powered optical sensor technology capable of selectively determining hydrocarbons and selected isotopomers at Titan-relevant concentrations.  The enabling technology for meeting stringent NASA mission requirements is a new rugged, compact, and lightweight optical path length enhancement cell that recovers the established sensitivity of high-performance optical absorption detection techniques on a platform with no moving parts.  The proposed spectrometer will be capable of detecting multiple species with little additional weight or power penalties.
Environmental species measurement on airborne atmospheric research craft is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques.  Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and high species selectivity.  Balloonsonde, kite, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or glider deployment demands that sensors meet stringent size, weight and power requirements.  Few measurements are as important, and none have entered into the public consciousness, like the need to quantify global carbon dioxide loading.  Vista Photonics proposes to develop rugged, compact, power efficient optical sensor technology capable of selectively measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide with precision that rivals ground based instruments.  The enabling technology for meeting stringent NASA mission requirements is a newly emergent infrared laser source that delivers the high-sensitivity of established optical absorption detection techniques with extreme compactness and low power draw.
Breath respiratory species measurement during extravehicular activity (EVA) or intravehicular activity (IVA) is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques.  Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and strong species selectivity.  Accommodation within spacesuits demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight and power requirements.  Vista Photonics proposes to develop rugged, compact, low-power optical sensor technology capable of selectively determining carbon dioxide at EVA-relevant concentrations.  The enabling technology for meeting stringent NASA mission requirements is a new low power infrared optical source that provides the high-sensitivity of established optical absorption detection techniques.
The use of UAVs has increased exponentially since 1995, and this growth is expected to continue. Many of these applications require extensive Research and Development; however, the need to fund development of the UAV often competes with funding intended for the end-user application. Therefore, off the shelf, low cost, easily configurable integrated avionics systems will significantly reduce the budget impact for UAVs yet will support the wide range of applications for their use.
CTSi and Virginia Commonwealth University are proposing the use of an integrated VCU developed avionics package with a user configurable autopilot system that will meet the needs of a wide range of experimental test bed UAVs.  The system will include:

1. The ability for the safety pilot to take direct control of the aircraft using an on-board fail-safe control switch

2. A built-in autopilot to provide return-to-home capability upon failure of the RF links, safety/ground pilot assistance in performing research maneuvers, and limited upset recovery

3. An open-architecture hardware design enabling customer upgrade of sensors, actuators, and data links

4. An open-architecture software design enabling push-button auto-coding of control algorithms direct from Simulink

5. A flexible architecture allowing customer-developed control laws 
to be executed on ground-based computers via uplink and downlink telemetry or onboard the aircraft  using an optional Advanced Adaptive Flight Control Processor.
Nuclear reactors to support future lunar and Mars robotic and manned missions impose new and innovative technological requirements for their control and protection instrumentation.  Long duration surface missions necessitate reliable autonomous operation, and manned missions impose the added requirement of fail-safe reactor protection systems. There is a need to define an advanced instrumentation and control system for space-nuclear reactors that addresses both aspects of autonomous operation and safety.  The constraints and conditions imposed on instrumentation for earth-based reactors are stringent enough to provide an excellent reference for a similar space-based system.  However, these systems are typically analog-digital hybrids, and are not optimized for mass, volume, or power consumption.  As a result, there is currently no earth-based reactor control system that is practical for use in space.  We propose to develop a comprehensive reactor instrumentation and control system based on proven technology used at nuclear research facilities, for operation in the space environment and in particular for nuclear surface power facilities.  The heritage established by these terrestrial 'reference' reactors through years of flawless operation on earth make them ideal candidates on which to base a compact, fully-digital space instrument for the control and protection of nuclear surface power systems.
The NASA code OVERFLOW is used extensively by academia, government institutions, and industry for a wide range of applications.  Successful completion of Phase 1 and 2 efforts will enhance the solver and provide more accurate computations.  These computations can be used to better understand the underlying physics of stalled and unsteady flow.  Specifically, the advanced model can be used to test a variety of configurations that can reduce the drag of commercial transport aircraft.  It can also increase the understanding of dynamic stall in rotor blades and other highly unsteady complex flows. 

This model has shown improved Turbulence modeling for stall prediction for UH-60 Blackhawk in the NASA solver OVERFLOW.  More validation will allow inclusion into official OVERFLOW code released to industry and government partners.  Industry can use this advancement to current and future advanced aerospace designs.  Improved stall prediction and more accurate drag calculations increase the use of CFD, improve designs, and reduce the need for expensive experiments
In a rotorcraft, optimized camber change not only reduces vibratory hub loads and noise but also increases available thrust and improved flight control augmentation. Therefore, the ability to dynamically change airfoil camber is a significant technology advancement leading to improved overall rotorcraft performance. Research efforts in recent years have led to the application of active material actuation for rotorcraft blades in order to dynamically change blade camber.  Small-scale bench top system validations have been successful.  However, when scaled-up to full-scale aircraft, the performance of current actuation systems in a demanding rotor blade environment gets significantly degraded by operational factors including friction, free play, and, aerodynamic and inertial loads. 

We propose a unique three dimensional concept wherein the typically closed section blade is cut open to create a torsionally compliant mechanism that acts as its own amplification device; the deformation of the blade is dynamically controlled by out-of-plane warping. Our innovative approach for camber control is a radical departure from the current techniques. The proposed development and engineering effort will lead to a new camber control technology suitable for full-scale aircraft that would result in improved operational efficiencies at lower costs. Concept feasibility will be demonstrated both analytically and through experiments on blade sections of a Sikorsky Blackhawk. A Phase II program will follow for technology scale-up and optimized full blade testing.
The proposed project is aimed at developing a model based resource and mode management system for space robotics systems that will allow real time assessment of resources status and provide required situational awareness to execute efficiently the mission. 
Traditionally, resource management is being done remotely by the robotics operations team. This approach has numerous disadvantages. For instance, it does not support a more autonomous operation, it takes a longer time to complete than potentially available when the decision has to be made in real time, it has the high costs associated with a large operating team, continuously working for mission support.  Ideally, such a function should be part of a full Integrated System Health Management (ISHM), but while a lot of research is being done on the development of ISHM systems, very little effort is made to provide the robot with the capability to use system information to assess the possible strategies with respect to the remaining resources of the vehicle. A model based system can use its understanding of the system state, of its operational modes and of its resource usage to deduce the potential optimum strategies in order to achieve the mission goals.
An acoustic igniter eliminates the need to use electrical energy to drive spark systems to initiate combustion in liquid-propellant rockets. It does not involve the use of catalysts (which have a limited life), it does not exhibit typical wear and tear as seen in spark and catalytic igniters, and it is simple in design with no moving parts. Orion's proposed Acoustic Igniter is expected to offer a long-life, highly reliable ignition system that does not require high-voltage electrical connections. It is less complex to operate and simpler than a traditional ignition system. 
	
Orion's primary technical objective is to produce an acoustic igniter design that will ignite combustion of common liquid rocket fuel and oxidizer combinations such as gaseous oxygen and kerosene, and oxygen/methane. During Phase 1, we will analyze the operational issues that inhibit acoustic igniter performance. Based on these results, Orion will build a prototype unit, test it, and evaluate its performance. This work will be sufficiently broad and deep to establish a basis for the follow-on Phase 2 effort to refine the design and upgrade the technology level of the acoustic igniter.
OSI proposes to develop a wake vortex detection system including a group of double-ended and single-ended optical scintillometers properly deployed in the airfield to measure ground and near ground crosswind, turbulence, and wake vortex using atmospheric turbulence-induced optical scintillations. As part of efforts, OSI also proposes to develop a single-ended optical scintillometer, together with a retro-reflector, for the measurement of near ground real-time crosswind and wake vortex. OSI will perform system analysis and design of the proposed system to detect occurrences, location, magnitude, and persistence of wake turbulence. With the simultaneous measurements of crosswind and turbulence, the sensor system is also able to forecast the arrival time of the airplane generated wake vortex drifting to a nearby runway.

In the Phase I effort, OSI will determine the optimum siting criteria of deploying the double-ended and single-ended sensors on the airport. This includes combinations of parallel to runway, cross the runway, and retro-reflector on high towers installations. The goal is to form a network of sensors to cover essential areas of airport field to provide wake vortex data for the predictive modeling of wake vortex hazard. 

As a side benefit, the vortex detection system could measure downdraft by deploying two sets of scintillometers on both sides of the runway. The line-averaged crosswind measured by the two sets will provide real-time continuous measurements of convergence and divergence of the wind field between the two optical paths. Vertical winds, and hence the downdraft, can be derived from the measured divergence. The proposed vortex detection system will also be able to provide critical large area wind information. By incorporating this valuable information into the low-level wind shear modeling, it will greatly enhance the performance of the present airport low-level wind shear systems.
Turbulent flows associated with advanced aerodynamic designs represent a considerable challenge for accurate prediction. For example, the flow past low-speed wings requires the representation of complex physics involving separation onset/progression (both leading-and trailing-edge), vortex/viscous interactions, merging shear layers with strong curvature, juncture flows and jet-exhaust flows ? all phenomena that are not amenable to robust modeling and simulation by traditional grid-based techniques.  Recent advances in the technology of gridfree turbulent flow simulation via vortex methods, most notably as manifested in the VorCat code, has raised the possibility of efficiently and accurately capturing the behavior of aerodynamic flows for use in design and performance analysis. The goal of this SBIR phase I proposal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of VorCat in simulating high lift airfoil flows ? both in regards to computational speed and accuracy. This will form the basis for developing a tool able to well model arbitrary aerodynamic flows past finite wings including complicating features such as flow control devices in the Phase II study.  Upon completion of Phase II, a validated technology will be ready for use by industrial and governmental users.
The term Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) is used to describe a capability that focuses on determining the condition of every element in a complex System (detect anomalies, diagnose causes, prognosis of future anomalies) to provide data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) to control systems for safe and effective operation. ISHM capability is achieved by integrating data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) that might be distributed throughout the system elements (which inherently implies capability to manage DIaK associated with distributed sub-systems). DIaK must be available to any element of a system at the right time and within the proper context. ISHM capability is measured by how well a system performs the following functions: Detect anomalies; Diagnose causes; Predict future anomalies/failures; and Provide the user with an integrated awareness about the condition of every element in the system and guide user decisions. Mobitrum proposes to develop a Sensor Area Network (SAN) for ISHM to bring the distributed intelligences together across all elements within ISHM system with effective communication mechanisms using distributed and/or hierarchical architectures to deliver intelligence across all elements.
There are several ongoing challenges in non-contacting blade vibration and stress measurement systems that can address closely spaced modes and blade-to-blade variations (mistuning).  Traditional NSMS systems are applicable but have limitations due to the undersampling that is inherent in time-of-arrival data processing and the uncertainty that is introduced by inferring, as opposed to calculating, the mode of vibration.  

Based on Navy SBIR research, MSI is developing a radar-based blade vibration measurement system with the following capabilities:
?Provides a continuous time series of blade displacement data over a portion of a revolution (solving the undersampling problem).
?Includes data reduction algorithms to directly calculate the blade vibration frequency, modal displacement, and vibratory stress (solving the mode inference problem).
?Uses a single sensor per stage to monitor all of the blades on the stage.

The goals for the proposed project are to design and construct an innovative blade vibration measurement system with resolution capable of characterizing mistuning parameters and closely spaced modes of vibration.  Development and demonstration of such a system will provide substantially superior capabilities to current blade vibration technology.  Phase I demonstration testing will be conducted in MSI's laboratory with an existing instrumented compressor rig.
Nitrous Oxide is proposed as an energetic liquid injection thrust vector control fluid for vehicle attitude control during dynamic vehicle maneuvers. Pulled from the main propulsion system oxidizer tank, it features system simplicity, no toxicity, room temperature storability, high system mass fraction and superior performance due to its exothermic decomposition characteristics, answering the need for innovative attitude control technologies.  A series of 1,000 lb thrust hybrid rocket motor tests are proposed to characterize Nitrous Oxide's Side Specific Impulse as a function of thrust vectoring angle. At the conclusion of Phase 1, the technology will be ready for development for a small upper stage, and will be at a TRL of 5. At the end of Phase 2, its performance characteristics will be completely known, and its development for an integrated Main Propulsion/Thrust Vector Control /Attitude Control System for a small launch vehicle would be appropriate.
Flutter is a potentially explosive phenomenon that is the result of the simultaneous interaction of aerodynamic, structural, and inertial forces.  The analytical prediction of flutter in the transonic regime requires high fidelity simulation models that are computationally expensive.  Due to the computational demands, traditional uncertainty analysis is not often applied to flutter prediction, resulting in reduced confidence in the results.  This Phase I research is aimed at exploring methods to reduce the previous computational time limitations of traditional uncertainty analysis. To dramatically reduce the computational burden of uncertainty analysis, Systems Technology, Inc. proposes to investigate both the coupling of Design of Experiment (DOE) and Response Surface Methods (RSM), and the application of robust stability techniques, namely ?]-analysis.  Using Reduced Order Models (ROM), the DOE/RSM and ?]-analysis approaches will be compared to traditional Monte Carlo based stochastic simulation.  The result of the Phase I program will be to demonstrate the utility of the core elements of the Aeroelastic Uncertainty Analysis Toolbox (AUAT).  AUAT will contain multiple methods for addressing flutter uncertainty analysis, coupled with a state-of-the-art nonlinear aeroelastic code.
Remote chemical analysis via spectroscopy is an important tool in the arsenal or Earth and Planetary Science. Grating technology, which is the centerpiece of most modern spectroscopy systems, has not change significantly in the last 60 years since introduction of holographic gratings. Recently LightSmyth introduced new technology for design and fabrication of diffraction grating elements based on projection photolithography using state-of-the-art semiconductor industry tools. This opened a pathway for very powerful grating elements enabling new class of spectroscopy instruments. 

LightSmyth Technologies proposes to utilize its recently introduced innovative Diffraction Grating Array to demonstrate robust ultra-compact multi-channel spectrometer with athermal stress-proof self-calibration suitable for deployment at the orbit as well as UAV, USV and UUV platforms. The main advantages of the instrument is up to 100 times improvement in diffraction efficiency, low mass, small footprint, absence of moving parts, robustness, wide spectral range coverage with high resolution and athermal self-calibration for accurate determination of absolute spectrum wavelengths.
Cost and size are limiting factors in efforts to produce high strength, high stiffness, and high temperature composite parts.  To address these issues, new processes to lower cost for high temperature composite manufacturing need to be explored.  An obstacle for high temperature processing of composites is the creation of by-products or volatiles during cure.  An innovative technology, Double Bag Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (DBARTM), has been developed by Dr. Tan Hou at NASA Langley that deals with this obstacle.  The technology has only been developed for phenolic resins which is a lower temperature curing resin than is required for many high temperature composite component applications.
This process has been shown to reduce the amount of volatiles trapped in the laminates.  The key is innovative volatile control during the DBARTM fabrication process.  The process results in low-void to void-free quality laminates and fulfils a critically needed technology gap that will enable insertion of an important class of high performance materials into commercial, military and aerospace market places at an accelerated pace. 
The primary technical objective of the proposed work is to show the feasibility of the use of the NASA DBARTM technology for high temperature polyimides composite manufacturing.  In Phase I, work will focus on material selection, process development, and fabrication and test of flat panels of both phenolic and polyimides.  At the end of Phase I, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is expected to be 2-3.  In Phase II, the DBARTM process will be used with a polyimide resin system to fabricate a full-scale prototype of the initial application.
The Reactive Atom Plasma (RAP&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;) process will be evaluated as a rapid and practical method for fabricating precision wedges in glass sheets.  The glass sheets are to be slumped using the same process as developed by NASA for the next generation of X-ray telescopes.  The wedged sheets are to serve as alignment spacers for the multi-segmented grazing-incidence mirror design.  RAP is possibly the only method capable of fabricating the wedge glass sheets within a viable process period and at a reasonable cost to validate the current alignment and assembly concept for the Constellation-X SXT telescopes.  Conventional abrasive-based processes for fabricating the thousands of glass wedges required would consume enormous processing time which virtually invalidates the entire "Fabricate and Assemble" concept for the final telescope integration and assembly.
The innovation in this Phase I SBIR is the development of a technology which will enable the manufacture of a lightweight, low cost, InP based compound semiconductor material containing high efficiency multijunction solar cells suitable for deployment in very high altitude, very long endurance solar aircraft.  The key technological step is the application of a production-worthy epitaxial liftoff (ELO) process to a multijunction solar cell structure fabricated on a large area InP substrate.  Our focus will be on InP-based solar cells, in particular lattice-matched dual junction solar cell of InP and InGaAsP materials, because of the demonstrated radiation hardness of these materials.  We will develop a road map towards InP solar cells capable of &gt;30&#37; conversion efficiency under AM0 illumination.  We will also design a process by which thin epitaxial InP solar cell layers will be transferred onto very flexible conductive or non-conductive substrates.  The resulting solar cell structures are expected to have a specific power &gt;600 W/kg, to be capable of operating over temperatures in the range -80 :C to 120 :C and to have excellent reliability while exposed to space radiation levels
Clearly, the presence of lunar dust has the propensity for major adverse impacts on dynamic mechanical systems required for future lunar operations such as Rovers, Robotic Systems, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and science experiments. As such, the development of innovative techniques for mitigating dust affects is warranted. In abrasive environments such as the presence of regolith dust on the moon, mechanism seals must be either designed for robustness to avoid premature damage and leakage, or, the dust particles must be removed. For this SBIR, Starsys proposes an enabling all-metal, knife-edge seal capable of maintaining seal integrity even in the presence of the abrasive, lunar dust. The proposed Knife Edge Seal concept provides for an innovative mechanism by which to seal critical ISRU mechanisms even in the presence of lunar dust contamination. Starsys' knife edge seal approach will utilize a hard metal knife edge and seal gland filled with an Indium alloy. The knife edge geometry is sized to allow for low forces required to penetrate the Indium, while the gland geometry is sized to properly and reliably capture the Indium. The Indium is a phase change material available in a variety of alloys to target specific melting points. 

The Knife Edge Seal offers two distinct advantages when attempting to mitigate the affects of lunar dust; 1) the knife edge will penetrate any dust layer developed on the seal gland surface and embed itself into the gland material, and 2) the Indium can be heated and re-flowed in between mate and de-mate cycles, allowing the dust particles to mix in with the soft Indium material and most likely eliminating sufficient barrier between the knife edge and Indium to allow for sufficient sealing to occur.
The operating conditions of conventional multijunction solar cells are severely limited by the current matching requirements of serially connected devices.  The goal of this SBIR program is to enhance the operating tolerance of high efficiency III-V solar cells by employing nanostructured materials in an advanced device design.  By using quantum wells and quantum dots embedded in a higher band gap barrier material, solar cell devices that avoid the limitations of current matching can be constructed.  This Phase I effort will focus on quantifying the trade-offs between short circuit current and open circuit voltage in InGaP / InGaAs nanostructures.  Ultimately, the technical approach employed in this program has the potential of achieving conversion efficiencies exceeding 50&#37; with a single p-n junction device, enabling improved overall performance and lower manufacturing costs than existing technologies.
The main objective of this project is to develop and test a novel innovative Integrated Reconfigurable Aero &amp; Propulsion Control (IRAP) system that achieves flight safety improvement in commercial aircraft. The main feature of the proposed IRAP system is that it is well suited for uncertain plants containing actuators operating on different time scales. The focus under this project is on the flight control system design for aircraft with fast actuators moving the flight control surfaces, and engines characterized by a slower response. The IRAP system will be developed for operation under faults, failures, damage and other upsets. The technique that will be used to achieve the related reconfigurable control objectives is referred to as the Sequential Signal Filtering for Certainty-Equivalence Adaptive Control (SSF-CEAC). Specific Phase I tasks include: (i) Problem formulation; (i) Adaptive control design for the case of aero-only control; (ii) Adaptive control design for the case of propulsion-only control; (iii) Integrated reconfigurable aero &amp; propulsion control design; and (iv) Performance evaluation of the IRAP system. In collaboration with Boeing Phantom Works, in Phase II we plan to pursue extensions of the proposed approach to MIMO nonlinear models, further development of control allocation strategies, pilot interface design, integrated adaptive control design for safe landing under severe failures and damage using engines only, and IRAP software toolbox development.
The overall objective of this research effort (Phase I and Phase II)
by Scientific Systems Company, Inc. and BBN Technologies is to develop
the SELENE network -- SELf-forming Extensible luNar EVA network -- for
specific usage in the Human Lunar Outpost. Phase I will investigate a
hybrid scheme combining Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs) and Disruption
Tolerant Networks (DTNs) for networking EVA radios in the Human Lunar
Outpost, study the performance of SELENE under various levels of
disruption and load, and develop a prototype convergence layer adapter
plug-in for an EVA radio. The SELENE effort will leverage DARPA's
Survivable Policy-Influenced Networking: Disruption Tolerance through
Learning and Evolution (SPINDLE) program led by BBN Technologies
(BBN), which addressed DTNs from the DoD viewpoint.  As a part of our
research team, BBN will provide expertise in DTNs and MANETs and
support the usage of their software for performance evaluation of
DTNs.  The SELENE effort will investigate problems which are specific
to the lunar environment, such as the existence of scheduled,
on-demand and predictive adjacencies among nodes, and the need for
hybrid schemes which work well under all levels of disruption,
combining MANET and DTN technologies in a seamless fashion.
The proposed effort will perform a detailed examination of dust mitigation and tolerance strategies for connections and mechanisms to be employed on the lunar surface.  These strategies will be examined by characterizing the effects of lunar dust simulants on the function of basic mechanical and electrical components, and the effectiveness of tolerance or mitigation strategies in lessening those effects.  The project will be led by Honeybee Robotics, with consultation and support from Dr. Masami Nakagawa of the Colorado School of Mines as well as consultation with Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International, Inc.
The purpose of this Phase I NASA SBIR program is to develop high
performance multifunctional nanostructured materials that can be used to
fabricate icephobic multifunctional appliqus with enhanced erosion
resistance for rotorcraft leading edges.  The proposed technology offers
integrated multifunctionality that results in reduction of weight,
system complexity, maintenance, and cost over current systems.
Prevention of ice buildup will facilitate mission critical operations in
icing conditions, as well as mitigate concerns of vibration transmission
and shudder that are associated with ice buildup.  Integration of
additional erosion resistant composites may also result in reduced
maintenance costs.   Electrothermal systems are currently used for
anti-icing systems in rotorcraft, but are prone to failure due to system
complexity.  To mitigate the problems associated with current anti-icing
systems, NanoSonic proposes to develop multifunctional adhesive backed
appliqus with integrated hydrophobicity and enhanced erosion resistance.
High performance tapes are currently applied to rotorcraft leading edges
to help improve erosion resistance.  Integrating multiple
functionalities into a high performance nanocomposite appliqu would
result in reduction of weight and system complexity, facilitate
operation in icing conditions, and reduce maintenance on the
rotorblades.  For minimal maintenance and application cost, a new
appliqu can be readily placed on the rotorblade leading edge when the
existing appliqu has exhausted its functionality.
Magnetohydrodynamic Stable Reference (MSTAR) Project
Switched Emissivity Changes via Electrostatic Attraction Project
Sublimation-based water reclamation and purification from solids Project
The overall objective of the proposed research is to design, develop and demonstrate fluidic actuator arrays for aerodynamic separation control and drag reduction.  These actuators are based on a compact design of low mass-flow fluidic oscillators that produce high frequency (1-5 kHz) oscillating or pulsing jets. Our preliminary experiments on separation control over trailing edge flaps, cavity tones and jet thrust vectoring show great promise for these actuators, the main advantage being that these have no moving parts and hence mechanically robust with a high degree of reliability.  The control authority of these actuators is also high as measured from the velocity amplitude of the exiting jets.  In Phase I of the proposal, we will determine the geometric and dynamic scaling parameters of the fluidic actuators and explore the system integration issues for embedding them into airfoil shapes.  Based on the results from this phase, in Phase II, we will design and develop integrated fluidic actuator systems for 1/10 scale to full-scale testing.
Future space programs will require extensive monitoring of complex, highly instrumented systems such as the Orion spacecraft and lunar/Martian habitats.  However, future missions will carry crews far from Earth, so they will need to operate with much greater independence and assume many system management functions currently carried out by flight controllers.  Intelligent automation of telemetry data monitoring and system control can provide much of the autonomy needed. However, automation alone will not be enough.  To handle tasks and situations that cannot be fully delegated to automation software, future flight controllers and crew must be able to monitor, review and interpret voluminous and complex telemetry data quickly to maintain necessary levels of situations awareness and make critical decisions rapidly and accurately.

We propose to develop Intelliviz, an intelligent telemetry data visualization assistant that will create data visualizations automatically to reduce the effort and difficulty of specifying and constructing effective telemetry data visualizations.  To infer the user's analysis goals from user actions, events, and state conditions, Intelliviz will encode and apply systems management expertise comprised of model-based knowledge of the spacecraft in combination with heuristic knowledge that relates symptoms to possible causes and diagnostic strategies. To select display methods and configure effective displays, Intelliviz will use case-based reasoning to encode and apply data visualization design expertise. Each case will encode a solution to a prototypical data visualization design problem described by data characteristics, user analysis goals, and user preferences. 

During this Phase I project, we will specify user interface and functional requirements, create representative use cases, design the Phase II system, and develop and evaluate a proof-of-concept prototype to illustrate our approach and demonstrate its utility and feasibility.
With the increasing demands placed on extravehicular activity (EVA) for the International Space Station assembly and maintenance, along with planned lunar and Martian missions, the need for increased human productivity and capability becomes ever more critical.  This is most readily achieved by reduction in space suit weight and volume, and increased hardware reliability, durability, and operating lifetime.  Considerable progress has been made with each successive generation of space suit design; from the Apollo A7L suit, to the current Shuttle Extravehicular Mobile Unit (EMU) suit, and the developmental I-Suit and Mark III suits.  However, one area of space suit design which has continued to lag is the fluid pump used to drive the water cooling loop of the Primary Life Support System (PLSS).  Conventional electric motor-driven fluid pumps are heavy, bulky, inefficient, and prone to wear.  A new pump type is needed.  Lynntech proposes to further reduce the size, weight and power consumption of its long-life, low-power,  compact, lightweight, efficient electrochemically-driven pumps, which will allow their use in the next generation space suit.
Automation and autonomy are key elements in realizing the vision for
space exploration. The NASA Exploration Technology Development Program
(ETDP) has been developing a procedure representation language (PRL)
that both captures the form of traditional procedures and allows for
automatic translation into code that can be executed by NASA-developed
autonomous executives.  However, PRL is in a relative infancy with
regard to supporting many of the autonomous software components being
developed by NASA, specifically automated planners and schedulers.  In
this proposal we will design and test additional representations to PRL
for resources, inter-procedure constraints and subprocedures so that
automated planners can take better advantage of the PRL-generated
procedures.  The work plan includes developing scenarios and use cases,
developing requirements for planning -- both manual and automated --
from the scenarios, developing XML tags for the PRL changes, testing the
PRL enhancements in the use cases with robotic and life support
simulations, and translating the changes into planning languages with
proven semantics.
Electrical checkout and testing is a critical part of the overall spacecraft integration and test flow.  Verifying proper harness and connector signal interfaces is key to ensuring component health and overall system functionality.  Break-Out Boxes (BOB) are used to give test personnel access to electrical signals for probing, voltage injection, isolation checks, safe-to-mate checks, and voltage/current measurements.  Currently this involves manually attaching multimeters and oscilloscopes to banana jacks on the BOB, taking measurements and comparing to expected results.
      
  Tiger Innovations proposes designing an automated break-out box to make electrical integration activities more efficient, repeatable, and safe by introducing software controlled test sequences and reducing human errors.  Additionally, significant schedule and cost reductions are realized by improving the speed and reliability of integration operations.  Our software controlled BOB would allow isolation and safe-to-mate checks to be accomplished in a fraction of the time required for a human operator.  Voltage and current measurements would be analyzed in the software for pass/fail criteria and reported to the user for inclusion in the test log.  Automating test sequences through the use of an automated BOB has the potential to significantly streamline spacecraft, payload and launch site electrical integration and test activities.
In recent work, this firm developed a highly promising, patented variable emittance technology based on electrochromic Conducting Polymers, with: (1) Thin (&lt; 0.2 mm), flexible, lightweight (0.176 kg/m2), variable area (0.5  cm2 -  0.5 m2.  (2) Impervious to flexing, micrometeoroids.(3) High Delta Emittance (0.5, range 0.13 - 0.89).(4) &gt; 105 cycles, &lt; 5 s switching, indefinite optical memory. (5) Low power, 0.30 W/m2 (6) Space durability: (10-6 Torr)  100,000 electrochromic cycles, 90 thermal cycles;. no UV degradation &gt; 500 h. Durability against atomic-O. (7) Operating temperature (-) 45  oC  to (+) 100 oC, durability (-) 196  oC to (+) 100  oC. (8) Easily applicable with space-qualified adhesive to any surface. (9) Cost ca. &lt; $5K/m2. A key technical barrier of the earlier generation of this technology was the need for a hermetic seal for space durability. This was resolved through use of unique ionic electrolytes. An additional drawback remained: High solar absorptance of the dark-state. In very recent, unrelated work, this firm has developed coatings that are IR transparent from 2 to 25 microns while having very low solar absorptance (data herein). In the proposed work, these will be used to arrive at unique, variable emissivity materials with very low solar absorptance. Proposed work includes extensive space durability testing.
Future lunar initiatives will demand sophisticated operation of mobile robotics platforms. In particular, lunar site operations will benefit from robots, both autonomous and tele-operated, that complement or replace human extravehicular activity (EVA). Three-dimensional sensing technology is at the heart of such functionality, enabling safe and reliable navigation in complex, dynamic environments, and serving as a valuable tool for inspection and site survey. 

Honeybee Robotics therefore proposes to develop a small-envelope, high-performance scanning LIDAR (LIght Detection and Ranging) system, geared primarily towards mobile robot navigation, and secondarily to site inspection and survey. The proposed device would draw on the results of a design study conducted by Honeybee, under contract to DARPA, to develop a miniature LIDAR for a serpentine robotic platform. The baseline Honeybee 3D Miniature LIDAR (3DML) design uses an innovative scanning mechanism in conjunction with a pulse-time-of-flight optical rangefinding subsystem. The 3DML design, developed with expert input from Sensor Designs, Inc., an Oregon-based electro-optical systems consultancy, achieves a wide field of view and high resolution while maintaining an ultra-compact package size. 

Phase I of this SBIR effort will focus on proof-of-concept of the opto-mechanical system through prototyping and test. Phase II will include development of a fieldable brassboard system prototype and a full path-to-flight study. Phase III will include commercialization of a 3DML unit for terrestrial research, and incorporation of 3DML into a flight program. As an experienced developer of miniature electromechanical systems for spaceflight, Honeybee is well-positioned to flight-qualify 3DML in Phase III.
We will develop a Coevolutionary Decision Support Tool (CDST) that explicitly incorporates weather uncertainty (non-probabilistically) into strategic Traffic Flow Management (TFM) and automatically generates robust rerouting strategies for the National Airspace System (NAS) operating in inclement weather.  The CDST will utilize coevolutionary algorithms (CEAs) (an emerging class of algorithms extending traditional genetic algorithms) to concurrently search the solution spaces of aircraft routing strategies and hazardous weather scenarios. By using the tool, Airline Operations Control (AOC) and Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) Traffic Management Unit (TMU) personnel can achieve two key strategic TFM objectives: 
1.	Identification of robust aircraft rerouting strategies, i.e., strategies which perform well against a large spectrum of hazardous weather scenarios, and 
2.	Discovery of vulnerabilities of the NAS with respect to certain weather conditions. 
The CDST will employ new theoretical and conceptual (non-probabilistic) methods of incorporating weather information into strategic TFM planning, also developed a part of this project.  These methods will be subsequently utilized to create efficient computational representations of weather scenarios and aircraft rerouting strategies which can be manipulated by CEAs.  In addition, a set of metrics for assessing the quality, or fitness, of produced solutions (both weather scenarios and rerouting strategies) will be developed as well as a metric for measuring the improvement of achieved TFM robustness.  The CDST will be implemented in a prototype system which will be subsequently used to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach.  This technology will be developed to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 by the end of Phase I, and TRL 4 prototype system by the end of Phase II.
This Phase I SBIR project will investigate a method to accurately measure total magnetic fields in the range 0 to 1.6 mT in support of missions to Jupiter.  The measurement approach is based on fundamental physical quantities.  High sensitivity will be demonstrated, and an upper bound on systematic errors will be determined.  The intrinsic heading error will be directly measured.  Successful completion of Phase I and Phase II will lead to a compact, fiber-coupled instrument for measuring magnetic fields with high accuracy and precision.
&lt;p&gt;
	The Space Technology Research Grants Program will accelerate the development of &amp;quot;push&amp;quot; technologies to support the future space science and exploration needs of NASA, other government agencies and the commercial space sector. Innovative efforts with high risk and high payoff will be encouraged. The program is composed of two competitively awarded components.&lt;/p&gt;
A new chemical kinetics model and database will be developed for aerothermodynamic analyses on entry vehicles.  Unique features of this model include (1) the ability to model chemical kinetics in highly nonequilibrium flows at high altitudes, (2) the ability to predict nonequilibrium dissociation without reliance on traditional continuum kinetic rate equations, and (3) the ability to model complex reactions from fundamental molecular quantum models.  The model will permit analyzing high-speed, nonequilibrium flows about entry and aeroassist vehicles based on extensions to Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) codes, and a new database will be developed for these extensions.  The new approach offers potential for treating other complex nonequilibrium flow physics including ionization and radiation in a more direct manner than has been previously use and therefore offers potential improvements in accuracy.  These tools will provide essential data for assessing the aerothermodynamic performance of a broad variety of vehicle designs over a wide range of vehicle attitudes and flight conditions.  The improved accuracy offered by our proposed chemical kinetic modeling approach provides significant benefits in the design of vehicles for both unmanned planetary missions and manned missions to the Moon and Mars.
To address the NASA need for lightweight, space suit-mounted displays, Luminit proposes a novel Holographic Waveguided See-Through Display. Our proposed Holographic Waveguided See-Through Display (HoWSD) will integrate highly selective waveguiding Bragg holograms, Luminit diffuser technology, a unique LCD backlight into a helmet-mounted display (HMD) that will provide easy- to-access clearly visible information to astronauts during extravehicular activity (EVA). The proposed HoWSD incorporates a unique design and Luminit novel diffusers into a functional HMD, which enables us to meet NASA goals for a functional, unobtrusive display device that provides information to astronauts during EVA.  HoWSD offers a compact, low-profile display with high brightness and contrast, which is fully see-through and high resolution.  In Phase I Luminit will demonstrate the feasibility of a see-through helmet-mounted display that can operate under various illumination levels, and which will prepare us for Phase II.  In Phase II, Luminit plans to develop a fully-functional rugged prototype and demonstrate HoWSD functionality.  The demonstrated results will offer NASA the capability of incorporating a non-obtrusive, rugged, wide field-of-view display into a space suit helmet designed for EVAs.
A key component of NASA's human exploration programs is a system that monitors the health of the crew during the space missions. The wearable physiological monitor proposed by Linea Research Corporation can be used to continuously observe the beat to beat blood pressure. The monitor can be used to observe the physiological effect of various countermeasures against prolonged exposures to reduced gravitational environments. The proposed device will allow the monitoring of the pharmacological effect on blood pressure over prolonged periods. Currently, beat to beat monitoring of blood pressure is done primarily in hospital settings through invasive procedures involving percutaneous insertion of catheters into the radial or brachial arteries. While non-invasive beat to beat blood pressures based on either the Penaz method or arterial applanation tonometry are currently available, they each have limitations. In addition, all monitors are based on large stationary equipment that requires the subject to be immobile. Successful implementation of the proposed program will result in an accurate wearable beat to beat blood pressure measurement.
This SBIR effort will take the first step in improving the existing Medipix dosimeter technology in terms of advancing the technique now used to couple the actual sensitive detector material to the underlying readout electronics.  Prototypes of current Medipix2-based devices have been developed using "bump-bonding" techniques, and we will improve this design by employing direct epitaxial deposition of the detector layers onto the Medipix2 wafers.  This will allow us to deploy very specialized detector structures within the detector layers that can enhance the efficiency and resolution of the device for neutron detection, as well as improving both the charge and energy resolution for charged particles.  This includes the application of high hydrogen content polymer coatings to enhance neutron sensitivity.  The epitaxial technique will also produce more mechanically robust detectors and potentially avoid one of the significant failure modes for such hardware, namely loss of contact at the bump-bonding sites.  Versions of the current bump-bonded prototypes exist that are essentially the size of a typical USB Flash-Memory plug-in device, and like those "USB-Smart-Drives," these prototypes can be fully powered and read-out electronically via standard USB interfaces such as found on most current laptop computers
Any manned missions to extraterrestrial locations will require shelter structures for a variety of purposes ranging from habitat usage to biomass production.  Such shelters need to be constructed in such a way to minimize stowed volume and payload weight.  The structures must also be very durable and have the ability to survive punctures without collapsing.  Ways of increasing available crew-load volume without greatly increasing launch weight or volume are also sought.
Inflatable structures are ideal candidates for habitat structures for several reasons: (1) they feature the low stowage volume and payload weight required, (2) deployed volume can be easily increased without large increases in launch weight or volume, (3) they offer unique opportunities for incorporating intelligent and/or multifunctional systems such as self-healing capability, power generation and storage, sensor systems, and radiation protection.
Adherent Technologies, Inc. is proposing an inflatable, rigidizable shelter system based on our Rigidization on Command&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; (ROC) technology.  The proposed shelter system would feature not only the required low stowage volume and lightweight character, but would also feature a self-healing foam system incorporated into the final structure to minimize the damage caused by any potential punctures to the structure.  Additional features will be incorporated in the Phase II follow-on, including thin film photovoltaics to provide power for the lighting system and later habitat function, sensor systems for monitoring both structural and crew health, and radiation protection systems.
To address the NASA Earth Observation Mission need for innovative optical tracking systems, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Spectral Imaging Visualization And Tracking (SPIVAT) system, based on hyperspectral/multispectral imaging with enhanced image contrast for optimized target visualization and tracking in day and night under all weather conditions.  This approach incorporates the first-time use of spectral image fusion for enhanced real-time target detection and a unique video tracking using a simple common-aperture imaging optics design to avoid the image registration problem of separate aperture systems.  This innovative combination enables us to meet NASA requirements for reliability, safety, and affordability by using COTS components with real-time tracking algorithms.  The system offers high-contrast visualization and real-time target tracking using ground UAV or balloon platforms for NASA vehicle launch and landing operations.  In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the SPIVAT system device by computer simulation and preliminary laboratory experiments, which will demonstrate TRL-level 4 by the end of Phase I.  In Phase II POC plans to develop a fully functional prototype and demonstrate hyperspectral/multispectral imaging visualization and tracking capability for NASA vehicle launch and landing operations.
Ultrasensitive sensors used in NASAs scientific missions (for example infrared sensors) typically require operation at deep cryogenic temperatures for optimum performance. However, to make full use of their performance requires an ultralow-noise preamplifier co-located in the same, or a nearby, cryogenic environment at liquid-helium (~1-4 K) or sub-Kelvin temperatures. A severe impediment to making such preamplifiers is the lack of a semiconductor device with satisfactorily performance in the liquid-helium range (or even below ~40 K). Past use of Si JFETs (operating at ~80 K or higher) has required awkward work-arounds. More serious is that upcoming missions will employ ever more sophisticated and complex sensor systems. What served in the past will be inadequate. Specifically, Si-based technology will not be adequate for preamplifiers needed for advanced sensor systems in upcoming missions and could become the bottleneck in performance and scientific return. Consequently, we propose to develop GaAs JFETs that can exhibit extremely low noise to the lowest cryogenic temperatures (4 K and lower). Our approach is to fabricate the JFETs specifically for low-noise, deep cryogenic operation and to use a novel, proprietary design for the JFET that avoids factors that contribute to noise generation in standard GaAs JFETs.
Gelled LH2/UFAL/LOX Propellant System Project
Low-Cost Polymer-Derived Zirconium-Silicate CMC for Rocket Nozzle Applications Project
Life-Size Haptic Device with Advanced Actuator-Drive Concept Providing Redundant Project
One of NASAs missions is to develop noninvasive models for monitoring
the potentially deleterious effects of microgravity on human cell/tissue
functions. Previous work has shown that gravitational changes can modify
a variety of host cell-matrix interactions. Angiogenesis, an essential
process for tissue growth and regeneration, is a coordinated process of
activated endothelial cell proliferation and differentiation controlled
by specific matrix and growth factor signals. However, little is known
about the human angiogenesis process in microgravity, primarily due to
the lack of defined functional models. We have created a new human
biomatrix (Amgel) culture system which supports endothelial cell growth
and function. This unique biomatrix simulates human cell morphogenesis
only in the presence of specific modulators (FGF, VEGF). We now propose
to employ this natural matrix to further develop an all-human
angiogenesis model adaptable for microgravity studies. Endothelial cell
cultivation models with controllable bioactivity utilizing Amgel-layered
disk and microbead configurations will be evaluated in rotary culture
systems. New 3-D bioassays, generated with GF-enriched matrix, would
allow examination of both early mitogenic and late angiogenic events.
This R&amp;amp;D proposal should positively impact the fields of wound
healing, tissue engineering and vascular disease.
A Portable Non-invasive Detection/Identification System for Biological Pathogens Project
Hermetically Sealed Control Valve Magnetically Coupled to Electro-Mechanical Act Project
Turbulence Framework for Jet Noise Prediction and Reduction Project
A Very Low Power, Highly Integrated Multichannel Scaler Project
Low-Cost Manufacturing Processes for Large Aperture Membrane Mirrors Project
New and Innovative Valving Technology for Cryogenic Applications Project
Multi-Grid Rotating Modulation Collimators Project
Novel Spectral Enhancement for Incipient Fault Detection of Rotating Machinery Project
Lightweight Passive Vaporizing Heat Sink Project
Fatigue Countermeasures: A Meta-Analytic Integration Project
A 4-Dimensional Lightning Mapper Project
Miniaturized Multi-spectral Imaging Radiometer Using AOTF Project
Thermo-Mechanical Analysis for an Integrated Turbopump Design System Project
Acoustic Prediction/Measurement Tool Project
Low Cost True 3-D Virtual Reality System for Scientific Data Visualization Project
Inflatable Solar Concentrator Using Formed-Gore Technology Project
Advanced Life Support System Water Reclamation Using DynaJet Cavitating Jets Project
Adaptive Optics System Based on a Compact Liquid Crystal Wavefront Corrector Project
Regenerated Barrel Cam Engine for General Aviation Aircraft Propulsion Project
Label-Free, High-Throughput Proteomics Analyzer Project
A Hybrid End-to-End Architecture that uses Model- and Rule-Based Inferencing Project
Single Event Latchup Mitigation in Commercial Microelectronics Project
Ultra High-Density Deformable Mirror for Large Telescopes Project
Metabolic heat regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption (MTSA) technology is proposed for a Portable Life Support System to remove and reject heat and carbon dioxide (CO2) regardless of the environment (lunar or Mars, vacuum or CO2), as well as to help control humidity in the ventilation loop.  The basic principal is removal of metabolically-produced CO2 by an adsorbent with regeneration using a temperature swing. The lower temperature is achieved via expansion of liquid CO2 (LCO2). The higher temperature is achieved with metabolic heat from the moist ventilation loop gas through a condensing ice heat exchanger. The condensed water is saved and recycled at the habitat. Both the LCO2 exhaust and the metabolically-produced CO2 are rejected to the surrounding environment.  The effective temperature swing is between the CO2 sublimation temperature (~195 K) and the ventilation loop gas temperature (~300 K).  

MTSA has reasonable mass, volume and power with minimal impact on infrastructure and operations. The basic principles of MTSA technology are well-proven, safe, do not rely on cryogenics, do not consume water but conserve it, are regenerable and will not compromise scientific investigations by sublimating water for heat rejection onto the premises. An added benefit of MTSA technology is that the LCO2 coolant can be produced and stored on the surface of Mars, saving launch costs and providing easy emergency access and replenishment.

As Paragon has demonstrated adsorbent and LCO2 cooling performance relevant to MTSA operating conditions, Phase 1 will emphasize understanding the condensing ice heat exchanger design through analytical formulations and validation through testing.  Paragon's unique experience will ensure that this Phase 1 effort will be successful, resulting in a strong Phase 2 MTSA development plan to design, build and test in a relevant environment a full-scale MTSA subsystem prototype.
Innovative approaches for broadband multi-function antennas that conserve vehicle weight and reduce drag are welcome solutions for all airborne platforms including suborbital vehicles, where less total weight translates to longer mission times, less expensive payloads, and more acrobatic flight control. The Spectra Research team proposes an innovative approach to accomplishing the program objectives by employing advances in fragmented aperture antenna designs, and Meta-Materials research, in concert with the extensive Spectra Research capability in designing broadband antennas, to develop a low weight, low profile antenna system capable of operation over the electromagnetic region from 10 to 40 GHz. Designs will be addressed for antenna elements that can accommodate either broadband or multiband operation with polarization diversity. The primary technical objectives of the proposed program are to apply the advances in fragmented aperture arrays toward the goal of achieving an innovative broadband reconfigurable array. Extensive research conducted by Spectra Research in the area of fragmented aperture topologies have shown that this technology is ideally suited for applications requiring extremely broad bandwidths (in a reduced footprint) coupled with the capability for rapid reconfigurability of the antenna aperture. Such reconfiguration can accommodate efficient beam scanning, beam forming, and rapid polarization diversity (switching between various polarization modes). A key area of investigation will be into the application of fragmented aperture arrays, meta-materials, and continuously-variable distributed-circuit phase shifters using thin-film ferroelectric technologies.
The push to hypersonic flight regimes requires novel materials that are lightweight as well as thermally and structurally efficient for airframes and thermal protection systems to increase safety and decrease system weight.  The materials required must maintain their performance throughout the lifetime of the system, without degrading over time or with use.  A critical component of the system is the thermal protection system required to maintain internal temperatures compatible with the airframe.  Currently available thermal protection system (TPS) designs and materials are not capable of providing the level of protection required by NASA without a significant increase in TPS weight and volume.  In addition, current concepts for insulation utilize approaches that add nothing to the structural efficiency of the vehicle, or are made from materials that add unnecessary weight to achieve the required thermal performance.  Therefore, NASA needs new TPS concepts for hypersonic vehicles that will provide the highest level of thermal performance and can also be structurally integrated with the airframe rather than just add parasitic weight.  For this SBIR effort, Aspen proposes to develop a multifunctional aerogel that could be used in structurally integrated thermal protection systems to improve vehicle safety and decrease system weight.
Rotorcraft engineers traditionally use the wind tunnel to evaluate and 
finalize designs. Insufficient correlation between wind tunnel results and flight tests,
have been often attributed in part to uncertainty in blockage corrections.
Estimation of rotor blockage is significantly more complex than bluff body
blockage as the correction depends on operational characteristics such 
as rotor RPM and thrust produced.
This proposal offers to develop a design tool, which can simulate a complete 
rotorcraft inside a wind tunnel including all the facility effects.
At the heart of the innovation are:
1. An automated hybrid grid generator.
2. A robust and economical incompressible flow solver for the 
grid system.
3. Momentum source based rotor model that is suitable and economical 
for simulating multiple rotors including the drive fans of the wind tunnel.
Phase I will develop the proof-of-concept and will use unstructured Cartesian 
grid for the model and wind tunnel. The wind tunnel will be modeled with the 
diffuser, test section and nozzle. 
In phase II, the tool will be extended to hybrid grid with viscous grid near 
solid surfaces and will include drive fans of the tunnel.
IAI  proposes to develop a reconfigurable L-band radar transceiver module. The emphasis will be to implement most of critical radar functionalities like:

?	Baseband modulation signals
?	Orthogonal high frequency pseudo random codes for pulse compression
?	Direct Digital synthesis (DDS) or numerically controlled oscillators (NCO) for generating RF carrier reference signal 
?	DDS driven Frequency sweep for FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) radar functionality
?	Sigma-Delta technique to direct carrier synthesis
?	Received signal processing to generate I/ Q components 

on a single embedded platform. Such a platform will be a combination of high speed DSP and FPGA on one board. This will considerably reduce the component count and form factor for a radar transceiver design. By simply programming an FPGA with a different "bitstream" file, we can control the radar functionality as pulse modulated or frequency modulated. This work will be synergistic with ongoing efforts at IAI, which involves L-band radar design. Advantages of such a system are:

&amp;#9679; Reconfigurable radar transceiver, not just in operational bandwidth/ carrier, but   also in modulation (pulsed/ frequency swept)
&amp;#9679; Low form factor
&amp;#9679; Low power consumption
AM Biotechnologies (AM) will develop a system to detect and quantify bone demineralization biomarkers as outlined in SBIR Topic "Technologies to Detect Biomarkers".  AM will enhance the current clinical gold standard immunoassay methodology by using its proprietary bead-based aptamer selection process to select dithiophosphate backbone-modified (PS2) "thio" aptamers (PS2-thioaptamers) as replacements for antibodies in immunoassays.  The PS2-thioaptamers are binding agents with functionality comparable to antibodies but with very long shelf-life under ambient environment storage.  The PS2-thioaptamers bind much more tightly to their targets than regular aptamers without sacrificing specificity, and are much more nuclease resistant.  AM's bead-based process allows selection and identification of PS2-thioaptamers, which cannot be directly selected using older aptamer technologies such as Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX).  AM will also demonstrate PS2-thioaptamer integration into a state-of-the-art microfluidics instrument from Sandia National Laboratory that meets NASA's form factor needs for space flight.  The Phase I Project will demonstrate detection and quantification of osteocalcin (OC) using a PS2-thioaptamer in a prototype microfluidics device (TRL-4).  Phase II will entail completing the panel of biomarkers for bone demineralization and delivering a prototype of the system to NASA.  In Phase III, AM and Sandia will deliver a flight test system to NASA and begin FDA validation of the system for potential use in clinical diagnostics of osteoporosis as well as other conditions.
Solar cell is the key device in generating electrical power for spacecrafts. It is an on-going challenge in maximizing electrical power available to spacecraft while reducing overall stowage volume and mass of solar array. While the "record" solar cells approach the theoretical limit after several decades of extensive R&amp;D effort, it becomes ever-increasingly difficult and cost prohibitive to further increasing their efficiency, by continuingly playing with existing solar cell fabrication protocols.

Sun Innovations proposes a highly innovative alternative approach in significantly increasing the solar cell efficiency (~10&#37;), specific power density, the radiation resistance and lifetime, without adding much cost and weight to the existing solar cells. It is also a generic approach that shall enhance the efficiency and lifetime of most commercial solar cells for broad based commercial benefits. The key nano-crystalline materials will be developed in Phase I, to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach in record cells. The technology will be further developed in Phase II to be ready for commercialization in Phase III.
NASA seeks down-weighted packaging compatible with microwave preparation and perhaps high hydrostatic pressure processing.  New packaging must satisfy NASA's 3-year storage mandate.  Foil laminate containers meet NASA's oxygen, moisture and general shelf life demands; however, their weight, processing and disposal characteristic are not ideal.  A previous NASA SBIR examined nanobarrier-containing packages; but these did not perform to NASA's needs.  
	The current SBIR proposes to remove oxygen electrochemically, control moisture independent of the packaging, and also carefully selecting packaging materials to perform some second generation function.  Using non-packaging-related control of oxygen and moisture allows versatile selection of primary packaging to permit packaging concepts unacceptable under NASA's existing packaging paradigm.  These include edible packaging, soluble pre-weighed reconstitutable  cartridges for beverages, and packages designed for compatibility with mission-grown foods.  Primary food packs would be bundled in an overpack designed to remove oxygen and to manage moisture. The overpack would itself serve a secondary mission function.   Overpack materials might include photovoltaic polymer sheets, light emitting plastics, or might simply serve a a waste or food storage function.  Shifting oxygen and moisture control away from packaging allows package construction from much lighter material with reduced weight, processing and disposal limitations.  A dialog on extravehicular food storage is proposed
This SBIR Phase I proposal describes development of a conceptual design for a High-range Scalar Helium Magnetometer (HSHM) for the field range +/-16 Gauss. The HSHM conceptual design will establish the feasibility of a model brass-board HSHM in Phase II. The HSHM instrument is capable of making scalar measurements of Earth and planetary magnetic fields over a range of +/-16 G using a digital resonance loop design already demonstrated in the Juno SHM instrument. The major HSHM design innovation is use of a new fiber-coupled laser pump-source and resonance drive. The laser pump-source permits miniaturization of the sensor unit by eliminating three helium lamps and a helium cell, as well as the resonance RF drive cables and RF resonance coils at the sensor. This innovation permits reduction of the sensor volume by a factor of 10 while decreasing sensor power and mass. The HSHM can achieve a scalar accuracy of 1 nT, and sensitivity of 5 pT/?)Hz. The Phase I conceptual design will guide the design and fabrication of a brass-board HSHM model using advanced laser and digital components in Phase II. A test and calibration protocol will be developed for the HSHM calibration in Phase II.
Flexible electronic circuits can be easily integrated with large area (&gt;10m aperture), inflatable antennas to provide distributed control and processing functions. Flexible electronic circuits can also perform dynamic antenna sub-arraying and gain pattern reconfiguration for active phased-array antenna (PAA) and thus significantly enhance the reliability of NASA's space radar systems. However, existing flexible electronics are based on organic semiconductor materials that have carrier mobility four orders of magnitude lower than conventional single crystal silicon. Such low carrier mobility limits the operating speed of flexible electronics to a few kilohertz and thus makes it unsuitable for multi-GHz RF antenna applications. The proposed research aims to develop a printable silicon nano-FET with high carrier mobility of over 400 cm2/V?s. Such high carrier mobility provides an unprecedented opportunity to achieve flexible electronics with high operating frequency of over 40GHz. We will also develop procedures for printing of conducting interconnect wires using carbon nanotubes, which is critical for printing semiconductors. Based on our past experience on printable silicon nano-FET and printable carbon nanotube wires, the high-speed flexible electronics are expected to be integrated with large-area, inflatable radar antennas and achieve smart antenna systems for high performance and reliable space operations.
The purpose of the proposed effort is to understand and characterize the fundamental limitations of drilling one to three meters into challenging materials which may be encountered in robotic drilling in situ planetary missions. The one-to-three meter range has been identified as a critical regime for planetary exploration; e.g., for potentially identifying subsurface organic material on Mars or polar resource deposits on the Moon. While there has been some technology development in planetary subsurface access, there is currently no surefire flight-like approach to robotically getting to this depth through layers of material like rock (most challenging being basalt), regolith, and icy mixtures. 
In Phase 1, we will experimentally identify the relative utility of rotary vs. rotary percussive drilling in the most challenging target materials under a variety of operational parameters, and extrapolate these results to three meters. Thus far there has been no apples-to-apples comparison of rotary vs. rotary-percussive drilling in this depth regime, though it is believed that rotary-percussive drilling has many advantages over rotary drilling including better penetration in hard targets. This will be a very test-heavy program. We will minimize costs by using an already available test rig - our one-of-a-kind one-meter class lunar drilling platform with rotary and rotary-percussive capability. This is an instrumented rig so we can measure system health and reactions back into the platform and we have the ability to vary drilling operational parameters to test the limits of the system. We will perform tests in Mars and lunar simulant, also readily available in our extensive library of planetary analog materials. Using the lessons learned from Phase 1 and Honeybee Robotics' 13+ years experience in subsurface access and sampling, in Phase 2 we will build a 1-3 meter drill capable of penetrating a representative 3 meter test column of layered Mars and/or lunar simulant.
AeroSoft proposes to develop a full featured CFD toolkit
for analysis of the aerothermal environment and its effect
on space vehicles.  In Phase I, AeroSoft proposes to implement
multi-component ablation along with material response into
AeroSoft's structured and unstructured CFD solver GASP.  In
Phase I, GASP's internal thermal solver will be augmented to
include the effects of ablation.    In Phase II, AeroSoft proposes
to implement radiation heat flux and radiation transport into GASP.
Software testing is a complex and expensive phase of the software development cycle.  Effective software testing is especially important in mission-critical software, where erroneous behavior poses a risk to safety or mission success.  Automated test case generation can make testing more efficient and effective, saving resources and reducing risk.  Safeware Engineering Corporation proposes to develop the algorithms necessary to streamline software testing by automatically generating test cases directly from SpecTRM-RL models.  SpecTRM-RL (Specification Tools and Requirements Methodology - Requirements Language) is a requirements language that was designed to be highly readable, allowing even non-specialists to understand them, but also completely formal.  A SpecTRM-RL model specifies the black-box behavior of the system; test cases based on these requirements will focus on the intended behavior of the system.  A smaller set of test cases will allow for more rapid error identification, while a larger set will provide more comprehensive coverage.  The algorithms will have varying levels of completeness, allowing for a trade-off between test coverage and testing resources.  Safeware provides a tool, SpecTRM, which assists analysts with editing, analyzing, and executing formal requirements models.  A phase II effort would implement these algorithms, adding test-case generation to SpecTRM.
We build a software tool which enables the user (airline or Air Traffic Service Provider (ATSP)) the ability to analyze the flight-level-by-flight-level permeability of airspaces constrained by weather-hazards (turbulence, icing, and convection).  The Airspace Analyzer automatically determines the space-time boundaries where weather hazards constrain capacity.  The solution approach is based on an algorithm using computational geometry techniques for estimating the directional permeability of an airspace given the direction of the dominant demand flow on an airspace and the safety requirements of aircraft passing through the airspace.  Phase I will result in theory, software, and examples that demonstrate proof of concept, and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3.  Phase II will produce a prototype that demonstrates benefit to the airline and ATSP customer at TRL 4.
This SBIR Phase I project explores two gas-kinetic computational algorithms for simulation of hypersonic flows in both continuum and transitional regimes. One is the gas-kinetic BGK-Burnett solver and the other is the gas-kinetic BGK solver with the regulated particle collision time. Different from the macroscopic Burnett approach, the proposed gas-kinetic BGK-Burnett solver is unconditionally stable for all Knudsen numbers. Whereas it is almost impossible to correctly set up boundary condition for the Burnett equations, this can be easily done in the proposed BGK-Burnett solver with the Maxwell boundary condition, re-emitting the particles from the boundary according to the accommodation coefficient. More importantly, this BGK-Burnett solver not only allows a single algorithm for both continuum and transitional flow regimes but also is more suitable for integration with either DSMC or direct Boltzmann solver in the rarefied flow regime. The gas-kinetic BGK solver with the regulated particle collision time can further reduce the computational costs over the BGK-Burnett solver. The focus of Phase I work is to determine the validity Knudsen number range of these two algorithms.
As NASA prepares for future space missions and the return to the moon by 2020, astronauts will be required to spend more time exposed to the hazards of performing Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA).  Providing and maintaining reliable communications and overall information transfer is imperative during EVA operations not only to relay progress during the  task but also to monitor the health and ability of the astronaut to perform in hazardous environments.  Therefore, in order to improve astronaut mobility and primarily space to space communications, Applied EM, Inc. is proposing conformal, body-worn antennas that will be integrated into space suit designs to enhance EVA operations.  In addition, antenna designs for wireless RF telemetry will be developed to enable the use of wearable computers for astronaut space operations.  Recognizing the increased EVA operations anticipated for future missions, NASA has been studying and testing new space suit designs in efforts to improve the astronaut's ability to move his or her body while wearing the space suit and to carry out EVA tasks as efficiently and safely as possible.  These new antenna designs will be developed to be compatible with the new suit designs.
The objective of this research is to propose a reliable, lightweight, programmable, multi-band, multi-mode, miniaturized frequency-agile EVA software defined radio (SDR) that supports data telemetry, voice, and high-rate video.

The proposed radios would be a part of an advanced, incrementally expandable ad hoc wireless network. For improved reliability and to assure stand-alone functionality, the network would support a real-time 3D location function using mobile-assisted navigation and utilizing TOA/TDOA methods.

To achieve unparalleled power consumption efficiency, Lexycom proposes the use of energy-aware packet routing and cognitive selection of operating point of the transceivers. Along with the scheduling, we plan to use an innovative RF packetization technique aimed to virtually obsolete negotiations between the network nodes prior to change in transmitted signal parameter on a packet-by-packet basis.

We anticipate that after completion of the Phase I, Lexycom will be more than capable of delivering an operational prototype EVA SDR for further evaluation and enhancements of the chosen concepts and approaches.

Since Lexycom Technologies is the manufacturer of an FCC certified, reconfigurable, small form factor and low power consumption SDRs, we are in an ideal position to transfer and expand our knowledge base from our existing radio platform over to the EVA radio.
In 2005, President George W. Bush issued a Vision for Space Exploration that included a return to the lunar surface by as early as 2015.  This mission is expected to undertake far more ambitious activities than those of the previous Apollo mission, possibly involving medium to long term lunar habitation.  The use of inflatable structures for large-volume crew habitation on the lunar surface has proven to be an effective technology to maximize payload volumes and reduce overall launch costs.   NASA is currently seeking cutting edge material technologies that can simplify the construction of these habitats and provide for enhanced performance.  Aspen Aerogels proposes to develop novel hybrid aerogel materials that are able to simultaneously provide for thermal, micrometeoroid and radiation protection in one single layer.  Chemical modifications in the sol-gel preparation of aerogel materials are expected to afford hybrids materials that will combine the durability and thermal performance of a standard silica aerogel with the flexibility, resilience and radiation protection properties of a polymeric material.
Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop a family of compact, low-cost GPS-based attitude (GPS/A) sensors for launch vehicles. In order to obtain 3-D attitude measurements (roll, pitch, and yaw) conventional GPS/A systems require three or more antennas with relatively large baselines (~0.5 m). In sharp contrast, Toyon's GPS/A system can obtain 3-D attitude measurements with one or more single-aperture antennas. Toyon's GPS/A sensor is dubbed the Miniature Integrated Direction-finding Attitude-determining Anti-jam System (MIDAAS(TM)) and employs an innovative single-aperture antenna to compute full 3-D attitude using only two RF channels, leading to a smaller, simpler, lower-cost receiver system. A single (gyro-less) MIDAAS unit can be used to provide attitude information on very small launch platforms. In addition, multiple (gyro-less) MIDAAS units can be employed over larger baselines for increased attitude accuracy. A single (&lt; 6.5-cm diameter) MIDAAS system also provides tactical-grade attitude performance when coupled with commercial-grade gyros at a significantly lower cost. Furthermore, MIDAAS provides active anti-jam protection and multipath mitigation thereby improving the integrity and robustness of the navigation system.
Monitoring space radiation and the dose received by astronauts is important, especially for future long-duration missions. Neutrons contribute a significant component to the total radiation dose during solar events. We propose to develop a rugged, compact, lightweight, non-hazardous CMOS-based detector technology for an existing neutron spectroscopic dosimeter system.  The existing system utilizes a unique gelled scintillation material, which enables the discrimination of neutron signals from gamma background using time profile of the scintillation signal.  
We will demonstrate that the ultra-compact CMOS-SSPM integrated with its readout electronics can replace photomultiplier tubes and its discrete readout components used in the existing neutron spectroscopic dosimeter system.  When coupled to the existing system, the proposed technology will demonstrate a technology readiness level of 4.  This provides the necessary basis for a flight-ready neutron spectrometer system able to efficiently detect neutrons with energies up to 150MeV, and capable of rejecting gamma-ray and charged particle backgrounds using, respectively, the pulse shape discrimination characteristic of the gel scintillation detector and the of anti-coincidence scintillation detectors.
We design and develope a Decision Support Tool (DST) that supports On-Demand Special Use Airspace (SUA) scheduling and flight plan optimization around SUA between Airline Operations Control (AOC), Military, Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC), and Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) personnel.  The tool allows AOC and ARTCC Traffic Management Unit (TMU) personnel to coordinate strategic and tactical plans, with a strategic look ahead time from days to less than 2 hours, and tactical plans up to the minute centered locally around an ARTCC airspace.  The tool coordinates aircraft movement though vs around SUA.  The tool allows for asynchronous communication of priorities associated with flight plans and flight plan amendments (contingency plans) between the AOC and ARTCC TMU specialist, allowing the ATCSCC and Military to view these priorities and TMU responses to them at any time.  This technology will be developed to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 by the end of Phase I, and TRL 4 prototype system by the end of Phase II.
NASA is seeking innovative spatial and visual methods for search analysis and display of scientific data, to aid outreaching of this data to the interested mass-users. To address this need, AGNC proposes to develop innovative Attribute Image Map Fused 3D Web-Objects (AIMFO-3DWO) technology and software toolsets, based principally on new organization of geospatial datasets that integrates topographical maps, attributive information, remotely sensed imagery and DEM into one unified data aggregate and format. The AIMFO-3DWO will bring together a fully functional Web-GIS, relational database management system (RDBMS) and image processing tool with new means of data management and manipulation, based on singular software toolset including super-compact data format that will be very effective in fused datasets distribution over networks and will make it possible to deploy PDA and even mobile phone clients.
The AIMFO-3DWO will be operated by XML/GML compatible non-schema non-SQL mass-user oriented man-machine interface. The AIMFO-3DWO for the first time provides rapid network access to geospatial datasets by means of unique Geospatial Image Language and interoperable system architecture.
Phase I is devoted to the AIMFO-3DWO proof-of-concept. Phase II will result in development of a fully functional AIMFO-3DWO system.
Broadband Photonics Inc. proposes development of a patent-pending distributed fiber optic sensor for in-space hydrogen leak detection. Reliable and fast detection of hydrogen leaks is critical to both operational safety and maintenance of propellant quantities for in-space hydrogen systems. Characteristics of the plume formed by a hydrogen leak are unpredictable in low gravity due to lack of buoyancy effects. The proposed hydrogen fiber sensor can detect any flow direction of a hydrogen leak, determine the leak location, and measure hydrogen concentration. The fiber sensor can also detect hydrogen leaks from unexpected locations in space vehicles caused by stress-induced tiny cracks or other various damages. The proposed sensor will have the same fast response speed and high sensitivity in cryogenic environments as in room temperature. Furthermore, the proposed fiber sensor offers several significant advantages, including reconfigurable, lightweight, one feed-through, easy installation, easy maintenance, and capability of working in radiation harsh environments. In Phase 1, feasibility work will be performed. In Phase 2, prototypes of the proposed hydrogen fiber sensor will be produced for field trial and be prepared for commercialization in Phase 3.
NASA's exploration, science, and space operations systems are critically dependent on the hardware technologies used in their implementation.  Specifically, the performance and deployment of autonomous and computationally-intensive capabilities for space based observatories, orbiters, autonomous landing and hazard avoidance, autonomous rendezvous and capture, robotic, relative navigation, command, control and communications systems are directly dependent on the availability of radiation-tolerant, high-performance, reconfigurable and adaptable, energy-efficient processor technology.

Coherent Logix, Incorporated proposes to develop a radiation tolerant HyperX technology based processor to address these critical needs.  This program will leverage more than $18M investment by the Department of Defense to bring this technology to the Warfighter.  The Phase 1 program will outline radiation hardened by design (RHBD) and/or radiation hardened by process (RHBP) approach.  This will be followed in Phase 2 and Phase 3 by the design, development, and productization to a TRL 8/9 of a Radiation Tolerant HyperX Processor.
This SBIR Phase 1 project shall investigate novel radar absorbing materials (RAM) for use in space or simulated space environments. These materials are lightweight composites having novel fiber architecture, enabling a combination of performance characteristics not available with conventional RAM: high broadband absorption, lightweight, low outgassing, low contamination, and high power capability. The fiber materials potentially serve a functional role in composite radar absorbing structures. 

