Our innovative reaction sphere (Doty pending patent application serial
number 61/164,868) has the potential to provide much higher performance
than a conventional reaction wheel with substantially fewer resources.
Using our proposed technology, a single reaction sphere can control
three axes, substantially reducing mass, power, and cost when compared
to a three wheel system. This device has no bearings: its spherical
rotor is suspended within the stator by magnetic forces. Magnetic
suspension reduces jitter, especially in a station-keeping mode where
the torque and suspension forces can be reduced to a minimum. With
clearances of ~1 mm and no critical balance requirements, this device
has very loose mechanical tolerances, further reducing cost.  For
initial development we propose a version suitable for control of a 1-3
kg Cubesat. At this scale, where spacecraft moments of inertia are very
small, our low jitter torque, simplicity, and low cost are most
advantageous. We also believe this approach is most likely to lead to an
early flight opportunity.
Sample and return missions desire and missions like Saturn Observer require a low power Hall thruster that can operate at high thrust to power as well as high specific impulse in order to close mission time, mass and delta velocity requirements.  This type of thruster is commonly referred to as a dual mode Hall thruster.  While the traditional geometry commonly used in a Hall thruster can achieve relatively high Isp operation, they are limited in their ability to achieve much better than 80mN/kW thrust to power.  While values of 90-100 mN/kW have been reported they are achieve at by running the thruster at significantly reduce input power.  A true dual mode thruster, one that delivers maximum thrust at the thruster design power, must depart from conventional Hall thruster design approaches.

In Phase I SBIR Busek will demonstrate a true dual mode thruster that capitalizes on innovative scaling of the plasma discharge and a number of technologies unique to Busek.  Our baseline approach is a double discharge cavity 600W thruster with high Isp inner thruster nested inside a high T/P outer thruster the latter capable of 100mN/kW.
NASA has identified polymer matrix composites (PMCs) as a critical need
for launch and in-space vehicles, but the significant costs of such
materials limits their use.  This proposal addresses the need for lower
cost PMCs through the development of discontinuous fiber reinforced
polymer composites with an in-situ grown carbon nanotube 3-D network
that will translate to less expensive components with properties
approaching those of continuous fiber reinforced polymers.  The use of
microwave processing will further reduce costs and improve the
properties such that the Phase I and 2 efforts could lead to the
implementation of these composites for a multitude of applications for
which they are currently deemed too expensive.  Ceralink will team with
Florida International University, who will perform the in-situ growth of
carbon nanotubes, and HITCO Carbon Composites, who will evaluate the
developed materials and provide an assessment of technical and
commercial viability.  It is anticipated that a technology readiness
level of 4 will be achieved by the end of the Phase I program.
Planetary exploration missions require electronics packaging that can
withstand extreme temperatures and numerous temperature cycles (-230C to
+350C). The present project proposes a novel metallized ceramic
substrates that could potentially withstand these temperature extremes
and serve as reliable packaging platforms. Phase I research will be
aimed at confirming this - new metallized ceramic substrates will be
subjected to severe thermal cycling tests and any change in
metallization adhesion to ceramic or change in electrical properties
will be quantified. If Phase I is successful, we will proceed to
addressing the other important issues, like etching, plating, wire
bonding and die bonding to new substrates to result in a demonstrator
package capable of withstanding the extreme thermal cycling.
NASA space exploration vehicles are trending to higher pulse power, energy capacity levels and cycle life in order to meet exponentially increasing performance and lifespan requirements. As the demand for on-board power and total energy-storage capacity has continued to increase, there has been an increasing trend towards the use of battery technologies with higher energy- and power-density potential. Although substantial advancements have been made in this class of batteries over the past ten years by both domestic and foreign suppliers, substantial limitations still exist in: energy and power densities, operational temperature limits, safety, and lifecycle and lifetime performance.  To address this need, ADA Technologies, Inc. proposes the use of advanced nanocomoposite electrodes and ionic liquid electrolytes to enable increased performance and safety in lithium-ion batteries as compared to state-of-the-art devices.  The high capacity, high rate capability and high cycle life performance potential of the proposed advanced nanocomposite electrodes in combination with the inherent non-volatility and non-flammability of ionic liquids holds substantial potential in meeting this objective.  This proposed project will result in improved specific energy and power, wider operation temperature ranges, inherently safer operation, and excellent storage / cycle life as compared to current Li-ion batteries.
NASA has a cross-project need for large format aspheric x-ray optics, which, demonstrate exceptionally low periodic surface errors. Available technologies to both measure and fabricate such surfaces are limited and have not been demonstrated to the precision required. The special requirements contemplated by future x-ray observatory missions include far off-axis hyperbolic and parabolic mirror segments used in nested Wolter Type-1 x-ray telescopes. Such mirrors are to be produced by replication on convex mandrels to meet aggressive manufacturing cost goals, however doing so will require breakthroughs in process, manufacturing and testing technologies.

In 2008-9, Aperture Optical Sciences Inc. designed and built a unique custom cylindrical grinding and polishing machine and delivered this machine to a customer for the automated production of cylinder optics. The machine embodied a fundamental technology that could be applied toward the low-cost production of x-ray optics mandrels including a fully scalable ? large tool computer controlled platform and an algorithmic approach to figure correction using programmable motion and pressure control.  Our proposed work would model the adaptation of this machine design and would model the technology and parametric machine controls required to produce full-aperture mirrors having low amplitude periods across the full power spectrum of interest.
Los Gatos Research, Inc. (LGR) and Professor Martin Fejer and his group at Stanford University propose to develop and demonstrate a compact, monolithic, efficient, high-power, narrow-linewidth tunable laser source operating in the 3.2-3.4 um wavelength region. LGR's mid-infrared (mid-IR) light source, based on a fiber-laser pumped monolithic optical parametric oscillator (OPO) developed at Stanford, will assist NASA in completing its trace-gas-detection objectives by supplying NASA with a critical, difficult-to-obtain laser source suitable for continuous-wave (cw) spectroscopy. During Phase I, LGR and Stanford will manufacture a monolithic OPO crystal, using techniques established by Stanford, generating between 1-2 W of single-frequency radiation between 3.2-3.4 um. At the end of Phase I, the OPO system will be used to measure transmission through a 50-cm-long methane cell (manufactured by LGR) at wavelengths corresponding to the C-H stretch vibrational resonance, 3.3 um. Technology readiness level (TRL) 4 will be reached at the completion of Phase I. During Phase II, remote detection of methane will be performed using a methane cell and measuring the backscattered light from the cell as the OPO mid-IR frequency is scanned ~5 GHz. The size of the housing for the monolithic OPO will be designed to reduce the overall size and weight of the mid-IR-laser head. Fiber-coupling for the incoming pump and the outgoing mid-IR radiation will be added to the OPO housing enabling simple fiber delivery. Modeling of the system sensitivity in ppm of methane will be performed for the final remote sensing system for ground-, air-, and space-based operation.
Aurora Flight Sciences proposes to develop a system for robust engine control based on incremental sampling, specifically Rapidly-Expanding Random Tree (RRT) algorithms. In this concept, the task of accelerating or decelerating the engine is treated as a path planning exercise.  The control system actively searches for actuator inputs that allow the engine to traverse power settings without entering undesired regions of operation. The search is based on the sequential construction of control actions that satisfy feasibility constraints given the system dynamics. These algorithms have been proven to converge to the optimal solution through repeated iteration. RRTs allow for an efficient search of the solution space, reducing the computational expense of determining the best sequence of inputs with which to control the engine.  This allows an efficient, online method for an engine to adapt and recalibrate to unexpected operational conditions.
Cryogenic fluid management (CFM) is a critical technical area needed for successful development of Mars architectures.  The biggest challenge is the storage of cryogenic propellants for long durations.  These propellants have boiling points well below the environmental temperatures of earth orbit or Mars; as such, the tanks must be regularly vented to prevent over pressurization if they are not well insulated.  Such venting would cause unacceptable propellant losses for the long-duration missions to Mars. Aspen Aerogels proposes to develop a multifunctional thermal insulation system that offers micrometeoroid orbital debris (MMOD) protection and inherent radiation shielding to meet NASA's CFM needs.  Low density and resilient aerogel materials will be developed to provide the needed thermal and MMOD protection for space cryotank applications.  The aerogels developed will have inherent radiation shielding components.  Development of the proposed novel multifunctional system will provide NASA with a long-term cryogenic fluid management solution for space applications.
Innoflight will develop a new family of radiation hardened (up to 3 Mrad(Si)), fault-tolerant, high data-rate (up to 8 Gbps), low power Gigabit Ethernet PHY and Switch chips to meet a critical need in the space industry.  Modern spacecraft payloads demand high throughput while maintaining extremely high levels of reliability and fault tolerance.  Currently, no standardized protocols presently offer space-level products that provide gigabit-class throughputs.  One-off protocols have many drawbacks including long development times, high potential for error, a lack of existing materials, and do not lend themselves to easy prototyping since COTS products are unavailable.   

These chips will retain the power of using the Ethernet standard but will be extended in an innovative way that will allow data rates up to 8 Gbps per port but will still be compatible with ground hardware for development purposes.  Through automated fault monitoring the PHY chip will be automatically detect link failures and the only adverse effect will be a reduction in throughput.
Existing photocathode-based technologies for visible and UV instruments lack sensitivity, are bulky, and have limited reliability. Solid-state silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are efficient, light, and reliable, but the front-illuminated designs demonstrated to date have poor UV response, limited sensitive area, and limited optical fill-factor. In the proposed program, back-illuminated, back-thinned SiPMs optimized for UV response and scalable tiling over very large areas will be developed for observation of air showers from ultra-high energy cosmic rays (JEM-EUSO) as well as for visible-wavelength spectrographic and photometric instruments planned for future telescopes (OWL). Short-wavelength light is absorbed near the surface of a silicon detector, and moving the optical entry surface to the back side of the wafer will enhance UV response by ensuring that all photocarriers from UV photons are generated on the correct side of the junction for efficient avalanche multiplication. Placing the optical entry surface on the back of the wafer will also improve optical fill factor because it will no longer be necessary to shine light through the quench resistor network on the front surface of the detector. Lastly, back-thinning the detector wafer will significantly reduce the mass per unit area of the focal plane array. In Phase I, SiPMs will be back-thinned to demonstrate enhanced UV response, and edge-buttable SiPM arrays that make optimal use of a standard 22-mm CMOS reticle will be designed. In Phase II, large-area back-illuminated SiPMs will be fabricated and demonstrated.
Voxtel anticipates that its technology will enter the program at TRL=3, finish Phase I at TRL=5 or 6 (goal), and exit the Phase II program at TRL=7.
Auscultation, or listening to internal sounds made by the body of a patient, is an important tool in medical diagnostics.  Heart, lung, intestine, and circulatory function can be assessed through careful listening.  There are numerous situations, however, where the faint sounds collected using an ordinary stethoscope are overwhelmed by ambient noise.  Such is the case in spacecraft, where room is scarce and noise generating equipment is always nearby.  Here, a stethoscope employing laser Doppler vibrometry is proposed.  Through an innovative design employing adaptive filtering, the new-technology stethoscope will provide immunity to external noise while providing conventional auscultation sounds for easy interpretation by medical professionals.  Phase I and Phase II development will result in a system that is lightweight, rugged, efficient, and compact, making it suitable for use in space.  The system will provide enhanced medical care for astronauts in space, allowing auscultation sounds to be transmitted back to mission control medical personnel despite the high levels of ambient noise present in the spacecraft.
The main objective of this research effort is to develop a higher order unsteady turbulent flow solver based on the FDV method, and to exploit its attributes of spanning the whole Mach number range.

The well known advantages of the implicit FEM will be inherited along with robust boundary conditions implementation and sound mathematical bases. Efficient parallelization, using MPI through domain decomposition and EBE solution, and supporting unstructured grids will make this effort a long-term investment tool, since all these gained advantages are desirable in virtually every NASA aerodynamics application.
To this end, modularization of the in-house developed computer code will be extended to support higher order elements, namely; quadratic, cubic, and eventually spectral elements. The developed higher order code will be tested at various flow conditions starting from the incompressible limit
to high supersonics, and including subsonics and transonics.
An indoor environment for simulating airspace operations will be
designed. Highly maneuverable subscale vehicles can be used to simulate
the dynamics of full-scale vehicles by applying software limiters on
their rates. Multiple vehicles can operate autonomously or can be
coordinated through centralized control. The effects of weather on
system throughput can be assessed by monitoring movements in the
controlled environment, Faults related to communication, detection and
vehicle performance can be inserted into the system, to assess the
robustness of proposed airspace concepts.   We are particularly
interested in the impact of UAVs in the NAS. Automated separation
assurance schemes are essential for UAV integration. The indoor
environment is ideally suited to prove out both airborne and
ground-based approaches to separation assurance. Beyond this particular
motivation for developing this test facility, evaluation of novel
algorithms for trajectory design and innovative communication concepts
can be assessed safely and cost-effectively in this environment. The key
innovation is the environment in which vehicles and airspace
technologies can be assessed. We are not proposing innovation in the
technologies themselves. Furthermore, we think that the key elements of
the environment are already available, but they have not been assembled
into a system that supports airspace simulation. The innovation is
primarily system integration, with some customization of the various
elements so that interaction between elements is representative of
full-scale airspace operations.
The harsh radiation environment anticipated during the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) presents a significant challenge to develop radiation-hardened notional instruments.  A high-performance, radiation-tolerant detector is required for the time-of-flight laser altimeter system on the Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO), which will perform critical characterization of Europa's topography, ocean tides, and ice shelf.  Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are conventionally chosen as detectors for standard laser altimeter systems.  However, the performance of APDs degrades significantly after exposure to high levels of radiation.  Aerius Photonics proposes to develop a novel radiation-tolerant detector that is suitable for use in space-based laser-altimeter systems by integrating a Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (VCSOA) with a PIN photodetector.  The resulting device, known as a Vertical-Cavity Amplifying Detector (VCAD), is expected to provide high-gain, high-speed, low-noise detection and demonstrate significant improvements in radiation tolerance over APDs. The optical preamplification provided by the VCSOA, along with its operation as a forward-biased majority-carrier device, renders the VCAD system insensitive to radiation-induced increases in detector dark current noise and receiver electronics noise.  The VCAD is also expected to be significantly less susceptible to single event transients (SETs) than an APD.  Aerius Photonics has expertise in VCSOA development and has already demonstrated basic radiation tolerance of VCSOAs to 300 krad with gamma radiation and to 300 krad with 63 MeV protons.  In Phase I of this program, Aerius will design, fabricate and characterize VCADs that have been exposed to a more comprehensive radiation test plan that will include conditions anticipated on the EJSM.
During this program, Fiber Materials, Inc. (FMI) will develop practical methods for preparing Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) materials for joining thermal protection system segments and penetrations of the heat shield assembly. Current and future mission flight environments and designs, such as those for Mars Science Laboratory Aeroshell (MSLA) and anticipated for New Frontiers and Mars EDL missions, will be assessed. Capability of the developed solution(s) will address mechanical and thermal robustness, and performance under representative mission heating environment. The Phase 1 program evaluated candidate joining and gap-fill materials, and assessed joining design approaches for cost effective manufacturability and assembly. Material joining design, assembly methodology and material test performance was documented. The Phase 2 program will utilize materials developed during the Phase 1 program to test performance under representative environment(s). A down-selected material-joining approach will result in the design and fabrication of a mission-specific PICA sub-assembly. The prototype sub-assembly will demonstrate assembly methods and the prototype materials will be utilized for characterization and performance testing. The proposed materials, designs and methods are TRL &lt;=3. It is anticipated that TRL=&gt;6 will be achieved at the conclusion of a successful phase 2 program.
This proposed Phase II program builds on the Phase I effort addressing NASA's future mission requirements by: 1) developing higher performing TPS materials capable of meeting the demands of multiple severe mission trajectories; and 2) integrating TPS materials with the sub-structure to improve overall robustness and decrease mass.  The program's goal is to extend Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) and Fiber Materials, Inc. (FMI&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt;) Integrated Composite Structure (ICS) TPS materials to a broader range of flight heat fluxes and mission performance requirements to address future heatshield design needs.  Specific mission enabling improvements sought by NASA that will be developed and/or demonstrated under this Phase II program include: preform/component size, ablation performance, thermal insulation performance, efficient and extendable assembly process, and net-shape preform casting.
In this Phase II project, Kaitech proposes to develop and demonstrate a Water Properties Sensor (WPS) sensing system to synchronously measure the spectral inherent and apparent optical properties and the physical properties of oceanic, coastal, and fresh water. This single instrument will provide oceanographers with a small, easy to deploy, affordable, and adaptable integrated sensing system to collect and measure geospatial information of the in situ water's fundamental marine processes.
The work proposed herein is to demonstrate that the higher temperature capabilities of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) can be fully utilized to reduce emissions and improve fuel consumption in gas turbine engines.  The work involves closely coupling aerothermal and structural analyses for the first stage vane of a high pressure turbine (HPT).  These vanes are actively cooled, typically using film cooling.  Ceramic materials have different structural and thermal properties than conventional metals used for the first stage HPT vane.  Vane configurations which satisfy CMC structural strength and life constraints, while maintaining vane aerodynamic efficiency and increasing mainstream gas temperature for improved engine performance will be identified. The proposed work will examine modifications to vane internal and external configurations to achieve the desired objectives.  Thermal and pressure stresses are equally important, and both will be analyzed.  Three dimensional fluid and heat transfer analyses will be used to determine vane aerodynamic performance and heat load distributions.
In this proposed Phase II program, builds on the phase I feaibility where  a multifunctional lightweight radiation shield composite was developed and fabricated. This structural radiation shielding is high strength, syntactic polymeric where the polymer is filled with high strength low Z material. The phase II program will provide radiation modeling and testing for these new structural radiation solutions as well as a physical property database for using them in space habitats.  The Phase II program will address issues including flammability, attachment, and incorporation of these new materials into existing and future space habitat designs.  The accumulation of the phase II program will be prototype components that can be tested at TRL level 5 or flown for TRL level 6.
Maxion Technologies, Inc. (Maxion) proposes to develop and field test a Carbon Monoxide (CO)-sensor prototype for post fire cleanup and CO detection. The sensor will have the dynamic range required to detect and monitor CO from approximately 1 to 500 ppmv with a resolution to 1 ppmv. Maxion will grow, fabricate and test a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) at a unique single-mode wavelength ideal for CO detection. Maxion will team with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) to integrate the QCL into PSI's Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) platform.  

The WMS sensor board, previously developed for near-IR lasers, will be redesigned to accommodate QCL lasers. The QCL will be specially designed and fabricated for minimum power consumption. In Phase 1 the QCL was incorporated into the WMS platform and tested on a breadboard level. The breadboard sensor demonstrated the necessary dynamic range and easily surpassed the required minimum sensitivity. A Phase II prototype design was made based on the Phase I results for which dynamic range, sensitivity, SWaP, and operation with a high degree of reliability, minimal maintenance, and self-calibration under varying humidity and ambient pressures are primary design features. The sensor prototype will be tested in a relevant environment with controlled burns at a NASA test facility. Upon successful completion of all field tests, the TRL will be 6 at the end of Phase II.
We propose herein to augment current NASA spaceflight dynamics programs with algorithms and software from three domains.  First, we use parameter continuation methods to assist in computation of trajectories in complicated dynamical situations.  Numerical parameter continuation methods have been used extensively to compute a menagerie of structures in dynamical systems including fixed points, periodic orbits, simple bifurcations and invariant manifolds.  Perhaps more important for the current work, such methods have already proven their worth in flight dynamics problems, especially those having to do with the complicated dynamics near libration points.  Second, we propose to use Continuous Mechanics and Optimal Control (CMOC).   Algorithms based the CMOC formalism promises to support optimal trajectory design using both discrete and continuous control.  Third, we propose to use advanced filtering techniques and representations of probability density functions to appropriately compute and manage the uncertainty in the trajectories. While advanced methods for understanding and leveraging the underlying dynamics are clearly necessary for effective mission design, planning, and analysis, we contend that they do not suffice.  In particular, they do not, in and of themselves, address the issue of uncertainty.
Herein we discuss methods that balance the accuracy of the uncertainty representation against computational tractability.
Research is proposed for the development of a state-of-the-art computational aeroelastic tool. This tool will include various levels of fidelity and the ability to perform computational uncertainty quantification for data-driven risk analysis and certification. A number of novel reduced-order in time methods will be implemented into the code allowing for efficient and accurate aeroelastic simulation which will enable both the exploration of complex physics, point design and fast generation of "training data" for reduced order spatial aeroelastic models. The various levels of fidelity available in the code for aeroelastic modeling will range from CFD-based (both grid-based and a novel particle-based method) simulation to reduced-order aeroelastic models based upon Volterra series representations and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). The application of the proposed innovations spans the range of flight, from high-speed transport vehicles, to small-scale, flapping Micro-Air vehicles. Anticipated results include 1) the further validation and implementation of the proposed novel time-reduced order models into the existing ASTE-P solver framework (which already includes the various level fidelity mentioned above), 2) application of the proposed work to large-scale simulation and comparison with experiment, and 3) advancement of the state of knowledge for nonlinear problems in aeroelasticity in both the subsonic, low Reynolds number regime and transonic high Reynolds number regime.
VIP Sensors proposes to develop a Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor Array System for measuring air flow pressure at multiple points on the skin of aircrafts for Flight Load Test applications. The array consists of multiple micro-miniature optical MEMS pressure sensors interconnected by a common optic fiber to an Interrogation Module located inside the airplane. 
The proposed optical pressure sensors are practically flat, light weight, fully passive (no electrical power), and EMI/RFI immune, they exhibit superior performance regarding accuracy, dynamic range and noise. They are inherently self identifiable; the interrogation system knows what data belongs to what sensor.
The proposed sensor array technology is applicable to different types of optical sensors (accelerometers, strain, temperature, etc). Each sensor in the array is designed to work at preset optical wavelengths; they are read by the Interrogation Module using Wave Division and Time Division Multiplexing.
Testing of aircrafts requires a large numbers of sensors. Each sensor needs four to six wires to interconnect to signal conditioners. For large measuring systems, this means very large numbers of wires that add weight and occupy space.
The proposed FO sensor  array system not only has the potential to significantly improve pressure measurements for Flight Load Testing, but its novel  technology of micro-miniature networking  sensors will benefit many other aircraft ground and flight testing applications.
The objective of this activity is to develop a quantitative NDE
simulation tool for computed tomography suitable for desktop work using
realistic geometry descriptions of complex anisotropic geometry. The
increasing demands on NDE to address inspection reliability in the area
of health monitoring and remaining life assessment demand that
quantitative engineering tools be available so that cost effect
engineering analysis on inspectibility limits and optimal inspection
protocols be done.  Most NDE techniques, as they move to a more digital
format, generate terabytes of data for a single scan.  X-ray methods
generally have high computational needs.  Until recently extracting
information from massive data sets was impossible due to limited
computation capabilities.  By applying the emerging massively parallel
graphic processing cards (GPU) to a CT simulation, SimCT, we have a
means to address the quantitative modeling in an important NDE method
needed to characterize materials in support of health monitoring
activities.  The computational techniques using GPU platforms and the
data analysis methods developed in the x-ray area apply to any NDE
method.  This R&amp;amp;D effort will develop a GPU implementation of the
key subroutine in SimCT and demonstrate the capability to handle NDE
simulation needs using complex geometry in near real time.
Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) proposes technology development to manufacture monolithic, lightweight silicon carbide corrugated mirrors (SCCM) suitable for NASA space telescopes.  The manufacturing process for SCCM integrates Trex's patented CVC SiC process technology with ITT's corrugated mirror design.  The former technology CVC SiC has been shown to yield an excellent, highly mechanically and thermally stable mirror substrate material, while the latter corrugated mirror concept has been utilized to rapidly and inexpensively fabricate glass mirrors.  The SCCM process forms a hollow, closed back corrugated mirror blank by sequentially depositing thin (1-3mm thick) CVC SiC layers onto appropriately designed sacrificial graphite mandrels, which are removed subsequently by burnout in an oxidizing high temperature furnace.  Nominally, the hollow SCCM then consists of mirror facesheet layer, a corrugated interior layer and a backsheet layer, each intimately chemically bonded with each other by the CVC SiC layer-on-layer deposition process.  The result is a monolithic, highly stiff, mechanically and thermally stable mirror substrate suitable for visible, UV, EUV, x-ray and infrared telescopes.  Furthermore, because of the unique fabrication process, minimal after deposition grinding is required, resulting in a cost-effective, rapid deposition process.
The proposed research focuses on the development of a new adaptive
control methodology for active control of wing aerodynamic shape to
effect distributed aerodynamic forces and moments for maneuvering and
stabilization of flexible airframes without moving control surfaces.
The new aero-effected flight control will be achieved using output
feedback adaptive control of distributed bleed across aerodynamic
surfaces, and is particularly suited for high-altitude long endurance
vehicles.  The large-area air bleed is driven by the inherent pressure
differences in flight across the pressure and suction wing surface, and
is regulated by low-power, surface-integrated louver valves.  Our
previous basic research in adaptive control has stressed the ability to
model and cancel the effect of uncertainty in output regulation.  We
also have developed methods for adaptation in the presence of nonlinear
actuation, which includes such effects as actuator saturation.  These
tools are currently being employed in the study of active flow control
using synthetic jet actuation, and will be adapted to the problems that
are unique to improving aeroelastic performance and active damping of
airframe-propulsion-structure interactions using distributed bleed.
Phase I will focus on advancing the state of the art in output feedback
adaptive control, and demonstration of the capability of aero-bleed to
control the dynamic modes of a flexible lifting surface.  These efforts
will be integrated in Phase-II by using an adaptive controller to
regulate a flexible wing flown in three degrees of freedom in a wind
tunnel experiment, using an existing traverse mechanism.  Another option
is to use Atair Aerospace's LEAPP vehicle to flight test a highly
flexible wing design.  Additional Phase-II and Phase-III transition
possibilities include coordinated research efforts with Boeing related
to the DARPA Vulture vehicle, and/or with AeroVironment related to the
Global Observer vehicle.
GTL has already made substantial progress in developing and validating the BHL&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; technology for application to cryotanks.  Earlier coupon testing of the temperature-dependent material properties confirmed the potential of the BHL technology to eliminate the microcracking issue.  This was followed by the fabrication and cryo-pressure cycle testing of small BHL cylinders.  No laminate leaks or degradation were detected in a test with more than 40 cryo-pressure cycles.
  While other efforts are exploring the reliability aspects of the BHL technology at larger scales, the proposed effort will focus on evaluating the long-term cryogenic propellant storage capabilities of the BHL technology.  Specifically, this effort will include initial tests to examine the implications of long-term oxygen exposure on the BHL laminate as the first step towards validating the technology for long-term NASA exploration and other missions.  
  The effort will also refine the BHL laminate design to optimize it for long-term cryogenic propellant storage.  This will include an effort to increase the insulating capability of the structural laminate to minimize the need for secondary insulation.  A small BHL cylinder shall be fabricated using these refinements as a proof-of-concept.
Today, the ability of sensors to generate geographical data is virtually limitless.  Although NASA now provides (together with other agencies such as the USGS)  a capability for accessing, manipulating, and visualizing these data, an enormous gap still exists between the sensor data and the visualization capability, largely due to the rapid technological advances with respect to desktop visualization of large datasets.  The challenge addressed in this research is to develop new methods for automating the access and processing of raw sensor data, sharing data and methods among researchers, and integrating visualization throughout the process.  To meet this challenge, we will develop two new innovations: Geo-Cloud and COAST HPGIS. 

Geo-Cloud is the distributed network environment that maintains connectivity between a geo-browser and Geo-Resources (sensor data, GIS datasets, models, simulations, and metadata).  The Geo-Cloud maintains all metadata (and ontology) required to efficiently catalog, locate, store, access, and update Geo-Resources.  The significance of the Geo-Cloud creation is that it is a highly performing, scalable, network environment that encompasses: 1) a high performance cloud computing (HPCC) environment, and 2) geographical context (HPGIS) whereby users can store, access, and manipulate extensive geographical resources.  The Geo-Cloud provides virtualized access to Internet2 and supercomputing resources for processing very large datasets and simulations.