Phase 1 will gather performance requirements and assess the potential benefits compared with current baseline materials.  Selected fiber configurations will be prepared and characterized.
This SBIR proposal aims to develop thermal energy storage heat exchangers that are significantly lighter and higher conductance than the present art which involves significant metal weight. We aim to use carbon fiber for conductive and convective heat transfer enhancements and replace metal with novel carbon-polymer composites. The concept materials can be configured to serve a broad range of thermal management applications for NASA, in particular thermal storage heat exchangers.  
Phase 1 will gather NASA requirements for near term systems involving active cooling with single- and two-phase loops passive cooling with heat pipes. In particular the Constellation program and the Orion vehicle will be considered to assess the potential benefits of the proposed materials approach. Initial fabrication and characterization of the materials concept will be performed. Design options for Phase 2 development units will be prepared.
An Integrated MEMS IMU is proposed that will operate effectively in a spinning rocket up to 7 revs/sec. The IMU contains three gyroscopes and nine accelerometers on the same chip. The instrument designs have the low cross-axis sensitivity that permit the orthogonal gyros to sense the relatively smaller pitch and yaw rates in the presence of the much larger rate about the spin axis. An algorithm is proposed to combine the signals from the instruments to co-operatively obtain spatial reference. A lab experiment is planned during Phase I that will use available equipment and MSSA IMUs to prove the concept.
Future robotic planetary exploration missions will benefit greatly from the ability to capture rock and/or regolith core samples that deliver the stratigraphy of the target formation intact to the in situ analysis suite. Obtaining and delivering consolidated/unconsolidated material is a much more complex engineering problem than drilling. This process requires additional mechanisms to capture as well as eject the core to the sample processing and analysis chain. To accommodate future missions, these core handling technologies must be developed to meet a broad range of potential requirements. 
Previous coring tool development philosophies have focused on integration and far-horizon proof of concept, resulting in complete systems designed around limited requirements. Lessons have been learned from these efforts, but these "point designs" do not span the space of potential coring tool requirements for future missions. 
The way forward in coring tool development, therefore, lies in maturing specific aspects of design quickly. As a leader in the development of planetary surface/subsurface access and sample acquisition/handling systems for NASA, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation is uniquely suited to perform this task. 
Specifically, the purpose of this SBIR effort is to mature a set of core handling designs for consolidated and/or unconsolidated material and prove their relative utility under a variety of potential mission scenarios. In Phase I, this will include studying sample handling approaches developed to date and applying the lessons learned from previous design and test programs to the development of revised and/or novel new core handling approaches. In Phase II, the approaches from Phase I will be implemented and refined through multiple design-build-test iterations until the designs reach a high TRL. These designs will collectively be able to meet the requirements of future missions, whatever they may be.
The total annual corrosion related costs in the US has been estimated at greater than $300 billion.  Much of these costs are associated with scraping and repainting of metals such as steel structures in the NASA launch platform and related support equipment.  Because of the staggering costs stemming from corrosion of steel infrastructure, there is a tremendous need to develop intelligent coatings that can perform numerous functions above those historically demanded of coatings.  Luna is addressing the need to enhance the service life of NASA vehicles and equipment through a multifunctional coating system.  This research program will develop robust, inexpensive coatings that are i) ultrahydrophobic as a first line of defense to repel water absorption and ii) self healing to replenish coating integrity after damage to yield long term corrosion resistance.  The technology developed on this program will decrease life cycle costs, reduce maintenance, and increase readiness by limiting equipment down-time.
Coherent Logix, Incorporated proposes the Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS) program to facilitate the development of a Software Defined Radio development kit based on HyperX Technology with an accompanying software development flow to support rapid development and fielding of this technology to NASA and high reliability system integrators.  NASA's exploration, science, and space operations systems are critically dependent on the hardware technologies used in their implementation.  Specifically, the performance and deployment of autonomous and computationally-intensive capabilities for space based observatories, orbiters, autonomous landing and hazard avoidance, autonomous rendezvous and capture, robotic, relative navigation, command, control and communications systems are directly dependent on the availability of radiation-tolerant, high-performance, reconfigurable and adaptable, modern communications and underlying energy-efficient processor technology.  The HyperX Technology will simultaneously enable order of magnitude improvement in power savings while reducing chipset count, thus size and weight of the radio.  The HyperX processor technology is fully programmable and reconfigurable on the fly and is supported by industry standards based [hardware agnostic software development flow and] programming model using ANSI-C and MPI (message passing interface) API.  This provides reduced life-cycle costs and future proofing of hardware through fully portable software code.
Advanced microcontrollers having digital signal processing features have enabled the capability to distribute on-board computation for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).  Distributed processing can result in a lighter weight avionics suite with improved performance, by locating data conversion units adjacent to the sensors and control actuators, and reducing EMI through minimization of the amount of interconnection wiring.  The proposed work will leverage CDI's and AMDI's substantial prior experience in the development and operation of flight control avionics for ROVs in the design of a new system for supporting advanced research using these systems.  The avionics suite to be developed consists of serially interconnected distributed nodes that may be programmed through a Matlab graphical interface to perform control and sensing functions in support of custom requirements from the research community.  The flexibility of custom-configured distributed computing nodes for use in a research context ensures that "just enough" instrumentation and control is provided for the specific test requirements at hand.  Phase I will provide risk reduction by demonstrating the operation of the subcomponent technologies, culminating in a simplified flight test of the avionics system.  Phase II continuation will develop the complete system to support testing activities at a NASA research center of interest.
Aging and durability of aircraft in both the military and civilian sectors are becoming major issues as the existing fleet continues to age.  Additionally, the increased use of composite structures in the civilian fleet, such as in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A380, make the understanding and/or improvement of composite durability, particularly durability of repairs, even more critical.  Several areas have been identified as targets for improvement in composite aircraft repair.  These include the development of rapid, low temperature repair methods and associated materials as well as development of the quality of repairs when they are made.  Adhesion of bonded repairs is one area that needs to be addressed. 
Adherent Technologies, Inc. is proposing a novel moisture-resistant primer system for use in repairs of standard carbon/epoxy composites used in many subsonic aircraft.  Our proprietary chemistry comprised of a reactive coupling agent and a carrier resin compatible with standard aerospace epoxy resins bonds directly to the prepared aircraft composite surface while retaining residual functionality that can be cured directly into the matrix of the repair leading to a covalently bound repair, thereby strengthening the repair interface.  Proper selection of the coupling agent structure and carrier resin can serve to further enhance the moisture resistance and thereby durability of the composite repair.
An all-composite driveshaft incorporating integral flexible diaphragms is described and proposed for further refinement.  An approach is explored which obsoletes the split lines and associated fasteners required to attach metallic flex elements and either metallic or composite spacing tubes in current solutions.  Sub-critical driveshaft weights half that of incumbent technology are projected for typical rotary wing shaft lengths.  Spacing tubes are described, which comprise an integral part of the initial tooling but which remain part of the finished shaft and control natural frequencies and torsional stability. A concurrently engineered manufacturing process and design for performance is proposed which competes with incumbent solutions at  significantly lower weight and with the probability of improved damage tolerance and fatigue life.  This phase I proposal seeks to further remove manufacturing cost and to produce test articles suitable for concept verification and, subsequently, flight qualification during phase II.
A new pulsed electric thruster, named "pulsed electrogasdynamic thruster," for attitude control and orbit maneuver is proposed.  In this thruster, propellant gas is introduced into the thrust nozzle through a fast acting gas valve.  When the propellant gas partially fills the thruster nozzle in 100~200 microsecond, a short, high voltage pulse is applied to break down and heat the propellant gas.  The typical duration of the pulsed discharge is 10 microsecond.  The heated propellant gas expands through the nozzle generating a high impulse (~mN-s per pulse) at a high specific thrust (120 micro N-s/joule).  The specific impulse (Isp) will be in the range of 1000~1400 sec.  This process can be repeated at a frequency which satisfies the spacecraft thrust requirement.  The thrust generating mechanism of the proposed thruster is gasdynamic expansion, not magnetohydrodynamic interaction.  The proposed thruster is different from the conventional pulsed electrothermal thruster in that the joule heating of the propellant takes place as the propellant gas expands through the divergent nozzle, thereby eliminating the heat and momentum losses at the nozzle throat.  Our objectives are: (i) establish proof of concept; (ii) develop an engineering model; and (iii) develop a proto-flight model of the proposed thruster system.
Non-incremental improvements are necessary in lithium-ion batteries order to meet future space applications demands such as NASA's call for lithium-ion battery cathodes with specific capacity values exceeding 240mAh/g at C/2 discharge rate and 25:C. Novel concepts for lithium-ion battery chemistry and/or design are therefore desired. Yardney Technical Products, Inc. proposes a development of an advanced nano-composite cathode, based on two crucial components, each performing a different vital function:
&amp;#61607;	The first component, a layered non-transition oxide material will provide the matrix of the composite and ensure that the cathode voltage falls above ~4.0V.
&amp;#61607;	The metallic nano-particulate domains, dispersed uniformly within the layered oxide matrix will provide the composite cathode with a potentially high specific capacity. Metallic nanoparticles are expected to form an in-situ oxide phase upon cycling in a lithium ion battery.
The composite electrode material may be coated with a thin layer of carbon in order to enhance the electronic conductivity of the as-synthesized composite electrode.
Numerous spacecraft component databases have been developed to support NASA, DoD, and contractor design centers and design tools.  Despite the clear utility of component databases for improving and accelerating the spacecraft design process, they are observably uneconomic for individual organizations to build and maintain ?otherwise there would be several that were actively maintained and growing.  The problem is not the challenge of architecting the database or identifying the component types and data elements.  In fact, many organizations have succeeded in developing excellent solutions that have languished due to the cost of populating and maintaining them.  
Microcosm is focused on developing an economically viable solution to creating a sustainable component database.  The approach is four-fold: 1. Reduce the cost of gathering/maintaining data by leveraging web-based data with automated gathering and monitoring tools; 2. Drive sufficient value to component suppliers such that they are motivated to supply and maintain their own data; 3. Supply data to a broad range of users and organizations; and 4. Enable value-added contributions from users via venues like wikis, discussion rooms, links to relevant websites.  This solution will stand on its own as a viable business, and provide increasing value to customers (suppliers and users) over time.
3D Flash Ladar is a breakthrough technology for many emerging and existing 3D vision areas, and sensor improvements will have an impact on nearly all these fields. In addition ASC is partnering with many strategic large companies who have the experience and the history of commercialization.  The compact, low power 3D Flash Ladar sensor developed on this project will have application in areas such as:
1.	Collision avoidance
2.	Pedestrian Safety
3.	Surveillance
4.	Terrain Mapping
5.	Autonomous Navigation
6.	Smart intersection
7.	Radar brakes
8.	Robotics
9.	Machine Vision
10.	Hazard Material Detection and Handling
11.	Underwater 3D Imaging
12.	Sub Nanosecond Dynamic Imaging.
NASA aerocapture missions require an accurate evaluation of radiative thermal transport in order to simulate the aerothermal environment around space vehicles.  However, present day computation of radiative transport in this complex multi-dimensional environment is frequently done using simple one-dimensional tangent-slab approximations or optically-thick approximations which compromise the accuracy of predictions and which cannot be generalized to new vehicle configurations.
	In this Phase I proposal, we seek to develop an efficient and accurate unstructured solution-adaptive finite volume solver for participating radiation in complex geometries to address the aerothermodynamics of  realistic space vehicles. A number of innovations are proposed to significantly accelerate solver performance over conventional implementations: (i)  a spectral line weighted sum of gray gases model for property computation which is significantly faster than  conventional line-by-line techniques, (ii) algorithmic improvements based on coupled algebraic multigrid and multiplicative correction techniques, and  (iii) parallel implementations on both distributed and shared memory platforms, including new multicore architectures. The proposed framework is fully compatible with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for flow, heat transfer, turbulence and chemistry, and coupling to these is proposed for Phase II.
	The project team consists of Drs. Sanjay Mathur  of Jabiru Software and Services, and Prof. Jayathi Murthy of Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering.   The team is highly experienced in the development of large-scale commercial finite volume solvers, radiative heat transfer, and algorithm development, and has  over two decades each of experience in the development and commercialization of large-scale CFD codes.
Simulations of reacting flow in applications such as scramjet engines are currently limited in their utility or accuracy by the chemistry sub-models employed.  Accurate chemistry models for hydrocarbon fuels are particularly problematic since the detailed kinetic mechanisms can be highly complex, essentially prohibiting obtaining a timely solution.  Simpler global chemistry models, while tractable, are notoriously inaccurate except over narrow ranges of conditions.  Reactions Systems therefore proposes to explore a new approach to capturing the detailed chemistry in a reduced multi-dimensional format that could combine the advantages of ISAT with recent RSLLC proprietary innovations in species reduction.
The innovation proposed here addresses the testing and evaluation of wireless networking technologies for small launch vehicles by leveraging existing nanosat launch vehicle (NLV) development to create a dedicated wireless technologies testbed that can enter flight during Phase I.  

The Phase I research goal is to establish a technical readiness level (TRL) of 6 for internal vehicle wireless networking using ZIGBEE and/or its equivalent, particularly for sensor networks, stage-to-stage and vehicle-payload interfaces, as well as demonstrate vehicle-to-ground network communications using WIMAX.  Subsequent Phase II research would focus on increasing the TRL to 7 by improving the performance of the test vehicle to expand the flight envelope while working with partners and suppliers to tailor their hardware to space applications.

Such an aggressive Phase I work plan is possible due to our team's ongoing NLV R/R&amp;D that is presently funded by the Air Force along with several civilian and commercial launch service customers.   The long term goal of this initiative, which is characterized by extensive flight testing, is to provide a dedicated, domestic launch capability of 10 kg to low Earth orbit.
We propose to employ a recently developed, efficient, high-power, heavily-doped Tm:silica-fiber technology as a high-gain fiber pre-amplifier and as a fiber-laser-pump for the laser crystal Ho:YLF to provide a 2050-nm source for remote-sensing applications, including coherent DIAL systems. The resultant source has the potential for much higher electrical efficiency than current technology. One of our innovations is the use of a directly diode-pumped, heavily-doped Tm:silica fiber laser as the pump, to provide efficient conversion of electrical power to optical pump power. The second innovation is the use of heavily-doped Tm:silica fiber as a high-gain pre-amplifier for a low-power 2050-nm master oscillator. The third innovation is made possible by the high gain available from our fiber-laser-pumped Ho:YLF amplifiers. In contrast to seeded oscillators, our laser system has enough gain to amplify a cw, externally-modulated, single-frequency laser, allowing control of the pulsewidth and wavelength while preserving the frequency stability of the source. The use of a Tm-fiber preamplifier simplifies the system architecture and increases the system efficiency. In the Phase I effort, we plan on demonstrating the amplification of a cw, single-frequency laser, as well as developing designs for complete compact, efficient mJ-level lidar sources.
Reliable and efficient fire detection is a precondition for safe spaceflight.  The threat of onboard fire is constant and requires early, fast and unfailing detection.  Current fire detectors are prone to fatigue and have insufficient sensitivity, selectivity and time-response.  Smoke detectors cannot detect early stages of combustion and become unreliable if exposed to dust particulates.  New sensor technology is required to face the challenging tasks associated with future space exploration involving missions to the Moon and Mars.  Carbon monoxide formation is a reliable indicator of evolving fire threats onboard spacecraft and this gaseous combustion product allows rapid early detection.  Vista Photonics proposes to evaluate and implement emerging infrared light sources for high-performance optical CO detection.  Optical sensors are particularly favorable due to unique features like fast response, high precision and strong species selectivity.  Design criteria such as small footprint, low weight, low power consumption as well as internal calibration and continuous sensor health monitoring will be implemented to provide a spaceflight optimized sensor.  The proposed optical absorption approach uses modulation techniques together with a compact path length enhancing cell with a small sample volume.
We propose to build a monolithically integrated FPA of densely packed APDs (70-um pitch) operating at or around 1500 nm wavelength that is suitable for the solicited autonomous precision landing and hazard detection and avoidance system. These would be capable of 3D imaging an area of 150m x 150m from a distance of 1 ? 2km.  By using highly efficient detector material (InGaAs/InP) a number of significant advantages can be leveraged.  These include compactness, low mass, low cost and most importantly low power consumption and low thermal dissipation which are of primary concern in a remote environment such as the un-manned Lunar or Mars landing vehicles.  It is expected that each pixel will have modest speeds (1 nano-second response time), high gain (&gt;30) and ultra low-noise (k &lt; 0.2) and that the FPA is easily manufactured using established growth, fabrication and packaging technologies.  These FPAs would be bump-bondable to an appropriate Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) that can reliably sustain a frame fresh rate of at least 20Hz and be capable of resolving depths of a few centimeters.
ZIN Technologies, Inc will breadboard an integrated electronic system for space suit application to acquire images, biomedical sensor signals and suit health &amp; status data. The system will then process, display, store, transmit and manage the results under control of embedded firmware. A commercial off-the-shelf heads-up display which is applicable to space suit helmets will be the primary display device. The system will include a breadboard version of a lightweight, low power, general purpose computing platform based on commercial-grade components with available, upgraded versions that can tolerate the EVA thermal/vacuum/radiation environment. Initial development of a camera interface will be included. A breadboard of the proposed system will be built, programmed and demonstrated. ZIN will leverage our past experience in NASA spaceflight hardware/software development and existing biomedical monitoring technology to deliver a mature concept demonstration at minimal cost and risk. The system will be compatible with medical industry standard sensors to measure CO2, core temperature and other biomedical parameters. The proposed Phase 1 effort will be geared toward future development of a Phase 2 version that could be integrated into a functional EVA system.
We propose to demonstrate key elements of feasibility for a high speed automated time domain terahertz  computed axial tomography (TD-THz CT) non destructive evaluation (NDE) system which would provide true three dimensional images of aerospace composite structures.  Traditional time domain terahertz reflection tomographic imaging captures only a single view of an object, generating images of laminar structure similar to an ultrasound "B-Scan".  This reflection tomographic imaging is limited, however, in revealing only the laminar structure which presents a clear specular reflection from each interface.  Furthermore, traditional time domain terahertz reflection tomographic imaging has substantial difficulty in determining the layer index of refraction an absorption properties without ambiguity.   We propose to overcome these limitations by utilizing true computed axial tomographic reconstruction of the images.  This method acquires not one view, but many radial axial views, generating a sinogram which can be used to reconstruct images using a derivative of standard X-Ray CT filtered back-projection.  The sinogram can be generated by the transmission absorbance, transmission time of flight, and, in principle, reflection measurements.  The reconstructed TD-THz CT images are 3D maps of the absorption coefficients and/or the index of refraction of the subsurface material.
This SBIR will develop single frequency cw laser technology for 2um lidar and UV interferometer locking control critical to NASA missions that will measure atmospheric winds and aerosols. NASA recently completed the Earth Science Decadal Study that identified atmospheric global wind and aerosol measurement as high priority missions with recommended satellite deployments within the next decade. Our general approach to this SBIR is to perform proof of concept research that results in optical designs that can be readily integrated into existing flight ready hardware. After Phase 2 we anticipate the technology will readily transfer to NASA mission use. We expect successful completion of the proposed work to increase the TRL from 4 to 5.  

The innovation of this SBIR is the development of space-qualifiable CW single-frequency lasers at 2 5m and 355 nm, products that are not commercially available. Numerous pulsed 355 nm sources are available for commercial applications but they are not space-qualifiable. There are several scientific investigations of 355 nm CW lasers described in the literature but no effort has been made to create high vibration aircraft nor space qualified products available to NASA.
Spacecraft ground systems are on the cusp of achieving "plug-and-play" capability, i.e., they are approaching the state in which the various components can be quickly integrated with near-automatic interoperability.  When properly architected, such systems offer advantages over their traditional counterparts, such as improved upgradeability and extensibility.   They can also be more easily automated and can provide better fault tolerance.  These characteristics are important for all NASA spacecraft, from Exploration to Science.  However, plug-and-play systems also pose some interesting challenges that can undermine their effectiveness.  For example, they can be more complex in terms of information management and system administration.  This is especially true when automation is used to reduce the workload of the operators.  In fact, as the number of components increases, as much "situational awareness" of the ground system is needed the spacecraft.  A software framework that supports plug-and-play integration, while also providing information management and system coordination, is required.  Emergent Space Technologies Inc. therefore proposes to research and develop an Enterprise Management System for spacecraft ground systems.  Called GEMS, it will provide spacecraft controllers and crew members with "situational awareness" of the current state of the ground system as well as understanding of how events and automated actions are affecting the system in real-time.  The innovation lies in the development of algorithms and software adapters that gather data from the various components of the ground system to construct a data model that captures the system state and displays it to the controllers.
Widely varying working conditions of a space shuttle and the special design of an astronaut's spacesuit form an extreme acoustic environment that imposes unique challenges for capturing and transmitting speech communications to and from a crewmember. NASA has a serious unmet need for innovative voice communication systems and technologies, which provide enhanced speech intelligibility and quality, comfort and ease of use, and adequate hearing protection. This project will build on knowledge and recent breakthroughs produced by painstaking research at Bell Labs and WeVoice, Inc., in acoustic and speech signal processing for hands-free communications. It brings together the state-of-the-art and patent-pending techniques in microphone arrays, speech enhancement, and active noise control, and proposes an integrated, more reliable solution for combating high-level noise and strong reverberation. This proof-of-feasibility research will focus primarily on whether the proposed techniques that were previously developed for applications in room acoustic environments can perform as well as or better than we expect in an in-helmet acoustic environment. In addition, this research will use informal listening tests to demonstrate performance improvement and will design a subjective program that can be readily executed in Phase II to rigorously evaluate the overall system performance. The Phase I effort will provide a foundation for prototype design to be conducted in Phase II.
The proposed innovation is:

A data and information integration (DI2) system built from the methods and tools used to create Wiki websites. Wiki (Hawaiian for "quick") is software that allows users to create and edit Web page content using any Web browser.

The significance of the innovation is that a Wiki-based DI2 system will:

(1)  Produce a collaborative, interactive website designed for the unique needs of government and commercial  spacecraft projects for capturing, disseminating, managing and linking data resources across multiple projects and among distributed teams,

(2)  Provide "out of the box" advanced DI2 capabilities needed by project management and technical personnel from day one,

(3)  Provide a low cost DI2 solution for small companies and teams needing alternatives to expensive, complicated and inflexible project management tools,

(4)  Be easy to install, use and maintain without requiring programming or webmaster skills.

The proposed innovation merges the Wiki philosophy of fast, easy and rewarding online content creation with standard project management functions and capabilities for data and information integration within secure, user-authenticated environments. This facilitates critical elements of communication, interaction and data capture/synthesis that are often missing or underdeveloped in many traditional project management efforts. Phase 1 TRL will be 6.
For many applications involving liquid injection, the ability to predict the details of the breakup process is often limited due to the complexity of the two-phase phenomena.  Likewise, the ability to experimentally characterize these phenomena is also limited due in part to the need to rely upon visualization tools which are inherently qualitative.  As a result, the ability to validate predictions using these diagnostic tools is also limited.  In recent years, visualization diagnostics have evolved substantially in terms of spatial and temporal resolution.  The advancements, coupled with a tool to conveniently quantify the results obtained relative to the breakup process offer the potential for a marked increase in understanding of this phenomenon.  The proposed effort will develop such a tool that will be applied initially to the problem of liquid injection into a crossflow.  The typical characteristics associated with this type of liquid breakup, such as column flattening, bending, fracture point, dynamics, etc. will be automatically quantified using the tool proposed.  The project will utilize existing results obtained with state-of-the-art high speed imaging.
The goal of rHEALTH sensor is a universal handheld sensor that can provide rapid, low-cost complete blood count (CBC) with differential, electrolyte analysis, and potential for advanced lab tests such as biomarker analysis all in one single microfluidic sensor.  The first innovation is that the device can perform multiple lab measurements in a single microfluidic device.  Most sensors can only perform one test at a time, such as CBC analysis.  Adequate health monitoring requires at the minimum measurement of CBC and electrolytes.  Second, our microfluidic chip is reusable because of its flow-through design.  This minimizes cost and obviates the need for bulky consumables.  Third, our sensor uses fluorescent analyte sensing dyes and fluorescence technology, which allows the sensor to measure a broad range of analytes.  In Phase I, we plan to fabricate a prototype microfluidic sensor and test it for its ability to perform both CBC and electrolyte measurements.  Upon proof-of-principle, in Phase II, our goal is to complete and deliver a prototype rHEALTH sensor for NASA to monitor astronaut health on a routine and cost-effective basis.
An advanced airborne imaging system for fire detection/mapping is proposed.  The goal of the project is to improve control and management of wildfires in order to reduce loss of life and property.  The system will offer approximately a 3X increase in operating efficiency compared to current systems and will be designed for autonomous or remote operation in an unmanned airborne system (UAS) but will also be suitable for operation in manned aircraft.

The system includes a multi-band imaging sensor, position and attitude sensor, an interface to an air-to-ground or satellite data communication link, and a data processing system with software for; fire detection, image geo-coding, and image compression. 

The sensor head is an innovative design combining high resolution framing devices (cameras) with a step-stare scanning mirror.  This configuration results in high spatial resolution imagery and wide area coverage.  The design of the sensor head is flexible allowing for a variety of cameras including; RGB, CIR, SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR.  The system can be operated at various altitudes allowing it to serve a variety of missions. We envision several versions of the instrument, one weighing less than 75 pounds and a smaller version weighing less than 20 pounds.
Southwest Sciences proposes a novel sensor to measure atmospheric temperature at high frequency (10 Hz) and with high precision and accuracy (0.1 degrees C).  Existing temperature sensors are negatively impacted by high airflows on platforms such as aircraft or by the presence of cloud particles.  Such inaccuracies prevent detailed understanding of cloud microphysics and energy fluxes that are critical for understanding global climate change.  The proposed sensor uses a low power vertical cavity surface emitting laser with a novel optical cell to measure temperature in a minimally intrusive method that is unaffected by cloud particles or aircraft speed.  The sensor will be sufficiently lightweight and compact for use on balloons, kites, and UAVs as well as more conventional research aircraft.
In this NASA SBIR Phase I proposal we propose to apply a highly conformal coating of ZnO and AlN or a double layer of GaN to the surface and internal pore walls of conventional microchannel plates (MCP). This will lead to enhanced secondary electron emission (SEE) and, thus, improve MCP gain for UV /X-ray detectors. The ZnO/ALN(GaN) hetrostructure using nano ZnO needles as templates has been demonstrated to exhibit significantly higher SEE yield for electrons, ions and X-ray beams. The coatings will be carrid out by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The key advantages of ALD include 1)super conformity of coatings and nearly 100&#37; step coverage on very high aspect ratio substrates, which is well suited for coating highly porous MCP wafers with a aspect ration ~100; 2)super thickness and composition control; 3)continuous and pin hole free quality films; and 4) easy to scale up for large area deposition at low cost. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time the advanced ALD process has been proposed as a way of improving UV detector performance of MCPS. If successful, this technology will provide an effective  method of modifing the MCP surfaces by coating  them with high SEE yield films that will dramatically improve the gain of conventional MCPs. This will enhance the performance of UV detectors required for various NASA missions.
The proposed work is to develop a high-efficiency aircraft-qualified Fabry-Perot-based interferometer for the High Spectral Resolution LIDAR (HSRL). Through this Phase I effort, Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) will perform instrument simulations to optimize a photon-recycled fringe imaging receiver to meet the HSRL measurement requirements. Photon-recycled fringe imaging technology incorporates the use of high-efficiency
Charge Couple Devices (CCDs) to enable range-gated measurements with high spectral resolution of the atmospheric backscatter from molecules and aerosols. During this Phase I effort, MAC will also perform a thorough investigation of the current state of commercial and customizable CCD technology in order to ensure the highest level of efficiency and range resolution available is achieved. The optimized 355nm receiver will be capable of spectrally separating the aerosol and molecular backscatter components in order to deduce the aerosol to total scattering ratio and aerosol extinction. End-to-end simulations will enable a thorough characterization of the measurement biases introduced from instrument instabilities and enable driving requirements to be formed for a Phase II build. Also during Phase I, solid model receiver concepts and trade studies will be performed to enable a smooth transition to Phase II so that the HSRL receiver can be ready for flight in 2008.
NASA has identified the need for the development of lightweight structures technologies to support Lunar Lander and Lunar Habitats programs and for the transfer of relevant technology to Crew Exploration Vehicle and Crew Launch Vehicle programs.  NASA further calls for revolutionary advances in radiation shielding materials and structures technologies to protect humans from the hazards of space radiation during NASA missions.  To address this need and in response to NASA Subtopic X6.03, International Scientific Technologies, Inc. in conjunction with the College of William and Mary, proposes the development of hydrogen-rich monomers for high performance polymers, such as polyimides, and the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles to form nanocomposite materials having multifunctional properties.  The Phase I Technical Objectives include preparation of hydrogen-rich monomers, fabrication of polymeric nanocomposite films, and acquisition of test data to determine key parameters for optimal radiation-shielding materials.  The anticipated result of the Phase I and Phase II programs is the development of polymeric nanocomposite materials consisting of hydrogen-rich monomers and metallic nanoparticles.  The nanocomposite materials have multifunctional properties of radiation shielding against galactic cosmic radiation, neutrons and electromagnetic radiation, structural integrity to permit use in flexible and rigid structures and habitats, and electrical conductivity for electrostatic control to be used in dust mitigation during lunar missions.
X-ray microcalorimeters have developed to provide unprecedented energy resolution and signal sensitivity. To take maximum advantage of the microcalorimeter's performance, a new and improved blocking filter stack is needed to further enhance low level sensitivity and mission throughput. The innovation proposed, high transmission polyimide support mesh fabricated using photolithography, will replace the nickel mesh used in previous blocking filter designs. The proposed mesh will be thinner than known comparable supports and will be produced freestanding such that it can be readily combined with filter foils of all types. The polyimide mesh will demonstrate at least 10&#37; higher transmission than nickel at all energies, and will become essentially transparent above 3 keV. Mesh structures will be fabricated using three different photolithographic processes and compared both freestanding and in combination with filter foils to determine feasibility. The proposed innovation along with thinner materials will improve mission throughput and effective area significantly for microcalorimeter payloads on proposed Small Explorer missions, NeXT, and Spectrum-X-Gamma in the near term as well as Constellation ?X.
The key innovation in this effort is the development of a simulation testbed for identifying dynamic air corridors that can increase aircraft throughput in and around the terminal airspace.  In this proposal, an air corridor is a three-dimensional region of space that is intended to safely isolate a stream of aircraft from other aircraft outside the corridor.  Air corridors/routes effectively exist today in two forms: static and dynamic.  Static air corridors exist in the form of published standard arrival routes (STAR) and standard instrument departures (SID).  Dynamic air corridors are effectively created when air traffic control (ATC) issues vector and speed instructions to aircraft.  The proposed testbed would identify dynamic air corridors that provide ATC with more options that are optimized to provide greater throughput than is currently available with today's static air corridors.  The testbed would continuously identify dynamic air corridors in order to adapt to changing hazards, changing queues of arriving and departing aircraft, and changing runway configurations.  We further propose integrating the simulation testbed with NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation Software (ACES) in order to assess the impact of dynamic air corridors on the entire U.S. national airspace.
High throughput, fast detection and characterization of geological materials have become important challenge for future lunar robotic rover exploration and planetary missions. To allow for sample characterization on the moon and Mars, rover missions need to decide what samples to acquire for further onboard analysis. An in situ non-destructive detection technique is highly desirable remote sensing tool for many future missions. We propose to develop a fiber Raman spectrometer for field detecting of geological materials. Recent advances in fiber lasers, fiber optic probes and Raman analysis techniques make the development of such a key component feasible. We expect our innovative design for fiber Raman spectrometer will significantly improve the flexibility of remote Raman collection, so that the field spectrometer's overall performance would be intact and extremely flexible for the field detection.
The proposed Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of the in-space production of large aperture antenna structures.  The use of a novel open cell foam, previously developed for NASA space antennas, will allow the deployment of reflectors at low cost and very low transport volume compared to currently used technologies like solid metal or mesh reflector.  The use of a foam substrate also dampens thermal expansion distortions of the reflector shape, assuring high surface accuracy.
The shape accuracy of the antenna will be ensured by using Rigidization on Command&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; technology to form a rigid mold from an inflatable.  This approach allows to verify the correct antenna shape before the structure is stabilized using foam.
The development effort will be supported by computer modeling of the necessary strength parameters for a very large antenna structure based on foam support.
There is an opportunity to build the HETE-2/TESS  network of ground stations into an innovative and powerful  Open System of Agile Stations, by developing a low-cost reconfigurable system based on the new commercial Software Designed Radios (SDR), and by establishing an internet based access system. We propose to develop  a prototype core of the SDR ground station with open source hardware and software and test the prototype for reliability and performance in realistic space-to-ground link simulations, with real time switch between set of communication parameters. We'll conduct a feasibility/performance trade-off analysis, to assess the possibility of, and plan, the establishment of an experimental/operational Open System of Agile Stations using the HETE-2/TESS system to be completed within the SBIR  Phase II program. The expected RF flexibility and internet-based operations of the  time-shared stations will enable and facilitate the development and operations of  microsat missions.
The fatigue life of CMCs must be well characterized for the safe and reliable use of these materials as integrated TPS components. Existing fatigue life prediction models for composite materials may be classified into three different categories: a) fatigue life model (S?N curves), b) residual strength or residual stiffness model, and c) progressive damage model.  Recently, a damage index and accumulation model has been developed by Liu and Mahadevan based on Tsai-Hill static strength failure criterion.  Using this approach as a framework, MR&amp;D is proposing to develop and verify a relatively simple and computationally manageable approach to the fatigue life prediction of fabric reinforced C/SiC composites for hypersonic vehicle load bearing thermal protection system designs.  A combined experimental and analytical program is proposed to achieve the objective of the proposed Phase I effort. At the conclusion of Phase I, a TRL of 2 will have been achieved and progress towards achieving a TRL of 3 will have been made.
Launch site infrastructure and space vehicle assets represent multi-billion dollar investments that must be protected. Additionally, personnel and equipment must be protected against the hazards of launch operations.  PercepTek's approach to the launch site surveillance and security problem will enable multiple platforms and sensing modalities to support detection, classification, tracking, and unmanned system response.  Our comprehensive system approach to launch site surveillance and security provides support for heterogeneous assets involved in security functions with a focus on the Aerostat platform.  An Aerostat platform will be outfitted with GMTI radar to provide wide area coverage and an EO/IR sensor pod for high resolution video detection and tracking.  Phase I will result in a detailed set of design reference scenarios tailored to the surveillance and security problem, identification of system level elements necessary to address the needs of launch site security, a system architecture design based on the Autonomous Collaborative Operations autonomy architecture, and a feasibility demonstration of key technology components that would be installed on an Aerostat platform.  Phase II will result in a fieldable prototype surveillance and security system utilizing an outfitted Aerostat platform.  At the completion of the Phase I activities, component technologies with be at a TRL-4 level.
Advanced diagnostic systems have the potential to improve safety, increase availability, and reduce maintenance costs in aerospace vehicle and a variety of other mechanical system.   Numerous recent research efforts have produced a variety of diagnostic algorithms that show significant promise, but to date advanced diagnostic approaches have seen rather limited use in operational air vehicle systems.  One of the major hurdles to transitioning such systems to fleet vehicles is the lack of adequate verification and validation (V&amp;V) approaches.  Barron Associates and MUSYN propose a Phase I research effort to develop a V&amp;V framework for diagnostic systems that combines novel analysis approaches with experimental techniques to provide high confidence in the performance of diagnostic techniques.  Performance evaluation of diagnostic systems is currently based primarily on numerical testing approaches, which may be applied to both simulation results and actual experimental data.  While such testing is extremely important and should form a key component of the overall V&amp;V strategy, it is not adequate alone.  This is because it is impossible to collect sufficient test data or even sufficient Monte Carlo simulation data to exhaustively cover the space of potential test conditions.  To achieve reasonable confidence in the coverage of the V&amp;V procedures, it is necessary to intelligently select Monte Carlo or experimental test points to target the regions of the test space that are most likely to reveal problems.   The team will work to develop analysis approaches that can help to identify combinations of conditions (flight conditions, uncertainties, external disturbances, vehicle configuration, etc.) that are most likely to lead to inadequate performance of diagnostic algorithms.  The team will also extend the existing CAESAR software tool for control law V&amp;V to automate V&amp;V of diagnostic systems.
The Phase I effort will result in a low noise MMIC G-Band amplifier the covers the entire 165 to 193GHz frequency range. The amplifier will be designed using a 50nm MHEMT that has already been developed by BAE Systems that enables the state-of-the-art performance to be achieved. The innovative amplifier design will have a gain of 20dB, a noise figure of less than 6dB(~4dB, an input output VSWR of less than 2:1. In addition, the MHEMT has the added advantage of having lower noise power stability and 1/f noise than InP devices. A balanced amplifier is the primary approach while a single ended unit will be investigated for missions that require reduced bandwidths. The MMIC amplifier will be designed to be inserted into a waveguide housing for additional and environmental testing in a Phase II program. At completion of the Phase II program, the amplifier will be capable of being space qualified for NASA missions.
Future NASA missions will require significant improvements in photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency (&gt;30&#37;) and mass specific power (&gt;600 W/kg), and improved radiation tolerance. We propose to develop a high efficiency monolithic three-junction, two-terminal solar cell using lattice matched HgCdZnTe and/or HgCdMgTe alloys, which will offer great advantages in terms of weight and interconnect simplicity as well as improvements in efficiency. The use of frequency down conversion by divalent Sm/Eu and trivalent Yb/Tb halides embedded in the protective coatings of the solar cells to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic conversion will be investigated. The predicted ideal efficiencies are greater than 50&#37;. 
During Phase I we will determine the optimal layer thicknesses, doping profiles and current density matching requirements for two-terminal multiple-heterojunction solar cell designs. We will grow HgCdZnTe layers with Zn composition &amp;#8776; 0.5 on a Si substrate using a thin CdTe/ZnTe strained-layer superlattice to eliminate cracking and minimize strain, will optimize the growth of HgCdMgTe, and will measure mobilities and minority carrier lifetimes in the layers. We will fabricate and test a two-junction solar cell. Frequency down conversion will be demonstrated, progress toward its optimization will be made, and optical fusion of the solar cell and protective layers will be investigated.
Instruments employing X-ray detection are countless, in different sectors from medicine to industry and from basic to applied science. Given this importance, and despite existing technologies, there is still need for X-ray detection with increased system performance. The solid-state detector array is the primary technology to implement the current generation of space borne high-energy astronomy missions that are managed by NASA in partnership with the international community. Readout integrated circuitry (ROIC) specifically designed for photon resolving X-ray detection with solid-state detectors will create a new generation of high-performance X-ray imaging sensors. AC coupled detector input circuitry, similar to that used by Black Forest Engineering (BFE) for laser detection and ranging (LADAR), is ideally suited to NASA X-ray astronomy imaging system requirements. BFE proposes on Phase I to design, process and test detector input circuitry to meet a wide range of NASA X-ray imaging applications. The input circuit, when implemented into an ASIC X-ray imaging ROIC, manufactured and integrated with a solid-state detector array on Phase II, will provide single photon sensitivity, accurate X-ray energy determination, X-ray event time stamping, low power dissipation and ambient temperature operation.
Establishing human presence outside the protective cover of earth's atmosphere is a challenge.  On earth, the atmosphere does not only present breathing gas, it also acts as a thermal buffer and protects the biosphere from harmful radiation.  Shielding of humans from harmful radiation during long-term stays on an extraterrestrial body like the moon is a difficult task.  Lunar regolith provides an excellent source of readily available insulation and shielding material.  About 2 m of packed regolith would provide an excellent cover for a permanent installation..  In order to either bury shelters or to surround habitats with berms of protective material, it is necessary to excavate regolith on a large scale, a difficult undertaking due to the dustlike consistency of the material.  To stabilize the regolith, it is necessary to either consolidate the surface material of the slopes or to convert the regolith into a solid building material.  Adherent Technologies, Inc. has developed several specialty resins for material stabilization.  This includes penetrating urethane foam for asbestos remediation and epoxy resins for borehole casings in dry-drilling applications.  ATI now proposes to develop a stabilization system for lunar surface dusts using a polyurethane foam binder.
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has developed fiber reinforced ceramic composites for radiation shielding that can be used for external walls in long duration manned space shelters.  The wall system comprises a high strength, hollow core composite that can be filled with materials to perform other critical operations such as thermal management.  The composite technology enables a modular wall shielding system that exhibits superior radiation resistance to galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), solar particle emission (SPE) and secondary radiation sources produced by the interaction of the primary source with the lunar regolith and shield materials.  

This Phase I SBIR will develop and demonstrate radiation shielding composite wall architecture that ?

1)	Can replace aluminum in lunar shelter structural applications.
2)	Can act as a ballistic shield enclosing a multifunctional cavity.
3)	Can serve as a multifunctional platform for additional shelter functions such as thermal management.

We will design and fabricate as well as strength and radiation resistance test prototype multifunctional composite structures. We will demonstrate that the composite system components have superior mechanical properties to and at least 20&#37; greater radiation shielding effectiveness than an aluminum structure of comparable areal density.
The development of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) has received considerable attention in recent years for both military and civilian uses.  MAVs typically suffer from operation in an extremely low Reynolds number flight regime.  At these very low Reynolds numbers, the aerodynamic flow features can be nonlinear and are dominated by laminar separation and separation bubble effects, which can be a source of poor performance from both an aerodynamic and stability and control standpoint.  If a stable platform is required for sensor effectiveness, or the vehicle is to be controlled by a relatively inexperienced operator, controllability of a vehicle operating in this very low Reynolds number regime can be a critical factor in determining the success or failure of a design.  Flight control systems implemented on this class of vehicles are severely constrained in size and available power.  They suffer from inadequate knowledge of the vehicle state, both statically and dynamically.  Rolling Hills Research Corporation proposes to use a simple and robust biologically inspired air data system capable of providing instantaneous vehicle state information, including rates, to provide revolutionary stability, control, and performance for these ultra low Reynolds number vehicles.
Shaped Field Giant Magnetoresistive Sensor Arrays for Materials Testing Project
Fracture-tough Reaction Bonded SiC Composites for Monolithic SiC Optical Instrum Project
PIP/MI Matrix SiC/SiC CMCs Project
A Simple, Small, Low Power Instrument to Measure Aircraft Icing Severity Project
Integrated Video for Synthetic Vision Systems Project
Spacecraft Formation Control with Direct Interferometer-Output Feedback Project
Dynamic Transfer Function Measurements for Cavitating Pumps Project
Reconfigurable Task Processor Project
ENTERPRISE COMPONENT INTEGRATION SYSTEM (eCIS) Project
Laser Materials for Remote Sensing of Ozone Project
A New Class of Deep-Sea Vehicles for Sample Collection Project
Waveguide Laser for High Data Rate Deep Space Communications Project
High-Power, Single-Frequency UV Laser Transmitter Project
Rugged High-Vacuum System for a Spacecraft Mass Spectrometer Project
A Velocity-Control Framework for Kinematically Redundant Manipulators Project
Adaptive Laser Velocimeter Project
SindaWorks - The Next Generation of Thermal/Fluid Analysis Project
Using XML for Workflow Management Project
Extremely Miniaturized, Turbomolecular Pump-Based Vacuum System Project
Next Generation Design Technology for Micro Rotorcraft Project
Cost Effective On Demand Flow Control Shape Memory Alloy Actuators Project
Low-Cost Lightweight Attitude-Command Augmentation System for Civil Helicopters Project
An Ozone DIAL Transmitter Module for Airborne Applications Project
Wafer-Based Microfluidic System for Lab-On-a-Chip Technologies Project
Cosmic-ray Shower Detector Focal Plane Project
Broadband Terahertz Frequency Multipliers Project
Spacecraft Charge Monitor Project
High Density Active Deformable Mirrors by Micromachining Project
An Airborne VNIR and SWIR Imaging Spectrometer Project
Solution based 3-D Mesh adaptation for Heat and Mass predictions Project
Compact Terahertz Heterodyne Receivers Project
Severless Traveling Wave Tube for High Data Rate Space Communications Project
A Photon-Counting Spectrometer for Elemental Analysis using LIBS Project
Aircraft Engine Oil Health Sensor Project
Composites of Fiber-Reinforced Ultra Thin Films for X-ray Applications Project
Ultrastable Radiometer for Sea Surface Salinity Sensing Project
Thermally Resistant Catalytic System for Monopropellant Ignition Project
Anti-Static, Field Emitting, Nanoparticle Coatings Project
LEDs as countermeasure for pituitary/neuroendocrine effects of space flight Project
High Bandwidth, Large Dynamic-Range Sensor for Controllable Optics Project
Object-Oriented, Network-Based, Health Management System Project
Linear Structural Relations Modeling for Complex Land Cover and Land Use Change Project
Actively Deformable Control Device for Fatigue Life Enhancement Project
Nano Ceramic Sterilization Filter Project
High Heat Flux Electronics Cooling Cycle Project
Use of Capillary Discharge Non Thermal Plasma for Sterilization of Material Project
Novel Technology for In-Space Manufacture of Thin Membranes for Solar Sails Project
Aircraft Prognostics and Health Management, and Adaptive Reconfigurable Control Project
Development of Synthetic Muscle Systems for NASA Space Robotics/EVA Applications Project
Zero-Venting Regenerable Lightweight Heat Absorber for EVA Suits Project
Lightning Mapping Sensor Project
Nanostructured MnO2-Based Cathodes for Li-ion Polymer Batteries Project
Course of Action Simulation Project
Primary Endmember Analysis for Compression of Hypercubes Project
Utilization of Space Waste to Manufacture Sorbents for Trace-Contaminant Removal Project
High Heat Flux Evaporator for Two Phase Transport Loops Project
Self-Calibrating Vector Magnetometer Project
Autonomous Command Generation for Robots Project
Miniaturized instrument to obtain atmospheric profiles of NO, NOx, and NOy Project
Integration of High-Pressure Combustion Experiments and Simulations Project
Ordered Ultrathin Films based on Conducting Polymers for Gas Sensors Project
Improved Materials and Processes for RF Antennas Project
Micromachining Techniques to Enhance X-ray Microcalorimeter Array Fabrication Project
Atmospheric Correction of Remote Imagery Using Ground-based Radiometers Project
Cavitation Model for Turbopumps in Liquid Rocket Systems Project
Dynamics Optics Controls Structures (DOCS) Project
Space Rigidizable, Deployable Ultra-Lightweight Microcellular CHEM Foams Project
A 10W @ 20K Cooler for Spaceport of Cryogenic Fluids Project
Rotational Molding of Thermoplastic Cryogenic Propellant Tanks Project
Com+ Simulation Architecture With Application To Tethers And Formation Flying Project
Improved Crashworthy Aircraft Seat Design Project
Low Temperature Regenerative Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Project
Multi-disciplinary Multiphase Flow Analyzer Project
Beamed Energy Driven MHD Chemical Rocket Motor for Advanced Space Propulsion Project
Cryogenic Etalon Actuator Project
A Non-Intrusive Radar Sensor for Engine Vibration Monitoring Project
Multi-Channel Video Compression for CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment Project
A switchable holographic circle to point converter for use in LIDAR receivers Project
Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors for Space-Based Nuclear Reactors Project
Lightweight, High Conductivity Metal Matrix Composite Project
We propose to develop a new generation of electromagnetic simulation
codes with mixed resolution modeling capabilities. The need for such
codes arises in many fields but our initial focus will be on modeling
efforts for electromagnetic-based propellantless propulsion systems.
These new codes are based on three major innovations: Multi-zone
simulations with variable time-step; multi-physics simulations enabling
coordination of different modeling paradigms in a single code; and the
first-ever discrete-event electromagnetic simulations. No existing
simulation code offers these capabilities. We will initially develop the
multi-zone and multi-physics features for time-stepped simulations and
apply them to the design and building of prototypes for the
Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion (M2P2). We also plan to recast a
simpler version of our code into a discrete-event simulation framework.
This has never been attempted but has the potential to completely change
the way plasma simulations are performed, with major implications for
many industries. We expect Phase II research to include further
development and testing of these innovations with the aim of developing
a mature product. Given their potential to alter the way future
simulations will be performed, we need to thoroughly test the numerical
properties of the codes before moving into full software development.
Antistatic Thermal Control Coatings Project
Optical Fiber Microsensors for Monitoring Protein Crystal Growth Project
An Optimization Process to Maximize Aircraft Nacelle Active Noise Attenuation Project
Electrochemical Ethylene Sensor for Monitoring Low Levels in Plant Environments Project
SELF-OPERATING 80K - 150K MINIATURE J-T CRYOCOOLER Project
Robotic Optical Monitor for High Throughput Crystal Growth Experiments Project
In-Situ Sensor for NDI of Adhesive Joint Integrity Project
Long-Lived Solar Concentrator for Space Power Project
Advanced Humidity Control for Small Volumes (HUMSV) Project
MEMS Packaging for Deep Space Environments Using Nano-structured Polymers Project
Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Nanocomposite Electro-Optic Materials Project
A Lightweight Freezable Radiator for Space Systems Project
Cassette Based Robotic Multiple Cell Culture System Project
Hurricane Storm Surge and Flood Modeling Using Advanced Topographic Analysis Pro Project
Thermal Spray of UV/Visible Light-Curable Polymide Powders Project
Direct Electrochemical Methanol Production for Mars Project
Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor Demodulation System Project
A High-Efficiency Actuator for Aircraft Deicing Project
Capillarity Driven Flow Of Propellant Liquids In Colloidal Satellite Thrusters Project
Protein Microarrays for Bioreactor Bioproduct Monitoring Project
In-Situ Training of Anthropomorphic Robots Project
Field Emission Cathode for Electrodynamic Tethers Project
Spacesuit Monitor Project
Carbon Monoxide Metal Oxide Reduction System Project
Flight-Weight Manifolding for Actively-Cooled SiC/SiC Composite Thrust Chamber Project
Nitrous Oxide Monopropellant rocket Project
Integrated Ejector Pump Flow Control for Low-Pressure Turbine Project
A Hand-Held MEMS Sensor for Characterizing the RCRA Metals in Water Project
Novel Method of Subsurface Water Detection Project
Real-Time Decision Making for Small Embedded Systems Project
Vector Inversion Power Conditioning for High Energy Propulsion Concepts Project
PolyRAD Space Radiation Shield for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Microelectronics Project
Low Thermal Loss Cryogenic Pump Project
Low Temperature Dehydration and Sterilization of Wet Wastes Project
Hybrid Model Fusion for Gas Turbine Engine Diagnostics and Prognostics Project
PolyRAD Space Radiation Shield for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Microelectronics Project
Low Thermal Loss Cryogenic Pump Project
Hybrid Model Fusion for Gas Turbine Engine Diagnostics and Prognostics Project
Ordered Ultrathin Films based on Conducting Polymers for Gas Sensors Project
Improved Crashworthy Aircraft Seat Design Project
The existing plasma codes are ill suited for modeling of mixed
resolution problems, such as the plasma sail, where the system under
study comprises subsystems with diverse modeling paradigms (e.g., fluid,
kinetic) at differing levels of temporal and spatial resolution. Such
complex systems are not unique to propulsion studies, but are commonly
encountered in wide variety of fields.  In Phase I, we were able to
develop and successfully test the core technology for multi-resolution
modeling within two distinct computational paradigms. By introducing a
temporal mesh, we successfully overcame a major obstacle in the use of
time-stepped simulations for multi-resolution problems. However, even
more significant is our finding that discrete event simulation
methodology works quite well for many-body systems such as plasmas with
several orders of magnitude performance advantage over equivalent
time-stepped simulations. The importance of this result cannot be
overstated as it will have immediate repercussions in all fields where
time-stepped modeling are currently used. Using these early versions of
our code, we were able to address a number of outstanding issues in
regards to the feasibility of plasma sails. Our objectives for Phase II
are (i) to fully develop the codes, (ii) address the issues regarding
the feasibility of plasma sails such as expansion of the magnetic bubble
by the plasma source and the resulting drop-off of the magnetic field
strength with radial distance, and (iii) prepare plans for marketing our
technology in Phase III.
MEMS Packaging for Deep Space Environments Using Nano-structured Polymers Project
Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor Demodulation System Project
A High Turn-Down Ratio, Low Emissions Combustor for Gas Turbine Engines Project
Computer Code to Model Loop Heat Pipe Transients Project
Toolkit for Enabling Adaptive Modeling and Simulation (TEAMS) Project
A high performance fullerene-based adsorbent is proposed for recovery
and storage hydrogen and separating helium via pressure-swing-adsorption
(PSA) process. Research work performed at MER showed that the proposed
adsorbent has an exceptionally high hydrogen adsorption capacity at low
pressure and excellent separation factor relative to helium.  During the
Phase I program, the feasibility of using fullerene-based adsorbents for
low-pressure recovery and storage will be determined.  The H2/He
separation factor, the purity of He, and the economics of the system
will also be determined.  The performance and cost of conceptual system,
producing about 1000 to 100,000 gallon per day, will be estimated and
compared to alternative system to demonstrate feasibility.
Throttleable Vacuum Arc Thruster for Precision Positioning Project
Capillarity Driven Flow Of Propellant Liquids In Colloidal Satellite Thrusters Project
1024 x 1024 Liquid Crystal Multi-Level Spatial Light Modulator Project
Automated Test Generation in Intelligent Systems (GENISYS) Project
Detecting Fossilized Microscopic Life Forms on Mars with Dual-Energy CT Project
Multiuser Collaboration for Planetary Mobility and Robotics Project
Remote Environmental Monitoring Project
Plasma Lysis Decontamination System with Mass Spectrometric Detection Project
Sensitive and Specific Detection of Early Warning Fire Signatures Project
Aluminum and Aluminum-Matrix-Composite Manufacture by Laser Deposition Project
Microparticle Enhanced Energy Transfer Project
Ultra Compact, Lightweight, Space-Borne Cryocoolers Project
Helical Channel Liquid Acquisition Device Project
Network Implementations for Real Time Communication and Data Transfer Project
Handheld FP - Gene Microarray Reader for Assessment of Radiation Damage Project
Maneuvering Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Project
Spaceport Compatible Optical Sensor Suite for Hazardous Gas Detection Project
Constraint-based Workflow Management for Life-Cycle Analysis and Design Project
Agent-based Simulation of NAS Project
Field Joining of Ceramic Matrix Composites Project
Improved Carbon Dioxide Reduction System Project
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Processing Incorporating coremicro IMU and GPS Data Project
Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Ammonia to Nitrogen and Water Project
A Microfluidic Ion Analyzer Project
Dynamics Optics Controls Structures (DOCS) Project
Space Rigidizable, Deployable Ultra-Lightweight Microcellular CHEM Foams Project
A Versatile Apparatus and Method for Remote Autonomous Robot Mobility Project
Phase I Demonstration of a Heat Pump Loop Thermal Control System Project
In Situ Lidar for Cloud and Aerosol Radiation Sciences Project
BOUNDARY LAYER PUMPED PROPULSION Project
Hydrocarbon Gas Detection Sensors For Flight Research Project
Low-Cost Hardware for In-Space Oxygen/Hydrogen Propulsion Project
High Efficiency, Long Life, Low Mass Stirling Engine for Low Power Applications Project
An Innovative Architecture for Deep Space RF Communication Project
Intelligent Displays for Time-Critical Maneuvering of Multi-Axis Vehicles Project
Low Cost Al/Diamond Composites for Thermal Management Applications Project
Multi-disciplinary Multiphase Flow Analyzer Project
Antistatic Thermal Control Coatings Project
Protein Microarrays for Bioreactor Bioproduct Monitoring Project
In-Situ Training of Anthropomorphic Robots Project
New High-Barrier Polymer Nanocomposite Food Packaging Enables 5-Year Shelf-Life Project
Laser Gain Media for Wavelength Specific Applications Project
High Pressure Micro-Sampling System for In Situ Deep Subsurface Measurements Project
Clustered Vacuum Arc Thruster for Deep Space Missions Project
An In-situ, Biogeochemical Sensor using Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorometry Project
Direct Metal Technology for Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping Project
Microwave Rain Gage Project
Advanced Volumetric Visualization Using CBDs for Aviation Range Safety and Air T Project
Real-Time Aerospace Diagnostics Toolkit Project
Lightweight radiation shielding materials with carbon nanotube reinforcements Project
Low cost, Small Size High Performance Navigation System for Micro/Nanosats Project
Automated Digital Elevation Extraction from Multispectral Imaging Systems Project
Better Pressure Vessel Impact Resistance Utilizing Filament Wound Hybrid Fibers. Project
A Data-Driven Framework for Web-Based Telescience and Outreach Project
Autonomous Cryogenic Propellent Depot Design Project
A Distributed Cluster Based Architecture for Constellations Project
Economical Fabrication of Thick-Section Ceramic Matrix Composites Project
Optical Components for Space Based Solar Plant Lighting System Project
Carbon Microfiber Airframe Structures Based on an Insect Cuticle Model Project
Conjugated Polymers as Lightweight, Efficient Photovoltaic Devices Project
Low-Noise High-Resolution Multiplexer Electronics for Deformable Mirrors Project
Carbon Nanotubes Array as Novel Thermionic Emitting Materials Project
A Hybrid Piezoelectric/Fiber Optic System for Structural Health Monitoring Project
RF MEMS for Space-Based Radar Applications Project
Imaging Spectropolarimetric Sensor for Airborne Retrieval of Aerosol Properties Project
Nanoscale Cathode Materials for High Capacity Li Ion Batteries Project
Advanced Clear Space Durable Polymer for Ultra-Lightweight Structures and Optics Project
Compact High-Efficiency Ka-Band RF Amplifier Project
Conversation Interface Domains for Rapid Programming of Complex Natural Language Project
Application of Robust Laser Interferometer to Fire Prevention Project
A Novel, Intergrated Adsorber/Catalyst Oxidizer for TCCS Project
UltraWIS Project
Low Power High Speed Digital Signal Isolator Project
3D Antenna Array and GPS Receiver for Combined Navigation/Attitude Determination Project
Circulating , Aeration and Nutrient Delivery System (CANDS) Project
Static Analysis for Automatic Differentiation Project
Fiber Coupled Scanned Themographic NDE Project
Advanced Aircraft Parachute Recovery System Project
Ultra-Lightweight Coilable Boom Development Project
Soft Magnetic Nanocomposites for High-Frequency Power Applications Project
A Cooperative Multi-Robot Control Architecture Project
Shaped Field Giant Magnetoresistive Sensor Arrays for Materials Testing Project
High Framing Rate Imaging of Velocity and Minor Species Concentrations Project
SiCf/SiC Composites w/ Variable Fiber Form for Monolithic SiC Optical Instrument Project
PIP/MI Matrix SiC/SiC CMCs Project
Large Inflatable Self-Rigidizing Polymer Film Structures Project
A Refactoring Environment for Incremental Migration of Legacy Code Project
SATS- Lean Technology Design (LTD) Project
Affordable Composite Fan Containment Case with Integral Toughening Elements Project
Micromachined Energy Discriminator Project
Energy Efficient Cryogenic Transfer Line with Magnetic Suspension Project
Virtual Collaborative Training and Operations Simulation System Project
Single Crystal Piezoelectric Actuators for Membrane Optics Project
General Aviation Aircraft Information Network Server Project
A pixelated Liquid Crystal etalon with application to spectral imaging Project
A Revolution in Electron Spectrometers for Biosignature Detection in Minerals Project
High Performance VCSEL for 1550 nm Optical Network Project
Bone Ultrasonic Scanner (BUSS) for Bone Health Assessment Project
High-Frequency Low-Temperature Regenerative Heat Exchangers Project
Adjoint-Based Design Software Using Adaptive Finite Element Methods Project
Electrochromic Variable Emissivity Devices for Thermal Control Project
Electrochromic Thermal Stabilization of Large Deployable Structures Project
Rugged High-Vacuum System for a Spacecraft Mass Spectrometer Project
A Velocity-Control Framework for Kinematically Redundant Manipulators Project
Broadband Terahertz Frequency Multipliers Project
Spacecraft Charge Monitor Project
A Simple, Small, Low Power Instrument to Measure Aircraft Icing Severity Project
High Throughput Screening of High Efficiency Catalysts for Carbon Nanotube Project
A Wireless Smart Sensor System for Monitoring EMG Signals Project
Development of Boundary Vorticity Dynamics Based Closed Loop Flow Control Project
Hydrogenated Nanotubes for Ultra-lightweight, Radiation hardened Thin Composites Project
Micromachined Interconnects for RF MEMS Relays Project
NDE Inspection System for Detecting Flaws Under Terminal Barrier Coatings Project
Flight Test Development of the X43A-LS Reusable Launch Vehicle Project
Advanced Boundary Actuation for Improvement of Large Membrane Optical Figure Project
An Airborne VNIR and SWIR Imaging Spectrometer Project
Solution based 3-D Mesh adaptation for Heat and Mass predictions Project
Compact Terahertz Heterodyne Receivers Project
LEDs as countermeasure for pituitary/neuroendocrine effects of space flight Project
Object-Oriented, Network-Based, Health Management System Project
Nano Ceramic Sterilization Filter Project
MMW Pyroelectric Sensor Array Project
Trajectory and Performance Models for Earth and Planetary Balloons Project
E-Field Micro-Injector Array Liquid Fuel Atomizer Project
Quantum Cascade Laser System for Monitoring Ammonia and Formaldehyde Project
Bluetooth Wireless Wearable Modular Medical Instrumentation Project
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a hybrid composite structure of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with a class of polysulfide for lithium-sulfur rechargeable batteries on a Phase I program.  This cathode provides safety, improved cycle-life, and high capacity at a competitive cost.  Crystalline MoS2 is low cost and has a theoretical capacity of 335 mAh/g but it has a low conductivity.  The nanocomposite design provides a synergistic improvement in conductivity and electrochemical cycling as a result of the layered MoS2 structure, provided by the intercalation of polysulfide.  In the Phase I program, PSI will demonstrate a technology readiness level of 3 with a cathode energy density of greater than 350 mAh/g (800 Wh/kg) using 2 mAh cells.  These performance goals will result in an overall battery energy density of 350 Wh/kg.  In the Phase II program, PSI will increase cell size to 250 mAh and optimize cell design to further improve cycle life.
A novel quiet engine air-brake is proposed in response to NASA's solicitation for concepts for active and passive control of noise sources for conventional and advanced aircraft.  The air-brake concept is applicable to 1) next-generation, conventional tube and wing aircraft (current generation +1) and 2) advanced integrated airframe/propulsion system configurations (current generation +2), and could enable system level noise reductions of several decibels at the ground observer during approach by quietly generating drag equivalent to up to three turbofan-sized bluff bodies per powerplant.  Such drag generation could enable slower, steeper approach trajectories with reduced need for drag generators such as flaps, slats and undercarriage.  Proposed research tasks build upon a rigorous understanding developed by the investigating team on the aero-acoustics of drag generating, swirling exhaust flows.  
The objectives are to 1) create an engine air-brake design specification to constrain the design and identify and address issues and challenges associated with implementation, 2) perform trade studies on two aircraft/powerplant combinations in current generation +1 and +2 configurations to identify the attributes of suitable devices installed on such aircraft and 3) develop a candidate design for model scale aerodynamic and aeroacoustic validation in an experimental facility.  The deliverable will be a written report presenting a conceptual design of a model-scale engine air-brake and proposed test plan for Phase II validation.
We propose to design, build and test an optical extinction monitor for the detection of spacecraft cabin particulates.  This monitor will be sensitive to particle sizes ranging from a few nanometer to tens of micrometers in diameter.  Designed to utilize commercial off-the-shelf components, the monitor, once calibrated, will require no recalibration and only periodic baseline determinations, a process which can be automated as part of the operation of the instrument.  It employs no consumables. This monitor employs cavity attenuation phase shift technology and involves the use a light emitting diode coupled to a low-loss optical cavity.  The Phase I project will involve a proof-of-principle demonstration followed by the monitoring of ambient particulates in an urban area.
Future NASA missions require thermal control systems that can accommodate large changes in ambient temperature. The two essential aspects of an effective thermal interface material (TIM) are high compliance and high thermal conductivity. Thermal interface materials (TIM) are often used to fill the cavities between mating surfaces to increase the thermal conductance across the interface.  Traditional TIMs are polymer based composites such as thermal grease or paste.  The nature of polymer matrices makes them inapplicable under vacuum and in a cryogenic environment. The goal of the proposed research is to develop a flexible thermally-conductive tape.  The proposed innovation forms a versatile, vacuum-proof, thermally conductive tape.  The tape is pliable and should conform to the contours of the interface.  Carbo nanotubes bridge the two mating surfaces, thereby effectively conducting heat across the interface.
Thin films, elastomeric materials, high temperature fabrics and adhesives that are capable of withstanding thermal extremes (-130oC to 500oC) are highly desirable for use in inflatable decelerator applications.  One solution is to substantially increase the thermal conductivity of the adhesive layer underneath the thin film layer so that heat generated during entry of the decelerator into the atmosphere can be quickly and effectively dissipated, thus avoiding the negative effect of high temperature. We propose an approach wherein a low volume fraction (&lt;5&#37;) of inorganic nanoparticle fillers will lead to substantial increase in thermal conductivity in the direction perpendicular to the thin film. The innovation is in the development and processing of a unique morphology of the nanocomposite adhesive material. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept by fabricating elastomeric adhesives containing nanoscale additives, and testing the thermal conductivity perpendicular to the thin film direction. The Phase I program is a collaboration with a leading manufacturer of inflatable structures for space applications. The focus of the Phase II program will be in implementing the technology in a prototype component, which will be tested and qualified, and made available to NASA. The proposed work builds upon NEI's prior experience with nanoparticle dispersed material systems.
Long-term Lunar and Martian systems present challenges to thermal control systems, including changes in thermal load, and large changes in the thermal environment between Lunar (or Martian) day and night. The Lunar thermal environment typically includes long periods in extremely cold thermal environments.  A variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) radiator will be developed that passively accommodates the changing thermal load and environment.  In a VCHP, a non-condensable gas is added that blocks a portion of the condenser.  The gas charge blocks more of the condenser as the heat pipe evaporator temperature changes.  This allows the heat pipe evaporators (and any attached heat exchanger) to remain at an almost constant temperature. In addition to passively controlling the thermal load, the gas allows the fluid in the heat pipe to freeze in a controlled fashion as the heat pipe is shut down, avoiding damage.  In addition, the gas in the VCHP will help with start-up from a frozen condition.
The lead-lag motions of rotor blades in a helicopter require damping to stabilize them. In practice, this has necessitated the use of external hydraulic dampers which suffer from a high maintenance cost. This high operational cost has prompted the rotorcraft industry to use elastomeric lead-lag dampers that result in ``dry'' rotors. However, complex behavior of elastomers provides challenges for the modeling of such devices, as has been noted by rotorcraft airframers. Analytical models have tended to oversimplify the complexity of the operational environment and make radical assumptions about operating parameters that, at best, lead to simple, and often unreal, device models. In spite of costly and time consuming experiments to construct them, these first order device models do not directly relate to neither material characteristics nor geometric configuration. Example: the device model approach leads to the erroneous identification of "physical phenomena" such as dual frequency effect. 
We propose a fundamentally radical approach wherein elastomeric dampers are derived from first-principle-based modeling rather than device model based analysis. First we propose to develop a finite element based simulation tool for modeling the response of complex components made of elastomeric materials. When integrated with a finite element based, multibody dynamics analysis code, this innovative tool will accurately simulate the dynamic response of vehicles such as rotorcraft using elastomeric components using true material properties and damper geometry. This tool will be unique because it will capture both dissipative and geometric nonlinearities causing damping loss at dual frequency excitations typically observed in elastomeric devices. When fully developed and validated, our first principles based formulation for the modeling of elastomeric devices will be available for robust component design.
Engineers at SpaceDev have conducted a preliminary design and analysis of a proprietary annular design concept for a hybrid motor.   A U.S. Patent application has been submitted and is pending approval.  The annular hybrid motor is an improvement to hybrid rocket motor technology that can be used for a wide range of applications.  The technology will lead to improvements in hybrid payload mass fraction, increased performance during throttling, and reduced costs associated with casting hybrid fuel grains.  The technology is highly scalable and can be used for applications ranging from small thrusters on satellites, to launch vehicle booster applications.
This SBIR project delivers an on-board structural health-monitoring (SHM) system with embedded sensors that sense mechanical impedance deviations to flag incipient damage in time to recover from or prevent in-flight failures. This Component Damage Mitigation (CDM) system integrates early damage detection with failure recovery measures such as self-healing fasteners.

Implications of the innovation
Next Generation Air Transport Systems bring increasingly demanding weight and performance needs that encourage aircraft to operate relatively close to their design limits?minor structural failure can mean rapid catastrophe. On-board sensing, diagnostic, and damage mitigation capabilities are needed for early correction of incipient damage. However, no practical system exists. We address this deficiency by building on our existing SHM unit and incorporating damage mitigation.

Technical objectives
CDM leverages our work in impedance-based SHM. Our current prototype consists of a single custom electronics board, and is a TRL 5 unit. We have demonstrated field operation in Boeing launch simulation tests and on full-scale wind turbine blades. We propose to integrate our current approach with damage mitigation measures and to create a practical single-chip solution. We include computer modeling that generates virtual data in our sensor validation.

Research description
Phase 1 establishes feasibility for a single-chip approach based on the impedance method, and demonstrates damage mitigation on a model self-healing fastener. Phase 2 completes and validates single chip development, integrates damage detection and mitigation, and delivers an operational unit.

Anticipated results
Phase 1 demonstrates damage detection/mitigation integration and provides a detailed chip roadmap. Phase 2 delivers an operational unit that performs integrated damage detection, monitoring, and mitigation in crucial propulsion system and airframe components.
NASA test and launch facilities, such as those at Stennis, Marshall, and other locations, require large amounts of hydrogen as a primary rocket fuel; hydrogen is also of growing interest in the private sector. Unfortunately, hydrogen burns with an essentially invisible flame, making detection of hydrogen fires difficult. Current methods of detecting hydrogen leaks and fires are limited in a number of ways; video-based methods (IR and otherwise) are promising, but can be seriously misled by reflections and currently require human operators (increasing expense and leading to problems of attentiveness).

To address these and other challenges, IEM proposes to create the Intelligent Flamefinder&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; Detection and Alert System (IFDAS). Drawing on smart video analysis and other smart sensor work for NASA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Navy, and others, and building on an exclusive license of patented NASA technology, IEM will create a smart hydrogen fire detection system which will reliably detect even small (less than 3") flames, ignore false signals from reflections of flames, the sun, or other heat/light sources, accurately determine the location of the flames, and automatically alert the appropriate individuals or systems of the existence, extent, and location of the fire, without the need for human operators or intervention prior to the alert. IFDAS will also be able to interface with current sensing systems and integrate their data to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation using all available data. The individual units will be compact, low-power, and rugged, for use indoors or outdoors, and be applicable for uses in NASA, the military, and commercial enterprises involving hydrogen or other flammable materials which have difficult-to-detect flames.
Hybrid photovoltaic cells that combine nanostructured inorganic semiconductors with organic conductors such as the cell proposed, show promise for energy generation in technical applications due to the higher efficiencies and significantly lower costs resulting from cheaper materials and easier manufacturing processes.  These hybrid solar cells can be tailored to have efficiencies comparable to inorganic solar cells hitherto studied. Quantum Dot (QD) semiconductor based photovoltaics exhibit promise for fabrication of lightweight and efficient sources of power, especially in conjugation with organic semiconductors. In this Phase I effort, Materials Modification Inc. will develop a novel CIGS quantum dot enhanced hybrid photovoltaic cell that exhibits promise of a conversion efficiency of 15-30&#37; or even higher and good radiation resistance.  MMI's proprietary plasma process will be used to produce the CIGS quantum dots, which will be incorporated in a suitable organic semiconductor to fabricate simple, cheap and efficient photovoltaics.
As manned-space exploration missions are pursued further beyond low-Earth orbit, such as to the Moon or Mars, crewmembers must be supplied with good quality food to provide a complete diet over a period of three years or more. Current food-packaging materials result in major solid-waste management issues. Novel food packaging materials that will eliminate or reduce solid waste while preserving the quality of the food are required for long-term space travel and stay.  Materials Modification, Inc. (MMI) proposes to develop a biodegradable packaging material that can be used to transport and store foodstuff during extended space travel and stay.  A nanocomposite will be developed that will be mechanically strong, resistant to microbes and possess good barrier properties during period of use, biodegradable beyond the useful period, and microwave-safe.
Peregrine's innovation will reduce the required input power, increase a coolers systems margin for a giving cooling load and reduce vibration accordingly for Reverse-Brayton Cycle Cryocoolers.  Our innovation will enhance the thermal conductivities of structures associated with the cryocooler, enable much more efficient heat removal and thereby produce a much more efficient system.  Effectively we will be increasing the thermal conductivities of the structures associated with the cryocoolers by embedding Thermal Pyrolytic Graphite within a matrix of material to produce a thermal conductivity 3 times higher than current available materials.  

At the end of Phase I Peregrine will have demonstrated the feasibility of our innovation and laid out a detailed design and test plan for Phase II.  At the end of Phase II Peregrine will have produced a flight like product tested for future satellite applications.  Phase II will also incorporate characterization of the material and engineering guidelines.

As cryocooler technologies attempt to cool components down around the 4&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;K level waste heat and the management thereof becomes critical to the performance of the cryocooler.  Thermal conductivity structures that can eliminate thermal loads more effectively will lead to a more efficient and better performing cryocooler.
Visual Data Mining (VDM) is an Internet-based software that supports spatial and temporal analyses of multimodal NASA science data including satellite images and in-situ sensory data. It combines computer vision, multi-physics simulation and interactive visualization. VDM tools can be integrated to NASA-related systems for detecting, tracking, modeling and predicting the movement of surface objects. The proposed system will use NASA products such as MODIS as a satellite imagery data source. The system will also incorporate the in-situ data from NOAA and JPL. The development tasks include designing object detection and tracking algorithms in Java for online distributed applications, designing compact cellular automata based simulation and prediction tools, designing data fusion and 3D navigation interface that links to Google Earth. It is expected that the VDM tools can increase the utility of scientific research data, models, simulations, and visualization in practical applications, for example, real-time detection and tracking of river plume discharged to the open water, or harmful algal blooms along the coastline. It will increase the speed of image analysis process in one order of magnitude.
High current hollow cathodes are the baseline electron source for next generation high power Hall thrusters.  Currently for electron sources providing current levels &gt;50 A and cathodes utilizing LaB6 emitters, the only viable, long life heater technology is a low reliability, low producibility, multi-element heater constructed from MgO insulated coaxial heater cable.  In the Phase I project we will develop novel insulator materials to replace MgO that can provide high temperature capability, with good thermal conductivity and electrical isolation.  We will design, fabricate, and test prototype swaged coaxial heaters incorporating the novel insulators, in collaboration with a heater manufacturer and an end user aerospace company.
We propose to develop a miniature system for acquisition and delivery of solid samples to landed planetary instruments. This system would entrain powder produced by drilling in atmospheric gas. The powder / gas mixture would be transported to a sample chamber, where the powder would sedimented out. The key innovations of this system are:
- The sample collector doubles as a sample holder for delivery to on-board instrumentation. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination.
- The small size and power requirements of the complete system would make powdered sample collection available to smaller planetary missions.
The proposed effort seeks to develop a digitally steered polarimetric phased array L-Band radar utilizing a novel, high performance architecture leveraging recent advances in radio frequency and digital signal processing components.  The driving methodologies will be the minimization of costly and inflexible analog circuitry, adoption of standardized manufacturing processes, and inclusion of reconfigurable software/firmware architectures to facilitate fulfillment of varied sensing requirements.
Space-to-ground communications have long been stuck in a prehistoric era of telemetry systems from the throughput and hardware availability perspective.  From the throughput perspective, there has been an increased need in higher uplink and downlink rates for on-orbit operations.  On the hardware side, long lead, single channel radios have been a programmatic nightmare to acquire and more and more problematic to operate given the frequency crowding.

This study proposes a modern architecture based transceiver that comes to provide one integrated solution to all these issues.  This proposal will design demonstrate a transceiver which can operate on both SGLS and USB uplinks and be fully frequency and mode programmable both during integration, and on the fly.  In addition it will offer selectable channels for various mission profiles.  Last but most important, it will use spectrally efficient modulation formats to enable high speed uplinks and support advanced communications protocols.
Fission-based power systems are anticipated for various planetary surface human base applications with power levels of 30?100+ kWe. The development of high temperature, high efficiency heat exchangers, turbines, and pumps is critical for next-generation nuclear power and space propulsion systems. High temperature heat exchangers are required for nuclear reactors to operate above 1000 K and take advantage of improved Brayton cycle efficiency at high inlet temperatures. In previous work for the Department of Energy involving fusion reactor components, Ultramet demonstrated the capability of an innovative heat exchanger composed of a highly porous, open-cell refractory metal foam coolant channel enclosed within a solid refractory metal shell of the same material. High heat flux testing with helium coolant was performed at the Sandia National Laboratories Plasma Materials Test Facility. A component survived heat flux levels up to 22.36 MW/m2 (2236 W/cm2). The turbulence created by flowing helium coolant through highly porous open-cell foam dramatically increased heat transfer relative to a conventional open coolant channel. Foam core heat exchanger technology is anticipated to substantially improve power conversion efficiency of liquid metal-to-gas, high temperature heat exchangers for fission surface power systems. Ultramet proposes to team with Sandia to design a component and demonstrate initial feasibility.
Conventional software defined radio (SDR) backend signal processors are limited by apriori system definitions and respectively chosen RF hardware.  Ideally, the RF sections would be as flexible as the software backends, accommodating widely differing bands and modulation long after fabrication and mission launch; conventional RF tuners limit SDR space mission reconfigurability.
The innovation provides a post-launch universal direct RF transmit and receive modulator/demodulator module (UTR)  One UTR can replace band specific RF devices otherwise needed for future missions.  UTR's modular open architecture is as "reconfigurable" as its complementary digital SDR baseband processing (ADC/DAC's, FPGA's, DSP's).
The UTR facilitates communications, radar, narrow (bps) to ultrawideband (GHz) modulation, center frequencies scalable &gt;100 GHz, herein UHF  to Ka band.  No DC power required for receive mode; novel wideband digital "DAC-less" direct to RF BPSK/QPSK modulation and power amplification is possible. 
Rugged, radiation hard, reliable due to low active component count and mainstream manufacturing techniques (GaAs MMIC based).  Enhanced performance and size leveraged via left handed metamaterials, MEM's switches, GaN and tunable ferroelectrics. Phase 1 UTR simulations, analysis and manufacturing preparation is followed by phase 2 UTR module fabrication (deliverable) and subsystem performance demonstration.  TRL 5 expected at phase 2 completion.
Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. (ASC) has developed a 128 x 128 frame, 3D Flash LADAR video camera which produces 3-D point clouds at 30 Hz. Flash Ladar Video Cameras are 3D vision systems that return range and intensity information for each pixel in real time.  The ASC camera is the equivalent of 16000 range finders on a single chip.  This allows the sensor to act as a 3D video camera with functionality well beyond just range finding.  A previous Phase I EDL project used an ASC camera at the JPL mars yard to gather test data. Hazard Identification, and Entry Decent and Landing applications were investigated and the data demonstrated that a Flash LADAR system can resolve landing hazards and is suitable as an EDL sensor.  
	In response to this solicitation ASC will further develop its technology for EDL.  ASC is proposing radiation hardening, increased sensitivity and reliability improvements.  These improvements will lead to a phase II development that will increase the TRL level of this sensor.  The new FLVC sensor will have improved range and reliability over ASC's current camera and will provide the functionality to meet NASA's EDL requirements.
The physical world around us is three-dimensional (3D), yet most existing display systems with flat screens can handle only two-dimensional (2D) flat images that lack the third dimension (depth) information.  This fundamental restriction greatly limits the capability of human being in perceiving and visualizing the complexity of real world objects. 

The primary objective of this Phase 1 SBIR is to develop a novel high-resolution volumetric 3D display system that has a static solid crystal screen. In contrast to conventional 3D visualization based on 2D flat screen, the "volumetric 3D display" we proposed herein possesses a true 3D display volume, has a 360 degree look-around group viewing capability, and allows a group of viewers to simultaneously view and analyze 3D data without wearing any special viewing goggle.  It provides both physiological and psychological depth cues to human visual system to perceive 3D objects and is considered as the Holy Grail solution to 3D visualization of many NASA datasets that inherently are extremely large, complicated, and multi-dimensional.  

Although we successfully developed various volumetric 3D display systems in the past, most these previously developed systems generate their 3D display volume by a large size moving screen that rotates constantly at a speed of 600~1800 RPM. The structure of a moving screen dramatically complicates the design, production, use, and maintenance of the display system, making it very delicate and fragile for daily uses for NASA visualization work on earth.  Due to the existence of a large moving parts, such volumetric 3D display technology is certainly not suitable for on-board uses in space missions.  

This SBIR program will investigate the feasibility of a technology breakthrough recently made by Xigen LLC and developed a revolutionary new concept of volumetric 3D display, which totally eliminates any moving screen.
This SBIR project delivers a single-chip structural health-monitoring (SHM) system that uses the impedance method to monitor bulk interiors and wave propagation methods to assess surfaces. This Three-Dimensional Health Monitoring (3DHM) unit supports nondestructive evaluation (NDE) systems and evaluates hard shell composites that include sandwich structures.

Implications of the innovation
Increasingly demanding weight and performance needs move manufacturers to the use of composite materials. New systems are needed to detect incipient damage in composites and identify aging-related hazards before they become critical. Three-dimensional health analyzers that actively examine both bulk interiors and large-scale surface areas address a major problem domain; however, no practical system exists. We address this deficiency by building on our existing SHM system.

Technical objectives
3DHM leverages our previous NASA research in SHM. Our current prototype takes the form of a single custom printed circuit board, and is a TRL 5 unit. We have demonstrated bulk interior and limited surface area coverage in Boeing thermal protection system (TPS) tests and on wind turbine blades?both feature composite materials. We extend our surface coverage by adding wave propagation SHM. Our sensor validation includes computer modeling that generates virtual (simulated) data.

Research description
Phase 1 establishes feasibility for a single-chip approach that combines the impedance method and wave propagation, and demonstrates damage detection on a model composite. Phase 2 completes, validates and demonstrates single chip operation, and delivers an operational unit.

Anticipated results
Phase 1 establishes 3DHM feasibility by developing a detailed chip development and verification roadmap. Phase 2 delivers an operational unit that monitors and assesses bulk interiors and surfaces of hard shell composites that include sandwich structures.
Surface Optics Corporation (SOC) will develop a band pass filter comprised of a visible dielectric mirror and an induced transmission filter, applied to two sides of a cast polyimide membrane.  The mirror/filter combination will block 95&#37; of the incident solar radiation, while allowing a narrow pass-band for YAG laser communication.  The combination of a visible dielectric mirror constructed on one side of a membrane and a band-pass filter on the second surface, offers a means of creating a very efficient solar reflector with relatively few coating layers.  The exceptionally thin and flat optical substrate will minimize degradation of the laser signal.  Meter-class membrane filters are sought by NASA to prevent over-heating of ground-based laser communication receivers operating during daylight hours.

In Phase I, induced transmission filter designs based on both silver and germanium films will be evaluated for overall filter performance.  Small filters will be constructed and measured for optical performance and agreement with predictions.

In Phase II, the best designs will be applied to large membrane substrates approximately 2-m in diameter.
We will develop an efficient tool for formal verification of PowerPC 750 executables. The PowerPC 750 architecture is used in the radiation-hardened RAD750 flight-control computers that are utilized in many space missions. The resulting tool will be capable of formally checking: 1) the equivalence of two instruction sequences; and 2) properties of a given instruction sequence. The tool will automatically introduce symbolic state for state variables that are not initialized and for external inputs. We bring a tremendous expertise in formal verification of complex microprocessors, formal definition of instruction semantics, and efficient translation of formulas from formal verification to Boolean Satisfiability (SAT). We will also provide formally verified definitions of the PowerPC 750 instructions used in the project, expressed in synthesizable Verilog; these definitions could be utilized for formal verification and testing of PowerPC 750 compatible processors, for FPGA-based emulation of PowerPC 750 executables, as well as in other formal verification tools to be implemented in the future.
This SBIR Phase 1 proposal to NASA requests $99,055.69 to enhance multiple mission support in ground stations through the use of software defined radios and virtual machines to create a software-defined ground station (SDGS).  This proposal responds to NASA SBIR topic S4.09 "Autonomous Multi-Mission Virtual Ground and Spacecraft Operations". The significance of our SDGS work is that the monolithic, stovepipe, and hardware centric nature of ground stations will be reduced.  Major system components will be moved to software, thereby promoting remote, network-based maintenance, upgrades, and new technology development.  Off the shelf software modules will be available, but also mechanism for low-level ground station customization for mission specifics; all done remotely over the Internet.  Costly hardware upgrades will be reduced or eliminated. Our innovation is in the intelligent combination of software-defined radio techniques and virtual machines.  This enables a near complete software solution to primary ground station functions. It simplifies ground station hardware and enables flexible application support. In Phase 1 we propose to architect an SDGS system for support of expected small satellite missions.  We will prototype basic elements with an on orbit or engineering model satellite system from our partners. Commercial applications include communication support for satellites and high altitude balloon systems.  Our customers will include NASA, NSF, DoD, and private satellite builders such as universities and venture space. The PI, Dr. James Cutler, has extensive small satellite and ground station experience.  He has prototype a global ground station network to operate satellites as if they were nodes on the Internet. Our facilities located in Northern California have tools for computer and radio development, and access to small satellite systems and ground station resources.
The proposed program will develop an hermetic, CTE matched, thermal shock resistant ceramic packaging technology that will facilitate the operation of Si and SiGe devices at extreme temperatures (-230:C to 130:C) encountered on the Moon and Mars.  Processes to assemble the components into a hermetically sealed package will be identified and developed.  Process and materials capability will be demonstrated by fabricating and testing a 12 or 28 pin single chip module test vehicle.
ZONA Technology proposes to develop an innovative nonlinear structural reduced order model (ROM) - nonlinear aerodynamic ROM methodology for the inflatable aeroelasticity of a clamped modeled ballute system. The proposed ROM-ROM methodology tightly couples a nonlinear-FEM based structural ROM with CFD based neural-net aerodynamic ROM to achieve a high computational efficiency.  Indeed, the computing time for a typical wing flutter/LCO analysis is reduced from hours (direct) to minutes (ROM-ROM).  The structural ROM enables a seamless time-integration of the ROM-ROM and could be coupled with other aerodynamic ROM methods like Volterra or POD.  A time-accurate GasKinetic BGK method (BGKX) is adopted to generate the aerodynamic ROM for rarefied hypersonic unsteady aerodynamics/aeroelasticity applications to a ballute in atmospheric entry.  With a natural boundary condition, BGKX is superior to continuum methods for unsteady flow simulations, and unified in transition to continuum flow regimes covering the peak dynamic pressure range in Earth/Martian entries.  It can provide flow pressures and heat flux in one step.  In Phase I, we will consider both a 2D membrane-on-wedge system and a modeled ballute system and investigate their static aeroelasticity as well as the feasibility/efficiency of the ROM-ROM approach for their dynamic aeroelastic responses (flutter/LCO).  These capabilities are necessary for the development of inflatable aeroelasticity in NASA space program.
The proposed effort will combine a low cost physical modeling approach with inductive, data-centered modeling in an aerosopace relevant context to demonstrate effective, low cost data mining.  In particular Phase I will evaluate various hybrid architecture concepts on the basis of false positive and fasle negative rates.    The approach will use domain decompostiition to partition the physical platform under consideration into regimes appropriate for either model based or inductive based apoproaches.
Analysis of NASA science data is analyzed to understand dynamic systems such as the sun, oceans, and Earth's climate as well as to look back in time to explore the origins of the universe. Complex algorithms and intensive data processing are needed to interpret data over time, at various energy ranges, and at different points in space. Of most interest are innovative interpolation, clustering and registration algorithms which radically increase algorithm efficiency and in turn drastically reduce computational time. Infoscitex (IST) proposes a novel, innovative spatial tool (Octet), which uses an octal tree structure (octree) for data representation, search, processing, and display, and shows dramatic improvements over traditional data analysis, processing and fusion software. Octet is designed specifically for feature isolation, volume and density calculation, collision detection, and data fusion and synthesis. At the end of Phase II, Octet will be a robust, fully-documented software package, using XML to promote interoperability and therefore collaborative research between NASA and other research centers.
We propose a new spray drying technology for the recovery and recycle of water while stabilizing the solid wastes or residues as found in advanced life support systems.  The proposed effort is focused on the recovery of water from concentrated waste water recovery system brine and other concentrates.  Hypogravity and microgravity environments will make space based systems compact thus reducing its equivalent system mass.  The application of spray drying to brine is a first step in the development of a space-based system but spray drying is likely to be applicable to the  dewatering and stabilization of solid wastes.  Spray drying is a one step continuous process where a solution, slurry, sludge or paste is transformed from a fluid state to dried masses by spraying the feed into a hot drying medium.  The resulting dry products are granules or agglomerates and the drying medium bearing the removed moisture.  Using one of several methods the drying medium yields the recovered water.  The exact nature of the dried solid and recovered moisture depends on the physical and chemical properties of the feed and the design and operation of the drier.

At the end of Phase II the technology will be at a TRL = 6.
Laser rangefinders have numerous NASA and non-NASA applications, including navigation, landing hazard avoidance, automated rendezvous and docking, air and missile defense, infantry and artillery target designating, tank and infantry fighting vehicle fire controlling, surveillance through foliage, cloud-height measurement, and production monitoring in industries as well as commercial and law enforcement, etc. Existing laser rangefinders cannot meet some of the advanced performance requirements including wide field of view (FOV) for situation awareness, high angular resolution for detailed target shape discrimination, and fast response for transit event or moving objects tracking, as well as low weight, volume and power requirements, etc. For NASA's lunar exploration missions, lunar roving vehicle with features of automated path planning, automated driving, and obstacle avoidance are of interest for making planetary surface missions more reliable, safer, and affordable. New Span Opto-Technology Inc. proposes herein a novel laser rangefinder architecture with non-mechanical scanning foveal aperture providing wide FOV 3-D scene profile for situation awareness and high resolution 3-D profile of region of interest for object tracking. System packaging is rugged, compact and light-weight. Phase I research will establish the model, demonstrate the feasibility, and recognize challenging issues of the proposed concept through model analysis and bench top experiments.
This Small Business Innovative Research project by Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) will develop an advanced high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can be used for the production of oxygen from lunar regolith. ACT proposes a high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can accept and and transfer the solar thermal energy to the lunar soil, thereby extracting oxygen. The heat pipe design will also be able to isothermalize the reactors, increasing the available area for soil evaporation, and consequently increasing the throughput and efficiency.  The overall objective of the Phase I and II programs is to develop a heat pipe solar receiver for the production of oxygen from regolith.  In Phase I, the principal objectives are to design the receiver, and fabricate and test a representative heat pipe under simulated conditions.  The Phase II program will fabricate and test the full scale heat pipe solar receiver.
This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Subtopic S1.03: Passive Microwave Technology, specifically the fourth bullet item;
"Low noise (&lt;2000 K DSB), compactly designed (&lt; 8 cm3), heterodyne mixers requiring low local oscillator drive power (&lt;2 mW) with RF input frequency between 100 GHz to 1 THz." The proposed research is significant not only for the development of Schottky mixers that meet these requirements, but also for the creation of a receiver system, including the LO chain, that achieves the goals of high sensitivity, compact size, low total power requirement and operation across complete waveguide bands. The proposed receivers will meet all of the requirements for high resolution spectroscopic studies of planetary atmosphere's (including the Earth's) from spacecraft, as well as airborne and balloon platforms. Perhaps more importantly, their exceptionally broadband performance, compactness and reliability will make them ideal for the broader range of scientific and commercial applications, which includes the extension of sophisticated test and measurement equipment to 1 THz and the development of low cost imaging systems for security applications and industrial process monitoring.
Aymont Technology, Inc. (Aymont) will demonstrate the feasibility of SiC p-i-n avalanche photodiodes (APD) arrays.  Aymont will demonstrate 4 x 4 arrays of 2 mm2 APDs for visible-blind high-sensitivity UV detection.  These arrays will exhibit high gain (10^6), high quantum efficiency (peak &lt; 50&#37;), and high speed ().  They will demonstrate scalability, allowing for larger arrays (20 x 20) in Phase 2.  They will give nearly 2x the quantum efficiency of other solid state solutions such as Si at UV wavelengths.
Recent advances have strengthened interest in supersonic cruise aircraft, though achieving economic viability for these vehicles will require dramatic improvements in cruise efficiency without excessively penalizing off-design performance.  Optimization of inlet design offers a potent method for achieving these goals, and a range of flow control concepts are available that can provide an adaptive ability to minimize blockage, reduce boundary layer bleed, and mitigate adverse effects of flow distortion on inlet/engine stability.  By exploiting high temperature smart materials technology, these concepts can be mechanized in robust, compact, and lightweight devices, enabling actuators suitable for the environment of supersonic powerplants.   This effort will demonstrate the feasibility of applying High Temperature Shape Memory Alloy (HTSMA) technology to this problem, focusing initially on design and demonstration of variable geometry flow control devices for use in supersonic mixed compression inlets.  The project will build on prior successful development of smart materials actuators, and will extend earlier work by incorporating new HTSMA materials as well as by exploiting recent insights into microramp and vortex generation devices.  The project will include refinement and characterization of actuator-ready HTSMAs, development of design tools for aero/thermo/structural analysis of flow control concepts, and experiments on demonstrator-level implementations.
Satellite design encompasses a multitude of steps from concept to flight.  Mission specification to flight can take several years, depending on the scope, requirements and budget of the mission. The process also requires a wide range of design and management tools, with limited consistency data interchange capability, and a lack of coherency.  Detailing the relationships between the satellite configuration, inventory control systems, life cycle management, design, analysis and test data is difficult at best. No tool exists that meets these needs for the general satellite design, system engineering and integration process. Sci_Zone is proposing our innovative Satellite Design Automation architecture SatBuilder Designer, in conjunction with the OpenSAT open database architecture to meet this need. OpenSAT seamlessly integrates existing detail design tools with SatBuilder Designer, as well as databases tracking requirements, components and inventory, with the final configuration of the satellite. SatBuilder Designer, an AI based toolset, provides for rapid design via design wizards and integration to existing design tools; it provides coherency between a range of applications and data sets. OpenSAT stores and distributes supporting satellite design, configuration, mission and test data from a centralized database server and can distribute the data across multiple platforms and via the internet.
Variable speed rotors will give helicopters several advantages: higher top speed, greater fuel efficiency, momentary emergency over-power, resonance detuning capability and a reduction in noise.  The applicant proposes to develop such a system using a doubly-fed planetary gear box with advanced SiC-based power electronics and motors.  The new components enabling variable speed will be rated at a fraction of the total helicopter power rating, thus reducing weight dramatically. The resulting hybrid mechanical/electrical power system also gives, in addition to greater fuel efficiency, smooth continuous speed variations with electronics, inherent starting capability (e.g., elimination of the existing starter motor), simplification of the tail rotor system, and the ability to enhance power to the main rotor with batteries and the APU.  Feasibility will be determined in Phase I by the applicant with the assistance of a major helicopter manufacturer.
The proposed project is to design, develop and fabricate a handheld video game console for astronauts during long space flight. This portable hardware runs entertaining games that detect neurocognitive deficits and give an objective feedback to the astronaut about this decrement. This facilitates the crewmembers and flight surgeons to prescribe recommended countermeasures to the cognitive decrement.
The innovation is a miniaturized airborne imaging central server system (MAICSS). MAICSS is designed as a high-performance-computer-based electronic backend that integrates a complete set of power and signal interfaces to serve a suite of advanced LWIR, MWIR, EO, and hyperspectral imaging sensors and an inertial measurement unit for atmospheric and surface remote sensing. MAICSS records continuous precision geo-referenced and time-tagged multi-sensor throughputs to mass storage devices at a high aggregate rate, typically 60 Megabytes/sec. MAICSS compatible sensor packages include 1) NASA's 1024 x 1024 pixel MWIR/LWIR dual band QWIP imager, 2) a 39 Megapixel BuckEye EO camera, and 3) a fast (e.g. 200+ scanlines/sec) and wide swathwidth (e.g. 1920+ pixels) CCD/InGaAs imager based VNIR and SWIR imaging spectrometer. MAICSS consists of a suite of interchangeable and interconnected modules in precision-machined boxes for flexible system deployment. It has a total solid state compact design with a typical volume of 0.02 m3 and a mass of 16kg. Without hard drives and other moving parts, it is operational at high altitudes and survivable in high vibration environments. MAICSS is a complete standalone imaging server instrument with an easy-to-use software package for either autonomous data collection or interactive airborne operation.
Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes are excellent tools in optimizing telemetry data integrity within the limited space to ground RF spectrum available for today's and tomorrow's satellite systems. 

All ten of the LDPC codes called out in the CCSDS Orange Book CCSDS 131.1-O-1 are potentially powerful tools for space to ground communications link optimization for future near-Earth and deep-space science and exploration missions.

With this Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), RT Logic will endeavor to inventory and understand the 10 LDPC codes defined in CCSDS 131.1-O-1, to prototype a single Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based LDPC decoder that can potentially be the core of the 10 LDPC decoders, verify the FPGA prototype of the general purpose LDPC core using a comprehensive Very High-Speed Intgrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) test suite and characterize the design for implementation into a Commerical-off-the-shelf (COTS) high data rate receiver.

In Phase II, all of the 10 LDPC codes would be implemented into RT Logic's COTS high rate receiver in order to make the LDPC FEC schemes readily available to NASA, other Civil, the Department of Defense and commerical customers for use on their future space programs.
Monitoring and controlling blade tip clearance of high pressure turbines are important for maintaining the integrity of the engine during its operating points and life cycle.  Operating the engine with minimum tip clearance provides several benefits, such as increased turbine efficiency, reduced emissions, and extended service life.  Southwest Sciences proposes an innovative technology based on optical Fourier domain reflectometry for near real-time tip-clearance measurement with an accuracy of 10 micrometers or better.  A simple and robust optical sensor will withstand temperatures of up to 2000 F; therefore, the method can be applied for tip-clearance measurements in turbine hot sections.  The system will allow controlling multiple sensors acquiring data from different locations in the turbine with a single main unit.  The Phase I effort will provide experimental evidence of the feasibility of this approach and outline the design of the Phase II prototype instrument.
Utilizing high strength polymers with controlled pore dimensions as a support, a customized membrane electrode assembly (MEA) can be generated for NASA's electrolyzer stack that has optimized electrochemical performance with greatly improved mechanical properties enabling high pressure (&gt;1000 psi) operation.  The overall objective is to generate and test an optimized dimensionally stable membrane (DSM) for a lunar NASA application.  This will be accomplished through four tasks; 1.  Generation of DSM MEAs of various configurations; 2.  Testing of these MEAs;  3. Modeling and fitting of test data to electrolyzer performance; 4.  Use model to generate optimum 1000 psi Electrolyzer MEA and test.
This proposal addresses the concept of Collaborative Outbound Taxi Metering (COTM), which provides environmental benefits without sacrificing throughput.  In current operations, departure flights must block out of their parking gates to claim their first-come, first-served departure slot.  When departure demand exceeds capacity, flights experience delay in departure queues near the runway.  The need for flights to make incremental steps in the queue significantly increases the engine emissions produced because of the number of times aircraft must apply 'break-away' power, only to stop again after moving just a short distance.  Under the COTM concept, metering techniques assign and maintain departure slots for all departure flights even if aircraft remain at their parking gates.  Mosaic ATM has conducted initial analysis using historical operational data demonstrating the potential environmental benefits even in the presence of arrival flights requiring parking gates.  This concept has already been applied and shown significant benefits during over-night operations of air cargo carriers.  Implementing the concept across the entire NAS has not been possible due to the requirement to coordinate departure metering amongst multiple airport users.  We propose to further demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of the COTM concept at large hub airports.
The complexity and interdependence of operations on the airport surface motivate the need for a comprehensive and detailed, yet flexible and validated analysis and modeling capability. This modeling and analysis can be used to identify the most beneficial areas of research for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) -ATM Airportal Project. It is essential, therefore, that the modeling approach properly considers all operational activities and possible capacity constraints in the entire airport surface and terminal operation as a complete system. To accurately model airport surface operations with detail and accuracy, we propose that it is necessary to consider techniques and strategies used to determine the flight's taxi route, and to determine the sequence to be used whenever two or more flights have contention for a taxiway or runway resource. This proposed effort will produce tools to support fundamental research of the concept and requirements for airportal operations in the NGATS by providing microscopic airportal surface modeling components that provide higher fidelity and greater validity of modeling than previously available. Through this effort we will also enhance the Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation tool to provide the analysis capabilities required to support this microscopic airport surface model.
Los Gatos Research proposes to develop a powerful new technology - next generation Micro-Capillary Electrochromatography  ? a high performance and low power consumption microfluidic sample separation device suited for separating organic molecules as signatures of past and present life on Mars.  In particular, these micro-devices will be engineered for integration with NASA's Mars Organic Detector.  For the Phase I effort, we will design, construct, and test the micro-CEC chips.  The Phase I research will address issues related to performance as well as production methods that can be used for the technology, as well as designing and determining the integrated micro-device and the Phase II prototype.  In the Phase II effort, we will integrate the micro-CEC prototypes with the existing micro-CE analyzers as a dual micro-CE/micro-CEC system capable of separating all neutral and charged organic molecules as targeted by Urey, thus provide new capabilities for NASA sample separation instrumentation development.
The ability to store large amounts of cryogenic fluids for long durations has a profound effect on the success of many future space programs using these fluids for propellants, reactants, and life support systems.  The high cost of delivering payload mass to orbit will require storage systems capable of limiting cryogenic losses due to boil-off to less than two percent per year for mission durations of up to ten years; or in some cases, completely eliminating boil-off losses.  Although Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) Systems have been extensively used to insulate cryogenic vessels in a space environment, it has been for short-duration missions that require from 30 to 50 layers to meet the mission requirements.  Conversely, 150 layers or more of MLI will likely be needed to meet the requirements of future long-term missions.  Limited data exists on the performance and physical characteristics of these thick MLI systems.  A key opportunity relative to the development of advanced MLI insulation systems is identifying and analyzing concepts for minimizing heat-leak through seams and penetrations, which will be the major contributor to cryogenic losses for thick MLI systems.  Sierra Lobo proposes to identify the more promising seam and penetration concepts, based upon previous research with the Missile Defense Agency, and to provide an analytical model to evaluate their performance.
We propose to develop a collection of computer tools and libraries called SciViz that enable researchers to visualize large scale data sets on HPC resources remotely from their workstations at interactive rates.  The proposed technology will interoperate with common existing scientific visualization software and provide equivalent core functionality optimized for very large data sets. Existing scientific visualization tools have specific limitations for large scale scientific data sets.  Of these four limitations can be seen as paramount: (a) Memory Management, (b) Remote Visualization, (c) Interactivity, and (d) Specificity.  SciViz overcomes these four issues and uses stack oriented approach in order to produce tools that can be more easily and widely adopted with minimal interruption within existing visualization environments. SciViz  will be an open source implementation.
The concept development and test of a water-based, advanced Phase Change Material (PCM) heat sink is proposed.  Utilizing a novel material choice for both an expansion diaphragm and the PCM case itself, the PCM can accommodate both the expansion of the freezing water-based material and very low temperature of approximately -250F.  The water-based PCM itself would be non-toxic and non-flammable, but additives will be included to preclude deterioration of wither the PCM container or the diaphragm material.  The use of a water-based PCM gives the highest heat capacity for the mass.  This is highly limited due to the needs for portability as required for an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). The total heat capacity of an operational unit would be for full duration EVA use.   Through a logical progression of tasks including concept of operation formulation, requirements formulation, concept design reviews and detail design reviews that include design and thermal analysis using Thermal Desktop&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; models, this effort can progress from TRL 2 to TRL 3. The team will confirm the robust choice of diaphragm materials, the choice of casing material and the choice of the additives to the water used for the PCM. The PCM will be tested to confirm heat input/temperature performance and cycling capability.  The test bed will allow for accurate heat input knowledge, temperature monitoring and cycling capability.  The results will be compared to the thermal model to ensure accurate prediction capability for the next phase full-scale unit. The design description and test results would form the basis of the final report.
In response to NASA SBIR topic A1.05, "Data Mining for Integrated Vehicle Health Management", Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) asserts that our unique SPADE (Sparse Processing Applied to Data Exploitation) technology meets a significant fraction of the stated criteria and has functionality that enables it to handle many applications within the aircraft lifecycle. SPADE distills input data into highly quantized features and uses MAC's novel techniques for constructing Ensembles of Decision Trees to develop extremely accurate diagnostic/prognostic models for classification, regression, clustering, anomaly detection and semi-supervised learning tasks. These techniques are currently being employed to do Threat Assessment for satellites in conjunction with researchers at the Air Force Research Lab. Significant advantages to this approach include: 1) completely data driven; 2) training and evaluation are faster than conventional methods; 3) operates effectively on huge datasets (&gt; billion samples X &gt; million features), 4) proven to be as accurate as state-of-the-art techniques in many significant real-world applications.  The specific goals for Phase 1 will be to work with domain experts at NASA and with our partners Boeing, SpaceX and GMV Space Systems to delineate a subset of problems that are particularly well-suited to this approach and to determine requirements for deploying algorithms on platforms of opportunity.
Lighter-than-atmosphere (LTA) systems provide significant advantages for planetary exploration due to their potential for extended mission duration, long traverse, and extensive surface coverage capabilities. However, LTA vehicles must withstand the atmosphere of these planets and moons. The atmosphere is often a challenging environment for the exterior balloon envelope materials primarily due to its extreme cold and complex chemistry. In this Phase I, Infoscitex (IST) will demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating a high specific strength fiber reinforced balloon material that can replace the currently marginally viable materials based on polyester film and fabric laminates. IST will develop an environmentally stable PBO fiber and use it to reinforce a new balloon envelope material that enables at least a 50&#37; improvement in the strength to weight ratio while exceeding the flexibility to the current polyester materials in a Titan atmosphere. It is possible to achieve areal densities with this material that are in the range of 40 g/m2 that can support both super pressure and zero pressure balloon concepts. During the Phase I program, IST will demonstrate the feasibility of the enhancing the PBO fiber with UV and hydrolysis protection via significant balloon material sample fabrication and cryogenic testing.
Both manned and unmanned off-Earth missions of the future will require very lightweight, high efficiency, flexible and durable photovoltaic (PV) arrays to generate electric power.  Current PV technology horizons do not meet the requirements for expanded mission capability.  Although inorganic PVs hold the record for solar power conversion efficiency, they are inflexible, heavy, and expensive to produce.  There is increasing interest in a new type of PV technology that is based on organic semiconducting materials.  Much of this research has been limited by the availability of stable n-type organic semiconductors.  TDA Research, Inc. proposes to use a new class of n-type conjugated polymers to produce more efficient organic PV devices.  Two of our new n-type materials are available through Sigma-Aldrich, and the current technology readiness level (TRL) stands at 3 with proof-of-concept results and commercial sales.  At the end of this Phase I project we will have produced prototype organic PVs in the laboratory (TRL 4) and a successful Phase II project would lead to several commercial n-type organic semiconductor products being used in the full scale production of lightweight flexible PVs (TRL 6).
Space Propulsion Group, Inc. proposes to conduct systems studies to quantify the performance and cost advantages of Nytrox oxidizers for small launch vehicles. This new class of oxidizers is composed of mixtures of nitrous oxide (N2O) and oxygen (O2) and has significant advantages over the pure oxidizers, some of which can be summarized as 1) higher density, Isp and safer operation compared to N2O, 2) non-cryogenic operation and ease of development of stable and efficient motors compared to LOX. Thus Nytrox is expected to be an important enabling technology for developing low cost, high performance NanoSat launch vehicles. The primary goal of the Phase I effort is to quantify the increase in the payload mass by changing the oxidizer from N2O to Nytrox for the upper stages of a small launch system.  In the proposed effort the cost and operational issues associated with producing, transporting and storing the Nytrox oxidizers shall be also be quantified. The planning for the third stage motor development and ground testing that will be conducted in Phase II shall be started in Phase I.  Technology Readiness Level ranges of 2-3 and 5-6 are expected at the end of the Phase I and II, respectively.
NASA's vision for future exploration-class missions has made countermeasures for muscle atrophy, bone loss and cardiovascular deconditioning areas of major research design and development within the U.S. space program. Due to restricted volume and mass capabilities within the newly-developing Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), there is a need for a multi-functional, compact exercise machine that can incorporate both resistive and aerobic exercise capabilities during lunar sortie missions.   The proposed innovation is an exercise device, the multi-functional Constant Force Resistive Exercise Unit (CFREU), that can provide a whole-body workout for aerobic exercise and resistive exercise.  The device provides constant force eccentrically and concentrically during multiple exercise configurations, allows resistance selection in 2.5kg increments, requires no power to operate, requires no on-orbit maintenance, and can be stowed in an area of 1 cubic foot. During the Phase I performance period, we propose to develop a prototype of this device and a feasibility assessment of the design for spaceflight and commercial use.
Thermal Management of Solid-State Devices Using Nanotechnology Project
Order of magnitude enhancement of AlGaN UV photo-detector efficiency Project
Organic Thin Film Transistor for Microfluidic Flow Cytometry Project
Highly Reliable LOX Pump for Vehicle Loading Operations Project
Superconducting Digital Multiplexers for Sensor Arrays Project
Active Skin for Turbulent Drag Reduction Project
The detection and isolation of air vehicle process failures is difficult
because air vehicle dynamics are nonlinear and the vehicle has many
important and complicated sub-systems.  The fault diagnosis performance
is further complicated by the presence of sensor failures. In this
proposal, Intelligent Automation, Incorporated (IAI) proposes a novel
approach to perform simultaneous diagnosis of sensor and process faults
for air vehicles. This algorithm can be embedded into low cost
electronics. First, two independent residual vectors (RVs) for detection
and isolation of the sensor and process faults are built. This is in
sharp contrast to conventional methods, which can deal with either
sensor failures or process failures but never both. Second, to isolate
faults, the RV is transformed into a set of structured residual vectors
(SRVs), where one SRV is made insensitive to a specified subset of
faults, while remaining sensitive to other faults. The proposed
technology is relevant to this subtopic because we will develop an
electronic module that can be embedded in low cost sensor electronics to
quickly identify both sensor and process faults.
Next Generation Data Management of Large-Scale CFD Simulations Project
Low-Cost, Polymer-Derived Interface Coatings for CMC Applications Project
Deployable Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) Project
Distributed Fiber-optic Electrostatic Potential Sensor System for Spacecrafts Project
Enhanced Blackbody Sensors for the Quench Module Insert Project
High Performance and Low Cost Hybrid Microwave Structure Project
Efficient Air Traffic Scenario Generation Project
A Tool for the Evaluation of Proposed TFM Initiatives Project
Microwave-pumped GaAs far infrared photoconductor Project
Hybrid Data System and Ion Detector for TOF Mass Spectrometry Project
Development of High Frequency Excitation Devices for Noise Reduction Project
High Temperature Polyimides for Resin Transfer Molding Process Project
A low-power and high performance stereo vision processor for robotic navigation Project
Gamma Detector Modular Assemblies for EXIST Project
A 20K Cooler for the Spaceport of Liquid Hydrogen Project
Ultrasonic Tape Laminated Cryogenic Tank Structures Processed Outside Autoclave Project
Novel Lightweight, Low-Cost, Aerogel Materials as Insulation for Cryogenic Tanks Project
Nitrous Oxide Propulsion System Project
This proposal addresses the need for compact, lightweight packaging to
cool high heat producing electronics.  Technology Assessment &amp;amp;
Transfer, Inc. (TA&amp;amp;T) proposes to develop three dimensional (3D)
packages consisting of stacked AlN substrates with integral
microstructured flow-through heat exchangers.  Of the packaging
materials in common use today, AlN offers the best coefficient of
thermal expansion (CTE) match to Si and SiC semiconductor chips.  By
incorporating the primary heat removal functionality into the
electrically-insulating ceramic substrate, this packaging approach
eliminates the need for separate baseplates and heatsinks made of
materials with dissimilar thermal expansion.  In Phase I, advanced
microstructured heat exchangers will be designed and fabricated.  Heat
transfer testing will verify analytical and computational predictions.
Based on these results, specific NASA electronic module applications
will be identified that demonstrate the benefits of this 3D packaging
approach.  Phase II will focus on designing/fabricating and testing
power module designs based on the Cold Cube thermal packaging
configuration.  NASA applications include thermal packaging for high
power microwave transmitters, power conditioning devices and high
density avionics and MEMs packaging.
Improved Efficiency and Stability in Lightweight Polymeric Photovoltaic Devices Project
Constraint-based Analysis of Aircraft Operations Project
One of the main issues for III-nitride growth is the lack of a suitable
native substrate.  Growth on foreign substrates such as sapphire or SiC
results in nitride material with a high density of defects due to large
mismatches in lattice constant and thermal expansion.  Nonetheless,
nitride devices grown on these substrates have demonstrated optical and
electronic properties that are practically unmatched by other material
systems.  In particular, the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility
transistors (HEMTs) constitute a leading candidate for simultaneously
realizing ultrahigh-frequency low-noise amplifiers and power amplifiers.
Here, we propose to use high quality bulk GaN and AlN substrates for
substantial improvements in the operation of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.  We also
propose a method of isolating the n-type substrate from the active
layer.  In this way, we take advantage of the reduced thermal and
lattice mismatch, lower density of treading dislocations, and improved
thermal conductance to significantly improve the dc and RF operation of
these devices. Some projected HEMT device parameters to achieve are a
current density &amp;gt; 1.5A/mm, extrinsic transconductance values &amp;gt; 400
mS/mm, fmax &amp;gt; 200 GHz, and power density &amp;gt; 10 W/mm at 40 GHz.
Optical Nutrients Monitor for Bioreactor Applications in Zero Gravity Project
Optical switches for secure quantum encryption data transmission network Project
Grid Computing for Commercial Applications Project
Interactive Electronic Procedure Management System Project
Universal Stabilized Platform for Hyperspectral Sensors Project
SATS Virtual Market Place Facilitating Traffic Flow Management Project
Portable Gene Expression Array Reader for NASA Applications Project
The Double-Mixing Vortex Mixer/Injector Project
Next Generation Write Head for Commercial Holographic Data Storage Project
Photonic Phased Array Antenna Project
Laser Doping for Silicon Carbide Device Fabrication Project
Advanced Microbial Monitoring System for Space Flight Applications Project
MEMS ELECTROCHEMICAL POWER SUPPLY FOR MINIATURE SATELLITES Project
Artificial Neural Net Chemistry Module for Large Eddy Simulations Project
Fabry-Perot Double-Cavity Optically Controlled Narrow Tunable Bandpass Filter Project
Magnetically Enhanced Vacuum Arc Thruster Project
The overall objective of this project is to develop a drag and drop,
component library (fluidic lego) based, system simulation and
optimization software for entire lab-on-chip systems.  Current
approaches for biochip system design are either very inefficient
(trial-and-error based) or time-consuming (high-fidelity
simulation-based).  The proposed tool will benefit the biochip community
by tremendously shortening design optimization times (minutes).
Representation of complex, interacting physico-chemical processes of a
biochip in a system design tool is a formidable challenge.  Our
innovative solution seeks to use state-of-the-art high-fidelity
simulations to develop and train Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based
models for different components of a biochip.  The Phase I effort will
focus on proof-of-concept by (a) Development of multiphysics
simulation-based ANN models for typical components of a biochip; (b)
Demonstration of capabilities of the developed ANN model through
optimization of a micromixing biochip.  In Phase II, we will further
develop and refine ANN models to account for additional multiphysics
effects (electrokinetics, biochemistry, etc.) and dynamic response.  The
final product will feature a comprehensive library of components along
with a user-friendly graphical user interface.  CFDRC is the technology
leader in multiphysics simulations for the biochip industry, and very
well placed to successfully undertake this challenging task.
Implantable, space-worthy, batteryless biotelemetric monitor for animal studies Project
A Wireless Communications Platform for Implantable Microinstruments Project
Embedded Dual-Function Arc Fault Circuit Breaker/ Locator based on OSA Project
Chronic Telemetric Biofluid Flow Monitoring Device Project
High energy density Li-ion polymer batteries with nanocomposite cathodes Project
Reclamation of Space Mission Water Project
MHD Power Generation and Aerodynamic Control for Planetary Entry Vehicles Project
Flight-based instrumentation for in situ measurements of multiple trace gases Project
Sputter-Resistant Materials for Electric Propulsion Project
Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking Techniques Project
A High Repetition Rate, Low Voltage EO Q-Switch for Lightweight Pulsed Laser Project
Omnidirectional Narrow Band Pass, band Pass and Band Blocking IR Filters Project
Front Turbine Engine Concept Project
SPHERES-derived Mars Orbiting Sample Retrieval Testbed (SPHERES MOSR) Project
Gyroplane Development and Demonstration using a Unique Bearingless Rotor System Project
Design Sensitivities of Response/Fatigue Life of Panels to Thermo-Acoustic Loads Project
Wireless Ethernet-based Data Acquisition System (WEBDAS) Project
Production of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Catalytic Disproportionation ... Project
Automated, Universal Software for Cloud and Cloud Shadow Detection in RS Data Project
Pultrusion Technology for Production of Carbon/Ticona-41 Liquid Crystal Prepreg Project
Lightweight Active Nanolaminate Mirror with Wireless Shape Control Project
Technologies for Momentum-Exchange/Electrodynamic-Reboost Tether Facilities Project
The cryogenic evaluation of typical and experimental filament winding materials Project
Pulse shaping fiber laser for high rate space telecommunications Project
Lightweight High Spatial Frequency Active Mirror Using E Beam Control Project
Real-time Aeroelastic Measurement System (RAMS) for in-Flight Flutter Testing Project
Interfacing Design Code and Simulation Code for Biological Shielding Project
Lightweight Active Nanolaminate Mirror with Wireless Shape Control Project
Radiation Resistant, Improved Emissivity Solar Cell System using PBO Film Project
Crew Activity Analyzer Project
Compact X-ray Tube with Carbon Nanotube Cathode Project
SEE enhancement of advanced commercial microprocessors for Space Applications Project
Cryogenic Propellant Insulation Program Project
Sensitive and Specific Detection of Early Warning Fire Signatures Project
A Versatile Apparatus and Method for Remote Autonomous Robot Mobility Project
In Situ Lidar for Cloud and Aerosol Radiation Sciences Project
Laser Gain Media for Wavelength Specific Applications Project
High Pressure Micro-Sampling System for In Situ Deep Subsurface Measurements Project
Economical Fabrication of Thick-Section Ceramic Matrix Composites, Phase II Project
Novel Force Sensor for Robotics Project
Distributed Operations Software for Wireless Handheld Computers Project
Acoustic Test Method for Turbofan Engine Exhaust Systems at Cruise Conditions Project
Mini-Cell Ion Mobility Spectrometer for In Situ Chemical Analysis Project
Microwave Rain Gauge Project
Finite Element based Fracture Mechanics using Multidisciplinary Approach Project
High Temperature Capacitors for Power Converters Project
A Reusable and Autonomous Ocean-Atmosphere Sensor Integration System (OASIS) Project
Low-Noise High-Resolution Vacuum Compatible Multiplexed DM Electronics Project
3D Antenna Array and GPS Receiver for Combined Navigation/Attitude Determination Project
Large Inflatable Self-Rigidizing Polymer Film Structures Project
A Wireless Smart Sensor System for Monitoring EMG Signals Project
Bluetooth Wireless Wearable Modular Medical Instrumentation Project
Deep Space Power and Propulsion Systems Project
A Distributed Guidance And Control System For Satellite Constellations Project
SEE enhancement of advanced commercial microprocessors for Space Applications Project
Fabrication and Test of HTS Coils for the VASIMR Experiment Project
High Power Platform for the Stretched Lens Array Project
Thermal Management of Solid-State Devices Using Nanotechnology Project
Design Sensitivities of Response/Fatigue Life of Panels to Thermo-Acoustic Loads Project
The need to acquire observations on oceanic and atmospheric physical and
biogeochemical processes continues to increase. These data are presently
being used as initial conditions for model forecasts, for creating
climatological fields, for calibration and validation of remotely sensed
data, for model data assimilation, and for flux estimates. Presently,
autonomous sensor platforms have been designed as low cost expendables
and are capable of taking measurements of temperature, salinity, wind
speed, and bio-optics. Recent advances in the development of in situ
ocean sensors will shortly allow these autonomous sensors to also obtain
measurements of pCO2, nitrate, silicate, ammonium, and iron. However, as
more sensors are included on the sensor package, the ability to use them
as expendables is reduced dramatically. This proposal seeks to
investigate the development and testing of a new low-cost sensor
platform that would be capable of retrieval and reuse. The goal would be
to develop a self-navigating, self-powered platform controlled via
two-way satellite communication. This instrument platform could then be
augmented with a wide variety of presently available oceanic and
atmospheric sensors.
Robust Flow Control For Radically Enhanced Natural Laminar Flow Wings Project
Simulation and Analysis of Socio-Technical Risk using SpecTRM Project
Wireless Ethernet-based Data Acquisition System (WEBDAS) Project
Miniature Intelligent Sensor Electronics Project
Diamond-Based Sub Millimeter Backward Wave Oscillator Project
High energy density Li-ion polymer batteries with nanocomposite cathodes Project
Acoustic Emission Sensor for Spacecraft Applications Project
Advanced Aircraft Parachute Recovery System Project
Affordable Composite Fan Containment Case with Integral Toughening Elements Project
Radiation tolerant non volatile memory with Hard by Design Techniques Project
Highly Reliable LOX Pump for Vehicle Loading Operations Project
Ultra-small, low-cost Earth horizon sensor Project
Differencing Electrostatic Optical Sensor (DEOS) Project
Co-Generation of High Purity Hydrogen and Electric Power Project
Remote On-demand Networked Distributed Operations (RONDO) Project
Enhanced Blackbody Sensors for the Quench Module Insert Project
BrahmsVE: Proof of Concept for Human/Agent Intelligent Augmentation Project
Low-Current Superconducting Magnets Operating at up to 10K Project
Cryogenic Propellant Insulation Program Project
NASA requires dramatic advancements in material properties to improve
launch vehicles, spacecraft, and the space station?s performance. Our
plan is to provide: 1) Continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) composite fibers
stronger than 10 GPa and tougher than any known material. 2) CNT fiber
composites stronger than 6 GPa. We propose to develop hierarchical
composites comprising continuous CNT composite fibers in CNT-reinforced
matrices (CPMs).  We plan to: (1) Produce continuous CNT fibers with
tensile strength &amp;gt;10 GPa and toughness &amp;gt;1000 J/g; (2) Develop CPMs
optimized for application with CNT composite fibers; (3) Integrate
continuous CNT fibers with CPMs to produce CNT fiber/CPM composites with
tensile strength of &amp;gt; 6 GPa, twice the specific strength of carbon
fiber/epoxy composites, and a toughness higher than any known material.
This program builds on two recent breakthroughs. Zyvex?s CNT
solubilization technique dramatically increases organic solubility of
CNTs without degrading their properties. A 5&amp;#37; loading of CNTs triples
the tensile strength of cast epoxy. The UTD group produced continuous
CNT composite fibers having quadruple the specific strength and double
the modulus of the best steel wire and 20 times the toughness. These
fibers provide a toughness of 600 J/g, much higher than any previously
known material.
A Reconfigurable, Decentralized Framework for Formation Flying Control Project
Integrated Device to Sample and Identify Surface Microorganisms Project
An Intelligent Interface Construction and Evaluation Assistant Project
A 20K Cooler for the Spaceport of Liquid Hydrogen Project
Organic Rubber Aerogel as Thermal Insulation and Radiation Shield Project
Autonomous Tethered Corer for Deep Drilling Project
Pixelized Device Control Project
SiGe Semiconductor Devices for High-Performance Cryogenic Power Electronics Project
Maneuvering Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Project
Spaceport Compatible Optical Sensor Suite for Hazardous Gas Detection Project
Intelligent Displays for Time-Critical Maneuvering of Multi-Axis Vehicles Project
Low Cost Al/Diamond Composites for Thermal Management Applications Project
Advanced Volumetric Visualization Using CBDs for Aviation Range Safety and Air T Project
Lightweight radiation shielding materials with carbon nanotube reinforcements Project
Enabling Cluster Based Architecture for Virtual Platforms and Sensor Webs Project
Advanced Monitoring System for Space Flight Applications Project
Stress-induced bandgap-shifted titania photocatalyst for hydrogen generation Project
Design and Manufacture of Lightweight Composite Fan Case Project
Acoustic Shear Stress Sensor for Flight Research Project
New Structures for Large Sensor Array Platforms Project
High-Power Pump Laser for Ozone Lidar Project
Chronic Telemetric Biofluid Flow Monitoring Device Project
Void Fraction Sensor for Packed-Bed Reactors in Microgravity Project
Active Sensors Project
Biodegradable Nanocomposites for Advanced Packaging Project
Highly Effective Thermoelectric Coolers Project
Lightweight Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell Project
High Temperature Polyimides for Resin Transfer Molding Process Project
Control Instrumentation for Advanced Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators Project
Circular Mass Spectrometer for High Speed Gas Analysis Project
Next Generation Data Management of Large-Scale CFD Simulations Project
A Tool for the Evaluation of Proposed TFM Initiatives Project
SensorLine: A Distributed Sensor System for Planetary Exploration Project
Quantum-Cascade-Laser-Seeded OPO for DIAL Project
Carbon based aerogel composites for radiation shielding Project
Novel Titanium-based Lattice Block Structures Project
Optical Sensor for Detection of Fatigue Damage Precursors Project
Discovering Stress Related Gene Transcript for Bioreactor Monitoring Project
Integration of Unmanned Air Vehicles with the National Airspace System Project
Microwave Powered Solid Waste Stabilization and Water Recovery Project
A 32x32 CTIA readout multiplexer for far IR detector arrays Project
Development of Ultra-smooth Diamond Tooling for Machining Lightweight Mirrors Project
The overall objective is to develop a ?mixed-methodology?, drag and
drop, component library (fluidic-lego)-based, system design and
optimization tool for complex lab-on-a-chip systems.  Experiments-based
design is expensive and time-consuming.  Full multiphysics simulations,
while successful in designing components, are computationally infeasible
for system design.  The proposed tool will accelerate (days to minutes)
and simplify (non-expert vs. expert) biomicrofluidic system design.
Simple representation of complex, interacting physico-bio-chemical
processes is a formidable challenge.  Our innovative ?mixed-methodology?
solution seamlessly exchanges information between vastly different
methodologies, (Artificial Neural Network, Differential Algebraic
Equation, Analytical and High-fidelity).  In Phase I, we have developed
a hierarchical software consisting of System Designer (GUI), System
Solver and component models.  Proof-of-concept was successfully
demonstrated, (compared to high-fidelity simulations), by characterizing
a candidate biomicrosystem in a fast (350 fold reduction, 1.5 hour to 15
seconds), intuitive manner, while retaining accuracy (~10&amp;#37; difference).
Phase II will feature enhanced component models and system solver for
multiphysics phenomena (electrokinetics, biochemistry, capillary and
hemodynamics), augmented GUI functionalities and extended library of
microfluidic components.  An expert advisory board (NASA, academia,
industry) will guide the multidisciplinary development team.  CFDRC is
committed to developing simulation tools for biotechnology, and will
leverage its considerable expertise and resources toward successful commercialization.
Magnetically Enhanced Vacuum Arc Thruster Project
Flight-based instrumentation for in situ measurements of multiple trace gases Project
Diamonite(TM)-bonded C/C Composite for Thermal Protection of Re-entry Bodies Project
Deployable Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) Project
Networks in Organizational Risk Management Project
BasinTools Module 1, Online Remote Sensing Interface Project
New and Improved Classifiers for Fault Diagnosis Project
Multilayer Fiber Interface Coatings for Improved Environmental Resistance and Slip in Ceramic Matrix Composites, Phase II Project
Spaceflight Urine Analysis System Project
Low Cost/Mass Electrostatically Clean Solar Array (ESCA) System Project
Nanostructured Cathode Materials for High Energy Density Lithium Batteries Project
2D/3D Hybrid Composite Structure Integration Project
Spaceflight Urine Analysis System Project
Advanced Flow Analyses in Complex Feed Systems Project
Comprehensive Uncertainty Estimation for CFD Project
Microporous Carbon for Radiation Shielding and Hydrogen Storage Project
Dynamic Transfer Function Measurements for Cavitating Pumps Project
A 32x32 CTIA readout multiplexer for far IR detector arrays Project
Concept for Tether Current Collection Using Grid -Sphere Electrodes Project
An Ultra-Lightweight, High Performance Carbon-Carbon Space Radiator Project
LOW-CURRENT SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS OPERATING AT UP TO 10K Project
A Novel Transition Edge High Tc Superconducting Bolometer Using CCVD thin films Project
Control of Systems with Actuator Failures Project
New and Improved Classifiers for Fault Diagnosis Project
SensorLine: A Distributed Sensor System for Planetary Exploration Project
Laser Chemical Etching of Spectrometer Gratings Project
Autonomous Optical Navigation for Planetary Orbiters Project
In-Situ Hydrothermal Vent Isotope Ratiometer Project
Ultrahigh Volumetric Energy Density PEM Fuel Cells Project
BrahmsVE: Proof of Concept for Human/Agent Intelligent Augmentation Project
A Plan Execution System For Web-Based Scientific Data Integration Project
Ultrahigh Energy Propulsion By Pulsed Magnetic Field Compression of Fissile Plas Project
High Performance, Microfabricated Converters for Space Science Missions Project
Advanced Liquid Crystal on Silicon Optical Phased Arrays Project
Surface Enhanced Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes for Near-IR Detection Project
FLIGHT WEIGHT MAGNETS USING CARBON NANOTUBES Project
Pulse shaping fiber laser for high rate space telecommunications Project
Rational Engineering of Carbon Nanotube Surfaces Project
Synthetic Thinned Aperture Radiometer Boom Using Resilient Structures Technology Project
Crew Activity Analyzer Project
Rayleigh/Mie Lidar for Non-intrusive Measurement of Aircraft Air Data Parameters Project
Silicon Lighweight Mirrors (SLMs) for UV and Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Mirrors Project
Magnesium Composites With Corrosion and Wear Resistant Coatings Project
Monitoring Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity of Anti-tumor Drugs in Microgravity Project
Integrated Ejector Pump Flow Control for Low-Pressure Turbine Project
High Heat Flux Evaporator for Two Phase Transport Loops Project
Self-Calibrating Vector Magnetometer Project
Principal Component Analysis for Feature Extraction from One Dimensional Signals Project
Exploiting Unusual Characteristics of Photonic Crystals for Novel Optical Device Project
NAS-Wide Environmental Modeling of Alternative Airspace Concepts Project
Mesoporous Catalysts for Ambient Temperature Aqueous Phase Oxidation Project
Design-Oriented Aeroservoelastic ZAERO Capability for 3D Configuration Shape MDO Project
Characterization and synthesis of carbon nano-materials by LDI-IM TOF MS Project
Pixelized Device Control Project
FRET Aptamer-Based Glucose Sensor for the Rotating Space BioReactor Project
Rich Annotation of Images Project
Real-time Aeroelastic Measurement System (RAMS) for in-Flight Flutter Testing Project
Circular Mass Spectrometer for High Speed Gas Analysis Project
The Phase I project successfully demonstrated that the advanced non-contacting stress measurement system (NSMS) was able to address closely spaced modes and blade-to-blade variations (mistuning).  MSI's advanced NSMS method uses a radar-based blade vibration measurement system with the following capabilities:
?	Provides a continuous time series of blade displacement data over a portion of a revolution (solving the under sampling problem). 
?	Includes data reduction algorithms to directly calculate the blade vibration frequency, modal displacement, and vibratory stress (solving the mode inference problem). 
?	Uses a single sensor per stage to monitor all of the blades on the stage.
The Phase II work begins by confirming the sensor calibration process, modifying the sensor module so it is compatible as an upgrade to existing NSMS system, and improving and finalizing the NSMS software.  The result will be a stand-alone radar/tip timing radar module for current conventional NSMS users (as an upgrade) and new users.  The hybrid system will use frequency data and relative mode vibration levels from the radar sensor to provide substantially superior capabilities over current blade vibration technology.  This frequency data, coupled with a reduced number of tip timing probes, will result in a system capable of detecting complex blade vibrations which would confound traditional NSMS systems.  The hardware and software package will be validated on an existing compressor rig at MSI.  Finally, the hybrid radar/tip timing NSMS software package and associated sensor hardware will be installed for use in the NASA GRC spin pit test facility.  MSI will also supply the stand-alone radar module to a major engine prime.
NASA has identified the need for development of technologies to support Lunar Lander and Lunar Habitats programs and for transfer of relevant technology to Crew Exploration Vehicle and Crew Launch Vehicle programs, including revolutionary advances in shielding materials to protect humans from the hazards of space radiation.  To address this need and in response to NASA Subtopic X6.03, International Scientific Technologies, Inc. in conjunction with the College of William and Mary, proposed in Phase I the development of hydrogen-rich monomers for high performance polymers, such as aromatic polyimides, and the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles into nanocomposite materials to achieve multifunctional properties.  The Phase II Technical Objectives include synthesis and characterization of hydrogen-rich monomers, fabrication and tailoring of high performance nanocomposite materials, acquisition of test data to determine key parameters of hydrogen-rich, multifunctional nanocomposite materials, and optimization of prototype hydrogen-rich, multifunctional materials.  The Phase I program demonstrated that hydrogen-rich monomers can be prepared and polymerized with metallic nanoparticles.  The feasibility established in Phase I will be realized in Phase II through development of polymeric nanocomposite materials consisting of hydrogen-rich monomers and metallic nanoparticles.  The nancomposite materials will have multifunctional properties, including radiation shielding against galactic cosmic radiation, neutrons and electromagnetic radiation, structural integrity for flexible and rigid structures and habitats, and electrical conductivity for electrostatic control for dust mitigation during lunar missions.
Feasibility study including analysis and experiment performed in Phase I indicated that several singled-ended optical scintillometer and retro-reflector pairs installed on towers or poles are able to develop a vertical profile of near ground atmospheric turbulence and wind measurements in airport environment.  In Phase II, OSI proposes to design, fabricate and test a prototype optical vertical profile system for atmospheric turbulence and crosswind measurements to provide critical atmospheric parameters for wake vortex decaying forecasting modeling.  Several scintillometers will be built with the goal to demonstrate their ability to meet performance, size, weight, and packaging requirements for airport operations. An analytical and field test program will be conducted for further performance improvement of a vertical profile vortex detection system using optical scintillometers to measure near ground level crosswind, turbulence, and wake vortex on an airfield.  The results of  near ground vortex measurements plus the ground vortex measurements by double-ended optical scintillometers will provide the necessary assessment to design a crosswind, turbulence, and vortex detection system as a decision support tool for NASA's Airspace Systems (AS) Program to improve airport capacity and safety.
 
The vortex detection system could also measure downdraft on the runway. The instrument will provide real-time continuous measurements of convergence and divergence along the runway. Vertical winds, and hence the downdraft, can be derived from the measured divergence. The proposed vortex detection system will also be able to provide critical large area wind information. By incorporating this valuable information into the low-level wind shear modeling, it will greatly enhance the performance of the present airport low-level wind shear systems.
A Solid Expellant Plasma Source/Contactor for Electrodynamic Tethers Project
A Graded Density SiC Foam for Lightweight Optics Project
Docking Sensor and Guidance System for Unmanned Micro-Satellites Project
Super High Expansion Ratio Reflector for Picosat Antennae, SHERRPA Project
Solid Waste Compaction and Dehumidification System Project
High Temperature Polymer Nanocomposites for Cryogenic Fuel Tanks Project
Deep Space Power and Propulsion Systems Project
A Distributed Guidance And Control System For Satellite Constellations Project
Multi-dimensional fluorescence microscope Project
Intent Inference Algorithm Project
Reducing Symptomatology of Space Adaptation Syndrome through Perceptual Training Project
Data Mining Tool for Fleet Management Project
Extended range profiling Project
Multipurpose Li-Ion Spacecraft Battery Project
Better Pressure Vessel Impact Resistance Utilizing Filament Wound Hybrid Fibers. Project
Electrochemical Ethylene Sensor for Monitoring Low Levels in Plant Environments Project
Cassette Based Robotic Multiple Cell Culture System Project
Web-Based Hurricane Storm Surge and Flood Forecasting Using Optimized IFSAR Bald Earth DEMs Project
Thermal Spray of UV/Visible Light-Curable Polymide Powders Project
Integrated Video for Synthetic Vision Systems Project
SiC-Microhotplate Sensor Array for Spacecraft Environmental Monitoring Project
Robust, High Temperature Containment Cartridges for Microgravity Project
A Compact, Low-Power Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer Project
Collaborative Routing Rationing Algorithm Project
MEMS ELISA Instrument for Automated Assays in Space Project
Flow Driven Oscillating Vortex Generators for Control of Boundary Layer Dynamics Project
Long Life, High Energy Silver/Zinc Batteries Project
Thermophotovoltaic and Thermionic Power Systems with Film Concentrators Project
High Conductivity thermal Management Materials Project
Composite Grids for Ion Thruster Project
High Efficiency Digital X-ray Detector Project
Ultrahigh Throughput Flow Cytometer for Cell and Molecular Analysis in uG Project
Revolutionary Runway Independent Aircraft Flight Simulation Technology Project
Atmospheric Correction of Remote Imagery Using Ground-based Radiometers Project
Cavitation Model for Turbopumps in Liquid Rocket Systems Project
Com+ Simulation Architecture With Application To Tethers And Formation Flying Project
Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors for Space-Based Nuclear Reactors Project
Spacecraft Formation Control with Direct Interferometer-Output Feedback Project
Cryogenic Flow Sensor for Densified and Two Phase Flows (Cryometer) Project
Autonomous Mars Airplane Navigation (AMAN) Project
High-Performance, Low-Sonic-Boom Supersonic Cruise Inlet Project
Lunar Regolith Processing System (LRPS) Project
Smart Thin Film NiTi Based Membranes for Space Based Deployables Project
Long-Lived Solar Concentrator for Space Power Project
A Solid Expellant Plasma Source/Contactor for Electrodynamic Tethers Project
Novel Catalysts for HAN/HEHN Based Monopropellants Project
A Magnetic Refrigerator for Cooling at 2 K Project
High Thermal Conductivity Textiles Project
Rich Media Engine for Collaborative Workspaces Project
Solid Hydrogen Particle Propulsion (SHPP) Project
Environmental Control Subsystems for Hyperbaric Chambers Project
Wide-Bandgap CIAS Photovoltaic Absorber on Flexible Substrates Project
The objective of this proposal is to investigate how DiscoveryToolsTM, a
knowledge acquisition tool for capturing, representing and automating
strategic knowledge, can be applied to spacecraft launch and payload
processing (SL&amp;amp;PP).  Primary focus will be placed on capturing
knowledge and rationale for facilitating spacecraft launch and payload
processing.  DiscoveryTools allows process engineers to identify control
processes. It also enables graphical display of the control processes
and algorithms. This can, and should be, immensely useful for spacecraft
launch and payload process engineers and operators.  The DiscoveryTools
interface allows the engineer to simulate and monitor a process as it
executes, which means that needed changes can be identified and
corrected without recoding.  This potentially saves time and effort, and
because the control process is explicitly represented as knowledge, it
can be stored, manipulated, shared, and edited as knowledge.  Here we
investigate how DiscoveryToolsTM can support SL&amp;amp;PP and how it can be
enhanced to better support SL&amp;amp;PP in the future.
Production of Novel Structural Glasses from Planetary Materials Project
Calibration of 2D Hyperspectral Focal Planes Project
Trojan Phage Crystallization System Project
Transoner Power Transfer for TWT Power Systems Project
Novel Reagent-less Protein Detection Using Nanotechnology Project
Intelligent Wireless Sensor Communication for Health Monitoring Project
Optimal Path Planning Toolbox for Formation Flying Spacecraft Missions Project
Measurement/Model of Effects of Grazing Flow on Resonator Impedance Project
Acoustic Test Method for Turbofan Engine Exhaust Systems at Cruise Conditions Project
Novel polyethers doped with insulating oxides are used to prepare solid
polymer electrolytes for high energy density lithium batteries.  The
electrolytes are characterized for conductivity and electrochemical
stability. Prototype lithium-polymer cells with high voltage cathodes
will be fabricated and feasibility demonstrated for rate capability and cyclability.
An Intelligent Interface Design Elicitor and Construction Assistant Project
AlN 3D Thermal Packaging Project
The development and implementation of passive phased array antennas
(PAAs) offers significant performance benefits over the current active
arrays. The keys to successful development are the low-loss phase
shifters and the integration of these phase shifters into a modular and
scaleable antenna architecture for broad utilization for high data rate
communications.  The Phase 1 effort demonstrated a 3.0 dB 360-degree
finline phase shifter at 25.25 to 27.5 GHz. The proposed effort will
build on this Phase I phase shifter development and include the design,
simulation, testing and integration of the rest of the antenna design
and packaging for ease of manufacturing and scalability such that ~15dBi
gain antenna is built and delivered to NASA for evaluation.
Diode-Pumped Neodymium-Yttria Laser for Ozone Lidar Project
The overall goal of SouthWest Nanotechnologies (SWeNT) is the
development of superior technology for the large-scale manufacturing and
marketing of nanotubes of unique quality for near-term specialty
applications.  The Phase I of this SBIR focused in demonstrating that
SWeNT's process can be scaled-up to a continuous-mode operation.  In the
commercialization aspects, the company focused on developing strong
partnerships with companies such as Dupont, ChevronPhillips, General
Electric, Applied Nanotechnologies Inc., and Nomadics, who will use
nanotubes for their end-products.   The low operating costs and
scalability of the SWeNT's process, coupled with its versatility for
producing nanotubes with tailored structure are attractive
characteristics that may make this technology the preferred mode of
nanotube production.  The expertise developed at SWeNT may position the
company in a leading role in the field of nanotube-based materials. To
consolidate the technology and boost the commercialization of SWeNT's
products, phase 2 includes the expansion of the nanotube production
capabilities and the development of applications to take advantage of
the uniqueness of the SWeNT's process for tailoring nanotubes for each
specific application.  The targeted applications are directly relevant
to NASA's stated goals and include structural and conducting composites,
fuel cells, microelectronic parts, and field emission devices.
Pulsed Plasma Thruster Piezo-Igniter for Small Satellite Project
Ultrasonic Tape Laminated Cryogenic Tank Structures Processed Outside Autoclave Project
Transparent Integration of SINDA/G into Patran Project
A DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION MODEL FOR SPACEPORT OPERATIONS (SPACESIM) Project
Avionics Based Runway Incursion Prevention Project
Bit Transparent Ternary SERDES for Intra-System Data Transfer Project
Omnidirectional Narrow Band Pass, band Pass and Band Blocking IR Filters Project
Commercial Framework for Bi-Level Integrated System Synthesis Project
An Advanced SiC Power Switch for Deep Space Power Systems Project
A Hybrid Pyrolysis/Incineration System for Solid Waste Resource Recovery Project
In-Situ Extreme Environment Isotope Ratiometer Project
High-Power Ferrite Stripline Circulators/Isolators Project
Ultra-compact high power micro-chip lasers Project
An Advanced SiC Power Switch for Deep Space Power Systems Project
This firm has, in ongoing work in collaboration with the Air Force, NASA
and JPL, developed a unique Variable Emittance technology based on the
electrochromism of unique Conducting Polymers. This  comprises thin
(&amp;lt; 0.5 mm), flexible, lightweight (0.16 g/cm^2), variable area (0.5
cm^2 to 0.5 m^2), very low cost flat panels. Delta Emittance (DE) of
0.33 in space-qualified devices, and 0.53 in vacuum-durable unsealed
devices, has been demonstrated. All space durability tests e.g. thermal
vacuum, gamma-radiation and solar wind have been passed. A 90 cm2 panel
and Controller are scheduled to fly on NASA?s ST5 microsatellite mission
in 2004. A key technical barrier of this technology has however been the
need to encapsulate and hermetically seal devices in CsI windows, due to
a semi-solid electrolyte that does not function when completely
desiccated. This causes the DE of &amp;gt; 0.53 in unsealed devices to fall
to &amp;lt; 0.35 in sealed devices. The use of a just-discovered, truly
solid, room temperature molten salt electrolyte compatible with our
electrochromic system will permit the use of unsealed devices, allowing
DE of 0.53. Intelligent design,  with embedded sensors reading Emittance
directly, and coatings reducing Solar Absorptance to &amp;lt; 0.2, are also planned.
The proposed antenna is a Radial-Waveguide Array (RWA) that will operate
at Ka band, 25.5-27.5 GHz in transmit and receive for left-hand,
right-hand. This Phase I effort will develop the phase shifter element
and control distribution layer. This planar antenna has the ability to
reconfigure its beam width from a narrow, directive beam to a
sector-wide beam. The design is easily scaleable to support the desired
gain for the specific link. The design and the Parascan? phase shifter
technology that makes this antenna possible are unique to Paratek
Microwave, Inc. This antenna will enable NASA to realize a space-based
telemetry system for their reusable launch vehicles, with substantial
savings from their terrestrial-based telemetry systems and revolutionize
broadband network links for both terrestrial and SATCOM communication networks.
Intelligent Fault Tolerant Control of Spacecraft Project
Void Fraction Sensor for Packed-Bed Reactors in Microgravity Project
Carbon-Supported Amine Sorbent Monoliths for Carbon Dioxide Removal Project
Computer Controlled Optical Surfacing of Bare Beryllium Aspheric Optics Project
Self-Contained Distributed Cooling Module for High Heat Sources Project
Comprehensive Uncertainty Estimation for CFD Project
A High Resolution Ultra-wide FOV Telepresence Display Project
Establishing High Voltage Connector Designs and Test Standards for Space Use Project
Virtual National Airspace with Human Pilots and Controllers Project
Hermetically Sealed, Free Piston, Cylindrical Linear Pump Project
An Ultra-Lightweight, High Performance Carbon-Carbon Space Radiator Project
SATS Virtual Market Place Facilitating Traffic Flow Management Project
NAS-Wide Environmental Modeling of Alternative Airspace Concepts Project
Sn-SnSb Filled Carbon Fiber Anodes for High Energy Density Lithium Ion Batteries Project
Innovative Tungsten Alloys for Advanced Propulsion Systems Project
Distributed Fiber-optic Electrostatic Potential Sensor System for Spacecrafts Project
High Gain, Position Sensitive, Avalanche Photodiode for Optical Communication Project
All-digital, CMOS-based Photodiode Camera Project
Constraint-based Analysis of Aircraft Operations Project
Exploiting Unusual Characteristics of Photonic Crystals for Novel Optical Device Project
Rotational Molding of Thermoplastic Cryogenic Propellant Tanks Project
Advanced Cryogenic Fabry-Perot Interferometer Development Project
A Non-Intrusive Radar Sensor for Engine Vibration Monitoring Project
A switchable holographic circle to point converter for use in LIDAR receivers Project
Imaging Spectropolarimetric Sensor for Airborne and Ground Based Retrieval of Aerosol Properties Project
A Novel Thermo-Vacuum Microlith Adsorber for TCCS Project
UltraWIS Project
Low Power High Speed Digital Signal Isolator Project
Soft Magnetic Nanocomposites for High-Frequency Power Applications Project
A Cooperative Multi-Robot Control Architecture Project
Commercial GIS extension for visualization of large unstructured geospatial data Project
Photonic Phased Array Antenna Project
High Efficiency MEMS Based Cryocooler Project
High-Frequency, Low-Noise Nitride-Based Power Transistors Grown on Bulk III-N Project
New High-Barrier Polymer Nanocomposite Food Packaging Enables 5-Year Shelf-Life Project
Flow Driven Oscillating Vortex Generators for Control of Boundary Layer Dynamics Project
Long Life, High Energy Silver/Zinc Batteries Project
Automated Microbiological Water Quality Monitor Project
Novel Catalysts for HAN/HEHN based Monopropellants Project
Nanofabricated GC Project
Advanced Software For Design of Rocket Engine Turbopump Bearings Project
Scalable Reversible Components and Networks for Quantum Computing Project
Gyroscopic Resistive Exercise Technology Project
Incorporation of Silicon Carbide in MEMS-Based Micro-Rocket Engines Project
Biomolecular Construction of Optical Nanostructures Project
Networks in Organizational Risk Management Project
Acoustic Emission Sensor for Spacecraft Applications Project
SSG Precision Optronics proposes the development of a novel optical
manufacturing process that will allow the production of state-of-the-art
Silicon Carbide (SiC) optics.  The work proposed combines three
different manufacturing technologies, a slip cast SiC mirror forming
process and low temperature CVD SiC coating process, which have been
developed by SSG, and Computer Controlled Optical Surfacing technology
(CCOS) which has been developed by Tinsley, a subsidiary of SSG.  The
combination of these technologies will provide SiC optics with
state-of-the-art surface figures (low frequency and mid-frequency errors
will both be addressed) and low-scatter surface finishes.  SiC optics
offer a number of critical advantages for space-based optical systems.
The superior material properties of SiC provide a high degree of
lightweighting (70&amp;#37; - 90&amp;#37; of beryllium) and a superior thermal stability
(1.5x ? 2.5x better than ULE).  The manufacturing process proposed will
allow the technical advantages associated with SiC materials to be
realized, providing the capability to produce imaging mirrors which are
capable of providing excellent accuracies (&amp;lt;0.01 waves RMS), low
micro-roughness (&amp;lt; 10 Angstroms RMS), and very low areal densities
(~10 kg/m2 at an aperture of 1 meter) while maintaining the thermal
stability required for space-based imaging applications.  The quality
and micro-roughness of these optics will be good enough to address the
stressing needs associated with visible, UV and EUV wavebands.  In our
Phase I work the process development proposed will be verified by the
production of a lightweighted SiC aspheric mirror to a set of stressing
figure and finish requirements.
Cockpit System Situational Awarness Modeling Tool Project
System for Helium/Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams Project
Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Suite Project
Commercial GIS extension for visualization of large unstructured geospatial data Project
Miniature Intelligent Sensor Electronics Project
Distributed Operations Software for Wireless Handheld Computers Project
Electro-mechanical actuators and tunable reflectors based on carbon nanotubes Project
High-Power Pump Laser for Ozone Lidar Project
Quantum-Cascade-Laser-Seeded OPO for DIAL Project
Computer Controlled Optical Surfacing of Bare Beryllium Aspheric Optics Project
Lightweight High Spatial Frequency Active Mirror Using E Beam Control Project
Low-Power Aircraft Deicing System Project
Novel Force Sensor for Robotics Project
Integrated Multi-Range Rendezvous Control System Project
A Reconfigurable, Decentralized Framework for Formation Flying Control Project
Precision Ultrasensitive Micromotion Interferometer Project
On-demand, Controller-based Simulation for Human-Automation Training Project
Interfacing Design Code and Simulation Code for Biological Shielding Project
Flexible, Low CTE Composites for Precision Deployable Structures Project
Co-Generation of High Purity Hydrogen and Electric Power Project
Holographic Inter-Spacecraft Transceiver System Project
Orbital Pump for Microgravity Applications Project
Novel Titanium-based Lattice Block Structures Project
Tunable, High Power Fiber Optic Laser for Lidar Applications Project
High Gain, Position Sensitive, Avalanche Photodiode for Optical Communication Project
Optical Sensor for Detection of Fatigue Damage Precursors Project
An Ultra-Narrow Tunable Optical Bandpass Filter Project
Fortification of Shelf Stable Formulated Foods with Antioxidants Project
Commercial Framework for Bi-Level Integrated System Synthesis Project
Integrated Device to Sample and Identify Surface Microorganisms Project
Transdermal Delivery System for Therapeutic Molecules Project
High-throughput Tilt-compensated Interferometer Project
All-digital, CMOS-based Photodiode Camera Project
Innovative Tungsten Alloys for Advanced Propulsion Systems Project
Ultra-small, low-cost Earth horizon sensor Project
Helium Loop Heat Pipe for Large Area Cryocooling Project
High Temperature Capacitors for Power Converters Project
High Efficiency MEMS Based Cryocooler Project
Radiation Resistant, Improved Emissivity Solar Cell System using PBO Film Project
A High Resolution Ultra-wide FOV Telepresence Display Project
Intelligent Procedure Tracking and Assistance Project
Acoustic Shear Stress Sensor for Flight Research Project
Control Instrumentation for Advanced Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators Project
A Microsatellite Propulsion Module for Micro-spacecraft based on Gel-propellant Project
SATS- Lean Technology Design (LTD) Project
Micromachined Interconnects for RF MEMS Relays Project
Flight Test Development of the X43A-LS Reusable Launch Vehicle Project
Advanced Boundary and Alignment Actuation for Improvement of Large Membrane Optical Figure Project
Intent Inference Algorithm Project
An Ultra-Narrow Tunable Optical Bandpass Filter Project
Ultra Wide band Water Sensor Project
Tunable, High Power Fiber Optic Laser for Lidar Applications Project
A High Performance, Low Mass, XPS for Biosignature Detection Project
Lightweight Cryogenic Radiator Project
Cytometer on a Chip Project
This work further developed a highly promising Variable Emittance
technology for spacecraft thermal control based on Conducting Polymer
(CP) electrochromics developed earlier by this firm  with the Air Force,
NASA and JPL, with: Extremely thin (&amp;lt; 0.2 mm), flexible (plastic),
lightweight (0.176 kg/m^2), extremely durable, variable area (0.5  cm^2
-  0.5 m^2), flat-panel construction; high Delta Emittance (DE) (&amp;gt;
0.4); cyclability &amp;gt; 10^4 cycles, switching &amp;lt; 5 s; power 40
iW/cm^2; proven space durability; low cost  (est. &amp;lt; $5K/m^2). A key
technical barrier of this earlier-generation technology was the need for
a hermetic seal and bulky CsI windows/frame, problems associated
therewith, due to the gel electrolyte used needing some moisture content
to be ?sealed in?.  In  Phase I, use of newly discovered, ?true? solid,
room  temperature molten salt electrolytes (?IonEls?) eliminated  the
hermetic seal. Devices showed:  DE &amp;gt; 0.5; excellent space durability
(&amp;gt; 23000  electrochromic, &amp;gt; 90 thermal cycles over 23 days in
space vacuum, &amp;gt; 500 h UV, operating temperature -45 to +100 C, no
outgassing). Alpha(s)-lowering and ITO coatings were demonstrated. Phase
II will complete a much more rigorous space durability testing regime,
optimize devices, demonstrate intelligent control of device arrays,
start pilot-scale production and costing, and initiate flight tests.
Grid Computing for Commercial Applications Project
Automated, Universal Software for Cloud and Cloud Shadow Detection in RS Data Project
This SBIR Phase 2 project shall develop sputter-resistant materials for
use in electric propulsion test facilities and for plume shields on
spacecraft using electric thrusters.  A critical need arises because
NASA is developing higher impulse, higher power thrusters for deep space
science missions.  Such thrusters will erode chamber walls ten-times
more aggressively than before and create unacceptably high levels of
contamination in the life test facilities. Without new materials that
are ten-times more resistant than graphite, the only alternative may be
installation of larger vacuum test chambers at huge facility cost.   The
proposed sputter-resistant materials are based on carbon fibers in a
highly textured configuration that allows deep penetration of incident
ions and trapping of sputtered secondary atoms.  Phase 1 testing has
demonstrated a 5x reduction in sputter backflow toward the ion source,
consistent with modeling predictions. It appears feasible to extend the
use of existing test facilities at least into planned near term testing
of next generation ion engines.   Phase 2 will develop thicker
low-contamination chamber liners intended for long duration exposure,
and modeling tools will be developed to aid in the design of baffled
chamber liners. Lightweight rigid plume shields for spacecraft using EP
will be demonstrated and offered for testing. Removable, cleanable,
liner configurations will be demonstrated for use  with condensable
liquid metal propellants. Sputter testing will be performed by CSU using
hemispherical witness plates to rapidly acquire directional yield data.
Low-contamination chamber liner materials designed for use in testing
high current, high voltage ion sources will be delivered under the
contract for evaluation by NASA.
EarthTutor: An Earth Science Satellite Imagery Tutor Project
Spaceport and In-Space Cryogenic Fluids, Handling, and Storage Project
Design and Analyses of HTS Coils for the VASIMR Experiment Project
Reducing Symptomatology of Space Adaptation Syndrome through Perceptual Training Project
Extended range profiling Project
Collaborative Routing Rationing Algorithm Project
Composite Grids for Ion Thruster Project
Trojan Phage Crystallization System Project
Toolkit for Enabling Adaptive Modeling and Simulation (TEAMS) Project
Biological Aerosol Spectrofluorometric Identification System Project
Nanostructured Aerogel Systems for Cold Volume Enclosures Project
Helium Loop Heat Pipe for Large Area Cryocooling Project
SSG Precision Optronics proposes the development and demonstration of a
new optical fabrication process for the production of EUV quality
Silicon Carbide (SiC) optics.  The process combines three technologies
to provide a cost and schedule effective solution for lightweight,
thermally stable precision optics for EUV applications.  First,
near-net-shape cast SiC materials for monolithic lightweighted, SiC
mirror substrates with minimal machining required.  Second, a thin CVD
SiC sputter deposition process applied to the mirror facesheet.  This
enables a low-scatter surface as well as high reflectance in the EUV
band.  Third, the application of Tinsley?s computer controlled optical
surfacing (CCOS) grinding and polishing makes it possible to generate
aspheres with extremely accurate surfaces. The manufacturing process
proposed allows production of state-of-the-art SiC aspheric mirrors with
numerous benefits compared to competing technologies and traditional
processes: ?Excellent Surface Figure Accuracy (&amp;lt;0.01 waves RMS, over
low and mid-spatial-frequency measurements); ?Ultra-low micro-roughness
(&amp;lt;10 Angstroms RMS routine, &amp;lt;1 Angstrom RMS achievable);
?Improved yield; ?Very low areal densities (~10 kg/m2 at an aperture of
1 meter); ?Superior thermal stability (SiC bulk material properties); In
Phase 2, SSGPO will demonstrate an optimized optical fabrication process
by producing a SiC EUV flight-ready optic.
Grid-Based Distribution of Payload Video to Experimenters Project
Improving Binaural Simulation of Structural Acoustics Project
Gamma Detector Modular Assemblies for EXIST Project
Busek proposes to develop and deliver a complete engineering model colloid thruster system, capable of thrust levels and lifetimes required for spacecraft operational tasks such as tip-off de-tumbling and attitude control.   The self contained thruster system shall be capable of delivering ~755N with sufficient total impulse to de-tumble spacecraft such as LISA.
 