COAST HPGIS is an enhanced version of the NASA COAST product which is based on the NASA World Wind geo-browser.  COAST HPGIS includes plug-ins, overlays, and interfaces for COAST in order to enable interaction with the Geo-Cloud for real-time visualization of temporal and parametric simulations and models.
Due to increased complexity of spacecraft and longer expected life, more sophisticated and complex thermal management schemes are needed that will be capable of dissipating a wide variety of heat loads under harsh operating conditions. An optimal thermal control system must effectively vary the amount of heat dissipation while at the same time not burdening the spacecraft by utilizing the extremely limited spacecraft resources, such as mass, volume, or power.  
Several previous thermal control systems have successfully utilized movable louver and pinwheel type designs for enabling thermal control.  Each type of louver system has the drawback of utilizing moving parts that can break or bind, and only enable course thermal control.  A much better approach would be to have a conformal, flexible type louver system. The CAC system implements a variable thermal control system that consists of a thin membrane (&lt; 1mm) that is comprised of a plurality of small electrostaticly operated "louvers" that can be adjusted to varying degrees of inclination for variable heat rejection. The flexible electrostatic  variable emissivity louver membrane is not only extremely lightweight, but also has the added benefit of being completely conformal to a spacecraft surface.
Two primary paths are available for the creation of a Rad-Hard ASIC.  The first approach is to use a radiation hardened process such as existing Rad-Hard foundries.  These foundries use special processing steps to decrease the total ionizing dose issues, but do not reduce the single event effects.  The second approach is to use a special standard cell library containing hardening techniques that can be built on a standard state-of-the-art commercial foundry.  This cell library must compensate for the unhardened foundry by using special layout techniques to retain the ability to operate through the total ionizing dose experienced in the radiation environments.  These techniques are generally referred to as radiation hardened-by-design layout techniques (RHBD).   For hardening of the circuit architectures against upsets from the single event effects, both the commercial and the Rad-Hard foundries must incorporate some type of mitigation scheme requiring special transistor interconnects or redundant nodes.  This program will fill this void, providing the space community with the ability to easily acquire the RHBD Micro-RDC standard cell libraries for use with commercial ASIC design flows. The library will include a full suite of IO pads designed by Micro-RDC and successfully implemented in test chip designs at 90nm and 65nm.  Finally, a portion of the custom via programmable structured ASIC fabric designed by Micro-RDC and Viasic will be made available to the library users.  This fabric can be embedded into a design which can be modified and reprogrammed by generating just via 3 mask layer, which can lead to a substantial cost savings over a complete new ASIC design. This program will allow Micro-RDC to transform its custom libraries into synthesis libraries, and enable other companies the opportunity to use a proven and fully characterized RHBD ASIC cell library and suite of Mega Cell hard IP for rapidly developing spaceborne systems.
Hydrogen is an essential resource for space missions. NASA has a need
for equipment to generate, handle and store hydrogen. In terms of
handling hydrogen, conventional rotating mechanical pumps and
compressors require extensive modification and have limited reliability.
Electrochemical pumping and compression of hydrogen occurs without any
moving parts and is highly reliable and efficient. Sustainable
Innovations has demonstrated up to 6,000 psi of compression using
electrochemical cell hardware. However, for high flow applications, such
as a 6 CFM hydrogen pump for NASA, a departure from traditional
electrochemical cell hardware designs is needed. The proposed Expandable
Modular Architecture cell design, allows a large variable footprint for
the electrochemical stack. This is achieved using modular cell parts to
create large active area cells. The modular parts are inexpensive to
manufacture and can achieve the high tolerances need for large active
area cells.  The proposed Phase I activity will demonstrate a single
cell Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump &amp;amp; Compressor (EHPC) using the EMA
design to validate the modularity of the cell components. The ability to
stack large active area cells will also be demonstrated with a four cell
EHPC. For both pieces of cell hardware, cycling a pneumatic device will
be demonstrated. A manufacturing study will also be undertaken to
validate the compatibility of the EMA design with cost reduction
pathways. This will facilitate establishing the design criteria for a
3-4 CFM  1,000 psi EHPC to be constructed on Phase II
The Microcosm X-ray pulsar-based navigation and timing (XNAV) team will provide the software and modeling infrastructure for NASA to support XNAV operations, focusing on detailed X-ray source modeling.  These models can be used to evaluate the potential of using measurements of photon energy and/or aperiodic sources to improve XNAV performance.  Key goals are:  characterize X-ray sources for navigation purposes; automate pulse shape catalogue tools; automate XNAV/pulsar noise prediction tools; aperiodic source evaluation; photon energy performance enhancement; create integrated catalogs of XNAV guide stars and XNAV-applicable aperiodic sources; identify and document the key periodic X-ray source characteristics impacting the performance of the XNAV instruments and system.  This comprehensive characterization categorizes and provides the necessary parameters regarding these celestial sources that make them beneficial for spacecraft navigation.  Based upon past research work, specific information about each unique X-ray source must be attained in order for the source to yield its optimum capabilities.  We will identify the appropriate parameters for characterizing aperiodic or transient sources for their use in navigation.   Additionally, the existing X-ray source catalogue will be updated and enhanced.  Phase II will focus on implementing these source models in detailed XNAV simulations and potentially creating flight software versions of these models.
This development will provide an inexpensive vacuum nozzle manufacturing option for NOFBX&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; monopropellant systems that are currently being developed under NASA SBIR funding. NOFBX&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; is non toxic and utilizes a much simpler monopropellant feed system architecture. Furthermore NOFBX&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; meets the criteria for a non-toxic propellants that will meet NASA's performance targets (as indicated by high specific impulse and high specific impulse density) while improving safety and reducing handling operations as compared to current state-of-the-art hydrazine-based propellants. During the proposed effort we will develop CC composite in-space nozzles for use on 100lbf class NOFBX&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; thrusters. 
We have built the first CC composite rocket nozzle prototype that does not require autoclaving or CVD/CVI processes. In fact our process is more akin to typical carbon fiber lay-up standards than that of typical CC composites manufacturing methods.
Intelligent Automation, Inc. proposes a robust SA architecture that uses
integrated airborne and ground-based SA concepts such that SA functions
are switched between airborne or ground-based activity as the system
monitors traffic, network characteristics such as data drop rates and
latency, and time to Loss of Separation (LOS).   The uniqueness of an
integrated air-ground SA concept is that the SA functional roles are
changed between the SA stakeholders (i.e., ATC, Pilot and service
providers) to maintain robustness of the SA performance under degraded
network conditions. The proposed SA architecture consists of a Network
and SA Performance Metric Monitor (PMM), which monitors short-horizon
performance metrics of the network and the currently used SA concept. It
also consists of an Air-Ground Concept Manager (AGCM), which decides if
one or multiple SA concepts are to be applied in a given airspace (i.e.,
center, flow corridor or transition airspace) based on the observed and
estimated network and SA performance metrics. The proposed mechanism
consists of dividing airspace into SA sectors, where SA activity in each
sector is managed based on a single SA concept. The approach delineates
the SA functions or roles between the stakeholders for each SA sector
and addresses the transfer of control between the SA stakeholders as the
aircraft flies through the SA sectors.
Automation and autonomy technologies, such as automated planning software, are key elements in realizing the vision for space exploration.  A fundamental requirement for success with these technologies is that they operate using valid models or ontologies of the application domains.  Making ontological information available to automated systems is difficult because 1) domain experts reason in domain terms, not the formal logic of ontologies; 2) the states and configurations of the specific objects in the domain are both voluminous and dynamic, making manual entry and maintenance prohibitive; and 3) the data required, especially state updates, need to be extracted or imported from other disparate systems.  This proposal seeks to investigate, design and test a framework for consistent ontological modeling both within and across domains that can be exploited by automated planners currently being developed by NASA's exploration technology program.  Specifically we will investigate a modeling framework that provides 1) an ontological representation of domain information in a standard format that can be used by NASA's developing planning software, 2) an interactive editing environment to allow domain experts to construct and maintain the ontological information; and 3) a general, systematic, and maintainable semantic mapping from external data sets into the user-constructed ontology.
Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. (ASC) is a small business, which has
developed a compact, eye-safe 3D Flash LIDARTM Camera (FLC) well suited
for real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed, orientation measurements
relative to the planet's surfaces and evaluating potential hazards
during the critical landing sequence.  Data collected using ASC's FLC at
JPL's Mars Yard and in NASA ALHAT flight tests demonstrated that ASC
Flash LIDAR system can meet the requirements for Entry Descent and
Landing (EDL).  Aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-127), SpaceX and
ASC demonstrated the DragonEye Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking
(AR&amp;amp;D) Flash LIDAR solution in low earth orbit, the first Flash
LIDAR in space.  ASC has developed the core technology for Flash LIDAR
with its 3D-FPA hybrid and would like to work with NASA to further
enhance the functionality of the 3D sensor by adding embedded image
enhancement and classification algorithms. For this SBIR solicitation,
ASC is proposing embedded processing, for image enhancement and hazard
identification, of 3D Flash LIDAR point clouds.
Our team proposes to define a diffusion bonding process for aluminum as an enabling step to ultimately develop an innovative, lightweight, long life, aluminum combustion chamber technology for Non-toxic NOFBX&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; monopropellant In-Space 100 lbf rocket thrusters and rocket engines in general. In a companion proposal, we are investigating aluminum injectorheads: the results from these two efforts will ultimately allow us to produce an entire NOFBXTM aluminum engine. On a strict density basis, this aluminum engine would be ~30&#37; of the mass of a nickel engine which already has a 22:1 T/W. Optimizing the design for aluminum will drive the performance even higher.

This aluminum injectorhead/thrust chamber assembly will eventually be coupled to carbon-carbon nozzle assemblies. The result will be high performance, non-toxic engines with significantly increased Thrust-to-Weight Ratios approaching ~100:1. These engine assemblies can eventually be scaled up for resusable launch vehicle upper and lower stages or down into smaller in-space thrusters
We propose the development of a high fidelity computational approach for
unsteady calculations of strongly separated non-equilibrium
high-enthalpy hypersonic flows. The  goal is to integrate the now proven
partially-averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method for unsteady flow
simulations with the most advanced closure models for compressibility,
high-enthalpy (flow - thermodynamics coupling) and  non-equilibrium
(flow - chemistry coupling) effects. The PANS model has been established
as a reliable model for computing separation in low and high speed
regimes in two recently conclude NASA NRA projects -- 1. RANS and PANS
modeling of hypersonic turbulent mixing environment;  2. Modeling of
strongly separated flows with the PANS bridging method. The current
proposal is to incorporate further hypersonic effect closures into PANS.
Physics-based closure models for flow-thermochemistry interactions have
been under development in Girimaji's group at Texas A&amp;amp;M under AFOSR
MURI funding -- Transition and Turbulence modeling in
non-thermochemical-equilibrium hypersonic flows. Important closure model
building blocks for hypersonic processes are now available from the
above fundamental research efforts. The combination of PANS and these
advanced high-speed models will lead to a unique capability for
computing hypersonic flow separation with ablation, chemistry and
compressibility effects. For Phase I, we propose a logical sequence of
verification-validation computations to demonstrate the potential of the
various individual closures in separated high-speed high-enthalpy flows.
While in-house codes are available for the proposed development, we will
also consider using any of the NASA codes: USM3D, OVERFLOW, VULCAN or
any of the other codes suggested by the grantor. Subsequent work (Phase
II) will focus on the assembly of the individual components and
development of an unique high-fidelity computational capability for
hypersonic vehicle design, testing and development.
Q-Peak proposes to develop a compact, high-repetition rate, dual-line UV source based on the combination of an innovative, efficient, high-energy, single-frequency, 1047-nm Nd:YLF laser and efficient, robust nonlinear optical frequency converters. The pulse-pumped, repetitively Q-switched, Nd:YLF Master Oscillator ? Power Amplifier system will produce single-frequency laser pulses with greater than 50 mJ of energy per pulse in a nearly diffraction-limited beam at a 1-kHz repetition rate. Conversion of Nd:YLF energy to UV suited for ozone DIAL will be accomplished by an efficient combination of harmonic generation and optical parametric oscillators.
SVT Associates proposes an innovative digital alloy technique to extend the cutoff wavelength of InAsSb beyond 5 um, a wider band gap InAlAsSb layer inserted into depletion region to suppress dark current, and atomic layer deposition technique to coat radiation-hard material AlN on InAsSb detectors grown on GaSb substrate. This digital alloy InAsSb material system is capable of infrared detection between 0.4-5 um, depending on layer thickness of the period of each digital ultra thin superlattice. The goal of this program is to develop InAsSb-based FPA for 0.4-5 um detection at room temperature. Photo detector arrays using this material are of great interest to the NASA for various applications including, in particular, imaging and optical detection, and object discrimination when tracking targets in space or performing astronomical observations. These MWIR photo detectors can also find application to infrared-based chemical identification systems and terrestrial mapping. Applying the dark current suppression and cutoff wavelength extension process to the InAsSb-based detectors should result in higher operating temperature, extended cutoff wavelength, and radiation-hard devices, all important factors that should significantly enhance FPA operation.  We intend to characterize the positive effects of proposed techniques in Phase I.  In Phase II we will refine the techniques to realize high-performance MWIR FPAs operating at ambient temperatures.
The proposed innovation is a novel MEMS gyroscope that uses micro-interferometric detection to measure the motion of the proof mass. Using an interferometric detection technique enables the measurement of proof mass motion with resolution equal to or better than systems that have CMOS detection electronics fabricated on the MEMS substrate. Furthermore, this detection technique can be applied to MEMS designs fabricated in a variety of processes, freeing up more design space and enabling a MEMS design not limited by MEMS fabrication constraints. This combination of factors allows for a broader design space and thus the sense resonant frequency will not have to be closely matched to the drive resonant frequency. This separation of frequencies results in a device that is inherently more stable and easier to manufacture. Specific objective of phase II are: (1) Produce a low cost, low power MEMS gyroscope using interferometric sensing that meets the needs for NASA applications. (2) Deliver multiple prototypes to NASA and other potential customers for evaluation. (3) Demonstrate that the gyroscope prototypes have acceptable performance. The challenges to successfully developing this technology are substantial. Advanced MEMS fabrication technology, innovative micro-optical designs coupled with novel MEMS packaging, and design and simulation techniques will enable successful development of this technology.
Radiation-cooled, bipropellant thrust chambers are being considered for the ascent/descent engines and reaction control systems for NASA missions such as Mars Sample Return and Orion MPCV.  Currently, iridium-lined rhenium combustion chambers are the state-of-the-art for in-space engines. NASA's Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine, a 150-lbf iridium-rhenium chamber produced by Plasma Processes and Aerojet, recently set a hydrazine specific impulse record of 333.5 seconds.  To withstand the high loads during terrestrial launch, rhenium chambers with improved mechanical properties are needed.  Recent EL-FormTM results have shown considerable promise for improving the mechanical properties of rhenium by producing a multi-layered deposit comprised of a tailored microstructure, i.e., Engineered Re. During Phase I, an AMBR size chamber was produced to demonstrate formation of the Engineered Re material in both the throat and barrel regions.  Tensile tests showed the Engineered Re  material had a yield strength greater than 40ksi at room temperature.  In addition, Engineered Re deposits were produced on multiple mandrels at one time, i.e., multi-component process demonstration.  During Phase II, the Engineered Re processing techniques will be optimized. Detailed characterization and mechanical properties test will be performed.  Optimization of the multi-component fabrication technique will result in a 30&#37; or higher reduction in chamber fabrication costs.  The most promising techniques will be selected and used to produce an Engineered Re AMBR size combustion chamber for testing at Aerojet.
Non-toxic monopropellants have been developed that provide better performance than toxic hydrazine. Formulations based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) have superior performance as compared to hydrazine with Isp (261 seconds, 12&#37; greater), higher density and volumetric impulse (60&#37; greater density-impulse), lower melting point, and much lower toxicity (No self contained breathing apparatus required). HAN based monopropellants require higher chamber temperatures (2083K vs 883K) to combust. Current hydrazine based combustion chamber technology (Inconel or niobium C103 and silicide coating) and catalyst (Shell 405) are inadequate. However, current state of the art iridium lined rhenium chambers and innovative new foam catalyst were demonstrated in pulse and 10 second firings in the Phase I. The goal of the SBIR project is develop and test a flight weight thruster for an environmentally "green" monopropellant.
Gas turbine engine technology is constantly challenged to operate at higher combustor outlet temperatures. In a modern gas turbine engine, these temperatures can exceed the blade and disk material limits by 600 ?F or more, necessitating both internal and film cooling schemes in addition to the use of thermal barrier coatings. Internal convective cooling is inadequate in many blade locations, and both internal and film cooling approaches can lead to significant performance penalties in the engine.
 
Micro Cooling Concepts has developed a turbine blade cooling concept that provides enhanced internal impingement cooling effectiveness via the use of micro-structured impingement surfaces. These surfaces significantly increase the cooling capability of the impinging flow, as compared to a conventional untextured surface. This approach can be combined with microchannel cooling and external film cooling to tailor the cooling capability per the external heating profile. The cooling system can then be optimized to minimize impact on engine performance.
ColdQuanta's ultimate objective is to produce a compact, turnkey, ultracold-atom system specifically designed for performing interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates. To produce ultracold-atom-based devices (eg, inertial sensors, magnetometers, clocks, etc) that can compete with existing technologies, higher fluxes and/or faster production rates will be needed over current state-of-the-art techniques.
FTT proposes development of a rotating cavitation (RC) suppressor for liquid rocket engine turbopump inducers. Cavitation instabilities, such as rotating cavitation, have caused severe damage to bearings and seals, fatigue failures, and even catastrophic failures of rocket engines.
The Area-I team has developed and fabricated the unmanned Prototype-Technology Evaluation and Research Aircraft or PTERA ("ptera" being Greek for wing, or wing-like). The PTERA is an extremely versatile and high-quality, yet inexpensive flight research testbed that serves as a bridge between wind tunnel and manned flight testing by enabling the low-cost, low-risk flight-based evaluation of a wide array of high-risk technologies.
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.  It is now recognized that 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.  However, the uncertainties in the current understanding of aerosol direct and indirect forcing "limit the ability to quantify human influences on climate change". We propose to design, construct and test a monitor suitable for ambient monitoring which is capable of directly measuring the angular distribution of light scattered from the aerosol fraction and therefore the asymmetry parameter, g.  The asymmetry parameter, which is a key input parameter in radiative forcing models, cannot at present be measured directly and must be inferred from other measurements.
Global Engineering and Materials, Inc. (GEM) along with its team members, Clarkson University and LM Aero, propose to develop a mesh independent probabilistic residual life prediction tool for metallic airframe structures. The deterministic solver of this probabilistic analysis tool will be developed by integrating our cutting edge extended finite element toolkit for Abaqus (XFA) with a novel small time-scale fatigue crack growth model for mesh independent fatigue crack growth prediction of a complex airframe structural component subjected to multiaxial and variable amplitude loading. The fast matching and narrow band technique will be implemented to track a curvilinear 3D crack growth without remeshing. Both the versatility and the high computational efficiency will make the XFA an ideal solution model for the probabilistic life prediction where the initial defect shape and location can be treated as random variables without user intervention. After the integration of XFA with a general purpose probabilistic analysis framework (PFA), the resulting probabilistic version of the XFA (PXFA) will enable the following: 1) fatigue reliability assessment of an aging component; 2) evaluation of design variables to meet a targeted reliability level; and 3) provision of operational decision support using SHM data on repair, maintenance, and life extension options.
Paragon Space Development Corporation proposes the use of an microporous-ionomer membrane pair to improve the robustness and effectiveness of membrane-based water separation processes.  Improved robustness and effectiveness will be evident through (1) reduced loading on the downstream post processor due to the ionomer's unique property of selective permeability, and (2) inclusion of a backup barrier between the rententate and permeate.  The microporous membrane's function is to prevent liquid wastewater from direct contact with the ionomer, a condition that would reduce the effectiveness of the ionomer.  The ionomer's unique characteristic of selective permeability suggests a possible role in water purification processes.  This activity is accomplished by means of the sulfonic acid groups.  It is this property that we wish to exploit.
The use of automated robotic tooling is required in a number of space missions. It is possible to have better tool control if the robotic arm could report loads experienced by the tooling.
Interorbital Systems is developing a new generation of modular, low-cost, rapid-response space launch vehicles. Interorbital modular rockets core element is the Common Propulsion Module (CPM).
We propose to investigate the feasibility of developing a 64x64 far infrared germanium focal-plane array with the following key design features:



1-	Four top-illuminated, 32x32 germanium sub-arrays will be tiled together to form a 64x64 mosaic array. Germanium offers very low noise and proven performance in the 50-140?m range.
Lightning Ridge Technologies, LLC, working in collaboration with The Innovation Laboratory, Inc., extend Automatic Dependent Surveillance ? Broadcast (ADS-B) into a safe, secure, authenticated system.  Historically, ADS-B has been criticized for its inability to guarantee safe and secure surveillance in all operational conditions.  The technology presented provides an integrity check on all ADS-B data that is independent of all primary surveillance modes and is 100&#37; robust to all Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing attacks.  An important by-product of that integrity check provides us with the further ability to do aircraft-to-aircraft relative positioning that is more accurate and more reliable than any civilian system in existence today.  The ADS-B integrity check and the aircraft-to-aircraft positioning can provide a further basis on which to enhance the safety of the National Airspace System (NAS).

Our innovation extends ADS-B into a new standard for providing safe, secure, and authentic surveillance, which is required for Separation Assurance (SA) and Traffic Flow Management (TFM) in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).
The Compound Specific Analyzer - Combustion Products is used on the International Space Station as a warning monitor of smoldering or combustion events and, after any fire event, to indicate that toxic gas levels have subsided for safe re-entry of the crew to the affected area. This monitor is being phased out of service.
In this NASA Phase I SBIR program, MATECH proposes to leverage successfully developed laboratory and pilot scale manufacturing technologies to produce low cost Silicon Oxycarbide (SiOC) fibrous-walled high temperature honeycomb structures, hat stiffeners, and rigid fibrous insulators. A highly scale-able melt blowing fiber manufacturing system was previously developed to produce non-woven mat from preceramic polymer and then formed into a pleated shape using a pleating apparatus.
A Venus mission will require a vehicle for atmospheric exploration and to transport the samples from the Venus surface to the top of the atmosphere. For this purpose it is reasonable (due to the high density of the Venus atmosphere) to use inflatable balloons, which occupy minimal space in the folded position and possess buoyancy upon being inflated. The Venus atmosphere contains hot (up to 460oC) clouds of sulfuric acid. The only kinds of material for an inflatable to withstand such high temperatures are metals.

	A sequence of operations is proposed to build balloons of different shapes with diffusion bonding of stainless steels or other alloys, which are most resistant against hot 85&#37; sulfuric acid. However, even these materials possess a many times greater corrosion rate than that satisfying the current topic requirements on the balloon life time and areal density. In order to provide the required corrosion resistance, the fully bonded balloon will be coated with a thin layer of gold or tantalum by a PVD process or with gold by electroplating so that the entire laminate would possess an areal density of below 1000 g/m3. Building a seamless bellows by PVD is a backup option.
This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Topic X10.01, specifically, the need for efficient small- to medium-scale hydrogen liquefaction technologies, including domestically produced wet cryogenic turboexpanders.  Future NASA missions will require hydrogen liquefaction systems for spaceport, planetary, and lunar surface operations.  A critical part of these systems is the cryogenic expansion turbines, which must be designed for high-speed operation and long life, and must be robust against the pressure and momentum excursions and the surface tension effects associated with two-phase flow.  On the Phase I project, we identified and optimized a liquefaction system for spaceport operations.  We demonstrated by analysis the benefits of using expansion turbines in the product stream instead of the customary Joule-Thomson throttle.  We designed a set of high-performance turbines for use in these systems.  On this Phase II project, we will demonstrate cryogenic expansion turbines for use in hydrogen liquefiers.  The expansion turbines will be reliable, compact, lightweight, and efficient and will be able to operate in a two-phase system.  They will have the innovative feature of recovering the expansion work through use of an alternator instead of dissipating work through a brake wheel.  This approach greatly simplifies controls, improves reliability, and reduces system mass and input power.
ZONA Technology, Inc proposes an R&amp;D effort to develop a Gust Load Alleviation (GLA) control system using a novel Leading Edge Stagnation Point (LESP) sensor that has the nearly instantaneous predictive capability. The real-time gust information from the sensor will enhance the performance of the proposed GLA control system.
Advanced space suit technologies demand improved, simplified, long-life regenerative sensing technologies, including humidity sensors, that exceed the performance of current commercial devices. Intelligent Optical Systems proposes to develop luminescence-based optical sensors to monitor relative humidity (RH). The proposed sensors will offer flexible packaging designs and outstanding performance at high RH levels and under water saturation. Miniature flexible humidity-sensitive patches, connected to an optoelectronics reader by an optical fiber, will allow great flexibility in fitting the sensor element into the space suit. The sensor materials will consist of a luminescent indicator, whose emission lifetime depends on humidity, supported in chemically and mechanically passive polymer film. Since measurements that rely on emission lifetime are insensitive to indicator bleaching, and fluctuations in the light source and/or the photodetector, the measurements will be reliable and stable. The advantages of using optical sensors include easy miniaturization, immunity to electric and electromagnetic fields, and amenability to multiplexing. In Phase I, we will develop and analytically characterize humidity-sensitive materials, and prepare flexible sensor patches. In Phase II, we will manufacture prototypes for aeronautic qualification and conduct extensive testing under simulated environmental conditions. Sensitive patches to O2 and CO2 interrogated by the same electronic unit could be incorporated.
The proposed SBIR Phase II program will lead to the validation of a state-of-the-art Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model, coupled with a Ffowcs-Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) farfield acoustic solver, for supporting the development of advanced engine concepts, including innovative flow control strategies for attenuation of their jet noise emissions. During Phase I, the LES/FW-H model was validated against matched sets of flowfield and companion acoustic data acquired at NASA/GRC for round nozzles. The flowfield validation included detailed comparisons against imagery, mean flow measurements and turbulence statistics. During Phase II, the end-to-end LES/FW-H noise prediction model will be demonstrated and validated by applying it to high aspect-ratio rectangular nozzle designs, proposed for testing at NASA GRC under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. The model will also be validated against acoustic and flowfield data from a realistic jet-pylon experiment, thereby significantly advancing the state-of-the-art for LES. This critical validation will provide the foundation for proceeding to application of this innovative methodology in supporting the design and optimization of control concepts, e.g. chevrons, bevels, etc., as well as ultimately performing predictions of noise emissions from full-scale, realistic nozzles with complex exhaust flowpaths, airframe/propulsive jet interactions, etc.
ORBITEC's Non-Thermal Sanitation by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma technology sanitizes fresh fruits and vegetables without the use of consumable chemicals and without significantly raising the temperature of the food, so food taste and quality are not affected. Atmospheric pressure plasma is well known to be highly effective in promoting oxidation, enhancing molecular dissociation, and producing free radicals and other types of high energies. It has recently attracted much attention in the food industry due to its potential for being a non-thermal and highly effective sanitation method. The proposed technology will support surface sanitation of delivered fresh fruit and vegetables, and freshly prepared foods in a space-based habitat. It can function in reduced gravity and pressure environments, and is efficient in terms of waste and resource use. During this Phase 2 effort, designs of the primary operating components of the system will be refined and incorporated into a plasma processing chamber prototype capable of treating one to two servings of fresh food at a time. The antimicrobial performance of the prototype will be tested with a number of fruits/vegetables and different inoculums. The prototype will also be evaluated for the effect of plasma treatment on food quality.
Dropsondes are one of the primary in-situ measurement tools available to research aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  Unlike sensors mounted on aircraft, dropsondes allow a vertical profile of the atmosphere to be taken below the aircraft.  A guided dropsonde which could glide away from the launch aircraft will allow profiles to be taken away from the aircraft flight path, and would offer aircraft the ability to deploy dropsondes into dangerous environments, such as thunderstorms and volcanic plumes, where few aircraft are able to safely venture.
	Anasphere, Inc., in cooperation with Vanilla Aircraft, Inc., proposes to develop a guided dropsonde to meet this need.  This dropsonde will be designed as a lifting body.  It will build upon an existing miniature dropsonde developed by Anasphere, have essentially no moving parts, retain the ability to return wind profiles along with accurate meteorological data, and have sufficient speed to penetrate moderate headwinds.  
	Phase I work will include designing and prototyping the aerodynamic form, integrating essential guidance electronics, and conducting extensive glide tests.  Phase II work will include the integration of complete sensor, guidance, and communications payloads, refinement of the aerodynamic form, and extensive live flight tests from high altitude.
Space exploration require simulants for equipment design, development
and testing.   This proposal directly responds to the solicitation by
improving simulant fidelity, availability, and cost, by developing an
innovative process to chemically enrich a low cost feedstock and
manufacturing high titanium dust and spheres. Lunar regolith contains
varying amounts of titanium oxide (up to 16&amp;#37; TiO2).  JSC simulants
contained only 1 to 2 &amp;#37;.  This SBIR will produce a mare dust simulant
from a synthetically prepared feedstock that contain two levels of TiO2
up to approximately 16&amp;#37;.  The full simulant will include glass,
pseudo-agglutinate and crystal material.  Experiments will be conducted
to produce spheres from the high-titanium material. Chemically enhanced
simulant (bulk, dust, &amp;quot;orange&amp;quot; spheres) will provide a new
level of fidelity that has not been realized to date.  The estimated
cost per ton of the high-titanium feed stock material will be less than
$9,000 per ton.   By producing high titanium Mare, bulk, dust and
spheres (with capability to manufacture volumes beyond laboratory
testing), ZAP will improve fidelity, reduce cost and schedules, improve
processes, and develop abrasion and adhesion characterization techniques
and methods. This Phase I program will deliver the following: High
Titanium Simulant  - Chemically enriched basaltic lunar simulant
material  - Bulk (combining glass, pseudo-agglutinate , crystal), dust,
&amp;quot;orange&amp;quot; spheres  Experimental adhesion and abrasiveness
results and comparisons Cost &amp;amp; Schedule Analysis  -Indentify cost
and schedule versus fidelity, process improvements, and other variables
Outcomes include an economical way to produce material, improved
simulant availability, cost and fidelity that addresses needs within
multiple NASA centers, and leverages previous investments in ZAP's
patented material production capability.
NASA is researching various concepts, procedures, standards, and technologies intended for NextGen Airspace. Complex, distributed airspace simulations that utilize experimental testbeds (e.g., Multi Aircraft Control System, or MACS) are vital research tools for these projects. However, managing the various complexities and coordination of agent-supported separation assurance can be challenging. This often creates undesired staffing and training requirements, workload, and susceptibility to human error that can disrupt planned scenario events. To address this issue, we propose to develop Artificial Intelligence for Refining Multi-Aircraft Testbed Environments (AIR-MATE). This proposed innovation will provide a MACS-interoperable software module that coordinates the behaviors of human-automation pairs in simulated NextGen airspace. This effort will leverage recent advancements in distributed constraints optimization and adjustable autonomy to analyze airspace simulations in a decentralized, parallel manner and solve problems locally for enhanced efficiency. This technology will reduce the workload and staffing requirements in current NextGen simulations, while ensuring the desired scenario events and separation assurance is properly executed. The results of the AIR-MATE effort will be a more controlled and high-fidelity testbed environment that will aid researchers, increase the quality of NextGen research, and ultimately benefit the development of NextGen concepts.
Next generation Earth Science Satellites ORCA and CLARREO are designed to measure our planet's ocean and climate health.  Using hyper-spectral imaging at wavelengths ranging from the UV through NIR, these instruments will record the levels of the earth's temperature rise over the course of a decade.  To make such detailed measurements, polarization effects at various wavelengths due to multiple factors must be eliminated using an optical device known as a "de-polarizer".  For the CLARREO de-polarizer, four quartz windows are needed to randomize the polarization state of the observed reflected light spectrum.  Multiple reflections from 4 surfaces produce losses up to 14&#37; of the incident light, a level high enough to produce "ghost" effects superimposed on the desired earth images resulting in reduced image contrast and greater measurement error.  An anti-reflection (AR) treatment is needed that can withstand the radiation and temperature effects caused by the mission environment while reducing reflection losses to levels of fractions of one percent.  A new type of AR treatment, being developed for many military and commercial applications, is based on surface relief microstructures fabricated directly in a window, optic, or sensor material.  AR microstructures (ARMs) can suppress internal reflections to levels unattainable by conventional thin-film AR coating technology.  To extend the performance benefits of ARMs to hyper-spectral imaging systems, it is proposed that the fabrication processes developed for fused silica, glass, silicon, and many other optical materials be adapted for use with the quartz and magnesium fluoride depolarizers planned for the ORCA and CLARREO missions.  In addition, an investigation of innovative surface microstructure technology is proposed for the fabrication of a new type of non-scattering, micro-textured depolarizer with inherent AR properties that can be applied to multiple optical elements within a spectrometer system.
Mosaic ATM proposes to study a Relative Position Indicator (RPI) concept for managing mixed RNAV and traditionally vectored arrival traffic, to enable increased adoption of RNAV procedures in airspace or traffic environments that include mixed RNAV and non-RNAV aircraft.  The most common reason controllers give for why RNAV procedures are not used at their airports is the difficulty handling mixed RNAV and non-RNAV flights.  Our proposed concept directly addresses this complaint, providing a controller decision aid to help controllers merge RNAV and non-RNAV aircraft.  We will also study other applications of the RPI concept, such as planning departure slots into an arrival stream.  The project directly compliments NASA's research and contributes to the NASA Airspace Systems Program's mission.  The results of this project could be applied within NASA's TAPSS project to address mixed RNAV/vectored aircraft environments.  Since RPI technology has been deployed by the FAA for other applications, and the project addresses a current need, the project also endeavors to transfer the resulting technology to the FAA for operational use.
In conjunction with Sandia National Laboratories, Ultramet previously demonstrated the feasibility of using low-density, high specific stiffness open-cell foams for creation of innovative fuel elements for use in space nuclear reactors. Highly porous and structural foam material was produced by chemical vapor infiltration of uranium, niobium, and zirconium carbides into a foam matrix. The foam structure and versatility in fuel composition were used to take advantage of the potential for high power density, high thermal efficiency, and small core size. The lifetime of this fuel material, as well as current pellet-type fuels in industry, would benefit greatly from the development of an impermeable surface coating that would prevent hydrogen attack of the underlying fuel and contain fission products for extended periods. Tungsten is an attractive surface coating in terms of temperature capability, hydrogen compatibility, and neutronics, but is inherently brittle and prone to cracking when subjected to modest mechanical or thermal stress. Ultramet has extensive experience in development of tungsten alloys with improved ductility for applications including ballistic penetrators and liners for solid rocket motor throats. In this project, Ultramet will develop the processing for deposition of thin tungsten-rhenium alloy coatings on open-cell foam fuel elements. Components will be exposed to high temperature hydrogen at Ultramet, followed by surface and cross-sectional coating characterization. Sandia will perform preliminary modeling experiments to determine the optimal concentration of rhenium in the coating and coating thickness. The potential exists to utilize the proposed containment coating over a variety of high-efficiency open-cell foam fuels including carbides and cermets.
Multiplexing in frequency domain using a bank of high-Q micro-resonators
is an emerging method of reading out large arrays of transition-edge
sensors and kinetic-inductance detectors. Low-power digitization of the
resultant wide multi-GHz frequency band (e.g., 2-8 GHz) using a
broadband superconductor analog-to-digital converter (ADC) enables high
fidelity digital readout with immunity from noise, interference and
cross-talk. HYPRES, Inc. has recently demonstrated a series of broadband
digital radio receivers, built around a fast superconductor ADC.  This
ADC has low noise, low power, high linear dynamic range, and high
radiation resistance. HYPRES proposes to design a similar ADC which is
optimized for readout of a frequency-multiplexed sensor array such as
that in the MicroSpec far-infrared spectrometer now being developed by
NASA GSFC for future space missions. The superconductor ADC can be
closely integrated and matched with the cryogenic sensors, enabling both
reduction in system power and scaling to large imaging arrays.  During
Phase I, HYPRES will adapt a phase modulation-demodulation ADC for
broadband (8 GHz) input, layout and fabricate an IC combining ADC with
digital readout circuitry, and measure ADC performance with RF tones and
an RF comb to simulate the frequency-multiplexed output of a sensor
array. We will also assess the digital readout system for noise and
thermal budget, and design the array interface for Phase II
implementation.  During Phase II, HYPRES will work with GSFC to
integrate the ADC with a system testbed for the MicroSpec spectrometer
and demonstrate its performance.
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. This proposal will demonstrate prototype manufacturing of a precision mirror in the 0.
Damage caused by composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) failure can be catastrophic. Thus, monitoring condition and stress in the composite overwrap, including the fiber layers most prone to failure is needed during both preflight qualification and spaceflight. We will develop practical Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) capability for use during spaceflight and surface mounted magnetic stress gages (MSGs) for preflight qualifications/testing and in-flight monitoring.  NDE will address damage produced by impacts from micro-meteoroid orbital debris (MMOD). In addition, we will investigate the need to inspect through multi-layer insulation layer (MLI).