The proposed Phase 2 work builds upon a highly successful Phase 1 effort where the key principals of the innovation, a propellant isolation membrane and a passive capillary feed system, were unequivocally demonstrated.  The proposed system is completely passive with no moving parts and requires no valves to ensure its high reliability.  In order to inhibit propellant contamination prior to operation in space, a unique isolation membrane will separate propellant from the emitter.  Upon heating the isolation membrane dissolves, allowing propellant from a collocated reservoir to flow forward to the electrospray thruster without contamination.  The thruster consists of an array of self adjusting emission sites that are activated by application of an electric field that initiates emission.  The delivered thrust is modulated by varying the applied electric field. 

The significant innovations of the proposed colloid thruster include: a compact, low power, modular thruster system containing no moving parts, which is capable of delivering sufficient thrust for spacecraft tip-off control and ACS applications.
Fission-based power systems with power levels of 30 to &amp;#8805;100 kWe will be needed for planetary surface bases. Development of high temperature, high efficiency heat exchangers is critical for next-generation nuclear power and space propulsion systems. In Phase I, Ultramet and Sandia National Laboratories demonstrated the feasibility of using high surface area foam core heat exchanger technology to substantially improve the power conversion efficiency of liquid metal-to-gas high temperature heat exchangers for fission surface power systems. Preliminary design and modeling suggested a substantial improvement in the efficiency of a liquid lithium-to-helium component relative to conventional plate-fin heat exchangers, and hardware fabrication and testing demonstrated the manufacturability, performance, and simplicity of the foam-based design. Open-cell foam is a natural coolant channel that does not require extensive, expensive machining of intricate coolant passages and eliminates the need for braze-bonding or welding of numerous individual sections. Initial testing showed the ability of textured, vapor-deposited lithium-compatible coatings to be uniformly wetted by liquid lithium at low temperature. The technology has the potential to best minimize the temperature difference between the maximum lithium reactor coolant and helium working fluid temperatures, as well as to reduce system mass and volume through the use of high surface area, low density open-cell foam, and increase safety and reliability by minimizing the number of piece parts and associated joints. In Phase II, Ultramet will team with Sandia to expand on the Phase I success by performing comprehensive design and stress analysis, determining physical properties, and establishing performance through high temperature (1000 K) thermal response and flow testing of coaxial heat exchangers using the Helium Flow Loop and Liquid Metal Integrated Test System at Sandia's Plasma Materials Test Facility.
Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. Significant development is called for in the area of devices and structures that tolerate or mitigate the presence of Lunar dust. Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation (SMC) seeks to develop methods for mitigating dust accumulation on reusable connection mechanisms, such as will be necessary for Lunar extra-vehicular activity and surface systems equipment. Honeybee has heritage in developing mechanisms for extreme, dusty environments. Near-term applications of such a connector include the utility and electrical connections that will be used on the next-generation Lunar EVA suit being developed for NASA JSC by Oceaneering Space Systems, as well as cryogenic utility connections that will be used to pass liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during in-situ, resource utilization (ISRU) activities. The Phase 1 research has resulted in the development of a dust-tolerant, manual electrical connector for the battery recharge circuit of the Portable Life Support Backpack (PLSB) being developed for the Constellation configuration two (Lunar EVA) suit.  Phase 1 breadboard testing showed 53 successful mate/de-mate cycles in the presence of JSC-1AF simulant prior to failure. In addition, this failure appears to be the result of a late addition to the mechanical configuration that can be revised for even better performance. In Phase II, Honeybee will revise the design of the dust-tolerant connector, investigate design configurations for utility connections for ISRU activities, and test a connector brassboard in a chamber capable of closely reproducing conditions on the Lunar surface. This effort will lead to the development of a dust-tolerant electrical connector with a focused application to the Constellation configuration two (Lunar EVA) suits. This will result in a TRL 6 Lunar dust-tolerant electrical connector.
For many applications involving liquid injection, the ability to predict the details of the breakup process is often limited due to the complexity of the two-phase phenomena. Likewise, the ability to experimentally characterize these phenomena is also limited due in part to the need to rely upon visualization tools which are inherently qualitative. As a result, the ability to validate predictions using these diagnostic tools is also limited. In recent years, visualization diagnostics have evolved substantially in terms of spatial and temporal resolution. The advancements, coupled with a tool to conveniently quantify the results obtained relative to the breakup process offer the potential for a marked increase in understanding of this phenomenon. The proposed effort will develop such a tool that will be applied to the problems of pressure swirl injectors and liquid injection into a crossflow. The typical characteristics associated with this type of liquid breakup, such as column/sheet flattening, bending, fracture point, dynamics, etc. will be automatically quantified using the tool proposed. The project will utilize existing results obtained with state-of-the-art high speed imaging, but will acquire limited data as well to validate the tools developed.  Comparisons with advanced CFD modeling will be made to demonstrate the application of the software developed.
We have built and tested an optical extinction monitor for the detection of spacecraft cabin particulates. This sensor sensitive to particle sizes ranging from a few nanometer to tens of micrometers in diameter. Designed to utilize commercial off- the-shelf components, the monitor, once calibrated, requires minimal recalibration and only periodic baseline determinations, a process which can be automated as part of the operation of the instrument. It employs no consumables. This monitor employs cavity attenuation phase shift technology and involves the use a light emitting diode coupled to a low-loss optical cavity. The Phase I project  involved a proof-of-principle demonstration that demonstrated a sensitivity of less than 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter.  During the Phase II project, a prototype sensor will be delivered to NASA for the purpose of laboratory and field measurements.  A major goal will be to miniaturize the monitor.
NASA has serious unmet needs for simulation tools capable of predicting the behavior of lunar regolith in proposed excavation, transport and handling systems.  Existing discrete element method (DEM) or finite element (FE) models lack adequate fidelity for fine cohesive powders comprised of friable particles with irregular shapes and exhibiting substantial bulk dilation upon initial excavation.  As such, they are inadequate for assessing the reliability of regolith excavation and handling systems, and even less so for evaluation of engineering trade-offs between total system mass, power and energy consumption.  Also, current simulation tools do not include the effects of triboelectric and photo-ionization-induced charges on regolith particles.
Building on the successful Phase-1development of a new charge-patch electrostatic model and a comprehensive cohesive particle interaction model for DEM, Grainflow Dynamics proposes to develop a high-fidelity predictive calculational tool, in the form of a DEM module with calibrated interparticle-interaction relationships, coupled with a FE module utilizing enhanced, calibrated, constitutive models which, together, are capable of mimicking both large deformations and the flow behavior of regolith simulants and lunar regolith under conditions anticipated in ISRU operations. This will not only provide unparalleled fidelity but also will leverage the computational efficiency of the continuum FE codes to drastically reduce the simulation time and resources necessary to perform engineering analyses on regolith systems. In addition, the modules will be parallelized to maximize their usefulness in multi-core and cluster computing environments. This work will lead to an improved engineering design tool that can be used by NASA engineers and contractors developing designs for ISRU equipment to evaluate both the reliability of various configurations as well as the trade-offs of system designs.
Research Support Instruments, Inc. (RSI) proposes to develop the Friction-Sensing Reflector Array Patches (FRAP), a technology that will measure the shear stress distribution on aerodynamic surfaces in ground test facilities with high resolution, sensitivity, and bandwidth.  Unlike the oil-film interference method, FRAP patches will not be thinned as a function of time during a test.  No knowledge of the streamlines of the flow will be needed in order to calculate the local stress distribution; this will avoid the tracers needed with the oil-film interference approach.  Flexible patches of FRAP arrays, inexpensive due to simple, mass-production-compatible microfabrication techniques, will be interrogated using a light source and camera. FRAP will be independent of the flow species and applied as a very thin, flexible, adhesive material.  The Phase II goals will be to improve the design and fabrication of the sensors, fully calibrate taking into account competing effects such as normal forces and temperature, demonstrate feasibility in a wide range of test environments from subsonic to heated and cold supersonic, and provide prototype units to NASA.  The result will be a product that will address a critical NASA instrumentation need.
Researchers at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition invented OZ, a primary flight display that provides a single, unified graphic display of critical flight information.  OZ virtually eliminate the need to scan flight instruments and provides superior performance for flight in low visibility conditions compared to current integrated avionics displays.  eSky licensed OZ and is commercializing it for general aviation applications. eSky previously demonstrated the superiority of OZ over current integrated avionics PFDs in high workload situations.
NASA Langley and the German Aerospace Laboratory invented researchers H-mode, a collaborative flight control system that shares flight control between pilot and automation allowing the pilot to remain in-the-loop with a high level of situational awareness while retaining aeronautical decision making authority.  
In phase 1 eSky designed an integrated system (H/OZ) that uses OZ as the primary flight display in the H-mode flight control system (HFCS).  H/OZ allows the pilot to maintain superior situational awareness while remaining engaged in the managing and directing the flight.  eSky incorporated into both HFCS and OZ graphical elements new to both that support improved functionality.
H/OZ has the following primary advantages over current integrated avionics systems:
superior situational awareness; critical navigational information displayed on the PFD;  real-time seamless allocation of control between pilot and automation;  Point to Program (P2P) mechanism for visually selecting  airspace elements for guidance; Focus to Display (F2D) mechanism for displaying on PFD and MFD screens only situationally relevant airspace information.  
eSky will integrate HFCS and OZ into a prototype H/OZ simulator with new functionality and conduct extensive usability and performance tests of the H/OZ system using human volunteers.
Aurora Flight Sciences (AFS), in collaboration with the MIT Space Systems Laboratory (MIT-SSL), proposed the Synthetic Imaging Maneuver Optimization (SIMO) program to develop a methodology, calibrated through hardware-in-the-loop testing, to optimize S/C maneuvers to more efficiently synthesize images for missions such as Stellar Imager (SI).  Time and fuel-optimal maneuvers are only a part of the optimization problem.  Selecting the maneuver waypoints (number and location) determines the quality of the synthesized image.  The number of S/C, the size of the sub-apertures, and the type of propulsion system used also impacts imaging rate, propellant mass, and mission cost.  Capturing all of these mission aspects in an integrated mission optimization framework helps mission designers to select the most appropriate architecture for meeting the needs and constraints of missions such as SI.
The overall objective of this NASA SBIR program is to develop technology enablers for NASA's rotorcraft vision to facilitate rotorcraft operation in all weather environments.  Specifically, NanoSonic will build on its successful completion of Phase I objectives and first generation test article demonstration to optimize, scale up, and qualify high performance, multifunctional, nanostructured, icephobic appliquis with enhanced erosion resistance for rotorblade leading edges.  

Reliable all-weather service has specifically been identified as one of the barriers to achieving NASA's rotorcraft vision.  To truly revolutionize air transportation mobility, rotorcraft must be able to operate in similar environments to current fixed wing vehicles ? including environmental conditions in which icing may occur.  NanoSonic's multifunctional appliquis will help to enable NASA's rotorcraft vision by completely preventing ice buildup on rotorblades.  Implementation of NanoSonic's erosion resistant hydrophobic appliquis will facilitate mission critical operations in icing conditions and mitigate concerns of vibration transmission and shudder that are associated with ice buildup.  NanoSonic's appliquis integrate erosion resistant nanocomposites, enhancing rotorcraft operation in high erosion environments.   Maintenance and associated costs are reduced, as a new appliqui can be readily placed on the rotorblade leading edge when the existing appliqui has exhausted its functionality.
NASA will fly x-ray microcalorimeters on several mission payloads scheduled within the next 5 years: New and improved IR/Visible blocking filters are urgently needed to realize the full potential and throughput of these missions. The innovation proposed, high transmission polyimide support mesh, will replace the nickel mesh used in previous blocking filter designs. Polyimide's composition affords high transparency to x-rays, especially above 3 keV. Phase 1 prototypes demonstrated 11-15&#37; higher transmission than comparable nickel mesh across the UV-Visible-NIR range. With development of the Phase 1 process in Phase 2, the mesh will be optimized for strength, transmission, integration with filter materials, and filter lifetime; it will include deicing capability as required. Lithographic production means adaptability to meet future mission-specific filter performance requirements. The Phase 2 project will achieve a flight readiness level of 5-6 for blocking filters using the new mesh. Phase 1 results show that with successful process development, the proposed high transmission polyimide mesh will significantly improve mission throughput and effective area for microcalorimeter payloads on proposed NASA missions such as Spectrum-X-Gamma and NeXT in the near term as well as Constellation ?X.
The ARES  J-2X requires a large nozzle extension. Currently, a metallic nozzle extension is being considered with carbon-carbon composite as a backup.

In Phase 1, Plasma Processes Inc. (PPI), with the support from subcontractor ATK Launch Systems, fabricated, coated and test fired Haynes 230 and domestically produced 2-D carbon-carbon nozzle extensions. The test results show coated carbon-carbon intact and Haynes 230 in need of film cooling and emissivity and, or thermal barrier coatings. Oxide emissivity coating reduced the Haynes 230 wall temperature by 500F.

In Phase 2, the primary goal will be to develop the optimum thermal solution for a metallic J2X nozzle extension. Working with Pratt &amp; Whitney Rocketdyne, high emissivity and thermal barrier solutions will be demonstrated on successively larger components until full size capability is demonstrated. A secondary goal is to continue the demonstration of domestically produced 2-D C/C composite nozzle extension materials and oxygen protective liners for use on liquid rocket engines. The team of Plasma Processes, Inc., Pratt &amp; Whitney Rocketdyne and ATK Launch Systems offers the state of the art skill set that is uniquely suited to the Phase 2 program.
Attitude determination of spin-stabilized platforms is especially challenging. Current low-cost gyroscope technology does not lend itself to attitude determination of platforms spinning in excess of one rotation per second. Traditional GPS-based attitude (GPS/A) sensors require three or more antenna elements separated by large baselines. Single-element designs require extensive calibration of the satellite signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and are not very accurate. Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop a small, single-aperture low-cost GPS/A sensor for space launch vehicles, and to demonstrate the sensor in an operational environment. The sensor determines the platform attitude with a single GPS antenna having a diameter of approximately 6.5 cm. The standalone performance of Toyon's GPS/A sensor on a spinning platform is better than 2.1 degrees for roll, and better than 1.2 degrees for yaw and pitch (one-sigma). The system performance can be further improved when integrated with accelerometers and/or magnetometers. Although current low-cost gyroscope technology does not allow their use on spinning platforms, non-spinning platforms may take advantage of gyro measurements for further improvements in attitude performance. During the proposed Phase II program Toyon will develop, build and test a prototype system that will be delivered for validation onboard an actual space launch vehicle.
The Small Business Innovative Research Phase II proposal seeks to develop a compact UV laser ?based sensor for Earth science and planetary atmosphere exploration. The device will be capable of measuring formaldehyde in real-time at ultra-trace levels.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project concerns the development of a multi-wavelength monitor that will provide rapid, real-time measurement of the average aerosol absorption coefficient in a parcel of sample air. This monitor will employ Aerodyne's patented Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift (CAPS) technology in order to produce a far simpler, smaller, lower cost alternative to more traditional instruments with no loss in sensitivity or accuracy. A unique property of the proposed instrument is that it requires little or no calibration. The Phase II project entails construction a field-ready prototype and deploying the sensor on various field missions undertaken by Aerodyne's particle measurement research group.  Aerosol particles affect the radiative balance of the earth directly, by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. The atmospheric loading of aerosols generated through human activities can exert an influence on the earth's radiation budget comparable in magnitude with greenhouse gases. The uncertainties in the current understanding of aerosol direct and indirect forcing limit the ability to quantify human influences on climate change.
A feasibility analysis of adding a second modality to pilot/Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications. The real time availability of text in Air Traffic Control ground systems and pilot displays promises improvements in the safety and efficiency of pilot/ATC communication. The improvements would be especially applicable in high density/high workload environments such as low altitude terminal operations(&lt;10,000ft) and airport ground operations.

The phase 1 evaluation consists of the design of a conceptual systems model of the human-technology interface, an assessment of independent variables that affect information processing skills and a test of dual modality communications to show the impact of a second modality on task performance.
Enhanced-Resolution Fine-Steering Mirror Project
Carbon-Supported Amine Sorbent Monoliths for Carbon Dioxide Removal Project
High Power Platform for the Stretched Lens Array Project
Long-term Lunar and Martian systems present challenges to thermal systems, including changes in thermal load, and large changes in the thermal environment between day and night.  The innovation in the program is the development of a variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) that passively accommodates the changing thermal load and environment.  This allows the heat pipe evaporators (and any attached heat exchanger) to remain at an almost constant temperature. In addition to passively controlling the thermal load, the non condensable gas allows the fluid in the heat pipe to freeze in a controlled manner as the heat pipe is shut down, avoiding damage.  The gas in the VCHP also helps with start-up from a frozen condition.  The overall technical objective of the Phase I and Phase II programs is to develop a VCHP radiator that can passively adjust to changing temperatures/powers in the Lunar and Martian surface environments while maintaining the coolant outlet temperature in an acceptable range.  During the Phase II program, a radiator panel and heat exchanger will be fabricated, then tested in a thermal vacuum chamber. Tests will include thermal cycling, as well as the ability of the radiator to startup from a frozen state.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations for combustion do not currently have the predictive capability typically found for non-reacting flows due to the prohibitively high computational cost incurred when one introduces detailed chemical kinetics. In this SBIR project, we propose a novel method, Adaptive Chemistry, to enable such detailed modeling. This method adapts the reaction mechanism used in CFD to local reaction conditions. Instead of a single comprehensive reaction mechanism throughout the computation, smaller, locally valid reduced models are used to accurately capture the chemical kinetics at a smaller cost. Our Adaptive Chemistry approach seeks to obtain a reduced model guaranteed to be valid within the variable range for each grid point, and controls errors rigorously without evaluating the very expensive full model. Adaptive Chemistry also dynamically constructs a reduced model library based on real-time reaction conditions to prevent large memory overhead for arbitrary solution trajectories. This also allows Adaptive Chemistry to be easily extendable to transient problems. Finally, Adaptive Chemistry allows users to set a constraint on the largest model size by using a skeletal model, but selects each reduced model based on the full, detailed chemistry, which obtains a guaranteed optimal solution more efficiently compared to the traditional skeletal model methods.

In this project, we will develop an error-controlled reduced-species Adaptive Chemistry software package that can be easily interfaced with any CFD solver. The first objective of this work is to continue developing needed methods for error-controlled reduced-species Adaptive Chemistry for steady-state reacting flow simulations. The second objective is to implement the available methods into a modular package that can be easily interfaced with any CFD solver. We will also develop an Adaptive Chemistry module that can be coupled with the PREMIX program for commercialization.
NASA desires to generate and store gases including oxygen and nitrogen at sub-critical conditions as a part of its lunar and spacecraft atmospheric systems. Oxygen at pressures up to 3000 psia is particularly desired for refilling storage tanks for lunar and in-flight applications including recharging high-pressure gas bottles for EVA/EMU, lunar rovers and surface hoppers. To address these needs, Reactive Innovations, LLC proposes to continue developing and delivering a compact high-pressure oxygen concentrator that can take low-pressure atmospheric gas and generate a separate stream of high-pressure pure oxygen. During a Phase I program, we applied our high-pressure reactor hardware to separate and compress oxygen from ambient pressure air and oxygen streams in both dry and saturated conditions. We used this information to develop a predictive performance model for the oxygen concentrator to aid in a conceptual design and to allow NASA mission planners to conduct trade studies on metrics including the generated oxygen rate per compressor mass and power requirements. For the Phase II program, we will produce operational prototype electrochemical concentrators that produce 3000 psia oxygen from ambient pressure sources of air or oxygen. These concentrators will be sized to produce 2 kg of oxygen at 3000 psia within a 24 hour time period. By the end of the Phase II effort, this concentrator will be at a Technology Readiness Level of 4-5.
NASA's vision for future exploration-class missions has made countermeasures for muscle atrophy, bone loss and cardiovascular deconditioning areas of major research design and development within the U.S. space program. Due to restricted volume and mass capabilities within the newly-developing Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), there is a need for a multi-functional, compact exercise machine that can incorporate both resistive and aerobic exercise capabilities during lunar sortie missions. The proposed innovation is an exercise device, the multi-functional Constant Force Resistive Exercise Unit (CFREU), that can provide a whole-body workout for aerobic exercise and resistive exercise. The device provides constant force eccentrically and concentrically during multiple exercise configurations, allows resistance selection in 2.5kg increments, requires no power to operate, requires no on-orbit maintenance, and can be stowed in an area of 1 cubic foot. During the Phase II performance period, we propose to develop a fully-functional CFREU, as well as to perform a usability study.
MTSA technology specifically addresses the thermal, CO2 and humidity control challenges faced by Portable Life Support Systems (PLSS) to be used in NASA's Constellation Program. Metabolically-produced CO2 present in the ventilation gas of a PLSS is collected using a CO2-selective adsorbent via temperature swing adsorption. The temperature swing is achieved through cooling to well below metabolic temperatures.  The coolant can be water, liquid CO2 (LCO2), or any cryogenic fluid.  Water or LCO2 is used as coolant by expanding the liquid to below sublimation temperatures when exposed to low pressure or vacuum environments.  Subsequent super heated vapor, as well as additional coolant, is used to further cool the astronaut.  The adsorbent is warmed using moist ventilation gas, producing condensation which is recycled at the habitat.

The overall objective of the Phase 2 effort is to develop and test in a relevant environment a full-scale lunar PLSS MTSA subassembly Engineering Development Unit (EDU) comprised of a condensing ice heat exchanger (CIHX), a sorbent bed and a sublimation heat exchanger (HX).  This will be achieved by developing high fidelity models and designs of the three functions, validated with test data available from previous work.  At the completion of the effort, the EDU will have been manufactured and tested.  The MTSA subassembly will be at TRL 5 and the EDU can be used for off-nominal operational testing as well as MTSA system integration tests.
Current matching constraints can severely limit the design and overall performance of conventional serially-connected multijunction solar cells.  The goal of this SBIR program is to enhance the operating tolerance of high efficiency III-V solar cells by employing nanostructured materials in advanced device designs.  A larger fraction of the solar spectrum can potentially be harnessed while maximizing the solar cell operating voltage by embedding thin layers of narrow band gap material in a higher band gap matrix.  Nanostructured devices thus provide a means to decouple the usual dependence of short circuit current on open circuit voltage that limits conventional solar cell design.  While previous experimental work on quantum well or quantum dot solar cell devices has typically employed GaAs as the wide band gap matrix, we take a different approach, instead employing InGaP as the barrier material.  During the Phase I effort, we observed that thin InGaP layers can be extremely effective at reducing the dark current.  A novel device structure resulted in over a 100 mV enhancement in the open circuit voltage of GaAs PIN diodes solar cells without any degradation in the short circuit current.   The Phase II program will aim to further optimize single-junction nanostructured InGaP solar cells and then utilize these cells as building blocks to construct robust, multijunction photovoltaic devices with power conversion efficiencies approaching 40&#37;.  Ultimately, the technical approach employed in this program has the potential of achieving conversion efficiencies exceeding 50&#37; with a single p-n junction device, enabling improved overall performance and lower manufacturing costs.
Impact Technologies LLC, with the support of Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), proposes to continue developing key enhancements to NASA's Hybrid Diagnostic Engine (HyDE) that represent valuable and, in some cases, critical features for Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) developers in NASA and non-NASA application domains.  Specifically, the proposed program will be focused on attaining three milestones.  The first goal is to achieve commercial-grade readiness of a HyDE Developers Pack (HyDE DP) to TRL 6 or higher.  To facilitate Phase III NASA transition, the second program goal is deploying HyDE DP to Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Integrated Ground System in support of the Constellation Program.  Finally, to facilitate Phase III commercial transition and dramatically improved the embedded capability of HyDE, preparation for Beta-site deployment and tech transition with PARC on a commercial printing platform will be performed.  Building off the significant Phase I SBIR accomplishments, the Impact team believes that the proposed Phase II program is the ideal mix of innovative development work in the form of modeling, simulation, validation and verification tools for HyDE DP and tech transition activities designed to position HyDE as the diagnostic and reasoning engine for a broad application space that spans NASA, commercial and military domains.
NASA, the DoD, DHS, and commercial industry have a pressing need for miniaturized, rugged, low-cost, high vacuum systems.  Recent advances in sensor technology at NASA and other government laboratories, in academia, and in industry have led to the development of very small mass spectrometer detectors, as well as other analytical instruments needing high vacuum, such as scanning electron microscopes.  However, the vacuum systems to support these sensors remain large, heavy, and power hungry.  To meet this need, Creare proposes to build a miniaturized vacuum system based on a very small, rugged, and inexpensive-to-manufacture, molecular drag pump (MDP).  The MDP is enabled by the development of a miniature, very high-speed (200,000 RPM), rugged, low-power, brushless, DC motor which will be optimized for wide temperature operation and long life during this project.  The vacuum pump has performance that is well matched to the needs of the new generation of miniature analytical instruments.  The pump represents an order-of-magnitude reduction in mass, volume, and cost over current, commercially available, state-of-the-art vacuum pumps.  The new pump will form the heart of a complete vacuum system optimized to support analytical instruments in terrestrial applications as well as on spacecraft and planetary landers.  Furthermore, the miniature high-speed motor will be designed so that it can be used in a wide range of high vacuum pumps, including pure molecular drag, pure turbomolecular, and hybrid turbomolecular/molecular drag pumps that can be tailored to the requirements of specific missions and applications.
As air-breathing combustion applications advance, increased use of fuel for cooling, combined with cycle advancements, leads to a situation where the fuel can become superheated. While this can lead to potential benefit in terms of the eventual fuel injection process, with enhanced atomization and evaporation, it creates a significant challenge relative design of a system to successfully exploit this behavior.
The runway safety issue has been on the Most Wanted list of the National Transportation Safety Board since the list's inception in 1990. The FAA has responded by implementing two ground surveillance technologies at major U.S. airports to reduce the risk of runway incursions. However, both technologies route information through air traffic control (rather than directly to pilots), which significantly delays safe responses. Several flight deck technologies that communicate information directly to pilots are currently in development. However, there is a need for tools to rapidly test the flight deck technologies early in the design process and measure their impact on pilot performance prior to implementation. We propose to develop two tools that can be used together or independently to evaluate performance of flight deck technologies aimed at improving runway safety. We will deliver a computational cognitive model (Adaptive Control of Thought-Runway Safety; ACT-RS) that realistically emulates pilot performance, thus reducing the need for human pilots early in the design process. In addition, we will deliver a measurement tool (Performance Measurement (PM) Engine) that can measure the impact of the flight deck technology on the performance of ACT-RS and a human pilot, making it useful across the technology lifecycle.
In the Phase I program we successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the Pulsed ElectroGasdynamic (PEG) thruster for attitude control and orbital maneuvering. In this thruster, propellant gas is introduced into the thrust nozzle through a fast acting gas valve where a short, high voltage pulse is applied to break down and heat the propellant gas. The heated gas expands in the nozzle generating a high impulse (~mN-s per pulse) at a high specific thrust (120 #gN-s/joule). The specific impulse (Isp) will be in the range of 500~1500 sec. This process can be repeated at a frequency to meet the spacecraft thrust requirements. The thrust generating mechanism of the proposed thruster is gasdynamic expansion, not magnetohydrodynamic interaction. The proposed thruster is different from the conventional pulsed electrothermal thruster in that the joule heating of the propellant takes place as the propellant gas expands through the divergent nozzle, thereby eliminating the heat and momentum losses at the nozzle throat. Our Phase II objectives are: (i) develop an engineering model; and (ii) develop a proto-flight model of the proposed thruster system.
An acoustic igniter eliminates the need to use electrical energy to drive spark systems to initiate combustion in liquid-propellant rockets. It does not involve the use of catalysts (which have a limited life), it does not exhibit typical wear and tear as seen in spark and catalytic igniters, and it is simple in design with no moving parts. Orion's proposed Acoustic Igniter is expected to offer a long-life, highly reliable ignition system that does not require high-voltage electrical connections. It is less complex to operate and simpler than a traditional ignition system. Orion's primary technical objective is to produce an acoustic igniter design that will ignite combustion of common liquid rocket fuel and oxidizer combinations such as gaseous oxygen and kerosene, and oxygen/methane. During Phase 1, we analyzed the operational issues that inhibit acoustic igniter performance. Based on these results, Orion will built a prototype unit, tested it, and evaluated its performance. This work established a basis for the follow-on Phase 2 effort to refine the design and upgrade the technology level of the acoustic igniter.
Intelligent Automation Inc, (IAI) is currently developing a software
defined radio (SDR) platform that can adaptively switch between
different modes of operation for communication, by modifying both
transmit waveforms and receive signal-processing tasks on the fly.
High-speed analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters along with
modern FPGAs and fast digital signal processors allow for maximum
flexibility in digital radio design.  The proposed software
reconfigurable radio implementation technique and the system design will
leverage IAI's vast experience in SDR, RF hardware design, signal
processing and system level firmware design.  Key innovations of the
proposed effort are  Reconfigurable digital transceiver/ waveform
synthesizer design using high speed FPGA.   Multi-mode radio
functionality and scalable architecture.  Soft-processor based
controller and flexible user control to enable on the fly radio
configuration.  Cognitive capabilities like Adaptive modulation and
Automatic Modulation Recognition (AMR)   Complex modulation and
bandwidth efficient waveform implementation capability
Lithium-ion batteries are slowly being introduced into satellite power systems, but their life still presents concerns for longer duration missions. Future NASA goals for retuning to the Moon and the manned exploration of Mars will demand increased specific energy and life from batteries. The properties of the graphite anode, and in particular the 'solid electrolyte interface' (SEI) layer, are key focus areas for advancement. Improving the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery anode for both life and specific energy are the goals of this proposed research. 

Nanocomposite Carbon/Silicon anodes for Li-ion batteries will be produced that can be safely used at high charge/discharge rates, have high specific capacity and a long cycle life. Silicon nanoparticles will be contained in an engineered nanoporous carbon matrix and have room to expand and contract, thus preventing deleterious interphase formation. Phase I is expected to achieve a TRL of 2 and will demonstrate the performance and feasibility of the new anode. Phase II will achieve a TRL of 3 and will successfully scale up the synthesis as well as demonstrate improved performance with commercial cell prototypes.
Fine water mist is being considered as a replacement technology for fire suppression on the next generation of manned spacecraft. It offers advantages in performance, ease of cleanup, compatibility with on-board environmental systems, and ability to recharge during a mission. ADA Technologies has designed a prototype hand-held extinguisher that is being tested at ambient environmental conditions.

In this SBIR program ADA Technologies proposes to advance this prototype with a new design for a reduced-momentum nozzle to generate a fine water mist that can be discharged into confined and obstructed spaces to attack hidden fires as well as open fires in manned spacecraft. In Phase I multiple nozzle concepts will be designed, fabricated, and competed to identify the most promising concepts. In addition, we will adapt a vacuum chamber at team member Colorado School of Mines to evaluate the advanced nozzles against fires in an atmosphere of 34&#37; oxygen and 7.6 psia total pressure, representative of the conditions in manned spacecraft. These tests will validate the efficacy of Fine Water Mist at these nonstandard atmospheric conditions. Phase I products will include a comprehensive specification for a beta prototype hand-held FWM extinguisher that incorporates the best advanced reduced momentum nozzle. 

In Phase II we will carry the beta prototype design forward to testing in microgravity and develop a plan for flight qualification of the hardware. We will work with a partner experienced in the production and qualification of flight test fixtures and experiments. ADA will partner with a commercial supplier of fire protection equipment to take this technology into the broader commercial marketplace, targeting aerospace and flammable fuels storage as early market segments.
This SBIR Phase I effort proposes to establish the feasibility of
developing a compact, high performance laser source for integration into
the next generation seed laser system for high stability,
multi-wavelength lidar applications such as NASA Langley's HSRL program.
Combination of the high performance laser source together with ADVR's
integrated Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) technology will provide the
electro-optic control signals required for precise locking of the seed
source to a reference wavelength.  A next generation seed laser system
which incorporates the PLC concept, together with improvements in the
source laser technology will advance NASA's lidar systems due to its
compact, efficient, and reliable design, thus enabling use on small
aircraft and space based platforms. The focus of the Phase II effort
will be the optimization and integration of this technology into the
next generation HSLR seed laser system with &amp;gt; a 50&amp;#37; reduction in
weight, size and cost.
In previous work for NASA and DoD, Ultramet developed lightweight open-cell foam insulators composed of a carbon or ceramic structural foam skeleton filled with a high temperature nanoscale aerogel insulator. The structural integrity and high insulation behavior have been demonstrated when used in combination with a non-ablating, coated carbon/carbon or ceramic matrix composite outer shell. The potential exists to develop a hybrid ablator/insulator thermal protection system in which a portion of the thickness of a low conductivity, structural foam aeroshell is infiltrated with an ablative material (frontface) and the remaining thickness is filled with the high temperature aerogel insulator (backface). The potential benefit is a reduction in ablator mass required to reject the aerothermal heat load. The vehicle interface temperature will be controlled by the aerogel-filled portion of the foam structure, rather than by ablator thickness, thereby allowing the use of less ablator material. The reduced volume needed will allow use of a conventional high density, high heat flux capability ablator, offering greater mission flexibility. In this project, Ultramet will team with Materials Research &amp; Design for preliminary thermomechanical design work and will construct a ceramic foam-reinforced hybrid ablator/insulator. Preliminary performance will be established through hot-gas testing.
This proposal is for the development of a highly extensible and user-configurable software application for end-to-end mission simulation and design. We will leverage the plug-and-play architecture of our existing  simulation, visualization and command software, developing new capabilities for data fusion, operations planning, plan validation, and adjustable automation. The core application, VisualCommander, has been developed over the last 4 years under SBIR and IR&amp;D funding as a revolutionary way of providing integrated design and simulation from mission conception through  mission operations. The software design of VisualCommander (VC) has been driven by the goals of extensibility, re-use of functionality, and user-configurability. As such, it serves as an ideal foundation upon which to build additional in-depth functions that are valuable for this purpose. VisualCommander is designed to integrate legacy engineering software with user-generated design and simulation tools into a single, user-friendly environment. It automates the flow of data between analysis, design, and simulation applications with minimal user manipulation.
FAA NextGencontrollers can employ the ADS-B datalink to send aircraft flight plans guiding the around traffic conflicts that the on-board system hasn't seen or hasn't resolved quickly by ATC standards. The emergency function that has 2 features; 1, if the on-board system detects an anomaly it will initiate a priority message and datastream to report a potential safety problem to NextGen ATC controllers; 2 in event of rapid airspace congestion issues ATC can use such a priority datalink to re-route the aircraft. This emergency route to the nearest suitable airport will avoid traffic, restricted airspace, weather and terrain.
Vescent Photonics propose to develop a chip-sized narrow linewidth (&lt; 50 kHz), widely tunable (&gt; 10 nm's) diode laser that will be suitable for a wide variety of NASA remote sensing missions.  The proposed laser platform enables easy selection of the laser center wavelength; these lasers can be easily built for any wavelength that a diode laser gain chip exists (&lt; 670 nm to &gt; 2.5 microns).  Since spectral features of important molecular species cover a large wavelength window this center-wavelength flexibility is advantageous.  This effort will focus on lasers operating in the 1.57 and 2.0 micron CO2 band, and the 1.26 micron O2 band, such as is required for ASCENDS-type missions.  Rapid wide wavelength tunability will enable scans over large portions of spectral bands, which can minimize the impact of contaminant and thermal effects on total column density measurement.  These lasers will provide for very fast phase (up to 10 GHz) modulation and be built with space qualifiable components.  Collaborative relationships with established aerospace companies will be exploited to facilitate insertion of this technology into NASA missions.
NASA spends considerable effort supporting the efforts of collaborating researchers.  These researchers are interested in interacting with scientific models provided by NASA and they are located throughout the world.  The process of distributing legacy research codes to this disparate group of researches and assisting them with the compilation of these codes is time consuming and there for costly.  The proposed innovation would allow users to interact with these models using a modern, familiar web-based application interface.  Functionality such as the editing of input conditions, interaction with supercomputing queues, monitoring of code progress, and accessing of results would all be provided through web services.  The web application would interact with these web services based on user input from a variety of controls.  The architecture is based on the paradigm of Software as a Service and similar to technologies underlying state of the art web applications such as Google Maps.  As such it represents a huge advancement from the traditional approach of distributing legacy codes and dealing with compilation issues with varying hardware and operating systems.
SynGenics Corporation proposes a program that incorporates systems engineering processes, Response Surface Methods, and state-of-the-art numerical methods to develop optimized, fail safe technologies to control shockwave boundary layer interactions and demonstrate improvements in supersonic mixed compression inlet performance. Specific program objectives are to apply structured, mathematically based methods to evaluate, compare, rate, and downselect flow control concepts that will enable improved inlet stability and control shockwave boundary layer interactions in supersonic, mixed compression inlets, to develop and demonstrate an approach to flow control system design and optimization based on designed experiments and response surface methodology, and to obtain a better understanding of the physics driving supersonic inlet performance improvements enabled by fail safe, supersonic inlet flow control and quantify the benefit in terms of inlet total pressure recovery and dynamic distortion.
The significance of this program is that it will provide inlet system-level assessments of flow control technologies, including stationary micro-devices, active devices, and hybrid systems comprised of stationary and active devices. In addition, this program will quantify flow control effectiveness in terms of total pressure recovery and distortion computed at the inlet/engine aerodynamic interface plane. This program supports the Propulsion Efficiency key research area of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Supersonics Program by working to develop fail safe inlet flow control technologies that will facilitate low TSFC of highly integrated supersonic inlets and improved overall cruise efficiency through reduced inlet drag.
The Micro Pulsed Inductive Thruster with Solid Fuel Option (5PIT_SF) is a high-precision impulse bit electromagnetic plasma micro-thruster. The 5PIT prototype is a small (&lt; 230 g) thruster that produces and accelerates plasma.  In the solid fuel mode, 5PIT_SF is able to substantially extend the performance of standard PPT systems by ionization and heating of the high density neutral gas produced after the arc.   A small power-processing unit (PPU) is attached directly to the thruster which isolates the high voltage igniter section from the main spacecraft bus. Further development of the 5PIT has implications that could include dramatic weight reductions of onboard station keeping and attitude control systems for miniature spacecraft and increased thruster efficiencies.  Anticipated development of the 5PIT in Phase 1 of the proposed work would lead to a 2nd generation prototype at or near the NASA TRL 5.  Anticipated results from a Phase 2 program would be to produce a prototype at NASA TRL 6 with a corresponding experimental determination of the thruster's Isp levels and operational characteristics including a thrust measurement.
In response to a need for cost-effective small satellite missions,
Odyssey Space Research is proposing the development of a common flight
software executive and a fundamental set of reconfigurable flight
software modules.  This application will directly affect the development
cost by avoiding the need to develop software from scratch and allowing
the efficient reuse of flight software even across vehicles. Odyssey
proposes to use NASA's Trick simulation environment to form the basis of
the flight software executive and to use NASA's Common Model Library to
form the basis for the reconfigurable modules. Trick is currently
capable of producing a software architecture that is easily modified to
allow the use of software modules in the production of a simulation
framework. We are proposing modifying and adapting Trick for the
production of software that easily moves out of the simulation realm and
into the embedded flight software realm. Our proposed approach to
providing reusable flight software is innovative in that it takes a well
established open platform simulation tool and advances it to a level
where it can be combined with reconfigurable software modules. This in
turn can be used to produce highly reconfigurable flight software
allowing for the same software development environment to be used across
the entire life cycle of the system.
Configuring the 3D geometry and physics of large scale parallel physics simulations is increasingly complex.  Given the investment in time and effort to run these codes, it is crucial that setting up the simulation is done accurately and that rapid iterative cycles of reconfiguring are efficient.  During the execution step, learning the proper syntax of commands, getting environment variables correct, writing scripts for the various common batch scheduling systems, locating applications or libraries, and managing directories of files all accumulate to a challenging set of chores.  Thus, we propose the Visual Interfaces for Parallel Simulations (VIPS) project to research and develop tools to allow simulation developer to leverage state-of-the-art visualization tools by adding functionality to set up and remotely manage the execution of simulations in addition to viewing 3D output.  Transforming visualization application into science studios will result in integrated and intuitive environments, easily customized for the physics simulation.  Resulting VIPS Studios can assist users in choosing correct input and free them from the error-prone processes of hand-editing input files and scripts. They will also simplify remote resource organization by abstracting the idea of a scientific run and managing meta data.
Ultramet will design and fabricate a lightweight, high temperature 5-lbf combustion chamber. The system will be designed for use with the AF-315 family of monopropellants, which have specific impulse values well in excess of 240 sec, and the combustion chamber material will be based on Ultramet's proven [Zr,Si]C ceramic matrix composite (CMC) technology. This material system allows the zirconium carbide to silicon carbide ratio in the matrix to be adjusted, thus enabling the material to be optimized for different combustion environments. To date, hot-fire testing has been done on Ultramet CMC chambers with both O2/H2 and AF-315e propellants. Ultramet will work closely with a leading supplier of spacecraft propulsion systems that will provide the chamber design and perform the hot-fire testing. The fabrication process and the survivability of the material system will be demonstrated in Phase I. Phase II would include long-duration life testing of the Phase I chamber as well as the design, fabrication, and testing of a chamber in the 100- to 500-lbf thrust class suitable for a payload ascent vehicle.
A surface-mounted instrumentation system for measuring rotor blade motions on rotorcraft, for use both in flight and in wind tunnel testing, is proposed for development.  The technology builds upon previous Navy- and NASA-sponsored SBIR work in the design of a system for measuring rotor blade motion and loads, by combining several separate measurement technologies into a single instrumentation unit.  The device may be applied onto the underside of any rotor system, and has a sufficiently small weight and form factor to minimize any impact on either blade aerodynamic or inertial properties.  Data transfer to and from the unit is performed using optical telemetry, and power for the system is provided from self-contained conformal batteries.  A novel feature of the new approach is the dual-use nature of the telemetry link to provide additional blade position measurements.  These features eliminate the need for specialized rotor hub hardware for blade angle measurement or sliprings for power or data exchange, thus enabling its use on a wide range of rotor systems of interest to NASA and commercial customers.
A consistent and accurate Hybrid gaskinetic BGK and DSMC method, valid in the full Knudsen number (Kn) range, is proposed as a 3D tool to handle hypersonic aerothermodynamics from continuum to thermochemical nonequilibrium and ionized/plasma flows. By domain-decomposition, the proposed method will provide adjoint but automated sub-domain solutions by solving the gaskinetic BGK method of Xu (BGKX) and DSMC in their respective low and high Knudsen regimes, therein the BGKX and DSMC solvers have been proven comparatively efficient for thermo-chemical nonequilibrium flows with accurate heat rate prediction.   The proposed approach is considered  an advancement in rarefied gasdynamic methodology in that: BGKX is efficient for near continuum flows, say 0 &lt;Kn &lt;0.1, and its extension to the Burnett order of Kn~0.5  has been assured; BGKX /DSMC share compatible gaskinetic fluxes, hence a consistent and simpler  flux reconstruction and numerically more stable scheme than that of hybrid Navier-Stokes/DSMC approach; and BGKX/DSMC can more suitably handle nonequilibrium/chemical reacting flow than the Direct Boltzmann Equation (DBE) approach. Phase I will construct 2D hybrid method, and validate its pressure/heat rate solutions with that of DSMC in full Knudsen range. Phase II will fully develop its 3D and aerothermodynamic capabilities for thermochemical nonequilibrium flows.
An inherently rugged Universal Oscillator (UO) is needed to enable a superior class of configurable communications for NASA applications. The requirements are a low phase noise RF output concurrently with a rugged, reliable, small, power efficient, and frequency tuning ability. VIDA Products has developed technology that will ultimately enable an integrated circuit YIG oscillator with high Q resonators and low power consumption that fills these requirements. The high Q YIG resonators are made possible by quantum electron spin precession and are essentially lossless. In general, a resonator is realized by a YIG sphere RF magnetic fields coupling to the oscillator circuit structure.  A bias magnetic field on the spheres at a right angle to the coupling field vector sets the frequency of operation. It is a linear function of exactly 2.8 MHz per Gauss. Its equivalent electrical circuit is composed of circuit elements unrealizable by finite components that vary over frequency so the filter bandwidth does not change with tuned frequency. Thus the Q increases with frequency since a definition of Q is the tuned frequency divided by the bandwidth. For oscillators using these resonators the phase noise is excellent and continues to perform as the oscillation frequency increases. The Resonant Ring Oscillator topology is easily realizable using MMIC technology to reduce a YIG based oscillator to a single IC with the ability to produce external fields of the correct vectors and path losses.  To make use of this phenomenon, a proprietary circuit utilizing leakage shielding and frequency locking will control the magnetic bias field and be integrated in the UO IC. The result will be a Universal Oscillator that can be produced to operate at any frequency between 3 and 30 GHz at cost equivalent to current VCO technology but with 30 to 40 dBc improvement in phase noise performance. Completing the development of this technology now will save immeasurable resources.
To address the NASA GRC Laboratory need for navigation capabilities to provide location awareness, precision position fixing, best heading, and traverse path planning for planetary EVA, manned rovers, and lunar surface mobility units, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Lunar completely Autonomous Automatic Surface Navigation (LAAN) system. This system will incorporate a POC-developed highly-efficient miniature self-mixing interferometric speedometer sensor, POC's proprietary tunable liquid crystal lens autofocusing system, and a robust prediction tracking algorithm that will enable us to meet NASA lunar mission requirements. The LAAN system will offer position accuracy better than 2.5 m with 95&#37; probability per 0.5 hr of motion without interaction with other positioning systems, and be compact (less than 10 cubic in.), lightweight (less than 8 oz), and consume less than 0.5 W. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of LAAN by creating and testing a preliminary prototype, which will demonstrate TRL-4 by the end of Phase I. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a fully functional prototype and demonstrate its complete feasibility (TRL-6). The results will offer NASA capabilities to provide better navigation for lunar mobile units during creation of scientific, industrial, and transport facilities, space monitoring stations, etc.
In this SBIR Phase I effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop a highly-accurate, lightweight, low-power gas analyzer for quantification of water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) aboard miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (mini-UAVs).  This analyzer, which will exploit LGR's patented Off-Axis ICOS technology, will be the first sensor capable of meeting the stringent weight, power, and environmental requirements for miniature UAV deployments.  Such deployments are critically important to NASA's Earth Science Division, because they enable more efficient and cost effective Earth observation measurements.  These measurements complement current satellite observations by providing higher horizontal resolution and vertical profiling, enabling better quantification of carbon sources and sinks.
Impact Technologies proposes to develop a real-time prognostic and
fault/failure accommodation system of critical electric power system
components including power converters and electro-mechanical drives for
the aerospace and aeronautical industry. The innovation of project is
focused on the integration of emerging prognostic technologies with
fault tolerant methodologies to improve system reliability and mission
readiness for NASA's next generation electrical power systems.  The
proposed concept will utilize incipient fault detection techniques to
provide longer predicted horizons prior to failures, and time to trigger
the appropriate reconfiguration scheme.  Impact Technologies' approach
uses fault detection circuits and algorithms to analyze data from
several sources including electrical and environmental measurements,
model estimates, and usage conditions. Up-to-date assessments of the
electrical system health and remaining useful life of critical
components will be made possible via an on-board embedded processing
system, which continuously updates prognostic models with sensed data
and predicts the best fault accommodation strategy to meet mission
objectives.  The proposed electrical system fault prognosis and
accommodation approach will be demonstrated with a Motor/Generator/Drive
test bench adapted for use in this program and with data from the modern
aerospace power system and electromechanical actuators.
The proposed innovation is a motor-control subsystem capable of operation in extreme environments, including those to be encountered on the Moon and Mars. Specifically, we will demonstrate operation over the environmental range from +130:C down to ?230:C during Phase 1, and from +200:C down to ?230:C during Phase 2. The switching transistors for the controller will be based on silicon-germanium (SiGe) because of its demonstrated ability to operate well at extreme temperatures. The outcome of this project will be an operating hardware system, not a simulation.
This innovation will be applicable to upcoming NASA missions to the surface of the Moon and Mars, as well as to other missions that need controllers for motors and actuators operating directly in extreme environments. Motor-control systems are also needed for space-based observatories, for example for the deformable cryogenic optical systems on the James Webb Space Telescope. Moreover, there are potential applications for extreme-temperature power electronics in the industrial, commercial and defense sectors.  The Phase 1 demonstration target is an H-bridge control circuit, pulse-width modulated, for controlling the speed and direction of a 20 W dc motor. The circuit will incorporate four silicon-germanium (SiGe) HBTs, because of their demonstrated advantages for extreme-temperature operation.  In addition, the proposing organization, GPD Optoelectronics Corp., has developed SiGe power transistors that operate down to ?230:C. The drive circuitry will use optoelectronic coupling.  Suitable packaging technologies for the extreme environment will be developed and reliability testing will be performed. A complete prototype system will be delivered at the conclusion of each Phase.
The proposed motor-control subsystem is an innovation because there are presently no such subsystems capable of operation over the extreme-environment range from +130:C or +200:C down to ?230:C.
We propose Phase I and II efforts that will focus on turbomachinery flow control. Specifically, the present work will investigate active control in a high speed turbine flow. The flow control actuators will be Single Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD), or "plasma actuators." The work will be primarily experimental, with a focus on realistic operating environments for investigating the efficacy of the actuators. The proposed measurements will be the first to utilize plasma flow control in an aerodynamically realistic LPT environment. The objective of the research will be to study the secondary flows in a modern low pressure turbine (LPT) environment, and use active flow control to provide enhanced aerodynamic and/or heat transfer characteristics by controlling the secondary flows through the nozzle and rotor sections of the turbine. 
The research will build upon extensive experimental development and numerical modeling of weakly-ionized plasma actuators for flow control applications. The study of these actuators in realistic operating environments will be made possible using a new transonic turbine rig located at the University of Notre Dame.
 
The objectives of the proposed research will involve measurements of the baseline flow field, including the secondary flows produced by the inlet nozzle vanes and the rotor vanes. These data will be used to motivate the actuator design for reduced secondary flows and losses. Specifically, a conceptual model will be constructed to describe how vorticity from the endwall boundary layers, blade surface, and tip gap is stretched and convected into regions of high loss. The actuators will be used to modify the unsteady surface vorticity flux through the plasma body force in order to reduce the net secondary flow losses.
Focusing on a reduced-dimension problem of a hypersonic orbital/lunar
reentry capsule, an algorithm will be built which combines the
stochastic Monte Carlo method for treatment of radiation transport in
optically thin to moderate domains, with a single-term modified
differential approximation (MP1) for use in optically thick domains.
This numerical method will be verified against a known benchmark case
before application to the reentry problem.  The bandwise and cumulative
distribution function (CDF) methods will be combined within the Monte
Carlo framework, creating an efficient, dual-hybrid radiation transport
algorithm.  A detailed plan for the generation of the full algorithm
will be developed, with a focus on parallelization and compatibility
with existing commercial transport software.  This plan will include
thorough testing and validation stages.
Intelligent Automation, Inc. and its sub-contractor, Purdue University, propose to develop a power-efficient miniaturized reconfigurable EVA radio system with built-in 3D navigation capability. It uses the state-of-the-art RF MEMS and software defined radio (SDR) technologies to achieve extreme miniaturization, power saving, and reconfigurability. Its 3D navigation function is based on proven pseudo Doppler and monopulse direction finding techniques. The wireless communications and navigation functions share the same S-band signal (2.4~2.483 GHz) and can operate up to 10km with position accuracy of 300 meters (3 sigma). The radio is designed to work with a mobile ad hoc network so the coverage for communications can be increased indefinitely by adding more nodes. This radio system can be used for transmitting voice, telemetry, and video among fixed and mobile asset, including lunar/Mars base stations, landers, habitats, rovers, and astronauts. Modern FPGA devices are bridging the gap between high speed digital design and DSP implementation. The SDR based architecture allows the radio to support multiple bandwidth, waveforms, and energy profiles, even those developed after the mission began, via cognitive middleware.  The MEMS tunable filters proposed is based on miniaturized evanescent mode cavities, which are 95&#37; smaller than conventional cavities and are capable of providing very high Q and excellent tuning range.
The objective of the Phase-I research is to architect, model and simulate a multi-cluster Network on a Chip (NoC) reconfigurable Radio in SystemC RTL, with throughput up to 1Gbps.  The architecture is based on mapping key Radio DSP operations onto clusters of 2D-Grid networks of primitive computation agents. The primitives in each cluster consists of multiply, accumulate and CORDIC operations. RISC agents and a primary RISC provide for reconfigurability. All agents are individually accessible for testing and configuration. The reconfigurable radio trades throughput for power by turning off primitive agents, using subsets of agents and routing links. Key agents that require SEU immunity for robust operation are identified and registers are implemented with Rad Hard temporal latch technology. The radio is reconfigurable for both beamforming and open-loop MIMO-OFDM operation with variable length FFTs to meet throughput/range requirements. The chip area and power is drastically reduced by maximum reuse of primitive agents by taking advantage of orthogonality between DSP operations. In Phase-II an NoC with support for 4x4 MIMO-OFDM will be synthesized on IBM 90nm process using Rad Hard agents and routing links that can be reconfigured for 4x1,4x2 and 4x4 MIMO-OFDM and single carrier operation, including FPGA emulation.
This SBIR phase II project proposes a single frequency high energy fiber laser system operating at low repetition rate of 10 Hz to 1 kHz for coherent Lidar systems for remote sensing. Current state-of-art technologies can not provide all features of high energy and efficiency, compactness, narrow linewidth, super frequency and power stability, low noise, and high extinction ratio at the same time. PolarOnyx proposes, for the first time, a high energy (100 mJ) single frequency (&lt; 1 KHz) PCF fiber laser transmitter to meet with the requirement of solicitation. This proposal is based on the spectral shaping sub-mJ fiber laser we have achieved in our labs.  In the high power amplifier stage, PolarOnyx proposes an innovative PCF fiber based regenerative amplifier approach by employing our patent pending proprietary technologies in fiber lasers, that will be able to operate at low repetition rate (10 Hz to 1 kHz) and reach high energy level of 100 mJ. These will make the fiber laser transmitter system superior in terms of wall plug efficiency (over 30&#37;), energy(100 mJ), noise, size, and cost.  Proof of concept experiment has been demonstrated in Phase I time frame. A compact prototype will be delivered in Phase II.
Water electrolyzer stacks are a key component of regenerative fuel cells, designed to replace batteries as a means of storing electric energy on the lunar surface.  The delivery of a 2,000 psi balanced pressure, lightweight prototype electrolyzer is proposed.  The cell design will be significantly smaller and lighter, and capable of higher pressure operation than previous aerospace electrolyzers designed and built by Giner Electrochemical Systems, LLC.  The successful completion of Phase I yielded test data, trade studies, a thin frame design, and model enhancements that would provide the basis of stack sizing.  In a Phase II program, an enhanced, 2,000 psi test stand will be created by upgrading the existing 1,200 psi stand.  It will then be used to demonstrate thin frame designs, the robustness of internal components, and the innovative prototypical compression hardware at realistic conditions. Further advances in thin frame technology will be investigated, and additional analyses of a new thermoplastic material will be conducted with the prospect of using them in the deliverable if these technologies are ready.
Next-generation space telescopes require advanced optical coatings to provide low-loss polarization-preserving transmission/reflection of light in a variety of spectral ranges.  These coatings also need to protect optical components as well as the coatings themselves, from damage in a space environment.  For example, one of the critical technologies identified in the NASA capabilities roadmap for advanced telescopes and observatories is advanced optical coating technology for cryogenic mirrors that is uniform and polarization preserving in the visible through far IR regions as well as improved dichroic, spectral and combiner coatings  .  To address this need Nanohmics is investigating us of sputter deposited amorphous nitrides and oxides as high quality, long lived radiation resistant coatings for production of anti-reflection and bandpass coatings on optical substrates including metals, PMMA, beryllium and other materials.  Discussions with the contracting officer's technical representative indicated that the main Fresnel lens in the EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory) may be a good candidate for amorphous nitride anti-reflective coatings.  The Phase II effort will focus on coatings for PMMA based optics; however, this coating technology can be applied to many other optical systems.
NASA captures and distributes operational knowledge in the form of procedures. These procedures are created and accessed by a range of people performing many different jobs. These people have different needs for procedure data and different ways of interacting with procedures. We propose an Procedure Integrated Development Environment which will present different editing modes and different views depending on the users and tasks, but will use a consistent data representation for all users. We propose to connect the editing environment to other tools and systems that are useful to procedure development, including recon databases and verification tools. We propose to build this environment on the basis of an existing prototype, PRIDE, which was developed for the Engineering Directorate of Johnson Space Center.
Electronic procedures are currently being used to document the steps in performing medical operations for the Space Shuttle and/or the International Space Station (ISS). Capturing the data electronically makes is easier to manage, modify and query the contents of the procedures. For the ISS, NASA is currently transitioning to electronic procedures based on the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) standard.  Modeling procedures electronically using XML has a number of benefits.  Procedures can be quickly and effectively searched to determine which procedures are affected by software and hardware changes.  Procedures are more easily shared by other computer-based systems.  And procedure execution aids become possible, such as real time data capture and automatic book marking of the current procedure step.  Such procedure models will be an important component of an integrated Medical Decision Support needed for future exploration missions.  The primary purpose of this project is to continue to research and develop a Procedure Representation Language (PRL) and support tools that will benefit the creation, maintenance, and use of the medical procedures, and to develop them in such a way that new advances can be easily inserted, eventually leading to the Medical Decision Support system.
The Tai-Yang Research Company (TYRC) of Tallahassee, Florida, will design, build and test a superconducting magnet system optimized for low current space based applications. Adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration (ADR) for milli-Kelvin sensor cooling is enabled by the use of superconducting magnets to eliminate ohmic heating.
Determining the probability of specific medical events on a given space mission is difficult.  Yet, it is important to have reasonable estimates of these probabilities in order to make informed decisions about managing the associated risks.  NASA's mission is and always will be to push the envelope, to go where no historical record exists to give guidance.  Consequently, it is necessary to consider additional sources of information, like expert opinion, analog studies, and controlled studies.  To combine this information in a principled way, each source should be documented and should be characterized according to its "level of evidence." NASA's researchers need the capability to gather information about each possible event, calculate the probability, update the calculations as new information is discovered, and support informed decisions about risks and risk mitigation strategies.

S&amp;K Aerospace (SKA) proposes an innovative Web-based system  to collect relevant evidence for medical events and facilitate the assignment of its "level of evidence", and combine evidence from multiple sources so that principled decisions can be reached concerning the probability of those events.  We intend to provide users with the ability to adjust the weighted combinations of multiple sources in order to refine the combined estimates, based on the expert opinion of the user of the software system. This system, which we call the Medical Event Decision Support System, or MEDSS, will allow researchers to create a database of possible medical events that require analysis.  For each event, information and references can be added; this information can take any form. In addition, we will build an inference engine that can calculate the probability of the event occurring, based on the information that is available. Each event will have a range of hypothetical mitigation strategies, along with the current best recommendation.
The lunar surface is to a large extent covered with a dust layer several meters thick.  Known as lunar regolith, it poses a hazard in the form of dust clouds being generated by all forms of gas expansions in the high vacuum environment of the lunar surface.  This is especially pronounced during spacecraft operations.  Instruments placed on the moon by the Apollo mission showed marked degradation due to damage from dust released during the lander's takeoff.  Since there is no air movement to remove the dust after it is deposited, it is essential that dust is not displaced during everyday operations of a permanent lunar installation.

Adherent Technologies, Inc. (ATI) has over the last decade developed a number of specialty UV curing resins for NASA applications in space.  ATI is proposing to develop a resin and dispenser system to coat large areas of lunar surface around landing pads and atmosphere locks with a thin, dust-stabilizing coating.  The coating will be UV stable and elastic enough to weather the temperature extremes of a lunar day and night cycle.  Special emphasis will be given to a low outgassing, solvent-free system that does not contaminate the lunar atmosphere.
Over the next few decades, NASA plans to launch a number of planetary probes to and return the samples to Earth for detailed investigation.  Due to the rapid expanse of space exploration, a need has been identified for the proper handling of extraterrestrial samples.  Not only must the sample return system maintain the physical integrity of the sample in sometimes rigorous conditions (e.g., rover driving loads, diurnal temperature fluctuations, cruise, atmospheric entry and impact), it must address potential contamination issues.  The samples themselves can become contaminated and they also present a serious contamination danger to the Earth.  Therefore, the highest possible level of precaution must be exercised when handling the outer space samples until there are studies proving them harmless.  
In this Phase I project, we are proposing a "foam-in-the-capsule" system for containing and encapsulating samples of extraterrestrial material to be returned to Earth for detailed study.  The system will eliminate or dramatically reduce the risk of contamination on flight hardware and ease the handling of the sample on the spacecraft, in landing, and in the process of sample transfer to the appropriate facility for investigation.  The "foam-in-the-capsule" system combines the effectiveness of encapsulation and flexibility to improve design according to new scientific data or changes in the capsule carrier's interior.  The proposed system consists of a compliant outer restraint based upon the DoverPac&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; system for containment of potent pharmaceutical powders and a foam-in-place encapsulation process.  The decontamination foam will be effectively sealed within the inflatable polymer capsules.  The dimensions of the capsules are variable to fit the dimensions of the sample to be encapsulated.  Sterilization of the encapsulated sample container before opening through the incineration of the foam encapsulant is possible.
Ongoing work in unconventional air-vehicles, i.e. deformable mold-lines and bio-mimetics, is beginning to provide the insight necessary to exploit performance benefits associated with unsteady flow phenomena.  However, the current generation of conceptual design/analysis tools, based on empirical and heuristic models, is incapable of analyzing advanced concepts with confidence, and a new approach, which exploits recent and ongoing developments in unsteady aeromechanics, is needed.  The proposed effort addresses these shortcomings by developing a hierarchical system of validated variable-fidelity physics-based aeromechanical tools for designing, analyzing and evaluating advanced concepts that employ aerodynamic shape change and other unsteady phenomena.  This suite of state-of-the-art tools will be integrated as a design and analysis system which can rapidly and reliably perform "virtual expeditions" through the design space.  In addition, validated subcomponents, ranging from real-time free-wake analyses and fully-coupled non-linear fluid-structure interaction tools to highly efficient CFD solvers with automated grid generation, will be made available as retrofittable modules for current tools.  The capability to design and evaluate advanced concepts offered by this system directly addresses the long-term aircraft systems development goals of prospective users in both government and industry.  The software will achieve TRL=4 during Phase I and TRL=7-8 by the end of Phase II.
The proposed effort advances the design of an innovative core sampling and acquisition system with improved core break-off, retention and ejection features.  The proposed innovation employs a different drill tube design in the vicinity of the core that does not impose any loads on the core and does not rotate relative to the core.  This novel technique actually envelopes and protects the core as it is generated.  The benefits are two fold; first, the integrity of the core is maintained and second, core ejection is much easier which greatly reduces, if not eliminates the risk of the core jamming within the drill tube/bit.  These improvements can be obtained without increasing the annulus of the drill bit that would otherwise require more down force, torque, power and bit wear.  At the end of the proposed Phase 1 effort, the design of the coring system will be at TRL 4 and by the end of a potential Phase 2, the system will be at TRL 6.
Carbon based aerogel composites for radiation shielding Project
Our proposed innovation is to design and fabricate a diode pumped Er:YAG micro-chip laser capable of varied repetition rates and high pulse energies using the single emitter-based high brightness pump developed in the Phase I. Future NASA missions will require high-pulse power with variable  repetition rate flash and scanning LIDAR systems. Such LIDAR systems offer the advantages of excellent spatial resolution, high efficiency, and high beam quality. We propose to design and fabricate a resonantly pumped, passively Q-switched Er:YAG laser for eye-safe wavelength operation. We will incorporate the Er:YAG crystal and saturable absorber into the pump module, creating a compact, robust, and efficient Q-switched solid-state microchip laser. 
The development of long wavelength, high power, highly efficient, fiber coupled pump modules will be continued. The basic pump unit, known as Pearl, has already proven itself robust in rigorous environmental testing.  The performance of these devices will be enhanced by the addition of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) for improved temperature stability and narrowed spectral line width for enhanced pump absorption. The development of these fiber coupled pump modules will be of great use to NASA for the pumping of future Er:YAG and Er-doped fiber laser systems, enabling high pulse energy eye-safe LIDAR systems.
A novel quiet engine air-brake (EAB) is proposed in response to NASA's solicitation for active and passive noise control concepts for conventional and advanced aircraft. The EAB concept is applicable to 1) next-generation, conventional tube and wing aircraft (current generation +1) and 2) advanced integrated airframe/propulsion system configurations (current generation +2, +3).  Potential retrofit opportunities are also envisioned.  Phase 1 analysis on NASA's Source Diagnostic Test (SDT) fan stage suggests that an EAB could realize three to four decibels overall noise reduction under the approach flight path by generating a swirling exhaust with drag equivalent to one to two turbofan-sized bluff bodies per powerplant. Such drag generation could enable slower and/or steeper and/or aero-acoustically cleaner approach trajectories. A Phase II development program is proposed to 1) perform aerodynamic designs of dual-stream, swirling bypass flow nozzles and experimentally assess their performance and noise, 2) develop conceptual aero-designs that address current engine architecture issues such as pylon duct bifurcations, and 3) develop a prototype design of an EAB for validation in a model-scale rig. The final deliverable to NASA will be a written report presenting design, analysis and experimental results from blown nozzle testing, plus a prototype EAB design.
The Lunar EVA network will exhibit a wide range of connectivity levels due to the challenging communications environment and mission dynamics. Disruption-Tolerant Networking (DTN) enables communications in environments where intermittent end-to-end connectivity occurs due to nodes moving temporarily out of range by taking advantage of persistent storage and mobility. DTN forwarding is a mature technology, but requires an adaptable routing algorithm that covers opportunistic and scheduled modes of operation under stable or disrupted connectivity. 

SSCI, in collaboration with Boston University and BBN Technologies proposes novel adaptive hybrid routing protocols and efficient data set reconciliation algorithms that will significantly enhance the scalability and performance of state-of-the-art DTN approaches.  SSCI further proposes to develop the SELENE DTN system prototype using COTS hardware and demonstrate data muling capability in a 20-node network.  

SELENE technologies will provide the Lunar EVA network with the reliability necessary to support Lunar missions in the extreme network conditions on the Lunar surface.  Through Phase II, SSCI will identify and secure commitments from industry and government transition partners to transition SELENE to commercial applications.
This Phase II SBIR project will provide real time, relative six Degree
of Freedom (6DoF) information to the crew of the ORION for docking. Our
technical innovation performs optimized correlation (ULTOR&lt;!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
                      "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"&gt;
&lt;sup&gt;REG&lt;/sup&gt;
), using video from the centerline (boresight) camera, to accurately
locate features of interest, and marry that with a passive pose and
position algorithm (ULTOR&lt;sup&gt;REG&lt;/sup&gt;
 P3E) to accurately measure relative position and pose.  In Phase II
this ULTOR&lt;sup&gt;REG&lt;/sup&gt;
 P3E process will be ported to an ORION VPU emulator, integrated with a
centerline camera emulator, and demonstrated in a hardware in the loop
(HWIL) docking experiment. The benefits of this program include:  No
additional weight or volume added to the weight constrained ORION
baseline design.  A backup docking sensor capability using different
physics.  The sensor output data will serve as an astronaut aid, working
with the same imagery the astronaut views, and providing calibrated
measurements.  The sensor can work with Star Tracker imagery for long
range relative navigation.  The sensor data can be used directly with
the Orion control system, allowing the astronaut to serve a supervisory
role, relieving workload.  Supports Lunar orbit docking (uncrewed
Orion).  Compatible with future robotic missions and robotic systems.
Existing cognitive performance test batteries consist of synthetic tasks that, while they may probe isolated cognitive functions, provide an incomplete and unconvincing picture of an individual's true cognitive capacity within the total context of space missions. In essence, they are 'laboratory' measures that appear unrelated to the real-world environment. This leads to user non-compliance or rejection. The present proposal describes a technique for integrating traditional cognitive performance measures with assessment of the system and mission in which the individual must operate. This yields quantified measures of the person's cognitive ability to perform specific jobs in space. Specifically, an entertaining and scientifically rigorous assessment tool is integrated with a sleep/fatigue model and a quantified workload estimate for each task. This is accomplished by selecting tests based on task analyses of what the astronaut actually has to do, using the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST) to predict performance capacity as a function of sleep/rest, and integrating a mathematical vector to quantify the workload of specific tasks. The resulting "Person-System-Mission (PSM) index" provides a totally new and unique way not only to assess present cognitive capability, but to diagnose specific causes of decrement, and to suggest remedial actions.
The use of UAS's in the military and the commercial field has grown tremendously over the last few years and is set to explode over next several. An open-architecture avionics system that utilizes standard communication interfaces and allows for rapid reconfiguration would be an attractive addition to the UAS market. 
CTSi is proposing development of such a product in phase II that provides a full Avionics Suite. This would include an avionics platform, a closed loop test environment and development tool kit and provide a turnkey solution for NASA AirSTAR program. The system will include:

1)	powerful programmability, ease of integration of new sensors and actuators, and ease of expansion to new platforms and applications
2)	interfaces for sensor inputs in Analog, PWM and serial stream formats
3)	A high performance data link for data telemetry and control
4)	reliable ground based safety piloting and augmented safety pilot control modes
5)	Operations in an EMI sensitive environment
6)	An autopilot fail-safe mode with basic aircraft recovery and Return-To-Base (RTB) capability and custom control law integration
7)	support for a variety of GPS/INS and other aircraft sensors
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has developed a ceramic composite material system that is more effective for shielding both GCR and SPE than aluminum.  The composite technology enables a modular, multifunctional building system for lunar habitats that can keep equivalent doses received by astronauts below the 150 mSv exposure limit during a 90 day lunar mission.  During Phase I, we achieved TRL 3 by demonstrating that our ceramic composite material is superior to aluminum in radiation shielding applications using HZETRN code calculations and radiation exposure experiments on material test samples. 

The Phase II SBIR effort will advance our ceramic composite to TRL 5 by?..

1)	Performing detailed shielding calculations using OLTARIS for a proposed shelter wall design
2)	Demonstrating fabrication methods that produce material with consistent mechanical, electrical and thermal properties
3)	Using radiation exposure experiments to verify shielding performance

We will design and analyze a lunar habitat wall system using our ceramic composite material as the primary structural member.  We will fabricate and strength test our ceramic composite materials to demonstrate that the ceramic composite system is a viable structural material for lunar habitats.  We will demonstrate that the ceramic composite system will provide at least 20&#37; greater radiation shielding effectiveness against GCR and SPE than an aluminum structure of comparable mass.
A new chemical kinetics model and database will be developed for aerothermodynamic analyses on entry vehicles.  Unique features of this model include (1) the ability to model chemical kinetics in highly nonequilibrium flows at high altitudes, (2) the ability to predict nonequilibrium dissociation without reliance on traditional continuum kinetic rate equations, and (3) the ability to model complex reactions from fundamental molecular quantum models.  The model will permit analyzing high-speed, nonequilibrium flows about entry and aeroassist vehicles based on extensions to Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) codes, and a new database will be developed for these extensions.  The new approach offers potential for treating other complex nonequilibrium flow physics including ionization and radiation in a more direct manner than has been previously used and therefore offers potential improvements in accuracy.  These tools will provide essential data for assessing the aerothermodynamic performance for a wide range of vehicle designs over a wide range of vehicle attitudes and flight conditions.  The improved accuracy offered by our proposed chemical kinetic modeling approach offers significant benefits in the design of vehicles for both unmanned planetary missions and manned missions to the Moon and Mars.
Environmental species measurement on airborne atmospheric research craft is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques.  Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and high species selectivity.  Balloonsonde, kite, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or glider deployment demands that sensors meet stringent size, weight and power requirements.  Few measurements are as important, and none have entered into the public consciousness, like the need to quantify atmospheric carbon dioxide.  Vista Photonics proposes to develop rugged, compact, power efficient prototype optical sensors capable of selectively measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapor with precision that rivals ground based instruments.  The enabling technology for meeting stringent NASA mission requirements is a newly emergent infrared laser source that delivers the high-sensitivity of established optical absorption detection techniques with extreme compactness and low power draw.
Breath respiratory species measurement during extravehicular activity (EVA) or intravehicular activity (IVA) is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques.  Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and strong species selectivity.  Accommodation within spacesuits demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight and power requirements.  The next generation of emerging NASA Constellation spacesuits requires a new generation of CO2 sensing technology with performance beyond that presently in use on the Shuttle/ISS extravehicular mobility unit (EMU).  Vista Photonics proposes to develop rugged, compact, low-power optical sensor prototypes capable of selectively determining carbon dioxide at EVA-relevant concentrations suitable for Constellation Configuration Two Spacesuits.  Design variations include dual CO2 sensors for feeding into astronaut metabolic rate determination and simultaneous humidity measurement for automated suit thermal control.  The enabling technology for meeting stringent NASA mission requirements is a new low power infrared optical source that provides the high-sensitivity of established optical absorption detection techniques.
Trace species measurement on unmanned atmospheric research craft suitable for interplanetary travel is a demanding application for optical sensing techniques. Yet optical techniques offer many advantages including high-precision, fast response, and strong species selectivity.
NASA calculation that over a kg of packaging waste are generated per day for a 6 member crew.  This represents over 1.5 metric tons of waste during a Mars mission. Currently, these wastes are considered a disposal burden.   However, packaging can designed to have valuable secondary uses which can lighten other payloads.  These include: Light generation, electricity generation, storage structures, building materials, and raw material for hardware items.  These benefits are not readily available in NASA's foil laminate structures used for packaging.  Other materials more amenable to secondary uses lack the moisture and oxygen barrier essential to achieve NASA's shelf life targets for foods.  This project controls moisture electro-thermally and oxygen electrochemically in an overwrap container.  Once oxygen and moisture are managed in the overwrap, individual packaging can be made of virtually any material and the broad potential of secondary packaging becomes available.  Phase I developed the tools and mathematical equations necessary to construct and model the performance of the overwrap system.  Phase II research will combine these tools to create a working overwrap system capable of achieving NASA's shelf life requirements and providing valuable secondary uses to packaging wastes.  As a result of this research, spent packaging will no longer be a waste burden, but will become a valuable mission asset.
Heat pipes are widely used for passive, two-phase electronics cooling. As advanced high power, high performance electronics in space based and terrestrial applications produce ever increasing heat fluxes, heat pipes with improved thermal capacity are sought. Illuminex Corporation has demonstrated that using copper nanowire arrays as the wick in heat pipes increases the heat transfer capabilities. Phase I developed processing techniques to engineer copper nanowire arrays on copper sheet that were subsequently incorporated into vapor chamber style heat pipes as the wicking material at the evaporator region. In Phase II, the program will be advanced to manufacture large area copper sheets fully covered with nanowires on one side. This material will be used to construct the entire heat pipe, package and wick. This will enable the development of high performance, lightweight, low-profile (&lt; 1 mm) heat pipes with enhanced thermal transfer properties. The decrease in weight and size is desirable for NASA space projects and will find commercial application in radar systems, servers, and portable electronic devices. The use of less material in heat pipe manufacture will result in lower production costs while the superior performance and smaller size will provide electronic system designers with greater flexibility in thermal management system design.
MEMS Propulsion Technology Utilizing Decomposing Nitrous Oxide Propellant Project
A New Methodology for Calculating Launch Vehicle Ascent Loads Project
Remote On-demand Networked Distributed Operations (RONDO) Project
MicroSAFE (Stress Analysis and Forecasted Endurance) Project
Transparent Integration of SINDA/G into Patran Project
Highly Effective Thermoelectric Coolers Project
Future Spacecraft from the JPL will require increasingly sophisticated thermal control technology.  A need exists for efficient, lightweight Vapor Compression Cycle (VCC) systems, for medium-to-low cooling loads (less than 2kW).  While conventional VCC technology is relatively compact and efficient for multi-kW loads, it is difficult to find a system that strikes a balance between coefficient of performance, weight and size within the sub-kW range.  The particular system proposed will be a highly efficient Mini-Heat Pump featuring custom compressor and heat-exchanger technology.  The compressor is a highly efficient, high power density, orientation independent rotary compressor designed for 500W of heat removal, a temperature lift of 50K and with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 2.  In the Phase II effort RINI proposes to continue development of the Mini-Heat Pump to increase compressor performance, study long term reliability, and design, build and test a deliverable prototype.  Detailed compressor analysis will be performed, and the results will be applied to a compressor that will be integrated with a motor identified in Phase I for use with the heat exchangers from the Phase I. The Phase II effort will result in delivery of an efficient, lightweight, orientation independent, reliable and compact prototype heat pump for NASA missions.
Materials Research &amp; Design (MR&amp;D) is proposing in the SBIR Phase II an effort to develop a tool for predicting the fatigue life of C/SiC composite laminates, which incorporates mechanical loading at any minimum stress to maximum stress ratio (i.e., R value), at room and elevated temperatures, in either inert or oxidizing environments.  The success of this effort would represent a significant state-of-the-art improvement in fatigue projections of ceramic matrix composites, since no tools capable of accomplishing this have ever been developed.  The developed algorithm, implemented via user-defined subroutines operating within the ABAQUS public domain finite element software, will represent a significant new addition to the suite tools currently available to CMC designers.
An autonomous airborne imaging system for earth science research, disaster response, and fire detection is proposed.  The primary goal is to improve information to researchers and operations personnel.  By operating autonomously and with higher spatial resolution, the system will deliver a 3X to 4X reduction in operating costs compared to current systems.  The system uses a two color Quantum Well Infrared Photo detector (QWIP) to improve the accuracy of energy release from wildfires, thereby improving our understanding of the carbon cycle. 

The system includes a multi-sensor step-stare imager, position and attitude sensor, data communications link, and a data processing system with; feature extraction (such as fire detection), image geo-coding, and image compression.  

The sensor head is an innovative design combining high resolution framing devices (cameras) with a step-stare scanning mirror.  This configuration results in high spatial resolution imagery and wide area coverage.  The design of the sensor head is flexible allowing for a variety of imagers including; visible and IR cameras and/or hyperspectral sensors.  We envision several versions of the instrument, one weighing around 75 pounds and a smaller version weighing less than 15 pounds.
We are proposing to leverage the Missile Defense Agency investments in high-performance propulsion systems for low-cost space missions with large Dv requirements, for example, a soft lunar lander. This design concept exploits a core set of hardware developed under past and current Department of Defense (DoD) investments. The propulsion system concepts under consideration are from the DoD's Missile Defense Kinetic Kill Vehicle programs such as EKV, THAAD, ASAT and LEAP. These are bipropellant, storable and hypergolic system that use high-performance propellants (MMH/NTO). This subtopic is seeking technologies with the superior performance for orbital control, for on-orbit applications including storage capability and propulsion. This propulsion system should allow transfers from LEO or GTO to lunar orbit or similar destinations. These missions have in common the substantial Dv propulsion requirements that cannot be met with the existing flown propulsion systems on current small spacecraft missions (for example, SNAP-1, Cubesats, Orbcomm or similar missions). Our proposed solutions offers that capability at an affordable but credible cost.
Under Project Constellation, NASA is developing a new generation of spacecraft for human spaceflight.  A significant percentage of the structures used in these spacecraft will be made of composite materials, and the Ares V payload shroud will be one of the largest composite structures ever built.  This offers many challenges, not only for design and manufacturing, but also for inspection and maintenance.  Inspection of large composite structures using traditional NDE methods is time consuming, expensive, and often not possible when access is limited (e.g. covered by a thermal protection system), resulting in a conservative (higher weight) design.  Acellent proposes to develop a robust, state-of-the-art structural health monitoring (SHM) system to overcome these concerns.  The Phase II will optimize the design and quantify the benefits for SHM on the Ares V payload shroud, and then expand the results to include other Ares V components such as the Altair Lunar Lander Structure, Earth Departure Stage (EDS) payload adapter, forward skirt and intertank, and the Core-to-EDS interstage.  The proposed solution will be capable of detecting and quantifying damage with a high probability of detection (POD), accurately predicting the residual strength and remaining life of the structures with confidence, and providing information that will allow appropriate preventative actions on the monitored structure.
Piezoelectric motors operate on the principal of converting the high-frequency oscillation of high-force, precision ceramic elements into useful continuous motion. High-power oscillations are converted to rotary motion through novel transmission mechanisms to produce high-torque, precision motion.  Dynamic Structures and Materials (DSM) focused the Phase I innovation on the development and design of a precision rotary motor mechanism that employs piezoelectric oscillatory power and produces rotary motion for operation at cryogenic and extreme environments.  The successful design of a high-torque prototype mechanism and the subsequent Phase I demonstration of the prototype under vacuum conditions lays the groundwork for the technology to reach product status and commercialization success in both NASA and non-NASA applications.  Phase II efforts will refine the innovation with additional focus on developing the fundamental understanding of rotary piezoelectric motor design and implementation.  The Phase II prototypes will be fully characterized over a temperature range of approximately 25K to 400 K in hard vacuum.  The construction materials of this type of mechanism are inherently vacuum compatible and will be selected to provide very low or no outgassing. DSM has already demonstrated operation of its high-force linear piezoelectric motors for environments as low as 77 K.
A Nitrous Oxide-fed Liquid Thrust Vector Control system is proposed as an efficient method for vehicle attitude control during powered flight. Pulled from a N2O main propulsion system oxidizer tank, it features system simplicity, no toxicity, room temperature storability, high system mass fraction and superior performance due to its exothermic decomposition characteristics, answering the need for innovative attitude control technologies.  A continuing series of 1,000 lb thrust hybrid rocket motor tests are proposed to characterize N2O's Side Specific Impulse as a function of thrust vectoring angle, as well as a series of 4,000 lb thrust motor firings culminating in a closed-loop Guidance Navigation and Control Hardware-In-The-Loop test in a vertical stand. At the conclusion of Phase 2, the technology will be ready for development into an upper stage as an integrated main propulsion Thrust Vector Control (TVC) /Attitude Control System for a small launch vehicle, or as a separate TVC system for any solid, liquid or hybrid powered vehicle.
Satellite design encompasses a multitude of steps from concept to flight, which can take several years, depending on the scope, requirements and budget of the mission. The process also requires a wide range of design and management tools, with limited consistency and data interchange capability.  Detailing the relationships between the satellite configuration (components and interrelationships), inventory control systems, life cycle management, design, analysis and test data is extremely difficult at best. No tool exists that meets these needs for the general satellite design, system engineering and integration process. Sci_Zone has begun development of our innovative Satellite Design Automation architecture QuickSAT&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;, in conjunction with our step_SATdb open database architecture to meet this need. step_SATdb seamlessly integrates existing detail design tools with QuickSAT&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;, as well as databases tracking requirements, hardware and software components and payloads in inventory, with the final configuration of the satellite. QuickSAT&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;, provides for not only rapid design, via design wizards and integration to existing design tools, but will provide coherency between a range of applications and data sets. step_SATdb stores and distributes supporting satellite design, configuration, mission, support and test data from a centralized database server and can distribute the data across multiple platforms and via the internet.
Utilizing high strength polymers with controlled pore dimensions as a support, a customized membrane electrode assembly (MEA) can be generated for NASA's electrolyzer and fuel cell stacks that has optimized electrochemical performance with greatly improved mechanical properties enabling high pressure (&gt;1000 psi) operation.  The overall objective is to optimize DSM-based MEAs for a NASA lunar application.  This will be accomplished through six tasks; 1.  Extending GES's gas crossover and chemical degradation mitigation strategies to DSMs  2.  Improving DSM with better ionomer;  3. Optimize the anode; 4.  Optimize DSM MEAs for H2/O2 fuel cells.  5. Update GES model for electrolyzer and fuel cell performance.  6.  Use model to select optimal DSM for lunar electrolyzer application and generate MEAs for full-size stack.
Spacecrafts rely on arrays of solar cells to generate electrical power. It is an on-going challenge to maximize electrical power available to spacecraft while reducing overall stowage volume and mass of solar array, which requires developing more efficient solar cells with higher specific power density. 

The objective of this SBIR project is to develop a generic approach, based on novel functional nano-materials, to significantly increasing the solar cell efficiency (~10&#37;), specific power density, radiation resistance and lifetime, without adding much cost or weight to the existing solar cells. The feasibility to synthesis such nano-materials has been explored and demonstrated in Phase I. Without optimizing, preliminary test on commercial solar cells show an efficiency gain approaching 5&#37; after applying such nano-materials. Such nano-materials will be further improved for energy efficiency and environmental durability in Phase II, to reach the objective of at least 10&#37; gain in energy efficiency on majority of commercial solar cells.
In a successful Phase 1 project for NASA SBIR topic A1.05, "Data Mining for Integrated Vehicle Health Management," Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) demonstrated its SPADE anomaly detection software to key personnel in NASA's Intelligent Systems Division (ISD) and with data from our partners at Boeing, SpaceX and GMV Space Systems.  The feedback from these demonstrations was used to establish future development directions for Phase 2. 

Phase 2 will consist of three major efforts: 1) the design and implementation of the Taiga system, a next-generation enhancement of the SPADE software, 2) an investigation into combining complementary functionality of Taiga with existing code at ISD including the Inductive Modeling System, Mariana and others, and 3) the implementation of a prototype automatic parallelizer, in cooperation with subcontractor Optillel Solutions, for a subset of C++ useful for hardware acceleration of machine learning applications.

The scope of the interaction with researchers in NASA ISD will be to explore the relationships between IMS and Taiga and gauge benefits such a Data Handling, Feature Reduction, Visualization and Explainability. We will also investigate heterogeneous ensemble methods by analyzing the Mariana system.

Optillel's C++ Parallelizer will reduce MAC's development costs for parallelizing C++ code for multi-core chips and clusters. This effort will build on Optillel's existing body of work that supports graphical programming languages, and will extend their technology to the analysis and parallelization of C++ code.

Both the Taiga system and Optillel's prototype have significant commercialization potential in industries as diverse as Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing and Aerospace.
Compact Biological Aerosol Fluorescence Detection System Project
Grid-Based Distribution of Payload Video to Experimenters Project
We are proposing to exploit (in an innovative way) existing, readily available, GNC sensors for the purpose of precision lunar landing. Majority of previous lunar lander concepts with the precision/pinpoint landing capability required expensive and risky development of new GNC and landing sensors (scanning lidars, multi-beam mm-ww radar, etc.). Our proposed alternative consists solely of existing and low-cost sensors that synergistically leverage each capability and compensate for individual sensor weaknesses. For example, we can use a simple single-beam low-frequency radar altimeter (available at low-cost off-the-shelf, and proven on several Mars lander missions). The low-frequency radar can meet the maximum slant range requirements much easier than the mm-wave sensor but it does not have the adequate multiple narrow beam capability of the Apollo LM or Viking lander radar. However, the optical descent imaging measurement (using DSMAC-type sensor) can supplement the single beam radar measurement and obtain the same information about the complete state vector. There are several similar concepts implemented in this sensor suite of complementing strengths and weakness of individual sensors.
This Phase 2 SBIR proposal describes the design, fabrication and calibration of a brass-board Self-Calibrating Vector Helium Magnetometer (SVHM). The SVHM instrument is capable of making high accuracy vector component measurements of Earth and planetary magnetic fields. The major SVHM innovation is use of scalar field measurements made with the SVHM sensor to self-calibrate the vector measurements thereby eliminating the standard suite of three fluxgate vector magnetometers and the independent scalar magnetometer required to correct for fluxgate drifts and offsets. The SVHM bread-board conceptual design can achieve a dynamic range of !S65,000 nT, both vector and scalar accuracy with self-calibration of !S1 nT, and sensitivity of &lt;10 pT /?)Hz. The SVHM bread-board will be miniaturized to meet volume, power and mass goals. The SVHM bread-board will utilize a fiber-coupled laser pump source and resonance drive, which permits reduction of helium cell volume by a factor of 10 and eliminates resonance drive coils and cables. The feasibility of designing a brass-board SVHM model using advanced laser and digital components was established in Phase 1. The SVHM bread-board will be calibrated and the self-calibration function demonstrated at a NASA coil facility during Phase 2.
Analysis of Phase I test data demonstrates that the Photogenics Spectroscopic Dosimeter will detect neutron energies from 0.8 up to 600 MeV. The detector efficiencies in the energy region of interest to NASA of 0.5 to 150 MeV were predicted by MCNP-X models.  These models were partially confirmed by the tests at the EAL and LANSCE, with a high confidence in the data for the 1-14 MeV range and a confirmation of the detector's spectroscopic capabilities between 15-150 MeV.   Further analysis of the high energy data will be performed in Phase II.
Using the detection efficiencies determined Phase I and the IRCP74 damage coefficients, doses have been calculated for the neutron fluxes encountered in the test facilities.  During Phase II a full-scale working model of the spectroscopic dosimeter will be fabricated and tested.
An integrated environment for rapid design studies of small satellite missions will be developed. This environment will be designed to streamline processes at the NASA Ames Mission Design Center. Several key concepts are introduced. The proposed environment introduces modern Product Data Management and Product Lifecycle Management (PDM/PLM) tools and processes to satellite mission design. Specifically, the notion of product structure, or bill of material (BOM), is expanded to a simulation BOM, or SBOM, with the capability to manage engineering analysis data, files and processes in the context of a product, in this case satellite mission. This approach constitutes a significant step beyond mere document management, which limits the traceability of which model of which analysis belongs to which version of the geometry or other analysis. It is a key enabler for model re-use. A Linked Model Environment (LME), i.e. an environment where all engineering analysis models are associatively linked, which was developed concurrently in the commercial aerospace and automotive industry, will extended to satellite mission design. This environment significantly reduces the amount of manual intervention engineers have to perform to translate information from one simulation tool to another. The concept of digital mockup (DMU), which typically addresses form and fit of components in an assembly, is expanded to include function, such that the inclusion of components in a satellite assembly that are functionally incompatible is rejected. Repetitive-iterative engineering tasks will be automated with the help of an integration framework tool which automates the execution of a sequence of codes and provides the capability to wrap drivers like optimizers or quality engineering tools around an automated analysis workflow.
The Phase I effort demonstrated, through actual development and tests with a spacecraft system, the technical and programmatic feasibility of developing, within the SBIR phase II program, the prototype of an  innovative and low-cost Open System of Agile Ground Stations using the new commercial Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. The prototype agile stations will operate in a wide band used by NASA and other science and technology satellites and will be able to switch between communications frequencies, modes and data protocols, in real time, to service multiple satellites. The stations will be remotely programmable to store portfolios of satellite applications, and will switch between applications on demand from the largely automatized Ground Station Management and Maintenance Center (GSMMC). Multiple station sites will provide a high level of back-up capability and link opportunities at up to 3.5Mbits/s and will eliminate down-times. The GSMMC will interface with the different satellite Mission Operation Centers, and oversee the scheduling and programming of the station system. The prototype system will be implemented on the existing HETE-2 network of three stations, opening that system to service multiple missions at very low cost, while significantly enhancing its capabilities and performance.
The problem of estimating the aerodynamic models for flight control of damaged aircraft using an innovative differential vortex lattice method tightly coupled with an extended Kalman filter was investigated during the Phase I research.  The approach exploited prior knowledge about the undamaged aircraft to reduce the order of the estimation problem. Probing maneuvers were designed to improve the observability of the system dynamics. The derived performance model was then be used to determine the aircraft flight envelope, performance parameters and the maneuver limits. The estimated data can be used as the basis for designing safe landing guidance laws for damaged aircraft.
   Phase II research will refine the algorithms developed during the Phase I research and create a standalone software implementation. Structural dynamic computations and control power estimation will be included in the software. Operation of the software will then be demonstrated at near real-time speeds. All the algorithms and software developed under the proposed research will be supplied to NASA at the end of Phase II. Human-in-the-loop simulations and flight test evaluation of the system will be undertaken during the Phase III work.
Current hydrogen flame detection systems exhibit shortcomings ranging from limited detection range, to localization inaccuracy, limited sensitivity, false alarms, and inability to self-diagnose failures. During Phase I. International Electronic Machines Corporation IEM created and tested a prototype version of an Intelligent FlameFinder Detection and Alert System (IFDAS), demonstrating that IEM's system could accurately detect, track, and localize hydrogen flames and reliably discriminate between hydrogen flames and over two dozen sources of false alarms including reflections of flames or the sun, welding, other flame sources, etc., using a unique, innovative, and expandable Flame Detection Expert System design. In Phase II, IEM proposes to develop a full working prototype system employing multiple IFDAS sensor units, an enhanced flame detection expert system, and a comprehensive user interface including means for notifying emergency personnel when a fire is detected. This IFDAS Prototype will be demonstrated under real-world conditions at Stennis Space Center.
Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) is pleased to present the following Phase II proposal for a Fabry-Perot Based Interferometer Receiver for the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) System. Under the Phase I work, MAC successfully developed instrument models and created a conceptual design for an aircraft-qualified receiver that can be used with the current HSRL collection optics.
Although a number of airportal surface models exist and have been successfully used for analysis of airportal operations, only recently has it become possible to conduct detailed validation of such models through the use of airport surface surveillance data. In this effort, we propose to go a step further than existing models, by actually incorporating empirically-derived airport surface control practices into NASA's overall airportal simulation modeling capability. This effort will produce tools to support fundamental research of the concept and requirements for airportal operations in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) by providing microscopic airportal surface modeling components that provide higher fidelity and greater validity of modeling than previously available. Through this effort we will use the Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool to conduct detailed analysis of airport surface operations using actual data.
Conventional software defined radio (SDR) backend signal processors are limited by a priori system definition and RF hardware. Ideally, advanced SDR RF front-end sections would be as flexible as their software back-ends, allowing in-use or in-orbit reconfiguration of original bands and modulation types.
The term Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) is used to describe a capability that focuses on determining the condition (health) of every element in a complex system (detect anomalies, diagnose causes, prognosis of future anomalies), and provide data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) to control systems for safe and effective operation. Therefore, ISHM capability is achieved by integrating DIaK that can be distributed throughout the system elements. DIaK must be available to any element of a system at right time and within a proper context. The implementations of the ISHM in the past have primarily focused on data access, and have not emphasized the integration of intelligence across all elements that make up a system. In order to distribute DIaK effectively, the integrated system must have the distributed capabilities and they require effective network functions across the whole system. Mobitrum proposes to develop a Sensor Area Network (SAN) for ISHM to bring the distributed intelligences together across all elements within ISHM system. The proposed SAN can be mixed of wireless and wired architecture. In order to implement credible ISHM functions, SAN must provide ISHM with effective communication mechanisms using distributed and/or hierarchical architectures to deliver intelligence across all elements.
Carbothermal Lunar Regolith Processing System (CLRPS) Project
Simulation and Analysis of Socio-Technical Risk using SpecTRM Project
Motion Sickness and Simulator Sickness: A Hand-Held Computerized Prediction Tool Project
We will develop an efficient tool for formal verification of PowerPC 750 executables. The PowerPC 750 architecture is used in the radiation-hardened RAD750 flight-control computers that are utilized in many space missions. The resulting tool will be capable of formally checking: 1) the equivalence of two instruction sequences; and 2) properties of a given instruction sequence. The tool will automatically introduce symbolic state for state variables that are not initialized and for external inputs. We bring a tremendous expertise in formal verification of complex microprocessors, formal definition of instruction semantics, and efficient translation of formulas from formal verification to Boolean Satisfiability (SAT). We will also produce formally verified definitions of the PowerPC 750 instructions used in the project, expressed in synthesizable Verilog; these definitions could be utilized for formal verification and testing of PowerPC 750 compatible processors, for FPGA-based emulation of PowerPC 750 executables, as well as in other formal verification tools to be implemented in the future.
The overall objective of the proposed research is to design, develop and demonstrate fluidic actuator arrays for aerodynamic separation control and drag reduction. These actuators are based on a compact design of low mass-flow fluidic oscillators that produce high frequency (1-5 kHz) sweeping jets. Preliminary experiments on separation control over a trailing edge flap on a NACA 0015 airfoil, V-22 wing section for download reduction, cavity tones and jet thrust vectoring have shown encouraging results for these actuators.  

Based on the results from Phase I, and the commercial interest from a leading aircraft manufacturer, we propose to conduct a systematic study of the scaling parameters of the fluidic actuator arrays in relation to the geometric and aerodynamic parameters of the wing using wind tunnel tests on a specially designed airfoil model.  This will include the effects of actuator spacing, array location, pressure gradient and wing sweep on the actuator effectiveness.  Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) will be undertaken to estimate the risk of the proposed technology.  A rapid inspection technique will be developed for conducting quick, in situ testing of the fluidic arrays. Projecting to the future, a synchronous array of actuators will also be developed.
In this Phase 2 SBIR program submitted to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in response to Topic S1.05 (Detector Technologies for UV, X-Ray, Gamma-Ray and Cosmic-Ray Instruments), Aymont Technology, Inc. (Aymont) and GE Global Research will enable high-sensitivity ultraviolet imaging.  We will build upon our Phase 1 result showing working SiC UV avalanche photodiodes with high quantum efficiency as well as GE's product expertise in SiC photodiodes.  Our team will demonstrate 16 x 16 arrays of SiC photodiodes including electronics for visible-blind high-sensitivity ultraviolet (UV) detection.  We will demonstrate imaging using these arrays at UV wavelengths.  In order to enable large scale arrays needed for future NASA missions, we will also demonstrate a 3 x 3 array of SiC photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes without front side contacts.  In Phase 3, this array will be scaled to VGA dimensions (640 x 480) and utilized by NASA and others as the best-performing choice for UV imaging in space, satellite, security, and other applications.   Additionally, APD arrays will be enabled.  These will give the capability of imaging where each pixel has the sensitivity of a PMT.
Microcosm, with partners Space Micro and HRP Systems, will design, build, and test a plug-and play (PnP) star sensor for small satellites, achieving TRL 6 at the completion of Phase II. All three companies are very experienced in developing PnP systems. On a recent Phase II Air Force SBIR program, Microcosm built and tested a prototype miniature star sensor called MicroMak&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;, and is building a prototype radiation hard star sensor under a new Phase II Air Force SBIR. The new star sensor proposed here will focus on PnP compatibility for NASA missions of interest, with a mass goal of 0.5 to 0.75 kg.  Anticipated NASA applications necessitate a modified version of the baseline MicroMak&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; sensor, including: 1) Interfaces compatible with a new PnP avionics architecture, 2) radiation-hardened CMOS focal plane arrays (FPAs), and 3) processing electronics to enable longer mission life. The baseline MicroMak&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; sensor was designed with inherent radiation-tolerant features: FPAs with no direct view of space, and all-reflective optical elements. The PnP star sensor will leverage MicroMak&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; heritage, providing a modular, PnP, long-life star sensor for NASA missions, providing a cost and mass reduction of a factor of  2 or more over existing star sensors.
Astronauts lose significant bone mass during lengthy spaceflights. Although, no effective treatments or prophylactics have yet been defined, it is important to monitor bone loss during missions. As such, the sensor must be compact and facile to operate in spacecraft. Operational Technologies Corp. (OpTech) proposes to complete development of its successful Phase I competitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-aptamer assays for several bone loss markers and calcidiol. In Phase I, OpTech developed several rapid (15 minutes) specific competitive polyclonal FRET-aptamer assays with low nanogram/ml sensitivity.  OpTech also cloned and sequenced 110 bone marker and calcidiol aptamers which will be individually screened in Phase II for optimal FRET assay performance. During Phase II, OpTech will shift its FRET to emit in the red (&gt; 600 nm) to avoid the intrinsic fluorescence of urine and serum.  OpTech will also lyophilize and package optimized FRET-aptamer assays for use with a bubble-free plastic cuvette and body fluid collection system.  The assay system will be coupled to a modified version of the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Picofluor[TM] handheld battery-operated fluorometer customized to detect bone markers and calcidiol in body fluids.  OpTech will deliver the packaged assays, handheld reader and software to NASA for testing.
Existing scientific visualization tools have specific limitations for large scale scientific data sets.  Of these four limitations can be seen as paramount: (i) memory management, (ii) remote visualization, (iii) interactivity, and (iv) specificity.  In Phase I, we proposed and successfully developed a prototype of a collection of computer tools and libraries called SciViz that overcome these limitations and enable researchers to visualize large scale data sets (greater than 200 gigabytes) on HPC resources remotely from their workstations at interactive rates.  A key element of our technology is the stack oriented rather than a framework driven approach which allows it to interoperate with common existing scientific visualization software thereby eliminating the need for the user to switch and learn new software. The result is a versatile 3D visualization capability that will significantly decrease the time to knowledge discovery from large, complex data sets.

Typical visualization activity can be organized into a simple stack of steps that leads to the visualization result.  These steps can broadly be classified into data retrieval, data analysis, visual representation, and rendering.  Our approach will be to continue with the technique selected in Phase I of utilizing existing visualization tools at each point in the visualization stack and to develop specific tools that address the core limitations identified and seamlessly integrate them into the visualization stack.  Specifically, we intend to complete technical objectives in four areas that will complete the development of visualization tools for interactive visualization of very large data sets in each layer of the visualization stack.  These four areas are:  Feature Objectives, C++ Conversion and Optimization, Testing Objectives, and Domain Specifics and Integration.  The technology will be developed and tested at NASA and the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
This proposal addresses NASA's need for non-autoclave composites manufacture. The Constellation program, including the Ares V launch vehicle, will require very large-scale structures and conventional autoclave-based composites which are very costly and suffer from logistical problems.  Out of autoclave (OOA) composite manufacturing technology has the potential to solve the constraint issues of autoclave processes without suffering performance issues.  However, several critical issues remain a technical challenge, and further development is required to bring OOA into the mainstream of composites manufacturing.   

Touchstone proposes to demonstrate that a composite tool made from its carbon foam materials can be self-heated by passing an electric current through the tool body, thereby heating only the tool and part and not requiring an autoclave or oven for curing.  In Phase 1, a small prototype tool will be built and tested for self-heating performance in comparison to a conventional autoclave cure cycle on the same tool.   Specific resin systems suited for OOA processing will be utilized, and performance properties of composite samples produced by both the self-heated carbon foam tool and a conventional carbon foam autoclave tool will be characterized.  

At the end of Phase 1, the TRL will be 4, and by the conclusion of Phase 2, the TRL will reach 6.
The goal of our nanoscale test strips, or nanostrips, is to provide rapid, low-cost, powerful multiplexed analyses in a diminutive form so that whole body health checks can be performed on a single drop of blood.  The approach is conceptually similar to pH or urinalysis test strips which allow multiple measurements in a linear format.  The main difference is that we are proposing test strips at the nanoscale, shrunk in size over 100,000-fold in surface area, allowing multiple sensing elements to be included in a small area.  The fluorescence from each element assesses the concentration of each measured analyte.  In this Phase I, we will fabricate, test, and characterize test nanostrips and fabricate ones for bone metabolism.  For Phase II, we will develop an entire suite of nanostrips for cardiac function, bone metabolism, liver function, lipid analysis, and hormone measurements.  The nanoscale test strips are read in a time-of-flight flow-based manner utilizing our rHEALTH (Reusable Handheld Electrolytes &amp; Lab Technology For Humans sensor) sensor, which is a low-cost, handheld sensor that employs a reusable microfluidic chip, developed with NASA funding.  At the end of Phase II, the nanostrip assay suite will be delivered together with a handheld rHEALTH sensor.
Los Gatos Research proposes to develop a new polymer based microfluidics
technology for NASA planetary science applications.  In particular, we
will design, build and demonstrate a micro-capillary
electrochromatography instrument based on a rigid monolithic porous
polymer structure as the stationary phase to analyze complex organic
molecules on Mars, Titan and elsewhere in the solar system.  Such high
performance, small mass and volume, and low power consumption
microfluidic sample separation devices are amenable for implementation
at wafer level such as miniaturized &amp;quot;lab-on-a-chip&amp;quot; devices.
For the Phase I effort, we will design, construct, and testing the
micro-chips.  The Phase I research will address issues related to
performance as well as production methods that can be used for the
technology, as well as designing and determining the integrated
micro-device and the Phase II prototype.  In the Phase II effort, we
will construct and test the final prototypes capable of separating all
relevant organic molecules for in-situ planetary explorations, thus
provide new capabilities for NASA sample separation instrumentation development.
Pulsed Plasma Thruster Piezo-Igniter for Small Satellite Project
Low-Cost Fabrication of an Integrated, Self-Sufficient MEMS Skin Project
EGLEAN: A Modeling and Analysis Tool for Error-Tolerant Design Project
Nanostructured Aerogel Systems for Cold Volume Enclosures Project
With the increasing demands placed on extravehicular activity (EVA) for the International Space Station assembly and maintenance, along with planned lunar and Martian missions, the need for increased human productivity and capability becomes ever more critical. This is most readily achieved by reduction in space suit weight and volume, and increased hardware reliability, durability, and operating lifetime.
The potential benefits of advanced algorithms for diagnostics and prognostics, inner-loop control, and other flight critical systems have been demonstrated in a number of research efforts.  Because many of the new algorithms differ significantly from the approaches used in most operational vehicles, and because of factors such as non-deterministic behavior due to adaptation, flight certification of the approaches has been challenging.  Verification and validation (V&amp;V) of advanced control laws has received significant research attention, and progress has been made in terms of tools, methods, and architectures for facilitating V&amp;V.  Building on this prior V&amp;V work, the proposed research will develop innovative methods and tools for validation of diagnostic systems.  The Phase I research demonstrated the value of probabilistic analysis in general, and generalized Polynomial Chaos techniques specifically for measuring diagnostic system performance.  The Phase II research will further develop probabilistic methods, and will combine them with worst-case analysis techniques to assess traditional diagnostic system metrics, as well as interactions between diagnostic systems and inner-loop control approaches.  Building on the CAESAR tool control law validation tool, a software package to facilitate validation of diagnostic systems will be implemented, and the tool will be demonstrated on a representative diagnostic system.
Field Programmable Gate Arrays are a widely used technology; however, they are generally limited in reprogrammability. Radiation hard, low power and high density ReProgrammable FPGAs (RP-FPGAs) would be a tremendous asset in long duration missions. The ability to adapt to changing mission profiles and on board capabilities is highly desirable. We are developing a RP-FPGA technology for flight use. In Phase I we have proven basic device concepts?increasing temperature stability, demonstrating scalable production process, and developing refining Phase II tasks.  We have achieved this success by working with a leading FPGA manufacturer, and the enabling materials technology inventor and others. The range of technical interactions has also been increased as a result of the Phase I effort. In Phase II we will develop a viable demonstration prototype that will enable routine Phase III device manufacture. Present work has shown the desired end should be well achievable.
Aging and durability of aircraft in both the military and civilian sectors are becoming major issues as the existing fleet continues to age.  Additionally, the increased use of composite structures in the civilian fleet, such as in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A380, make the understanding and/or improvement of composite durability, particularly durability of repairs, even more critical.  Several areas have been identified as targets for improvement in composite aircraft repair.  These include the development of rapid, low temperature repair methods and associated materials as well as development of the quality of repairs when they are made.  Adhesion of bonded repairs is one area that needs to be addressed. 
In the Phase I program Adherent Technologies, Inc. demonstrated a novel moisture-resistant primer system for use in repairs of standard carbon/epoxy composites used in many subsonic aircraft.  Our proprietary chemistry comprised of a reactive coupling agent and a carrier resin compatible with standard aerospace epoxy resins bonds directly to the prepared aircraft composite surface while retaining residual functionality that can be cured directly into the matrix of the repair leading to a covalently bound repair, thereby strengthening the repair interface.  An increase in bond strength for primed samples relative to unprimed control specimens was noted; the improvement in the fracture toughness of the bonds was particularly of note.
The Phase II effort will focus on the optimization of these primer systems and associated application and activation methods.  Water-based systems will also be developed and demonstrated.
Any manned missions to extraterrestrial locations will require shelter structures for a variety of purposes ranging from habitat usage to biomass production.  Such shelters need to be constructed in such a way to minimize stowed volume and payload weight.  The structures must also be very durable and have the ability to survive punctures without collapsing.  Ways of increasing available crew-load volume without greatly increasing launch weight or volume are also sought.
Inflatable structures are ideal candidates for habitat structures for several reasons: (1) they feature the low stowage volume and payload weight required, (2) deployed volume can be easily increased without large increases in launch weight or volume, (3) they offer unique opportunities for incorporating intelligent and/or multifunctional systems such as self-healing capability, power generation and storage, sensor systems, and radiation protection.
Adherent Technologies, Inc. is proposing an inflatable, rigidizable shelter system based on our Rigidization on Command&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; (ROC) technology.  The proposed shelter system features not only the required low stowage volume and lightweight character, but also feature a self-healing foam system incorporated into the final structure to minimize the damage caused by any potential punctures to the structure.  The Phase I program successfully demonstrated the self-healing foam concept.  This system will be optimized in Phase II and incorporated into a fully functional subscale prototype habitat utilizing ROC composite outer layers, self-healing layers, thermal and micrometeoroid protective layers, integrated lighting, and power systems.
Accurate measurement of atmospheric parameters with high resolution needs advanced lasers. In this SBIR program we propose to develop innovative Q-switched high power 2-micron fiber laser with pulse energy greater than 10mJ, repetition rate of 10Hz to 1KHz, and pulse duration of 200ns using innovative highly efficient Tm-doped glass fiber. This new fiber laser will be an all-fiber laser system consisting of actively Q-switched fiber laser and fiber amplifiers. This proposed all-fiber laser system is compact, highly efficient, robust and highly reliable, which is especially suited for NASA's application where operating environment is always extremely rough. In Phase I we will design and fabricate Tm-doped glasses, design and fabricate single mode and double cladding single mode Tm-doped fibers, and demonstrate Q-switched single frequency 2-micron fiber laser and amplifiers.
The development of new, robust, lightweight systems for CO2 removal during EVA is a crucial need for NASA.  With current activity focused on the development of Lunar outposts, mission times will need to be extended without increasing the size and weight of the portable life support system (PLSS).  While much of the recent work on the development of new CO2 control strategies has centered on sorbents that can be regenerated during the mission, these system add "on back" hardware, increasing weight and complexity, and reducing reliability.  

A simpler approach is to use a membrane system to separate CO2 and H2O from the O2 environment.  Unfortunately, separating gas phase molecules with the needed selectivity is difficult with standard membrane materials.  However, converting CO2 and H2O to compounds with much different properties, could allow the needed separation to be achieved.  Therefore in this Phase I project, Reaction Systems will develop a liquid membrane that will have high permeance and selectivity for CO2 and H2O compared to O2, resulting in a TRL = 4.  In Phase II we will advance the TRL to 6 by designing and constructing a full scale prototype, which will be delivered it to NASA.
Vertical Interconnects for 3D CMOS Imager Project
Finite Element based Fracture Mechanics using Multidisciplinary Approach Project
Thermochemical Energy Conversion Engine for Electricity Generation Project
Development of Ultra-smooth Diamond Tooling for Machining Lightweight Mirrors Project
Large aperture antennas are of interest to NASA for applications in establishing high-speed communication relays for interplanetary missions.  Design goals include 20 meter apertures.  In order to minimize mission costs at these large diameters, weight must be severely restricted. 
Adherent Technologies, Inc. (ATI) has developed two technologies for ultra-light space structures and antennas, the Rigidization on Command&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; (ROC) concept, uses UV-curing resins to stabilize inflated structures and a self-deploying foam antenna concept at small aperture.  These technologies were combined in the Phase I program to produce a foam stabilized antenna with a ROC reflector surface.  The areal density of the 0.6 m devise was 2.2 kg/m3.

In the Phase II program, ATI will team with ILC Dover and Allied EM to develop the needed materials, design, manufacture, deploy, and test a 3 m Ka band antenna based on the foam stabilized inflatable technology.  ATI will lead the materials development effort, optimizing the foam formulations and injection methods, as well as create a custom ROC resin for antenna applications. ILC Dover will manufacture the necessary inflatable mold, and Allied EM will be responsible for the RF design and testing.
We design and develop a Decision Support Tool (DST) that supports On-Demand Special Use Airspace (SUA) scheduling and flight plan optimization around SUA between Airline Operations Control (AOC), Military, Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC), and Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) personnel.  The tool allows AOC and ARTCC Traffic Management Unit (TMU) personnel to coordinate strategic and tactical plans, with a strategic look ahead time from days to less than 2 hours, and tactical plans up to the minute centered locally around an ARTCC airspace.  The tool coordinates aircraft movement though vs around SUA.  The tool allows for asynchronous communication of priorities associated with flight plans and flight plan amendments (contingency plans) between the AOC and ARTCC TMU specialist, allowing the ATCSCC and Military to view these priorities and TMU responses to them at any time.  This technology will be developed to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 at the end of Phase I, and TRL 4 prototype system by the end of Phase II.
Future space programs will require extensive monitoring of complex, highly instrumented systems such as the Orion spacecraft and lunar/Martian habitats. To handle tasks and situations that cannot be fully delegated to automation software, future flight controllers and crew must be able to monitor, review and interpret voluminous and complex telemetry data quickly to maintain necessary levels of situations awareness and make critical decisions rapidly and accurately.

We propose to develop Intelliviz, an intelligent telemetry data visualization assistant for NASA.  This software system will create data visualizations automatically to reduce the effort and difficulty of specifying and constructing effective telemetry data visualizations. Intelliviz will determine the user's data analysis goals by enabling users to express their data analysis goals directly and by posing system diagnosis or system management questions or problems from which analysis goals can be inferred. Intelliviz will then generate appropriate displays that support the user's data analysis goals by retrieving the relevant telemetry and systems data, selecting appropriate data display methods, and instantiating and configuring those displays.

During the prior Phase 1 SBIR project, we reviewed research literature describing prior work in automated visualization design, reviewed related NASA R&amp;D programs, specified scenarios and test cases, identified promising early applications for Intelliviz, refined our requirements and design, implemented a software prototype that demonstrates Intelliviz capabilities, and developed a plan to create an operational prototype during Phase 2.   During the phase 2 project proposed in this document, we will develop a technology readiness level 6 operational prototype of Intelliviz to demonstrate its feasibility, utility, and usability by a NASA-relevant user community and task area.
An all-composite driveshaft incorporating integral flexible diaphragms is described and proposed for phase II prime conractor testing. The approach  obsoletes the split lines required to attach metallic flex elements and either metallic or composite spacing tubes in current solutions. Sub-critical driveshaft weights half that of incumbent technology are achievable for typical rotary wing shaft lengths. Spacing tubes are described, which comprise an integral part of the initial tooling but which remain part of the finished shaft and control natural frequencies and torsional stability. A concurrently engineered manufacturing process and design for performance is described which competes with incumbent solutions at significantly lower weight and with the probability of improved damage tolerance and fatigue life. This phase II proposal seeks to produce additional fatigue test articles to supplement the pair of shafts provided during phase I for static evelauation.  The phase II effort will also support the prime contractor test program designed to raise Technology Readiness Level to 6-7.
Future lunar site operations will benefit from mobile robots, both autonomous and tele-operated, that complement or replace human extravehicular activity. Three-dimensional sensing technology is at the heart of such functionality, enabling reliable navigation in complex, dynamic environments, and serving as a valuable tool for inspection and site survey. 

Honeybee Robotics is therefore developing a small-envelope, high-performance scanning LIDAR system, geared primarily towards robotic navigation and secondarily to site inspection and survey. The proposed Phase II will draw on the results of a DARPA-funded design study and Phase I of this effort, which resulted in successful proof-of-concept, as well as testbeds and proprietary software tools.

The Honeybee 3D Miniature LIDAR (3DML) uses a novel scanning mechanism in conjunction with a pulse-time-of-flight optical rangefinding subsystem. The 3DML architecture, developed with expert input from Sensor Designs, an electro-optical systems consultancy, achieves wide field of view and high resolution while maintaining ultra-compact package size. 

The proposed Phase II will include development of a functional brassboard system prototype and its integration and test on a K10 research rover. Phase III will pursue a multi-pronged commercialization effort, including preflight development, production of a unit for terrestrial research, and incorporation of 3DML into a flight program.
Surface Optics Corporation (SOC) will develop a band pass filter comprised of a visible dielectric mirror and an induced transmission filter, applied to two sides of a cast polyimide membrane. The mirror/filter combination will block 95&#37; of the incident solar radiation, while allowing a narrow pass-band for laser communication.
The primary objective of the proposed Phase II program is to develop and deliver a ruggedized, compact single-frequency 2050-nm-laser system suitable for coherent LIDAR applications. Such a system uses the latest Tm:silica heavily-doped fiber technology to provide as much as 3X efficiency improvement over existing systems. An all-amplifier technology provides flexibility and stability in the generation of coherent lidar waveforms. The hybrid fiber/bulk amplifier scheme allows to combine the advantage of high small-signal gain attainable in a fiber amplifier with the advantages of a bulk crystal amplifier such as high storage efficiency, immunity to various non-linear processes and damage-free operation for pulse generation.
The overall objective of the Phase II project is to develop lightweight reinforced aerogel materials for use as the core structural insulation material in multifunctional thermal protection systems for next generation hypersonic vehicles.  During this Phase II SBIR project, we will build on the successful results of the Phase I effort by optimizing the aerogel preparation methods and conducting a complete study of aerogel properties and capabilities.  During the Phase II effort, the aerogel thermal conductivities and mechanical properties will be optimized for use as multifunctional TPS materials for hypersonic vehicles including the capability of withstanding very high heating rates.  We will prepare these aerogels by methods that can be scaled-up and manufactured economically.  Any issues associated with scaling-up production of the rigid aerogel panels will be determined, and a prototype thermal protection system will be fabricated and tested.  Successful completion a Phase II program will result in an optimized formulation for the aerogel component of multifunctional TPS, and performance data will be available for further commercialization efforts specific to the aerospace industry.  We believe the Phase II Program will advance the state of the art for the development of the next generation thermal protection system materials.
The Innovation Laboratory, Inc. builds a control system which controls
the topology of an air traffic flow network and the network flow
properties which enables Air Traffic Management (ATM) to adapt to
hazardous weather constraints and provide high capacity flows in the
National Airspace System (NAS). The Network Flow Organizer automatically
adjusts the flows of air traffic with respect to weather hazards and
Special Use Airspace (SUA) constraints and allows for parallel flows
along the network (a 2-times (2x) to 3-times (3x) increase in today's
flow rates) without conflicts at intersection points.
The goal of this work is to develop new thermoelectric materials for use in fabricating solid state cooling devices and electrical power generators, which are 200 to 300&#37; more efficient than current thermoelectric materials and can operate in temperatures ranging from cryogenic to 700 C.  The results of our Phase I definitely indicate that we will be able to reach this goal.  These materials are being made from new nano-composites, using fabrication techniques developed at Eltron. 

The thermoelectric composite's matrix had already demonstrated exceptional ability for functioning in the environment of space.  Used in a cooling system, these materials will provide an effective means for controlling the temperature of surfaces subject to the rapidly changing temperatures encountered in space.  We have proven that this matrix works exceptionally well at providing support and allowing for convenient (and therefore economical) deposition of our materials.  We have also demonstrated that the thermal conductivity in these new nano-materials has been reduced by well over an order of magnitude!  In addition we have shown that we get an increase in the Seebeck Coefficient for materials we tested as well.  These new thermoelectric materials can be used to prevent development of large temperature gradients and thereby prevent the mechanical stresses that accompany them.  Used for power-generation, these new materials will be very efficient because of the properties that both the nano-phase materials and its matrix bring to the thermoelectric material.  Because of the difficulties presented in the harsh environment of space, thermal management and power generation is most easily provided through devices that do not have any moving parts, are very durable, do not require maintenance, and operate efficiently over a wide range of temperatures.  The proposed materials meet all these requirements.
Stable, single-frequency cw lasers operating at 2 5m and at 1064/532/355 nm are needed in a number of lidar systems that are being planned for NASA airborne and space-based lidar systems. These include the following.
Seldon Technologies will further test and develop its patented carbon nanotube filtration technology to NASA's Lunar Exploration challenges. This project focuses on the problem of efficient removal of nanoscale (10-100nm) and larger lunar dust particulates from air using a nanostructured fiber media containing carbon nanotubes. Lunar dust presents an important challenge to Lunar exploration and habitation, nonetheless it has some unique properties that can be taken advantage of in designing specialized filtration media capable of achieving efficient removal from air. As demonstrated in Phase I, rough surface shape combined with the electrically and magnetically charged nature of the dust means that rough, electrically activated filtration media will be effective tools for filtration. Seldon's work with its proprietary fused carbon nanotube media offers a unique path to significant new purification applications that meet important needs for NASA's Lunar Exploratory Initiatives. The unique physical properties of the carbon nanotubes will be capitalized upon to create a filtration media with high efficiency and low pressure drop that can be electrically powered to enhance filtration of charged lunar dust particles.
Traditional structural health monitoring (SHM) methods have been limited due to the implied infrastructure, including wires for power and communication from each sensor to data acquisition units.  Presently, Metis Design Corporation (MDC) has demonstrated the patented technique of point-of-measurement datalogging.  During the proposed research, MDC will further exploit this SHM architecture to satisfy NASA mission specifications.  This work focuses on a Boeing Proprietary technology that allows cable-free transfer of electrical signals.  To date, this technology has been demonstrated to successfully power and transfer data from analog sensor arrays.  During Phase I, MDC will work with Boeing to demonstrate this technology for a digital sensor bus.  The first task will aim to modify the existing sensor hardware to be physically compatible with such a bus.  The second task will investigate attachment mechanisms that will provide the necessary electrical connections while not sacrificing strength or structural coupling for wave propagation.  The third task will seek to design an impedance matching circuit for the sensor-bus to support multiple sensors for both power and data on the same CAN-style bus. The final task will piece each of these components together to demonstrate damage detection and localization on a composite plate supplied by Boeing.
Health management of composite airframe components is essential for safety and reliability of future aircrafts. It reduces the risk of catastrophic failures and reduces operating costs. Luna Innovations proposes to develop a revolutionary airframe health management system on the basis of an all-fiber optic ultrasonic structural health monitoring system (SHM) and accurate prognostics algorithms. The key component of SHM system is a highly multiplexible transducer generating ultrasonic waves in the predefined locations of the optical fiber. Using such a technique, 10s of transducers and 1000s of sensors can be placed on the optical fiber embedded or surface-mounted to the airframe component thereby providing unmatched multiplexing capability. Origination and propagation of defects will be retrieved with high spatial resolution thus providing a basis for an accurate estimation of a component's Remaining Useful Life. During the Phase I, efforts will focus on demonstrating feasibility of an efficient ultrasound generation with the proposed fiber optic transducer and selecting appropriate prognostics algorithms. In Phase II, sensors, transducers will continue to be refined and will undergo extensive testing and validation. By the end of Phase II, the proposed health management system will reach TRL 5. In Phase III, Luna will commercialize the developed system.
New Structures for Large Sensor Array Platforms Project
Aluminum/Alumina Based Metal Matrix Composites from Nanometer Powder Project
We propose to enable user-friendly interaction with multi-processor and multi-core resources,allowing users to seamlessly retrieve remote data with DAP and take advantage of parallelcomputing resources for analyzing that data. Where possible, we plan to make these featuresavailable in the open-source GDL (Gnu Data Language) version of IDL.
High quality GaN epitaxial films are one of the keys to current efforts for development of both high-power/high-speed electronic devices and optoelectronic devices. In fact, solid state lighting, high-temperature and high-power electronics, microelectronic and mechanical sensors, and high-efficiency solar cells are all poised at a new level of development. This enormous market is waiting for low-cost, high quality substrates to achieve performance and fabrication economies of scale. After achieving dislocation densities below 1E7 cm-2 in the phase I work, this NASA SBIR phase II project addresses the development of a dislocation filter that can routinely prepare low-stress GaN thin films with threading dislocation densities below 1E6 cm-2. The method relies on using a low-angle ion beam to induce both nanofilter for defect reductions and to inhibit droplet formation at low growth temperatures. Dislocation densities have so far been determined by standard etch pit densities method. The goal the project to optimize the multiple defect nanofilter with smoothening by transition layers in between filters to reduce the TD to less than 1E6 cm-2 and process, fabricate high performance HEMT for solid state high power amplifier (SSPA) applications. To obtain a more practical evaluation of the effectiveness and commercial viability of the method, heterojunction field effect transistors with high electron mobility will be fabricated in these ultra-low defect density films. These high-quality material based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) will enable high linearity power amplifiers with excellent thermal stability and frequency response. The proposed method to grow on low-stress, low-dislocation density films will lead to the production of electronic devices of unparalleled performance.
NASA employs various passive microwave and millimeter-wave instruments, such as spectral radiometers, for a wide range of remote sensing applications from measurements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere to cosmic background emission. These instruments such as the HIRAD (Hurricane Intensity Radiometer), SFMR (Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer), and LRR (Lightweight Rainfall Radiometer), provide unique data accumulation capabilities for observing sea surface wind, temperature, and rainfall and significantly enhance the understanding and predictability of hurricane intensity. These microwave instruments require extremely efficient wideband or multiband antennas. For the Phase I SBIR program Spectra Research, Inc. teamed with Scientists from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) to apply new technological antenna advances and new antenna design tools toward solving the challenge of designing small, multi-function antennas that reduce the space, weight, and drag demand on the platform.