The goal is to demonstrate feasibility of (i) volumetric stress monitoring using light weight, surface mounted MSGs, and (ii) practical, portable and easy to interpret NDE for use by crews during spaceflight, with limited training and minimal logistics support. Dual purpose electronics will be adapted to the constraints of spaceflight for NDE and MSG data acquisition and the feasibility of developing extremely light weight and small form factor electronics suitable for space flight will be investigated. This proposal is founded on successful implementations of JENTEK MWM-Array technology for the Space Shuttle leading edge RCC and recent feasibility demonstrations for MSG volumetric stress monitoring on COPV sections. The MWM-Arrays and MSGs use linear drive winding constructs to selectively induce eddy currents in different fiber layers to assess damage and monitor stresses.
Automated tools are quickly making inroads into casual computing environments, solving progressively more complex tasks.  However, these advancements still require trading reliability for convenience.  Frequent minor failures are acceptable in casual environments, but critical systems cannot make the same exchange.  The software systems that NASA develops could greatly benefit from machine learning technologies that have been applied to casual computing, if the software developed by learning algorithms could be verified.

We propose to apply formal methods to machine learning, and specifically Programming by Demonstration (PBD).  The existing technology readiness level is very low: no known verifiable PBD systems have been deployed and the existing research in the area is limited.  The Phase I effort will result in publications and a prototype implementation of a verifiable PBD system using SMT solvers.  Phase II will build on Phase I publications and prototypes to demonstrate increased verification capabilities through the application of more complex formal methods, such as model checking.  Verifiable machine learning would allow for trainable systems that meet critical properties, but are still adaptable to specific use cases.  Such tools could be re-purposed for multiple applications without incurring the development costs associated with manual automation techniques today.
NanoSonic proposes to develop an innovative, low-cost, ultra low mass
density, and non-intrusive sensor system for ultra long duration
balloons (ULDB) 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 polyethylene surface of the
pressurized balloon system to accurately and continually measure axial
loads.  Large axial load forces and extreme temperature ranges are
typical for scientific balloon missions; therefore a durable, flexible,
and thermally stable sensor material is needed.  NanoSonic would use its
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deformation without failure.  MR&lt;sup&gt;TM&lt;/sup&gt;
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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 / compressed for
stowage and then can be deployed and continually pressurized without
failure.  Also, because of the very low amount of metallic nanoclusters
in the system (&amp;lt;0.02 volume &amp;#37;), the sensor system is extremely
low-weight and would not alter the performance of the balloon.
High-performance HDTV cameras are commercially widespread, but are not presently available in radiation-hard versions. The objective of the proposed SBIR effort is to develop and commercialize a radiation-hard, high-performance HDTV sensor for NASA missions and other space-based and high-energy physics applications. Key features of this program are the use of radiation-hard, fully depleted silicon photodiodes to maximize quantum efficiency, and the use of both radiation-hard-by-process and radiation-hard-by-design strategies in the development of the highly integrated readout circuit.
Voxtel anticipates that its technology will enter the program at TRL=3, finish Phase I at TRL=4, and exit the Phase II program at TRL=5.
Many space applications rely on the utilization of Light Detection and Raging (LIDAR) techniques.  
A key component of any LIDAR system is the laser source. Single frequency lasers in the 1.5-2.0mm region of the spectrum, with less than 10kHz linewidth, are needed and space qualification of the laser source is the critical requirement for the intended NASA LIDAR applications. 

A novel, single-frequency, low noise planar semiconductor external cavity laser has been developed by Redfern Integrated Optics Inc. (RIO).  Cavity is based by the hybrid integration of an InP gain chip and a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) with waveguide Bragg grating.  The laser performance is characterized by a single-frequency output in the 1550 nm spectral region with a linewidth &lt;3kHz; low phase/frequency noise, low RIN.  Additional testing, analysis, and qualification are necessary for its proper applicability and reliable use in space missions.  

We propose to carry out a study of the suitability of PLANEX for space service, and to determine its potential susceptibility to space and radiation effects.  At the end of Phase I, a set of target operational specifications, functional requirements, and associated space qualification protocol will be developed for further Space-Qualified External Cavity Laser (SQECL) based on the PLANEX technology.

Work plan included analysis of prior information and definition of target specifications, assessment of space environment effects, like radiation and vacuum, determination of current and target TRL, plan and roadmap for Phase II, development of the approach for the re-design and complete space qualification at Phase 2.
Exquadrum, Inc. proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative approach to providing NASA with a Guided Dropsonde (NGD).  NASA's desire to use existing aircraft systems such as the AVAPS aboard NASA/NOAA P-3 aircraft will be met by incorporating existing dropsonde sensors with innovative aerodynamics, deployment structures, and programmable control packages to facilitate more accurate observations in extreme conditions.
Recent advances in the design of microsatellites have led to renewed interest in the missions that can be flown with small spacecraft and small payloads.  The CubeSat platform and the Plug-and-Play concept have prompted the development of attitude determination hardware typical of larger, more sophisticated, three axis stabilized spacecraft, including miniature gyroscopes and star cameras.  The X-ray Star Scanner is a new class of attitude sensor, designed to support precision spin-stabilized CubeSat missions by providing arcminute attitude accuracy in a size compatible with a CubeSat, in fact occupying less than half of a 1U CubeSat module.  The scientific and technological advances necessary to make this instrument possible are in place.  A robust catalog of x-ray guide stars is available through several all-sky surveys performed in x-rays.  Solid state x-ray detectors and their related support electronics have been flown.  The concept of using guide stars to determine the attitude of a spinning vehicle has been demonstrated using flight data.  The XSS fills the need created by the CubeSat and Plug-and-Play platforms for accurate attitude determination on a spin stabilized platform provided in a small package.
In this Phase I SBIR project for NASA, Flexure Engineering of Greenbelt, MD will design and develop a system that marries the technologies of Thermal Vacuum Chambers and Non-Contact Metrology Systems providing NASA with sub-micron, three sigma uncertainties on Flight Hardware while at temperature (typically cryogenic, down to 30K) and in high vacuum (&gt;10E-6 torr).

This innovation provides NASA and the Aerospace Community increased capabilities for the alignment and performance verification of telescope optical surfaces and telescope optical assemblies.

A key feature of the system is that the metrology system is housed outside of the harsh environment of the chamber, looking in through one or more windows and yet providing sub-micron uncertainties across large distances and of complex shapes. The cryo/vac system in Phase I and II will apply primarily to the integration and testing of optical space flight hardware while at the commercialization Phase III, the techniques will be generalized to include other settings such as optical, electronics and harsh environment manufacturing chambers and hermetically sealed fabrication and assembly systems.
This project will advance an efficient and lightweight energy storage device for Oxygen Concentrators by developing a high specific energy lithium-air cell. Specifically the project advances high specific energy cells by focusing on the catalysts in the cathode and anode protection of our existing cells under various oxygen atmospheres for NASA applications. Our high-energy air cathodes will be improved upon and incorporated into the cell designs. Several different chemically composed air cathodes will be investigated. Lithium-air cells produce power by the lithium reacting with the oxygen in the cathode. The anticipated result of the phase 1 project is a bench top operational cell (TRL4). Advantages of the proposed lithium-air cell include a high energy density, safe and lightweight design, and a high energy density cathode.
NASA has been involved in developing advanced automation systems for improving the efficiency of air-traffic operations, reducing controller workload and enhancing the safety in the national airspace system. In the past decade there has been emphasis on designing environmentally friendly operations that reduce fuel consumption, emission and noise as well. The objective of the proposed research is to develop a framework suitable for the design and analysis of 4D trajectories for terminal and transitional airspaces targeted for far-term implementation. The novel aspect of the proposed research addresses efficiency, throughput, and safety all in a combined and integrated manner. Advanced optimization algorithms will be used in the design of these trajectories. Research will also establish the feasibility of tracking these trajectories using 4D guidance algorithms. Analysis will be done to study the tradeoff between fuel consumption and the time of arrival.
Phase I research will demonstrate the 4D trajectory synthesis and 4D guidance algorithm using realistic commercial aviation aircraft models. Phase II research will develop the tools to a level that can be used by NASA researchers in the development of NextGen concepts.
The challenges of the next century of aviation will require innovative and revolutionary concepts to meet air transportation demands. One NASA vision for future transport-sized aircraft includes the blended-wing-body (BWB) platform with embedded, distributed propulsion as a means for increased efficiency and reduced noise. In cruise, embedded propulsion benefits from boundary layer ingestion and wake filling, resulting in high propulsive efficiency. However, several challenges exist, including inlet nozzle design, propulsor design for ingestion of highly non-uniform inflow, and propulsor/airframe support structure optimization. This work proposes a hybrid turboelectric propulsion system incorporating small embedded, distributed cross-flow fans (CFF) for boundary layer control and wake filling, and much larger axial fans for primary thrust. Bringing together the best qualities of both axial and CFF propulsion, a substantial improvement in overall vehicle efficiency is possible. CFD and analytical analyses will be used to investigate the flow field and range of application for such a system. Comparisons will be made with published baseline designs with respect to power requirements, component weights, support structure, and other key parameters.
Cryogenic propellants have the highest energy density of any rocket
fuel, and are used in most NASA and commercial launch vehicles to power
their ascent.  Cryogenic propellants must be kept cold to preserve them
and prevent loss via boil off, therefore cryogenic launch vehicles and
spacecraft must have thermal insulation preserving the cryopropellant.
Providing good thermal insulation is a balancing act between the
insulation desired, the mass of the insulation system, and the
robustness of the insulation. SOFI, for example, has high heat leak and
is not robust. Quest Product Development Corp, and partner Ball
Aerospace, propose to design, fabricate and test innovative Launch
VehicleMLI (LV-MLI), an integrated advanced thermal insulation and
lightweight aeroshell for launch vehicle exposed cryopropellant tanks. A
ruggedized of Integrated MLI, high performance lightweight thermal
insulation, could be bonded to the sidewalls of LOX/LH2 cryotanks in the
Atlas V and Delta IV and might be able to withstand aerodynamic loading
during launch ascent.  LV-MLI has the potential to significantly improve
upper stage cryogenic tank thermal insulation, and might increase
payload capacity for NASA, national security and commercial missions
that require multi-hour coasts such as required for MEO and GEO orbit
insertion. LV-MLI should have 34&amp;#37; the mass of the SOFI insulation, while
providing about 85 times better thermal insulation.   This Phase I
research will evaluate Launch Vehicle-MLI aerodynamic and thermal
requirements, analyze aerodynamic and acoustic vibration launch loading,
design LV-MLI insulation system to withstand those aerodynamic and
launch environment loads, design and build a unique launch dynamic load
simulator, build and test a LV-MLI prototype for aerodynamic and
vibration simulated launch loads, and finally compare the structural and
thermal performance of LV-MLI to the requirements and modeled/predicted performance.
Future space exploration projects will expose system components (such as
cryogenic systems) to extreme conditions and to a higher number of
pressure and temperature cycles, due to long missions and reusable
launch vehicle (RLV) designs. High performance materials, such as
low-density ceramics, foams, aerogels, composites, metals, and
multi-layer insulations (MLI) will be increasingly used. These
materials, however, often have poor mechanical strength and
damage-tolerance, and are also difficult to bond to each other, due to
the extreme operating temperature and pressure cycles and the mismatch
between their thermal (expansion) and mechanical properties. The
combination of these drawbacks resulted in the catastrophic detachment
of foam insulation from the external tank (ET) in Shuttle Columbia,
mission STS-107. There is a need for damage-tolerant,
&amp;quot;forgiving&amp;quot; and multifunctional adhesive technologies for
integrating dissimilar materials (such as cryogenic pressurized vessels
to insulations), and ensuring reliable, integrated lightweight system
designs. To address this need, Applied Analytic Research Inc. has
designed innovative cost-effective Isolating Adhesives that are
multifunctional, Bond, isolate and protect dissmilar adherends in the
same time.
The AirCore is a simple and novel atmospheric air column sampler to validate satellite observation data of greenhouse gases, using a lightweight, inexpensive coated stainless steel coil. The simple design of the leads to cost savings during manufacture and operation.
Silicon Carbide deep UV detectors can achieve large gains, high signal-to-noise ratios and solar-blind operation, with added benefits of smaller sizes, lower operating voltages, radiation hardness, ruggedness and scalability. The design, fabrication and optimization of SiC UV APDs is challenging due to some material defects, relatively not-well modeled device operation, and very high absorption coefficients near 100nm wavelengths. These challenges can be overcome with detailed co-modeling, characterization, design and fabrication. Successfully operating SiC UV detectors are of utmost importance for astronomy, space exploration, upper atmosphere monitoring, and systems such as Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) communication.

Through Phase I and Phase II, we propose to develop Silicon Carbide (SiC) based UV detectors for space applications. The initial target is the 100nm to 300nm wavelength range, with the peak responsivity expected to be within the 200nm-300nm interval. For the 100nm-200nm wavelength range, we will experiment with the use of an AlGaN cap-layer as the absorber and SiC as the multiplier.

Phase I effort will focus on the design and detailed physics based simulation of these SiC APD structures. We will use SiC UV detectors fabricated by the GE Global Research Center and AlGaN APDs from University of Maryland for measurements and calibration.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS) will focus the proposed NASA Phase 1 effort on the development of our innovative Functional Advanced Concentrator Technology (FACT).  FACT is an affordable practical high-efficiency concentrator blanket assembly for ultra-lightweight solar arrays.  FACT coupled to an ultra-lightweight solar array structural platform (such as DSS's ROSA) will provide game-changing performance metrics and unparalleled affordability for the end-user.  FACT will enable emerging Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Space Science missions, and other NASA missions, through its ultra-affordability, high voltage operation capability, high/low temperature operation capability, high/low illumination operation capability, high radiation tolerance, ultra-lightweight, and ultra-compact stowage volume.  Once completely optimized through the proposed Phase 1 and Phase 2 programs the FACT technology promises to provide NASA/industry a near-term and low-risk flexible blanket technology for advanced solar array systems that provides revolutionary performance in terms of high specific power / ultra-lightweight (&gt;400-500 W/kg BOL at the array level &amp; &gt;1000 W/kg BOL at the blanket level, PV dependent), affordability (&gt;50&#37; cost savings at the array level), compact stowage volume (&gt;80 kW/m3 BOL, 10X times better than current rigid panel arrays), high operation reliability, high radiation tolerance, high voltage operation capability (&gt;150 VDC), scalability, and LILT &amp; HIHT operation capability.
Tethers Unlimited, Inc. proposes to develop the PowerCube, an integrated power, propulsion, and pointing solution for CubeSats. The PowerCube combines three innovative components: a high-power deployable solar array able to provide up to 100W peak power to the CubeSat, a regenerative fuel cell energy storage system that doubles as a gH2/gO2 thruster, and a 'carpal joint' gimbal that enables sun pointing of the solar panel as well as precise pointing of payloads.  This highly integrated system will provide power generation, power storage, propulsion, attitude control, and payload pointing capabilities that will enable the CubeSat platform to be used to perform missions previously possible only on much larger platforms. Our Phase I effort will focus on design and implementation of the regenerative fuel cell/thruster component, with the objective of maximizing orbit average power capabilities, and in the Phase II effort we will combine this power storage/propulsion technology with deployable panel and gimbal technologies we are currently developing under a separate program to create the PowerCube system. This highly-integrated, compact subsystem will provide order-of-magnitude performance improvements in several metrics for CubeSats, enabling this low-cost platform to perform challenging science and exploration missions that previously could only be accomplished by much larger spacecraft.
According to Topic O1, titled Space Communications, "NASA's communications capability is based on the premise that communications shall enable and not constrain missions. Communications must be robust to support the numerous missions for space science, Earth science and exploration of the universe. Technologies such as optical communications, RF including antennas and ground based Earth stations, surface networks, access links, reprogrammable communications systems, communications systems for EVAs, advanced antenna technology, transmit array concepts and communications in support of launch services including space based assets are very important to the future of exploration and science activities of the Agency. Emphasis is placed on size, weight and power improvements. Innovative solutions centered around operational issues associated with the communications capability are needed. These technologies are to be aligned with the Space Communications and Navigation Architecture (SCaN)."  Therefore, SPI proposes to develop a novel, ultra-low SWAP, multichannel, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based optical transceiver for data rates up to 10Gbps per channel.  It will be designed specifically for the AS1393a networking architecture demonstration; but, may easily be modified, via a change in the protocol/processing FPGA VHDL core, to suit a multitude of high-speed optical networking applications relevant to the NASA SCaN Internet Architecture Vision.
In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to employ incoherent Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy (iCRDS) to develop a compact, cost-effective nitrogen dioxide (NO2) analyzer for deployment aboard miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  This portable instrument will provide rapid (1 Hz), highly accurate (to better than 1 1 ppbv) quantification of NO2 with minimal external calibration or consumables gases.  Moreover, due to the inherent benefits of iCRDS, the analyzer will be selective, robust, and economical.  The resulting instrument will allow researchers in NASA's Earth Science Division to use miniature UAV deployments to complement satellite observations on the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) mission.  The in-situ data will provide higher spatial resolution and vertical profiling near the highly inhomogeneous NO2 sources, as well as providing correction factors for GEO-CAPE coastal measurements.
Humidity is a critical variable for monitoring and control on extended duration missions because it can affect the operation and efficiency of closed loop life support systems. Humidity sensors are needed for real-time process control over the critical O2, H2, and CO2 gas streams in the system.  Sensors with the right combination of performance, size, low power consumption, and durability for this application are not available.  Synkera proposes to develop an advanced microsensor for humidity, which takes advantage of an innovative combination of nanomaterials and ceramic MEMS technology to meet the need for reliable and accurate humidity process control sensors for spacecraft. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of integrating the elements described above to prepare a stable and accurate sensor, which will advance the technology from TRL 3 to 4.  Then, in Phase II and beyond, we will work with an ECLSS prime contractor to develop space-qualified prototypes that are commercially viable for NASA and third-party applications and to integrate these sensors within NASA's closed loop life support systems.
This phase I proposal addresses the need for microwave and millimeter
wave Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) for remote sensing applications of the
earth's atmosphere.  In this work, IIIAN proposes using group
III-nitride materials, specifically AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures, to
fabricate LNAs for microwave radiometers operating from 165 GHz up to
270 GHz.  The group III-nitrides have excellent physical properties for
high frequency transistors with the added benefit that the high
breakdown voltage of the material renders them less susceptible to
failure due to spurious strong signals, eliminating the need for
protective circuitry between the antenna and the LNA. Passive microwave
radiometers used in the PATH and GACM missions are used to quantify
levels of trace species in the atmosphere such as O3, CO, N2O, HNO3, ClO
and SO2, and also to estimate water content, both gas phase and as
aerosols.  The instruments used for these measurements rely on microwave
emission from the relevant species.  Key to such low signal level
measurements are front-end LNAs used to amplify the weak microwave
emission signal from the antenna prior to the RF detection diode.
NASA, and all users of turbomachinery, continuously requires improvements in engine durability and efficiencies.  As combustion engineers push turbine inlet temperatures to new extremes, cooling designers are faced with increasing heat loads and less available coolant usage. Surface cooling techniques such as film cooling have proven invaluable in this quest.   Films generated by forcing the coolant to bleed through a porous substrate have been shown to perform substantially better than discrete film injection in a thermal sense.  However, the associated aerodynamic penalties limit the application.  On the other hand, discretely injected films have drawbacks as well, including non-uniform coolant profiles significant mixing with the hot working fluid, lowering their effectiveness.  Spectral Energies, LLC and the University of Central Florida propose a novel, low risk approach to surface cooling wherein traditional discrete film holes are embedded within a transpiring porous strip.  The motivation behind this approach is multi-faceted, with the ultimate goal of developing a cooling arrangement which possesses the thermo-mechanical benefits of a transpired film, the aerodynamic benefits of discrete film injection, and mixing characteristics that are some compromise of the two.
This Phase I effort seeks to produce a conductive polyethersulfone (PES) microporous membrane for fuel cell water management applications.  This membrane will facilitate gas/liquid separations in regenerative fuel cells (RFC).  The preferred novel approach will impart electrical conductivity to the PES itself; previous attempts at similar membrane development have only focused on applying a conductive layer to the surface of the PES membrane.

This type of porous, conductive membrane would lead to improved water management for fuel cell and electrolyzer systems, and could significantly improve the performance of NASA's RFC.  Such an improvement in performance could facilitate the design of smaller, lighter weight RFC systems for renewable energy storage for space applications.  This project will result in the novel development of a conductive microporous membrane for NASA fuel cells and electrolyzers, and will also provide better understanding of the preparation and design of conductive membranes for other applications.
The objective of this work is to determine the optimal process for manufacturing lightweight linerless cryogenic storage tanks using ionic liquid epoxy composite material that can compete with metallic tanks currently in use.  
Ionic liquids, because of their unique properties such as low volatility, low flammability, and flexibility of chemical design are showing promise as the next generation of chemical reagents.   Mechanical and chemical testing to date has shown that this IL epoxy monomer, when cured with a commercial aromatic diamine curing agent, yields a polymer resin with high tensile strength, excellent bond strength to aluminum and steel, high toughness, low CTE, and low moisture permeability.  Performance comparisons of the ILE to several commercial epoxies showed the ILE had superior tensile and bond strengths.  Of particular importance is that these properties of the ILE were even better at cryogenic temperatures because of the low crystallinity inherent in the polymer as a consequence of the chemical nature of ionic liquids. 
In this Phase I effort, a battery of tests will be carried out at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures on coupons prepared preferably on a filament winder using the wet winding technique.  Hand layup may also be used to make small defect-free samples.  Samples for tensile, lap-shear and bend (for interlaminar shear strength) will be cut from these.   Potholing or surface degradation, microcracking and delamination will be reported and quantified if found.
Techshot, Inc. proposes to develop a Multi-specimen Variable-G Facility (MVF) for life and microgravity sciences research.  The MVF incorporates a generic multi-specimen sample holder which can be accessed on-orbit, allowing data to be obtained in real-time.  Candidate specimens accommodated by the MVF include various cells (e.g. for culturing), aquatics, plants, algae, and invertebrate organisms.  More specifically, the generic multi-specimen container can be utilized as a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell culture vessel.  It can be used to contain aquatic organisms such as Zebra fish, Medaka, tadpoles, and even developing amphibian eggs.  Seedlings, small adult plants (Arabadopsis), and even fern spores could be located within the specimen container.  Other possibilities include Algae (Chara), fungi (S. cerevisiae), as well as invertebrate organisms such as C. elegans and Drosophila sp. in very large numbers.  MVF's distinct advantage is its capability to provide synchronously controlled 1-G specimens in the same environment as the test specimens.  More importantly, the innovative curved-wall sample holders within the MVF provide a constant gravitational force to the samples at all specimen locations. Since the MVF builds upon existing flight-proven technology, the long scientific hardware development cycle will be significantly reduced, translating into higher scientific throughput of ISS.
For NASA's Exploration Medical Capabilities mission, extremely high
specific energy power sources, with specific energy over 2000 Wh/kg, are
urgently sought after. Such battery can be used to power the mobile
oxygen concentrators. Current primary lithium batteries, such as Li/SO2
system, Li/CFx system, and fuel cells, have limited specific energy to
around 500 Wh/kg.  Lithium air cell has over 11500 Wh/kg theoretical
specific energy, so it holds the great potential to realize such
challenging goals. However, the state-of-the-art lithium air battery
development has encountered several technical difficulties, including
air cathode performance, air management and cell packaging prevent
Driven by the strong market pull for this technology, Bettergy has
conducted preliminary investigation into solutions to those problems.
Based on our extensive experience in the field of metal air technology,
we have come up with several innovative solutions. Initial results are
very promising. With the support of this SBIR program, we will further
implement and test our unique concepts in order to realize the full
potential of the lithium air system.
This SBIR Phase I program will identify the joining materials and demonstrate the processes that are suited for construction of advanced ceramic matrix composite (CMC) thrusters for advanced monopropellants and bipropellants for space propulsion.  We will join CMCs to each other and to superalloys by brazing.  In Phase I, we will experimentally evaluate and identify suitable active metal braze alloys through wetting experiments, brazing, microstructural examination, and shear strength measurements both at room temperature and 1100:C.  We will also demonstrate the feasibility of using stiff and compliant interlayers to increase the joint strength by reducing the thermal residual stresses in the joints.  The Phase II project will demonstrate a working CMC HAN thruster using the joining technology developed in Phase I.
In this Phase I project, Impact Technologies, in collaboration with
Prof. R.K. Yedavalli, propose a novel verification environment for
eventual rapid certification of distributed engine control systems
(DCS).  Our approach is focused on providing a set of tools to the
government and industry that will allow faster certification of the
control system as new high-temperature components and control laws are
developed.  A distributed hardware-in-the-loop (D-HIL) simulation tool
is proposed to assist NASA and the Distributed Engine Control Working
Group (DECWG) to integrate DCS components onto existing and
next-generation engines.  The proposed D-HIL simulator consist of a
thermal test chamber operated by an engine simulation which is capable
of subjecting components to a range of possible transient thermal
conditions seen during engine operation , while functioning as elements
in the networked control loop.  To aid in certification of more complex
distributed engine control hardware and software, a set of analysis
tools is proposed.  The Global Verification Toolset makes use of global
stability and bounded verification methodologies to allow stability and
performance to be assessed in a systematic fashion.  At the conclusion
of Phase I, the new verification facility and software tools will be
demonstrated in a system test using the C-MAPSS engine.
The Area-I team has developed and fabricated the unmanned Prototype-Technology Evaluation and Research Aircraft or PTERA ("ptera" being Greek for wing, or wing-like). The PTERA is an extremely versatile and high-quality, yet inexpensive flight research testbed that serves as a bridge between wind tunnel and manned flight testing by enabling the low-cost, low-risk flight-based evaluation of a wide array of high-risk technologies.
Growing interest in precise measurements of methane concentration and distribution in the Earth's atmosphere is stimulating efforts to develop LIDAR systems in the spectral region of 1.65 um utilizing Path Differential Absorption techniques. The key element of such systems is a high energy optical source with good beam properties operating in the vicinity of a methane absorption line.
Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent for Suborbital Scientific Earth Exploration, which often involves high altitude, long endurance flight missions. Extreme environmental conditions, especially involving sub-freezing temperatures (eg, polar missions in support of the US Global Change Research Program), can lead to the accretion of ice on control surfaces and jeopardize both the vehicle health and mission success.
There is a continual drive to move electronics out of the "warm box" to their point of use on space platforms. This requires electronics that can operate reliably over a wide range of temperatures and in the presence of radiation.
Asteroids and comets are fascinating members of the celestial order. These objects provide a unique window into the composition of the original solar nebula and offer clues on how this nebula evolved into planetesimals and eventually into planets.
This proposal puts forth an innovative star tracker hardware sensor that allows for autonomous calculation of a spacecraft's orbit by employing Doppler Spectroscopy and Astrometric techniques. The proposed advanced star tracker provides onboard deep space orbit self determination capabilities through the use of specialized reference stars that have exoplanet companions.
Thermal and environmental control systems for future exploration spacecraft must meet challenging requirements for efficient operation and conservation of resources. Regenerative CO2 removal systems are attractive for these missions because they do not use consumable CO2 absorbers.
The one CFD modeling area that has remained the most challenging, yet most critical to the success of integrated propulsion system simulations, is turbulence modeling. There is a need to develop mid-level CFD models for the interaction of turbulence and chemical reactions that give superior results to the simple models (e.
The requirement for cost effective manufacturing and metrology of large optical surfaces is instrumental for the success of future NASA programs such as LISA, WFIRST and IXO. OptiPro's UltraForm Finishing (UFF) is a sub-aperture compliant wheel and belt type polishing process for rapid material removal from the ground state to a finished optic.
The proposed work will demonstrate the process feasibility and mechanical properties of a polybenzoxazine/carbon fiber composite that will meet NASA's requirements for large scale lightweight structures with high temperature performance. Our proposed approach utilizes a benzoxazine resin formulation including a small main-chain oligomer in combination with a high performance monomer.
Hybrid turbo-electric aircraft with gas turbines driving electric generators connected to electric propulsion motors 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.
In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to employ mid-infrared Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (Off-Axis ICOS) to develop a compact, rugged analyzer to quantify low concentrations of 12CH4 (methane), 13CH4 (delta_13C of methane), C2H6 (ethane), C3H8 (propane), and C4H10 (butane) in the gas phase. This portable instrument will provide rapid (0.1 &amp;#150; 1 Hz), highly-accurate quantification of these gasses with minimal external ca
Munro offer an innovatiive, intelligent, fully integrated hardware and software cockpit system solution for handling many General Aviation (GA) and UAV emergencies so as to minimize NextGen ATM disruption while saving lives. This ADS-B-ER system will provide GA airplanes and UAVs automated -ER trajectories to the nearest suitable airport avoiding terrain/obstacles, hazardous weather and restricted airspace.
Future space exploration energy-storage needs span a wide range of requirements. NASA's Exploration missions will require safe, human-rated, high specific energy, high energy density and high efficiency-storage systems that can be used in space and on the moon and Mars.
High efficiency power systems are needed for NASA's future human exploration of space and such power systems must have advanced safety feature and provide high specific energy and high volumetric energy density. Luna Innovations propose to develop novel rechargeable battery with advanced non-toxic and safe anode and cathode materials.
In order for carbon-carbon nozzle extensions and exit cones to serve as practical, low cost components for future Earth-to-Orbit propulsion systems, it is necessary to develop alternative fabrication methods coupled with proven design and analysis tools. Two-dimensional (2D) C-C components are typically less expensive and potentially lower weight than C-C parts fabricated using 3D woven preforms.
LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) systems have proven their value in the remote measurement of spatially resolved atmospheric wind velocities in a number of applications, including the detection of clear-air turbulence, wind shear, aircraft wake vortices, and microbursts.  The capacity of coherent LIDAR systems to produce a continuous, real-time 3D scan of wind velocities via detection of the Mie backscatter of atmospheric aerosols in clear-air conditions and at stand-off distances of up to 50 km at relatively low pulse energy gives this technology a clear advantage over other atmospheric monitoring technologies.

During the execution of contract NNX11CG87P SIBELLOPTICS assembled the key components of the fiber-based transceiver in a breadboard system and demonstrated performance against proprietary LIDAR modeling.  In addition, we were able to demonstrate 12 hour battery-powered operation, a unique, compact BPLO method that uses quad-cells, and were able to take a significant step towards future miniaturization by packaging the fiber sub-assembly on a 1-ft x 1-ft optical bench.
  