The results of the analysis and numerical design in the Phase I program show strong potential for an antenna array that will satisfy all design requirements of a high efficiency replacement for the Hurricane Intensity Radiometer (HIRAD) array. Multiple fragmented aperture arrays were employed in a thin antenna element to achieve exceptional gain (within 0.2 dB of the aperture limited gain) over the entire band from 4-7 GHz with a superb VSWR of &lt; 1.5.
The process known as double bag vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (DBVARTM) was developed by NASA to help deplete by products.  To date, the NASA DBVARTM process has reduced void content to approximately four to five percent.  This number has fallen short of the goal of two percent.  During the Phase I effort, San Diego Composites (SDC) was able to reduce the void content to 0.8 percent to 1.5 percent.   
There are three primary technical objectives to the Phase II effort.  The first objective is to perform a trade study to evaluate and optimize the effect of stitched performs.  Stitching has had a large effect on the void content in the laminate and several different stitching variables will be evaluated.  The second objective is to transition the work done in Phase I to larger components.  These components will consist of larger plates and structures will be evaluated using non destructive testing along with mechanical testing.  At the end of the Phase II effort, a full scale component will be fabricated, evaluated using non destructive testing, and then the component will be tested. The final objective is to transition the technology to Boeing Phantom Works.  This objective will demonstrate that the process developed in a laboratory can be reproduced at any facility.  By the end of the Phase II program, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is expected to be 5-6.
Development of an Aircraft Nodal Data Acquisition System (ANDAS) based upon the short haul Zigbee networking standard is proposed.  It employs a very thin (135 um) hybrid microminiature sensor assembly (MSA) and a host module with USB interface.  At several nodes on the aircarft, MSAs are cemented for measurement.  They transmit the measured data to the host module plugged into a PC.  The MSA incorporates an integrated sensor (capable of measuring pressure, temperature, acceleration and surface strains), a microcontroller, a Zigbee transceiver and a battery for power. The host module incorporates a microcontroller and a Zigbee transceiver.  In Phase I these modules were designed after trade-off analyses and experimental evaluation of the sensors and networking hardware.  Based upon the design, the PCB packages for the MSA and the host module were built for initial characterization and testing during Phase II.  In this phase the MSA design would be refined as a cement-and-forget-device (except for the battery).
This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Subtopic S1.03: Passive Microwave Technology, specifically the fourth bullet item; "Low noise (&lt;2000 K DSB), compactly designed (&lt; 8 cm3), heterodyne mixers requiring low local oscillator drive power (&lt;2 mW) with RF input frequency between 100 GHz to 1 THz." The proposed research is significant not only for the development of Schottky mixers that meet these requirements, but also for the creation of a receiver system, including the LO chain, that achieves the goals of high sensitivity, compact size, low total power requirement and operation across complete waveguide bands. The proposed receivers will meet all of the requirements for high resolution spectroscopic studies of planetary atmosphere's (including the Earth's) from spacecraft, as well as airborne and balloon platforms. The final contract deliverable will be a breadboard receiver module suitable for use on the proposed Vesper mission to probe the atmosphere of Venus. Perhaps more importantly, their exceptionally broadband performance, compactness and reliability will make them ideal for the broader range of scientific and commercial applications, which includes the extension of sophisticated test and measurement equipment to 1 THz and the development of low cost imaging systems for security applications and industrial process monitoring.
As flightdeck equipment becomes more sophisticated and complex,
operations become significantly more cognitively demanding.  When tasks
demands exceed the operator's available cognitive resources, potentially
costly errors occur.  A task mitigation system that is able to monitor
the task and the operator's functional state (OFS) and implement task
mitigation strategies before an operator becomes overloaded could
significantly reduce errors and allow operators to work more
efficiently.   This proposal describes the development of a closed-loop
task mitigation system that uses advanced regression techniques to
identify the relationships between the OFS, the physiological
measurements, the mission-related context, and the task mitigation
strategies.  To maximize accuracy, we use task analysis to develop a
computational cognitive model of the planned mission profile, which is
then used to train the regression model.  The computational cognitive
model describes the OFS as a continuous function along four dimensions:
executive function, spatial working memory, verbal working memory and
attention.  The task analysis is also used to develop task mitigation
strategies for each psychological dimension that assist the operator
with task switching, maintaining awareness of multiple task
&amp;quot;threads&amp;quot;, and performing cognitively demanding tasks.
Finally, the task mitigation strategies enable the system to dynamically
allocate tasks among multiple operators.
Aurora Flight Sciences, in collaboration with Air Network Simulation and Analysis, Inc. (ANSA), proposes to develop a simulation-based methodology to analyze and guide the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations in the National Airspace System (NAS).The key technical accomplishment of the Phase I effort will be the integration of Aurora's 4D Path Planner with ANSA's stochastic NAS simulation.  Within this framework, the path planner generates trajectories inside a single ARTCC of interest, and is supported by a coarser ANSA model of the remaining NAS.Simulation requirements will be developed for civil aircraft routing and planning in dynamic, stochastic environments, and will include realistic performance models for both manned and unmanned vehicles.  The initial, proof-of-concept simulation environments will be comprised of exactly one ARTCC and one Terminal Area.  Aurora will use this simulation to conduct a Capacity Impact Study during the Phase I effort.  A major focus of the study will be a parametric analysis in which the effects from varying the UAV separation standards, flight performance, quantity relative to manned aircraft, and total operations growth on NAS performance will be simulated.
Leveraging on recent breakthroughs in broadband photonic devices and components for RF and microwave applications, SML proposes a new type of broadband microwave spectrometer with performance and affordability that were not attainable before.  The photonic microwave spectrometer overcomes the constrains associated with microwave electronics, linearly and simultaneously offering 6-18 GHz (potentially up to 100 GHz) bandwidth, high resolution of sub-hundred MHz, and huge numbers of channels (hundreds to 1024 channels). The devices and components used in the proposed novel spectrometer are commercial off-the-shelf. Our miniature low cost design is well suited for the spectrum monitor and sensor requirement for a wide range of NASA, military and commercial applications.  Our unconventional flight qualifiable approach eliminates the need for frequency down-converter, moving components, local oscillator, and has intrinsically temperature independent operation.  In Phase I, SML will test an evaluation prototype to demonstrate the proposed novel RF/microwave spectrometer based on high performance components and build a system model to simulate and verify spectrometer's design and performance.
BasinTools Module 1, Online Remote Sensing Interface Project
Lightweight Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell Project
Damage Tolerant Sandwich Composite Structures for Turbine Engine Components Project
Reconfigurable Task Processor Project
Software testing is a complex and expensive phase of the software development cycle.  Effective software testing is especially important in mission-critical software, where erroneous behavior poses a risk to safety or mission success.  Automated test case generation can make testing more efficient and effective, saving resources and reducing risk.  Under Phase 1, Safeware Engineering Corporation successfully developed the algorithms necessary to streamline software testing by automatically generating test cases directly from SpecTRM-RL models.  SpecTRM-RL (Specification Tools and Requirements Methodology ? Requirements Language) is a requirements language that was designed to be highly readable, allowing even non-specialists to understand them, but is also completely formal.  Test cases generated from the black-box models written in SpecTRM-RL will focus on the intended behavior of the system.  The test case generation tool will be designed to allow the user to choose between a smaller set of test cases, allowing for more rapid error identification, and a larger set providing more comprehensive coverage.  The phase II effort will implement these algorithms, adding test-case generation to SpecTRM, the tool suite which allows for editing, analysis and execution of SpecTRM-RL models.  The new test case generation tools will be tested on the Max Launch Abort System.
Peregrines innovation will reduce the required input power, increase a coolers systems margin for a giving cooling load and reduce vibration accordingly for Cryocoolers.  Our innovation will enhance the thermal conductivities of structures associated with the cryocooler, enable much more efficient heat removal and thereby produce a more efficient system.  Effectively we will be increasing the thermal conductivities of the structures associated with the Cryocoolers by embedding Thermal Pyrolytic Graphite within a matrix of material to produce a thermal conductivity 5 times higher than current available materials.  As cryocooler technologies attempt to cool components down around the 4&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;K level, waste heat and the management thereof becomes critical to the performance of the cryocooler.  Thermal conductivity structures made from our innovation possessing a thermal conductivity of 700 W/mK will eliminate thermal loads more effectively and will lead to a more efficient and better performing cryocooler.  Phase I has proven feasibility, Phase II will development and demonstrate our innovation resulting in a flight component for the MIRI cooling system for the James Webb Space Telescope.
A key component of NASA's human exploration programs is a system that monitors the health of the crew during space missions. The wearable beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor proposed by Linea Research Corporation can be used to continuously monitor the physiological effect of prolonged space missions (including exposure to reduced gravitational environments) and the effectiveness of its countermeasures. During Phase I of the program, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel, non-invasive beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor using a lightweight (&lt;40 g) and low-power (&lt;100mA @ 5V) initial prototype. Measurement of beat-to-beat blood pressure was successfully verified during human studies (tilt table tests) using a cuff-based blood pressure monitor as reference. Measurement of the beat-to-beat blood pressure was also verified against an arterial line in animal (porcine) studies using epinephrine to induce blood pressure changes. During Phase II of the program, we will develop and fabricate a field-capable, light-weight, wearable beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor that will be ready for demonstration on space missions. In addition to supplying the blood pressure monitors for use by NASA, Linea plans to introduce the technology for use in ambulatory blood pressure monitors. Linea will subsequently introduce the technology for integration into high acuity as well as home based blood pressure monitors. One patent has been filed and three are currently being prepared to protect the intellectual property. A business plan has been prepared to address the commercialization opportunities.
To address the NASA need for high-quantum-efficiency, high-resolution, low-cost photodetectors for the far-UV spectral range, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Silicon Microchannel Plate-based Large Area UV detector (UV-Si-MCP) with a highly efficient, negative electron affinity (NEA), solar-blind AlGaN photocathode fabricated directly on the surface of a silicon-based microchannel substrate. In Phase I, POC demonstrated the feasibility of fabrication of the AlGaN photocathode on the MCP structure, and developed the technology for fabrication of the entire device that meets NASA specifications for the area of sensitivity, quantum efficiency, and spatial resolution. In Phase II, POC will develop a fully functional prototype with a large number of channels and high quantum efficiency, assembled with NASA active pixel readout electronics. This efficient and radiation-hard UV photodetector with low background noise will offer NASA capabilities to improve sensitivity and spatial or spectral resolution of UV instruments for several missions devoted to a better understanding of the origin of the universe and its evolution to modern form.
Lead-lag motions of rotor blades in helicopters require damping to stabilize them. In practice, this has necessitated the use of external hydraulic dampers which suffer from high maintenance costs. High operational (lifecycle) cost has prompted rotorcraft industry to use elastomeric lead-lag dampers that result in "dry'' rotors. However, complex behavior of elastomers provides challenges for modeling such devices, as noted by rotorcraft airframers. Currently used analytical models oversimplify the complexity of operational environment and make radical assumptions about operating parameters that, at best, lead to excessively simplistic, and often unreal, device models. These first order linear device models require costly and time consuming experiments to construct them; moreover, they do not directly relate to either the material characteristics or the geometric configuration. In Phase-I SBIR, MTC team pursued a fundamentally radical approach wherein elastomeric dampers are derived from first-principle-based modeling rather than device model-based analyses. Our Phase-I program was tailored towards successfully demonstrating closed loop simulation, i.e. a finite element based modeling of elastomeric materials integrated into a multibody dynamics framework for rotorcraft analysis. During Phase-II, comprehensive and sophisticated material models will be implemented and streamlined into a single comprehensive analysis framework. These implementations will be fully validated against bench and flight test data of Bell M429 elastomeric dampers. These program objectives will be accomplished via collaborative tripartite partnership with Bell Helicopter and Georgia Tech.
In this Phase 2 project, we propose to develop, construct, and deliver to NASA a computed axial tomography time-domain terahertz (CT TD-THz) non destructive evaluation (NDE) system which will provide true three dimensional images of aerospace polymer, ceramic, and composite structures.   Traditional time domain terahertz reflection tomographic imaging captures only a single view of an object, generating images of laminar structure similar to an ultrasound "B-Scan".  This reflection tomographic imaging is limited, however, in revealing only the laminar structure which presents a clear specular reflection from each interface.  Furthermore, traditional time domain terahertz reflection tomographic imaging has substantial difficulty in determining the layer index of refraction an absorption properties without ambiguity.   In Phase 1 we demonstrated the feasibility TD-THz  axial computed tomography to generate cross-sectional slices of aerospace materials.  This method acquires not one view, but many radial axial views, generating a sinogram which can be used to reconstruct images using a derivative of standard X-Ray CT filtered back-projection.  The sinogram can be generated by the transmission absorbance, transmission time of flight, and, in principle, reflection measurements.  The reconstructed TD-THz CT images are 3D maps of the absorption coefficients and/or the index of refraction of the subsurface material.
The Tai-Yang Research Company (TYRC) of Tallahassee, Florida proposes to build hybrid high-temperature superconducting current leads for space applications, including compact adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration (ADR) systems for sensor cooling.  The current leads will be configured to meet NASA mission requirements for a low heat leak in a package optimized for electrical currents up to 10 A.  The novel, proprietary construction by TYRC consists of a tough, flexible cold end section and a high critical temperature warm end section.
The mission of NASA's ATP is to maintain and advance the testing capabilities of the United States' extensive infrastructure of aerospace research facilities. One key component to these ground based test facilities are the force balances used to measure aerodynamic loads on models undergoing characterization and testing. NASA currently maintains an inventory of balances that were designed for previous models and operating ranges that may not be as relevant to current test conditions. Project resources do not always allow a balance to be designed for specific testing applications due to the associated costs and schedule. Luna Innovations is proposing to develop new and innovative force balance technology that will reduce the cost of facility instrumentation and allow for reduced design and instrumentation time, while providing more accurate and reliable results when compared to current balances. This development utilizes proven fiber optic sensor technology that integrates active thermal compensation with a miniaturized, highly accurate, multi-channel sensing network. The versatile operating range of this technology with respect to temperatures and loading conditions, combined with a high channel count data processing system designed by Luna, will provide advanced measurement capabilities for NASA facilities and enable accurate testing of emerging propulsion and transport technologies.
NanoSonic proposes to develop an innovative, ultralow mass density, and non-intrusive sensor system for ultra long duration balloons that will operate in the most extreme environmental conditions.  Specifically, the sensors would be integrated onto the load bearing seams and/or outer balloon mesh surface of the pressurized balloon system to accurately and continually measure axial loads.  Large axial load forces and wide/extreme temperature ranges (-90&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to &gt;450&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C) are typical for planetary balloon missions, therefore a durable, flexible, and thermally stable sensor material.  NanoSonic would use its highly flexible, low-modulus Metal Rubber&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; (MR&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;) materials as strain/pressure sensors that are capable of large cyclic deformation without failure.  MR&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; is a free-standing nanocomposite material produced by the layer-by-layer combination of high performance polymers and electrically-conducting metal nanoparticles that provide durability and recoverability for sensor transduction, and a wide thermal operation range.  Importantly, MR&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; can behave like a rubber band in that it can be folded and compressed for stowage and then can be deployed and continually pressurized and stretched without failure during operation.  Also, because of the very low amount of metallic nanoclusters in the system (&lt;0.02 volume &#37;), the sensor system is extremely low-weight and would not alter the performance of the balloon.
The proposed innovation is a "Microfluidic Multichannel Flow Cytometer."  Several novel concepts are integrated to produce the final design, which is compatible with on-orbit operation from the standpoint of gravity-independence, low mass, low power requirement and automated operation.  The unique design features of the Microfluidic Multichannel Flow Cytometer include compact optics based on diode technology for both illumination and measurement, tested channel branching schemes, no sheath fluid anywhere, bubble-free PDMS lithographic manufacture, and analysis based on quantum-dot technology.  A design is proposed that counts RBC, WBC and three specified WBC subsets. Techshot, Inc. and scientists at Purdue University will collaborate to test the components of this innovation by pursuing the following Phase I objectives: (1) create a critical design requirements document for the Microfluidic Multichannel Flow Cytometer, (2) breadboard and test its three critical physical components (illumination, sensing optics and flow channels) and (3) critically test feasibility of each component  and produce a top-level drawing suitable for initiating Phase II R/R&amp;D to produce an integrated prototype.  The final product will be robust for use in space flight and low-cost on Earth for eventual point-of-care blood analysis and global AIDS patient status monitoring.
Multiform SiC Structures for Lightweight Space-Based Mirrors Project
Miniature, Autonomous Electrochemical Multisensors Project
During lunar exploration, regolith is both the major available resource and a substantial obstacle in establishing a long-term presence.  The fine surface dust is highly abrasive and can both be a health hazard for the crew and the main contributor to equipment failure.  Regolith is also the only material readily available to build protective shelters for the crew to prevent exposure to lethal doses of high-energy particles during solar eruption events.  To achieve the needed cover, methods have to be developed to convert regolith into a stable building material with minimal need for terrestrial supplies.  The technology should also be applicable to stabilize regolith in place, for example on excavated slopes or around air locks and landing fields where dust is disturbed by gas flows.
In the Phase I program, Adherent Technologies, Inc. has developed the needed chemical formulations and application technologies to achieve both objectives.  Regolith can be formed into solid building material using only 5&#37; earth-supplied binder, and the same binder can be used to stabilize loose regolith in the vacuum of space.  The proposed Phase II program will optimize the formulations and techniques developed previously and will design and build prototype applicators, both for spraying thin layers and for automated brick fabrication.  Testing in a vacuum environment will demonstrate the capabilities and design concepts for deployable, weight optimized application systems will be included.
The proposed Phase II project includes the design, fabrication, and testing of a fully-functional 320 element X-band antenna which will serve dual-roles as both the proof-of-design (POD) and the proof-of-manufacturability (POM) prototype of ThinKom's innovative low-cost electronically scanned array (ESA) antenna technology.  Simultaneously emphasizing affordability and performance, this antenna subsystem will uniquely enable near-term wide deployment of airborne hazard detection and avoidance radar systems with greatly enhanced performance and functionality relative to currently fielded systems.  This technology comprises a proprietary integrated "quasi-monolithic" feed/phase-shifter/radiator topology exclusively realized using low-risk low-cost flight-proven, manufacturing materials, components, and processes.  In addition, this architecture is ideally-suited for simplified compact integration with a highly reliable, low-cost, low-power consumption beam steering controller (BSC) utilizing pre-existing COTS components.  The expected RF loss through the feed, phase shifter, and radiator of this low-cost/high-performance topology is less than 1 dB at X-Band, which is no greater than (and in most cases less than) that of "traditional" (much) higher cost ESA implementations.  Building upon the Phase I preliminary antenna subsystem design and highly successful phase-shifter risk-reduction verification testing accomplished in Phase I,  the Phase II program will directly demonstrate and prove both the performance and revolutionary cost reduction potential of this new "no compromise" ESA architecture and technology.   In addition to the targeted aviation hazard detection radar/sensor application, other benefiting applications would include ground mapping, atmospheric studies, and launch range surveillance radars and sensors as well as communication applications for which an agile highly directional beam is required such as high-gain LOS and NLOS (SATCOM) Data Links.
Researchers have determined that lunar soil contains approximately 43&#37; oxygen in the lunar soil oxides, which could be extracted to provide breathable oxygen for consumption by astronauts.  The proposed program will develop a solar receiver for the hydrogen reduction process that uses sodium heat pipes in the 1050&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C temperature range.  The heat pipe solar receiver is accepts the non-uniform solar thermal energy, and deliver the energy to the lunar regolith with a uniform heat flux and temperature.  This increases throughput and efficiency.  The principal Phase II program objective is to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a heat pipe solar receiver in a relevant environment and near optimum configuration.  While the Phase I program focused on a single heat pipe solar receiver and regolith reactor, the Phase II program will examine variable-conductance or pressure-controlled heat pipes to supply the heat supplied from a single receiver to multiple reactors.  The program will examine control schemes to vary the heat supplied to each reactor, hydrogen permeation, and evaluation of the heat pipe wall materials.
The current state-of-the-art co-axial swaged tantalum (Ta) heaters use magnesium oxide (MgO) insulators, which limits their operation to temperatures well below 1300:C to prevent undesirable chemical reactions between Mg and Ta and heater failure.  This program will develop a new ceramic insulator that is chemically compatibility with Ta and has high thermal stability at temperatures of 1300:C-1600:C for swaged heaters for BaO-impregnated and LaB6 hollow cathodes.  In Phase I, we demonstrated the new ceramic insulators can be used in swaged Ta heaters for BaO-impregnated cathodes that operate at 1100:C-1300:C.  In Phase II, we will further develop the new ceramic insulator for use in LaB6 hollow cathode heaters that operate at 1600:C.  We will develop an extrusion process to fabricate ceramic insulators with high dimensional tolerances at low cost and fabricate a prototype swaged coaxial heaters in collaboration with a heater manufacturer.  Performance mapping and heater testing will be carried out in collaboration with an end-user aerospace company.
Flutter is a potentially explosive phenomenon that results from the simultaneous interaction of aerodynamic, structural, and inertial forces. The nature of flutter mandates that flight testing be cautious and conservative.
The proposed program will develop an hermetic, CTE matched, thermal shock resistant ceramic packaging technology that will facilitate the operation of Si and SiGe devices at extreme temperatures (-230:C to 130:C) encountered on the Moon and Mars. Processes that were developed in Phase I to assemble the components into a hermetically sealed package will be used to package SiGe operational amplifiers. Process and materials reliability will be demonstrated by fabricating and testing a 12 or 28 pin single chip module packages.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will research a novel deformable mirror design for NASA adaptive optics telescope applications. The innovation offers reliable mechanics for the strained architecture, thus facilitating dynamic modeling and the overall control of the DM system. A system-level finite element analysis and design optimization, in combination with proof-of-concept experimental verification methods, will be adopted to identify the most promising design for the future adaptive optics telescope systems. Focus will be given to improve the long time reliability and stability of the system while reducing thermal distortions. Phase II objectives are to (1)design and pragmatically build and integrate the monolithically integrated 100x100 Single Crystal Bimorph Array (SCBA) Deformable Mirror (DM) system onto VLSI substrate for VIS/NIR infrared operating range to demonstrate the monolithic proof-of-concept operating of the DM system, and (2) demonstrate a beam shaping system employing the SCBA DM chips to efficiently compensate rapidly changing aberrations and characterize the final integrated corrector system for phase modulation depth, framing speed, operating field of view, influence function, spatial uniformity, and scalability to millions of actuators.
The multi-cell thermal battery (MCTB) is a device that can recover a large fraction of the thermal energy from heated regolith and subsequently apply this energy to heat up cool regolith. The individual cells of the MCTB contain a thermal storage media that is specifically designed for optimal performance at a given temperature range. Each of these cells is charged with thermal energy from hot regolith that has been used in a lunar ISRU application. Once the MCTB is charged, the heat is transferred from the battery to newly harvested regolith. In this manner over 85&#37; of the heat can be transferred from the expended to the new regolith. This is a large improvement especially considering that this reduces the heating requirement to produce 1000 kg of O2 from lunar regolith from an average of 1 kW to only 0.15 kW (assuming 3&#37; O2 recovery by weight). The other irreducible power consumption of lunar ISRU O2 production is electrolysis which consumes at least 0.3 kW. Hence, using the MCTB decreases the irreducible power consumption of lunar ISRU by 65 &#37;.
The Lunar Sulfur Capture System (LSCS) is an innovative method to capture greater than 90 percent of sulfur gases evolved during thermal treatment of lunar soils. LSCS sorbents are based on lunar soil iron compounds that trap sulfur contained in hot in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) product gases. Small amounts of polishing sorbents are used as needed to reduce equilibrium sulfur concentrations to the ppm or sub-ppm level. The LSCS is an effective technology for protecting in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) hardware from damage caused by the corrosive effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other sulfur-containing gases. Saturated sorbents can be regenerated for reuse, and desorbed sulfur can be converted to elemental sulfur. Key process steps include bulk H2S capture on lunar soil, further capture of H2S on polishing sorbent, regeneration of soil sorbent for re-use, recovery of high-purity H2S, and conversion of H2S to elemental sulfur. The LSCS reduces the risk of using Earth-based sorbents for primary sulfur capture by ensuring a ready supply of sorbent in the event of poor regeneration performance or process upset. The LSCS primary sulfur sorbent can be used as a non-regenerable sorbent if necessary without significant consequence to the ISRU process.
This Phase II proposal, builds upon the extensive research and digital radar design that has been successfully completed during the Phase I contract. Key innovations of the proposed Phase II work will be

?	High update rate software configurable Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) design. The state-of-the-art DDS ICs can operate at 1 GHz update rates. IAI proposes to achieve the same or higher update rates, with increased flexibility (in frequency/ phase tuning) which arises from the software defined nature of the DDS implementation. 

?	High-sampling rate (400 MHz and above), multi-channel digital receiver design. On-board signal processing capabilities will be integrated in the receiver. This includes digital implementation of commonly used radar receiver architectures (Digital down-up conversion, Digital filtering, Correlation, SAR imaging).

?	Digital implementation of direct RF generation techniques for L-Band frequencies. Flexible and scalable analog up-conversion techniques would be implemented to generate frequencies in the S-Band, X-Band, going up to the Ku band. 

?	Scalable and modular hardware architecture to support multiple radar missions. Such a design approach would also address the issue of portability between different reconfigurable logic device families/ vendors.

?	Technology transition to adapt the radar design to meet space qualified standards.
The proposed effort seeks to develop a digitally steered polarimetric phased array L-Band radar utilizing a novel, high performance architecture leveraging recent advances in radio frequency and digital signal processing components. The driving methodologies are: the minimization of costly and inflexible analog circuitry, adoption of standardized manufacturing processes, and inclusion of reconfigurable software/firmware architectures to facilitate fulfillment of varied sensing requirements.  The Phase II effort will build upon the successful Phase I demonstration of the system concept through fabrication of a 2 Dimensional instrument and system validation in a relevant environment.
Large aperture, lightweight optical mirror technologies are critical for the future of lightweight telescopes and their attendant missions to explore the planets in our solar system and beyond.  Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coated silicon carbide (SiC) has been shown to be a viable alternative for lightweight mirrors due to its thermal stability; however, cost-effective manufacturing techniques to pre-finish this material have not been sufficiently developed.  During the Phase I project, we established the feasibility of the low-rate step of our hybrid machining approach by successfully completing ductile-regime machining (DRM) of CVD SiC.  We were able to produce a surface that had a roughness of a near-optical quality.  We established key partnerships that will enable the development of the high rate machining step and demonstrated that our hybrid machining approach will reduce the cost of fabricating a finished mirror by up to 46&#37; when compared with the current state-of-the-art.  During the Phase II project, we will work further to develop our hybrid machining process, demonstrate it on a large scale optic, and deliver it to NASA.
This Company is proposing to adapt a behavioral tracking program and feedback module specifically developed for the U.S. Army Special Forces for NASA human space exploration.  To achieve this, this Company has developed a plan to identify the specific technical requirements needed to modify the software to properly operate with the NASA space program.  This will include ensuring the software is unobtrusive, transparent to crews, requires minimal effort, and is compatible with NASA's current computing environment.  Additionally, this Company intends to use a rigorous and methodical approach for identifying specific behavioral patterns that would indicate possible crewmember health issues.  The current software product is designed to monitor a soldier's behavior in austere conditions relevant to the Special Forces Operating Environment.  This project is proposing to enhance the current software's capabilities by redesigning the software to monitor behavior for NASA, accept and assimilate feeds from other software (e.g., biometric information), develop feedback tools, and generate customized reports to give flight surgeons pertinent information for making informed decisions about a crewmember's health.
SETI proposes to develop GaN and Si based multicolor FIR/THz cameras
with detector elements and readout, signal processing electronics
integrated on a single chip.  The active detector elements will be
submicron gated channels with 2 dimensional electron gas (2DEG). The
devices with gated 2DEG (commonly known as field-effect transistors)
respond to the incoming FIR radiation due to the rectification of
radiation induced oscillations of electron density (electron plasma).
Phase I of the project will be devoted to the development, design, and
characterization of the single pixel, consisting of an array of
field-effect transistors, targeting at responsivity increase of 100
times, and demonstrating the technical feasibility of 10^10 cm Hz^0.5/W detectivity.
Broadband Photonics Inc. proposes development of a patent-pending distributed fiber optic sensor for in-space hydrogen leak detection. Reliable and fast detection of hydrogen leaks is critical to both operational safety and maintenance of propellant quantities for in-space hydrogen systems. Characteristics of the plume formed by a hydrogen leak are unpredictable in low gravity due to lack of buoyancy effects. The proposed hydrogen fiber sensor can detect any flow direction of a hydrogen leak, determine the leak location, and measure hydrogen concentration. The fiber sensor can also detect hydrogen leaks from unexpected locations in space vehicles caused by stress-induced tiny cracks or other various damages. The proposed sensor will have the same fast response speed and high sensitivity in cryogenic environments as in room temperature. Furthermore, the proposed fiber sensor offers several significant advantages, including reconfigurable, lightweight, one feed-through, easy installation, easy maintenance, and capability of working in radiation harsh environments. In Phase 1, feasibility work has been performed. In Phase 2, prototypes of the proposed hydrogen fiber sensor will be produced for field trial and be prepared for commercialization in Phase 3.
Coherent Logix, Incorporated (CLX) proposes the development of a Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS) that leverages the inherent advantages of an integrated parallel processing architecture.  Targeting a specific waveform (TBD) specified by NASA-GRC in terms of a high level functional model, e.g. Simulink, the study aims to examine system performance in a reference implementation based on the HADS2 development system configured for this purpose to include the HyperX signal processor, data converters and General Purpose Processor (GPP).  Waveform implementation will be executed in stages: (i) port an implementation to the signal processing complex consisting of a single path per functional block (consuming multiple resources depending on the complexity of each block) (ii) extend the design to account for N-modular path redundancy aimed at enhancing system reliability (iii) integrate in the reference platform to enable real-time performance assessment, e.g. resource utilization, throughput efficiency  and emulated radiation tolerance.

This effort is supported by extensive development underway at CLX to deliver a line of extremely high-performance per watt, runtime configurable signal processors.  Based on a multi-core architecture, the intended processing system will enable model based waveform development applicable across a range of fault tolerant mission classes without sacrificing real-time throughput performance.
Both manned and unmanned off-Earth missions of the future will require very lightweight, inexpensive, high efficiency, flexible and single-use photovoltaic (PV) arrays to generate electric power.  Current PV technology horizons do not meet the requirements for expanded mission capability.  Although inorganic PVs hold the record for solar power conversion efficiency, they are inflexible, heavy, and expensive to produce.  There is increasing interest in a new type of PV technology that is based on organic semiconducting materials.  However, the performance of these devices has been limited by the availability of stable n-type (acceptor) organic semiconductors.  TDA Research, Inc. proposes to use a new class of n-type conjugated polymers to produce more efficient organic PV devices (OPVs).  The first generation of our new acceptor materials is already commercially available through Sigma-Aldrich, and the current technology readiness level (TRL) at the end of the Phase I stands at 4 with proof-of-concept results, OPV prototypes, and commercial sales.  A successful Phase II project will lead to several commercial n-type organic semiconductor products being sold by Sigma-Aldrich to both the research and commercial markets, and the use of our products in the full scale production of lightweight flexible OPVs (TRL 6-7).
The innovation in this Phase II SBIR is the development of a technology which will enable the manufacture of a lightweight, low cost, high radiation resistance InP based solar cells with high efficiency suitable for space power systems. The key technological step is the application of a production-worthy epitaxial liftoff (ELO) process to a multijunction solar cell structure fabricated on a large area ( 3-inch and 4-inch)InP substrates. Our focus will be on the improvement of the efficiency of dual junction to greater than 23&#37; and a pathway towards InP based triple junction. The number of substrate reusage will also be investigated to determine the impact of cost savings due to the high cost of InP substrates. Radiation testing of the ELO InP solar cells will be performed and compared to standard InP solar cells.
To address the NASA need for lightweight, space suit-mounted displays, Luminit proposes a novel Holographic Waveguided See-Through Display. Our proposed Holographic Waveguided See-Through Display (HoWSD) will integrate highly selective waveguiding Bragg holograms into a helmet-mounted display (HMD) that will provide easy-to-access clearly visible information to astronauts during extravehicular activity (EVA). The proposed HoWSD incorporates a unique design and Luminit novel Holographic Optical Elements into a functional HMD, which enables us to meet NASA goals for a functional, unobtrusive display device that can be incorporated into NASA EVA helmets. HoWSD offers a compact, low-profile display with high brightness and contrast, which is fully see-through and high resolution. In Phase I Luminit demonstrated the feasibility of a see-through helmet-mounted display which prepared us for Phase II.  In Phase II, Luminit plans to develop a fully-functional rugged prototype HoWSD that can operate under various illumination levels and demonstrate its functionality. The demonstrated results will offer NASA the capability of incorporating a non-obtrusive, rugged, wide field-of-view display into a space suit helmet designed for EVAs.
For in-helmet voice communication, the currently used Communication-Cap-based Audio (CCA) systems have a number of recognized logistical issues and inconveniences that cannot be resolved with incremental improvements to the basic design of the CCA systems. The objective of this research project is to develop an Integrated Spacesuit Audio (ISA) system that can possess similar performance to a CCA while offering users inherent comfort and ease of use. In Phase I, the feasibility of using microphone array beamforming or multichannel noise reduction plus a single-channel postfilter to combat a variety of types of in-helmet noise was validated. Comparative simulations indicated that novel multichannel noise reduction is more practical and more effective than traditional microphone array beamforming for ISA systems. Phase II will pursue advanced development and prototype of the proposed technical solution for the ISA system. Directions for improvement that were established in Phase I will be carefully followed, subjective evaluation will be carried out, and the ISA designs will be further optimized. Finally a real-time demo system will be built using either DSP or FPGA. It should be ready for testing and use by NASA at the end of Phase II.
Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. (ASC) is a small business that has developed a number of 3D flash LADAR systems.  Flash Ladar Video Cameras are 3D video cameras that return range and intensity information for each pixel in real time, and is functionally equivalent to 16000 range finders on one chip.  Actual data collected, at the JPL mars yard, using ASC's compact Flash Ladar system demonstrated in a previous NASA phase I SBIR effort confirm that the ASC Flash LADAR Video Camera (FLVC) system can meet the requirements for Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL).   The FLVC's small size, low power and very fast range data frame rate (30Hz) the sensor can be configured for a variety of EDL missions.
	An existing Phase two effort is fabricating a compact FLVC for delivery to NASA for field testing, however the system is not hardened.  The proposed Phase 2 effort will produce a space qualified sensor engine which can be integrated with the system being delivered to NASA.  The sensor engine is the break-though enabling technology for the FLVC.  The sensor engine will be fabricated, tested and used to upgrade the camera JPL.  As a result of these improvements, the TRL level of this sensor will be at 6-7. 
	Flash Ladar is ideal for determining real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed and orientation to the planet surface, as well as evaluating potential hazards at the landing site is required for precision landing.  Sloped ground, craters, rocks and surface composition are among the potential hazards.  The "framing camera" nature, of Flash LADAR systems, makes them well suited as hazard avoidance sensors for EDL.  Flash LADAR can provide a direct, real-time measurement of the altitude of the spacecraft during descent as well as surface relative velocity and orientation, while simultaneously mapping the topography of the terrain below to identify landing hazards and provide localization information.
Quallion's Phase II proposal calls for expanding the nominal operation range of its space rated lithium ion cells, while maintaining their long life capabilities. To expand this temperature range, Quallion will conduct analysis on a variety of materials. Based upon our results from Phase I, Quallion will further optimize the formulations and fabricate our large format satellite cells for cell level testing. Quallion is also proposing a "right sizing" of this production facility to allow for cost effective, low volume production with enhanced reliability, long-term supply guarantee and design flexibility that allows for future production for NASA missions.
As NASA prepares for the Constellation Space Missions and Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) on the moon by 2018, astronauts will be required to spend more time exposed to the hazards of EVA operations.  Providing reliable communications is imperative during current EMU/ISS operations as well as future Constellation Missions. Communications during EVA is required to relay progress regarding the task and to monitor the health and ability of the astronaut to perform in hazardous environments.  Therefore, in order to improve astronaut mobility and space communications, Applied EM, Inc. will apply the results of Phase I to develop and demonstrate a prototype multi-frequency design of a conformal, flexible, body-worn antenna that can be integrated into space suit designs to enhance UHF communications during EVA operations.  In addition, the antenna design has multi-frequency capability that enables wireless bio-med telemetry for wearable computer applications during space operations.  NASA's new Constellation Space Suit System (CSSS) will provide new space suit designs to improve the astronaut's mobility, efficiency, and safety while wearing the space suit during long periods of EVA operations.  Therefore, the objectives for Phase II will consider antenna designs for both near term and far term space mission applications.
The innovation is a miniaturized airborne imaging central server system (MAICSS). MAICSS is designed as a high-performance computer-based electronic backend that integrates a complete set of power and signal interfaces to serve a suite of advanced LWIR, SWIR, EO, and hyperspectral imaging sensors and an inertial measurement unit for atmospheric and surface remote sensing. MAICSS records continuous precision geo-referenced and time-tagged multi-sensor throughputs to mass storage devices at a high aggregate rate, typically 100+ Megabytes/sec. MAICSS compatible sensor packages include 1) a pair of NASA's 1024+ x 1024+ pixel LWIR QWIP cameras, 2) a pair of  60.5  Megapixel BuckEye EO cameras, and 3) a fast (e.g. 200+ scanlines/sec) and wide swathwidth (e.g. 1920+ pixels) CCD/InGaAs imager based VNIR and SWIR imaging spectrometer. MAICSS consists of a suite of interchangeable and interconnected modules in precision-machined boxes for flexible system deployment. It has a total solid state compact design with a typical volume of 0.03 m3 and a mass of 20kg. Without hard drives and other moving parts, it is operational at high altitudes and survivable in high vibration environments. MAICSS is a complete standalone imaging server instrument with an easy-to-use software package for either autonomous data collection or interactive airborne operation.
The proposed innovation is a self-contained, self-powered, robust flight test sensor array for the determination of separation.  The proposed system uses off-the-shelf, currently available technology to create a reusable distributed sensor array, which requires no external wiring or power source.  The system is based on tufts attached to individual bimorph piezoelectric sensors.  A distributed array of bimorph tuft sensors is embedded in a flexible, self-adhesive backed sheet of polymide substrate.  The proposed separation sensor array will provide real-time, accurate determination of separation across a wide range of flight conditions.  The self-contained blanket array can be quickly and easily applied to aircraft surfaces in question.  No wiring, external power, or remote viewing is required for acquisition.  After testing is complete, the system can be quickly removed and reused.  Additionally, the system could be miniaturized for use in ground test facilities or other types of vehicles.  The bimorph tuft based separation sensor array promises to provide a realizable, accurate, efficient, and cost effective measurement system.  Results produced during the Phase I program have shown that the concept of a piezoelectric tuft sensor is a viable and robust technology, able to provide a reliable and cost effective separation detection system across an incredibly wide range of both flight and ground test conditions.
A team of CU Aerospace, the University of Illinois, and ManTech SRS Technologies proposes Phase II development of a 3 kg CubeSat spacecraft for initial flight test of a 20 m2 UltraSail, a next-generation high-risk, high-payoff solar sail system for the launch, deployment, stabilization and control of very large (km2 class) solar sails, enabling very high payload mass fractions for interplanetary and deep space spacecraft.  UltraSail is an innovative, non-traditional approach to propulsion technology achieved by combining propulsion and control systems developed for formation-flying microsatellites with an innovative solar sail architecture to achieve controllable sail areas approaching 1 km2, sail subsystem area densities less than 5 g/m2, and thrust levels many times those of ion thrusters used for comparable deep space missions. The primary innovation presented in Phase I was vacuum demonstration plus analysis of two modes of sail deployment.  The Phase II effort will include fabrication of dual 1.5 kg CubeSats, vacuum and dynamic testing of the separation release unit, and simulation of spacecraft deployment to full film length, analysis of spacecraft dynamics and environmental effects, and formulation and analysis of mission objectives and groundstation requirements.
Nuclear reactors to support future robotic and manned missions impose new and innovative technological requirements for their control and protection instrumentation.  Long duration surface missions necessitate reliable autonomous operation, and manned missions impose added requirements for fail-safe reactor protection. There is a need for an advanced instrumentation and control system for space-nuclear reactors that addresses both aspects of autonomous operation and safety.  Highly reliable, earth-based reactor instrumentation systems can provide an excellent reference for space-based designs, however there is currently no earth-based reactor control system that is practical for use in space.
In Phase I, we established the feasibility of adapting proven terrestrial reactor instrumentation for space application, and developed a preliminary architecture on which to base a flight system. This Phase II will result in a complete detailed design for a space-based Reactor Instrumentation and Control System (RICS), including fabrication and testing of a ground-based prototype for system evaluation. Additionally, we will leverage existing neutron detection technology developed under a previous NASA contract, and optimized for the space environment. This Wide Range Neutron Detector (WRND), in conjunction with the proposed RICS, will provide a complete solution for autonomous operation of space reactors from hundreds of watts to multi-megawatts.
NASA has been tasked with supporting the development of key technologies to facilitate the evolution of the National Airspace System to NextGen, the Next Generation Air Transportation System.  One of these key technologies is the detection of wake vortices generated by other aircraft.  This is of particular concern during take-off and landing, both because the danger is particularly acute, and because of the large economic impact of having to widely space the aircraft.  About $5 billion of revenue is lost each year due to delays and lower throughput in our nation's airports.  Ground-based lidars have the ability to detect and track wake vortices, but mounting similar systems on aircraft would be prohibitively expensive.  We propose to develop an intrinsically low-cost lidar that would be suitable for deployment on commercial airliners.  Costs are kept low through an extremely simple design: a passively Q-switched single-frequency laser that uses a fiber delay-line in place of a local oscillator.  The Phase I effort will also include a modeling task to explore detecting wake vortices using an on-axis lidar instead of imaging from the side.  Since the primary flow components will be perpendicular to the lidar beam, we anticipate that looking for an increase in the width of the coherent return may prove to be the best approach.
Current state-of-the-art Lithium (Li) or Li-ion systems are unable to meet the performance goals of space-rated rechargeable batteries for many NASA's future robotic and human exploration missions. They either cannot provide sufficient energy and power or have poor cycle or calendar life.  TH Chem, Inc. (THC) proposes to develop a new electrochemical system that is fundamentally different from the state-of-the-art, for advanced Li battery applications.  Li batteries developed from the new system will show significantly improved battery performance characteristics including energy/power density, cycle/calendar life, cost, and abuse tolerance.  The new system is based on development of novel polymeric cathode materials (PCMs) having high-energy functional groups chemically grafted to a robust polymer backbone. In Phase I, THC will prepare the proposed PCMs by functionalization of an inexpensive polymeric starting material.  Li cells will be assembled using the PCMs and electrochemically evaluated.  The concept of the new electrochemical system will be demonstrated. THC has extensive experience in Li battery chemistries and technologies.
A Head Mounted Display Without Focus/Fixation Disparity Project
Advanced Crew Escape System Simulation Tool for Future Launch Vehicles Project
The solid-state detector array is the primary technology to implement the current generation of space borne high-energy astronomy missions that are managed by NASA in partnership with the international community. Readout integrated circuitry (ROIC) specifically designed for photon resolving X-ray detection with solid-state detectors will create a new generation of high-performance X-ray imaging sensors. AC sensitive detector input circuitry, similar to that used by Black Forest Engineering (BFE) for laser detection and ranging (LADAR), is ideally suited to NASA X-ray astronomy imaging system requirements. BFE proposes on Phase II to produce and test 32x32 hybrid sensor arrays that can meet a wide range of NASA X-ray imaging applications. The arrays will provide single photon sensitivity, accurate X-ray energy determination, X-ray event time stamping, low power dissipation and ambient temperature operation.
An on-board oxygen concentrator is required during long duration manned space missions to supply medical oxygen. Commercial medical oxygen generators are pressure swing adsorption (PSA) based systems that use nitrogen selective zeolites and are mostly large, massive, and power intensive. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) proposes to develop a small, lightweight, portable oxygen generator that uses a high capacity, long life, regenerable oxygen absorbent to produce concentrated medical oxygen from ambient cabin air. TDA's system will have less volume, mass, and power draw than current systems. 

In Phase I, we will demonstrate the ability of the oxygen concentrator technology to produce greater than 60&#37; oxygen at 6 LPM from ambient cabin air.  We will evaluate the sorbent performance in bench-scale experiments and carry out a preliminary design of the unit, determine its weight, volume and energy requirements, and compare them to those of other competing technologies. The technology will be at TRL-3 at end of Phase I.

In Phase II, we will fabricate a sub-scale oxygen concentrator prototype with all key components to fully demonstrate the concept and reliable long duration operation.  We will optimize cycle duration, stage length etc. The technology will be at TRL-5 at end of Phase II.
We propose a 1.5um fiber-optic pulsed coherent lidar as a highly
effective sensor sub-system for airborne wake-vortex hazard detection.
The proposed design is based on a recently developed platform at
Fibertek, for fiber-optic pulsed coherent lidar capable of 6km range,
and operating at high pulse rate to give high-resolution spatial map and
circulation strength, characteristic of typical wake-vortex signatures.
The proposed system uses all COTS 1.5um fiber-optic component technology
and COTS high-speed digital electronics, to provide a cost-effective
system, that is amenable to rapid transition for field testing and adoption.
The NASA Low-Cost Small Spacecraft Program is focused on the technologies, subsystems, methodologies, and mission concepts for space missions which lower the over-all cost for scientific exploration.  We propose to support these effort through building a "simulation-of-simulations" software suite that allows (a) development of a standard small satellite architecture framework, (b) capture of all available subsystems simulations or engineering models that provide design and functionality documentation for small satellite architectural elements, (c) supports full small satellite systems physical and functional simulations of simulations against mission profile descriptions using the captured subsystem sub-simulation elements, and (d) support mission planning and analysis trade-studies that change subsystem and system parameters, supports inclusion and exclusion of alternative subsystem elements, and supports mission effectiveness parameter evaluation and display (including cost optimization or optimization a particular performance factors).
Hall thrusters are being considered for many space missions because their high specific impulse delivers a larger payload mass fraction than chemical rockets. With a low thrust, however, Hall thrusters need to operate for a long period of time to achieve the necessary  of the mission. For these missions, the lifetime requirements can reach into tens of thousands of hours. For Hall thrusters, the most important life-limiting process is the erosion of the channel walls. However, experimental verification of lifetime is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, computational method is a useful tool to predict thruster lifetime. Many of the Hall thruster lifetime models were developed, and some of theses models gave quite promising results. However, while qualitatively interesting, the results did not match well with experiment. The reason of this discrepancy is that these numerical models assume electrons as a fluid. The proposed innovation will provide a better understanding of the erosion physics and will be useful for future thruster development with low cost and time. This tool also will allow to aid in the acceptance and implementation of Hall thrusters as a primary propulsion device through improving confidence of their long term reliability.
We are developing CAD tools, models and methodologies for electronics design for circuit operation in extreme environments with a focus on very low temperature and radiation effects. These new tools and methodologies will help enable NASA to design next generation electronics. Such capabilities will significantly improve reliability, performance and lifetime of electronics that are used for space applications, including satellites and space travel. This will be achieved through the development of novel physics-based modeling techniques and verified by experiment. The new cryogenic design tools will greatly reduce the chances of error during actual circuit implementation, and thus reduce the number of design cycles, thereby substantially decreasing fabrication times and expenses. Models and CAD tools are relatively inexpensive as compared to fabrication costs; thus the results of this project should provide a very large return on investment.
Zybek Advanced Products has proven the ability to produce industrial quantities of lunar simulant materials, including glass, agglutinate and melt breccias.  These are critical components in the NU-LHT-series and OB1 lunar simulants.  The feed stock for this simulant is a mining industry by-product.  The feedstock contains many contaminates, may not always be available, and can be inconsistent.  

Although the standard lunar simulant produced from the mineral industry byproduct feedstock is useful for some applications, many projects require a simulant with a higher fidelity.   This project provides the means to produce individual components that are not available from terrestrial sources.  These components can be mixed in different proportions to determine the effect on a particular process.  

The basic theory of the innovation is to mix known industrial ingredients, bring to molten temperatures, allow time for full reaction (in molten state), and then control the cooling rate to cause re-crystallization.  These components are readily available and can be processed at multi-ton rates in the plasma melter.
Cryogenic fluid transfer components using single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable low thermal mass, minimal heat leak, low power consumption and fast response for cryogenic fluid transfer and handling systems to support NASA Lunar Lander, Ground Operations, Ares, and Lunar Surface Systems programs. Single crystal piezoelectrics are attractive because they exhibit 3 to 5 times the strain as conventional piezoelectric ceramics, have very low strain hysteresis, and retain excellent piezoelectric performance at cryogenic temperatures. Low voltage, low profile, highly efficient single crystal piezoelectric actuators including stack actuators, unimorph/bimorph benders and flextensional actuators will be designed, fabricated and characterized at temperature of 20 K -300 K. A fluid valve incorporating  single crystal actuators will be prototyped for flow control experiments.
As the length of manned space missions increase, requirements to sustain those missions increase proportionately. Daily food supplies require food packaged and sent from earth, preparation mechanisms and waste treatment. The window for food preservation could be 3-5 years. This will require food packaging that provides excellent barriers to water vapor and oxygen, is durable at the processing conditions (retort sterilizing, microwave processing), and has low mass. Storage and disposal of used food packaging becomes a significant issue. Incineration is a reasonable waste treatment strategy, but is incompatible with materials used currently for high barrier packaging, like aluminum foil (which leaves ash).

TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a multilayer nanocomposite film with superb resistance to permeation by water vapor and oxygen, for use as an extended shelf life food packaging material.  We propose to prepare nanocomposites from commercially available packaging plastics and TDA's surface-modified nanoparticles.  TDA's nanocomposite research has focused on the design of surface treatments to produce nanoparticles compatible with targeted host polymers.  We can form well-dispersed nanocomposites with several packaging plastics and have seen improved barrier properties ? with nanoparticle contents less than 5&#37;.  TRL at the end of the Phase II contract will be at Level 5.
NASA space imagery is gathered and transmitted back to earth in many
formats. One of the newer formats is the lossy/lossless image format
CCSDS (CCSDS 122.0-B-1), which uses wavelet decomposition combined with
a bitplane encoder to achieve good data rates while keeping visual
fidelity. It was designed for space missions, and in particular is
designed to implement in low power hardware. This solicitation calls for
creating a hardware solution capable of decoding 16-bit image samples
from this format, called in this document the &amp;quot;CCSDS&amp;quot; image
format, at the rate of 640 Mbps, presumably for ground based image
acquisition systems. Cybernet teaming with University of Dayton Research
Institute proposes to design and build a FPGA based hardware image
decoder capable of decoding 16-bit samples with a rate at least 640
Mbps, which, given the specifics of the image specification, is
completely feasible. Dr. Chris Lomont at Cybernet is currently PI on a
project implementing precisely the CCSDS 122.0-B-1 specification and
transcoding algorithms for a NASA Phase II SBIR, and is intimately
familiar with the format. This coupled with Cybernet's long history of
designing and delivering hardware solutions makes us a perfect fit for
this project.
Radiation shielding is an enabling technology required for extended manned missions to the Moon, Mars and the planets beyond. Multifunctional structural must protect crew in a spacecraft, crew exploration vehicle, landers, rover, or habitat from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR), Solar Energy Particles (SEP) and micrometeroid impact and at the same time keep both the weight of the structure and the cost of fabricating the structure to a minimum. Materials Modification, Inc. (MMI) proposes to develop and evaluate a series of versatile, novel, multifunctional hybrid structural composites comprised of a high hydrogen epoxy matrix
As the use of composite materials on commercial airlines grows the technology of the composites must grow with it. Presently the efficiency gained by the utilization of core materials on composite structures can not be implemented into commercial aviation primary structures due to the poor impact performance of commercially available core materials. Patz Materials and Technologies proposes to develop a new multifunctional composite core material for airframe primary structures. The new composite core material will combine high impact performance with low weight, high acoustical absorption and high mechanical strength to greatly improve the structural efficiency of future commercial airframes.
An innovative 2D super-polishing process for Aluminum 6061-T6 planar
mirrors which removes diamond point turning (DPT) grooves and attains
rms surface finishes below 10 Angstroms has been developed.   Present
techniques for post-polishing of DPT grooves fail to completely remove
the periodic structure resulting in a loss of specular energy into
undesired diffracted orders.   The long-term objectives of this project
are to transfer the 2D process onto a 3D polishing platform, and to
develop robust, automated production processes for both 2D and 3D
Aluminum optics.  Once achieved, this will be the most significant
advance in the polishing field in many decades.  Super-polished surface
finishes below 10 Angstroms will allow scientific instruments utilizing
mirrors to achieve results at or near their theoretical limits.  Robust,
automated production processes for Aluminum optics will result in
significant improvements in the technical performance and
cost-effectiveness of optics in many scientific and commercial markets.
The general methodology for achieving these goals is to collaborate with
Zeeko Technologies and use well-chosen designed experiments that will
efficiently screen the tool parameter response space and identify the
best operating window to achieve super-polished surface finishes on the
Zeeko IRP200 platform. The technology for producing super-polished
Aluminum optics will assist NASA in surpassing optical specifications
required in upcoming missions such as Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF),
Single Aperture Far Infrared Observatory (SAFIR), International X-ray
Observatory (IXO), and Space Interferometry Mission (SIM Lite).
Aluminum 6061-T6 has been used extensively in past optical designs and
it will continue to play a critical role in these and future NASA missions.
The objective of this NASA SBIR program is to develop conformal Metal Rubber&lt;!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
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 sensor skins for the distributed measurement of wall shear or skin
friction on rotorcraft rotor blades.  The sensor skin arrays would allow
the direct two-dimensional mapping of both orthogonal components of
tangential skin friction on rotor blade surfaces without requiring large
recessed cavities within the blade structure.  Metal Rubber&lt;sup&gt;TM&lt;/sup&gt;
 skin friction sensor element prototypes have been demonstrated on small
laboratory flow test articles.  Wall shear measurement data are
important to 1) establishing boundary conditions for computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) analysis of air vehicle boundary layer flow and
turbulence, and 2) active flight control of air platforms.  During Phase
I, NanoSonic would design, fabricate and test new, large-area Metal Rubber&lt;sup&gt;TM&lt;/sup&gt;
 sensor skin materials and arrays capable of surviving the thermal,
mechanical, UV and chemical environment of operational aircraft, and
work with NASA and industrial partners to transition the use of such
sensor skins to use on rotor blade wind tunnel models.  The new high
performance Metal Rubber&lt;sup&gt;TM&lt;/sup&gt;
 materials, sensor skin arrays, and data acquisition and signal
processing electronics would be evaluated using multiple air and water
flow systems at NanoSonic and in wind tunnel facilities at a partner institution.
A method is propsed to develop a sensor fusion process for blending GPS/IMU/EO data for fault tolerant rendezvous and docking of spacecraft.  The methodology takes advantage of analytic redundancy between the GPS and EO sensor technology.  Using advanced fault detection, identification, and reconfiguration (FDIR) technology, the method will guarantee navigation functionality in the presence of failures in either the GPS or the EO sytsem guaranteeing safety of operations in the safety critical docking operation.
To improve aviation safety with anticipated growth in capacity, it is necessary to develop flight control technologies that enable safe operations as anomalous conditions occur.  These developments are particularly important to reduce fatal loss of control accidents due to aircraft degradation and abrupt aerodynamic changes including upsets.  It is necessary to develop methods to identify and characterize anomalies in flight, as well as to estimate the impacts on the flight envelope and the ability to effect control forces for recovery and/or flight planning to achieve safe landing.  An approach to identify anomalies including aerodynamic upsets based on model-based fault detection methods will be combined with physics-based models to assess the impact on the aircraft flight envelope and controllability.  These tools will permit off-line analysis and will facilitate the development of on-board guidance and control algorithms to support NASA goals for greater aircraft resiliency during adverse flight conditions.  In Phase I, development and demonstration of a generalized system architecture to identify and assess the effects of aircraft anomalies will be performed, which builds upon previous work toward model-based aircraft upset detection.  Phase I demonstrations will include simulation evaluation for a generic transport aircraft and test demonstration for a small unmanned aircraft.
This proposal addresses NASA astrobiology objectives, particularly the need for a compact instrument capable of in situ isotopic measurements. We propose the detailed conceptual development of a device for analyzing key isotopic composition in surface materials without sample preparation. We will combine absorption spectroscopy with laser induced vaporization of solid samples for high-resolution isotopic measurements. An immediate focus is on Mars but our concept is also highly germane to other applications relevant to bio- and geochemical objectives. We will evaluate accuracy, sensitivity, and resolution of our technology for isotopic detection of the key elements associated with signs of life (C, S, H, O) in solid materials. All essential design components of the proposed analyzer have been separately developed and demonstrated in very compact form for other applications. In the Phase I, we will develop technology for measuring sulfur isotope ratios in condensed samples. In the Phase II, we will demonstrate the overall performance of the proposed technique and deliver a breadboard prototype instrument. Commercial systems based on the Phase II prototype will be developed and marketed during Phase III.
Development of a robust nonlinear guidance law for planning and
executing the flare-touchdown maneuver for impaired aircraft under
adverse wind conditions is proposed. The approach employs estimated
operational envelope of the damaged aircraft and ambient winds to plan
flap deployment schedule and the flare-touchdown maneuver. The algorithm
will also provide guidance for precise execution of the terminal de-crab
maneuver in the presence of crosswinds.  The guidance law will be
formulated in terms of aircraft attitude components to enable direct
coupling with the autopilot or for providing pilot guidance through the
flight director.    Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of
the proposed guidance law in an aircraft simulation. Robustness to
unmodeled dynamics and uncertainties will be demonstrated. Phase II
research will develop standalone guidance law implementation in a
real-time operating system for NASA-specified aircraft model. This
implementation will then be coupled with a high-fidelity manned
simulation to assess its performance under realistic operational
scenarios. Algorithms and software developed under the proposed research
will be provided to NASA at the end of Phase II research. Phase III work
will focus on flight test evaluation of the robust flare guidance law.
For this project Superior Graphite Co. (Chicago, IL, USA), the leading worldwide industrial carbon manufacturer and the only large scale battery grade graphitic carbon producer in the USA, will develop, explore the properties of, and demonstrate the enhanced capabilities of novel nanostructured SiLix-C anodes, capable of retaining high capacity at a rapid 2 hour discharge rate and at 0oC when used in Li-ion batteries. We have already demonstrated advanced anode materials with the specific capacity of 600 mAh/g, minimal irreversible capacity losses and stable performance. We are confident that by the developing and applying a variety of novel nano-materials technologies, fine-tuning the properties of composite particles at the nanoscale, optimizing the composition of the anodes, and choosing appropriate electrolytes we will be able to revolutionize Li-ion battery technology. In order to achieve such a breakthrough in power characteristics of Li-ion batteries, the team will develop new nanostructured SiLix-C anode materials with dramatically improved capacity and stable cycling performance.
The limitations of current airspace management have necessitated the
planning and development of the Next Generation Air Transportation
System (NextGen). NextGen seeks to change the fundamental structure of
airspace management to increase the safety and efficiency of flight
operations. This effort will require the introduction of advanced flight
deck technologies capable of meeting NextGen requirements, such as
assimilating weather information into navigation displays. To rigorously
evaluate the effectiveness of these new human-machine interface designs,
we propose the Use-driven Testbed for Evaluating Systems and
Technologies (U-TEST). This proposed innovation will provide a platform
for collecting and integrating human performance measures for evaluating
NextGen technologies in simulated environments. At the core of U-TEST
will be a data integration platform that combines multiple data streams
(i.e. observer-based, system-based, and self-report measures), producing
a comprehensive evaluation of pilot performance using novel systems and
technologies. The 3D Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) will
serve as a vehicle for U-TEST development during this SBIR effort.
System engineers can utilize the U-TEST environment to acquire rapid,
comprehensive, and cost-effective feedback to inform the modification of
emerging flight deck systems.
New &amp; innovative technologies are needed to support exploration of remote &amp; presently inaccessible terrain features on Mars &amp; enable surface &amp; subsurface material sampling. Key among those new technologies is the ability to measure &amp; control force &amp; torque loads on robotic arms, tether play-out &amp; directional systems &amp; subsurface boring systems. Presently available multi-axis sensors do not support all of these mission requirements, particularly with respect to small size, low mass &amp; low-temperature survivability &amp; operation. This innovative development will produce a force/moment feedback sensor that can reliably operate in spaceflight/Mars environments that would fully support this planetary mission. FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc. has the Mars hardware development experience &amp; industry know-how to design &amp; develop the required compact, low mass, 6-axis multi-component cryogenic transducer.
he objective of this proposal is to research, design and develop an automated real-time targeting and guidance (ARTGUID) software for precision lunar landing and descent. The software tool will be reliable, extensible, scalable and verifiable based on the complex mission-driven requirements on the Altair Lunar Lander and other landers for NASA's future exploration missions. It will provide an integrated real-time targeting, guidance, navigation and control (TGNC) capability to perform autonomous vehicle-centered operations to accomplish mission objectives. The algorithms provide a fuel-optimal powered descent and precision landing at any desirable site on the Moon. The method of technical approach is based on the revalidation, operational assessment and qualitative improvement of all Apollo-era programs. The real-time targeting and guidance operations are performed on all phases of the descent trajectory by employing exact closed-form solutions for constant thrust arcs on braking phase.  Development of the real-time TGNC capability represents an innovative approach in advancing the state-of-the-art autonomous landing GNC technology. The preliminary development of the advanced targeting algorithms has demonstrated the reliability, functionality and likelihood of success of the proposed software by re-constructing the Apollo 11 and 12 post-flight lunar-descent trajectories and guidance performances.
This Phase-I SBIR proposal proposes for the first time ever, the use of
a new class of materials - Gallium Nitride-on-diamond - in the
manufacture of very high efficiency, solid-state Power Amplifier MMICs
that will operate in X-band (8.4GHz), and Ka-band (26-38GHz). In this
particular proposal, the first ever 80&amp;#37; efficient 8.4GHz and 34-38GHz
GaN-on-Diamond FETs will be demonstrated, exhibiting a record 5-10 W/mm
at record temperature levels.  Arrays of these FETs will be used to form
60&amp;#37;+ efficient 150W-1KWatt Power Amplifiers (PA) MMICs in Phase-II.
Polycrystalline free standing CVD diamond  nature's most efficient
thermal conductor  enables nearly perfect heat extraction from a
&amp;quot;hot&amp;quot; device (Thermal conductivities of GaAs, Si, and SiC are
35W/m/K, 150W/m/K and 390W/m/K respectively; diamond ranges from
1200-2000 W/m/K depending on quality). In the proposed scheme, the
device's active epitaxial layers are removed from their original host
substrate and transferred to a specially treated low-cost CVD diamond
substrate using a proprietary low-cost manufacturable scheme.  The
active junction rests just 20-nm from diamond.  The diamond technology
proposed here may be applied to GaAs, SiC, SiGe, etc.
Exploration of planetary surfaces will require a communication architecture that supports operational capabilities in which fixed and mobile assets on the planetary surface can communicate seamlessly and securely.  Aeronix understands the issues and believes that it can leverage it knowledge and expertise in its military IEEE-802.16 products towards a space qualified solution. Aeronix is currently developing two technologies that will be directly leveraged.

? A 5.8GHz 802.16 based radio developed military wireless communication terrestrial applications.  The radio is designed to support 20 nodes providing 40Mbps using omni-directional antennas.  This is a fully reconfigurable product employing a DSP to configure re-configurable FPGA logic.
? The development of a smaller 2.4GHz 802.16 based radio for UAV applications.  Aeronix is currently in fabricating evaluation units that are approximately 10"3 intended video and audio applications.
We propose the development and space qualification of a high reliability
frequency-stabilized CW laser source at 1064 nm wavelength region to
satisfy the requirements of this SBIR subtopic opportunity.   Our
recommended approach is based on extensive experience developing and
using single frequency laser source in the near infrared, both for NASA,
DoD and aerospace/commercial applications. Our technical approach built
on emerging technology spawned by the telecom industry, which has
reached it maturity level such that space qualification of the propose
laser can be undertaken.  NASA requires proposed laser source for
various missions under planning, including LISA, ICESat, LIST, etc.
M4 Engineering proposes to implement physics-based, multidisciplinary analysis and optimization objects that will be integrated into a Python, open-source framework and used in a wide variety of simulations.  The integrated objects will perform discipline-specific analysis across multiple flight regimes at varying levels of fidelity.  The process will also deliver system-level, multi-objective optimization.  Addressing physics-based, system-level objectives that span more than one discipline will have profound effects on improving decision-making abilities during the conceptual design phase when evaluating advanced technological concepts.  In the proposed effort, existing capabilities will be leveraged to create a high fidelity, physics based, multidisciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) system.  This proposed work will compliment M4 Engineering's expertise in developing modeling and simulation toolsets that solve relevant subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic demonstration applications.
Recent advances in airport surface surveillance and other sensor, automation, and data sharing technologies now allow the consideration of a significant change in the control paradigm for aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. Through the use of airport surface surveillance displays, and other computer information systems, it is conceptually possible to provide ATC services without the ATC tower. This Virtual Tower concept has been identified as a primary component of the Joint Planning and Development Office operational concept for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Remote video surveillance of the airfield is likely to play a key role in any such Virtual Tower implementation. However, significant research on computer vision and video surveillance capabilities to support the Virtual Tower concept must first be addressed. These video surveillance capabilities will also provide information to support flight and airport status monitoring. Mosaic ATM proposes to research and develop image processing algorithms to integrate video and airport surface surveillance data to enable NASA researchers to conduct detailed evaluation of fundamental issues associated with the Virtual Tower concept.
SSCI is proposing to develop a set of topology control algorithms for a
formation flying spacecraft that can be used to design and evaluate
candidate formation architectures. Properties of these topology control
algorithms include: (a) Preserving the connectivity of the underlying
state-dependent sensing graph during reconfiguration and re-targeting of
the formation; (b) Achieving a balanced interplay between performance
and robustness to communication delays; and (c) Using only local
information to make local decisions that collectively guarantee the
global properties such as the network connectivity. Phase I effort will
deliver a preliminary software analysis tool to help the NASA TPFI team
evaluate these trade-offs for candidate TPFI architectures. In order to
achieve these objectives we plan to carry out the following tasks: (i)
Develop algorithms to maximize the connectivity under limited FOV
constraints. (ii) Analyze the trade-off between network connectivity and
robustness to communication delays. (iii) Design algorithms to maintain
connectivity during a pre-specified reconfiguration with energy optimal
trajectories. (iv) Demonstrate the application of the developed methods
to TPF-I baseline mission. In Phase II the goal is to deliver to NASA a
complete set of algorithms and software tools to perform distributed
communication design for TPF-I as well as other formation flying
missions that may involve a larger number of spacecraft. These
algorithms and software will be tested on high fidelity formation flying
testbeds at JPL such as FAST or FCT.Professor Mehran Mesabhi of
University of Washington will provide technical support under the project.
This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I proposal seeks to develop an ultrasensitive, laser-based sulfur dioxide gas sensor system for airborne and ground-based atmospheric monitoring. The proposed instrument will be capable of accurately determining sub-parts-per-billion SO2 concentrations in seconds.  This compact, instrument will be capable of long-term autonomous operation and have modest power requirements. The Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of the technology by performing measurements on SO2 samples using a bench-scale laboratory instrument that employs a novel, frequency agile UV laser source.  The results of these tests will be used to quantify detection limits for a Phase II instrument. Commercial systems based on the Phase II prototype will be developed and marketed during Phase III.
Lunar dust creates a number of hazards to lunar operations including, effect on human health, degradation of life support systems, wear to mechanical systems and loss of efficiency of solar arrays. 

Lunar operations require a system which mechanically removes dust from key systems and prevents its redeposition. While there is no wind on the moon, electrical phenomena allow the transport of lunar dust over long distances. Lunar dust is constantly in motion. 

There are currently no dust mitigation techniques that can be applied to a variety of surfaces which can mechanically remove dust and prevent its redeposition. Electrostatic dust removal techniques are being developed, but these have not been tested with the pure iron particles found in lunar dust and lack mechanical removal schemes needed for imbricated angular particles. 

Physical Sciences Inc. and West Virginia University proposes a novel liquid crystal membrane dust mitigation system (LCMDMS). This system uses both electro static (conductive layers for charge control) and mechanical (vibrating surface) dust removal/prevention techniques to maintain dust free operation of flexible, curved, transparent and opaque lunar based systems. This system is designed to be transparent and applied as a membrane to a surface which needs to be kept dust free.
Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a vacuum compatible, impact-actuated digging tool for the excavation of frozen and compacted regolith on the lunar surface and in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar poles.  This technology development effort will address the most challenging aspects of excavation in the lunar environment and work to develop a design relevant to a range of future lunar missions.  This effort will also serve to guide and inform the requirements for the vehicles and systems that will be necessary for such missions. The fundamental architecture of an impact-actuated digging tool has been demonstrated for terrestrial applications for the Department of Defense.  Honeybee's digging tool design is a novel approach ideally suited for lunar applications to defeat compacted and frozen regolith.  By using the impact energy imparted by a reciprocating hammer transferred through the scoop to defeat the target material, the need for large reaction loads from the vehicle is minimized, allowing for a much smaller, lower mass system. This ongoing effort will serve to instruct and maximize the benefit to NASA.
Procedures are the accepted means of commanding spacecraft. Procedures
encode the operational knowledge of a system as derived from system
experts, testing, training and experience.  NASA has tens of thousands
of procedures for Space Shuttle and the International Space Station,
which are used daily by both flight controllers and crew.  It is
expected that the new Constellation vehicles, including Orion, Altair
and Lunar habitats, will have thousands of procedures to ensure safe
operation.  Currently procedures are executed manually using standard
command and control displays.  We are proposing a new paradigm whereby
procedures interact closely with the next generation telemetry and
command displays being developed for NASA and with a procedure
assistant that can automatically dispatch commands and evaluate
telemetry under tight supervision of the operator. The procedure
assistant will consist of an interactive procedure display, a
procedure assistant executive, a set of procedure support services and
an editor for modifying existing procedures or building simple new
procedures.  In our paradigm rocedures will be just like any other
component of an integrated suite of mission control tools. This will
greatly enhance the efficiency of flight controllers and reduce
training costs associated with having a separate set of tools for
procedures.
The proposed work herein focuses on waste subsystems with emphasis on
odor control associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The
development of efficient odor removal systems for use inside lunar
mission architectures is one of NASA's critical needs (Topic X2.03).
Because of the limited space and resources in both exploration vehicles
and non-moving habitats, it is important for a treatment system to be
compact, lightweight, and robust, and have low energy and material input
requirements with the ultimate focus on reducing equivalent systems mass
(ESM). Professors at the University of Florida have developed a novel,
robust, and highly effective Silica-Titania Composite (STC) capable of
adsorbing and oxidizing VOCs to harmless byproducts. The technology has
been licensed by Sol-gel Solutions, LLC. In preparation for the design
and fabrication of a prototype for validation in a relevant environment
during a Phase II study, the evaluation and optimization of two
potential configurations employing the STC is proposed. One
configuration would employ continuous UV irradiation, and the other
would employ intermittent UV. The ultimate goal is to determine which
configuration results in a lower Equivalent Systems Mass (ESM).
Typical communication satellites use traditional waveguide front-end architectures due to excellent electrical performance and high reliability. However, these systems are extremely massive and use large volume mostly due to the low-insertion loss waveguide. Replacement of the waveguide components by microfabricated parts without substantially affecting the electrical performance can lead to a breakthrough in wireless communications.

The overall goal of the proposed SBIR project is to develop low-cost, reliable, miniaturized RF MEMS switch components suitable for a variety of communication subsystems. Two approaches will be investigated. The first approach will be looking at monolithically integrating RF MEMS switches within the PolyStrataTM technology, developed at Nuvotronics in Blacksburg, VA as part of the DARPA 3DMERFS program. This approach should enable disruptive low-loss and high-Q RF components from S-band up to W-band. The second approach will rely on state of the art known good RF switches to be assembled on the low loss PolyStrata backplane. This second approach will provide lower loss, higher density and higher power handling than the current RF MEMS components. The proposed technology can be applied to multiple operating frequencies at a minimum cost due to the batch capability of the PolyStrata process.
This SBIR project aims to develop a lightweight, highly thermally and electrically conductive heat pipe plate for passive removal of the heat from the individual fuel cells or electrolysis cells within a cell stack.  The desired heat pipe plate will be fabricated from a novel composite based on carbon nanotubes.  Carbon nanotubes are possibly the best heat conducting material the world has ever known, as their unusually high thermal conductivity has been reported recently.  In reality, however, such high thermal conductivity values have not yet been achieved in any carbon nanotube ensembles.  This has been attributed to the thermal resistance presented at interface junctions between individual nanotubes.  The Phase I effort will be focused on solving this problem by an innovative approach, which offers the potential of incorporating a high content of carbon nanotubes in the composite while interface thermal resistance being minimized.  The Phase I work will build on our preliminary experimental results to establish the proof-of-concept.
Processing of lunar regolith into oxygen for habitat and propulsion is needed to support future space missions. Direct electrochemical reduction of molten regolith is most attractive method of processing because no additional chemical reagents are needed.   The electrochemical processing of molten oxides requires high surface area inert anodes. Such electrodes need to be structurally robust at elevated temperatures (1400-1600&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C), be resistant to thermal shock, have good electrical conductivity, be resistant to attack by molten oxide (silicate), be electrochemically stable and support high current density. Because of high melting point, good oxidation resistance, superior high temperature strength and ductility, iridium is the most promising candidate for anodes in high temperature electrochemical processes. Two innovative concepts for manufacturing such anodes by electrodeposition of iridium from molten salt electrolyte (EL-Form&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; process) are proposed. This technique is characterized by its ability to produce dense, ductile, pore-free, 99.9&#37; pure iridium in form of complex shape components and coatings. 
The result of this program will be the development, manufacturing and testing of high surface iridium anodes for molten oxide electrolysis. The testing will be performed in cooperation with NASA and MIT.
We propose to develop a novel method for deploying heat flow sensors/heaters in a hole and also a novel approach to subsurface access using a percussive method. The sensor deployment concept consists of a deployable string of thermal sensors/heaters initially housed inside a hollow probe. As envisioned, the deployable sensor string would consist of thermal sensors/heaters mounted to small spring-like structures of low thermal inertia fastened to a tether at appropriate intervals. The probe assembly is driven into the subsurface using a percussive (high frequency low impact) actuator. Upon reaching depth, the cone mounted at the end of the tube would separate from penetrometer and left behind as an anchor for the sensor string. The sensor string would then be deployed from the tube as the tube is retracted from the hole. 
The proposed method offers many advantages including:
?	Optimum thermal isolation between consecutive heat flow sensors (RTD`s)
?	Thermal isolation between sensors and a lander platform/deployment system, 
?	Direct contact between the sensors and regolith, 
?	Percussive deployment method that does not rely extensively on lander mass
?	All the electrical connectors will be established prior to the launch
The overall goal of the proposed Phase I SBIR project is to develop and
demonstrate 256x256 segmented readout integrated circuits (ROICs) that
can read, digitize and count the response of linear-mode single photon
counting avalanche photodiode (APD) pixels with picosecond readout
capability and bandwidth at least an order of magnitude better than
currently available ROICs. We will accomplish this by designing an
ultrahigh speed front-end amplifier for an existing ROIC architecture
that will be capable of low noise, wideband amplification of picosecond
photocurrent pulses induced by single photons in the APD. In Phase I of
this project, we will design, model and simulate the performance of
higher speed ROIC analog front ends that will enable readout speed
enhancement by as much as a factor of 10 compared to the performance of
existing ROICs. In Phase II, we will design, fabricate and test 256 x
256 ultra-high speed ROICs and 256 x 256 linear-mode APD arrays.
The objective of this proposal is to design, construct and test a
high-frequency-response air-data probe, the Fast Response Atmospheric
Turbulence probe (FRAT probe) that will be able to operate in harsh and
humid atmospheric environments. Both requirements, high-frequency
response and resistance to water spray can be accommodated by mounting
the pressure sensors flush with the probe surface. We will also conduct
research on how gas-ingesting ducts can be incorporated in the design
without interference with the measuring capabilities of the probe, and
we will provide for the incorporation of Anasphere's CO2 sensor. In the
first phase of this effort, we will also explore the market for sensors
to measure humidity and other physical quantities recommended by NASA
and NOAA that can be incorporated in the base of the air-data probe.
Accelerometers, magnetometers, GPS, a computer and other electronic
equipment will be included to estimate the rigid-body motion of the
platform carrying the probe, and then calculate velocity components with
respect to an inertial frame. The final product will be the preliminary
design of a stand-alone piece of instrumentation, available for mounting
on a platform to measure atmospheric turbulence and the fluxes of
different species and thermodynamic quantities.
Robotic sample acquisition is basically grasping.  Multi-finger robot sample grasping devices are controlled to securely pick up samples.  While optimal grasps for perfectly modeled objects are known, grasping unmodeled objects, like a surface sample, is an open research problem.  A major source of difficulty in robotic grasping, therefore, is the sensing of object parameters and grasp quality.  Humans combine the high information content of vision, several types of haptic/tactile sensors in the fingers, and a sophisticated learning process to grasp unknown objects.  In comparison, current robotic graspers rely on a much more limited set of sensors, particularly for measuring tactile properties. 
 
We propose to develop an algorithm for robust robotic grasping of samples using measurements of object stiffness, incipient slip, and the shape of the contact area between grasper and sample.  All three measurements will be performed through a novel robotic grasper containing multiple cameras embedded within its soft silicone "flesh".  The proposed control algorithm will use these three measurements to improve a grasp by adjusting both contact point locations and grasp forces.
The EVA digital radio imposes tight constraints on power consumption, latency, throughput, form factor, 
reconfigurability, single event upset and fault tolerance, and security. This requires a complete rethink on
the digital radio architecture. We propose such an architecture called CHANDRA that exploits a cycle-by-cycle reconfigurable FPGA that is based on state-of-the-art double-gate CMOS and nano RAM technology. In order
to make the FPGA, and hence CHANDRA, ultra-low power, we will investigate various FinFET implementations,
3D architectures, and dynamic power/QoS management techniques. This will be aided by the presence of
nano RAMs, such as NRAMS, MRAMs, PCMs and embedded DRAMS, for on-chip configuration and data storage.
The FPGA will be implemented with the currently used chip fabrication technology: photo-lithography.
We propose to map novel non-GPS relative location-aware algorithm based on a hybrid distributed localization concept, multimode protocol functioning for voice (VoIP), video, data transmission, and run digital radio applications starting from the simulation level to relevant environment demonstration towards providing the miniaturized EVA Digital Radio.
The hundreds of stream cores in the latest graphics processors (GPUs), and the possibility to execute non-graphics computations on them, open unprecedented levels of parallelism at a very low cost. We will investigate ways to efficiently exploit this parallelism in order to accelerate the execution of a Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) solver. SAT has a wide range of applications, including formal verification and testing of software and hardware, scheduling and planning, cryptanalysis, and detection of security vulnerabilities and malicious intent. We bring a tremendous expertise in SAT solving, formal verification, and solving of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs) by efficient translation to SAT. In our previous work (done on the expenses of our company) we obtained 2 orders of magnitude speedup in solving Boolean formulas from formal verification of complex pipelined microprocessors, as well as 4 orders of magnitude speedup in SAT-based solving of CSPs. We expect to achieve speedups of up to 1 ? 2 orders of magnitude in Phase 1, and up to 3 ? 4 orders of magnitude in Phase 2.
AM Biotechnologies (AM) will develop a diagnostic system in response to SBIR Topic X10.01 Reusable Diagnostic Lab Technology that will simultaneously detect and quantify numerous protein biomarkers with excellent sensitivity.  AM will enhance the current clinical gold standard immunoassay methodology by using its proprietary bead-based aptamer selection process to select dithiophosphate backbone-modified (PS2) "thio" aptamers (PS2-thioaptamers) as replacements for antibodies in immunoassays.  The PS2-thioaptamers are binding agents with functionality comparable to antibodies but with very long shelf-life under ambient environment storage.  The PS2-thioaptamers bind much more tightly to their targets than regular aptamers without sacrificing specificity, and are much more nuclease resistant.  AM's bead-based process allows fast selection and identification of PS2-thioaptamers, which cannot be directly selected using older aptamer technologies such as Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX).  AM will demonstrate PS2-thioaptamer integration into a state-of-the-art microfluidics instrument from Sandia National Laboratory that meets NASA's form factor needs for space flight.  The Phase I Project will demonstrate detection and quantification of osteocalcin (OC) using a PS2-thioaptamer in a prototype microfluidics device (TRL-4).  Phase II will entail completing the panel of biomarkers for bone demineralization and delivering a prototype of the system to NASA.  In Phase III, AM and Sandia will deliver a flight test system to NASA and begin FDA validation of the system for potential use in clinical diagnostics of osteoporosis as well as other conditions.
Over the past decade, the importance of understanding the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has been recognized.  In particular, airborne measurements of CO2 profiles throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere have provided a great deal of useful information, but the instrumentation used has been restricted to airplane or large stratospheric-type balloon gondola platforms due to the size, weight and power requirements of these instruments.  While a  more widespread measurement campaign using smaller, less expensive balloon sondes could provide very important data, such an approach has been limited by the lack of suitable instrumentation.  