In Phase II, it is proposed that, based upon Phase I efforts, a brassboard version of the fiber-LIDAR system be designed, assembled, and tested including data collection, processing, and display capabilities. The system will include custom opto-mechanical designs of mounts and benches, packaged components for reduced SWAP and more robust operation, and higher output energy to increase sensitivity.  Software will be developed to demonstrate real-time capability to collect, process, and display data in real-time using a unique interactive user interface.
Picometrix's time-domain terahertz (TD-THz) non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technology could be used to inspect space flight structures such as inflatable space habitats, thermal protection systems (TUFI-type tiles, SOFI TPS), for voids, disbonds, and damage such as tearing and micron-meteorite impact.  The current instrumentation paradigm is that a multi-purpose TD-THz control unit is used to provide common drive, data acquisition, and analysis functionality to interchangeable sensors and imaging which connect to the control unit with a fiber-optic/electrical umbilical.  However, the current COTS control unit is substantially larger and heavier than would be desirable for a space-flight capable unit. In Phase II we will construct a prototype compact TD-THz control unit with a fiber optically coupled remote compact TD-THz reflection tomography sensor based on the Phase I designs. At the end of a successful Phase II, and transitioned into Phase III, we envision that a hand-held A or B-Scan NDE imager could attach to a control unit, sufficiently robust for spaceflight, no larger than a shoebox.  In Phase II, it should be possible to reduce the size of the control unit to approximately 1/3 of the current values to, for example, 14 in. X 10 in. X 4 in. and 15 pounds.
Lidar remote sensing of atmospheric gasses requires high-quality laser sources throughout the spectrum from the UV to the infrared. The objective of this SBIR program is development of lidar wavelength-tunable sources that exceed the performance of those currently available.
Advanced space suit technologies require lightweight, low-power, durable sensors for monitoring critical life support constituents. Current technology cannot provide the compact sensors with a tolerance for liquid water that are specifically requested for next-generation portable life support systems (PLSS).
The purpose of this Phase I SBIR program is to adapt NanoSonic's HybridSil&amp;#153; nanocomposites that combine high levels of erosion resistance and anti-icing functionality to enable in-flight icing measurement and mitigation for next generation aircraft. Icing on engine components, rotors, and wings creates substantial problems during in-flight operation.
Traffic Managers, Supervisors and Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) Specialists have a critical and significant responsibility in the ATM system to deal with widely varying contingencies and issues. Although many tools exist to support the Traffic Manager in fulfilling their duties, these tools generally focus on one specific type of traffic management initiative and the planning and decisions suggested by these tools are not integrated together. While much attention has been focused on decision support tools and information systems for the controllers, only minimal attention has been given to decision support tools for the Supervisors and Traffic Managers other than the specific traffic management initiatives. We propose to develop a Course of Action Planner for Air Traffic Coordinators.  Given assumed inputs from all systems that may affect the Coordinator's tasks (via SWIM), the planner will develop a set of required and prioritized tasks, and feasible options for solutions to the identified issues. Each option will contain a list of actions (including TMIs) that, when combined, will address the identified situation.
NASA requires a highly efficient lubrication system for robotic operations, which will withstand very low temperatures (20 K) and other rigors of outer space and planetary surface operations. Building on prior experience in the materials area, InnoSense LLC (ISL) and an experienced consultant will formulate ionic liquid (IL)-based lubricants that will be not only thermally resistant but also compatible with a variety of raw materials for potential NASA-relevant lubricant formulation. Phase I tasks are designed to develop a library of these lubricant formulations by synthesizing and testing according to specified durability metrics. During Phase I, ISL will demonstrate the proof of concept by formulating IL-based lubricants and evaluating physical properties, coefficient of friction, and thermal tolerance. The Phase II project will focus on optimizing a line of IL-based lubricant formulations, fine-tuning physical properties at extreme temperatures, and investigating electrical applications.
The Science Mission Directorate is chartered with answering fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space.  Its future direction will be moving away from exploratory missions (orbiters and flybys) into more detailed/specific exploration missions that are at or near the surface of planets and small bodies (landers, rovers, and sample returns) or at more optimal observation points in space.  This drives a need for propulsion technologies that enable precision landing, hazard avoidance, in-space rendezvous, and ascent/decent vehicle propulsion.  These missions will entail higher propulsion system duty cycles, more challenging environmental conditions, and extended operation. Moreover, propulsion system objectives will need to be met with more stringent constraints on mass, volume, power, and cost.

C3 Propulsion proposes the development of an advanced CV engine prototype featuring an innovative combination of multiple throttling techniques to enable sustained deep throttling without sacrificing engine performance. The Constant Volume combustion engine is an innovative design that combines light weight, low pressure fuel tanks and operates at high chamber pressures. The CV engine has nearly identical specific impulse as a constant pressure engine with the same mass flow and throat area, furthermore, the nozzle optimizes at the same area ratio. It has exceptional thrust-to-weight ratios. It will be designed for high duty cycle, extended operation to satisfy SMD mission requirements. The suitability of this engine for a range of SMD missions will be proven through engine testing that demonstrates deep throttling capability, and the development of appropriate scaling laws that allow engine sizing to be performed based on mission requirements.
We propose to develop an extended lateral range capability for a dynamic optical profiling system to enable non-contact, surface roughness measurement of large and aspheric astronomical optics in-situ during manufacture.  This instrument will be capable of measuring more than three decades of spatial frequency range for determination of rms surface roughness.  It will be insensitive to vibration, being based upon our patented phase-sensor technology, and capable of being mounted on a computer-controlled polishing machine for in-situ measurement of large, aspheric and freeform optics.  Objectives for Phase I are to demonstrate a novel automatic alignment system enabling in-situ extended lateral range surface profiling, demonstrate an extended lateral range concept, and to demonstrate a measurement range of more than three decades in spatial frequency.  Anticipated results of Phase I will be documented laboratory demonstrations of these capabilities.  Our TRL before Phase I is 2-3, after Phase I we anticipate a TRL of 3-4 and after Phase II a TRL of 6.
Given the extended duration of future missions and the isolated, extreme and confined environments, there is the possibility that stress-related behavioral conditions and mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) will develop. The overarching goal of this project is to deliver an integrated system that will track physiological signals (heart rate and heart rate variability) and behavioral signals (sleep wake patterns) to detect chronic stress, hyperarousal, and insomnia during space missions. This project will deliver both the sensor hardware and signal processing software needed for the real-time data collection and integration with other behavioral health monitoring systems (e.g., Individualized Behavioral Health Monitoring Tool). The result of this project through Phase II will be a system that can be deployed in space analog environments for validation testing and ultimately deployed on ISS to assist astronauts and mission support personnel in the detection of astronaut chronic stress, hyperarousal, and insomnia. The critical need for an Individualized Stress Detection System has been identified as a priority outlined in the BHP IRP Gap BMED3. During Phase I, we will perform an assessment of heart rate sensor and actigraphy technologies and develop engineering requirements and detailed technical plans to be implemented during Phase II (Phase I TRL of 3).
Oxygen (O2) contained within waste carbon dioxide (CO2) is a vital resource during long-duration, manned missions that must be reclaimed by Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) hardware.  Current CO2 reduction technology to recapture oxygen as water utilizes the Sabatier reaction, in which, two moles of water and one mole of methane are produced for each mole of CO2 reduced.  Unfortunately, only half of the hydrogen consumed in the reaction can be recovered by water electrolysis.  In contrast, the Bosch reaction produces water and elemental carbon, recovering all hydrogen consumed and closing the O2 - CO2 reduction loop.  Previous experience has shown the primary problem with the Bosch reaction is carbon production, which deactivates the catalyst and eventually plugs the reactor.  An innovative Regenerative Bosch Reactor (RBR) is proposed to overcome this problem, in which, a bed of small spherical ferromagnetic catalyst beads is periodically agitated using mechanical or magnetic forces to abrade carbon from the catalyst surface. Carbon is expelled from the RBR by the gas stream and collected downstream.  The Phase I project will demonstrate catalyst regeneration. A prototype RBR will be designed, assembled, and thoroughly tested during the Phase II program providing NASA with a test bed for independent evaluation.   The RBR will improve atmosphere loop closure and lower the ESM for CO2 reduction by recovering all of the hydrogen reductant.
This SBIR Phase I project will develop a MEMS gyroscope that uses an
ultra high resolution sensing technique for measuring proof mass motion.
The goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept by
understanding the optical, mechanical, and electrical performance
characteristics that result from using micro interferometric sensing in
a MEMS gyroscope. Specific objectives of the Phase I effort are to (1)
develop a system level model that captures the behaviors of interest and
enables design decisions (2) demonstrate sufficient optical performance
for high resolution sensing in a prototype scale package and (3) show
that this sensing technique improves device stability by enabling a
design with a large separation between the sense resonance frequency and
drive resonance frequency. This large separation in frequencies results
in a device with much greater stability and better performance over
temperature enabling the use of this technology in metric tracking
hardware and tactical navigation applications. The TRL at the beginning
of the contract is between zero and one. At the end of the contract the
TRL will be 3.
We propose to develop compact absolute wavelength references to weak molecular transitions, which is a challenge characteristic to space-based active sensing.  The ASCENDS mission (Active Sensing of CO2 over Nights, Days, and Seasons) will be the first satellite-based mission employing precision laser spectroscopy for active sensing of molecules in space.  Although ASCENDS will be first, it is expected that future NASA missions for planetary sensing or Venture class missions will also use active sensing.  In Phase I, Vescent will demonstrate the technology to lock seed lasers to weak molecular transitions in a compact form factor. The final Phase II deliverable will be a complete laser system including a master laser and a slave laser locked to the master laser with a tunable frequency offset. The system will be designed so the slave laser can be used to tune across an O2 transition in a compact instrument designed for flight testing. The phase I effort will bring the technology readiness level to TRL 4.  In Phase II we will work with NASA to bring the technology to TRL 6 with fully packaged prototypes and environmental testing.
This proposal is directed toward the development of innovative
high-efficiency UV photocathodes based on the wide bandgap III-nitride
semiconductors for reliable operation at high temperature and high
radiation environments for future NASA missions near the Sun and in deep
atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter.  The proposed work includes the
incorporation of these photocathodes on Al2O3-based high-temperature
micro-channel plates (MCPs) for high-sensitivity UV photon counting and imaging
Renewed interest in missions to explore other planets has created a need for new advanced heat shield systems that will protect spacecraft from the severe heating encountered during hypersonic flight through planetary atmospheres.  Both reusable and ablative TPS have been developed to protect spacecraft.  Typically, reusable TPS have been used for the Shuttle where the reentry conditions are relatively mild while ablative TPS materials have been used on planetary entry probes where high heating rates are generated.  Additional advances in TPS design are needed to deliver large payloads to the moon and Mars, and to explore the outer planets.  Flexible or deployable aeroshells offer an approach for achieving larger aeroshell surface areas for entry vehicles than otherwise attainable without deployment.  Larger surface area aeroshells offer the ability to decelerate high-mass entry vehicles at relatively low ballistic coefficients.  However, for an aeroshell to perform even at the low ballistic coefficients attainable with deployable aeroshells, a flexible thermal protection system (TPS) is required that is capable of surviving reasonably high heat flux and durable enough to survive the rigors of construction, handling, and deployment.  Aspen Aerogels proposes to develop ablative flexible reinforced aerogels to meet this challenge.
Concept SEVEN (System Enhancement for Versatile Electronic Negotiation) is a new type of Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) that has been in research and development within the Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) program for years.  It allows for the electronic negotiation of routes based on user-submitted preferences when capacity is restricted in an area of the airspace.  The first phase of SEVEN, now called the Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP), will be deployed operationally on November 2011.
In this project, Mosaic ATM proposes to develop a decision support tool for NAS users that will allow them to automatically generate the optimal route options and their relative costs during CTOP events.  This will allow users to take full advantage of the new capabilities and the opportunities for reducing ground delays and/or fuel burn.  Additionally, this capability will be available for integration into NAS simulation tools such as ACES and FACET, to allow NASA to model high-fidelity, realistic user trajectory preferences generally and in response to CTOP TMIs in particular.  In Phase 3, Mosaic ATM will additionally provide libraries containing the key algorithms for incorporation into existing flight planning systems.
Intelligent Automation, Inc. (IAI) proposes the design and validation of
a dynamic integrated arrival/departure  scheduler. In contrast to
current approaches, we propose changing arrival and departure runway
assignments dynamically based upon the traffic situation, weather
conditions, surface congestion, and planned departure pushbacks as well
as planned arrivals flowing into the terminal area from the enroute
centers. Testing of the concept will be done in a virtual software
environment, first using an analytic environment and later with
humans-in-the-loop (controllers and pilots). When complete, this project
has the potential to provide (1) a strategy to handle the FAA's
Best-Equipped Best-Served concept at airports, (2) a significant
increase in Metroplex capacity without building additional runways and
(3) support for a new aviation business model in which flights are
scheduled to Metroplexes rather than specific airports.  To accomplish
these goals, this effort will develop a controller that dynamically
assigns arrival and departure slots available at a given runway based on
the valuation of an &amp;quot;integrated capacity utilization metric.&amp;quot;
The metric will be a function of arrival/departure demand, arrival queue
lengths at fixes and surface departure queues. The result is a more
efficient use of airport resources than provided by currently available controllers.
Physical Sciences Inc. and AMPAC In-space Propulsion propose to develop a unique chemical propulsion system for the next generation NASA science spacecraft and missions that is compact, lightweight, and can operate with high reliability over extended periods of time and under wide range of thermal environments.  The system uses a storable, low toxicity, monopropellant as its working fluid.  Under this SBIR program we propose to investigate applications of this monopropellant to the design of in-space propulsion systems appropriate for NASA planetary spacecraft and missions.  In Phase I, we propose to experimentally characterize the propellant ignition and combustion processes in detail and use the data to develop design concepts for a liquid monopropellant thruster.  In Phase II, we propose to develop and deliver a small scale proof-of-concept engineering prototype thruster.  Upon successful technology development under the SBIR program, full-scale protoflight and space flight propulsion systems applicable to specific missions will be developed in Phase III NASA programs.
Clear Science Corp. proposes to develop an aerodynamic modeling tool that assimilates data from different sources and facilitates uncertainty quantification.  The technical merit and feasibility of the technology will be demonstrated in Phase I through a series of verification and validation tests that utilize both computational and wind tunnel data in constructing aerodynamic models for the Orion launch abort system (LAS).  Aerodynamic models provide inputs to the guidance, navigation, and control system. The proposed software will enable performance predictions over a wide range of operational conditions through the fusion of data from multiple sources including high-dimensional computational simulations, wind tunnel tests, and flight tests.  The software will also facilitate uncertainty analyses to determine the propagation of variability in inputs into output variability and sensitivity analyses to identify critical design and modeling parameters and operational variables.  Complex systems like the LAS are designed with a mixture of heterogeneous data, and uncertainties in the data can be a critical factor in evaluating designs.  The objective is to develop assimilation methods that reduce the number of expensive wind tunnel tests and CFD simulations required during system design while maintaining and improving the quality of aerodynamic models and systematically assessing uncertainties.
In this SBIR effort, Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. (APEI, Inc.) and the University of Arkansas are partnering to develop a versatile, radiation-hardened, low-power, asynchronous 8051-based microcontroller capable of functioning in a very wide temperature range (-230 &lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to +150 &lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C). To make the asynchronous microcontroller as seamless as possible with existing technology, the proposed asynchronous 8051 microcontroller will be developed to be pin-to-pin compatible with the commercial 8051, as well as compatible with the existing commercial software suites. The 8051 is considered the world's most popular microcontroller core, therefore demonstration of the design methodology on this platform allows for quick adoption ? extensive software libraries, advanced compilers, and well-trained software developers are readily available to support integration.
Water quality remote sensing has grown to allow for operational monitoring of trophic status, assessment of cyanobacteria blooms, and historical and trend analysis of water quality. Now, with the exponential growth of mobile technologies new opportunities can remove barriers to operational products and interaction by using handheld devices. The innovation of this SBIR is the integration of operational Earth Observations, web-GIS technologies, and disparate point data using a seamlessly linked mobile platform. Several existing tools (government, commercial, and open source) have been developed in the past decade to generate and provide remotely sensed water quality information for improving the decision making process. However, there is currently an innovation gap in a 1.) comprehensive utility that pools together existing disparate data; 2.) georeferenced mobile platform that enables real time end-user interaction while at a site; and, 3.) lack of operational products for a diverse audience. The mobile application is scalable to any region, easily transferable, and will provide users with unique access to customizable geospatial information products over the web using a hand held device. The direct science outcome will improve water quality, improve water quality decision making processes, and improve access to water quality information that utilizes NASA science.
Innovative research is proposed in integrating fundamental aircraft design processes with an emphasis on composite structures. Efficient, lightweight composite laminate structural design requires highly integrated structural analyses on the laminate and stiffened panel levels, while incorporating manufacturing processes and limitations. Laminate optimization is only one of the many design variables that need to be considered simultaneously in aircraft design. Yet true system level OML surface optimization is an extremely challenging problem that can only be made tractable by reducing the problem into three sequential gates: ply count compatibility, layup sequencing, and ply layout size and shape. The innovative approach proposed solves all three of these seemingly intractable gates and in so doing provides synergistic optimization of ply drops and adds and reduced manufacturing ply processing steps (drawing part numbers) along with laminate sizing to damage tolerance material allowables. To achieve the highest level of design fidelity requires iterative communication with the designer's CAD tool and ply zone mapping tools. Previous data exchange technology used by NASA to couple separate discipline design tools is the XML ASCII file format. Proposed is the evaluation and implementation of a binary format called 'HDF5'.
To address NASA's need for applying advanced dynamical theories to space mission design and analysis, especially in the context of unstable orbital trajectories in the vicinity of small bodies and libration points, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a novel advanced Orbit Dynamic Computation Approach for Space Mission Analysis in the Vicinity of Small Bodies and Libration Points (ODYBOLP), with corresponding computational algorithms and software based on advanced models of complicated celestial dynamical systems with libration points (LPs) and a pseudo-arclength continuation method for computation of periodic orbits in such systems. The ODYBOLP approach will enable users to analyze space missions using: (a) all possible stable and unstable periodic orbits near LPs of Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon systems, etc.; (b) all possible periodic orbits near asteroids and comets; (c) possible dynamic transitions between different orbits connecting them to each other to organize space for near-zero fuel cost passageways through such orbits. The ODYBOLP software will be integrated into standard NASA software (GMAT, JAT, etc.) for mission analysis and design. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the ODYBOLP approach. In Phase II, POC will develop a fully functional software system and demonstrate its complete feasibility.
NASA seeks new materials and systems for the mitigation of structural damage, and new concepts for the activation of healing mechanisms to improve structural durability and enhance safe operation of aerospace structural systems.  Nanotrons Corporation proposes to develop advanced multifunctional carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites with built-in non-catalytic nanocomposite?based self-healing microcapsules.  The proposed self-healing approach integrates high performance functionalized carbon nanotube (CNT) nanofillers, reactive monomer solution, non-catalytic curing mechanism, and mass-production self-healing microcapsules.  By uniformly dispersing these nanocomposite-based self-healing microcapsules throughout the CFRP composite matrix, self-healing multifunctional composite materials will be fabricated.  The resulting materials should selectively repair the damaged areas at ambient conditions without catalysts.  Nanotrons' proposed novel multifunctional CFRP composites could heal the damaged area over 90&#37; of the original strength.  Added benefits are that the addition of self-healing microcapsules will increase fracture toughness of the matrix polymer and the incorporated CNT nanofillers will improve electrical conductivity and EMI/RF shielding performance of the healed CFRP composites.  These features are unattainable from existing systems.  Nanotrons' proposed non-catalytic nanocomposite-based self-healing microcapsules embedded in multifunctional CFRP composites can be economically scaled up for manufacture.  This Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed self-healing approach.
We propose to create a new graphical user interface (GUI) for an existing parallel application performance and profiling tool, Open|SpeedShop.   The current GUI has many deficiencies, but also many strengths which we will incorporate in this new design.  We will capitalize on these strengths and build upon them by extending the functionality, thus increasing the range of possible uses, the total user experience and its scalability.

Graphical user interfaces for performance tools are crucial in enhancing the users ability to understand analysis information gathered by a tool in the HPC environment because they give an immediate visual representation of the application's performance.   A graphical user interface allows users to quickly focus in on areas of the science and engineering application program where bottlenecks are occurring.

The graphical user interface has been identified by Argo Navis Technologies LLC as the leading portion of the project that is preventing extensive adoption and use in this industry.  Numerous users, upon which this open source software project depends, have asserted many concerns regarding the current GUI.  Within this proposal several problem areas have been listed, along with solutions directly addressing each.  With this funding, Open|SpeedShop will become a predominant force in the HPC performance tools domain.
Aerospace vehicles operating at high altitudes have the potential to be less expensive and more versatile alternatives to space based systems for earth/space science, communications, and surveillance.  However, the operational flexibility of these vehicles is limited by the performance of the propulsion system.  In gas turbine systems low temperatures and pressures at the combustor inlet are of concern for combustion stability and efficiency at high altitudes.  The overall objective of the proposed work is to assess the feasibility of developing a high performance airbreathing combustor for hydrogen-fueled very high altitude aircraft by promoting stable combustion using thermally stable catalytic reactor technology.  Our combustor concept baselines the use of strontium-substituted hexaaluminate catalyst supports, which are resilient to temperatures greater than 1500 K.  In Phase I an active catalyst that provides high reactivity with hydrogen at representative conditions will be identified through laboratory testing.  An empirical model of catalyst reactivity will be developed and integrated with a reactor model to produce a conceptual design of a full scale combustor for a defined very high altitude gas turbine system.  The catalytic rector that will be developed through this effort represents a new, enabling technology that will dramatically increase the flexibility of aerospace vehicles.
Extended operation of exploratory systems on the surface of planets like Venus, means that techniques to cool system electronics to essentially room temperature (30:C) while the ambient temperature is over 470:C must be developed and demonstrated.  This proposal discloses a patent-pending passive thermal management system (TMS) capable of providing electronic system cooling at 30:C, while rejecting heat to ambient temperatures above 500:C.  This Phase I effort includes performance demonstration experiments in a representative thermal environment.   These experiments will demonstrate a TMS system with a system mass of less than 0.22 kg/W/day, that provides passive isothermal temperature control, with no moving parts.
Accurate and efficient computational modeling of free-surface flows has numerous applications of current and future relevance to NASA. At present, NASA engineers use several commercial codes for modeling cryogenic fluids. However, the free surface modeling technologies in these codes need improvements for better solution accuracy, and most are not scalable for highly parallel simulations.  In this SBIR project, CFDRC and Streamline Numerics will develop and implement, in Loci-STREAM, an innovative and improved VOF methodology with the following advanced features: (1) Ability to handle triangle and quadrilateral cell types in 2-D, and tetrahedron and hexahedron cell types in 3-D; (2) Spatially second-order surface reconstruction for these cell-types; (3) Hybrid implicit-explicit time integration scheme that both maintains a sharp interface and allows realistic time-steps for the overall flow solver; and (4) Highly efficient parallelization with scalability to 1000s of processors. To demonstrate feasibility in Phase I, a previously developed 2-D stand-alone VOF module will be coupled to Loci-STREAM and validated.  In Phase II, 3-D VOF capability will be developed and integrated with Loci-STREAM. An innovative multi-timescale algorithm that affords significantly larger time steps than standard VOF will also be implemented. Final demonstration of the software will be performed for practical cases to be decided in discussions with NASA/MSFC personnel.
Emergent Space Technologies, Inc. (Emergent) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) propose to investigate the navigation performance and computational burden of a second-order Kalman filter that uses a new method of computing second-order derivatives using multi-complex numbers, a multi-dimensional generalization of complex numbers. We will develop a prototype of the filter to be integrated into NASA's Orbit Determination Toolbox (ODTBX) in Phase II. We will also investigate techniques to integrate ODTBX and other NASA software such as Optimal Trajectories by Implicit Simulation (OTIS) with NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT). Integration techniques to be investigated include service-oriented architecture (SOA) and the Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) middleware-based architecture. In Phase I, we will provide NASA with a detailed roadmap for integrating estimation, advanced dynamical theories and other capabilities with GMAT. Finally, we will investigate how GMAT and ODTBX can be incorporated into aerospace engineering curricula and research at Georgia Tech in Phase I and then extend our outreach to other top aerospace engineering universities in Phase II, to help expand the user and developer base for these software packages beyond the NASA civil servants and direct contractors who currently develop and use them.
Utilizing centrifugal force as the primary body-force, combined with both shearing flow and vibratory motion the proposed centrifugal-sieve separators can provide efficient gravity-level-independent size classification of granular feedstock like lunar regolith.  Standard size separation methods for dry materials often depend on gravity as the primary body force. For separation of small sizes, gravity-force is usually supplemented with vibration and shearing flow. Granular materials naturally stratify during shear-flow with larger particles rising to the top. Depending on frequency and intensity, vibrations alone can induce large particles to rise to the top in a granular bed, independent of shear flow.  The proposed centrifugal size-separators utilize the natural size stratification of flowing granular solids. They will function equally well under reduced gravity conditions and in vacuum. The nominal design is a configuration with only one moving part and no blades, or other high-wear components. Shearing flow and vibrations combined with a size-separating screen at the outside (or 'bottom') of the flow will separate particles, with the fines passing through the outer wall screen, and the coarse material passing axially through the continuous feed system. Multiple size separation streams are possible. Alternate designs with shear-enhancing blades, 'above' or inside the screen, will also be evaluated. Various approaches for screen deblinding, and other robustness enhancements, are part of the proposed designs. With appropriate selection of passing-screen size, and deblinding enhancements, the centrifugal-sieves could be used for regolith processor feedstock conditioning to remove material &gt; 0.5cm diameter, and with alternate settings and screen size, also used for a degree of beneficiation, to select particular size ranges that have the highest percentage of desired mineral content.  The centrifugal-sieve concept can be scaled to any desired mass flow rate.
Long term ocean measurements are severely impacted by algae growth. In
this proposed work algae will be inhibited  by localized, intermitent
microgeneration of chlorine from seawater at sub-PPM levels. This
technology will minimize operational labor requirements by eliminating
ship time now required for cleaning of these sensors, as well as
preventing the release of caustic chlorine to the environment. The
calibration of deployed, submerged conductivity/temperature sensors will
be extended from the present period of 1 month to 6 months or greater.
After phase II an antibiofouling generic design will be available for
general ocean instrument use.
The Electroadhesive &amp;quot;Sticky Boom&amp;quot;, an innovative method for
rendezvous and docking, is proposed for the Orbiting Sample Capture
(OSC) portion of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. This technology
carries the advantages of greatly reducing the probability of accidental
colisions, high inherent reliability from mechanical and guidance
simplicity, lower propellant consumption, avoidance of plume
impingement, high tolerance for relative spacecraft misalignment, very
low mass and volume requirements, and reliable non-mechanical contact
and proximity detection. The system consists of an electrically
activated electroadhesive pad used for spacecraft capture, mounted
flexibly on the end of a low volume/weight retractable boom. The
research proposed in phase 1 aims to design a system optimized for MSR
mission and demonstrate the reliable functionality of the system in
simulated space environments raising the TRL from a 2 to a 3. This
effort ends with a system design for a flight testbed for testing during
Phase 2, thus further elevating the TRL to 5-6. Also covered are
numerous other applications of the technology, which allows for docking
with spacecraft not design for docking as well as capture of
uncooperative targets and debris.  Interest in application of this
technology has been show by industry entities such as ULA.
NASA sees an increasing role in the near future for small satellites in
the 5-100 kg size range. A potentially disruptive technology, small
satellites, which are low cost and can be delivered in months, are being
eyed as platforms for rapid demonstration of new technologies and even
important science missions. From NASA's recently launched PharmaSat
sub-10 kg free-flying nanosatellite, which has just successfully
completed an experiment that could help scientists better understand how
effectively drugs work in space, to potential future missions like
CRESPO, a ~100 kg microsatellite that will use a hyperspectral imager to
monitor the condition of more than 50&amp;#37; of the Earth's coral reefs over a
2-year period, NASA is counting on these small satellites to deliver.  A
miniature PMB technology is widely applicable to small mechanisms and
will allow for a greater technological payoff with the next generation
of small satellite missions.  Honeybee Robotics is developing a small,
modular control moment gyroscope (CMG) technology for use on small
satellites. The life limiting and power driving aspect of this
technology as with any CMG or reaction wheel (RW), are the rotor
bearings which operate at 12,000 rpm. Honeybee Robotics proposes to
develop a miniature passive magnetic bearing (PMB) for small satellite
ACS components such as CMGs and RWs. This cross-cutting technology can
also be applied to any small mechanism that might benefit from low
parasitic torque, low induced vibration (IV), and long life. PMB
technology for small satellites will allow for a step increase in life
for their ACS subsystems. Enabling a small satellite mission lifetime of
15+ years rather than 1-3 years is a game-changing development that will
alter the way mission planners think about small satellite capabilities.
Prototype units will be integrated with our Tiny Operationally
Responsive CMG (TORC) technology to demonstrate the relative merits
compared to traditional ball bearings.
In this SBIR project, APEI, Inc. is proposing to develop a high efficiency, rad-hard, 100's kWe power management and distribution (PMAD) system for space nuclear power systems. The PMAD will utilize SiC JFET power switches; components which APEI, Inc. has irradiated under TID conditions to greater than 3MRad with little to zero change in device performance. The PMAD will implement a modular approach in order to increase efficiency and ease expansion, as well as a multi-level soft-switching power topology which will allow increased transmission voltages (up to 2 kV) and increased efficiency. APEI, Inc. will leverage over a decade of experience in developing high-power, high-density SiC-based power electronic systems in order to realize an efficient, power-dense PMAD solution for space nuclear power systems.
Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) and Penn State University (PSU) propose to develop a highly sensitive spectrometer based on glow discharge plasma emission for the detection/classification of lunar soil components including minerals and adsorbed species (e.g. water).  This is a broadly applicable technology for gases, aerosols, and solid samples and would complement technology that is already under development for detection of toxic species to monitor fire cleanup filtration systems on spacecraft.
Wireless, passive, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), Orthogonal Frequency
Coded (OFC) temperature sensors, operating in a multi-sensor
environment, developed at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have
been successfully interrogated wirelessly at a distances ranging from 7
to 21 feet with a transceiver system developed by Mnemonics, Inc (MNI).
The proposed innovation adds a coherent detection capability to the
interrogator receiver, allowing the phase of the received signal to be
measured.  As is done in GPS signal processing, the phase information
allows precise measurement of range (from the interrogator to sensor) as
well as motion, and if multiple antennas are used, angle of arrival
(i.e. direction) can also be sensed.   The investigation will include
optimizing waveforms for the new measurement capabilities and will
extend the detection range well beyond the 21 feet.  Other objectives
are to develop a compact integrated sensor and antenna, synchronize
timing and phase in a multiple interrogator network and improve RF
performance on both the transmit and receive side of the interrogator.
The proposed interrogator is based on a quadrature receiver technique
and will also include wireless backhaul for instantaneous distribution
of measurement data. The proposed interrogator and SAW sensors are to
operate at the 915 MHz frequency band.  The proposed system will be used
in a broad range of NASA, as well as commercial applications.
NASA has a requirement for a neurodiagnostic tool that can be used to monitor the behavioral health of the crew during long duration Exploration missions. The device should unobtrusively monitor and detect neurophysiological markers of stress that could lead to behavioral or performance deterioration. The neurodiagnostic monitor should be lightweight and compact and should require minimal time or effort for the crew to use. Among the various neurodiagnostic modalities, electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) are most amenable for integration into a lightweight, wearable system that can be adapted for use in Space. We will demonstrate the feasibility of a wearable multi-modality neurophysiological device for monitoring stress. The wearable monitoring system will provide a real-time functional imaging of cortical activity while the crew performs Exploration mission activities.
In today's operations, acceptable levels of controller workload are maintained by assigning sector capacities based on simple aircraft count and a capacity threshold known as the monitor alert parameter (MAP). The MAP value of a sector is typically 5/3 of average sector flight time (or dwell time) measured in minutes, but may be adjusted up or down as necessary to account for other considerations such as sector geometry, traffic mix, and phase of flight. Future operations may utilize complexity as a proxy for workload instead. Our proposed research builds upon existing NASA complexity metrics by analyzing operational data to validate the factors that contribute to complexity in actual operations. We believe we have formulated a novel validation approach to apply to complexity. Our goal is to analyze a large sampling of operational data (substantially larger than could ever be provided by human-in-the-loop simulations) for a wide range of distinct sector types within Center airspace. This large and diverse sampling is anticipated to provide statistical significance to the validation of complexity factors. Most importantly, we believe that demonstrating sound operational validation of complexity is a key step in enabling the transition from aircraft count-based capacity to complexity-based capacity.
The first objective is to develop a capability to analyze operational data that can identify sectors whose MAP value deviates from the 5/3 dwell time rule. These sectors will likely exhibit complexity that is higher or lower than the nominal complexity associated with a given MAP value. The next objective is to determine which complexity factors are positively or negatively influencing the sector capacity deviation from the 5/3 dwell time rule from the training set of operational sectors. The final objective is to validate that the complexity factors identified can accurately predict deviations from the 5/3 dwell time rule for the validation set of operational sectors.
Impact Technologies, in collaboration with Tennessee State University, propose to develop and demonstrate an adaptive system identification and multi-loop control methodology that provides real-time aircraft structural mode suppression associated with aeroservoelastic interaction under upset and damage conditions.  The proposed program will develop an effective real-time aircraft structural model, including rigid body dynamics and structural flexible modes, which will be used by the on-line, adaptive control system proposed.  In parallel, the research team will also develop an innovative time/frequency domain system identification algorithm that can provide continuous updates to the real-time aircraft model and automatically assess the level of existing structural mode excitation.  Next, a singular value decomposition technique will be implemented to capture and quantify the associated dominant parameter uncertainties of the dynamic aircraft model and adjust accordingly. Finally, a multi-loop adaptive control structure will be developed that provides both structure and robustness of the aircraft by using the continuously identified model with the overall goal of responding to the structural safety and performance needs including the effects of aeroservoelastic interaction and structural flexible mode changes. The proposed approach uses a generalized predictive control (GPC) scheme, which can be used to both update the real-time model and design a controller, for active aeroservoelastic suppression under upset conditions.
ZONA Technology, Inc. proposes an R&amp;amp;D effort to develop an adaptive
flight control system which can provide near-nominal performance for the
aircraft under off-nominal conditions, consequently reduce pilot-vehicle
interactions. Furthermore, this adaptive control system is combined with
a monitoring system to detect possible Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO)
while both pilot and controller are adaptively working, in order to
avoid PIO and enhance aviation safety. The proposed comprehensive
combined control technique aims to reduce the interaction between the
adaptive flight system and the pilot control action to a minimal level,
when the aircraft experiences system failures, damage and/or upset conditions.
In order to design and manufacture complex, one-of-a-kind to limited quantity rocket propulsion system components, while shortening the development cycle time and reducing the associated costs, an innovative method must be developed that expands upon current manufacturing technologies. A flexible manufacturing system that can handle the production of such parts in short time periods is desirable. Today's near-net fabrication technologies are extremely limited in design flexibility due to the use of injection molding. Considering the need for design flexibility as well as shorter development cycles, reduced costs, and minimized variance in making one-of-a-kind components, an innovative manufacturing technology will be demonstrated in this work to fabricate geometrically complex superalloy components.
Electric propulsion (EP) thrusters have the potential to enhance or
enable Discovery-class missions.  However, a significant challenge in
scaling micro (&amp;lt;  100 W) EP devices up as well as scaling macro (&amp;gt;
1 kW) EP devices down is the lack of a compatible neutralizer technology
in the meso scale ( &amp;lt; 1 kW).  Traditionally, the technology used for
spacecraft neutralization has been the hollow cathode, though hollow
cathodes require an unsatisfactory fraction of a propulsion system's
propellant and power in the meso-scale regime.  In fact, they require
such a large amount of propellant and power that system efficiency is
reduced by 50-100&amp;#37;.  In addition, using a hollow cathode causes
undesirable specific impulse reduction. The most promising technology
for meso-scale neutralizers is field emission (FE), which requires the
use of nano-scale sharp emitters and high electric fields to establish a
beam of electrons.  The drawback of FE devices is that the nano-scale
emitters become damaged when operated in elevated pressure environments
(10-5 Torr), causing catastrophic failure.  The research proposed here
is to develop field-emission cathodes for use in meso-scale EP that
eliminate tip degradation not through attempts to minimize tip wear, but
instead by incorporating self-assembling nanostructures that can
repeatedly re-generate damaged emitter tips in space and fully restore
the functionality of a damaged or degraded cathode. The procedure is the
equivalent of having a MEMS fabrication and repair lab on-board the
spacecraft. The re-generable emitters proposed here have been
successfully demonstrated in the laboratory in work by Makela, et. al.
dating back to 2007.  The re-generable neutralizers could enable highly
efficient, high-Isp, low-mass propulsion systems operating between a few
Watts and 1 kW by either scaling existing micro technologies up or
scaling existing macro technologies down.
We propose to design, model, build, and test a novel flash cracking reactor to convert plastic waste, and potentially other unconventional hydrocarbon feedstocks, into tunable molecular weight fuels.  The innovative reactor technology "flashes off" desired hydrocarbon products as they form, thus preventing the over-cracking of the polymers into more volatile hydrocarbons.  This leads to improved selectivity for low vapor-pressure hydrocarbons, which are easier to store as fuel in large quantities at low pressures, as well as tunable molecular-weight products for multiple applications.  Our design approach in Phase I will use a combination of heat/mass transfer modeling with pyrolytic kinetics modeling for PE and PP, which will be used as a model system for waste plastic pyrolysis.  We will first demonstrate, using our pyrolytic model, that the hydrocarbon product distribution can be modified and tailored by varying the reactor and condenser temperatures, nitrogen gas flow rate, and system pressure.  We will also build and test the reactor system based on our model results.  Controlling the product distribution of a flash cracking reactor while minimizing parasitic losses will be the primary challenge during the Phase I effort.
Quallion's intends to develop an all-solid 600 Wh/kg, flexible form-factor lithium rechargeable energy device for advanced space power applications. Quallion's approach is to achieve greater than 600 Wh/kg combines three key proprietary developments:  (1) a recently developed electrolyte, (2) a lithium surface treatment technology and (3) a high energy density cathode.