In this SBIR program, Southwest Sciences proposes to developed a lightweight, inexpensive greenhouse gas sensor suitable for balloon sonde measurements, yet exhibiting specifications that approach those of the much larger and expensive research instruments used on current airborne platforms.  Using a novel ratiometric measurement technique, this sensor will provide dry air mixing ratios of CO2 without the need for concurrent measurements of temperature, pressure or moisture.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is directed toward development of a novel microfiltration filter that has distinctively narrow pore size distribution, low flow resistance, low pressure drop and simple regeneration process.  The regeneration process, which requires minimal material and energy consumption, can be completely automated and the filtration performance can be restored within a very short period of time.
The proposed project will develop and deliver a software system that integrates tools required for a complete analysis of loss-of-control incidents. The system will include a graphical user interface that provides easy access to symbolic and numerical computing tools that support aircraft modeling, nonlinear dynamic analysis and control analysis; sophisticated data base management; and visualization. We also propose and will implement an innovative methodology and associated computer tools for analysis and control synthesis in the context of upset prevention and recovery for unimpaired and impaired aircraft. Our approach will address: aerodynamic modeling of aircraft operating outside of the normal flight envelope, multi-mode operation of aircraft, automated assembly of analytical and simulation models ? including real time models, analytical methods and tools for identifying conditions for departure from controlled flight and identification of 'safe' operating states, and analytical methods and tools for identifying the set of recoverable states and associated recovery strategies. The goal is to provide easy to use, verifiable design software to improve commercial flight safety.
EVA radio is an important integral part of lunar missions and beyond. To
minimize power consumption and mass of an EVA radio, innovative
solutions are needed for the design of various modules ranging from RF
front end to networking protocols. In this protocol, a comprehensive
design architecture that can achieve ultra-low power miniaturized EVA
radio is proposed. Under this architecture, new MEMS-based technologies
are employed to dramatically reduce the power consumption of RF front
end and transceiver. By exploiting commercial wireless technologies in
baseband and medium access control (MAC) modules, the EVA radio is also
conformant to standard commercial wireless networks. Power consumption
in baseband and MAC modules is minimized by selecting the most
power-efficient design among commercial products. To further minimize
power consumption during communications, power-efficient protocols
across different layers are proposed. Such protocols are QoS-oriented
and can support self-discovery, self-configuration, and self-healing of
ad hoc networks formed by EVA radios. As an additional feature to the
EVA radio, a navigation and location tracking scheme is also proposed in
this proposal.
The proposed research program will develop a physics-based identification, modeling and risk management infrastructure for aeroelastic transonic flutter and limit-cycle oscillations (LCO). This capability will be built upon high fidelity state-of-the-art theoretical/computational methods as validated and verified by available experimental data bases, and will include (1) rapid flutter boundary determination for a wide range of configurations; (2) an assessment of the relative importance of various aerodynamic and structural nonlinearities for aircraft and aerospace configurations that are determined to be flutter critical and hence potentially capable of LCO; (3) an assessment of expected LCO amplitudes based upon high fidelity computational models; (4) an assessment of the potential for active and/or passive alleviation of LCO; and (5) a proposed risk management methodology that incorporates a prediction of tolerable LCO amplitudes and the capability for reducing unacceptable LCO response. Key challenges and milestones to by met include (1) a demonstration of the use of Navier-Stokes based CFD models and nonlinear structural models, including the use of system identification methods as appropriate and needed to predict flutter and LCO; (2) a demonstration of accurate modeling of aerodynamic and structural nonlinearities such as large shock wave motion, separated flow, structural freeplay and large geometric structural deflections and their impact on flutter and LCO; (3) characterization and evaluation of nonlinear dampers and nonlinear stiffness devices for alleviating LCO; (4) characterization and evaluation of active control systems for alleviating LCO; and (5) design and demonstration in wind tunnel test and flight test of an LCO alleviation device.
There is demand for vastly improved deep space satellite communications links.  As data rates dramatically increase due to new sensor technologies and the desire to pack even more sensors on spacecraft, it is imperative that new solutions be compact in size, light in weight, be high speed, and highly power efficient.  Traditional RF links suffer 1/r2 losses, resulting in low received power, thereby limiting overall data rates. NASA has recognized optical links offer potential improvements in power and in size due to a substantially narrower beam and smaller components. An ideal technology for such links is a laser transmitter master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) using pulse position modulation techniques.  Previous work has demonstrated laser transmitter MOPAs up to 100 MHz with wall plug efficiencies up to 18.9&#37; and operating at 1064nm which requires bulky optical components. There still is room for improvement utilizing additional techniques to further increase efficiency and size reduction. This proposal addresses these improvements using several techniques.
This project aims to develop food packaging technologies for extending shelf-live toward maintaining healthy diet and psychological well being of the space crew. The underlying technology builds on sol-gel core competency of the company. InnoSense LLC (ISL) will collaborate with the Food Technology Department at Ohio State University (OSU) for independent testing of the Flexible ORMOSIL Nanocomposite (Flexorn&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;) barrier materials. Through an iterative process of coating and testing, the Phase I project would demonstrate: (a) that the Flexorn barrier can be deposited onto polymeric substrates and can be adhesively bonded to a polypropylene layer for food packaging applications; (b) achievement of water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) &lt; than 1 g/m2-day and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) &lt; than 1 cc/m2-day for the flexible thin-film barrier. The focus of Phase II will be optimization of the barrier architecture, and the evaluation of prototype flexible pouches for their mechanical and barrier properties after retorting, a process typically used to package reheatable foods in flexible packaging applications. Prominent members of the Center for Advanced Processing and Packaging Studies (CAPPS) at OSU (e.g., Kraft Foods) have expressed strong interest in applying this NASA-funded technology to expand their market shares.
A tailorable structural composite that will provide protection from the lunar radiation environment, including GCR and albedo neutrons will be developed.  This composite will have increased structural strength combined with more efficient shielding of GCR and albedo neutrons when compared to previously developed composites, leading to increased TRL level.  Boron coated fabric will be integrated precisely where it will have the most positive effect on shield characteristics (according to simulations and testing), providing an efficient and highly tailorable composite.  A highly innovative processing method, Low Pressure Vacuum Plasma Spray (LPVPS), will be demonstrated during this effort to deposit a layer of boron containing natural abundance of 10B onto carbon fabric from the vapor phase.  Benefits of this processing method include significantly higher deposition rates and through-put than PVD/CVD, significantly larger deposition footprint, and excellent quality control due to the exact nature of the deposition process.  Composite strength will be increased by using carbon fabric as a carrier for the 10B, with bonding between the coated fabric and epoxy matrix enhanced through surface treatments. Thermal protection system incorporation for protection against temperature extremes and micrometeorite impact will be investigated during Phase 2.
The deleterious effects of lunar dust, typically less than 50 5m in diameter, have to be addressed prior to establishing a human base and long duration human presence on the surface of the moon. These effects include abrasion of seals, gaskets, motors, actuators, gimbals, bearings, blocking of optical windows, and coating of thermal control surfaces and solar panels with lunar dust.  Negative physiological effects due to dust inhalation by astronauts must be mitigated.  Issues related to lunar dust have been identified since the Apollo missions; however, no credible mitigation techniques have been implemented to date.  The essence of this proposed activity is to develop a dual-use coating system - a highly wear resistant coating surface that can also perform as part of an electrically conductive circuit upon demand to minimize wear surface abrasion and, when electrically activated, repel fine lunar dust particles from wear surfaces, sealing surfaces, and complex geometries. Multi-use wear resistant surfaces are also applicable to space structures such as the trundle bearings on the space station solar arrays.
Satellite observations of the Earth often contain excessive noise
and extensive data voids.
Aerosol measurements, for instance,
are obscured and contaminated by clouds,
possible only on the sunlit side of the globe,
and difficult over bright land areas.
We propose to explore new filtering and data assimilation
techniques for satellite derived aerosol optical depth
based on the directional spherical wavelet transform.
Initially we will focus specifically on aerosol measurements
from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
instruments flying on the Terra and Aqua satellites.
In Phase I we will prototype a spherical wavelet filter and
assess its ability to smooth aerosol fields and interpolate
into data voids.
The smoothed fields will be tested against
surface network observations of aerosol optical depth.
Further, we will build an interface
to the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART)
coupled to the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) 4.
Phase II will employ the wavelet filter and assimilation system
to produce aerosol datasets for application in Earth radiation
budget observations and atmospheric correction methods.
NASA's vision for an "intelligent engine" will be realized with the development of a truly distributed control system and reliable smart transducer node components; however a significant hurdle in its realization is the reliability of these components when subjected to the harsh operating environment throughout the engine.  In this Phase I award, Impact Technologies, in collaboration with GE Aviation, will develop a fault-tolerant smart transducer node through a Distributed Engine Control Simulator (DECSim) design tool that will utilize a commercial of-the-shelf (COTS) open-system communications standard and will interface with the C-MAPSS engine model.  In Phase I, Impact will successfully develop: i) the DECSim utility, ii) the smart node self-validation and cross-validation capabilities, iii) the overall distributed control architecture, and iv) the firmware code that will reside on hardware.  At the end of the Phase I program, Impact will demonstrate the functionality of a candidate DEC smart node in hardware within the DECSim framework.  The final smart node technology will alleviate the severe system-level limitations of current centralized architectures that include a large weight imposition, limited design flexibility, and life cycle cost burdens associated with certification and obsolescence management.
Molten oxide electrolysis is a demonstrated laboratory-scale process for producing oxygen from the JSC-1a lunar simulant; however, critical subsystems necessary for a larger-scale, lunar-ready reactor must be further developed to increase technology readiness.  An enabling technology of the MOE system that must be scaled is the iridium inert anode.  Iridium, a proven inert anode in the process, is expensive, scarce, extremely dense, and difficult to fabricate.  Electrolytic Research Corporation will develop a larger-scale anode optimized for cost, weight, material availability, and manufacturability.  
ERC proposes an optimized iridium-based alloy or composite anode using electrochemical and thermophysical materials selection criteria validated with experiments (electrolysis testing) and modeling.  The iridium alloy and composite screening will generate results necessary for Phase 2, where a surface engineered, multi-layer anode will be designed that includes either a refractory-metal or carbon substrate, a conductive diffusion-barrier inner layer, and an iridium outer layer.  Completion of the work will greatly enhance the technology readiness level of the NASA molten oxide electrolysis in-situ resource utilization program.
Effective methods are needed to control pervasive Lunar Dust within spacecraft and surface habitations. Once inside, airborne transmission is the primary mode of dispersion. Inhalation of this fine powder may pose a serious health risk.  Lunar dust may cause degradation of materials, interfere with proper operation of instrumentation &amp; controls, and may prevent formation of adequate seals. To solve this problem, we propose the development of a fully regenerable hypogravity compatible filtration system for removal of Lunar Dust from air, suitable for deployment within the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) and Lunar Outpost (LO). Using microgravity and hypogravity compatible Gradient Magnetically Assisted Filtration/Fluidization Bed (GMAFB) technology, we will develop a fully regenerable Airborne Lunar Dust Filtration System. The system will minimize Equivalent System Mass (ESM) by the elimination of expendables.
An electrolyte will be demonstrated for lithium ion batteries with increased range of charge and discharge voltages and with improved fire safety.  Experimental electrolytes will be prepared in the anhydrous state and compared with existing commercial electrolyte formulations for conductivity, voltage limits and flammability.  Coin cells will be used to provide proof of concept and a prismatic cell design prepared to meet NASA mission goals for the Altair ascent stage and human safety for EVA suits.
Development of a static vapor feed electrolyzer utilizing an advanced bipolar plate that produces sub-saturated H2 and O2 is proposed.  This novel bipolar design can greatly simplify electrolyzer systems, as it eliminates the need for water/gas phase separation, which is particularly challenging in a zero gravity environment.  Maintaining water in the vapor phase greatly reduces membrane swelling which should increase durability.  Finally, by keeping water in the vapor phase the MEA is not exposed to ion and other contaminants that are carried by a liquid water stream, further increasing durability and simplifying the system by reducing the need for ultra-pure water.  
The primary goal of this Phase I program then is to demonstrate a high-pressure (1000 psi) static vapor feed electrolyzer and demonstrate that the system can operate without purge of the water feed stream for up to 100 hours.
Developing a quiet fan for Environmental Control and Life Support systems to enhance the livable environment within the spacecraft has been a challenge. A Foil Gas Bearing Supported Fan is proposed which will be quiet, efficient, reliable, contamination free, compact, and lightweight. 
	In Phase I a set of foil gas bearings necessary to prove out the feasibility of the program will be manufactured and tested. In Phase II a complete prototype fan will be manufactured and tested incorporating the technology proved out in Phase I. In Phase III the developed fan will be system tested for airworthiness.
To address the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) need for space suit displays and processing cores, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Conformal Light Augmented Single Substrate Head-Mounted Display (CLASS-HMD) for extravehicular activities (EVA), based on radiation-hardened COTS electronic components and a low-profile compact see-through head-mounted display (HMD) design.  This approach incorporates compact conformal holographic projection optics instead of bulky lens system, which enables us to meet NASA EVA helmet-mounted display requirements for greater acceptance by astronauts, thus increasing their situational awareness during EVA.  In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of a space suit HMD system through system design, fabrication, and testing of key components of the system, and analysis of the performance in meeting NASA HMD requirements, as well as for commercial applications.  A preliminary proof-of-concept prototype system will be developed, which will demonstrate TRL-4 by the end of Phase I.  In Phase II, POC plans to develop a fully functional prototype and demonstrate a space suit HMD system.  The results demonstrated will offer NASA capabilities to reduce workload on astronauts performing EVA tasks on the lunar surface.
NASA has expressed a requirement for advanced Smart Sensors to support new systems for harsh environments.  Power systems are an integral component of virtually any electronic or electromechanical system and thus are an excellent application for non-intrusive power system state-of-health and IVHM-enabled sensing.  Ridgetop will provide a non-intrusive, eigenvalue-based,  IEEE P1451-compatible, power system health sensor.  The sensor connects to the power source, as a "black box", by means of a current pickup loop, and load changes produce a characteristic response that contains the intrinsic eigenvalues.  Variations in the eigenvalues from nominal are correlated with internal component degradation or aging, and reveal the overall state-of-health of the power supply.  By P1451 enabling the Smart Sensor, interfacing to Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) systems is fully supported and adoption of this technology will be much more rapid.
Polymeric composite materials that are currently utilized in aircraft structures are susceptible to significant damage from lightning strikes.  Enhanced electrical and thermal conductivity in these polymeric composites could eliminate this damage.  The addition of this multifunctional capability to composites will result in lower manufacturing costs and weight reductions in future aircraft since the addition of coatings, conductive mesh, or expanded foil materials can be eliminated.  A combined materials and engineering approach will be utilized to accomplish this objective by modifying a high performance composite system with a combination of conductive nano and micron size filler materials.  The large difference between the two filler sizes will create a stratified composite structure that consists of the conductive micron size particles residing in the interlayer region of the composite with the nanomaterials dispersed evenly throughout the matrix and in the fiber tows.  Using this approach, these composites will have the same or better balance of mechanical properties as current state-of-the-art composite systems but also have the added functionality of a conductive interlayer and network to eliminate damage from lightning strikes.  The Technology Readiness Level will be between 3 and 4 after the Phase 1 program.
InnoSense LLC (ISL) proposes to develop a miniaturized, multi-analyte sensor for near real-time monitoring of analytes in the spacecraft environment. The proposed innovations will build on ISL's past NASA SBIR project to develop an oxygen sensor for aircraft fuel tanks and DOE funded project to develop a carbon dioxide sensor for unattended remote deployment. In this project ISL will incorporate the disparate sensors on a single chip and develop a space-worthy sensor array. Through iterative development, ISL will expand capabilities of the system to monitor chemical, microbial and particulate content in the spacecraft environment. The proposed Phase I studies will demonstrate the sensor array approach by detecting oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture simultaneously at the low parts per million (ppm) levels with a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of at least 3. A prototype sensor array system will be constructed and field-tested during Phase II. To assure success of this project, InnoSense LLC has assembled an engineering team with a cumulative 80 person-years of experience in developing commercially viable optical sensor systems.
Aircraft powered by hydrogen power plants or gas turbines driving electric generators connected to distributed electric motors for propulsion have the potential to transform the aircraft design space by decoupling power generation from propulsion. Resulting aircraft designs such as blended wing bodies with distributed propulsion can provide the large reductions in emissions, fuel burn and noise required to make air transportation growth projections sustainable. The power density requirements for these electric machines can only be achieved with superconducting materials. However, their feasibility is dependent on improving the power density of the cryocoolers needed to cool the superconductors to their operating temperatures.  We propose a Cryoflight turbo-Brayton cryocooler, optimized for low weight and high efficiency.  Our initial design studies indicate that this design will exceed the mass and performance targets identified by NASA for superconducting aircraft.  In Phase I of this project we will extend our initial design study to include a system trade study and individual component designs (TRL 3). In Phase II we will demonstrate the turbomachine, the most critical component in the system (TRL 4). In Phase III we will demonstrate a complete cryocooler (TRL 4 and TRL 5).  Our proposed Cryoflight cryocooler development effort will provide an enabling technology for superconducting aircraft, which have the potential to revolutionalize future air transportation.
Control surface free-play is important throughout the lifetime of a
flight vehicle. Free-play can result in aeroservoelastic limit cycle
oscillations (LCO) with significant amplitude causing degraded mission
effectiveness, possibly leading to structural failure. Specifications
for allowable free-play size can be overly conservative. Analytical
tools are proposed for establishing free-play limits on aeroservoelastic
aircraft systems without adverse consequences, justifying relief, which
may otherwise be cost prohibitive or impossible to satisfy. The proposed
tools include finite element modeling, model order reduction, nonlinear
simulation, describing functions, and wavelet transforms. These tools
will be integrated into the MatlabTM/SimulinkTM platform. A trade study
is proposed that compares different free-play modeling techniques. Novel
techniques will be used to determine the airspeed range over which limit
cycles can occur, including the frequency and amplitude of the limit
cycles. Novel techniques for the inverse problem are also proposed,
whereby the free-play size is estimated based on diagnostic
measurements. A general stabilator model will be used in Phase I to
develop the analysis techniques and show feasibility. Wind tunnel test
verification of the free-play analysis and estimation techniques will be
conducted in Phase II using existing wind tunnel models and facilities
at an industrial location.
Space Micro proposes to build upon our existing space microelectronics
and hardening technologies and products, to research and develop a novel
rad hard/tolerant RF filter device, which is capable of long life in
space. This will leverage emerging commercial semiconductor technology
used in an innovative configuration to meet NASA's expanding
communications needs. At the end of Phase 1 we will have demonstrated,
both by analysis and limited lab testing of a prototype device, the
technical feasibility.(TRL=3). In Phase 2 we will develop an engineering
models of this RF device, and demonstrate electrically and also in
relevant ground-based radiation simulators (Proton, heavy ion)- TRL=5-6
at end of Phase 2, and ready to launch as a standard Space Micro space
IC product.
Emergence of Indium Phosphide IC's has made possible devices operating
at frequencies up to 200GHZ and beyond. Building modules using these
devices opens a goldmine of military and commercial applications.
Systems integration of these devices into affordable and reliable
modules has been a challenge due to costs associated with assembly
requirements. Research into: placement precision requirements, material
selection and cost, assembly processes, and automation are the subjects
of this proposal. Because of its capabilities, NxGen Electronics is
uniquely qualified to perform this research. Since 2003 JPL has been
developing Miniature MMIC low power Radiometers for GeoSTAR and PATH
Missions. Current weather and surface observational satellites employ
both infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) atmospheric sounders. Since clouds
are almost completely opaque at infrared wavelengths, sounds require
cloud free observation. POES satellites provide coverage but provide
coverage in relatively narrow swaths, and with revisit time of 12-24
hours. GeoSTAR offers the possibility of MW temperature and water vapor
soundings as well as rain mapping from GEO. The results of this SBIR
research will be a direct benefit to these programs by using their
requirements as a focus for the study, and provide the groundwork for
broader support for the commercialization process.
Laser optical communications offer the potential to dramatically
increase the link bandwidth and decrease the emitter power in long-range
space communications. Newest system designs require photon-counting
arrays operated at high detection efficiency, tens of picoseconds
temporal resolution, and capability to handle high detection rates at
the wavelength of the laser beam. We propose to develop a novel
photon-counting detector array in near infrared, operated with moderate
cooling, high-detection efficiency, high saturation counting rate, and
capable of high timing resolution. In Phase I, we will investigate
methods to integrate photon absorption enhancement techniques into the
photon detector process flow and demonstrate the elements of the
technology yielding photon-counting detector arrays with high detection
efficiency at 1064 nm, high bandwidth and saturation-counting rate. In
Phase II, we will integrate the new process flow with readout
electronics into compact photon-counting arrays using hybrid and
monolithic integration technologies. Detector and readout circuit design
will be improved to meet the detection efficiency, noise, timing
resolution, and linearity requirements.
To address the NASA GSFC need for significant improvements in wide bandgap materials and detectors for UV applications, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Silicon Microchannel Plate solar-blind photodetector with an AlGaN nanowire photocathode fabricated directly on the MCP entrance plane (NW-Si-MCP). This innovative photocathode and the technology of its growth on the Si microchannel plate enables us to meet NASA requirements for high quantum efficiency, low noise, radiation-hard, reliable, and potentially low cost solar-blind photodetectors. The large size and high number of microchannels offers superior spectral and spatial resolution for future NASA space instruments involved in the investigation of the origin of Universe, planet finding, and understanding Sun-Earth interactions while simultaneously improving the sensitivity of new instruments and avoiding an expensive increase of their cost due to optical system size. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of fabrication of AlGaN nanowire photocathodes for NW-Si-MCP detectors by fabricating the photocathode samples and demonstrating their quantum efficiency in the spectral range from 100 nm to 200 nm (TRL level 4). In Phase II, POC plans to develop a fully functional NW-Si-MCP prototype and demonstrate its long-term operation in harsh conditions (TRL level 6).
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to synthesize, characterize, and test new ionic liquids and formulations as lubricants for aerospace applications.  The compounds will operate effectively at low temperatures with appropriate viscosities, high viscosity indices, large heat capacities, and high thermal decomposition temperatures.  The innovative, versatile, lubricants will also have an extremely wide liquidus range, nearly zero vapor pressure, low friction coefficients, small wear effects, and low outgassing for long-term operational stability in aerospace systems.  In the Phase II program, additional ionic liquids will be identified, synthesized, characterized, formulated with various additives, and tested as liquid lubricants and base lubricants in greases for use at low temperature.  Their tribological performance will be evaluated in an aerospace system(s) for TRL 3.
This proposal addresses the integration of physics-based damage propagation models with diagnostic measures of current state of health in a mathematically rigorous method for the determination of remaining useful life. The principle goal of the proposed Phase I research is the investigation of issues associated with the integration of three independently developed algorithms (physics-based damage progression, diagnostics, and model updating architecture) in a single functioning system. Of particular interest is the ability of the proposed architecture to adequately represent the uncertainty associated with both diagnostic state estimation and loading conditions, and the propagation of such uncertainties to the remaining useful life prediction. The integrated prognostic system will be demonstrated using bearing damage (spallation) propagation models coupled with vibration derived diagnostic measures of spall severity obtained from in house testing. Following V&amp;V of the baseline component-level prognostic system, extension of the existing technology towards support of subsystem-level (multi-model) prognostics will be pursued.
We propose a novel approach to the detection of chromosomal inversions.  Transmissible chromosome aberrations (translocations and inversions) have profound genetic effects, such as disrupting regulatory sequences that control gene expression, or creating genetic chimeras.  These chromosome aberrations play a causative role in cancer, and they are induced by radiation.  As such, chromosome aberrations are relevant to three NASA needs, biodosimetry, analysis of astronaut lymphocytes for cumulative radiation damage, and space radiation risk modeling.  Of all structural chromosomal anomalies, inversions ? a reversal of orientation of material within a chromosome ? are the most difficult to detect.  This is especially true of small inversions, most of which are invisible to all current cytogenetic techniques.  Yet small inversions are likely the most transmissible (nonlethal) form of chromosomal damage, so they persist, a feature which lends credence to their use in retrospective biodosimetry.  This Phase 1 project is intended to provide a proof-of-principle demonstration of a new method of molecular cytogenetics that will permit highly sensitive inversion detection.  The project will help us to perfect our bioinformatics strategy for probe design, optimize probe labeling reactions, refine hybridization conditions, and establish a procedure for cost analysis.  In Phase 2, we will scale-up probe production to make whole chromosome analysis possible.  This next step, although conceptually simple, relies entirely on the processes devised and tested in Phase 1.  Moreover efficient, cost-effective probe-making will be essential to commercialization (Phase 3).  The technology readiness level at the end of the Phase 1 contract is expected to be 4-5, i.e. validated in laboratory and relevant environments.
A microsensor cell with interdigitated micron-size three electrode
structure cell of thin film platinum sensing and counter electrodes and
platinum pseudo or silver quasi reference electrodes deposited on
silicon dioxide over silicon will be fabricated. A unique thin film
composite polymer membrane electrolyte with high ionic conductivity and
wide voltage window and hydrophobic property will be prepared and
characterized and coated on the electrodes of the cell. The prototype
sensor will be assembled in a suitable container covered with thin film
PTFE membrane and feasibility demonstrated for sensing oxygen, water
vapor and carbon dioxide.
A Discrete Event Simulation Model for Spaceport Operations (SPACESIM) Project
Low Cost/Mass Electrostatically Clean Solar Array (ESCA) System Project
A Grid-Sphere Electrode for Tether Current Collection Project
Portable Gene Expression Array Reader for NASA Applications Project
Efficient Air Traffic Scenario Generation Project
Low-Cost, Polymer-Derived Interface Coatings for CMC Applications Project
Fuel Cell/Li-ion Battery Hybrid Power System for Space Suits Project
Radiation tolerant non volatile memory with Hard by Design Techniques Project
BOUNDARY LAYER PUMPED PROPULSION Project
Low-Cost Hardware for In-Space Oxygen/Hydrogen Propulsion, Phase II Project
High Efficiency, Long Life, Low Mass Stirling Engine for Low Power Applications Project
An In-situ, Biogeochemical Sensor using Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorometry Project
Direct Metal Technology for Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping Project
A Hybrid Piezoelectric/Fiber Optic System for Structural Health Monitoring Project
Advanced Flow Analyses in Complex Feed Systems Project
High Emissivity Protective Cerablak Coatings for Metallic TPS Project
System for Helium Recovery from Waste Gas Streams Project
Lift Gas Cracker Project
EarthTutor: An Earth Science Satellite Imagery Tutor Project
Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Suite Project
Avionics Based Runway Incursion Prevention Project
Embedded Dual-Function Arc Fault Circuit Breaker/ Locator based on OSA Project
Novel Medical Diagnostic Instrument based on Real-time Breath Analysis Project
Robust, High Temperature Containment Cartridges for Microgravity Project
A Compact, Low-Power Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer Project
Wide-Bandgap CIAS Photovoltaic Absorber on Flexible Substrates Project
A High Turn-Down Ratio, Low Emissions Combustor for Gas Turbine Engines Project
Computer Code to Model Loop Heat Pipe Transients Project
Development of a rugged, fuel tank compatible, oxygen concentration sensor Project
Nitrous Oxide Propulsion System Project
Mesoporous Catalysts for Ambient Temperature Aqueous Phase Oxidation Project
Improving Test Operations Through Scalable Video Processing on Computer Clusters Project
SPHERES-derived Mars Orbiting Sample Retrieval Testbed (SPHERES MOSR) Project
UV Rigid Inflatable Wing Project
Polymeric Broadband Polarizing Beamsplitters Project
Conversation Interface Domains for Rapid Programming of Complex Natural Language Project
Circulating , Aeration and Nutrient Delivery System (CANDS) Project
Trajectory-based operations constitute a key mechanism considered by the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) for managing traffic in high-density or high-complexity airspace in the Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). With this concept applied to surface operations at major airports, NASA's NextGen-Airportal Project is exploring the use of surface 4-dimensional (4D) trajectories, which use required times of arrival (RTAs) at selected locations along the route. Observing these RTAs as constraints along the taxi route, the flight still has many degrees of freedom in adjusting its state profiles (i.e.,  position, velocity, etc. as functions of time) to achieve the timing constraints. This research will investigate whether and how these degrees of freedom in trajectory control may be used to achieve desirable behaviors for the taxi operations. Previous research has applied the trajectory control freedom to assure passenger comfort by keeping the accelerations and decelerations within pre-specified limits, and yet there is still untapped flexibility in designing the trajectories. The proposed research will explore this trajectory design problem to achieve additional desirable behaviors, beginning with the consideration of fuel burn, emissions, and noise. A flight-deck automation experimental prototype will provide the platform for simulating the designs. The findings will benefit future designs of flight-deck automation systems, as well as tower automation systems which rely on accurate understanding of the flight deck's operational behaviors to plan efficient and safe operations for the entire surface traffic.
The proposed work aims at developing techniques that will address the
current limitations of Cartesian-based Navier-Stokes CFD schemes by
exploring three promising methods of implementing improved wall boundary
conditions. The three methods are based on: (1) the diamond stencil
approach of Delanaye et al., (2) the extrapolation boundary condition
work by Marshall and Ruffin, and (3) the Material Point Method developed
by Advanced Dynamics. The knowledge gained from prototype
implementations of these schemes will lead to the development of an
efficient viscous modeling algorithm suitable to general Cartesian CFD
codes at the end of Phase I. Phase II will integrate this algorithm into
a large-scale Cartesian CFD code in consultation with NASA technical
representative. Phase III will commercialize the resulting techniques to
be developed in Phases I and II and demonstrate their applicability to a
wide range of problems.
While modern ground-based flight simulators continue to improve in fidelity and effectiveness, there remains no substitute for flight test evaluations. In addition to real world cueing (vestibular, visual, aural, environmental, etc.), flight test provides intangibles that can not yet be duplicated in a ground-based simulator. There is, however, a cost to be paid for the benefits of flight in terms of budget, mission complexity, and safety including the need for ground and control room personnel, additional aircraft, etc. New technologies and test techniques are therefore needed to maximize the investments and perhaps even reduce some of the related costs associated with flight test. Systems Technology, Inc. proposes to develop a Fused Reality (FR) system that will allow an animated virtual environment to be integrated with the test aircraft so that tasks such as aerial refueling, formation flying, or air-to-air tracking can be accomplished without additional aircraft resources. Furthermore, for the first time, the dynamic motions of the simulated objects (e.g., refueling drogue or tanker) can be directly correlated with the test aircraft. The FR system will allow real-time observation of and manual interaction with the cockpit environment that serves as a frame for the virtual out-the-window scene.
The proposed innovative insulation would greatly enhance the usability of, and reduce the inherent losses associated with, cryogenic fuel delivery and storage apparatus. The proposed insulation has been tested to yield a thermal conductivity value of 0.019w/mK @ one inch format @ an areal density &lt;1pcf. In addition, the ability of the proposed insulation to remain highly flexible at extreme cryogenic temperatures for extended periods of time is unique. Testing done by KSC on early forms of this material proved its ability to remain flexible in continuous cryogenic applications in outside environments.  However, degradation of the foam was observed over extended periods. In this Phase I, GFT proposes to test the hypothesis that it can significantly improve the earlier material's long-term durability through altered synthesis and imidization processes.
AVEC proposes an innovative concept for the evaluation of human response
studies to sonic booms inside realistic structures. The approach
proposed is to simulate the distributed boom load on the structure using
an array of discrete forces. The forces are applied sequentially making
the approach effective and implementable in real structures. In
addition, the method allows evaluating the contribution of individual
structural components to the vibro-acoustic responses. The main goal of
Phase I is to experimentally demonstrate the approach in a realistic
environment.   Phase II efforts should involve the experimental
validation of the proposed technology in a real house subjected to real
sonic booms. Fortunately, this data set exists and corresponds to the
latest field test performed by NASA at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB)
property. This will imply implementing the proposed method to the same
house (preferred) or a similar one and use the outside pressure profile
and direction to estimate the same vibro-acoustic responses measured by
NASA in 2007. Comparison of the predicted and measured responses will
provide the best validation of the approach. In support of this
&amp;quot;real&amp;quot; validation of the method, a numerical model to better
understand and improve the excitation methods should also be part of
Phase II.  At the conclusion of Phase II, it is expected that the method
will be fully validated and ready for implementation on a range of
structures for evaluating the human response to sonic booms as required
by current industry needs. According to technology readiness levels
(TRLs) guidelines, at the end of Phase II a TRL level of 6 would be
achieved, i.e. system model/prototype demonstration in a relevant environment.
While conventional injection seeding sources (such as DFB diode lasers
and rare-earth doped solid-state microchip lasers) are available at 1.5
microns, these sources typically lack the ultra-narrow (&amp;lt;50 kHz),
ultra-stable output spectrum required for use in applications such as
Doppler shift measurements of the tropospheric winds.  Furthermore,
similar sources which operate at 2.0 microns (a preferred wavelength for
space-based atmospheric measurements) are simply unavailable.  To fill
this need, nLight proposes the parallel development of 1.5 and 2.0
micron injection seeding sources based on our well-established,
wavelength-scalable, industry-leading InP semiconductor laser design.
The integrated design centers currently in place at the Goddard and Ames research institutions are highly productive infrastructures, allowing a group of domain specialists to rally for intense, focused intervals of time around a mission concept, refining a design in spiral fashion using a palette of trusted in-house and commercial engineering analysis tools. This approach can be significantly streamlined if a standard data exchange mechanism is established between the elements of the toolchain and a centralized function is included to govern the initiation and management of design projects. DNet has developed the Mission and Satellite Design Tool (MSDT) for AFRL, which is the starting point for the creation of tactical satellites. MSDT will accept objectives for a mission and distill them to a spacecraft configuration, drawing from a database of support devices and modular software. MSDT also coordinates the assessment of that satellite configuration, interacting with traditional analysis tools to perform domain analysis and return measures of performance which can be compared to the original objectives. DNet proposes to enhance the current framework capability to be compatible with NASA's preferred analysis tools and provide a springboard for the development of the SBIRSat and subsequent missions based on its supporting technologies.
DNet has been actively pursuing strategies for shortening the software development portion of the satellite development life-cycle for some time. We recognized upon analyzing the constituents of the traditional process that a disproportionate fraction of time is spent working with software that falls under one of two categories - developed from scratch to suit the needs of a new mission, or recycling "heritage code" that subsequently requires extensive rework to achieve compatibility with a new system. The development segment devoted to software may never be truly compressed to zero, but significant measures can be taken to streamline the process. Code reusability has the potential to offer tangible savings. DNet is leveraging AFRL and NRL data standards to develop Application Programming Interfaces (API) that allow code modules to be ported to new systems with no modification of the application-level code and minimal modification of the subservient layers that facilitate compatibility with lower-level system facilities and transport layers. This API will facilitate the creation of a satellite system from modular applications that can be combined in such a way as to provide support for a wide range of missions and be completely reusable as the physical composition of the satellite is changed.
Control and management of cryogenic propellant tank pressures in low gravity is an important technical challenge to overcome for future long duration space missions. Heat leaking into the propellant tanks leads to self-pressurization of the tank due to vaporization.  Advanced techniques such as thermodynamic vent systems (TVS) are currently being designed for low-gravity space systems.   However, these systems are more complex to analyze and system level tools based on lumped, homogeneous models are inadequate for determining sensitivities to multi-dimensional fluid transport and dispersed multi-phase effects.  The innovation proposed here is a comprehensive, CFD framework to support analyses of cryogenic tank management systems that will incorporate both real-fluid equations of state for cryogenic fluid mixtures with rigorous fluid property definitions, as well as an advanced dispersed phase spray model that permits non-equilibrium drag and heat transfer with the surrounding continuum fluid. The proposed effort will evaluate various sub-models for the vaporization/condensation of the cryogenic fluid droplets in an environment that includes a mixture of vapor and non-condensable gas.   This technology will impact cryogenic systems for long duration space exploration activities.
We propose to develop a compact and lightweight X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
/ X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) instrument for analysis of mineralogical
composition of regolith, rock samples and dust, in lunar surface
exploration.   The instrument inherits from the general concept of
CheMin, the XRD/XRF instrument of MSL, but is entirely redesigned to
provide a more compact and lightweight unit, and reduced costs.   Many
implementation details of the proposed instrument will inherit from the
design of a small portable XRD/XRF instruments developed and marketed by
inXitu, Inc. and a robotic instrument derived from this design. The
objective of this proposal is to bring this development to a high TRL of
6 to 7, to enable fast and cost effective development of subsequent
flight systems.  A high TRL target is possible within the scope of an
SBIR Phase I + II because several key technological developments
required for this objective have been or are being- addressed by the
company through separate sources of funding.  Furthermore, the proposed
work leverages the extensive experience of the PI and the company with
this type of instrumentation, in both terrestrial and planetary applications.
Impact Technologies, LLC in collaboration with Wright State University and Pratt &amp; Whitney, propose to develop innovative methods to differentiate sensor failure from actual system or component failure for advanced propulsion systems. In sharp contrast to many conventional methods which deal with either sensor failure or component failure but not both, our method considers sensor failure and component failure under one systematic and unified framework. The proposed solution consists of two main components: a bank of real-time nonlinear adaptive fault diagnostic estimators for residual generation and a Transferable Belief Model (TBM) based component for residual evaluation. By employing a nonlinear adaptive learning architecture, the presented approach is capable of directly dealing with nonlinear engine models and nonlinear faults without the need of linearization. Fault sensitivity and robustness to modeling uncertainty is enhanced by several important techniques including adaptive reference nonlinear engine model, adaptive diagnostic thresholds, and TBM based residual evaluation method. Software modules will be developed and integrated into the NASA C-MAPSS engine model for performance evaluation. A subset of core algorithms will be implemented and used in a hardware-in-the-loop demonstration under dSPACE environment to justify a Technology Readiness Level of 4-5 at the conclusion of Phase I.
Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a vacuum compatible percussive dynamic cone penetrometer (PDCP), for establishing soil bin characteristics, with the ultimate intent of taking it to a flight system level.  Penetrometers are used to determine the Cone index (CI), which is a composite index influenced by both soil compressibility and shear strength. A dynamic cone penetrometer is used to estimate bearing strength, soil compressibility, and shear strength (when compared with calibration data), consisting of a percussive actuator and a rod with a sharp 60 degree cone at the end. The penetrometer is driven into the soil under constant load and the penetration, converted to California Bearing Ratio (CBR), which gives an indication of soil trafficability. The Honeybee-developed percussive dynamic cone penetrometer offers the significant advantage of being a low mass, low power, low force, stand alone device that requires limited to no human intervention to operate, as opposed to heavy and cumbersome manual Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) widely used today. This percussive system is also of further advantage with its capability to reach much greater depths than typical surface tools such as Bevameter. The high-frequency vibration of the percussive rod also reduces the force required for pushing a rod into regolith by almost two orders of magnitude. This translates directly into smaller rover/lander or less effort on behalf of an Astronaut.
The counterflow regolith heat exchanger (CoRHE) is a device that transfers heat from hot regolith to cold regolith. The CoRHE is essentially a tube-in-tube heat exchanger with internal and external augers attached to the inner, rotating tube to move the regolith. Hot regolith in the outer tube is moved in one direction by a right-handed auger and the cool regolith in the inner tube is moved in the opposite by a left-handed auger attached to the inside of the rotating tube. In this counterflow arrangement a large fraction of the heat from the expended regolith is transferred to the new regolith. The spent regolith leaves the heat exchanger close to the temperature of the cold new regolith and the new regolith is pre-heated close to the initial temperature of the spent regolith. Using the CoRHE can reduce the heating requirement of a lunar ISRU system by 80&#37;, reducing the total power consumption by a factor of two.
NASA requires development of advanced rechargeable electrochemical battery systems for lithium ion batteries to support orbiting spacecraft and planetary missions.  Giner, Inc. proposes to use its proprietary electrolytes to store and deliver power over a 20 year life operating life in geosynchronous (GEO) spacecraft and a 7 year operating life for low-earth-orbiting (LEO).  The exceptional stability of these electrolytes will support the need for the 40,000 charge/discharge cycle requirement.  The electrolyte composition will be optimized to meet the need for planetary missions with power requirements down to -80oC.  Phase I work will evaluate the conductivity and phase behavior of these electrolytes and their performance at low temperatures.
Ionic liquids are candidate lubricant materials.  However for
application in low temperature space mechanisms their lubrication
performance needs to be enhanced. UES Inc in collaboration with Covalent
Technologies Inc propose to improve the tribological (lubrication)
characteristics of the appropriate ionic liquids through formulation
with innovative additive technology.  The formulated ionic liquids will
be thoroughly characterized to demonstrate their extremely low
volatility and non-corrosive extreme pressure anti wear characteristics.
The performance of the formulated ionic liquids will be ranked.  Highly
ranked formulations will be further optimized in Phase II.
The applicant is developing flexible highly-efficient piezoelectric materials for use in structural health monitoring (SHM) as contemplated in the solicitation topic. Phase I will demonstrate and verify the superior properties and sensing performance of these innovative materials, utilizing commercially available piezoelectric materials as a baseline for comparison. The proposed materials may have widespread application for sensing and monitoring vehicle and structure vibration and strain loading. The specific solution proposed by the applicant simultaneously solves several problems common to SHM systems, including the ability to easily realize distributed sensing networks; reduction or elimination of additional wiring and electrical power; minimal increase in vehicle or structure weight. Phase I will focus on the characterization and demonstration of the new sensing materials as they represent the primary technical innovation. Phase II would expand the project to a complete SHM system, combining the sensing materials developed in Phase I with data collection and reduction algorithms.
Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG) proposes to advance the state of the art in composite health management through refinement of an existing technology developed by CRG called Reflexive Composites.  Reflexive Composites are the current state of the art in health management integrating piezoelectric structural health monitoring, healable polymer matrix composites, and intelligent controls delivering highly aware structures capable of identifying location and magnitude of damage with 1/16" spatial resolution.  Reflexive Composites respond to damage with a healing cycle capable of restoring up to 90&#37; of mechanical performance post failure.   
CRG proposes to advance the state of the art in health management through the development of a next generation control system capable of analyzing structural health monitoring (SHM) data and determining the appropriate healing cycle, identifying the type of failure in the composite, make predictions to the loss in mechanical performance, generating custom healing cycles based on failure type, healing, and making predictions of restored mechanical strength.  The results of this analysis will allow the vehicle user to make any necessary mission adjustment to ensure vehicle survivability with the damaged structures on the vehicle.
Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. (ASC) is a small business, which has developed a number of 3D flash LADAR systems.  Flash Ladar sensors are 3D video systems that return range and intensity information for each pixel in real time, and is functionally equivalent to 16000 range finders on one chip.  Actual data collected, at the JPL mars yard, using ASC's compact Flash Ladar system demonstrated in a previous NASA phase I SBIR effort confirm that the ASC Flash LADAR Video Camera (FLVC) system can meet the requirements for Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL).   The FLVC's small size, low power and very fast range data frame rate (30Hz) make the sensor ideal for EDL missions. 
	Flash Ladar is ideal for determining real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed, orientation, and range to the planet surface, as well as evaluating potential hazards at the landing site.  Sloped ground, craters, rocks and surface composition are among the potential hazards.  The "framing camera" nature, of Flash LADAR systems, makes them well suited as hazard avoidance sensors for EDL.  
	An existing Phase two effort is fabricating a compact FLVC for delivery to NASA for field testing, however the system is not hardened.  A proposed Phase 2 effort would produce a space qualified sensor engine which can be integrated with the system being delivered to NASA.  The sensor engine is the break-though enabling technology for the FLVC.  This proposed effort will develop techniques to improve the sensors measurement accuracy.  ASC will develop improved calibration techniques, improved sensor non-uniformity and improved on-board real time automatic range correction.  This will target range resolutions of better than 1cm and range absolute accuracy better than 3cm.  The Phase 2 effort would deliver to NASA a commercial based system with the enhancements developed during Phase 1
Innovative network architecture, protocols, and algorithms are proposed
for both lunar surface networks and orbit access networks. Firstly, an
overlaying architecture is proposed to seamlessly integrate lunar
surface networks and orbit access networks. Secondly, for lunar surface
networks, a network architecture based on hybrid mesh networking
technologies is developed to support both fixed and mobile nodes on the
lunar surface. It supports autonomous network coverage extension via ad
hoc networking capability. Link adaptation algorithms provide automatic
link configuration and ensure constant high link quality in a dynamic
harsh environment. To support QoS of heterogeneous traffic types, a QoS
oriented MAC protocol with scalable throughput performance is proposed.
A hybrid routing protocol is also proposed to enhance routing efficiency
and dramatically improve the reliability of ad hoc networking. Thirdly,
for orbit access networks, a dynamic delay and disruption-tolerant
networking (DTN) routing protocol is designed by integrating DTN and
mobile ad hoc network (MANET) reactive routing. It is disruption
tolerant and capable of supporting intermittent links. Finally, beacon
based communications serve as the remedy to handle the emergent
situation where neither lunar surface network nor orbit access is available.
We propose a highly innovative system for enhancing speech in helmet. First, we propose to apply a circular array with 8 microphones that are inside the helmet. In our past studies, it was found that circular arrays have better directivity than linear arrays. The use of 8 microphones achieves a compromise between performance and complexity. Second, since the speech source and mics are close, we apply proven near-field beamforming to speech acquisition. This will ensure better speech acquisition and high signal-to-noise ratio. Third, we propose to apply latest developments in speech separation to untangle the speech from other background noises. The particular technique is known as Adaptive Decorrelation Filter (ADF) and has been proven to outperform conventional techniques such as Independent Component Analysis (ICA). ADF has strong potential in separating breathing noise from normal speech. Then only the speech segments will be transmitted. The proposed algorithms will be implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in Phase 2.
To-date, the realization of high-performance liquid bipropellant rocket engines in the micro-scale has largely been hindered by the inability to obtain "on-board" pressurization through a light-weight and low-complexity pump. Ventions seeks to fulfill this critical need by proposing the development of a low-risk and low-cost pump that can be either be integral to the thrust chamber, or inserted in a modular manner with existing system components to provide significant performance improvements for Mars Ascent Vehicles.
Advanced EVA suits for space exploration will need a portable life support system (PLSS) that is compact, lightweight, and highly reliable.  A key component is a blower that circulates air through the space suit ventilation loop.  We propose to develop an innovative air blower that can meet the challenging requirements for circulating ventilation air in an EVA suit using a reliable system that consumes little power.  In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of our approach by producing a conceptual design for the blower and building and demonstrating a proof-of-concept blower.  In Phase II we will optimize the blower and motor designs to achieve small size and maximum efficiency while meeting requirements and constraints for operation in exploration space suits.  We will demonstrate lifetime and reliability of critical components and deliver a prototype blower that can be used in system tests of advanced portable life support systems.
Air-Lock, Incorporated is proposing to design fully sealed shoulder and arm bearings with interchangeable bearing housings.  The interchangeable housings shall be utilized in trade studies to determine the optimal bearing profile and weight relative to the shoulder and arm position.  It is assumed that the next generation of NASA pressure suits will require the crewmember to utilize their suit in both the pressurized and unpressurized mode.  Historic, key design drivers have always been suited comfort in the unpressurized mode and suit mobility in the pressurized mode. As a minimum, bearings will be needed at the shoulder, bicep, and wrist to satisfy pressurized mobility requirements.  To placate unpressurized comfort, the optimal bearing design shall be lightweight and low profile; often conflicting characteristics in bearing design.  This SBIR proposal will provide NASA with a bearing design that facilitates quick trade studies to determine the optimal bearing profile and weight.
The goal of this SBIR project is to develop an innovative, high fidelity computational tool for accurate prediction of aerothermal environment around space vehicles. This tool will be based on the Unified Flow Solver (UFS) developed at CFDRC for hybrid simulations of rarefied, transitional and continuum flows. In this project, UFS will be enhanced to include: Boltzmann/continuum solvers for vibrationally excited molecules, advanced non-equilibrium chemistry coupled to non-gray radiative transport with real gas effects, and charged particle transport and chemistry. The unique strengths of our proposal are: (i) smart software with self-aware physics and adaptive numerics for hypersonic flows with non-equilibrium chemistry, (ii) direct Boltzmann solvers for charged and neutral particles in rarefied regimes, and (iii) a high-fidelity multi-scale radiation transport model that can handle orders of magnitude variation in the medium optical thickness. Phase 1 will include evaluation of physical models, initial implementation and demonstration of new capabilities. In Phase 2, these capabilities will be fully developed, validated for selected benchmark problems, and applied to practical cases relevant to NASA. The proposed tool will significantly upgrade the modeling fidelity of high-speed flows of molecular gases, and enable computational investigation of innovative hypersonic flow and plasma technologies.
MATECH GSM (MG) proposes 1) to demonstrate a low-cost innovative Hi-Temp
Si-doped in-situ BN fiber coating process for advanced ceramic matrix
composites in order to eliminate performance barriers that prevent
practical use of advanced future NASA aircraft by performing interfacial
coating on single fiber tows and fiber preforms that are applicable to
the shape and structural requirements of advanced SiC/SiC super- and
hyper-sonic components, and 2) to examine and model environmental
durability of the fiber coating constituent in various hot-section CMC
components.  The CVI coating process is costly and yields a porous
non-uniform BN structure due to the low temperatures needed for
diffusion and infiltration of the gaseous precursors. MG has discovered
a faster, more economical and more versatile process for fiber interface
coating formation, reactive-transformation-process (RTP), where the
interface coating is formed from the ceramic fiber itself, a new
innovative in-situ Si-doped BN-based fiber coating that is more stable
during fabrication and service of Si-based CMC. The formation of an
in-situ BN surface layer creates a more environmentally durable fiber
surface not only because a more oxidation-resistant BN is formed, but
also because this layer provides a physical barrier between contacting
all single fibers with oxidation-prone SiC surface layers.
Broadband fan noise ? closely tied to turbulent flow on and around the fan blades ? represents a key challenge to the noise reduction community due to the interaction of a highly turbulent flow field with complex, moving geometries. Prediction and high-fidelity simulation of fan noise demands a fundamental innovation in CFD methods due to moving geometries and accuracy requirements. The objective this work is to develop a flexible approach to handling multiple, overset grids for use in simulations of turbomachinery. In Phase 1 we will develop an innovative computational software tool for efficiently managing multiple, overlapping structured meshes in relative motion. This application will be used concurrently with a compressible Navier-Stokes solver and is an enabling technology in enabling high-fidelity simulations of turbulent flows in complex, moving geometries. Phase 1 will demonstrate software feasibility using a simplified model of the NASA Glenn Source Diagnostic Test (SDT) fan at realistic take-off conditions. We propose a simulation that includes a moving "rotor" blade row adjacent to a static blade row. Tailored post-processing of simulation results will provide information on the turbulent flow ? and implied turbulent noise sources ? including unsteady blade surface pressures, acoustic modes, and overall radiated noise. In Phase 2 we focus primarily on broadband turbulent noise sources of modern turbofan engines. By utilizing a realistic NASA SDT fan geometry and take-off flow conditions, we will use our new tools to simulate real-world systems and commercialize our software product.
The Lunar Soil Particle Separator (LSPS) is an innovative method to beneficiate soil prior to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The LSPS improves ISRU oxygen yield by boosting the concentration of ilmenite or other iron-oxide bearing materials found in lunar soils. LSPS particle size separations can be performed to improve gas-solid interactions and reactor flow dynamics. LSPS mineral separations can be used to alter the sintering characteristics of lunar soil. The LSPS can eventually be used to separate and concentrate lunar minerals useful for manufacture of structural materials, glass, and chemicals. 
The LSPS integrates an initial centrifugal particle size separation with magnetic, gravity, and/or electrostatic separations. The LSPS centrifugal separation method overcomes the reduced efficiency of conventional particle sieving in reduced gravity. Feed conditioning, such as charge neutralization, can be incorporated into the LSPS to release and disperse surface fines prior to particle separations. The conceptual LSPS hardware design integrates many individual unit operations to reduce system mass and power requirements. The LSPS is applicable to ISRU feed processing as well as robotic prospecting to characterize soils over a wide region on the Moon. The LSPS is scalable and is amenable to testing and development under simulated lunar environmental conditions.
Ground testing of propulsion systems requires highly accurate and precise sensor systems.  Setting up such systems can be more time consuming than the test.  The myriad of analog connections are subject to environmental noise.  The ability to effectively calibrate sensors, digitize the signals in closer proximity to the sensor itself and to send real-unit data with sensor identification and time stamps is critical.  IEEE1451 provides specification for "smart sensors" of this type.  

Sensor fidelity and reliability are enhanced when the electronics are closer to the sensor.  This is difficult in propulsion systems because of the ambient temperatures.  High temperature electronics improve performance of such systems.  Orbital Research previously demonstrated electronics that drive sensors, digitize the results and provide data analysis using a high performance, high temperature microprocessor.  The system has a common bus for transmitting the data.  The demonstrated system interfaces with any one of 8 sensor types.

During this program the system will be refined and expanded to enable multi-variate calibration, sensor identification, and time stamping.  Ensuring adequate resolution for the ground test sensors is also a key objective.  It will also require software development to accomplish the identified smart sensor functionality.  All developments will be compliant with IEEE1451.
The objective of this Phase I project is to demonstrate InGaN materials are appropriate for high operating temperature single junction solar cells. Single junction InGaN test devices with bandgaps between 2.0 and 1.75 eV could provide power conversion in the 15-20&#37; range while offering increased resistance to radiation damage. In this project, we will theoretically and experimentally optimize the doping profiles of p- and n-InGaN for high operating temperatures, fabricate test structures base on p-n junctions, and test the preliminary devices under concentrated sunlight and at temperatures from 100:C to 250:C. At the end of the Phase I, the technology will be at TRL 3.
As an alternative material to aluminum-lithium, cryotanks developed from fiber reinforced composites can offer significant weight savings in applications for fuel containment of liquid oxygen and hydrogen.  For composite materials to be accepted and utilized in these structures, they must be resistant to microcracking.  It is the objective of this work to develop a matrix system for aerospace composites that alleviates all forms of microcracking from cryogenic cycling regardless of the lay-up and configuration.  This will be accomplished by using a novel chemistry that provides the necessary inherent network and backbone structure for this environment combined with newly developed nano-modifiers.  This technology and approach will result in a high performance matrix system that has low or no cure shrinkage combined with very low CTE and extremely high toughness.  Such a matrix will be combined with carbon fibers to fabricate lightweight, high performance composites that are expected to have the microcrack and permeability resistance required for cryotank structures.  It is expected that the Technology Readiness Level will be 3-4 at the end of this Phase I research.
The infrastructure and programming paradigm for petabyte-level data
processing performed at companies like Google and Yahoo shed some
promising lights on the data-intensive scientific computing. Open source
software and inexpensive commodity hardware make proprietary
technologies within the grasp of academic communities. By leveraging
these commercially proven and publicly available technologies, we are
going to develop a suite of novel data management and analysis
libraries, as an extension to existing primitive algorithms originally
designed for web search. These libraries take advantage of the
underlying petabyte-scalable data infrastructure, parallelize
computation transparently and allow scientists and future commercial
users to perform rather complex tasks (data mining, data visualization
and machine learning) in a data intensive environment.
The primary purpose of this proposal is to develop and demonstrate a new technology for manufacturing an ultra-low-cost precision optical telescope mirror which can be scaled up for use in very large UV/optical and/or infrared telescopes.
The Phase 1 deliverable will be a 0.25 meter precision mirror. Its optical performance assessment and all data on the processing and properties of its substrate material will be determined.
The unique manufacturing processes employed allow for integration of mirror and support features, significantly increasing both cost reduction and quality improvement potential.
Space Micro proposes to research and develop a high performance
computing/processing platform for NASA space missions. Leveraging our
previous work for both NASA and DoD we will apply our patented
techniques for space radiation mitigation and hardening which will allow
very advanced COTS processors to survive in space environments. Use of
high speed emerging multicore processors enables unprecedented
throughput in space to support new missions and applications. At the end
of Phase 1 we will have demonstrated, by analysis and limited lab
testing, the technical feasibility.(TRL=2-3). In Phase 2 we will develop
an engineering model of this processing card, and demonstrate in
relevant ground-based radiation simulators (Proton, heavy ion)- TRL=5-6
at end of Phase 2, and ready to launch as a standard space product.
NASA is developing new platform systems that have the potential to benefit Earth science research activities, which include in situ instruments for atmospheric measurements for use on radiosondes, dropsondes, tethered balloons, kites, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Aerosols influence global climate and human health and can affect local and regional weather processes. Despite of their importance, aerosols are the least-understood components of the climate system. There is a need in instrumentation capable of measuring the size distributions of aerosol particles and vertical distributions of aerosols in the atmosphere. Vista Photonics in collaboration with New Jersey Institute of Technology proposes an innovative and inexpensive, although rugged, self-contained, and intelligent optical aerosol measurement technology. The Phase I study will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technology and outline the design of the Phase II prototype instrument. The successful completion of this program will lead to a compact aerosol measurement instrument that can be used for UAV-, balloon-, radiosonde-, and dropsonde-based in situ measurements of aerosol size distribution, concentration, and aerosol vertical distribution in the atmosphere.
A new generation of Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counters (TEPCs) for micro-dosimetric measurements will be designed, incorporating recent advances in the electronics industry and a new detector configuration. The unit is projected to be 2.5x4.5x1 in, weigh less than 8 oz, and consume less than 100 mW of power.   

A detector configuration of thirteen half-inch spheres arranged in a 2-D array will be used - twelve connected together to form an equivalent spherical 1.74-inch diameter detector for measuring low fluence environments, and the thirteenth detector connected independently allowing measurements during high fluence periods when the larger detector would saturate (such as during solar particle events). 

The new electronics  will continuously convert the detector data at 1 Mhz. Digital methods will allow both the setting of any threshold and the determination of event peaks, and allow more sophisticated signal processing to be used to reduce noise and eliminate micro-phonics. In addition, a bi-processing method of analyzing the detector signals will allow determination of dose by both integration method and peak method which can then be analyzed to provide accurate total dose readings for the events from the threshold to below 0.05 keV/micron. The spectra below several kev/micron is important as it can contain up to 40&#37; of the total dose.

The detector filled with pure propane will simulate a 2 micron site size. Two spectra will be stored each minute, and total integrated dose, dose above threshold, dose equivalent dead-time will be provided every second. The spectra will have 2048 channels at 1 keV/micron for each channel, to a maximum of 2047 keV/micron. The threshold for peak detection and analysis can be set anywhere from 0.4 to 20 keV/micron. The unit will be capable of measurement ranging from less than 100 nGy/hr to over 100 mGy/hr.
To address the need to quickly, cost-effectively and reliably develop software to control science instruments deployed on spacecraft, QuickFlex proposes to create a payload control (QuickDirect) software package that can be used by instrument developers as a template for specific missions. QuickDirect will address the generic needs of science instrument control and will provide a template for the control of mission specific detectors and mechanisms. It will contain modules for command &amp; telemetry handling, engineering data collection and monitoring, memory upload and downloads, and software and hardware watch dog maintenance. QuickDirect will contain common command and telemetry interfaces (serial, UART, Mil-Std-1553-B) as well examples of mechanism and detector control modules. QuickDirect provides a template for the development of the specific instrument control software, freeing the QuickDirect user to focus on the interfaces and specialized processes that are specific to the detectors and mechanism, knowing that the generic payload control requirements are fully and effectively covered.  While the software package is designed to operate on a processor platform dedicated to operation of the instrument, the software itself is not tied to any specific operating system or platform.  Notably, QuickDirect will leverage the QuickFlex Reconfigurable Logic Manager (RLM), a set of proven software that enables simple and effective exploitation of the full range of capabilities offered by field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices, including partial dynamic reconfiguration.  The QuickDirect software package will be thoroughly reviewed, tested and documented.
Remote sensing of optical properties of oceans and coastal waters provides essential information for various scientific questions and applications, including monitoring biological biomass and productivity, biogeochemical cycling of carbon, pollution, and ecosystem health.  OKSI, with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), propose the development of novel instrumentation package that will measure in both airborne and submersible applications the upwelling and downwelling radiative fluxes in the UV-VIS-NIR range with high spectral resolution.

In Phase I science requirements will be defined and translated into engineering requirements, and the design of an existing hyperspectral sensor modified to (1) simultaneously measure both the upwelling (in pushbroom imaging mode) and the downwelling (non-imaging) spectra, and (2) extend the spectral range to the UV.  In Phase-II the prototype instruments will be built and flown on a SIO Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and tested in an SIO submersible system.  

Ocean color satellite data currently provides information at low spectral resolution (several discrete wavebands) and relatively low spatial resolution (~1 km).  The proposed instrumentation package will fill a major gap in science capabilities by providing hyperspectral data with sufficiently high spatial resolution necessary for improved retrievals of information about in-water constituents/properties in highly dynamic coastal environments.  

The project outcome at the end of Phase-II will be at TRL 6.
In many situations, aerospace structures are subjected to a wide frequency spectrum of mechanical and/or acoustic excitations and therefore, there is a need for the development of numerical modeling techniques that are applicable for the resolution of dynamic response of complex systems spanning the entire frequency spectrum. However, the dynamic behavior of these structures at different frequency range is governed by different phenomena and as a result, a single numerical solution procedure is not suitable for the resolution of the entire frequency spectrum. Thus, on the basis of the numerical modeling techniques, the frequency spectrum is typically divided into three regions; low frequency region, mid-frequency region and high frequency region. The low frequency region is the frequency range where the characteristic dimensions of all component members of a vibroacoustic system are short with respect to wavelengths and these members are also referred to as 'short' members. On the other hand, in the high frequency region, the characteristic dimensions of all component members are long with respect to wavelengths and these members are referred to as 'long' members. There exists a broad mid frequency region in which not only some components are long and others are short with respect to wavelengths The proposal is directed towards the development of an innovative hybrid element method by coupling deterministic, transition and statistical Finite Element Methods to yield a solution system that is applicable for the solution of full frequency spectrum vibroacoustic prediction of nonuniform aerospace structures including metallic/composite configurations, accurately and efficiently.
NASA needs high stability laser source of 1W output power for Lidar applications. Princeton Optronics has developed ultra-stable, narrow linewidth diode pumped solid state lasers using stable packaging and high performance locker. We have also developed high power Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) semiconductor laser sources. We propose to develop a high reliability master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) type of source with VCSEL as a master oscillator and a semiconductor optical amplifier to obtain a power level of 1W CW. We would use our laser welded packaging technology to develop a rugged package which could be space qualified. By the end of the SBIR program we plan to develop a CW laser source in MOPA configuration for phase modulation and the packaged unit can be space qualified.
Princeton Optronics proposes to develop a high energy pulsed laser
source based on a novel approach. The approach consists of a technique
to combine a large number of diode pumped solid state lasers. The
resulting laser can be packaged in a very small package. We will develop
the laser and package it into a laser welded package which can be space
qualified. We can achieve 50mJ or higher level of energy at repetition
rate of 10- 1000Hz with pulse duration of approximately 200ns. In phase
I we would do the feasibility study for the approach and in phase II
develop the complete packaged unit.
Spaceflight adaptations include muscle atrophy, decreased bone mineral density and reduced aerobic capacity making effective resistance exercise countermeasure hardware necessary for safe and successful space exploration.  Real-time control is applied to an electric servo-motor to provide resistance and aerobic exercise in a lightweight, compact, and reconfigurable design with self-contained power generation.  The technical objectives of the system design are that it be easily configured and stowed, and require minimal power to operate including a pedal generator to supply electricity. The hardware is instrumented to document exercise sessions and provide whole body axial loading and individual joint resistive loading that simulates free weights with eccentric overloading.  The loads are adjustable in 2.5 kg increments to maintain muscle strength and bone density, and aerobic exercise is provided with pedal attachments.  The Phase 1 work plan includes initial prototype design, fabrication, and demonstration.  The portable design can provide resistance and aerobic exercise in virtually any aspect of spaceflight (extended use on ISS, short-term lunar sortie missions, and future Mars exploration).  The system also has application for in-home neuromuscular rehabilitation and controlled resistance exercise.
The Durable Dust Repellent Coating (DDRC) consists of nano-phase silica, titania, or other oxide coatings to repel dust in a vacuum environment over a wide range of temperatures.  The coatings are engineered with dielectric properties to strongly repel particles from surfaces.  Durability is attained by application methods such as sol-gel coating or physical vapor deposition onto stationary and rotating surfaces of EVA equipment, hatches and seals, lunar modules, ISRU hardware, and habitats prior to assembly.  The application of the coating is followed by annealing at elevated temperatures.  Initial development is planned for stainless steel, followed later by other metals and plastics.  In addition to dust repellency, the DDRC provides abrasion resistance to lunar hardware.  Some of the DDRC coatings also impart UV resistance to the substrate.  Unlike convential dust removal methods such as brushing or blowing that may result in deep infiltration of particles, dust can be readily removed from DDRC surfaces by tilting or mild vibration.
Energy storage devices, including fuel cells, are needed to enable future robotic and human exploration missions. Historically, the reliability of the fuel cells has been problematic, including the scrubbed launch of the Atlantis Space Shuttle in September, 2006, and Endeavor in August, 1995. A 2007 Department of Energy report indicated that, "Component degradation and failure mechanisms are not well understood, which makes mitigation strategies necessary."
A key method of monitoring the performance and mitigating voltage problems is to precisely monitor the voltage from the individual cells. This can be facilitated through the development of a novel Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Ridgetop Group, Inc. proposes to develop this ASIC for NASA's Fuel Cell voltage monitoring, with the added features of being radiation-tolerant, and including in-situ component degradation functions, which support IVHM initiatives within NASA. 
In addition, Ridgetop will design the ASIC to add tolerance to space radiation effects, and prognostics-enable the ASIC to provide advance notice of impending failures using in-situ test structures from Ridgetop's Sentinel Silicon&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; library. There is currently no ASIC that is capable of providing the foregoing capabilities, so it will be unique and very useful to NASA.
A recent breakthrough in combustion stability analysis (UCDS) offers the means to accurately predict the combustion stability of a scramjet.  This capability is very important due to the extreme scramjet operational environment, which makes cut-and-try development approaches impractical.  With UCDS, it is now possible to accurately predict the scramjet pressure oscillation amplitudes, along with critical parameters, including the unsteady wall heat flux. 
The UCDS tools were recently applied to the Ares I thrust oscillation issue in support of NASA's Thrust Oscillation Focus Team (TOFT).  This effort included the analysis of the Shuttle four segment solid rocket motor (RSRM) to validate the capabilities of UCDS.  After analyzing the new five segment (RSRMV) motor being developed for Ares I, GTL used the UCDS insight to identify a relatively minor motor modification that will eliminate the organized motor oscillations.
With this validation of the capabilities and effectiveness of UCDS, GTL proposes to extend the application of UCDS by applying it to examine the stability characteristics of a representative scramjet.  In addition to predicting the amplitudes of the scramjet pressure oscillations, a UCDS sensitivity analysis will be used to identify critical design parameters and establish development guidelines.
Current and planned transport aircraft designs are making more use of fly-by-wire technology, allowing an unprecedented design space for control laws, including adaptive control concepts, and resulting response-types. The resulting higher order responses do not lend themselves well to the modal flying qualities requirements that were developed more than four decades ago for conventional aircraft response-types. Furthermore, this expanded design space also makes it possible to implement flight control systems that can lead to unintended degraded flying qualities and undesirable pilot-vehicle interactions. The transport aircraft control system design engineer needs to have tools in the form of modern flying qualities metrics to help determine the permissible thresholds of control while still suppressing undesirable dynamic responses. To address this need Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) proposes to develop the TRansport Aircraft Design Elements ? Flying Qualities (TRADE-FQ) toolbox that will feature modern requirements validated from a new flight test database, built-in data reduction tools, and expert system guidance. In Phase 1 critical requirements areas will be identified and explored via piloted simulation to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach. Candidate requirements will then be evaluated via a formal flight test program to be conducted in Phase 2 with the Calspan Learjet in-flight simulator.
Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG), proposes to develop self-deploying, composite structures for lunar habitats, based on CRG's Veritex&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; materials. These structures will provide a rigid, durable habitat that will reduce the risk of mechanical failure due to crew or environmentally induced damage compared with inflatable structures that are more susceptible to punctures and damage from micrometeoroid impacts. Veritex is a composite material consisting of common reinforcement fibers, such as e-glass, carbon, Kevlar&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt;, or high-strain capable fabrics, and one of CRG's shape memory polymers (SMP). Veritex materials will return to a memorized shape when raised above a specific activation temperature. This unique feature enables the use of Veritex as a primary lunar structure for its predictability and repeatability, which will offer quick, self-deploying lunar habitat that can return to a rigid enclosure after the deployment process. The development of expanding composite habitats will offer increased packing efficiency compared with fully rigid structures that lack expandable characteristics and waste valuable cargo space. This habitation structures technology will achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 during Phase 1 with proof-of-concept feasibility studies and will be designed for future implementation into lunar and Martian outposts.
A constant demand exists to improve the sensitivity of trace chemical
species measurement systems, which is often limited by the performance
of the infrared photon detector components. The significant cooling
required to reduce dark currents and increase detectivities is a
practical concern associated with these infrared detectors. For
geostationary and low-Earth orbital platforms, passive cooling systems
have been developed to provide a suitable means of incorporating such
high-performance infrared detectors. The passive cooling system for the
Crosstrack Infrared Sounder has provided a means to achieve a set point
of 81 K for long-wavelength infrared detector operation. We will develop
in this proposed effort the technology for high-performance,
passively-cooled infrared (6-14 microns spectral range) detectors with
integrated capabilites for Fabry-Perot spectroscopy. The proposed
sensors will be based on HgCdTe  material for high detectivities and use
an Auger-suppression technique to reduce cooling requirements. HgCdTe
detectors capable of operating under passive cooling conditions will be
designed, fabricated and tested. In parallel, Fabry-Perot cavities
suitable for future integration with the HgCdTe infrared detectors will
be designed, fabricated and tested. The infrared detector arrays and
tunable Fabry Perot cavities will be integrated in later phases of the
proposed project.
This project develops the Spatial Heterodyne Interferometer for Methane Sounding (SHIMS), a lightweight, compact, robust spectrometer system for remote sensing of methane (CH4) via a series of absorption lines in the ~tetradecad~, over the range 1.6 to 1.7 microns.  This instrument will be incorporated into a satellite package, and is capable of being scaled into a 2- to 3-U CubeSat payload size.  The end result of this project will be: (1) a full nadir-viewing near IR spectrometer system, featuring the first-ever high-resolution monolithic Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer for the near IR range; and, (2) a separate prototype of the first-ever SHS monolith with dedicated, built-in output optics which attach directly to the SHS monolith and to a detector via a standard c-mount adapter.  This innovation will circumvent the need for the user to incorporate separate optics outside the monolith, making the unit even more end-user-ready.
Long-lived Venus landers require power and cooling. Heat from the roughly 64 General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules must be delivered to the convertor with minimal DT. The cooling system must be shutoff during the transit to Venus without overheating the GPHS modules. This program will develop an alkali metal Variable Conductance Heat Pipe (VCHP) integrated with a two-phase heat collection/transport package (HTP) between the GPHS stack and the convertor.  The VCHP allows the Stirling converter to be shutoff during transit to Venus. The two-phase HTP minimizes the temperature drop between the multi-GPHS stack and the heater head.  The HTP is required due to the large number of modules that must be interfaced, and the low allowable DT between the heater head temperature of 1200&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C and the maximum allowable iridium cladding temperature in the GPHS (1266&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C). The HTP also improves the convertor efficiency by decreasing the temperature non-uniformities at the high heat flux interface of the hot end of the heater head.  It is superior to pumped liquid systems for transferring heat, because it eliminates the low efficiency liquid metal pump that they require.  Other advantages of the system include low mass and volume, and a high degree of redundancy.
Titan is ideally suited for balloon exploration due to its low gravity and dense atmosphere.  Current NASA mission architectures baseline Montgolfiere balloon systems, which use waste heat from a radioisotope power system to heat balloon interior gases to provide buoyancy.  A disadvantage of this approach is that the balloon is unable to make rapid changes in altitude which limits system utility.  The feasibility of adding a rapid buoyancy modulation subsystem which uses chemical reactions to provide high heat input to balloon interior gases will be assessed in the proposed effort.  Several concepts, including the baseline, will be traded on the basis of heat release capability and mass/volume efficiency in the context of proposed mission requirements, a concept will be selected and refined, and a lab scale demonstration of the reaction mechanism will be conducted in a relevant environment.  Aurora's baseline Titan Montgolfiere Buoyancy Modulation System (BMS) concept uses a catalytically piloted burner, which combusts onboard stored oxygen with atmospheric gas, to provide rapid heat input an order of magnitude higher than the balloon's primary heat source.  This system is scalable, lightweight, consumes minimal electrical energy, and is capable of providing altitude changes of approximately 200 m in under 60 s.
We propose to design a system to support a marketplace in which flight operators can exchange arrival slots in traffic flow management (TFM) initiatives such as airspace flow programs (AFPs) and ground delay programs (GDPs) while requiring no changes in FAA automation or procedures. The advent of AFPs in 2006 has generated many more potentially exchangeable resources that would be valued sufficiently differently by their owners to make a trade desirable. We believe that NAS users and the FAA would embrace such a marketplace and that it would enable users to collectively reduce their operating costs resulting from NAS congestion.
Both FAA and NASA research has highlighted the need for efficient and equitable allocation of NAS resources and increased operational flexibility. In the past market-based mechanisms have been suggested for transferring system-imposed delay from more critical to less critical flights. No such capability is available to NAS users today. In this SBIR, we will show how the advent of AFPs changes the forces at work in a slot-trading marketplace, making its functions much more valuable to flight operators. We will also design a system that will provide the aviation community with a means of reducing operating costs and increasing effective throughput by trading scarce NAS resources.
When solar energy is used in aerospace applications, the necessary shadowed parts of the spatial orbit require energy storage for the craft/equipment to continue in operation. Batteries are used for the purpose currently, but with increasing power requirements, more efficient charge storage devices have to be developed. Energy storage technologies are expected to have improved energy density, speed, efficiency, or wide-temperature operation (-125&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to over 450&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C) with a high cycling stability. Supercapacitors or ultra-capacitors are known to exhibit high capacity and power storage characteristics but they suffer from low energy density compared to rechargeable battery systems. Newly developed "asymmetric" capacitors are hybrid charge-storage devices in which a Faradaic, rechargeable battery-type electrode is combined with a non-Faradaic, electrochemical, double-layer type of electrode. It is possible to reach very high working voltage and high energy density by the right choice of electrode material.

Materials Modification Inc. proposes to develop a novel nanocomposite material to function as the high-specific capacitance electrode in an asymmetric capacitor.  Phase I will involve fabricating the electrode material and testing its electrochemical properties by standard means. Phase II will involve fine tuning the technology to fabricate actual supercapacitors for field testing.
Thorleaf Research, Inc. proposes to develop a miniaturized, low power gas chromatograph (GC) with sample pre-processing capability and enhanced capability for handling high inertial loads in a modular design optimized for integration into flight instrumentation. Our innovative approach employs a miniature sampling valve and loop to provide selective pre-concentration of trace level compounds from the sample stream using adsorbents and/or cryogenic focusing. This leak-tight design minimizes the number of components and tubing connections, thereby reducing instrument volume and mass while enhancing system robustness and improving inertness. We believe it will be possible to develop the miniaturized GC system at a mass of about 1 kg, average power consumption of less than 0.5 watts for isothermal operation, and sample pre-concentration factors of up to 1000x, with capability to withstand a kilo-g. This modular design can be interfaced to miniature mass spectrometers (MS), ion mobility spectrometers (IMS), and other detectors of interest to NASA.  The goal of our proposed SBIR Phase 1 effort is to demonstrate feasibility for a miniaturized, low power GC with sample pre-processing capability and enhanced g-force survivability for planetary missions, and to develop a detailed design for fabricating and demonstrating prototype instrumentation in Phase 2.
Bear Engineering proposes to develop a simple, robust, extreme environment compatible, mechanical load cell to enable the control of contact forces for placement of sampling systems and instruments against target locations.  The load cell will be used to provide preset preloads and dynamically control the reaction force to a platform upon which a sampling system or instrument is mounted.  The novel device has been designed to work solely by mechanical means using spring preloaded electrical contacts to create 6, 9, 12 or 18 discrete load sensing levels, depending on design parameters.  When any of the load thresholds has been reached, the corresponding electrical contact changes state from normally open or normally closed.  The load cell is completely sealed and has similar size, shape and strain displacements as traditional strain gage load cells.  It is expected that this new design will have a diameter ranging from 2 to 3 inches (depending on designed force level) and a thickness of about = to 1 inch.  Strain displacement at full load is expected to be about 0.003 inch.  For future Mars, Venusian or other planetary sampling missions, the robust load cell would be a key component in ensuring and maintaining proper contact with rocks or samples of interest and it will be developed to TRL 4 at the end of the proposed effort.  A potential Phase 2 will advance the design to TRL 6.
While past research has demonstrated the utility and benefits to be gained with the application of advanced rotor system control concepts, none have been implemented to date on a production military or commercial rotorcraft.  A key contributor to this fact is the inherent cost associated with installation and maintenance of these control systems, since many system designs require the replacement of a helicopter's rotor blades, rotor hub components, or both.  The proposed work addresses this deficiency through the development of an on-blade full-span camber control system that reaps many of the known benefits of advanced rotor control, in a retrofit design approach that has the potential to achieve production status due to its lower risks and costs compared to previous system concepts.  The design leverages past work in the use of smart-material actuated bistable tabs for rotor blade tracking, with a newer integral actuation concept that will lead toward a more robust and flightworthy design.
NASA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Airportal effort seeks to optimize aircraft surface movements through approaches that could double or triple airport and metroplex throughput. This goal can only be achieved through accurate modeling of airport/metroplex throughput, identifying the real causes of bottlenecks (not simply those that are politically palatable), proposing an innovative solution to eliminate these bottlenecks, and developing performance metrics that actually capture when the innovative solution is working and any corrective actions that may be required. The proposed innovation by Metron Aviation consists of the following components: (1) Accurate model of airport throughput taking into account aircraft and gate attributes (2) Virtual sequencing and scheduling program: Virtual queue based on aircraft type, scheduled departure time, and air carrier constraints; Aircraft virtual departure sequence prior to pushback based on the minimum time to drain a virtual queue by taking into account wake vortex constraints, (3) Increased Situational awareness and communications among ground/metering, local, and ramp controllers, and (4) Airport throughput performance metrics. Overall, this Metron Aviation innovation provides a software tool that will improve airport situational awareness, the reduction/elimination and management of potential surface flow bottlenecks that lead to a significant improvement in airport throughput.
Southwest Sciences proposes development of gas filter correlation (GFC)
spectroscopy using non-periodic gratings for spaceborne and airborne
deployment.  Our proposed technology will result in smaller, lighter
weight, lower power, and more rugged instrumentation than is possible
using established GFC spectrometers.  The approach is based on the
development of non-periodic diffraction gratings that replace the
reference gas cells used in GFC spectrometers.
Loop heat pipes (LHPs) can provide variable thermal conductance needed to maintain electronics and batteries on Lunar/Martian rovers/landers within desired temperature range. During lunar day, the LHP transfers the heat to the radiator for rejection. During the fourteen-day-long lunar night, the sink temperature drops, lowering LHP and WEB/battery temperatures. Without a variable thermal link, the LHP will continue to remove heat during the night, cooling the electronics/batteries to unacceptably low temperatures. For spacecraft applications, a small heater is typically attached to the LHP reservoir to shutoff the LHP, preventing excessive cooling of the WEB/battery temperatures. The battery mass penalty to shutoff the LHP through the 14-day-long lunar night is large and must be avoided. This project will develop a LHP incorporating a passive thermal control valve, eliminating the shut-off power requirements. The valve will be installed in the vapor line to selectively route vapor to the radiator during daytime and directly to the compensation chamber (bypassing the radiator) during night, thereby maintaining electronics/battery temperatures.  Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing the thermal control valve as a varying thermal link.  Phase II will fabricate and test a LHP with a thermal control valve, bringing the technology to TRL 6.
Current lunar-based Fission Surface Power (FSP) Systems that will support sustained surface outposts consist of a nuclear reactor with power converters, whose waste heat is transported to radiator panels to be rejected to the environment.  The current approach is to transport waste heat using a heavy, pressurized water cooling loop.  For each 20 kW of heat rejection, the current water cooling loop components weigh approximately 52 kg due to the large flow rate of water, the large pressure drop, and the pump and other components.  Our innovation is a novel Waste Heat Transport System (WHTS) that combines Creare's lightweight radiator technology with a Lightweight Cooling Loop (LCL).  Using our approach, we estimate that our LCL will reduce the cooling loop system mass by 60&#37; compared to the current approach.  Our approach will have a reduced system pressure, resulting in decreased plumbing size and weight, and eliminate the need for a mechanical pump, increasing system reliability.  During the Phase I project, we will establish the feasibility of our innovative, Lightweight Cooling Loop (LCL) by fabricating a fully operational, subscale prototype and testing it under prototypical conditions.  During the Phase II project, we will design, fabricate, and deliver to NASA a prototype LCL for integration with our ultra-light radiator.
The necessity of oxygen for consumption by human inhabitants on the lunar surface is readily apparent. NASA is pursuing several ways to generate oxygen from lunar regolith and reduce reliance on Earth for consumable re-supply. The most mature method is via hydrogen reduction.  Paragon SDC proposes an innovative method for removing the problematic acidic contaminates from the water vapor compound released during the first stage of the hydrogen reduction process. This innovation also includes a subsequent high temperature water electrolysis technology that is insensitive to dissolved ions, should they persist beyond the acid scrubber. The final product of this system could essentially produce a source of oxygen using almost only in situ resources including lunar regolith (assumed to contain trace amounts of hydrogen) and sunlight. The process could be built to require very little crew interaction and is planned to be highly resistive to harsh chemical interactions.  Further, the high temperature electrolysis proposed produces pure, dry oxygen making it a very appealing solution to the challenges facing ISRU programs in generating oxygen from lunar regolith.
Heat shield technology is a critical component of manned spaceflight.  In particular, the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) requires thermal protection systems (TPS) beyond the current state of the art.  While new TPS shields are under development, a key difficulty is the ability to diagnose TPS performance.  In Phase-I SBIR research carried out by EDA and Penn State, we developed a low intrusive fiber optic plug insert for TPS materials that will enable spectrographic measurements of the reentry environment surrounding an ablating TPS.  We propose to develop a ruggedized compact spectrometer suitable for coupling with this low-intrusive fiber optic insert.  This resulting fiber-coupled spectrometer system plug enables the collection of benchmark data for fundamental flow, radiation, and materials modeling as well as operational correlations between vehicle reentry drag and radiation if implemented in a TPS flight test. The program proposed here will take the concept, originally encouraged at the request of researchers at NASA Ames, from concept to demonstration, through prototype, to a technology readiness level suitable for inclusion in the design of an ablation shield flight demonstrator mission.
Folded Structures Company (FSC) proposes the development of an innovative design approach for multi-laminate, primary and secondary structures for planetary habitats that integrates the dynamic deployment means with the static structural design using an advanced mathematical folding theory.  The proposed approach holds the promise of a much simpler structure design that is both lightweight and compactable (low delivery volume) and yet capable of expanding into an expansive surface volume.  FSC research indicates the possibility of a new class of deployable, space-based structures that utilize an advanced folding methodology as the primary engineering and assembly method combined with the use of multi-laminate sheet materials.  The proprietary patterning algorithms design tessellations for planar sheets that articulate dynamically on the edges of the tessellation allowing for uniform deployment across the entire sheet.  Previous to the development of these algorithms, there was no general system for generating doubly periodic folded structures.  Based on results from a previous NASA SBIR project, FSC will apply its proprietary folding techniques to the broad topic of expandable habitat structures.  The proposed project will essentially become the demonstration stage for the previous research effort, and thus, extend and provide continuity to the ongoing NASA interest in this area.
The proposed Phase I SBIR program will study the feasibility of building next-generation burst-mode laser diagnostics that will enable unparalleled planar imaging capabilities for quantitative analysis of flow parameters, such as velocity, temperature, and species concentration in large-scale hypersonic flow facilities, including short run duration "impulse" facilities.  In particular, the instrumentation would provide the unique capability for measurements of multiple parameters at data collection rates as high as ~1 MHz with flexible wavelength and interpulse spacing for quantitative velocimetry and thermometry.  During the Phase I, the proposal team will study the feasibility of developing burst-mode Nd:YAG technology with programmable temporal output while pumping a wavelength-agile UV OPO for multi-line fluorescence imaging. This requires innovation of the burst-mode pump laser to allow dual-pulse seeding, an appropriate chain of laser amplifiers, and a narrowband OPO designed for pulse-pair operation and rapid wavelength switching.  Proof-of-concept demonstrations of NO molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) and two-line NO PLIF will be accomplished in a laboratory scale high-speed flow facility (up to Mach 5).  Finally, the feasibility of performing high frame rate (~50 kHz) imaging in high enthalpy impulse facilities using Rayleigh scattering will also be evaluated.  This program will enable prototype development of a next generation ultra-high frame rate imaging system for high-speed flows, demonstration tests in NASA facilities, and the potential delivery of a prototype system to NASA during the Phase II.
The schlieren technique has been used for flow diagnostics in wind tunnels since the beginning of aerospace research, due to its ability to make airflows ? especially shock waves and turbulence ? visible. This proposal describes a novel type of schlieren system that would increase efficiency, capability, and productivity for ground test facilities. The concept and the availability of state of the art components make the system more portable, easier to align, and more versatile than existing systems. A major drawback of current schlieren systems and one that has restricted their widespread commercial use is that they require exact alignment between a pair of widely separated mirrors or grids, which takes time and limits portability, and costs are prohibitive for most such applications. This problem is partially relaxed by focusing schlieren methods. The proposed concept incorporates features of existing schlieren systems while removing the primary limitations. All of the elements that require precise alignment are contained within a camera body and can be relatively inexpensive. Also, very large fields of view are made possible.  This is advantageous in wind tunnel facilities, since experiments are frequently installed only to be torn down shortly afterwards.
Translume will develop an extremely robust, inexpensive micro flow cytometer (mFCM) for quantitative detection of phytoplankton.  This device will be designed to be deployed on oceanographic platforms, such as moored buoys, or autonomous vehicles of the type presently used by our collaborator Dr. Needoba at the NSF Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction.  Our microflow cytomer will be optimized for low power consumption and autonomous long-endurance operations. 
Previous flow cytometers designed for at-sea applications are physically large and have considerable consumable needs.  While the core of these instruments may be small, they require ancillary systems that drastically increase their size, weight, and power consumption.  In order to reduce size and power consumption, our mFCM will operate without any pump.  We will rely on sea motion (either waves or motion of the vehicle) to drive the fluid (sample and sheath) through our cytometer.  The flow velocity will be unsteady and at times may be severely pulsed.  This mode of operation would normally be considered unacceptable, as it would drastically affect the flow characteristics such as sheathing, as well as phytoplankton size and density measurements.  However, our device will include an integrated optical flow velocity measurement capability that will remediate these shortcomings.  The complexity associated with this velocity measurement capability, and the related power consumption, is only a small fraction of that of a pump-operated system.  Thus the practical challenges of oceanic deployments will be significantly reduced.
Expenditure of sheathing fluid will be minimized using advanced three-dimensional microfluidic design features; or potentially completely eliminated using a sheath-less design.
Extreme robustness will be insured by creating all elements (microfluidic optics, structural frame) in a single fused silica monolith providing permanent and exact alignment of all elements.
A new type of laser radar metrology inspection system is proposed that incorporates a novel, dual laser coherent detection scheme capable of eliminating both environmental and scanner based Doppler ranging error. Measurement of large telescope structures and optics requires both high accuracy and non-contact technology. Due to the non-contact, stand-off nature of this technology, this system can measure optics and provide nearly real-time feedback to figuring/polishing instruments without removing the part from the spindle or other optical grinding or polishing setup. For advanced levels of integration and test, the proposed large-volume metrology technology would allow fast, non-contact measurement of mirror rigid body alignment and prescription (i.e., radius, conic, aperture), with no special targets or references on the optic.  This would allow these mirror parameters to be measured with respect to other optics, instruments, or mechanical- and spacecraft-related structures.
The proposed project is to manufacture a C-SiC honeycomb structure to use as a high temperature material in advanced aircraft, spacecraft and industrial applications.  The proposers will fabricate a carbon fiber honeycomb structure.  The structure will be charred and then converted to C-SiC by means of chemical vapor infiltration.  The resultant material will then be tested mechanically at ambient, at high temperature and then at ambient after high temperature exposure.
The Lunar Organic Waste Reformer (LOWR) utilizes high temperature steam reformation to convert all plastic, paper, and human waste materials into useful gases. In the LOWR, solar thermal concentrators are used to heat steam directly to 900 C, after which the steam is injected into a reactor which is being fed with waste materials via a lock hopper. At the high temperatures, the steam will react with all organic materials to produce a gas mixture largely composed of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, with small fractions of methane and CO. After removing the remaining steam from the product stream via condensation, the gases are dusulfurized and then fed through a polysulfone membrane which separates CO and CH4 in the retentate from CO2 and H2 in the permeate. The retentate CO/CH4 gas stream can be used to reduce regolith, while the CO2/H2 permeate stream is sent to a Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) reactor which transforms the CO2/H2 gas into CO and H2O. The CO can then be used for regolith reduction, while the H2O can be used as is, or electrolyzed to make oxygen and hydrogen. With effective recycling of the steam, no consumables are lost in the process. All products are liquids or gases, making the system highly reliable and subject to automation. In the proposed Phase 1 program, Pioneer Astronautics will build on its extensive heritage with development of RWGS and regolith reduction systems developed for Lunar and Mars in-situ propellant production to build and demonstrate a LOWR unit.
Virtual EM Inc. proposes a system that employs semi-passive RFID sensors with carbon nanotube inkjet-printed antenna and solar powered mesh-networked beacons. The tags will be powered by printed thin film batteries and/or via energy harvesting. Beacons will communicate among themselves and read the semi-active RFID tags worn by the astronauts. The location will be fixed via triangulation and this information will be beamed back to the astronauts.
There is serious concern about the introduction of UAV's into the National Air Space because of their potential to increase the risk of loss of separation (LOS) between aircraft.  Many UAV's lack a ``sense and avoid'' (SAA) capability, i.e., they do not possess an adequate means of making the UAV pilot aware of the airspace around the platform, nor do they provide the mechanism for avoiding LOS with other aircraft.   This program will address the need for LOS avoidance for UAV's operating in NAS through the development of target state estimation and trajectory prediction algorithms. 

Numerica proposes a research program that will focus on two critical aspects of SAA algorithms: 
? Development of a target state estimator that uses data up to the current time to form a robust estimate of the state vector (position, velocity, acceleration, and possibly other parameters). 

? Development of a target trajectory prediction algorithm.  This component will take the target state estimate and probabilistically generate various possible target trajectory paths.  The outcome of the research will be a complete proof-of-concept solution with a software prototype, and simulation results showing performance metrics.
Information about the world and its local environments is becoming increasingly available due to the development and deployment of sensors. Deployed sensors include those on satellites, from NASA's "Earth Observing System' for research into the Earth's biosphere, land, atmosphere and oceans to NOAA's weather satellites.  However, Sensor Webs are by no means restricted to large systems involving satellites. For example, components of ocean observing systems include buoys, especially for coastal region monitoring.  The coupling of sensor data and Internet connectivity has resulted in huge volume of sensor data that would be of interest to researchers. A key question is 'how can individual researchers easily find, access and manage sensor data streams of interest to them?'  We propose a Sensor Management Tool (SMT) that supports the individual researcher in finding, accessing and managing sensor data. Intelligent Automation Inc (IAI) and Southeastern Research Universities Association (SURA) are collaborating on SMT: it will be open source and it will utilize the NASA World Wind Java SDK for visualization.  Our proposed Sensor Management Tool (SMT) is standards-related and incorporates Community Discovery aspect.
We propose to develop a "black carbon" (soot) monitor for measuring non-volatile particulate emissions from gas turbine engines employing a proprietary optical extinction measurement technique based on cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS) operting in conjunction with a differential mobility analyzer. The singular aspect of the CAPS approach is that extinction is measured by determining shifts in the phase angle of a modulated light beam instead of changes in the intensity of the ransmitted light caused by the presence of particulates. This aspect makes the sensor immune to either abrupt or gradual changes in the intensity of the light caused by temperature or pressure fluctuations or light source deterioration. Furthermore, the sensor rarely needs to be calibrated ? i.e., its span value, a function of the optical properties of the particles themselves, remains virtually constant. This sensor does not rely on the deposition of particles on a filter and requires little maintenance. The monitor will be able to measure the size dependent particle mass concentration in the sub-micrograms per cubic meter with a sampling period of only 1 second.
Dust mitigation is critical to the survivability of vehicle and infrastructure components and systems and to the safety of astronauts during EVAs and planetary surface operations. The proposed project seeks to demonstrate a broadly applicable and extremely space durable dust mitigation technology by combining transparent conductive circuits, based on carbon nanotechnology, with electrodymanic shielding. Presently metals and metal oxides are used to form the electrodes in electrodynamic dust mitigation devices.  However the simple substitution of these traditional materials with nanocomposite conductors will provide a far more space durable electrode applicable to a broader array of surfaces and applications. The resulting dust mitigation system will have broad common value to its own mission and to other mission directorates. This approach exploits the unique capabilities of singlewalled carbon nanotubes and binders to form conductive circuits with existing dust mitigation technology developed at NASA-KSC. This approach provide the widest utility making the combined technologies suitable for vehicle structures, spacesuits, modular infrastructure, lightweight deployable and inflatable structures, and habitats. The thin transparent dust shield technology will mitigate the effects of charge, dust and other contaminates on materials, electronics and other space systems.  This technology will provide significant improvement in robustness, reliability, and safety. The proposed project will build from a foundation created by NASA and Eikos over the past ten years. It is a natural extension of both efforts to combine Eikos Invisicon technology with the dust mitigation technology being conducted at KSC.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS) will focus the proposed SBIR program on the development of a new highly-modularized and extremely-scalable solar array that provides immense power level range capability from 100kW to many Megawatts in size.  The proposed ultra-high power solar array will enable extremely high power spacecraft, space-tug, power station applications, and large-scale Planetary and Lunar surface missions.  The proposed technology's broad power level scalability is achieved while still retaining industry leading solar array performance metrics and mission enabling features for lightweight, high performance, compact stowage volume, and affordability.  The proposed technology will enable future ultra-high power missions through low cost (25-50&#37; cost savings depending on PV and blanket technology), lightweight, high specific power (&gt;200 W/kg to 500 W/kg BOL at the wing level depending on PV and blanket technology), compact stowage volume (&gt;80 kW/m3 for very large arrays), reliability, platform simplicity, high deployed strength/stiffness (10X stiffer and stronger than rigid panel arrays), radiation hardness, high voltage operation capability, scalability to ultra-high power (100kW to beyond Megawatts), and operability in unique environments (high/low illumination and high/low sun intensity).
The proposed effort aims to evaluate the feasibility of using transpiration-cooled Titanium as the primary material in small-scale thrust chambers for in-space chemical propulsion applications in the 25-5,000lbf thrust class. This approach would allow for bipropellant thrust chambers that are almost 10-times lighter and significantly less expensive than current state-of-the-art radiatively-cooled refractory metal (e.g. Iridium / Rhenium) systems. In addition, since they are actively cooled, the proposed approach will allow for higher chamber pressures, thereby providing further reductions in thruster size and mass for performance improvement.
Size and weight of payloads on space platforms is limited by the launch vehicle capacity, and NASA platform designers must use every square inch and pound effectively.  Power consumption requirements for satellite and deep space applications demand lower power and more efficient systems in order to maximize payload resources.  Future NASA missions will require higher performance transceivers in order to handle ever increasing data rates .  The current NASA vision calls for advanced Ka-band communications links and antenna arrays.  Nuvotronics will demonstrate minimum size, weight, and power optimized transceivers based on PolyStrataTM microfabrication technology.  The PolyStrata transmission architecture provides superior isolation compared to other available microwave routing technologies, resulting in higher packing density and smaller size, while allowing integration of active and passive devices to create a superior transceiver for space applications.
Ophir proposes to develop a multifunction, low-cost lidar capable of accurately measuring kinetic air hazards, and air data, simultaneously.  The innovation is providing a single sensor that has dual-use functionality ? air data measurement and kinetic air hazard detection in a package that is easily integrated onto commercial aircraft.  Conventional air data systems provide critical information to the aircraft for safe flight, but there are vulnerabilities, as evidenced by the recent Air France accident.  A more robust air data system for flight controls on aircraft is needed ? particularly to measure airspeed in icing and severe weather conditions.  This proposed sensor also measures air hazards which impacts the safety of air traffic and smoothness of ride; decreases fuel consumption and incidence of encounters with turbulent events on aircraft.  The Phase I effort entails the system requirements determination, determination of optimal dual-use sensor, prototype design, range and accuracy expectations for each of the lidar modes, and preliminary design of the Phase II prototype.  This technology is a TRL 2 with the intent of reaching TRL 3 by the end of this program.  Phase II consists of a sensor demonstration in a representative flight environment (TRL 5).
A composite fatigue damage assessment and risk informed prognosis toolkit will be developed by enhancing and integrating existing solution modules within a probabilistic analysis framework. This tool will for the first time be able to address concurrently both microcracking induced stiffness degradation and cyclic loading induced delamination crack growth without remeshing. A physics-based deterministic solver will be developed by integrating a discrete crack network model with a multiaxial fatigue damage accumulation law. An advanced probabilistic analysis framework with the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) updating procedure will be developed for risk informed total life management. The damage detection results will be integrated/fused with the physics based delamination growth prediction tool to form a risk informed damage prognosis and condition based maintenance metrics. Global Engineering and Materials, Inc. (GEM) has secured commitments for technical support from Clarkson University and Boeing, who will provide existing solution modules, supporting data, customization plug-ins, and expertise. The multi-faceted feasibility study consists of developing a method that will enable the prediction of multi-site, multi-mode damage interaction, extracting delamination driving force, characterizing delamination evolution under multiaxial non-proportional loading, and performing risk informed fatigue failure prediction and BME updating when new detection and maintenance data become available.
Multi-band phased array antenna (PAA) can reduce the number of antennas on shipboard platforms while offering significantly improved performance.  In order to steer wideband beams, photonic beamforming techniques must be invoked so that efficient elemental vector summation in the receiving mode or in the transmit mode is independent of frequency. Crystal Research, Inc. proposes to develop a multi-band photonic antenna based on a high-speed optical true-time-delay beamformer, capable of simultaneously steering multiple independent RF beams in less than 300 ns.  Such a high steering speed is 3 orders of magnitude faster than any other existing optical beamformers.  Unlike other approaches, the proposed technology uses a single controlling device per operation band, which eliminates the need for massive optical switches, laser diodes and fiber Bragg gratings. More importantly, only one beamformer is needed for all antenna elements. Advantages of the proposed multi-badn photonic phased array anttena includes wideband multibeam operation, high-speed steering, microwave delay compatible, small size, light weight, low power consumption, and immune to electro-magnetic interfere. We plan to develop a laboratory breadboard demonstration the proof-of-concept at the end of Phase I. In Phase II, we will design and fabricate a prototype that can be demonstrated in a representative environment.
The allocation and scheduling of limited communication assets to an increasing number of satellites and other spacecraft remains a complex and challenging problem. Feasible schedules that address mission requirements over the short, medium and long term are inherently faced with the need to resolve conflicts when multiple missions contend for the same time windows of opportunity. This proposal is for an oversubscribed mission scheduler conflict resolution system that will rapidly provide feasible schedules using innovative boolean satisfiability methods and then leverage software agent personas to minimize or eliminate conflicts in scheduling. Agents will free up valuable human resources in the de-conflict loop, using an ask-offer process to negotiate future timeslots based on a deferred value function. Phase 1 will demonstrate the feasibility of applying mature SAT solver process to the rapid generation of feasible schedules and also demonstrate the potential for the application of semi-autonomous belief-desire-intent (BDI) agents to conflict resolution and user interface support. Phase 2 will evolve proof-of-concept prototypes into fully functional systems.
We are proposing to develop high altitude CO2 analyzer technology that can be deployed on the research aircraft of NASA's Airborne Science Program (ASP). The ultimate scientific goal is the calibration/validation of CO2 observations made from spacecraft. Two forms of the analyzer are to be developed, pod for unmanned aircraft and rack for more general purpose platforms. The CO2 payloads are small and light enough to perform on all 15 platforms of NASA-ASP, some reaching altitudes of more than 65,000' ASL and capable of probing at least 95&#37; of the atmospheric column. By prior work, we have built a prototype having the appropriate levels of sensitivity (0.10 ppmv), bias (&lt;0.10 ppmv) and spatial/temporal resolution (1 Hz). Consequently, we can initiate our program with Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6. Validation of the prototype was on a piloted aircraft by a second airborne AOS analyzer system of the same specifications and by flask samples analyzed by NOAA/GMD. Observations, some reaching altitudes of 26,000' ASL, were referred to the WMO scale of CO2 DMF by use of reference gases. As a result of prior technological and scientific work, our Phase I program can present a detailed plan for achievement of TRL 9.
The overall goal of this project is to design, develop, demonstrate, and deliver a miniature, high torque, low-vibration reaction wheel for use on small satellites.  Creare's miniature reaction wheel has the potential to revolutionize the design and operation of small satellites (i.e., mass from less than 1 kg up to 500 kg).  Currently available reaction wheels are too large and heavy, and miniature reaction wheels do not provide sufficient control authority for use on small satellites.  This primarily results from the need to greatly increase the speed of rotation of the flywheel in order to reduce the flywheel size and mass.  We will achieve this goal by making use of our unique, proprietary, space-qualified, high-speed motor technology to spin the flywheel at a speed much faster than the other known miniature reaction wheels either under development or currently available.  This will enable the fabrication of a miniature reaction wheel with greatly improved performance and smaller size.  Creare is particularly well qualified to lead this effort given our considerable and unique past experience in miniaturizing devices for use in important space missions, our firm's longevity, and the space-qualified fabrication facilities that we maintain.
Intelligent Light makers of the FieldView CFD/CAE Post-processing tool, proposes to develop NUE (pronounced noo-ae) - a Novel and Universal capability that manages an Ensemble of overset grid tools. NUE's assembly, flow solver and post-processing components accept grids from ANY grid generation package of ANY grid type to facilitate the ease of use of the overset grid methodology. Its components are coupled through an API or a Python Software Interface Framework (SIF) and utilize a standardized output based upon an extended version of pyCGNS. The Grid Assembly utilizes components from FieldView via a python wrapped server process that allows the user to launch grid assembly, flow solvers and to detect flaws in the overset grid system such as orphans points or by using FieldView advanced post-processing features to identify regions in need of grid refinement. FieldView can then create objects, such as CAD Surfaces, which the user can readily load into their grid generator to assist in overset grid modification or refinement. The user would be able to launch the flowsolver from within FieldView and then have automated reports available in a browser window. NUE represents a novel and standardized capability that allows all the components of the overset ensemble of tools to interact in a consistent manner - reducing the overall time that practitioners must spend in managing their simulations.
This proposal by Jansen's Aircraft Systems Controls, Inc presents an innovative solution for Active Combustion Control.  Relative to the state of the art, this concept has the ability to provide frequency modulation (greater than 1000 Hz) in combination with high amplitude modulation (in excess of 30&#37; flow) and can be adapted to a large range of fuel injector sizes. Existing state-of-the-art valves tend to have low flow modulation strength or the size of the valves with higher flow modulation seem too large or consume too much electrical power to be practical.  The proposed active Combustion Control valve has high frequency and amplitiude modulation, consumes low electrical power, is closely coupled with the fuel injector for modulation strength, and is practical in size and weight.
NASA is investigating advanced turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems that utilize superconducting motors to drive a number of distributed turbofans.  In an early-stage concept, two superconducting turbine generators, mounted on each of the wing tips, are used to supply electrical power to 16 superconducting motors.  Conventional electric motors are too large and heavy to be practical for this application, and so superconducting motors are required.  These would operate at a temperature near that of liquid hydrogen, between 20 and 65 K.  In order to improve maneuverability of the aircraft, variable speed power converters would be required to throttle power to the turbofans.  The low operating temperature and the need for lightweight components that place a minimum of additional heat load on the refrigeration system opens the possibility of incorporating extremely efficient cryogenic power conversion technology.  A complete study of cryogenic power conversion equipment for use in this application is the focus of this proposal.  MTECH has designed, built, and tested a number of cryogenic inverters for different applications, and will adapt the cryogenic power technologies it has developed to the NASA application in this program.
Better performing ablative thermal protection systems than currently available are needed to satisfy requirements of the most severe crew exploration vehicles, such as the Mars Sample Return with 12-15 km/s Earth entry.  The primary objective of CU Aerospace's Phase I work will be to fabricate and test aromatic thermosetting copolyesters (ATSP) composites for use as ablatives in next generation spacecraft missions. The synthetic development of novel aromatic thermosetting copolyesters was a major innovation in the field of polymer science. Previous testing of their capabilities showed excellent performance as adhesives, rigid foams, matrices for composites, and dielectrics for microelectronics.  Only recently has this material been considered as a viable ablative due to its high temperature stability and excellent composite mechanical properties especially due to the liquid crystalline nature of the polymer, which allows a matching of CTE between fiber and matrix. Our team partner the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will assist CU Aerospace to perform basic research and provide technical support to accelerate the transition of ATSP polymers into ablative composites. If successful CU Aerospace envisions the ATSP to be utilized in a wide variety of applications in both civilian and military spacecraft, either as a retrofit or as a next-generation design.
In this SBIR project, APEI, Inc. is proposing to develop a high efficiency, rad-hard 3.8 kW silicon carbide (SiC) Power Processing Unit (PPU) for Hall Effect thrusters. In Phase I of the project, APEI, Inc. will focus on investigating various circuit topologies, developing and applying  performance metrics (i.e., optimizing magnetics, passives, frequencies, power density, efficiency, etc.), and developing a complete electric circuit design. By the conclusion of Phase I, APEI, Inc. will build and test a hardware "proof of concept" 1.3 kW power converter demonstrating the feasibility of the concepts proposed in this program. In Phase II of the project, APEI, Inc. will transition the "proof of concept" converter of Phase I into a higher power 3.8 kW interleaved system (paralleling three 1.3 kW converters), will modify the basic circuit design demonstrated in Phase I to include full control functionality and feedback / protection circuitry, and will integrate space qualified control and feedback components for a complete rad-hard system.
Direct Write (DW) sensors deposited directly and precisely on to complex (3D) components are proposed.  Sensors proposed include strain gages and thermocouples, intended as diagnostic elements of a larger health management (HM) scheme.  The sensors are deposited using a high precision derivative of thermal spray, affording them the advantages of high temperature tolerance and compatibility with coatings.  Strain gages will be deposited as patches onto a range of composites, and laser micromachined to produce their characteristic resistive elements.  Signal routing may be via microwelding or DW lead-lines.  Thermocouples will be deposited as conformal, parallel traces of paired thermoelements, overlapping to form a junction at the location whose temperature is to be measured.  
The sensors, having been deposited onto substrates representative of structures on upcoming NASA space vehicles (Orion, Ares, Altair), will then be exposed to conditions similar to those anticipated for said structures, such as low temperatures for fuel tanks, biaxial stress for other pressure vessels, and thermal cycling for on-orbit and lunar exposure.
The sensors, having demonstrated their diagnostic capability and compatibility with existing DAQ and HM infrastructures, would form the cornerstone of a potential Phase II continuing application-specific sensor development while expanding to tackle HM integration issues.
Secondary neutrons make a significant contribution to the total absorbed dose received by space crews during long duration space missions However, only a limited number of measurements of the dose contribution from secondary neutrons have been made. In part this is due to an inability to easily discriminate between the fraction of dose which results from secondary neutrons and that which results from exposure to energetic charged particles. The energy of the secondary neutrons range from 1 to &gt;100 MeV. Scintillation materials provide the optimum volume to payload performance, but their use has been limited by the need for PMTs.  A compact, lightweight, low-voltage, sensitive photodetector, such as CMOS SSPMs are an ideal candidate for this application.
In this work, we propose to develop a compact, lightweight, energy-efficient dosimeter for secondary neutrons from space radiation using state-of-the-art scintillation materials with a charged particle shield coupled to a high-gain, solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM), which is a high-density array of Geiger photodiodes, fabricated with CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology.  Such a dosimeter would overcome many of the limitations in the current generation of neutron dosimeters and meet the dosimetry needs for future human-space-exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
Fractal Systems Inc. proposes to develop an innovative, energy-efficient water purification system to enable humans to live and work permanently in space. Water recovery in space is essential to produce potable and hygienic water from wastewater generated onboard spacecraft. In phase I, we will demonstrate feasibility of a new and highly efficient method that will combine several technologies based on high surface area nanoparticles in one compact, portable filtration/remediation system for generating potable water. In Phase I, we will fabricate, characterize and test each component with respect to its remediation efficiency. The proposed effort is based on in-house work and developed devices. This effort will be conducted in collaboration with academia and industry partners to achieve a viable technology that will be developed further in Phase II and result in a complete system as a Phase II deliverable, which will be used by our industrial partner, a water purification company, for commercialization purposes. Our purification system will be easy to handle, very cost effective and free from chemical by-products.
The overall objective of this proposal (Phases I and II) is to develop a robust and accurate solver for fluid-structure interaction computations capable of addressing multi-body flexible structures as well as rigid body motion. The fluid flow solution will be performed using our unstructured solution-adaptive flow solver TETHYS. We propose to develop a structural solver based on the Galerkin finite element method and to couple structure and fluid strongly using an immersed boundary method (IBM).  We will employ operator overloading to perform automatic code differentiation so that sensitivity and adjoint analysis can be performed on the coupled code. We will couple to parameterized CAD geometry and to the state-of-the-art optimization modules in the DAKOTA toolkit to perform optimization of fluid-structure interaction problems.  In Phase I, we will (i) establish the feasibility of the immersed boundary method across the range of Mach numbers, (ii) develop a tightly coupled algorithm for fluid and structure, and (iii) demonstrate that sensitivities and Jacobians may computed seamlessly and accurately for fluid-structure interaction. Though the focus of the proposal is on fluid-structure interaction problems of specific interest to NASA, the methodology will be applicable to a wide range of commercial CFD applications as well.
Differencing Electrostatic Optical Sensor (DEOS) Project
Improving Off-Design Nozzle Performance Using Fluidic Injection Project
Lift Gas Cracker Project
Flow Test for Rotating Chamber Pulse Detonation Engine Project
A Long-Duration Commercial Microgravity Mouse Habitat: Waste/Odor Technologies Project
A High Performance, Low Mass, XPS for Biosignature Detection Project
Electrically Conductive Thermal Control Coating Project
High Emissivity Protective Cerablak Coatings for Metallic TPS Project
A Novel One-Step Synthesis of BN Nanotubes for Structural Components Project
Self-assembled Dual-functionality Microspheres Project
Development of a rugged, fuel tank compatible, oxygen concentration sensor Project
Technologies for Momentum-Exchange/Electrodynamic-Reboost Tether Facilities Project
Multilayer Fiber Interfaces for Improved Environmental Resistance and Slip Project
UV Rigid Inflatable Wing Project
Nanofluid Boiling Module for Precision Cooling of Microelectronics Project
Mini-Cell Ion Mobility Spectrometer for In Situ Chemical Analysis Project
Biodegradable Nanocomposites for Advanced Packaging Project
Development of Tantalum Carbide for Microgravity Containment Cartridges Project
Wireless Handheld Device For Distributed Ground Operations Project
Microwave Powered Solid Waste Stabilization and Water Recovery Project
Ultra Wide band Water Sensor Project
Lunar and other extraterrestrial environments put extreme demands on moving mechanical components.  Gears must continue to function and surfaces must continue to slide over a wide temperature range, the low end of which renders most conventional lubricants solidified while the high end vaporizes them, especially in a vacuum.  Extremely long service lives are needed, and dust can cause abrasive damage.  The solution is to use a high lubricity wear resistant solid, but not even all solid lubricants are suitable for the full range of challenges.

We propose to use a novel electrocodeposition process to produce a quasicrystalline coating on the surface of metal parts.  Quasicrystals are a unique family of alloys having symmetries found nowhere else.  They are exceptionally hard, with low surface energies.  Quasicrystalline coatings have been demonstrated to be stable over wide temperature ranges and to have low friction over the entire range.  Our process produces solid, high-density, low friction coatings on a variety of metal substrates.  The coatings are stable for the long periods needed to achieve long operating lives.  They are applied under relatively mild conditions using readily available equipment and can be applied to substrates of any shape or size.  

In this project we will demonstrate the application of low friction coatings to gear alloys and show their low friction and wear properties over a temperature range that extends from above ambient to cryogenic.
The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is located near one of the most corrosive natural environments in the world.  Corrosion of KSC ground assets is exacerbated by the highly acidic exhaust of the Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). During launch approximately 17 tons of hydrochloric acid are generated from the SRB exhausts. Thus while the launches are infrequent, they produce a highly acidic environment on coated structures leading to excessive corrosion.  To mitigate the corrosion of carbon steel structures in and near the launch areas, KSC uses solvent-based topcoated inorganic zinc rich coatings. Regulations arising from Clean Air and other environmental legislation restrict the use of most solvents in paints and may restrict the use of inorganic zinc rich protective coatings. TDA will produce and test environmentally friendly smart coatings using its low-cost nanostructured carriers for corrosion inhibitors that provide smart release of the corrosion inhibitors via both pH-triggered and controlled release mechanisms. In the Phase I program TDA will demonstrate that its smart materials approach can provide higher-performance, environmentally-friendly protective coatings for NASA infrastructure and equipment. At the end of the Phase II effort we expect the technology to be at a technology readiness level of seven to eight.
Gravity wave detection using space-based long-baseline laser interferometric sensors imposes stringent noise requirements on the system components, including the large area photoreceiver front ends.  The proposed innovation utilizes dual depletion region technology to produce a large area (1mm diameter) 2x2 quad p-i-n InGaAs photodiode array having ~2.1pF capacitance per quadrant.  The small capacitance of the quad photodiode array is leveraged in combination with a low-noise JFET-input operational amplifier to manufacture ultra-low noise quad photoreceiver array.  Each element (quadrant) of the photoreceiver array will have an input equivalent current noise &lt;2pA/sq.rt. Hz in a frequency range of 2 to 20MHz.  This will enable shot noise dominated performance at an optical local oscillator power of ~100mW per quadrant.
New sensor technology is required to face the challenging tasks associated with future space exploration involving missions to the Moon and Mars. The safety and well-being of the crew critically depends on early detection of threats as well as maintaining stable and acceptable conditions in the crew habitat. Prototype sensor technology being developed on this project addresses both aspects. Carbon monoxide formation is a reliable indicator of evolving fire threats and this gaseous combustion product allows rapid early detection.  A highly sensitive carbon monoxide sensor is proposed for early, fast and unfailing fire detection.  Current fire detectors are prone to fatigue and have insufficient sensitivity, selectivity and time-response.  Smoke detectors cannot detect early stages of combustion and become unreliable if exposed to dust particulates.  A second project part addresses habitat air composition monitoring.  A multi-species device will be developed to simultaneously monitor oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture. The optical sensors developed on this project have unique features like fast response, high precision and strong species selectivity.  Design criteria such as small footprint, low weight, low power consumption as well as internal calibration and continuous sensor health monitoring will be implemented to provide spaceflight optimized sensors.  An absorption approach using modulation techniques implemented on size optimized platforms will be applied.
In this NASA Phase II SBIR Project, we will continue the development of graphitic nanosheets (GNS) for electrochemical capacitor (EC) electrode materials. In the Phase I project, treatments of the electrode materials resulted in increases of relative capacitance (2x), relative energy (4x), and relative power (25&#37;). These results surpassed those of commercially available ECs for relative power and will fulfill NASA's need for energy storage materials for communications and navigation.
	We will address the following in the Phase II program: (1) Increase performance through exfoliation, activation, and other surface treatments; (2) Use these materials as supports for the deposition of pseudocapacitive species to form a nanocomposite electrode; (3) Improve the test cell fabrication to decrease equivalent series resistance (ESR) and passive layer formation; (4) Purify electrode materials and electrolyte to decrease leakage current and self-discharge; (5) Perform environmental testing including temperature, pressure, and vibration; (6) Fabricate, test, and deliver functional prototype cells to NASA at the end of the Phase II project. This technology is currently at a TRL of 3-4 and we expect to achieve a TRL of 5 with delivery of prototype cells to NASA for testing.
Under this and several other programs, CTD has developed TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; deployable solid-surface reflectors (TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; Reflectors) to provide future NASA and  Air Force missions and commercial communications satellites with large RF apertures that can operate at very high operational frequencies (Ka band and above). TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; Reflectors incorporate non-tensioned graphite composite membranes that are formed using conventional construction techniques and stiffened using CTD's TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; shape-memory composite panels to allow practical packaging and deployment without complex mechanisms.  The simplicity of the design provides a significant cost advantage when compared to existing deployable reflector technologies, (4-fold cost reduction over mesh antenna and 2-fold reduction in manufacturing time) and the continuous graphite surface enables high frequency antenna operations at Ka band and above.  CTD can stow either a Cassegrainian (center-fed) or Gregorian (offset-fed) 5m TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; Reflectors in a Falcon 1e launch vehicle. To moderate cost and fabrication time, the TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; reflector is supported by a deployable backing structure.  In the proposed Phase II effort, CTD will further refine innovative backing structure developed in Phase I as well as to develop additional precision capability to enable both the high frequency (Ka band and above), large aperture (5 to 8 meters) performance required for near-term and future NASA programs.
This purpose of this project is to develop a spray drying prototype to for the recovery and recycle of water from concentrated waste water recovery system brine. Spray drying is a one step, continuous process where a solution, slurry, sludge or paste is transformed into a dry solid and clean water.
In the Phase I program we demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed innovation by experimentally demonstrating an improvement in slope efficiency of ~11&#37; by changing the pump wavelength from 806-nm to the 863-nm, which directly pumps the upper laser level of the 1047-nm laser transition in Nd:YLF. This level of improvement in efficiency is significant for space-based systems where overall efficiency is of great value. In addition to the optical-to-optical efficiency improvement, there is a lower heat load in the gain medium reducing the cooling requirements.

In this work we take advantage of our broad experience with Nd:YLF and the unique advantages of the MPS(TM) design to develop an all-solid-state, compact, conductively-cooled laser system operating in 1-&amp;#956;m region with an output energy of nominally 30 mJ and a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 30 Hz. The specific goal of this project will be to produce a laser design that is suitable for use in 3-D flash ladar systems housed in spacecraft and used for automated landing and hazard avoidance in difficult terrain and to deliver to NASA LaRC a working prototype of this laser design that is suitable for use in terrestrial testing of flash ladar systems when it is integrated with a suitable ladar receiver.
nLight has demonstrated highly-uniform APD arrays based on the highly sensitive InGaAs/InP material system.  These results provide great promise for achieving the performance and uniformity requirements necessary to enable 3D LIDAR applications such as autonomous precision landing and hazard detection avoidance.  The high degree of uniformity demonstrated offers the potential for biasing the entire APD FPA at a single bias point.  This is expected to lead to a dramatic reduction in the complexity of the integrated circuit driver, and allow for scaling to arrays of 256x256 elements and larger.  Combined with reduced transmitter power requirements due to high detector sensitivity and low noise, this will ultimately lead to improved compactness, low mass, improved resolution, and low power consumption ? all of which are of concern in NASA applications such as the un-manned Lunar or Mars landing vehicles.

In the proposed Phase 2 program, nLight will optimize the performance and demonstrate manufacturability of the highly uniform epitaxy demonstrated in the first phase.  These InGaAs APDs are expected to show gains in excess of 10, with very low dark current and noise factors, making them well suited for LIDAR detection.  Highly-uniform dense focal plane arrays of various sizes up to 256x256 elements will be fabricated and tested.  These arrays will be flip-chip bonded to read-out integrated circuitry for testing in 3D flash LIDAR cameras.
Advanced Situation Awareness Technologies (ASAT) will facilitate exploration of the moon surface, and other planetary bodies. ASAT will create an Advanced Situation Awareness Technology by creating an integrated display from disparate data sources including video, telemetry, and geographic databases which in addition to topographic data can provide ortho-imagery, meteorological, hazard, and cultural data.  This new augmented reality display will fuse multiple information streams into a high information density, three dimensional display with a common temporal context.
M4 Engineering proposes to develop a generalized reduced order model generation method. This method will allow for creation of reduced order aeroservoelastic state space models that can be interpolated across a range of flight conditions. This development will be a significant advance to the process of control law development, especially in the design of control systems required to provide flutter suppression, gust load alleviation, and ride quality enhancement. The proposed technique will be an excellent compliment to modern linear and nonlinear aeroservoelastic analysis methods.
Visualization of turbulence and shock phenomena by schlieren imaging has led to important discoveries in aerodynamics, and there has been much interest in applying schlieren methods for aircraft in flight. The goal of this project is to develop the next generation of Schlieren for Aircraft in Flight (SAF) systems.
During initial design studies, parametric variation of vehicle geometry
is routine. In addition, rotorcraft engineers traditionally use the wind tunnel to evaluate and finalize designs. Estimation of rotor tunnel
blockage is significantly more complex than bluff body corrections as the correction depends on operational characteristics such as rotor RPM and thrust produced.

This proposal offers to develop an Integrated Design Environment (IDE) which can simulate a complete rotorcraft with or without wind tunnel walls including all the facility effects.

At the heart of the innovation are:

1. An automated hybrid grid generator (viscous grids near the bodies and 
unstructured Cartesian grid everywhere else).
2. A robust and economical incompressible flow solver for the entire system of grids.
3. Momentum source based rotor model that is suitable and economical 
for simulating configurations with multiple rotors.

In Phase I, the proof-of-concept developed used unstructured Cartesian 
grid for the model and wind tunnel. In phase II, the tool will be extended 
to hybrid grid with viscous grid near solid surfaces and will include several tools including a simple CAD like geometry manipulation tool and pre- and post-processing tools all integrated in one environment to facilitate ease of use.
Long-life, high-capacity cryocoolers are a critical need for future space systems utilizing stored cryogens.  The cooling requirements for planetary and extraterrestrial exploration missions, Crew Exploration Vehicles, extended-life orbital transfer vehicles, and space depots will range from 10 to 50 W at temperatures between 20 and 120 K.  Turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are ideal for these systems because they are lightweight, compact and very efficient at high cooling loads, in addition to their inherent attributes of high reliability; negligible vibration; long, maintenance-free lifetimes; and flexibility in integrating with spacecraft systems and payloads.  To date, space-borne turbo-Brayton technology has been developed for modest cooling loads.  During the proposed program, Creare will develop an advanced, high efficiency turbine optimized for a high-capacity cryocooler.  The advanced turbine will enable a landmark reduction in cryocooler input power and overall cooling system mass.  In Phase I, we defined the cryocooler requirements for a particular mission class, developed the conceptual design of a multistage cryocooler to meet the requirements, developed the preliminary design of the advanced turbine and successfully performed proof-of-concept tests on the turbine.  During Phase II, we will fabricate the turbine optimized to provide 5-20 W of net refrigeration at 20 K and demonstrate its performance at prototypical operating conditions.
A broadband G-Band low noise amplifier has been designed using a 50nm MHEMT. The MHEMT model that was used for the design was measured.
Automation and autonomy are key elements in realizing the vision for
space exploration. The NASA Exploration Technology Development Program
(ETDP) has been developing several core autonomy capabilities, one of
which is called a procedure representation language (PRL). PRL can be
automatically translated into code that can be executed by
NASA-developed autonomous executives.  Another type of automation being
developed by ETDP is automated planning aids. These will be needed to
increase the number of missions that existing levels of flight personnel
must be able to handle. But PRL has few constructs to enable automated
planners and schedulers to take advantage of the procedures resulting
from PRL.  In Phase 1 we developed extensions to PRL to add planning
information  resource, constraints and sub-procedural information  so as
to produce code useable by automated planning software. In this project,
we propose to develop an interactive planning aid for flight controllers
to show that such an aid can process our enhanced PRL files to generate
mission plans and to test their feasibility via an execution system.
Besides refining our previous modeling efforts, this work will show that
the availability of computer-useable planning information can lead to
practical applications of NASA's automated planning efforts.
Emergent Space Technologies Inc. proposes to develop the Ground Enterprise Management System (GEMS) for spacecraft ground systems.  GEMS will provide situational awareness for distributed ground systems, and an understanding of how events and automated actions impact the system in real-time.  Recent software advancements have improved sustainability, extensibility, fault tolerance, and ease of automation for ground systems.  These traits are important for NASA's missions, from Exploration to Earth and Space Science, but can pose challenges, especially when the system has a high degree of interoperability and communications between components that isn't visible to the end-user.  Operators can quickly become overwhelmed with the increased complexity of software components constantly exchanging data and the volumes of information being passed around behind-the-scenes.  In fact, for largely distributed systems, as much "situational awareness" is needed for the ground system as for the spacecraft itself.  GEMS will provide a centralized integration framework that is needed to provide operators with transparency into the ground system, its state, and its component interactions.  GEMS will enhance plug-and-play integrations while providing information management and system coordination.  The innovation that enables GEMS is the development of "data-driven" algorithms and software adapters that gather data from the various components of the ground system to construct a data model that captures the system state, organizes the data, and displays it to the mission operators.
Low-cost, environmentally compatible synthesis methods are used to prepare silicate nanoparticles with surface areas, surface polarity and hierarchical lamellar and mesoporous structures ideally suited as barrier and reinforcing agents for epoxy and polyimide thermoset polymers for use in next generation air transport systems (NGATS) and related aerospace vehicles.  Unlike organoclays, which require temperature-sensitive organic modification for dispersion in polymer matrices, the new nanoparticles require no organic surface modification to achieve compatibility in the polymer matrix. Thus, thermoset nano-composites made from Claytec's purely inorganic nanoparticles exhibit superior thermal and oxidative stability, in addition to improved strength, stiffness and toughness.  The technical objective of the proposal is to provide silicate nanoparticles that will improve substantially the thermal and oxidative stability properties, as well as the mechanical properties, of epoxy and polyimide polymers without the need for organic surface modifiers to achieve particle dispersion in the polymer matrix. The specific tasks associated with the proposed research project are (i) the synthesis and characterization of lamellar and mesoporous silicate nanoparticle suitable as barrier and reinforcing agents, respectively (ii) the preparation of representative epoxy and polyimide thermoset nanocomposites containing well-dispersed lamellar and mesoporous nanoparticles and (iii) the characterization of the nanocomposites with regard to oxygen permeability, oxidative stability, and tensile and impact properties.
We propose to investigate the feasibility of developing a low noise,
two-side buttable, 64x64 readout multiplexer with the following key
design features: 1- By far the largest readout array developed for far
IR detectors to date.  Four of these readout can be butted together to
form a &amp;gt;16k-pixel mosaic array satisfying the need of the next
generation of astronomical instruments. 2- Optimized for use with far
infrared detectors requiring low bias levels.  The unit-cell design will
maintain constant bias across the detector during the integration
eliminating non-linearity and detector debiasing.  The design will also
minimize the pixel-to-pixel DC variation which improves the bias
uniformity across all pixels of the array. 3- Capable of operation at
cryogenic temperatures at least as low as 1.6K.  Advanced monolithic
cryo-CMOS technology will guarantee deep cryogenic operation with
minimal impact on noise performance. 4- Offers the potential of being
directly hybridized to IR detector arrays using indium-bump technology.
This technology has been identified by NASA as well as the science and
astronomy community as key for future far IR astronomy.  It fits well
within the scope of the SBIR Subtopic S1.04 and will be a benefit to
many large and small NASA missions including SAFIR/CALISTO and SOFIA.
Reduction of noise is critical to the public acceptance and mission suitability of rotorcraft.  Accurate prediction of rotorcraft noise is directly related to the ability to predict the highly complicated interaction between the aerodynamic surfaces and their wakes, and while current numerical tools can, in principle, model the complete rotorcraft, they are severely hampered by modeling assumptions or numerical formulation.  Consequently, commonly used tools fail to adequately predict the load distribution, and hence noise, of arbitrarily shaped rotors and fuselages.  The proposed effort directly supports NASA's mission of assisting the development of advanced rotorcraft by developing an innovative physics-based multidisciplinary tool for predicting rotorcraft aeroacoustics.  This tool, consisting of a fully coupled FUN3D CFD code, VorTran-M module and acoustic propagation model, will be able to address interactional aeroacoustics problems unique to rotorcraft, capturing rotor-fuselage interactions that lead to both structural vibration and undesirable interactional acoustics.  This effort will build upon recent work addressing critical issues such as numerical diffusion, grid generation, turbulence modeling and rotorcraft noise prediction and reduction at CDI, GIT and elsewhere.  The hybrid code will achieve TRL=4 during Phase I and TRL=7-8 by the end of Phase II.
NASA's exploration, science, and space operations systems are critically dependent on the hardware technologies used in their implementation.  Specifically, the performance and deployment of autonomous and computationally-intensive capabilities for space based observatories, orbiters, autonomous landing and hazard avoidance, autonomous rendezvous and capture, robotics, relative navigation, and command, control and communications systems are directly dependent on the availability of radiation-tolerant, high-performance, reconfigurable and adaptable, energy-efficient processor technology.

Coherent Logix, Incorporated proposes to develop a radiation tolerant HyperX technology based processor to address these critical needs.  This program will leverage more than $18M of previous investment by the Department of Defense.  Building on the research done in Phase I, the Phase 2 program will develop the radiation hardened by design (RHBD) HyperX. This will be followed in Phase 3 by the completion and productization to a TRL 8/9 of a Radiation Tolerant HyperX Processor.
NASA's future exploration missions focus on the manned exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond, which will rely heavily on the development of a reliable communications infrastructure from planetary surface-to-surface, surface-to-orbit and back to Earth. Flexible antennas are highly desired in many scenarios, such as pressurized rovers, pressurized habitats, space suits, and any other applications that require conformal profiles. Existing flexible electronics has an intrinsic low switching frequency due to their low carrier mobility.  The CNT network in solution we used has carrier mobility as high as 46770cm2/V?s and a large current-density carrying capacity of ~1000 mA/cm2, corresponding to a high carrying power of over 2000mW/cm2. Such high carrier mobility and large current carrying capacity allow us to achieve high-speed (&gt;100GHz), high power flexible electronic circuits and antennas. A prototype of a fully printed S-band 4-bit 2D (4x4) 16-element PAA on flexible substrate such as Kapton, including FET based T/R module and phase shifters will be developed and optimized. For the FETs working as switches/amplifiers, the switch speed, on-off ration, the gain, noise figure, insertion loss and power consumption will be significantly improved through finding better gate dielectric material, increasing the CNT purity and the optimizing the FET geometry including the channel length and the channel width. Performance features of the printed PAA will be characterized including frequency/bandwidth, gain/efficiency, and power consumption. To survive NASA's stressing environment, the operating temperature range will be investigated and the performance under shock and vibration will be evaluated. The humidity test and aging tests will also be carried out. Radiation hard test will also be carried out in Phase II under the program manager's guidance.
Los Gatos Research proposes to develop a powerful new technology - next generation Micro-Capillary Electrochromatography - a high performance and low power consumption microfluidic sample separation device suitable for separating organic molecules as signatures as past and present life on Mars. In this Phase II effort, we will refine this enabling new microfluidic technology that we have successfully demonstrated in Phase I in order to integrate with NASA Mars Organic Detector.
The continuation of concept development and test of a water-based, advanced Phase Change Material (PCM) heat sink is proposed.  Utilizing a novel material choice for both an expansion diaphragm and the PCM case itself, the PCM can accommodate both the expansion of the freezing water-based material and very low temperature of approximately -250F.  The water-based PCM itself would be non-toxic and non-flammable, but additives will be included to preclude deterioration of wither the PCM container or the diaphragm material.  The use of a water-based PCM gives the highest heat capacity for the mass.  This is highly limited due to the needs for portability as required for an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). The total heat capacity of an operational unit would be for 4 hour duration EVA use.  Through a logical progression of tasks including concept of operation formulation, requirements formulation, concept design reviews and detail design reviews that include design and thermal analysis using Thermal Desktop&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; models, this effort can progress from the TRL 3 achieved in Phase I to TRL 4-5.  The team will continue development by designing a Variable Conductance Interface (VCI) for protecting water in the Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG) from freezing due to the temperature of the heat sink used by the PCM. The team will also develop system improvements identified during Phase I testing.  The PCM will be tested to confirm heat input/temperature performance and cycling capability. The test bed will allow for accurate heat input knowledge, temperature monitoring and cycling capability. The results will be compared to the thermal model to ensure accurate prediction capability for the next phase unit and system implementation. The design description and test results would form the basis of the final report.
The total annual corrosion related costs in the US has been estimated at greater than $300 billion.  Much of these costs are associated with scraping and repainting of metals such as steel structures in the NASA launch platform and related support equipment.  Because of the staggering costs stemming from corrosion of steel infrastructure, there is a tremendous need to develop intelligent coatings that can perform numerous functions above those historically demanded of coatings.  Luna is addressing the need to enhance the service life of NASA vehicles and equipment through a multifunctional coating system.  This research program will develop robust, inexpensive coatings that are i) ultrahydrophobic as a first line of defense to repel water absorption and ii) self healing to replenish coating integrity after damage to yield long term corrosion resistance.  The technology developed on this program will decrease life cycle costs, reduce maintenance, and increase readiness by limiting equipment down-time.
The severity of the lunar dust problems encountered during the Apollo missions were consistently underestimated by ground tests, illustrating the need to develop significantly better lunar dust simulants and simulation facilities.  ORBITEC is proposing to continue developing high-fidelity lunar dust simulants that better match the unique properties of lunar dust than existing regolith simulants (such as JSC-1AF).  Current lunar regolith simulants do not have enough of the very fine particles, most lack the agglutinitic glass and complex surface textures that dominate lunar dust, and none of them have nanophase iron (Fe0).  High-fidelity lunar dust simulants approximate the size, morphology, composition, and other important properties of lunar dust (including nanophase Fe0).  High-fidelity lunar dust simulants are required to physically evaluate the effects of lunar dust on the operation of all Exploration Surface Systems and to verify the effectiveness of dust mitigation strategies and technologies.  During Phase 1, several prototype lunar dust simulants were created, samples of the prototype lunar dust simulants were delivered to NASA for characterization (TRL 4).  The proposed Phase 2 effort will refine and demonstrate the production process for lunar dust simulants that will be characterized and delivered to NASA for a variety of applications (TRL 6).
Single crystal piezoelectric deformable mirrors with high actuator density, fine pitch, large stroke and no floating wires will be developed for future NASA science and communications applications. Single crystal piezoelectric DMs share the fine pitch with co-fired electrostrictive or ceramic piezoelectric DMs and MEMS DMs, but with large stroke at relatively low voltages (&lt; 150 V) and with a broader operation temperature range (&lt; 20 K - &gt; 300K). Specifically,  a 32x32 actuator array with stroke &gt; 2 um, pitch of &lt; 1mm  and a 8x8 actuator array with stroke &gt; 12 um, pitch of &lt; 2mm will be developed for fine and coarse DMs. Actuator driving electronics will be scaled up to a multi-channel actuator driver and optimization of the design, facesheet mounting process and characterizations for deformable mirrors will be investigated.
With NASA's exploration initiative to return to Lunar Exploration and eventual human exploration of Mars, NASA has an increased need for advanced Autonomous Precision Landing and Hazard Detection and Avoidance solutions.  Scanning LADAR and stereo video have significant shortcoming while ASC's Flash LADAR 3D video cameras can provide frames of 3D data in real time at video rates.  The proposed high-sensitivity unit cell and ROIC enhances the sensitivity of ASC's standard ROIC by a very large factor as well as decreasing the associated unit cell area by a large factor. This enhancement reduces required laser power, reduces focal plane array power, allows PIN diode arrays to compete with APD detector arrays and increases the number of pixels possible in a given ROIC area.
	Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. (ASC) is a small business that has developed a number of 3D flash LADAR systems.  Flash Ladar Video Cameras (FLVC) are 3D vision systems that return range and intensity information for each pixel in real time.  The ASC camera with its 128x128 3D array is the equivalent of 16000 range finders on one chip.  This allows the sensor to act as a 3D video camera with functionality well beyond just range finding.  Its small size, low power and fast range data frame rate (30Hz) provides an ideal Landing and Hazard Detection and Avoidance sensor
The goal of the rHEALTH sensor is to provide rapid, low-cost, handheld complete blood count (CBC), cell differential counts, electrolyte measurements, and other lab tests based on a reusable, flow-based microfluidic platform.  For Phase II, we will develop an rHEALTH prototype to be delivered to NASA for reusable CBC, cell differential counts, and electrolyte measurements.  Each subassembly and individual assay will be tested individually prior to full integration into the system level prototype.  The rHEALTH sensor is a compact, portable device that employs cutting-edge fluorescence detection optics, innovative microfluidics, and unique capabilities.  Based on its streamlined design, the rHEALTH sensor is able to perform a suite of different assays using a single drop of blood.  Furthermore, the entire system allows cost-effective operation because of its nanoliter operating volumes.  This is in contrast to existing point-of-care diagnostics devices such as the iSTAT and Piccolo systems which only perform one panel of assays per disposable reagent cartridge.   The result is a highly practical, cost-effective, and powerful sensor.  The successful completion of the Phase II program is a significant milestone for our rHEALTH sensor.  It means that we would have been successful in shrinking hospital-sized clinical laboratory into a portable device.
An Adaptive Feedforward and Feedback Control (AFFC) Framework is proposed to suppress the aircraft's structural vibrations and to increase the resilience of the flight control law, in the presence of AE/ASE interactions. Specifically, the adaptive feedforward controller is designed to reduce any atmospheric induced structural vibrations of the aircraft. The adaptive feedback controller is applied as an additive perturbation of the flight control system to suppress any undesired AE/ASE interactions, and prevent the onset of Flutter/Limit Cycle Oscillation (LCO) instabilities within the flight envelope of a flexible aircraft.
The proposed research effort fits very well within the scope of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center topic "A1.10 Adaptive Structural Mode Suppression," specifically within the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) effort under the Aviation Safety Program. This research will help the original flight control system to robustly recover from or adjust easily to any unforeseen change during its normal operation due to AE/ASE interactions. In addition, practical concerns will deal with the minimal interference with the original rigid-body controller, as well as its feasible implementation using the standard controller's sampling rate frequency.
ZONA proposes a phase II effort to fully develop a comprehensive methodology for aeroelastic predictions of the nonlinear aerodynamic/aerothermodynamic - structure interaction (NANSI) on ballutes during hypersonic atmospheric entry, including potential surface wrinkling. 
A time-accurate Boltzmann aerodynamic flow solver, called BGKX, will first be extended to 3D geometries for inviscid /viscous hypersonic flows. BGKX is a robust, unified-Mach-number, all-altitude, viscous flow solver; it provides pressure and heat flux solutions in one step.  To handle the complex geometry of wrinkling ballutes, an advanced cartesian grid system, called gridless boundary condition cartesian (GBCC), will be implemented within BGKX.  Next, generalized reduced order models (ROM) of the BGKX aerodynamics and nonlinear structures will be established to handle ballute wrinkling and the complex flow. In addition to Direct physical coupling of the aerodynamics and structures, an aerodynamic ROM - structures ROM coupling procedure will be fully developed for efficient aeroelastic applications to wrinkled ballutes.  Lastly, we will evaluate the sensitivity of the ballute aeroelastic behavior in specific structural
features: the pre-tensioning of the ballute, its inflation, and the existence of structural properties variations around its circumference.  ZONA will work closely with the NASA monitor in phase II should an additional ballute configuration be considered.
The objective of Phase 2 is to build a reliable, lightweight, programmable, multi-mode, miniaturized EVA Software Defined Radio (SDR) that supports data telemetry, voice, standard and high-definition video.  The proposed radios would be part of an advanced, incrementally expandable wireless network for securing and accessing lunar data assets. For improved reliability and to assure stand-alone functionality, the network would support a real-time 3D location function using site-assisted navigation and utilizing TOA/TDOA methods.  To achieve unparalleled power consumption efficiency, Lexycom proposes the use of QoS-aware, data traffic dependent waveform selection.  We have estimated that additional reduction in power consumption can be obtained by utilizing cognitive selection of the operating mode of the EVA transceivers.  We plan to use an innovative RF packetization technique targeted toward eliminating negotiations between the network nodes prior to the change in the parameters of the transmitted signal on a packet-by-packet basis.  We anticipate that after the completion of Phase II, Lexycom will be more than capable of delivering production-ready operational EVA SDR prototypes for further advancements in the transceiver's Technology Readiness Level (TRL).  We strongly believe that such radio would facilitate flexibility, provide consistent functionality, and reduce implementation time for future NASA planetary explorations.
Future NASA missions require thermal control systems that can accommodate large changes in ambient temperature. The two essential aspects of an effective thermal interface material (TIM) are high compliance and high thermal conductivity.
Recent advances in propulsion, aerodynamic, and noise technologies have led to a revived interest in supersonic cruise aircraft; however, achieving economic viability for these vehicles requires dramatic improvements in cruise efficiency.  Optimization of inlet performance offers a potent method for achieving this goal, and a range of conceptual flow control systems are available to address critical problems like blockage, boundary layer bleed, duct length, and flow distortion.  By exploiting High Temperature Smart Memory Alloy (HTSMA) technologies, these concepts can be mechanized into robust, compact and lightweight devices, enabling actuators suitable integration into the inlets of supersonic aircraft.   The proposed effort leverages prior successful development of solid state smart structures by the investigators in developing of small scale surface-mounted flow control devices as well as large scale actuation systems for inlet ramp mechanisms actuated via HTSMA technology.  The proposed Phase II will build upon the Phase I proof of concept study to further develop a fully integrated active supersonic inlet system, including active inlet ramp and deployable flow control devices, as well as the aero/thermo/structural analysis models required to design such systems and subcomponents.  In addition, Phase II will be the continued refinement and characterization of actuator-ready HTSMAs.
Aero-assist technologies are used to control the velocity of exploration vehicles (EV) when entering earth or other planetary atmospheres. Since entry of EVs in planetary atmospheres results in significant heating, thermally stable aero-assist technologies are required to avoid the high heating rates while maintaining low mass.
Active Signal Technologies and its subcontractor Moog propose to develop a high-frequency actuator driven valve intended to achieve TRL 6 by the end of Phase II. This active control component will be capable of modulating fuel flow at multiple injection locations with minimum fuel pressure drop and thus enable critical improvements in aerospace vehicle turbine engine combustion dynamics, notably mitigation of thermo-acoustic instabilities. These instabilities have impeded development of advanced lean-burning combustors for reduction of NOx emissions and improvements in combustion efficiency. While passive approaches to control combustion instability have been successful on particular new engine designs, the ultimate solution is active combustion control where the greatest challenges are the bandwidth (1 kHz) and system temperature requirements. The Phase-I goal is to demonstrate that these are achievable by designing and building a proof-of-principle system complete with high-frequency, high-temperature actuator and valve. Active Signal has selected Terfenol as the most suitable actuator material and will apply 25 plus years of actuator, valve and pump experience to meet the goals. The system will be tested against pressure and flow requirements to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach before fabricating a prototype suitable for the GRC test stand in Phase II.