The all-solid high-energy density battery can meet NASA mission requirements. The system has a non-flammable electrolyte, making it safer than current state-of-the-art, but with greater energy and tolerance to abuse, making it ideal for manned missions. NASA would be able to deploy this battery without any risk of fire or catastrophe.
Variable-emittance materials are in high demand for applications ranging from manned and unmanned space platforms (e.g. in radiators at the Moon's poles where damage could be prevented during times of low heat load) to spacecraft thermal control (especially for micro-, nano-spacecraft where no effective thermal control currently exists).  They are superior to technologies such as loop heat pipes, louvers, MEMS systems, electrostatic systems, phase change materials, and others. A key requirement is a high Turn-Down Ratio (TDR, ratio of high/low emittance), up to 10.0, and Delta-emittance, up to 0.55. In ongoing and recent prior work (for Air Force, JPL, NASA), this firm has developed a novel, patented variable emittance skin technology, based on conducting polymers (CPs), microporous membranes and ionic liquids, with proven, space-environment performance. The proposed work will develop this with further, radical innovations including entirely new CPs, to achieve a TDR of ca. 8.0 and possibly up to (from current ca. 3.0), and Delta-emittance of ca. 0.60 (from current ca. 0.50). The more than eight innovations are based on actual, prior experimental data and include  incorporation of new CPs, alteration of the substrates and surfaces, radical increase in doping level, use of new ionic liquid electrolytes with higher conductivity and several others.
Limited astronaut time can result in high crew workload and fatigue
during International Space Station (ISS) operations. Additionally crew
skills can decline over extended mission duration onboard ISS. These
stressors can impact task performance both in terms of increased errors
and decreased efficiency. As humans go deeper into space, these issues
will become even more pronounced. Methods are needed to monitor tasks as
they are performed and to detect degraded task performance. TRACLabs
proposes to develop algorithms and software for monitoring human
performance of procedures. Our approach will integrate performance
measuring software with procedure software and the displays used to
execute procedures. We will build on prior work by TRACLabs on the
Procedure Representation Language (PRL) and our agent software that aids
humans interacting with PRL procedures. The performance measuring
software will use techniques developed at the University of Pittsburgh
that monitor keystrokes and mouse utilization to compute the speed and
accuracy of individual pointing and text entry actions and adherence to
procedure definitions. We will adapt techniques for measuring task
performance of the disabled to measuring task performance of the
able-bodied when stressed. We propose that performance changes due to
these situational disabilities can be detected in the same way as
performance changes due to physical disabilities. These techniques are
particularly attractive for use at NASA because they are non-invasive
and do not require additional equipment to implement. Performance
measures will be computed in real-time as tasks are performed and thus
will be available for use during task performance. Procedure information
will guide the collection and interpretation of the human task
performance data.
We propose the development of a validated analysis tool to characterize
manufacturing defects and structural damage in composite parts.  The
objective of Phase I is to develop and verify a technology for accurate
characterization of manufacturing defects and structural damage in
fatigue-critical fiberglass/epoxy and carbon/epoxy composite structures
based on three-dimensional micro-focus CT measurements.  Key
requirements for the diagnostic technology include: (a) ability to
generate accurate subsurface geometry data for a composite structure
with manufacturing defects (such as wrinkles and voids) and structural
damage (matrix cracks and delaminations) based on the micro-focus CT
measurements; and (b) automated ability to convert the geometry data
into three-dimensional structural finite element models for assessment
of the effects of defects and structural damage.   Ability to measure
the manufacturing defects and structural damage and understand their
effects is a key to accurate assessment of part condition and condition
based maintenance for composite fatigue-critical, flight-critical
components and structure.  Automated interpretation of nondestructive
measurement of subsurface defects and structural damage is required for
accurate structural diagnostics.  Defect and damage measurement aided by
rudimentary tools such as a ruler or a caliper could result in
unacceptable measurement variation and affect the objectivity at making
disposition decision of the affected part.  Tools for rotorcraft
diagnostics and condition based maintenance developed in the proposed
effort will provide a mechanism to merge state-of-the-art in the
nondestructive measurement and the durability and damage tolerance
methods for composites and the implementation of the algorithms in
commercial software.
Knowing atmospheric 13CO2/12CO2 ratios precisely is important to
understanding biogenic and anthroprogenic sources and sinks for carbon.
Currently available field deployable instrumentation have unfavourable
attributes such as high power requirements, are extremely expensive, are
too large, are not proven or designed to run continuously or  unattended
for extended periods, and/or are unable to properly compensate for
nature pressure, temperature and moisture variations. Southwest Sciences
proposes to develop a high precision isotopic carbon dioxide measurement
system that nullifies interferences from pressure, temperature and
moisture, and that has characteristics compatible with field deployable
instrumentation. This instrument would be fully autonomous, requires no
consumable and would not need periodic maintenance. In Phase 1, we will
build a simplified single-pass spectrometer and demonstrate the ultimate
achievable precision under ideal conditions, operating parameters, and
Allan variance measurements. In Phase 2, we will leverage Southwest
Science's extensive experience with multi-pass cells and incorporate
additional temperature and pressure compensation techniques for
operation under non-ideal conditions.  At the end of Phase 1, we expect
this instrument to be at TRL-4.
NASA needs simulation tools capable of predicting the behavior of regolith in proposed excavation, transport, and handling or sample acquisition systems. For engineering-scale problems FE analyses utilizing soil-mechanics-based constitutive models have long been utilized in civil engineering to evaluate stresses and deformations up to failure, even including some plastic flow. The extremely large strains, bulking and recompaction behavior in excavation, hopper flow and regolith processing, however, are generally beyond the capability of most FE codes. Mesh-free methods offer an attractive option ? especially when coupled with critical-state soil-mechanics based constitutive models allowing unlimited shear deformation and flow. This Phase-1 project will enhance a new mesh-free SPH-based simulation model, initiated as part of an earlier SBIR project, to demonstrate its potential to meet NASA's need for a robust simulation tool for regolith manipulation and flow. Enhancements include providing smooth transitions as new free surfaces are created, parallelized algorithms so that high resolution can be maintained as the physical scale of the problems is increased to realistic engineering sizes, and inclusion of realistic cohesion in the critical-state soil-mechanics constitutive model. The large fraction of very fine particulates in lunar and Martian regoliths (e.g., particles &lt; 20-microns) precludes particle-scale DEM models from ever being able to both maintain particle-scale fidelity and simulate engineering-scale problems. Utilization of larger-than-nature 'calculational particles' in DEM code leads to new challenges ? calibration of those 'particles' so that the calculational material will reproduce the constitutive behavior of the original granular assembly. The mesh-free SPH model developed here has the potential to become a new robust simulation tool to address NASA's challenging regolith manipulation and flow problems.
The proposed innovation is an InGaAs-based, radiation-tolerant, micron-gap thermophotovoltaic (MTPV) technology.  The use of a micron wide gap between the radiation source and the photovoltaic substantially increases the efficiency of the thermophotovoltaic.  This work will be accomplished by combining MicroLink's state-of-the-art InGaAs-based epitaxial lift-off solar cell structure on an InP substrate, and MTPV, LLC's leading-edge, micron-gap thermophotovoltaic device technology.  The relevance of this innovation is that it addresses NASA's ongoing need for high-efficiency, lightweight, compact sources power for space vehicles.  TPV is an attractive and technically feasible candidate for space power supplies, but its relatively poor efficiency performance has meant that it has not seen widespread use in space applications.  However, MTPV technology, by bringing the emitter into the near field of the photovoltaic, couples an order of magnitude more power across the nano-scale vacuum gap than can be absorbed from the far-field spectrum and does so while maintaining the benefits of conventional TPV.  MicroLink's ELO growth technology promises to further increase coupled power relative to the current germanium TPV cells while simultaneously reducing substrate costs.  Thus, MicroLink ELO and MTPV technology can offer both high efficiency and reasonable cost TPV systems for the first time.
NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission scenario utilizes a small
Orbiting Sample (OS) satellite, launched from the surface of Mars, which
will rendezvous with an Orbiter/Earth Return Vehicle (ERV). When the
radio beacon-equipped OS is within range of the ERV's optical sensors,
the ERV will optically track and approach the OS, maneuvering itself to
place the OS within its capture device.  One of the key technologies
required to accomplish this mission involves a low-mass, highly reliable
mechanism that detects contact with and captures the OS, and, once the
OS is captured, moves the OS to a containment area for the return trip
to Earth.  There is an on-going body of research into such capture
mechanism designs and the various advantages and challenges of these
technologies. Aurora Flight Sciences and its research partner, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Space Systems Laboratory
(SSL), propose to develop a flight-quality OS-detection and capture
mechanism design based on research data and experience with the Mars
Orbiting Sample Retrieval test bed and develop a risk-mitigation
strategy that utilizes the International Space Station as a system
checkout and launch platform for system testing in Low Earth Orbit
(LEO). This proposal leverages the state-of-the-art research into sample
capture mechanisms, contact dynamics and capture mechanism detection
methods and builds on the team's experience with the Synchronized
Position, Hold, Engage, and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES)
system to develop a low cost, LEO test strategy that minimizes the risk
for later Mars deployment.
NASA needs advanced power-conversion technologies to improve the efficiency and reliability of power conversion for space exploration missions.  We propose to develop a Stirling generator to meet NASA needs.  Our Stirling generator adapts technology we have developed for high-reliability long-life (&gt; 10 years) space-based Stirling-cycle cryocoolers and proprietary compressor and expander technology.  Our compressor and expander technology enables near-isothermal compressions and expansions, which allow our Stirling generator to achieve a high percentage of the Carnot thermal efficiency.  In Phase I, we will generate a preliminary design of our Stirling generator and project its efficiency.  In Phase II, we will build and demonstrate a prototype Stirling generator and deliver the prototype to NASA for functional and environmental testing.  In Phase III, we will build and sell Stirling generators for many government and private-sector applications.
The development of cryogenic microwave components, such as focal plane polarization modulators, first requires an RF MEMS switching technology that operates effectively at cryogenic temperatures. The approach of this project is to explore the performance of capacitive MEMS switching technology at low temperatures. MEMS capacitive switches represent an alternative to ohmic contact switches, where the RF impedance of the device is not dependent on metal-metal contacts. These MEMS switches operate with much lower effective series resistance (generally ~ 0.25 ohms) and do not have the issues associated with dry contact switching. This technology also has the advantage of operating very well at millimeter-wave frequencies and higher, where many of the most demanding performance limitations exist. This technology has seen significant investment through DARPA and the DOD, and is directly applicable to high-performance microwave components needed in several of the upcoming NASA missions.
Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to develop a compact, multiwavelength LIDAR with polarization analysis capability that will be able to identify volcanic ash clouds at distance.  The system will be developed specifically for airborne deployment, including on Unmanned Aerial Systems.  A UAS-equipped with such a LIDAR could provide valuable supplementary information to that available from existing and planned satellite assets for defining and tracking volcanic ash plumes.  The system footprint will be minimized by taking advantage of all solid-state laser transmitters such as emerging metal doped fiber amplifiers.  The Phase I program will determine the most appropriate wavelengths for use via system modeling and then will select laser transmitter hardware.  Additional modeling will determine the transmit pulse energy and receive aperture size.  The system will be designed to be eyesafe.  A complete conceptual design for an Airborne Multiwavelength Lidar will be developed.  The technology readiness level at the entrance to the Phase I program is estimated to be 2 and at the exit of the program will be 3.  The Phase II program will design, fabricate and ground test a prototype LIDAR system.  Opportunities for a flight demonstration will be identified.
CPI proposes to develop an innovative, generalized retrieval algorithm
and analysis tool (GRANT) that will facilitate analysis of remote
sensing data from both terrestrial and planetary atmospheres, and that
is applicable to a wide range of NASA's remote sensing missions. GRANT
will be based upon a generic and flexible implementation of the optimal
estimation inversion technique for atmospheric retrievals (OPT), and be
driven by a state-of-the-art FUV-NIR atmospheric radiance model (AURIC)
for its forward model. GRANT will possess a flexible, user-configurable
sensor model for generating realistic simulated data that tailors the
retrieval algorithm to a specific sensor and measurement system. The
anticipated Phase I result will be a working prototype analysis tool for
application to terrestrial and planetary atmospheres. This prototype
will be validated against a focused set of existing retrieval algorithms
using remote sensing data from several NASA and DoD sensors. Phase II
will yield a prototype that includes additional retrievable geophysical
parameters, has a graphical user interface, incorporates a detailed
formal error analysis capability, and has improved forward modeling
capabilities such as energetic particle transport and enhanced
Visible/IR modeling. The TRL levels at the start and end of Phase I are
estimated to be 3 and 4, respectively.
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers have undergone continuous development for the generation of oxygen and hydrogen for commercial, military and space applications since the 1970's.  Unfortunately, conventional technology developed over this time period has required a complex balance of plant that adds to the overall weight of the system package.  Research in the past two decades resulted in the creation of systems that minimized balance of plant components, but had significant current density and efficiency limitations, limiting their use.  This SBIR program builds upon recent success in the development of a high-pressure electrochemical cell architecture and inserts novel water management technology to generate a passive liquid feed electrolyzer capable of operating at over 2,000 psi - and scalable to higher pressures.  If successful, implementation of this new technology can save substantially on system weight with a high system operational efficiency and enhanced current density capability.
Space telecommunications require amplifiers that are efficient,
high-power, wideband, small, lightweight, and highly reliable.
Currently, helix traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA) are the
technology of choice. Conventional helix TWTAs employ circular electron
beams. Recently, lightweight circular-beam helix TWTAs have been
demonstrated with power output in the range of several hundred watts and
overall efficiency in the range of 40 to 60 percent. Despite these
advances, there is substantial value in further improvement across all
of these areas.  Beam Power Technology (BPT) proposes a novel
elliptic-beam TWTA which is highly efficient (75&amp;#37;) and has 500 W of CW
power, reduced weight, lower voltage and an expected 15+ year lifetime.
The average power operation is at a back-off of -6 dB from saturation.
The linearity is -35 dBc. The Phase I objective is to determine the
feasibility of an elliptic-beam helix TWTA which substantially exceeds
the performance levels of conventional helix devices. In Phase II, BPT
will complete the engineering design and experimental demonstration of a
prototype targeting eventual deployment into satellite applications.
We propose the development of transceiver offering wide bandwidth (1 Mbps to 10 Gbps) that operates in space environments targeted by NASA for robotic exploration.  Fiber optics holds significant advantages over copper for high-speed data communications in space applications ? it neither produces nor is affected by EMI, it offers ground isolation between electronic units, reduced power, reduced size and reduced weight.  Mil-airframes are increasingly fielding fiber optic wiring infrastructures as a long-term solution to bandwidth upgrades (for example, Joint Strike Fighter, Raptor, F-18 and B-2) [1].  Space systems are coming on-line that route 100's of signals with bandwidths greater than 1 Gbps [2, 3 and see Potential Post Applications below].   As NASA engineers forecast the spacecraft trends for increasing science data throughput and on-board processing, the use of fiber optic data links between spacecraft subsystems has gained considerable interest.
This Phase I SBIR proposes to develop high quantum efficiency (QE) and
low dark current infrared epitaxy materials based on Type II Strained
Layer Superlattice (SLS) for space-based sensor applications. The epi
materials will be grown with Sb-capable multi-wafer production Molecular
Beam Epitaxy (MBE) reactor at IntelliEPI.  The initial goal includes
achieving QE of at least 50&amp;#37; with MWIR spectral wavelength band in the
2.5 to 5 um.  The SLS detector design will be done in collaboration with
Dr. Sarath Gunapla's infrared device group at JPL to ensure that the
effort addresses NASA needs.  Advanced structure design incorporating
barriers will be used to reduce dark current.  If successful, a Focal
Plane Array may be fabricated during Phase II.
This proposal is in response to NASA SBIR Topic A2.08 in the area of "Variable Fidelity, Physics-Based Design/Analysis Tools".  The development of a coupled viscous/inviscid analysis tool for powered-lift airfoils and wings is presented.  In this context, powered-lift airfoils are taken to be airfoils under the influence of a high-energy jet, and include jet-flaps, augmenter-flaps, upper surface blowing, and circulation control airfoils.  This methodology consists of coupling a viscous jet analysis, using a finite-difference approach, with a potential flow panel calculation.  The method uses an iterative procedure to capture the effects of viscous mixing and determine the correct jet shape. The goal in developing 2-D powered-lift predictions is to couple this analysis with a pre-existing modified Weissinger method to accurately predict 3-D wing performance based on sectional data.  In this manner, high-lift wing characteristics can be determined at a fraction of the computational cost of CFD.  An MDAO framework for aircraft-level optimization will be developed with the goal of integrating the powered-lift analysis such that ESTOL concepts and technologies can be incorporated at the conceptual and preliminary design stages.
Uplink Laser Beacons for deep-space communication, can benefit greatly from migration to the 1010-1030nm wavelengths, via use of Silicon-APDs on the spacecraft receiving terminal. Fibertek has developed an uplink laser transmitter testbed using a multi-stage fiber-MOPA platform, that is also scalable to a multi-aperture architecture. Preliminary demonstration for 1064nm operation has shown multi-kW peak powers using long-pulse slot(&gt;100nsec)based M-ary PPM format. The highly flexible platform developed at Fibertek, also corrects for pulse-shaping, and pulse-train variations, inherent in such multi-kW long-pulse variable-symbool PPM data-format. This SBIR proposal aims to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a clear technical road map to translate this to shorter wavelengths &lt;1030nm, as well as to further optimize the uplink laser beacon transmitter for representative M-ary PPM data formats, using FPGA based adaptive control.
This Phase I study will design and develop a NanoRacks Control Module
(NCM) that provides communications, control functions and data
processing in a NanoRacks compatible CubeLab form factor. This standard
module is intended to dramatically reduce the development time and cost
for an experiment to be flown in a Nanoracks module. Certain aspects of
a NanoRacks compatible experiment stay the same regardless of the type
of experiment. The proposed NanoRacks Control Module provides
communications compatible with the NanoRacks module. This includes
methods for preparing data generated in the NanoRacks CubeLab module for
download, as well as communications and commands to the NanoRacks
CubeLab module. The NanoRacks Control Module is configurable by the user
to generate and receive various signal and data types that may be
required for the experiment. The NanoRacks Control Module has its own
series of sensors that can provide baseline data about the experiment in
process, such as vibration and temperature. In addition, the NCM has a
battery operating mode that allows for the environment to be monitored
before flight and attachment to the NanoRacks frame.
The Regenerable Contaminant Removal System (RCRS) is an innovative method to remove sulfur and halide compounds from contaminated gas streams to part-per-billion levels in support of lunar oxygen production. A series of high efficiency sorbents sequentially removes contaminants at temperatures above dew point. Sorbents are regenerated, and contaminants are recovered in concentrated form. The RCRS is installed downstream from lunar soil reduction reactors to protect hardware from corrosion, to protect catalysts from poisoning, and to reduce the load on aqueous contaminant removal processes used in advance of electrolysis. Custom, high-porosity, high-capacity sorbents are used to minimize sorbent mass and sorption reactor volume while also minimizing process pressure drop. Sorption reactor volumes are small compared to the volume of soil reduction reactors. High porosity and sorbent durability are imparted through the use of organic and inorganic fillers and binders during manufacture of the sorbents. The RCRS imposes very little parasitic load on ISRU oxygen recovery systems during the course of sorbent regeneration and recovery of contaminant byproducts. The basic RCRS process can be tailored to provide contaminant removal for a wide range of reducing gas compositions.
A new method of transferring epitaxially grown active films onto an inexpensive polymeric flexible carrier. Specifically, for making thin lightweight high efficiency (&gt; 30&#37;) IMM3J solar cells while reusing the GaAs or Ge base wafer. This will reduce the costs of fabricating high efficiency PV cells by 30&#37; and will raise specific power to &gt; 200W/kg. The method uses a thin strained layer under the epitaxially grown active layers without ion implantation or wet etching. A crack propagates in the strained layer splitting the epi-layers from the base wafer after bonding to polyimide wafer, hence dry epitaxial lift-off (DELO), due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the semiconductor and flexible substrate without applying mechanical pressure. The base wafer is re-used to grow new epi-layers.
NASA requires an innovative solution to the serious issue of particulate fouling on air revitalization component surfaces in order to address the potential for catastrophic mission failure from severely compromised air revitalization performance.  Additionally, this would not only limit the number of replacement components to be carried on a long term crewed mission, but would also lower launch weight and equivalent system mass.  Lynntech proposes to provide proof-of-concept for innovative stimuli-responsive smart coating functionalized particulate air filter surfaces which respond to an applied stimulus by generating a pushing off force to trigger lifting off of adherent particles which are responsible for lowered air flux and reduced airborne contaminant removal efficiency.  The aims of the effort involve the preparation and down-selection of suitable self-cleaning particulate air filter surfaces followed by a demonstration of the in-place regeneration of the modified high efficiency particulate air filter surfaces in a simulated flow through air filtration system using standard regolith simulants to mimic airborne dust.  The maturation and eventual availability of this reagentless self-cleaning technology will allow NASA to more efficiently close the air revitalization loop and thereby sustain the vision for existing and future manned deep space missions.
This NASA Phase I SBIR effort proposes to establish the feasibility of significantly improving coupling at fiber to waveguide interfaces for the manufacture of low loss fiber coupled components being developed for several NASA lidar based initiatives, including LaRC's HSRL program.  Efficient and robust coupling of single mode fibers to optical waveguides is essential to the performance and manufacturability of a variety of low loss, fiber coupled non-linear optical components such as amplitude modulators, wavelength converters and integrated waveguide-based photonic devices.  The goal of the Phase II effort will be the delivery of HSRL-specific waveguide components to LaRC that incorporate the improvements developed in the SBIR effort.  Once optimized, the proposed approach will allow for a robust, low loss method for fiber to waveguide coupling that will be well-suited for air-borne and space based applications, thus advancing NASA's requirement for state-of-the-art lidar technology with emphasis on compactness, efficiency, and performance.
PI at ArkLight proposes a novel scheme for making cloud discrimination
in the wavelength ranges of near-IR (1-1.8 m) and mid-IR (3-4 m). This
scheme is based on optical phase conjugation from a second-order
nonlinear medium. It overcomes the disadvantages of slow speed in
photorefractive media and poor reflectivities in third-order nonlinear
materials. During Phase 1, she will design novel phase-conjugate mirrors
operating at the signal wavelengths of 1.27 m and 1.57 m. Subsequently,
she will fabricate the designed phase-conjugate devices. The next step
will be testing of the fabricated devices by investigating sum-frequency
and difference-frequency generation in the transverse geometry. She will
also carry out modeling efforts on the device performances for making
cloud discrimination. This Phase 1 project will be carried out in
collaboration with Prof. Ding at Lehigh University who is one of the
pioneers in optical phase conjugation. The anticipated results for Phase
2 include implementation and testing of the phase-conjugate mirrors
operating at 1.27 m and 1.57 m for correcting phase distortion and
making cloud discrimination, optimization of the phase-conjugate
mirrors, finding solutions to practical issues for deploying these
mirrors in the ASCENDS mission, expansion of input wavelengths,
incorporation with frequency up-conversion devices, and reports.
Crew behavioral health and performance are of high importance,
especially for long duration exploration missions. Early detection of
stress and effective options for restoration and enhancement of
behavioral health are imperative for accomplishment of mission
objectives and for maintaining a productive spaceflight environment. To
address the behavioral health issues during exploration missions, the
NASA Behavioral Health and Performance Program Element (BHP) is looking
for a non-invasive technology that would unobtrusively, and with minimal
crew time and effort: monitor physiological markers of stress; offer
countermeasures for maintenance and restoration of behavioral health;
and identify methods to prevent decrements in behavioral health. The
primary goal of this project is the development of a tool to provide
Behavioral Monitoring and Evaluation for the Delivery of Interactive
Cognitive behavioral therapy (B-MEDIC).  During Phase I we will provide
an analysis of measures and technologies for physiologically monitoring,
assessing and treating stress; and provide requirements for the
technological enhancements necessary to produce B-MEDIC. By the end of
Phase II, our multi-disciplinary team proposes to develop a functioning
prototype of B-MEDIC to address the following gaps outlined in the BHP
Integrated Research Plan (July 2010): BMED1, BMED2, and BMED6. (Phase I
TRL: Beginning 1, End 3)
This proposal outlines a plan for developing new technology to provide accurate real-time noise prediction for rotorcraft in steady and maneuvering flight.  Main rotor and tail rotor thickness and loading noise, including Blade-Vortex Interaction noise and Tail-Rotor Interaction noise, will be predicted with physics-based methods by enhancing a real-time lifting surface/free-vortex-wake blade aerodynamics module and coupling it to maneuvering flight acoustic prediction software modified for operation in a time-marching flight simulation environment.  Also included will be methods to account for spherical spreading, atmospheric absorption, and ground effect for flat level terrain.  All new software will be designed with the eventual goal of supporting both high fidelity and real-time solutions through a hierarchy of methods.   Phase I will provide the development of proof of concept prototype software demonstrated for both steady and maneuvering flight.  Phase I will also see an evaluation of real-time potential of the various models.  Phase II will provide the development of a fully-functional, noise prediction software module with real-time and high fidelity capability designed for easy coupling with flight simulation software.  Phase II will also see additional enhancements in the areas of acoustic propagation, High Speed Impulsive noise, and engine and transmission noise.
This SBIR project proposes to develop a computational tool for helicopter rotor noise prediction based on hybrid Cartesian grid/gridless approach. The uniqueness of this approach is to achieve fully automated grid generation without grid overlapping. As a result, the resulting software will enjoy great ease of use with minimum human interference. There is no grid distortion in the majority of the computational domain. One can apply the best available flow solver which may not be possible to use in the unstructured grid approach. All are important for achieving accurate prediction of helicopter rotor aerodynamics and near-field acoustics. In Phase I, the high-speed impulsive noise will be first investigated and in Phase II, the blade-vortex interaction noise will be further explored.
NASA's latest effort in developing a common platform for space communication and navigation systems is the Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) standard. It defines architecture enabling interoperability of Software Defined Radio (SDR) components.
Effort proposed is for detailed planning, configuration and hardware definition of a low-cost, but high technology payoff, ISS-based flight experiment that will allow key relevant space-flight environmental validation of our innovative Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) technology/ hardware. The ROSA flex-blanket solar array technology provides game-changing affordability and performance, and delivers a performance paradigm shift in terms of: significantly lower cost, greater specific power, more comp
To-date, the realization of small-scale, high-performance propulsion systems for challenging in-space maneuvers requiring high delta-V and acceleration over a short period of time (i.e.
In this highly interconnected world, transportation systems must feature increased flexibility and shorter door-to-door trip times to be successful.  Shorter door-to-door trip times require an increased usage of rotary wing and runway independent V/STOL technology.  One of the limiting factors to the increased adoption of this technology for providing feeder service to major hubs is the limited understanding of high-volume terminal area operations.

Several important issues are associated with rotary wing and runway independent V/STOL aircraft, including severe aerodynamic interactions during take-off, transition and landing. There is also the possibility that the aero-acoustic environment generated in the terminal area may cause damage to buildings, unsafe working conditions for ground personnel, or unacceptable noise levels to surrounding communities.

The success of commercial V/STOL transportation is predicated on being able to establish technical feasibility, societal acceptance and economic viability. The proposed aero-acoustic tool for terminal area operations offers a simulation capability to design engineers to make informed decisions based on technical (operations and handling near a terminal), societal (acoustic footprint) and economic considerations (performance) that includes the interactional aerodynamics between the aircraft and its surroundings. The designers and operators of rotary wing and V/STOL aircrafts will use the tool to evaluate, enhance and implement more efficient and safe terminal area operation guidelines.

Phase I will develop the proof-of-concept of the simulation tool and use a tilt-rotor and a candidate terminal under different wind conditions to demonstrate its usefulness.  In Phase II, the tool will be extended to maneuvering rotary wing and V/STOL aircrafts.  In addition, it will be integrated with a graphical user interface (GUI) for ease of use.
The goal of this project is to perform technology research and development to integrate phase shifters and other needed electronics for electronically steered mmWave beamforming phased array Receivers at 35.6 GHz and 94 GHz so that the size of the Receiver package is commensurate with the antenna array. At these frequencies, the current state-of-the-art in technology for receiver or T/R module designs are not feasible.
In this SBIR CRM proposes to implement the entropy adjoint method for solution adaptive mesh refinement into the Loci/CHEM unstructured flow solver. The scheme will initially be developed and tested for ideal gases and will then be extended to encompass mixtures of thermally perfect/calorically imperfect gases.
Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program
NASA has been involved in developing advanced automation systems for improving the efficiency of air-traffic operations, reducing controller workload and enhancing the safety in the national airspace system. The recent accident at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York involving an A380 and CRJ700 highlights an important safety concern on airport surface where aircraft operate very closely.
This project will develop and demonstrate an innovative microfabrication process to substantially improve the surface quality achievable in high-resolution continuous membrane MEMS deformable mirrors (DMs). Project specific aims include 2X improvement in small-scale surface flatness in comparison to the current state-of-the-art, and substantial reductions in sub-aperture scale diffractive losses due to actuator print-through, mirror scallop, and etch access hole scatter in continuous membrane ME
Cryogenic fluid handling applications require a reliable actuation technology that can handle very low temperatures. A novel EM hammer drive technology is proposed for use in cryo-propellant fuel storage and regulation valves/devices.
The overall objective of this research project is to investigate an autonomous and online control structure for finite-inertia power systems (dc and ac) with a real-time system simulation embedded within the control. The dual use aspect of this research will be demonstrated by focusing simultaneously on model development for both spacecraft power systems and terrestrial micro-grids.
Aurora Flight Sciences, with Agent Oriented Software, proposes to develop a contingency management system that dynamically performs decision-making based on both sensed and predictive information to carry out adaptive missions and maintenance. This system will mirror the human nervous system, having sensing capabilities distributed throughout systems and subsystems measuring characteristics that predict the conditional response of the aerospace vehicle.
There is a well-recognized need within NASA and the aerospace community at large for rapid and reliable methods for inspection of large, complex structures. This need is particularly evident for built-up aerospace components that contain multiple features such as stiffeners, ribs, cut-out and fasteners, all of which complicate existing inspection methods.
The goal of this program is to develop a miniaturized and in-situ operated gas microsensor array for the real time monitoring of chemical composition of turbine engine combustors and/or exhaust streams to improve NASA's aeronautical flight test capabilities.  Phase II will develop a high temperature microsensor array suitable for incorporation in engines, as installed in aircraft.  Sensor arrays developed by our team and research partners have been demonstrated for ground test usage to quantify composition of critical constituents in turbine engine exhaust products, e.g., CO, CO2, NOx, O2 and HC.  To date, our research efforts for exhaust monitoring have focused on ground applications, such as installations in stationary rigs for engine development.  The goal of the proposed program is to build on knowledge accumulated on ground-based systems to develop a flyable prototype.  The program will leverage test opportunities in larger research programs to move through the maturation steps from ground-based to flyable systems.  The microsensor array probe, cabling and control electronics will be developed to withstand the harsh environment of an aircraft engine.  Initial tests will be performed with the prototype installed the engine of a grounded airplane.  Beyond Phase II, full flight tests are envisioned.
Aspen Aerogels Inc proposes to develop high resilience polymeric aerogel for use as a multifunctional spacesuit material which will significantly improve human comfort and maneuverability in advanced extravehicular activity (EVA). The proposed aerogel material will exhibit excellent elastic recovery, flexibility, durability, temperature sensitive water permeability, along with excellent thermal insulation properties at low weight and volume.
The proposed research is to develop hot electron THz nanobolometers (nanoHEB) with unprecedented low electron heat capacity (~10-19 J/K) for use in advanced heterodyne receivers, operating from liquid nitrogen to room temperatures. The sensor is based on the effect of electron heating in highly disordered two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in GaN heterostructures.
Accurate simulations of unsteady turbulent flows for aerodynamics applications, such as accurate computation of heat loads on space vehicles as well the interactions between fluids and structures is of utmost importance to the aerospace industry and NASA. Using a Finite Element Framework suited for both fluids and structures, we propose to continue building on the successes of Phase I by adding various turbulence solution methodologies as well additional multi-disciplinary physics to address complex problems with complex geometries, while maintaining high order accuracy of the framework.
During Phase I, Busek designed and manufactured an electrospray emitter capable of generating 20 mN in a 7" x 7" x 1.7" package.  The thruster consists of nine porous-surface emitters operating in parallel from a common propellant supply.  Each emitter is capable of supporting over 70,000 electrospray emission sites, with the plume from each emitter being accelerated through a single aperture, eliminating the need for individual emission site alignment to an extraction grid.  The total number of emission sites during operation is expected to approach 700,000.
Phase II results will focus on optimization and characterization of the thruster fabricated during the Phase I effort, as well as fabrication of additional porous emitters for full-scale testing.  Propellant will be supplied to the thruster via existing feedsystem and micro-valve technology previously developed by Busek, under the NASA ST7-DRS mission, and follow-on electric propulsion programs.  Methods for extending thruster life beyond the previously demonstrated 450 hours, will be investigated and include potential alternate emitter materials selection, and bi-polar thruster operation.  The life extending capabilities will be demonstrated on a sub-scale version of the thruster developed.
NASA is developing algorithms and methodologies for efficient air-traffic management. Several researchers have adopted an optimization framework for solving problems such as flight scheduling, route assignment, flight rerouting, nationwide traffic flow management (TFM) and dynamic airspace configuration. Computational complexity of these problems have led investigators to conclude that in many instances, real time solutions are computationally infeasible,  forcing the use of relaxed versions of the problem to manage computational complexity. The primary objective of the proposed research is to accelerate optimization algorithms that play central roles in NASA's ATM research, by parallel implementation on emerging high performance computing (HPC) hardware. 
The Phase I R&amp;D effort implemented a Simplex-based Dantzig-Wolfe (DW) decomposition solver that exploits both coarse-grain and fine-grain parallelism in the sub-problem and master iterations of the DW decomposition. The implementation also exploits the sparsity in the problems, to manage both memory requirements and run-times for large-scale optimization problems. This parallel implementation was used to solve a Traffic Flow Management (TFM) problem with 17,000 aircraft (linear program with 7 million constraints), in 15 seconds. The implementation is 30? faster than the exact same code running on the CPU. It is also 16? faster than the NASA's current solution that implements parallel DW decomposition using the GNU Linear Programming Kit (GLPK) on an 8-core computer with hyper-threading.
Based on the promising Phase I results, the Phase II R&amp;D effort will explore Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) methods to solve optimization problems arising in the terminal area and on the airport surface, in addition to DW decomposition for the nationwide TFM problem. Phase II work will develop operational prototypes of the algorithm implementations on HPC hardware, and deliver them to NASA for further evaluation.
The ability to integrate a sensor platform with a cell phone for health monitoring and disease diagnosis for astronauts in space exploration has the potential to be cost effective and space saving. In this proposal, Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) will build upon expertise in lateral flow test strip (LFTS) assays by integrating an LFTS with a cell phone for the quantitative measurement of blood-based biomarkers.
Numerica proposes to developed advanced algorithms for constructing a UAS vehicle model from ATC surveillance data in real-time. Using functional descriptions of aircraft performance and computationally efficient sampling techniques, UAS model parameters are estimated, and aircraft maneuvers that best improve these estimates are determined.
In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to employ its patented mid-infrared Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (Off-Axis ICOS) technique to develop a compact OCS, CO2, and CO analyzer. This sensor will provide rapid (up to 10 Hz), real-time, highly accurate (OCS, CO2, and CO to better than plus or minus 20 pptv, plus or minus 0.2 ppmv, and plus or minus 5 ppbv respectively, 1 sigma at 1 Hz) measurements of these important trace gas
The proposed work focuses on implementing fast-response pressure-sensitive paint for measurements of unsteady pressure in rotorcraft applications. Significant rotorcraft problems such as dynamic stall, rotor blade loads in forward flight, and blade-vortex interaction all have significant unsteady pressure oscillations that must be resolved in order to understand the underlying physics.
Active flow control using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators is an attractive option for both reduction of complexity of aircraft systems required for off-cruise operation and increasing reliability of future hypersonic vehicles. However, development of DBD plasma actuators has been rather slow due to the complexity and lack of understanding of physical processes associated with DBD operation and its interaction with the external flow.
Fibertek proposes a multi-function, high energy, eye-safe 1550 nm band pulsed fiber-laser lidar system for airborne sensing of various kinetic aviation hazards. The lidar system includes the laser transmitter, the receiver, a telescope, and a scanner.
Using small aperture telescopes for detecting exoplanets could have a significant impact on astronomy and other imaging and space communication systems. In this new generation of smaller, lighter and more affordable coronagraph systems, the starlight is rejected with the aid of phase-based transparent masks capable of transmitting planetary light at small angular separation from the star. These so-called vector vortex waveplates (VVW) are complex optical components wherein the optical axis orientation is azimuthally modulated in space at a high spatial frequency. In the Phase 1 of the project, we showed the feasibility of fabricating VVWs that would meet requirements for astronomy applications due to small singularity size, high topological charge, high contrast, and broadband functionality. The breakthrough polarization conversion and beam shaping technology of printing VVWs developed in the Phase 1 will undergo further fundamental improvements in the Phase 2 of the project along with further optimization of photoalignment materials and liquid crystal polymers to fabricate and deliver VVWs characterized by: subwavelength singularity sizes; spectrally broadband/achromatic functionality, particularly, for infrared wavelengths; stability to radiation and large temperature variations; and functionality at cryogenic temperatures. This will accomplish the project's general objective &amp;#150; development and delivery of VVWs adequate for practical use.
Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop and demonstrate a prototype low-cost precision navigation system using commercial-grade gyroscopes and accelerometers. During the Phase I effort an uncalibrated brassboard system was built and flight tested using a manned biplane. The brassboard system comprised an experimental single-channel (L1-only) software GPS receiver, and a 720 deg/hr inertial measurement unit (IMU) costing only $1k. The performance of the brassboard system was comparable to that of a $42k precision reference system that comprised a dual-channel (L1 and L2) GPS receiver and antenna, and a tactical-grade (1 deg/hr) IMU ($24k). This tactical-grade performance was achieved by fusing low-cost inertial measurements with attitude and position measurements from a GPS-based attitude (GPS/A) sensor. The Miniature Integrated Direction-finding Attitude-determining Anti-jam System (MIDAAS(TM)) obtains position, velocity, attitude, and time (PVAT) measurements directly from GPS signals and employs an innovative small single-aperture antenna to compute full 3-D attitude (roll, pitch and yaw) using only two RF channels, leading to a smaller, simpler, lower-cost GPS/A receiver system. During the Phase II program, a form-fit-function prototype system will be designed, built, and flight tested in an operational environment. The prototype performance will be compared with that of a higher-accuracy, more expensive attitude reference system.
Large-area (3m2), UV-sensitive focal plane arrays are needed for observation of air showers from ultra-high energy cosmic rays (JEM-EUSO) as well as for visible-wavelength spectrographic and photometric instruments planned for future telescopes (OWL). Existing photocathode-based technologies for visible and UV instruments lack sensitivity, are bulky, and have limited reliability. Solid-state silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are efficient, light, and reliable, but the front-illuminated designs demonstrated to date have poor UV response, limited sensitive area and optical fill-factor.

To solve the above problems, a large-area, back-illuminated silicon photomultiplier (BaSiPM) array technology has been developed. The BaSiPM technology will integrate SiPM pixel arrays, fabricated on domestic, large volume commercial CMOS fab, with wafer-scale thinning. Short-wavelength light is absorbed near the surface of a silicon detector, and moving the optical entry surface to the back side of the wafer enhances UV response by ensuring that all photo-carriers are generated on the correct side of the junction for efficient avalanche multiplication. Placing the optical entry surface on the back of the wafer also improves the optical fill since it is no longer be necessary to shine light through the quench resistor network on the front surface of the detector. Lastly, back-thinning the detector wafer significantly reduces the mass per unit area of the focal plane array.
 
Voxtel has successfully demonstrated the ability to perform wafer-scale back thinning fabrication for superior UV sensitivity. Three SiPM architectures (25 variations) have been characterized and studied in detail and their performance compared with commercially available SiPMs. The design of a large format focal plane design, including a mechanical model, mounting, and alignment will be developed using the proposed technology.
This program develops fiber optic transceivers that offer wide bandwidth (1 Mbps to 10 Gbps) and operate in space environments targeted by NASA for robotic exploration. These environments require components that can operate over a much wider temperature range than available with commercial fiber optic technology. The goal of this research is to develop a process platform to create fiber optic components that operate in the space environment (radiation, temperature, vibration, etc.) and leverage commercial performance/protocols for data transmission.
	
Our overall goal is to create the market availability of space fiber optic transceivers for backbone data communications operating on standard protocols. This will eliminate current cycle of NRE-funded transceiver developments. This is opportunity to provide significant government savings, and reduce risk and associate programs delays that occurred with highly customized fiber optic development.
New low cost, low volume, low power, rugged electrospray thrusters will be ideal as actuators for precision thrusting, if provided with precision high voltage power supplies. The small thrusters show minimum thrusts of 1.2 nanoNewton, and thrusts scalable in a wide range to hundreds of microNewtons, with an ISp of 3500 sec. We propose to develop and test a high-precision high-voltage power supply optimized for fine control of the thrusters, and designed to support accurate formation flying of space telescope elements, and precision alignment and stabilization of space platforms. The HV supply design will be developed into a cubesat format Precision Electrospray Thruster Assembly including thrusters, and ready for flight tests of the technology. At the end of Phase II PETA units will be provided as protoflight avionics to be flown, tested and qualified.
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers have undergone continuous development for the generation of oxygen and hydrogen for commercial, military and space applications since the 1970's. Unfortunately, conventional technology developed over this time period has required a complex balance of plant that adds to the overall weight of the system package. Research in the past two decades resulted in the creation of systems that minimized balance of plant components, but had significant current density and efficiency limitations, limiting their use. This SBIR program builds upon recent success in the development of a high-pressure electrochemical cell architecture and inserts novel water management technology to generate a passive liquid feed electrolyzer capable of operating at 2,000 psi - and scalable to higher pressures. If successful, implementation of this new technology can save substantially on system weight with a high system operational efficiency and enhanced current density capability.
It is often difficult to create autonomous robotic capabilities that

match what can be achieved via teleoperation. Even though it is

mechanically possible for a humanoid robot such as Robonaut 2 to

perform complex coordinated tasks such as tying a knot, exchanging

objects between end effectors, plugging in connectors, unscrewing a

cap, opening a door, or grasping large objects with two hands, our

lack of planning algorithms makes it difficult to control these

behaviors autonomously.
An important aspect of the ISS air revitalization system for life support is the removal of carbon dioxide from cabin air and retrieves oxygen from CO2. The current state of art technology for CO2 reduction is Sabatier reaction, which is energy intensive and results in excess CO2.
This SBIR phase I program is directed toward the development of novel, nanoporous silica anodes for low-earth-orbiting (LEO) spacecraft power applications. Silica has attracted a lot of attention as a next-generation anode material because of its very high theoretical capacity compared to state-of-the-art graphitic carbon anodes.
Based on Microcosm's development of a high delta-V small Earth observation spacecraft called NanoEye, with a planned recurring cost of $2 million, Microcosm will develop a new class of very low cost, light weight, extremely capable spacecraft for NASA science and exploration missions, from Earth orbit to deep space. This new spacecraft, called Hummingbird, is based on an all-composite, unibody structure in which the propellant tank is the structure.
We propose a method for developing a miniature all-optical Inertial Navigation System. In an optical INS, the rotation sensitivity depends on the area enclosed by a circular optical path, so it is impossible to significantly reduce the size of a standard fiber optic gyroscope or ring laser gyroscope without sacrificing sensitivity.
Nanostructured Thin Films (NSTF), used as substrates for catalysts, have proven to be highly active for oxygen reduction in fuel cells. This improvement in activity is expected to transfer to electrolyzer technology as the NSTF substrate layer, with a ruthenium oxide based catalyst, is used for oxygen evolution.
M Cubed has developed and patented technology to make carbon fiber reinforced SiC composites and components. In addition, the feasibility of doubling the toughness of SiC with carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement has been proven.
NASA faces difficulties in imaging and characterizing faint astrophysical objects within the glare of brighter stellar sources. Achieving a very low background requires control of both scattered and diffracted light.
NASA is installing the Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) onto the truss of the International Space Station to demonstrate software-defined radio (SDR) technology, and is now accepting proposals for new and useful SDR experiments to fly on CoNNeCT that are compliant with the Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) SDR standard. Emergent Space Technologies proposes to develop an STRS-compliant software-defined GPS receiver that can be flown on CoNNe
Flight-testing is a crucial component in NASA's mission to research and develop of new aeronautical concepts, allowing for verification of simulated and wind-tunnel results, and exposing previously unforeseen design problems. Video is an invaluable tool for flight-testing, allowing the collection of a wealth of information; however, collected long-range imagery typically suffers from scintillation, blurring, poor spatial resolution and low contrast.
Development of hypersonic flight vehicles for airbreathing access to space and for planetary entry poses several design challenges. One of the primary obstacles is the large uncertainty in predictive capability of models of the aerothermal environment to which these vehicles are subjected.
Busek Co. Inc. proposes to develop a high power (high thrust) electric propulsion system featuring an iodine fueled Hall Effect Thruster (HET).  The system to be developed will include a thruster, hollow cathode, and condensable propellant feed system.  The nominal power level of the thruster developed in this program will be 20 to 50 kW.  The thruster can be clustered to support ~200 kW class missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.  In a future program, the technology can be scaled to ~100 kW per thruster to support MW-class missions.  The available specific impulse can be throttled between 1500s to will be as high as 3000 to 4000 s.  The use of iodine propellant enables significant mass and cost savings for lunar and Mars cargo missions, including Earth escape and near-Earth space maneuvers.  High purity iodine is readily available commercially in large quantities at a fraction of the cost of xenon.  Iodine stores at a density that is 3 times greater than xenon and at less than one thousandth of the pressure.  Thus, iodine may be stored in low volume, low mass, low cost propellant tanks instead of the relatively large, high pressure, high cost COPV tanks required for xenon Hall thruster systems.  Busek has already demonstrated a low power (several hundred watts) iodine thruster system based upon its flight qualified BHT-200 thruster.  At most points, the efficiency are the same or nearly the same given experimental uncertainty.  However, iodine may have a significant performance advantage at high power:  Iodine yielded significantly higher specific impulse and thrust to power at higher input power.  This effect will be investigated with the proposed high power system.
Carbon Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) are attractive structural materials for NASA applications due to their high strength to weight ratio, mechanical properties that can be tailored to specific applications, and fatigue resistance. Reinforcing specific critical areas in PMCs is most advantageous for structural durability.
In this Phase I SBIR, Reactive Innovations, LLC (RIL) proposes to develop a compact and lightweight electrochemical to capture carbon dioxide in the martian atmosphere from nitrogen and argon. Our approach builds on two separately developed technologies in our laboratory involving: 1) carbon dioxide capture and 2) advanced electrode designs.
This proposal presents a technique for the precise determination of distance between nodes of a planar array of nanosatellites for synthetic aperture and sensor array applications. The proposed effort will result in a navigational technique that can precisely determine the positions of nanosatellite sensor nodes in the array.
In Sub-topic O3-04, NASA has identified a need for control of material degradation to extend the life and reduce the life-cycle costs of piping systems subject to microbial influenced corrosion in the presence of untreated or brackish water. The corrosion mechanisms of greatest interest are salt and acid attack due to exposure to brackish or untreated waters and bacteria, fungi, and archaea.
The proposed innovation is to use the comm-based measurements available from many advanced satellite cluster wireless networks to improve the flexibility and robustness of relative and absolute navigation systems without the additional expense, weight and power that a traditional navigation backup systems (like an extra GPS receiver) would require. This will be accomplished by comparing the range, range-rate or angle measurements predicted by GPS-based navigation solutions to the actual measure
Complex aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic phenomena can be modeled on complete aircraft configurations, generating models with millions of degrees of freedom. Reduced order models are used for systems and control analysis.
Silicon Carbide deep UV detectors can achieve large gains, high signal-to-noise ratios and solar-blind operation, with added benefits of smaller sizes, lower operating voltages, radiation hardness, ruggedness and scalability. SiC UV APDs implementation is challenging due to some material defects, relatively not-well modeled device operation, and very high absorption coefficients near 200nm wavelengths. The objective of this proposed work is to extend the state-of-the-art in UV sensors by: a) developing SiC deep UV detectors, and b) improving their responsivity down to near 200nm wavelengths. We plan to accomplish this goal by using the SiC UV APD design simulator developed in Phase I, and making further improvements as we introduce new design concepts to improve the responsivity utilizing novel design and fabrication techniques tof the critical n+ top contact layer on the APD to reduce charge recombination in the UV absorption layer.

We will develop unique fabrication techniques to improve surface quality of the SiC APD structure. This effort will be led by Auburn University, which has developed state-of-the-art fabrication methodologies and capabilities for SiC MOSFETs, in collaboration with CoolCAD who will design the devices and the implantation process.

Our main effort will focus on generating a built-in surface field by creating a steep doping profile right at the surface. Since steep dopant gradients necessary to create a field within 40nm of the surface are not feasible using epitaxial growth techniques for SiC, we will develop implantation and dopant activation sequences, and backend processing techniques to achieve this goal. By creating a field in the deep UV absorption layer (~40nm), we will reduce the initial recombination of electron-hole pairs created by the UV photons and increase current reaching the multiplication region of the APD.
Volcanic ash and other atmospheric hazards impact air transportation by introducing uncertainty in the National Airspace System (NAS) capacity. Deterministic traffic flow management (TFM) algorithms are often unable to perform efficiently in these conditions, motivating the development of probabilistic TFM algorithms.
The "Glidersonde"is a UAV-deployed environmental sensor suite that is air-deployed and glides into denied or hazardous areas including volcanoes or nuclear emergency, wildland fire or HAZMAT release areas. It can either be released by hand or used with Yankee's commercial Automated Dropsonde Dispenser (ADD) which we tested in the Navy Twin Otter P256, and is and is currently undergoing integration with NASA's Global Hawk for a 2012 test.
This Phase II proposal is submitted to further develop and Validate materials and process engineering of the space environment stable, multifunctional conductive thermal control material system (TCMS) that can be applied to space hardware and can enables the hardware to carry higher leakage current through engineering the high electrical conductivity. An innovative space environmental stable TCMS concepts suggested through phase I research &amp; development work for the multifunctional, low (&amp;#191;S/&amp;#191;T) material systems that can meet these aggressive goals in cost effective, reliable manner have emerged as validation candidates. The suggested efforts emphasize developments in two material science areas: the first one considers the development of born nitride nano structure that includes nanotubes and nano mesh along with ZnS nano whiskers concept and the second area proposes the synthesis and processing of atmospheric plasma deposition of the various doped ZnO and Zn-Ga-Al-O compounds that are recently identified as the high conductivity compounds. The material system that integrates these two technologies can allow higher leakage currents that may also help to defend against the natural solar storm events. The suggested TCMS have been derived from the available mathematical models for space craft charging that pay attention to the individual charge dissipation mechanisms and the molecular dynamics of the material systems as well as its thermodynamics. Thus the envisioned derived material systems can provide the needed reliable &amp; validated TCMS in typical space environments in (LEO), (GEO) &amp; beyond. The reliability goal for the multifunctional conductive TCMS is to have a design life of &gt; 10 years in LEO and &gt; 15 years in GEO, and we anticipate the phase II developments to mature enough by end of first year to suggest a phase II E program with investments from primes specifically ready for the hardware demonstration.
&amp;#61557;	Laser beacons with scalable powers are needed for ground to  deep-space optical communication uplinks. They serve as absolute reference for tracking of spacecraft during the downlink laser communication.  For such space communication link distances the beam spread due to diffraction is significant enough that only few photons are collected by a moderate size optical telescopes on the spacecraft. This necessitates photon-counting detectors suited for the space environment, along with increasing the output power of the laser beacon. Ultra low noise silicon avalanche photo-detector (Si-APD) based position-sensing detectors are used on the spacecraft to detect the laser beacons. Such Si-APDSs are also radiation-hardened and compatible with space-environment operation. It is therefore desirable to operate at shorter wavelengths ~1000nm, where Si-APDs have improved spectral responsivity. This helps to improve the SNR for tracking, and consequently reduce the uplink laser power requirements. Under Phase 2 program Fibertek will design and build a single-channel uplink laser beacon transmitter operating at 1030nm, capable of 500W average output power and 500kHz 16-PPM ary format operation. Inputs from end-user will be solicited for intended use and application, so as to drive the design requirements.  Baseline multi-stage 1024nm nm 300W Yb-fiber amplifier architecture demonstrated in Phase 1 will be transitioned to highly robust 'all-fiber' configuration.  Proposed design and prototype hardware is based on COTS fiber-optic technology platform, thereby leading to TRL = 4 &amp;#150; 5 level for the SBIR Phase 2 deliverable.
Nanohmics proposes the integration of two major paradigms to optimize and improve current EVA communication systems. To address the implementation of tunable front-end transceivers, nanoimprint methodologies will be used to create nanoscale dimensions sub-systems designed to fit flexible printed circuits requirements.
With the retiring of the shuttle fleet, up-mass and down-mass to ISS are at a premium. The space station itself has a limited lifecycle as well, thus long-term and/or high-risk development programs pose issues for science 'return on investment', if the technology cannot be adequately matured before the station is decommissioned. Thus innovative systems and technologies that minimize impact on limiting resources such as up-mass, down-mass and crew time, and can do so in the near- to mid-term, are highly desirable. One such area includes the various rechargeable battery systems on ISS used extensively for cameras, camcorders, laptops, communication systems and other portable science and diagnostic equipment.
 
A common (universal) battery charging system for ISS, with the flexibility to accommodate current and future rechargeable battery requirements for payloads and equipment, could reduce the cost of use of the ISS for payload developers. Such a system would not only simplify the safety and integration process for battery-operated ISS applications, but also reduce up-mass by making use of existing ISS resources. In its SBIR Phase I program, Aurora Flight Sciences laid the groundwork for such a system, based on the needs of current and planned ISS battery system requirements. The results of the study indicate that a universal rechargeable battery system is feasible and could significantly reduce up-mass and crew-time to support current and future ISS programs. Expanding on the feasibility study performed in Phase I, Aurora will deliver a protoflight charger system and supporting documentation at the conclusion of Phase II. The proposed system will be fully developed in compliance with NASA safety and integration criteria within the 2-year SBIR Phase II timeframe, facilitating procurement of flight and ground support hardware by NASA in a potential Phase III program.
RNET has demonstrated the feasibility of developing an innovative radiation hardened (RH) and ultra low power (ULP) field programmable gate array (FPGA), called the RH/ULP FPGA.  The design utilizes an advanced SOI process technology.

It is the vision of RNET to develop a family of radiation hardened FPGA products with a variety of features including programmable logic, configurable analog functions, soft/hardcore microprocessor, dedicated DSP functions, I/O, dedicated memory blocks, memory controllers, global clock, and JTAG interface. In addition, specialized circuits for mitigation of TID/temperature effects, radiation hardened by design SEU techniques, and memory scrubbing are planned.  

Our vision at the conclusion of this proposed SBIR is to fabricate a "commercial" RH/ULP FPGA with the most important features listed.  Ideally the FPGA to be developed under the proposed Phase 2 would contain all of these features, but due to the limitation of funds and allotted time, a scaled down version would be completed.  The envisioned device will incorporate the basic programmable logic functions, dedicated block RAM, DSP functions, configurable I/O, global clock distribution network, and JTAG interface.  Phase 2 will set the stage for more feature-rich product families to be developed as commercialization continues.
With propulsion research programs focused on new levels of efficiency and noise, there are two emerging avenues for advanced gas turbine technology: the geared turbofan and ultra-high bypass ratio fan engines. Both of these candidates are being pursued as collaborative research projects between NASA and the engine OEMs. The high bypass concept from GE Aviation is an unducted fan which features a bypass ratio of over thirty, along with the accompanying benefits in fuel efficiency. 

The innovation being developed in this project is improvement is the test and measurement capabilities of the unducted fan blade dynamic response. In the course of this project, Mechanical Solutions, Inc. (MSI) will work with GE Aviation to define the requirements for fan blade measurements, to leverage MSI's radar-based system for compressor and turbine blade monitoring, and to develop, validate and deliver a non-contacting blade vibration measurement system for unducted fans.
We propose a hollow reservoir cathode to improve performance in ion and Hall thrusters.  We will adapt our existing reservoir cathode technology to this purpose.  Reservoir cathodes are the only emission sources that are capable of supplying the necessary current density (&gt;5.0 A/cm2) and life (&gt;100,000 hours) for next generation high-power thrusters.  More powerful thrusters are needed for interplanetary and lunar missions, as well as earth escape and near-earth space maneuvers.  Reservoir cathodes are able to sustain high rates of barium diffusion to the cathode surface to overcome the high rate of barium removal in ion engines. The key Phase I innovation was flexible supports for the cathode matrix.  This prevented the matrix fractures and reservoir leaks of previous reservoir cathodes for ion engines.  Cathode operation and stability was verified.  In Phase II,the design is refined and tested in actual ion engines.
 
The key challenge is the stresses exerted on the cathode tube and reservoir due to differential expansion and large temperature excursions.  These originate from the outside heater and also from heating due to collisions with the cathode.  These stresses can lead to fractures and weld failure.  Our innovation solves this problem.  This was proven on the Phase I device.

In Phase II we further test and optimize the Phase I device and perform life testing on it.  We build cathode assemblies for insertion into ion engines which we test in an ion environment at e beam, JPL and Colorado State University.  Their maximum specific impulse will be measured.
Optoelectronic integrated circuits offer radiation-hard solutions for satellite systems with much improved SWPB (size, weight, power and bandwidth). The phased array for sensing and data transfer is one system that optoelectronics can impact in the near term. It is known that optical delay could enable optimum beam steering electronic scanning . Lidar is another sensing system using optical beams that requires mechanical steering. In this SBIR a new integrated circuit technology is applied to the RF array with true time delay for beam steering and combined in the same physical location with an optical beam steered via current control. The integrated components required are lasers, amplifiers, modulators, detectors and optical waveguide switches. The RF at Ka band is generated by an optoelectronic oscillator and converted to RF power in a photodiode at the antenna element. The antenna element is a printed dipole on chip with optimized dimensions Ka band operation. The optical source is an array of vertical cavity lasers closely spaced and coupled by anti-guiding to enable coherent operation. Optical beam steering is achieved by controlling the current in a 2D array. In this SBIR, ODIS will develop  the key components integration to produce common RF/optical aperture operation.
This program will focus on developing and validating computational models for near-net shape processing of aluminum alloys. Computational models will be developed for deformation modeling and for texture generation.
The proposed innovation is an automated UAS mission planning system that will rapidly identify emergency (contingency) landing sites, manage contingency routing, and dynamically evaluate route changes for viability and safe operations in the NAS. Specifically, RAMPS will feature a pre-flight contingency planning capability that rapidly determines viable alternate/emergency landing sites based on a UAS's contingency ability and safe routing restrictions.
A few NASA decadal missions such as the Aerosol Clouds Ecosystems (ACE) mission require space-based millimeter-wave radar apertures to complete the science objectives. We propose to create dual-polarized microfabricated copper-based antenna apertures with integrated MMICs that go beyond the capabilities funded to date at the upper frequencies of interest by enabling electronic scanning at W-band frequencies, while not precluding the co-location of Ka-band capability in the same aperture.
As NASA modeling efforts grow more complex and more distributed among many working groups, new tools and technologies are required to integrate their efforts effectively. This project will build on Phoenix Integration's current product suite (ModelCenter, Analysis Server, and AnalysisLibrary) to create a collaborative modeling and execution environment for large system models. The project will involve many interrelated elements: 1) The use of reference components, which are pointers to sub-models that reside elsewhere, are managed independently, and are updated automatically in a master model, 2) The use of a model library such that collaborators can share their efforts in a centralized network-based repository, 3) An execution manager that can distribute and parallelize runs efficiently among several available compute resources, 4) The separation of models, data, and links such that they can be managed independently and reused effectively, 5) The simplification of model building efforts by providing debugging and diff tools to developers much like those that exist in the software industry, 6) User interface features that make model building easier, such as quick validation of model correctness, the ability to create sub-models from assemblies, etc. These elements will be developed with and tested against real modeling efforts taking place at NASA Langley.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS) will focus the proposed NASA Phase 2 effort on the development and TRL 5/6 maturation of our innovative Functional Advanced Concentrator Technology (FACT) for standard multi-junction and advanced IMM photovoltaics.  FACT is a highly-affordable, practical, high-efficiency, ultra-lightweight photovoltaic concentrator blanket assembly that can be rolled or z-folded in a stowed configuration.  FACT coupled to an ultra-lightweight solar array structural platform will provide game-changing performance metrics and unparalleled affordability.  FACT will enable emerging SEP Space Science and Exploration missions through its ultra-affordability, ultra-lightweight, ultra-compact stowage volume, and practical/user-friendly off-pointing versus power characteristics.  The FACT technology promises to provide NASA/industry a near-term and low-risk flexible blanket technology for advanced solar array systems.  The FACT technology provides revolutionary performance in terms of:  High specific power (&gt;260W/kg BOL with ZTJ/XTJ and ~400W/kg BOL with IMM PV when coupled to ROSA-array); Affordability (&gt;40&#37; cost savings when coupled to ROSA-array);  Flexible blanket compatibility / architecture flexibility (accommodates rolled or z-folded blankets);  User-friendly off-pointing versus power characteristics;  Compact stowage volume (&gt;50kW/m3); High deployment reliability; High radiation tolerance and high voltage operation capability;  Applicability/scalability to many missions (500W-1MW+ sizes);  LILT/HIHT operation capability; and Adaptable to standard rigid honeycomb panel arrays.
Deployable Space Systems (DSS) will focus the proposed Phase 2 SBIR program on the hardware-based development and TRL advance of a highly-modularized and extremely-scalable solar array (Mega-ROSA) that provides immense power level range capability from 100kW to many Megawatts in size. Mega-ROSA will enable extremely high power spacecraft applications, including: Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) spacecraft, SEP space-tug, and large-scale Planetary and Human Exploration missions because of its ground-breaking stowed packaging efficiency, high deployed stiffness / strength, low-cost and straightforward ground test capability. The innovative and synergistic Mega-ROSA solutions, to be validated to a TRL 6 level during the proposed Phase 2 program, will enable future high power missions through low cost (25-50&#37; cost savings depending on PV and blanket technology), high specific power (&gt;200 W/kg to 400 W/kg BOL at the wing level depending on PV and blanket technology), extremely compact stowage volume (&gt;50 kW/m3 for very large arrays), high deployment reliability, platform simplicity (low parts count and reduced potential failure modes), high deployed strength/stiffness (&gt;5X stiffer and stronger than rigid panel arrays of similar sizes), high voltage capability, scalability to ultra-high power (100kW to several Megawatts), and operability in unique environments (high/low illumination, high/low sun intensity and high radiation).
This small business innovation research is intended to develop a long-life, highly efficient O2-CO cogeneration system to support NASA's endeavors to pursue extraterrestrial exploration (Moon, Mars, and Asteroids/Phobos).  The cogeneration system will be built using a Tubular, Negative Electrode-supported Solid-Oxide Electrolysis Cell (Tune-SOEC) employing MSRI's most promising degradation-resistant ceramic materials and a unique cell design.  The system will be capable of co-generating breathable oxygen and CO fuel directly from carbon dioxide extracted from the Martian atmosphere, lunar regolith/soil, or from the cabin air of extraterrestrial human missions at 800?C.  In Phase I, CO2 electrolysis degradation mechanisms were investigated via nonequilibrium thermodynamic analyses and tests of Tune-SOECs with special embedded reference electrodes.  Unique solutions for long-term, high performance CO2 electrolysis will be developed and implemented.  In Phase II, a prototype O2-CO cogeneration system using the Tune-SOEC technology will be developed.  A proof-of-concept system will be demonstrated for cogenerating O2-CO directly from a CO2 source at pressures ranging from 1 atmosphere to 50 atmosphere at 800?C; showing the capability of using ISRU to generate 1 kg oxygen daily (enough to support 1 human).
NanoSonic offers an innovative manufacturing process to yield ultra-lightweight radiation shielding nanocomposites by exploiting the concept of the Thoraeus filter on the nanoscale. Our elegant, layer-by-layer deposition process allows for unique layering with molecular level precision to covalently bind advanced polymers with alternating layers of high and low z nanoparticles.
KT Engineering (KTE) is pleased to submit this proposal to address the stated need for "innovative solutions that will allow spaceport launch service providers to operate in an efficient, low cost manner and increases capabilities associated with integration, checkout, and preparations required to configure and ready space systems for launch." We propose to conduct research and demonstrate feasibility of a novel launch vehicle pressurization system concept that will increase performance and reli
The development of new, robust, lightweight systems for CO2 removal during EVA is a crucial need for NASA.  Current activity is focused on extending mission times without increasing the size and weight of the portable life support system (PLSS).  Although CO2 sorbents that can be regenerated during EVA are being studied, 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, however separating CO2 from O2 is difficult with standard membranes.  However, developing a low pressure liquid sorbent that reversibly absorbs CO2, could facilitate the needed separation. 

In the Phase I project, Reaction Systems synthesized new CO2 low vapor pressure sorbents that had good reversible CO2 absorption capacity and demonstrated high selectivity for CO2 over O2 in a supported liquid membrane tests. Therefore we demonstrated the feasibility of employing a supported liquid membrane to control CO2 in EVA.  In Phase II we will improve the performance by increasing the sorbent loading, reducing its viscosity, and optimizing the membrane support.  We will then design and construct a prototype, that is sized to control the metabolic CO2 generation of a single crew member.
The concept in the proposed project is to create a melting, alloying and casting furnace for the processing titanium based SMA using cold crucible techniques. The cold crucible furnace configuration will allow the material to remain pure without ceramic contamination.
The proposed program will focus on the development of a new generation of advanced technology for rotorcraft transmission systems. This program will evaluate the viability of integrating gears with composite shafts.
Recently, resonant-tunneling-diode (RTD) based circuits employing monolithically-integrated RTD on high electron mobility (HEMT) structures have been developed in a number of III-V systems in order to improve operational speed. The main goal of this program is to develop wide temperature-operable radiation hard monolithically-integrated electronics based on wide bandgap III-nitride epitaxial structures.
Teraphysics Corporation completed the Phase I objectives for the electrical design of a 94 GHz, 26 W TWT with 53&#37; overall efficiency, including the helical circuit with efficiency enhancing taper, input/output couplers, electron gun, magnetic circuit and multistage depressed collector.  The device includes a novel, microfabricated, helical circuit with electron beam propagating above the helix rather than through the middle.   In addition to completing all of the proposed Phase I objectives, we designed vacuum windows, made significant progress on the mechanical design, fabricated the electron gun electrodes and circuit block, and conducted machining trials, and brazing experiments.  

The successful Phase I results at 94 GHz along with Teraphysics' proven results at 95 and 650 GHz warrant further development of the 94 GHz TWT in a Phase II program.  If awarded, we will apply our relevant experience and the Phase I results to fabricate, assemble, and test a 94 GHz TWT.  The advantages of implementing high efficiency TWT amplifiers into NASA spacecraft compared to the current state of the art include lower system power requirements, reduced payload volume and reduced thermal management challenges.
Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a key trace species that is of great interest to atmospheric scientists in NASA and other research institutions. In this SBIR project, we proposed to build an airborne atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO) profiler implementing a Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technique.  This airborne instrument can also be used on the ground for measuring vertical HCHO profiles.  To our knowledge, there exists no previous formaldehyde remote sensor that can measure range resolved formaldehyde profile by any technique.  The instrument will be able to provide an HCHO profile from an aircraft flying at 20 km altitude to the ground at a 1 km range resolution, and achieve sensitivities better than 70 part-per-trillion-by-volume (pptv) concentration levels at a range of 1 km at nighttime with one second averaging time.  In addition, we will explore the feasibility of daytime operation achieving sensitivity of less than 1 part-per-billion-by-volume (ppbv) at a range of 3 km.  In Phase I we have built a breadboard formaldehyde profiler instrument and demonstrated the capability of performing highly sensitive nighttime formaldehyde measurements. The outcome of the Phase I work established the feasibility for high sensitivity detection of range resolved HCHO, and provides the design of the prototype sensor.
Aerodyne is developing a sulfate detection instrument, based on the Tunable Infrared Laser Differential Absorption Spectrophotometer (TILDAS) technology and therefore termed the "TILDAS-sulfate" instrument, for measurement of the size-resolved sulfate PM emissions of aircraft engine combustion. Over the past 10 years and through a series of NASA led efforts, the Aerodyne Research Inc emissions team has made a series of contributions to on-going NASA programs to characterize aircraft engine emissions. Despite progress, significant knowledge gaps exist &amp;#150; especially for combustion emissions of alternatives to petroleum jet fuel. During this SBIR effort, we tested instrument performance in the absence of interferences, in the presence of &gt;20-fold excess sulfur dioxide interference, in the presence of a combustion gases containing nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons as potential interferences, and for particles ranging in size from 100 to 300 nm. Instrument sensitivity was shown to be at least 600 ng per meter cubed (on a 1-sec cycle). In Phase II, we plan to: upgrade the instrument and incorporate improvements to Aerodyne's TILDAS technology to improve the detection limit to as low as 60 ng per meter cubed &amp;#150; on a 1-sec data acquisition cycle; test the upgraded instrument in the laboratory; demonstrate the instrument in the field for characterization of aircraft engine particle emissions.
Future NASA Space Science Missions will incorporate detectors, sensors, shields, and telescopes that must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures.  An enabling technology for these missions is advanced cryocoolers that can provide continuous and distributed cooling with minimal input power.  On this program, Creare proposes to develop and demonstrate an innovative cryocooler that produces refrigeration at temperatures of 30 to 70 K and rejects heat at a temperature of 150 to 210 K with extremely high efficiency.  The heat rejected can be absorbed by an upper stage cryocooler or rejected to space through a small cryo-radiator.  The overall mass of the cryocooler, cryo-radiator and electronics is nominally 6 kg, the area of the cryo-radiator is 0.8 m2 and the input power is significantly less than current state-of-the-art cryocoolers.  The electronics utilize parts that are tolerant to 300 kRad total ionizing dose.  In addition, the cryocooler technology is extremely reliable and scalable, and produces no perceptible vibration.  The key innovation is a cryogenic compressor which has heritage to the cryogenic circulator developed by Creare and operated on the Hubble Space Telescope for 6.5 years.  On the Phase I project, we optimized the cryocooler design for a particular mission class and predicted the performance of the cryocooler using a combination of analyses and component-level test data.  On the Phase II project, we will build and test a demonstration cryocooler and cryo-radiator.  The Phase II testing will be structured to achieve a TRL of at least 5, and will include cryogenic performance and launch vibration testing.
A significant challenge faced by space-bound experiment packages is the requirement for a minimally controlled environment while a small payload is awaiting launch or is in transit to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is seeking thermal solutions for the transportation of NanoRack and CubeSats experimental payloads.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has the potential to create deformable mirrors (DM) with 10^4 actuators that have size, weight, and power specifications that are far lower than conventional piezoelectric and electrostrictive DMs. However, building a MEMS DM with a relatively large aperture that is flat in the unpowered state is challenging. Currently, a large portion of the mirror stroke must be used to flatten the MEMS DMs. In the case of the large-stroke segmented MEMS DMs manufactured by Iris AO, there is sufficient stroke for wavefront correction after flattening. However, the resolution is significantly reduced because the dynamic range of the digital-to-analog converters (DAC) used to operate the DM is spread over multiple microns of stroke rather than the 0.5 micron range required for a coronagraph. This Phase I SBIR will make substantial improvements in the fabrication process of MEMS segmented DMs that reduce the deleterious residual surface-figure errors. It will do so by systematically addressing the sources of the segment position variations as well as addressing low-spatial frequency chip bow that can result in large peak-to-valley deformations across the DM array. The Iris AO DM architecture will also be modified to enable picometer resolution actuation with ultra-precision drive electronics.
The existing state-of-the-art for physics-based, data-driven, climatological specification of the global radiation environment is the capability embodied by Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) and supported by the validation activity in the Automated Radiation Measurements for Aviation Safety (ARMAS) project Phase I. In Phase II the ARMAS team will: i) integrate, fly, and operate two micro dosimeters on aircraft; ii) validate and calibrate the micro dosimeters with a tissue equivalent proportional counter; iii) retrieve the micro dosimeter dose and dose rate data in real-time via an automated downlink system; iv) use the dose and dose rate measurements in a data assimilation algorithm to correct the NAIRAS model dose and dose rate output along the flight track; and v) report the corrected dose and dose rate via server, web, Google Earth, and smart phone apps for aviation safety.
Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation proposes a sensor that offers the unique capability to make non-intrusive, direct, simultaneous mean and fluctuating shear stress measurement for subsonic and transonic test applications.  Currently a standard for shear stress measurement tool does not exist.  A precise silicon micromachined, differential capacitive, instrumentation grade sensor will facilitate skin friction measurement with high bandwidth, high resolution, and minimal sensitivity to extraneous inputs such as pressure.  The proposed sensor possesses through wafer vias for backside electrical contacts to enable non-intrusive measurements in turbulent boundary layers.  A robust and compact package with miniature interface electronics enables flush sensor mounting conformal with the surface.  Circuit topology development for biasing and signal conditioning provides the ability to make simultaneous mean and dynamic shear stress measurement.  The sensor performance will exceed its predecessors and set the standard for quantitative skin friction measurements.  The simplicity of sensor design and an equally simple and proven fabrication technique allows for low cost, high performance skin friction sensors.
TRS proposes to develop a simple-to-use, launch capable, ultrasound transducer that is capable of producing the necessary bandwidth to accurately determine in vivo bone characteristics that correlate to loss of strength in astronauts in long-duration space flights (microgravity).  The transducer will be capable of measuring backscatter, attenuation, reflectivity and other ultrasound parameters of bone in the spine or hip that have been correlated with physiological bone density, structure and porosity through systems that provide high fidelity but are not space-capable.  The Phase I program showed that a compact ultrasound transducer with more than 4 octave bandwidth could be produced using the special properties of single crystal piezoelectrics and special processing techniques, a bandwidth 175&#37; larger than that of conventional transducers.  The Phase II program will extend the capabilities of the Phase I transducer by providing more sensitivity, and optimizing the frequency content relative to the acoustic field.  Additionally, TRS will team with Stony Brook University to further analyze the relationship between the bone structure and ultrasound parameters towards eventual use in space.  TRS will deliver a robust, wideband transducer that can be integrated with NASA components at the end of the program.
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. Correlation between wind tunnel results and flight tests, when not good, have been often attributed in part to uncertainty in blockage corrections. Estimation of rotor 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.
Space missions are immensely costly endeavor &amp;#150; fault free function of the hardware and software used therein are highly critical to mission success. Being highly complex, manual intervention in operation, troubleshooting, and health management related areas are labor intensive and time consuming. On top of that with time the complexities of the systems are increasing, and the performance and availability requirements are become even more stringent. In the face of this situation, automation technologies are increasingly looked upon to perform critical tasks in short time, without manual intervention (or with minimal intervention) in error-free manner. Qualtech Systems, Inc., in collaboration with TRACLabs, Inc., proposes developing novel capabilities in the areas of health management, providing information for health and capability-related situational awareness, acquisition of data from onboard systems, and generating and invoking procedures for troubleshooting, restoration of operation, and/or initiating safety assurance processes.
There are a number of critical telemetry measurements to be monitored under continuous field operation, including temperature data across the reactor chamber and the nozzle, pressure data, neutron flux density and flow rate of the propellant. Real-time monitoring of this data in nuclear thermal engines would greatly improve operational safety and performance, reduce operational costs, and significantly impact maintenance costs and reliability. Even though some extreme environment sensors become available recently, it is still impossible to directly and accurately measure the critical operational parameters of NTP engines due to the lack of extreme environment electronics for those sensors. Data from extreme environment sensors is delivered via wire-line to an external actively cooled electronics box, where it is processed. This approach presents significant drawbacks such as the need for complex shielded wiring harnesses that not only are heavy but also limit sensor location and signal quality (i.e., signal to noise ratio).  Additionally, these systems suffer from reliability issues due to wiring connections. 
In this Phase II SBIR, APEI, Inc. will build on the successful demonstration of high temperature wireless transmitter designs during Phase I, to deliver a set of SiC based, integrated wireless sensor-transmitter suites for extreme temperature operation (450 Deg C)  in NTP engines. These sensor suites will allow for the real&amp;#150;time monitoring of critical engine components, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure and decreasing the inherent risk associated with NTP operation. The final wireless sensor systems will be fully integrated into an autonomous 'drop-in' solution for advanced sensing systems, including wireless energy harvesting.
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and Orbitec Inc. propose to develop a unique chemical propulsion system for the next generation NASA science spacecraft and missions that is compact, lightweight, and can operate with high reliability over extended periods of time and under wide range of thermal environments. The system uses a new storable, low toxicity, liquid monopropellant as its working fluid. In Phase I, we have demonstrated experimentally the critical ignition and combustion processes for the propellant and used the data to develop thruster design concepts. Phase I work achieved TRL 3. In Phase II, we propose to develop and demonstrate in the laboratory a proof-of-concept prototype thruster. Phase II will achieve TRL 4+. We envision follow-on Phase II Enhancement (Phase II E) and Phase III programs to advance the TRL to 5 and 6, respectively. Phase III will be the development of a full-scale protoflight propulsion system applicable to a class of NASA missions. On both Phase II E and Phase III programs, we will collaborate with specific NASA programs and the industry to address the cost share component. Following a successful Phase III a space flight demonstration on a NASA mission will advance the TRL to 7.
3D Flash LIDAR (3DFL) is ideal for determining real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed and orientation to the planet surface, as well as evaluating potential hazards at the landing.  The "framing camera" nature of 3DFL systems makes them well suited as hazard avoidance and docking sensors for EDL and AR&amp;D.  3DFL 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 terrain topography to identify landing hazards and provide localization information.  ASC has developed the core technology for Flash LIDAR with its 3D-FPA hybrid, but would like to work with NASA to further enhance the functionality of the 3D sensor by adding embedded image enhancement and classification algorithms. For this SBIR solicitation, ASC is developing a new 3D Flash LIDAR camera architecture that allows for embedded processing of 3D Flash LIDAR point clouds.  
Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. (ASC) is a small business that has developed a number of 3D flash LADAR systems and has twice successfully flown 3DFL cameras (DragonEyes) on space shuttle (STS 127 and 133)  Rendezvous and Docking DTO missions with the ISS; the first 3DFL in space.
Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop highly-accurate, lightweight, low-power gas analyzers for measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) aboard NASAs Sensor Integrated Environmental Remote Research Aircraft (SIERRA) unmanned aerial system (UAS). These analyzers, which will exploit both conventional mid and near-infrared tunable diode laser spectrometry and LGR's patented Off-Axis ICOS technology, will be capable of meeting the stringent weight, power, and environmental requirements for UAS deployments. At the conclusion of the Phase II effort, LGR will deliver and deploy two complete systems. The first analyzer will make extremely rapid (&gt; 20 Hz) airborne eddy flux covariance measurements of CO2 and H2O.  The second instrument will measure CO2 isotopes aboard SIERRA, allowing a better understanding of the chemistry, transport, and exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, anthropogenic sources, and natural carbon sinks and sources in the terrestrial biosphere. Airborne measurements enable regional-scale investigations of carbon sources and sinks as well as measurements where conventional tower flux deployments are infeasible.  These data will complement current satellite observations by providing higher horizontal resolution and vertical profiling, enabling better quantification of carbon sources and sinks.  Such deployments are critically important to NASA's Earth Science Division, because they enable more efficient and cost-effective Earth observations.
The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a reliable, fault-tolerant wavefront control system that will fill a critical technology gap in NASA's vision for future coronagraphic observatories. The project outcomes include innovative advances in component design and fabrication and substantial progress in development of high-resolution deformable mirrors (DM) suitable for space-based operation. Space-based telescopes have become indispensible in advancing the frontiers of astrophysics. Over the past decade NASA has pioneered coronagraphic instrument concepts and test beds to provide a foundation for exploring feasibility of new approaches to high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy. From this work, NASA has identified a current technology need for compact, ultra-precise, multi-thousand actuator DM devices. Boston Micromachines Corporation has developed microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) DMs that represent the state-of-the-art for scalable, small-stroke high-precision wavefront control. The emerging class of high-resolution DMs pioneered by the project team has already been shown to be compact, low-power, precise, and repeatable. This project will develop a system that eliminates the leading cause of single actuator failures in electrostatically-actuated wavefront correctors &amp;#150; snap-through instability and subsequent electrode shorting and/or adhesion. To achieve this we will implement two innovative, complementary modifications to the manufacturing process that were proven successful in Phase I. We will develop a drive electronics approach that inherently limits actuator electrical current density generated when actuator snap-down occurs, and we will modify the actuator design to mitigate adhesion between contacting surfaces of the actuator flexure and fixed base electrode in the event of snap-down. This project will results in a MEMS DM with 2048 actuators and enhanced reliability driven by current-limiting drive electronics.
NASA is seeking innovative structure technologies that will advance expandable modules for orbital and surface based habitats.  These secondary structures must increase utilization of the primary pressurized volumes by accommodating hardware, experiments, storage space, and cable routing.  The expandable structures must use minimal launch mass and volume, be easy to install, and maximize operational volume and structural performance in a crewed or material transfer pressure vessel. Utilizing unique materials and innovative mechanical designs, CTD has created a new class of deployable structures for increasing the utility of inflatable habitats. These new concepts are referred to as Composite Rollable Extendible Slit-Tube Structures, or CRESTS. CRESTS can provide room divisions or load bearing floors and provide mounting for racks, storage and cabling. CRESTS are stowed by rolling slit-tube beams, lateral support battens, and floor or wall surfaces into a single compact tube. CRESTS have been designed for linearly expanding lunar modules and for toroidal inflatable orbital habitats. CRESTS are elastically strained deployable composites that provide a positive deployment force and an inherent geometric lock-out to occur once the deployment is complete.  This technology can address the challenges within this application of being lightweight, yet rigid.
Maintenance operations and scientific research on the International Space Station (ISS) require active monitoring. Currently the majority of monitoring and recording of data is performed by the ISS crew.
CrossTrac Engineering, in cooperation with its subcontractors Dr Suneel Sheikh of ASTER Labs, Inc, and Mr Paul Graven of Cateni, Inc, proposes to develop a next generation star tracker capable of measuring the attitude of a spacecraft with mill-arcsecond accuracy. This unprecedented improvement in star tracker accuracy is achieved by tracking a single, bright guide star in the deep ultraviolet to soft x-ray bands (1 eV to 10 keV) using a differential measurement of guide star offset angle.
Currently, the contribution of skin friction to the total drag of a wind tunnel model is estimated by comparing measurements of the total drag to the integrated pressure drag. While this yields an estimate for the average skin friction, the distribution of the skin friction cannot be determined from such measurements.
In this Phase II proposal we plan to design and develop a semiconductor, low phase/frequency noise, single-frequency, external cavity semiconductor laser (ECL) emitting at 1064 nm for use in high-precision outer space measurement NASA missions.  Many NASA space missions rely on the utilization of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) techniques for atmospheric analysis and/or surface topography and distance measurement.  A key and vital component of any LIDAR system is the laser source. Single frequency lasers are highly desirable for use in planned missions using LIDAR systems.

The laser is based on the PLANEX&amp;#61652; laser technology developed by Redfern Integrated Optics Inc. (RIO).  The PLANEX&amp;#61652; 1550 nm laser was originally designed and developed for terrestrial applications but it has been experimentally demonstrated to have a sufficiently low level of frequency and intensity noise to be suitable for precision measurement applications, such as those encountered in spaceborne LIDAR.

For the Phase II effort, we propose to carry out a plan to design and develop a 1064 nm PLANEX laser for NASA LIDAR applications which will be based on the RIO PLANEX ECL originally designed for emission at 1550 nm, but need re-design for different semiconductor materials, fabrication processes and opto-electronic packaging for operation at 1064 nm wavelength in outer space.
In Subtopic X11-01, NASA has identified the need to develop advanced radiation-shielding materials and systems to protect humans from the hazards of space radiation during NASA missions. The radiation components of interest include protons, alpha particles and heavy ions from galactic cosmic rays, protons and other ions from solar particle events, and high energy electrons and neutrons.
Interplanetary missions are at the core of NASA's current space exploration program and are expected to lead the way to new resource discovery in the next decade and beyond. In the absence of manned craft, the payoff for a given mission rests in its ability to gather data and transmit it back to Earth.
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program is integrating its three current agency networks: Space Network (SN), Deep Space Network (DSN), and Near Earth Network (NEN). This effort raises several issues for the network management in the future integrated space networks. First, an integrated network management function, which uses common standards and implementations, is needed to serve as the interface for all SCaN network customers. Second, satellite operations currently use a highly manual approach. The research and development of autonomous operations has been conducted recently but is still at early stage. Third, due to different characteristics of space networks, security management mechanisms and other network management functions that are widely adopted in the traditional networks are not fully suitable to space networks. In addition, several issues related to Bundle Protocol exist and need to be further investigated to enhance the performance of bundle delivery in delay tolerant networks. To address these issues, we propose an innovative Security-Enhanced Autonomous Network Management (SEANM) scheme for reliable communication in space networking, which allows the system to adaptively reconfigure its network elements based upon awareness of network conditions, policies, and mission requirements.
Crew exercise is important for maintaining the health and fitness of astronauts, and to prevent adverse health problems, such as bone density losses. We developed algorithms for ESPRIT: an Exercise Sensing and Pose Recovery Inference Tool, in support of NASA's Exercise Countermeasure Program. ESPRIT is a stereo camera system that monitors exercise activities, detects markers placed on the body and other image features and recovers 3D kinematic body pose. ESPRIT relies on strong prior knowledge and modeling of human body, pose, dynamics, and appearance. It also relies on advanced statistical inference techniques to achieve robust and accurate motion capture. Phase I result has been promising and has demonstrated motion capture of several exercises, including walking, curling and dead lifting. Phase II effort will focus on enhancement of algorithms, development of an ESPRIT prototype, detailed performance evaluation, and delivery of prototype for testing and demonstration.
For lightweight and power-efficient instruments that enable elemental and/or mineralogy analysis, Q-Peak proposes to develop a compact, robust, and efficient instrument capable of performing imaging spectroscopy, Laser-Raman Spectroscopy (LRS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).  The main advantage in using these techniques for planetary science is the ability to rapidly collect a wealth of chemical information, by simply directing a laser beam on remote targets of interest.  No sample preparation is necessary. 
As an important component of the Raman/LIBS instrument in Phase I, we developed, built and tested a 1.5 cubic-inch, Q-switched, solid state laser fitted with commercial, off-the-shelf optical components.  The laser produced ~1 mJ, &lt; 2 ns-duration pulses at 523-nm wavelength and was used to analyze a norite sample by means of Raman/LIBS techniques.  In Phase II we propose to further miniaturize and ruggedize the Phase I laser to a size of &lt; 1 cubic inch. We will scale up the energy-per-pulse up to 2 mJ and test the laser in a wide range of environments such as vibration, vacuum and temperature. We will design and test the optics in a CHAMP instrument modified to accommodate the compact laser. The TRL of the laser will be 6 at the conclusion of the effort.
Automation and autonomy technologies, such as automated planning software, are key elements in realizing the vision for space exploration.  However, the major stumbling block to realizing the widespread use of automation tools for operations is capturing and maintaining the domain models  -- the object types and subtypes, relationships among them and operational constraints -- needed to support such techniques. Our success in Phase 1 showed that it is possible for subject matter experts (SMEs) to author ISS model information to produce a consistent model useful for planning, scheduling and procedure execution.  In this Phase 2 proposal we aim to fully develop the authoring and data integration portions of our design and to integrate the resulting models with our interactive planning aid for flight controllers.  The benefits for NASA operations are that the resulting modeling framework will 1) make available a consistent domain model that need not be reproduced for each automation project, unify the often disparate sources of EVA and Core Systems information, provide for rapid update of ISS configuration information, thus allowing automation applications to provide results based on the most recent data, provide a consistent view of the domain so as to minimize error in authoring procedural data.
Frequency-locked single-frequency 2 micron fiber laser is proposed to be used for airborne/spaceborne coherent lidar measurements, i.e., Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons. The laser is based on our proprietary fiber technology and extensive experience in fiber laser development, which features a compact, highly stable, frequency-stabilized light source. Advanced frequency-locking schemes for both center-line frequency-locking and offset-frequency locking is developed in the laser source to address the bandwidth issue associated with airborne and space-borne coherent lidar measurements. Important key concepts in the proposed laser have been successfully demonstrated in the Phase I effort. This Phase II program will focus on the development of prototype units of two frequency-locked lasers at a specific wavelength of NASA interest. The prototype units will be delivered to NASA Langley Research Center at the end of this Phase II program for evaluation test.
This Phase II SBIR proposes to develop high quantum efficiency (QE) and low dark current infrared epitaxy materials based on Type II Strained Layer Superlattice (SLS) for space-based sensor applications. The epi materials will be grown with Sb-capable multi-wafer production Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) reactor at IntelliEPI. The initial goal includes achieving QE of at least 50&#37; with MWIR spectral wavelength band in the 2.5 to 12 um, and possibly beyond. The SLS detector design will be done in collaboration with Dr. Sarath Gunapla's infrared device group at JPL to ensure that the effort addresses NASA needs. Advanced structure design incorporating barriers will be used to reduce dark current. If successful, a Focal Plane Array may be fabricated during Phase II.
Invocon's Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) system is a miniature, low-power, real-time, active radiation badge.  It is designed for monitoring personnel, equipment, and environments while minimizing complicated user interfaces.  RAID's ability to determine characteristics and dose rate in addition to total dose provide significant advantages over other types of devices.  A single sensor provides information about all types of ionizing radiation in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of radiation environments.  Many radiation health experts believe that dose rate is an important parameter in addition to total dose for determining tissue damage.

The real-time nature of RAID enables personnel to respond proactively to radiation events in order to minimize damage to personnel and the equipment on which they depend.

RAID's wireless interface provides advantages for interrogating badges in difficult or inconvenient locations.  Examples include monitoring radiation exposure to personnel throughout Extra-Vehicular Activities, reading monitors installed behind equipment racks or in isolated modules, and automatically downloading radiation data from astronauts' badges to minimize their workload.

Phase II for this program will result in the delivery of fieldable badges that NASA can use for a Station Development Test Objective (SDTO), terrestrial evaluation, or general use by NASA researchers.
Hydrogen is an essential resource for space missions. NASA has a need for equipment to generate, handle and store hydrogen. In terms of handling hydrogen, conventional rotating mechanical pumps and compressors require extensive modification and have limited reliability. Electrochemical pumping and compression of hydrogen occurs without any moving parts and is highly reliable and efficient. Sustainable Innovations has demonstrated up to 6,000 psi of compression using electrochemical cell hardware. However, for high flow applications, such as a 6 CFM hydrogen pump for NASA, a departure from traditional electrochemical cell hardware designs is needed. Our work in Phase I demonstrated an Expandable Modular Architecture cell design, that allows a large footprint for the electrochemical stack. This is achieved using modular cell parts to create large active area cells. The modular parts are inexpensive to manufacture and can achieve the high tolerances need for large active area cells. The proposed Phase II activity will leverage the key developments in Phase I and demonstate the scalability of this device for critical NASA and commercial applications.  This will include increasing the active area/capacity of the electrochemical cell stack by a factor of 5, and to increase pressure capability from 200 psi to 750 psi.  The resultant unit will be utilized to actuate pneumatic tools that could be used in space.
Since the launch of the first X-ray focusing telescope in 1963, the development of grazing incidence X-ray optics has been crucial to the development of the field of X-ray astronomy.  The recent Decadal Survey also highlights the important contribution that X-ray astronomy can make in addressing some of the most pressing scientific questions about black holes, cosmology and the ebb and flow of energy and matter in the evolving universe, and recognizes the research needed to mature the key enabling technology of X-ray optics.  The proposed development directly addresses this need by providing a unique detector designed specifically to support the development of the next generation of X-ray telescopes, which will allow researchers and engineers to characterize such X-ray telescopes with high accuracy, and thereby optimize their performance and best utilize their gathered data.  By the end of the Phase II program we will have developed a fully calibrated detector ready for use at various facilities, including NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and other NASA-funded research centers such as the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Columbia University.  The estimated technology readiness levels (TRLs) at the beginning and end of the Phase II contract are 5 and 6, respectively.
Earth orbiting spacecraft, deep space science missions, and unmanned aerial vehicles are facing increasing data volumes to be transmitted to ground stations. Laser Communication (Laser Com) terminals are necessary to handle the demand.
Large amplitude, unsteady heating loads and steep flow gradients produced in regions of shock-wave/turbulent boundary-layer interaction (SWTBLI) pose a serious and challenging problem for designers of hypersonic vehicles. Characterizing SWTBLI flow features, such as the size of flow separation, is important for design evaluation and CFD validation. Tao Systems and CUBRC propose to develop a wide-bandwidth, thin-film heat transfer sensor system that quantifies the high frequency SWTBLI at duplicated flight conditions. This effort combines Tao Systems' high frequency-response/high-sensitivity electronics and signal processing techniques with the unique expertise of CUBRC in high-speed, high-enthalpy flows to obtain spatiotemporal information for the development of physics-based turbulence models.
A Probabilistic Fatigue Damage Assessment Network (PFDAN) toolkit for Abaqus will be developed for probabilistic life management of a laminated composite structure with both microcracking induced stiffness degradation and cyclic loading induced delamination crack growth without remeshing.  It is based on a high fidelity Fatigue Damage Assessment Network (FDAN) which includes 1) a coupled continuum damage and discrete crack model for ply damage characterization; 2) a moment schema finite element coupled with XFEM for efficient crack growth simulation in a thin ply; 3) a mixed mode fatigue delamination module to account for the mode mixity and failure mode interaction; and 4) an adaptive fracture process zone model for mesh independent delamination growth. A reduced-order model of FDAN will be generated using a combined response surface and a Gaussian process surrogate model builder to perform the subsequent probabilistic analysis efficiently.  For the module verification and validation, experimental studies at the sub-component level will be performed along with the use of a damage monitoring and characterization system. The developed toolkit will be used to perform damage prognosis and risk informed life management using SHM data. GEM has secured commitments for technical support and commercialization assistance from Clarkson University, Sikorsky Aircraft, and Boeing.
LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) systems have proven their value in the remote measurement of spatially resolved atmospheric wind velocities in a number of applications, including the detection of clear-air turbulence, wind shear, aircraft wake vortices, and microbursts.  The capacity of coherent LIDAR systems to produce a continuous, real-time 3D scan of wind velocities via detection of the Mie backscatter of atmospheric aerosols in clear-air conditions and at stand-off distances of up to 50 km at relatively low pulse energy gives this technology a clear advantage over other atmospheric monitoring technologies.

SIBELLOPTICS proposed and successfully executed on a Phase I SBIR contract whose purpose was to design, build, and test a novel hemispherical scanner as part of a compact all-fiber coherent wind LIDAR sensor.  Activities included detailed drawings, procurement of the custom opto-mechanical materials, and build and test of the scanner assembly and controller.  

During the execution of contract NNX11CG86P SIBELLOPTICS designed, procured, and assembled the key components of the hemispherical scanner and controller and tested the assembly for operation with the control computer, repeatability of positioning, accuracy of pointing, and azimuth and elevation load endurance.  
  
In Phase II, it is proposed that, based upon findings and testing during Phase I efforts, the full hemispherical scanner system be designed, built, and tested using a computer-based controller that operates with an interactive, user-selected interface menu.
In order to design and manufacture complex, one-of-a-kind to limited quantity rocket propulsion system components, while shortening the development cycle time and reducing the associated costs, an innovative method must be developed that expands upon current manufacturing technologies. A flexible manufacturing system that can handle the production of such parts in short time periods is desirable. Today's near-net fabrication technologies are extremely limited in design flexibility due to the use of injection molding. Considering the need for design flexibility as well as shorter development cycles, reduced costs, and minimized variance in making one-of-a-kind components, an innovative manufacturing technology will be demonstrated in this work to fabricate geometrically complex superalloy components
A key requirement of modern chemical energetic materials include enhanced performance, reduced sensitivities, and reduced toxicity. A class of compounds that meet these requirements is Ionic Liquids (ILs).
Aircraft Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs are implemented by most of the aircraft operators. Vast amounts of FOQA data are distributed between many computers, organizations, and geographic locations. This project develops methodology for transforming such distributed data into actionable knowledge in application to aircraft health management from the vehicle level to the fleet level to the national level. The distributed data processing methodology provably obtains the same results as would be obtained if the data could be centralized. The data mining methods are efficient and scalable so that they can return results quickly for 10Tb of distributed data.

This data mining technology that we call Distributed Fleet Monitoring (DFM) developed in SBIR Phase I satisfies these requirements. The data are transformed into models, trends, and anomalies. The model training and anomaly monitoring are formulated as convex optimization and decision problems. The optimization agents are distributed over networked computers and are integrated through remote connection interface in a scalable open grid computing framework. Though the data and the computations are distributed, they yield provably the same optimal solution that would be obtained by a centralized optimization.

DFM feasibility was demonstrated in the problem of monitoring aircraft flight performance from fleet data using large realistic simulated datasets. We demonstrated efficient computation of quadratic optimal solution by interacting distributed agents. The feasibility demonstration successfully recovered aircraft performance anomalies that are well below the level of the natural variation in the data and are not directly visible. The algorithms are very efficient and scalable. Phase I demonstration extrapolates to processing 10Tb of raw FOQA data in under an hour to detect anomalous units, abnormal flights, and compute predictive trends.
The PowerCube is a 1U CubeSat module that provides integrated propulsion, power, and precision pointing to enable the low-cost CubeSat platform to be used to conduct high-performance missions. The PowerCube concept integrates three innovative component technologies to provide these capabilities:  First, a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water-electrolysis fuel cell supplies gH2/gO2 to a simple pressure-fed thruster to provide 300 Ns of impulse per 100 mL of water. This approach enables the CubeSat to launch with 'inert' propellant to comply with P-POD limitations on stored energy and then process the water on-orbit into high-Isp fuel. Second, a deployable solar array that stows along the long sides of the CubeSat and deploys in a 'windmill' configuration provides up to 96 W peak. Third, a 3DOF 'carpal-wrist' gimbal, in conjunction with magnetic torque coils, enables sun-tracking of the solar panel, vectoring of the thruster, and precision pointing of payloads. The combination of ample power and water electrolysis will provide up to 6 m/s of delta-V per 90 minute orbit for a 3U CubeSat. Compared to other CubeSat propulsion technologies, the PowerCube thruster will enable more rapid orbital maneuvering and significantly lower contamination issues.  Our Phase I effort developed a detailed baseline design for the PowerCube, and built and tested a proof-of-concept prototype of the water-electrolysis thruster.  The Phase II effort will mature the electrolysis thruster component to the engineering model level, develop and simulate methods for attitude control and precise pointing of both panels and payloads using the gimbal and torque coils, and develop a detailed design for the entire PowerCube module to enable flight validation in follow-on Phase III efforts.
We propose to develop compact absolute wavelength references to weak molecular transitions, which is a challenge characteristic to space-based active sensing. The ASCENDS mission (Active Sensing of CO2 over Nights, Days, and Seasons) will be the first satellite-based mission employing precision laser spectroscopy for active sensing of molecules in space.
We propose to design a compact, high-precision, single-axis accelerometer based on atom interferometry that is applicable to operation in space environments. Our design will emphasize reliable operation and minimization of the acceleration noise floor, bias drifts and scale factor instability.
Composite cryotanks, or Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs), offer advantages over currently used aluminum-lithium cryotanks, particularly with respect to weight savings. Future NASA missions are expected to use COPVs in spaceflight propellant tanks to store fuels, oxidizers, and other liquids for launch and space exploration vehicles.
A high performance, inexpensive, airborne simulator that will serve as the prototype for a small satellite based imaging system capable of mapping thermal anomalies on the surface of the earth with a high revisit rate and high spatial resolution is proposed. The Thermal Mapping Airborne Simulator for Small Satellite Sensor (TMAS) will be developed to a TRL 8 in the Phase II and the space-qualified system will be developed and built in Phase III.
The innovation aims to develop the tools for multiple geobrowsers to communicate over the Internet to create a real collaborative experience over computer desktop virtual globes when dealing with any type of geospatial information.  These functions are especially important when dealing with decision makers, who frequently are non-GIS experts that require visualizing their own assets on a map, like their firefighter engine positions, combined with external expertise and other relevant datasets, like NASA MODIS wildfire hotspots, creating actionable geospatial information to make better informed and timelier decisions.

The ultimate objective would be a fully interoperable multi-platform collaborative decision environment that delivers accurate information on emerging situations while collaborating with distributed partners, advisors, specialists and authorities in various jurisdictions, regardless of the virtual globe, hardware or operating systems used.
The need for science-grade Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) sensors that are low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) is well recognized. The ability to provide precise positioning and pointing in real-time is a capability needed for formation flying, rendezvous and proximity operations, and radio and laser altimetry.
A novel, robust method of collection and transfer of NEO/Phobos material under micro-gravity conditions under vacuum/space environment with minimal loss of volatiles will be developed and its feasibility demonstrated. The same designs can also be utilized in lunar or Martian applications with only minor modifications.
Volume reduction is a critical element of Solid Waste Management for manned spacecraft and planetary habitations. To this end, the proposed fecal waste incinerator may be utilized to completely mineralize feces to harmless inorganic substances such as CO2 and water.
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are responsible for some of the most severe space weather at Earth. Major geomagnetic storms arise when CMEs carry large amounts of magnetic flux as they propagate in the solar wind.
Solar Particle Events (SPEs) represent a major hazard for extravehicular maneuvers by astronauts in Earth orbit, and for eventual manned interplanetary space travel. We propose to develop a system to aid forecasters in the prediction of such events, and in the identification of ``all clear'' time periods when there is a low probability of such events occurring.
Advanced trajectory design and estimation capabilities in complex nonlinear dynamical regimes represent two of the greatest technical challenges of modern space flight. In addressing these challenges, DECISIVE ANALYTICS Corporation seeks to advance the capabilities of NASA's open source General Mission Analysis Tool to integrate the latest advances in trajectory path planning and estimation.
NASA's System Oriented Runway Management (SORM) project is studying operational concepts and algorithms to improve the efficiency and capacity of metroplex operations, where performance is measured not only at the runways but across the airport surface and metroplex airspace. Current SORM research focuses on an approach that plans the airport configuration &amp;#150; the runway configuration and other policies for how classes of flights use metroplex resources.
Fulfillment of NASA's System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technology (SSAT) project at NASA requires leveraging vast amounts of data into actionable knowledge.  Models of accident causation describe a causation chain.  The chain would be better understood by examining the large amounts of "everyday" flight data, not just data proximal to high-profile incidents.  This proposal is focused on the detection and prediction of more common flight errors or conditions which are necessary for aviation incidents.  However, data sets containing safety information are (1) large, (2) distributed, and (3) heterogeneous, making analysis difficult.  In order to address these challenges, we propose Causal Models for Safety and Assurance Technologies (CM-SAT).  CM-SAT will mine large, distributed, heterogeneous data systems for causal relationships about flight safety.  The system will identify causal schema within the data that characterize conditions related to the aircraft and environment that are predictive of failures.  CM-SAT will detect causal relationships at varying levels of granularity (e.g. relationships which are unique to a particular flight, to a particular aircraft model, or to a particular fleet).  It will leverage state-of-the-art distributed meta-reasoning, which will direct the causal schema learning algorithms to detect and validate causal relationships in different parts of the distributed data sets.
SVT Associates proposes an novel type II superlattice structure to extend the cutoff wavelength and CBIRD SL photo diode structure with unipolar barriers to suppress dark current of SL detectors grown on GaSb substrate. This InAs/GaSb superlattice material system is capable of infrared detection in MWIR/LWIR spectral range, depending on layer thickness of each superlattice period.
System autonomy is a key enabler for satisfying complex mission goals, enhancing mission success probabilities, as well as safety at a reduced cost. Fault Management (FM) is one of the most crucial components of system autonomy.
High-performance, radiation-tolerant detectors are required for the time-of-flight laser based rangefinders. Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are conventionally chosen as detectors for standard laser rangefinder systems.
Future sampling missions to the Moon, Mars and Asteroids will likely involve drilling and in-situ analysis from mobile robotic platforms in low gravity. Past sampling systems like the MER and MSL Rovers have used tool body preloading as their method of stabilization.
Despite its promise, OpenCL adoption is slow, owing to a lack of libraries and tools. Vendors have shown few signs of plans to provide OpenCL libraries, and were they to do so they would likely be incompatible with one another, much as NVIDIA's BLAS (CUDA) is presently not interchangeable with Intel's BLAS (MKL).
Ridgetop Group will develop a 3X improvement in sampling resolution over current state-of-the art analog-to-digital converter (ADC) technology to support reconfigurable/reprogrammable communication systems. The significance of this innovation lies in the time-interleaved pipeline ADC, based on the most advanced silicon-germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS technology available, with over 2 bits higher effective number of bits (ENOB = 11.
For effective disaster response, software technology needs to provide several key features: enable real-time reporting of events, aggregate and analyze event reports in real-time, display event reports on maps (2D) and geobrowsers (3D). We propose to leverage several leading-edge software technologies and trends, as well as relevant existing open-source / accessible software platforms and mapping clients.
The principal technical innovation is SLIM (Systems LIfecycle Management), a software environment for integrated model-based systems engineering, combining SysML (OMG Systems Modeling Language) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) toolsets. The SysML model provides fine-grained federation of information across an integrated set of design, analysis, simulation, requirements management and costing tools.
The team of Prime Photonics, Virginia Tech, and Utron Kinetics propose to demonstrate a method for fabrication of a bulk, amorphous, cobalt-rich material that demonstrates low-noise magnetic properties, superior to those of the 6-81.3 Mo-Permalloy family. In particular, bulk cobalt-rich amorphous materials will provide increased permeability, tunable Curie temperature, highly controlled coercivity and saturation inductance, all without the introduction of magnetostrictive-based excess noise.
Operations in confined, isolated, and resource-constrained environments can lead to suboptimal human performance. Understanding task performance and crew behavioral health is crucial to mission success and the optimal design, development and operation of next generation space craft.
Random number (RN) generation is the key software component that permits random sampling. Software for parallel RN generation (RNG) should be based on RNGs that are good serial generators, but also are suitable for concurrent execution, i.
As part of the spacesuit pressure garment, the EVA glove incorporates a silicone pad on the palm for protection of the bladder from cuts and punctures. Repeated gripping and rotational motion cause delamination of the silicone pad from the underlying Vectran&amp;#174; fabric.
&lt;p&gt;
	Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc (ASC) is a small business, which has developed a compact, eye-safe 3D Flash LIDARTM Camera (FLC) well suited for real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed, orientation measurements relative to the planet&amp;#39;s surfaces and evaluating potential hazards during the critical landing sequence. Data collected using ASC&amp;#39;s FLC at JPL&amp;#39;s Mars Yard and in NASA ALHAT flight tests demonstrated that ASC Flash LIDAR system can meet the requirements for Entry Descent and Landing (EDL&lt;/p&gt;
We propose to develop a miniature, low RF noise ignition module for NOFBX propulsion systems. This ignition module is designed utilizing unique properties of the NOFBX propellant to enable a potential 2-3 order magnitude reduction in spark ignition energy, voltage, current, and power under a very special set of condition realized only in an NOFBX combustion chamber.
Flow rate measurements for cryogenic propellants are required for spacecraft and space exploration systems. Such a requirement has been hampered by lack of fast and accurate instruments among existing technologies.
In aviation history, many crew-related errors are caused by crew members being in hazardous cognitive states, such as overstress, disengagement, high fatigue, and ineffective crew coordination. To improve aviation safety, it is critical to monitor and predict hazardous cognitive states of crew members in a non-intrusive manner for designing mitigation strategies.
NASA is planning future missions involving fleets of small satellites in LEO and GEO that can exhibit autonomous collective behavior. Such a "swarm of femto-satellites" can complete complex tasks that are difficult or impossible for large single satellites to achieve.
InnoSense LLC (ISL) proposes to develop a nanoparticle encapsulation systems for water- and fat-soluble vitamins (VitaCap&amp;#153;) to increase shelf life up to five years for long duration space missions. This encapsulation technology would preserve/enhance the nutrient content of space foods by increasing the amount of bio-active vitamins delivered into the body.
During a proposed Phase I and Phase II program, PSI will advance the TRL from 3 to 6 for the ripstop reinforcement of thin film membranes used for large deployable multi-layer structures in support of sunshades for passive thermal control and planet finding external occulters. The nanofiber based ripstop reinforcement will enhance membrane tear resistance providing protection against membrane damage during deployment or after micro-meteorite impact.
In response to Topic S3-04 "Propulsion Systems," Busek proposes to develop a high throughput Hall effect thruster with a nominal peak power of 1-kW and wide throttling range in terms of both power and Isp. In Phase I, we will design the thruster, focusing on achieving a magnetic field that shields the discharge channel from ion induced erosion.
The design, development and staging of tests to certify liquid rocket engines usually require high-fidelity structural, fluid and thermal support analysis. These analyses are crucial to a successful engine test program since pressurization requirements, heat loads, cooling requirements and structural stresses are evaluated.
Given the extended duration of future missions and the isolated, extreme, and confined environments, there is the possibility that stress-related behavioral conditions and mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) will develop. The overarching goal of this project is to deliver an integrated system that will track physiological signals (heart rate and heart rate variability) and behavioral signals (sleep wake patterns) to detect chronic stress, hyperarousal, and insomnia during space missions. This project will deliver both the sensor hardware and signal processing software needed for the real-time data collection and integration with other behavioral health monitoring systems (e.g., Individualized Fatigue Meter and Individualized Behavioral Health Meter). The result of Phase II will be a system that can be deployed in space analog environments for validation testing and ultimately deployed on ISS to assist astronauts and mission support personnel in the detection of astronaut chronic stress, hyperarousal, and insomnia. The critical need for an Individualized Stress Detection System has been identified as a priority outlined in the BHP IRP Gap BMED2. The Technology Readiness Level at the end of Phase II will be TRL 5.
The development of Plug-and-play Compatibility for CubeSat Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADACS) is proposed. Existing Maryland Aerospace (MAI) ADACS technologies are well-capable of autonomously providing complete attitude determination and control to satellites weighing up to 20kg.
To integrate automated diagnosis and automated planning functions, one must translate diagnosed system faults to corresponding changes in resource availabilities.  Implementing reliable translation is challenging, time-consuming, and error prone.

We propose to develop Intelliface, an intelligent tool for developing interfaces between diagnosis and planning systems. Intelliface will help ensure that plans are revised appropriately when faults occur in complex space systems. In addition, Intelliface will reduce the effort needed to integrate diagnosis and planning systems. 

Intelliface will encode and apply a qualitative understanding of generic types of devices and their underlying physics (e.g., electrical storage, distribution, and consumption; fluid flow and storage; signal processing, etc.) in order to identify each activity's direct and indirect resource requirements and their dependencies. Intelliface will use the results of this reasoning to generate resource declarations, updated resource availabilities, and some planning constraints in the planning domain modeling language. In addition, Intelliface will support NASA's top-down systems engineering processes for specifying system functional requirements, performance requirements, and interfaces at each system tier.
During Phase 2, we will develop a technology readiness level 6 software prototype that demonstrates the feasibility, utility, and usability of the Intelliface concept within a NASA-relevant environment.
Pacific MicroCHIP Corporation offers to design an ASIC that includes a cross-correlation unit together with the interfaces to be connected to the output of the GeoSTAR's receivers, multiplexer and output interface for the GeoSTAR's system-level integration. The proposed novel ASIC required by NASA's PATH mission will have a greatly reduced power consumption compared to a FPGA based or a classic ASIC based implementations, increased radiation hardness and extended operating temperature range.
The objective of the proposed research is to develop functionally graded polyimide foams as light-weight, high performance thermal protection systems (TPS) for ablative and inflatable/flexible/deplorable structures used in space exploration missions. In the first phase of this project, we will demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating graded polyimide micro/nanocellular foam structures and characterize their insulation and ablative properties.
Future NASA missions will require cryocoolers providing cooling capacities upwards of 0.3W at 35K with heat rejection capability to temperature sinks as low as 150K and input powers limited to 10W. Presently there are no cooling systems operating at this heat rejection temperature. This proposal describes a cryocooler that employs a cold compressor. The proposed cryocooler will be light-weight, efficient, reliable, have low vibration, and easy to integrate.
Loss-Of-Control-In-flight (LOC-I) has been a longstanding contributor to fatal aircraft accidents. However, recent high-profile incidents, including Colgan Air Flight 3407 and Air France Flight 447, have underscored the importance of mitigating the LOC-I risk.
IAI and its academic partner propose to develop technology that will generate credible future demand for UAS vehicles given proposed UAS missions. The technology will consist of three parts.
This NASA Phase I SBIR program would develop and demonstrate radiation hardened nanobridge based non-volatile memory (NVM) for space applications. Specifically, we would combine advances in the resistive memory materials, including solid electrolytes, metal oxides, and metal oxide composites, with atomic layer deposition (ALD) and interference lithography patterning (ILP) techniques, to realize the radiation hardened NVM devices and arrays with high reliability.
Advanced reconfigurable/reprogrammable communication systems will require use of commercial sub 100 nm electronics.  Legacy radiation tolerant circuits fail to provide Single Event Upset (SEU) immunity at speeds greater than 500 MHz.  New base level logic circuits have been demonstrated in Phase I that provide SEU immunity for sub 100 nm high speed circuits.  A completely new circuit and system approach called Self Recovery Logic (SRL) is proposed for development herein which is able to function at the full speed afforded by the fabrication process and able to tolerate SEU impacts not possible with legacy circuits.  Moreover, a truly fault tolerant system is projected to replace Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) as the on-chip means for fault tolerance.  With the proposed building blocks in place, advanced reconfigurable and reprogrammable high speed devices can be implemented.  The proposed work herein creates a robust test circuit for fabrication and radiation testing to prove conclusively that SRL is a superior technology and then to create an SRL synthesis library that can be used with commercial synthesis tools to create advanced communication systems.
Genova Engineering proposes to develop and demonstrate a toolset of discrete devices and extraction kits which will leverage existing on-orbit facilities and will permit an expansion of molecular biology capabilities onboard ISS. This toolset, Nucleic Acid And Protein Isolation (NAAPI), is a near-term deployable technology which gives the ISS researcher the ability to isolate DNA, RNA and proteins from precious biological samples.
Scramjet engines promise to become a next-generation revolutionary technology for aerospace applications. Some of the significant challenges in rapid development of scramjets include complex flow physics; combustion; flow-combustion interactions; propulsion air-frame integration; coupled with difficulty in producing realistic experimental conditions.
An integral component of many NASA missions involves remote sensing of the environment, both terrestrial and celestial. This is a challenging problem, since quantities of interest typically can not be directly measured but instead must be inferred. These inferences are made by solving inverse problems, where complex forward models are inverted to estimate parameters of the model. These parameters correspond to physical properties of the environment. Because of the complexity of many forward models, inversion is usually accomplished by minimizing the difference between observations and model predictions through adjustment of model parameters. This minimization process is computationally demanding, since it requires evaluating the forward model many times and minimizing a function of many variables.
In this project, we propose to develop, using low-cost high performance hardware accelerators, a fast general-purpose parameter fitting software tool suite for fitting model parameters to observed data. The tool suite will allow NASA scientists to use state of the art high performance computing resources to speed their work. In the Phase I of this project we have shown that the three key components of model fitting, namely model evaluation, gradient calculation and cost functional minimization, can be accelerated using graphical processing unit (GPU) technology. 
The Phase I work has laid the foundation for Phase II of the project, where the components investigated and developed will be integrated into a parameter fitting tool suite. During Phase II, we will work closely with NASA scientists from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III mission, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and other missions to develop further capabilities of the tool suite.
A high performance ADACS (Attitude Determination and Control System) for CubeSats incorporating Miniature Star Trackers is proposed. The proposed program will focus on development and integration of 2 Star cameras into the MAI-400 which is the current state of the art nanosat ADACS and is marketed by our company.
One of the challenges to assessing NextGen operational improvements in the National Airspace System (NAS) lies in the ability to understand and measure the efficiencies associated with new concepts and technologies, including the effects of integrating traffic controls for the most optimal results. Existing approaches for studying air traffic management concepts have explored methods for understanding airspace complexity based on flight path geometries, airspace architectures, and pilot/control
In an effort to support a range of social educations in the context of constantly evolving mission objectives, this proposal focuses on the creation of a framework that can be used to rapidly construct virtual training scenarios, execute those scenarios and, finally, measure the effectiveness of the training in behavior improvement. The first stage of the framework is a scenario generation tool that can be used directly by SMEs from various social and psychological domains to design situation a
In a recently completed NASA SBIR program, Agiltron and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a novel nanoporous UV anti-reflection coating technology for complex plastic optics. This coating is based on recent breakthroughs in self-assembled low index multilayer structures achieved at MIT, combined with Agiltron's mist coating processes. The UV AR coatings consisted of inter-connected oxide nanoparticles in the form of a 3D porous network. We successfully demonstrated this AR coating on a 3" by 3" PMMA plate and 1.25" diameter Fresnel lens with suppressed surface reflection below 1&#37; in the UV range. The coating adhesion also passed standard optical surface cleaning procedures recommended by NASA. In this current SBIR program, Agiltron proposes to scale up the coating process to coat large scale PMMA Fresnel lens surfaces up to 0.25 meters in diameter in Phase I and 1 meter in diameter in Phase II. Agiltron will closely work with NASA to develop the evaluation process for coating uniformity and optical performance.
Advanced dropsondes that could effectively be guided through atmospheric regions of interest such as volcanic plumes may enable unprecedented observations of important atmospheric phenomena. IDI proposes to develop a flight ready optical sensor to provide cloud properties and hazardous volcanic ash and icing information within commercial airspace.  The probe will initially be developed for a dropsonde but eventually be integrated into the unmanned SCAN EAGLE UAV. The innovation is a new capability for making in-situ measurement of cloud particulates to improve pilot awareness of hazardous operating conditions, such as those recently experienced by aircraft engines operating near volcanic plumes in the North Atlantic near Iceland.  .

During a Phase I program IDI developed a miniature Nephelometer sensor prototype and demonstrated the ability to measure small ash and water particulates as well as provide discrimination between them.  Phase II will integrate the Nephelometer and a commercial SO2 sensor into a radiosonde package for a tethered field test at the NASA Wallops test facility and finally deployed near an active volcano in central America.  The probe packaging will designed such that it is upwardly compatible in size and weight with the SCAN EAGLE UAV payload as well as other payload recovery vehicles.
The goal of this SBIR project is to advance the state-of-the-art in computations of hypersonic plasmas by adding high-fidelity kinetic models for electrons. Electron kinetics affects plasma-chemical reactions and nonequilibrium radiation, which are important for designing hypersonic vehicles.
Tremendous advances have been made in the development of large and accurate detailed reaction chemistry models for hydrocarbon fuels.  Comparable progress has also been achieved in CFD as an engineering design tool.  Highly accurate hydrocarbon chemistry is now desired for simulating gas turbine combustors and automobile engines to better predict both performance and pollutant emissions.  Newer and more accurate CFD techniques like Large Eddy Simulation (LES) are being used more as computational power increases along with the demand for better flow predictions.  Unfortunately, using large, detailed chemical mechanisms to simulate real turbulent combustion devices is problematic due to the sheer computational burden of the added chemistry.  As a result, chemistry mechanisms employing a large number of chemical species are currently only feasible to run in the simplest of flow geometries, and only the simplest and least accurate chemistry models are currently tractable to run in LES CFD codes.  We propose using a unique neural network approach to create a fast and accurate species source term function that could alleviate both of these problems.
Future space-borne cloud radars will require significant technical innovations for improving remote sensing of the Earth's atmosphere and that of other planetary bodies such as Venus and Saturn's moon Titan, which have significant cloud cover. One critical innovation required is a pulse compression scheme at W-band (95 GHz) with ultra-low range sidelobe levels - on the order of 90 dB. The current space-borne cloud radar flying on CloudSat is an outstanding technical achievement but lacks sensitivity to weakly reflecting low altitude clouds. Because these clouds play a significant role in modulation the Earth's radiation budget follow-on missions will have to address this limitation. Pulse compression (coded) waveforms can maximize transmitter duty cycle usage and thus system sensitivity. However, the reflection from the Earth's surface can easily mask the cloud signal via the coded waveforms range sidelobe response. The requirement for detecting these clouds from space is severe and significant innovations are required to meet them. The proposed research addresses this requirement and is supported by staff who have significant experience in MMW system development, having built and flown the first airborne cloud radar utilizing FM chirp pulse compression.
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 nuclear thermal propulsion fuel elements that is insensitive to hydrogen corrosion and erosion is considered enabling.  Technology Assessment &amp; Transfer Inc. (TA&amp;T) proposes a systematic approach for CVD deposition and evaluation of a family of niobium carbide (NbC) coating systems for both uranium carbide-zirconium carbide solid solution [(U,Zr)C] 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 and helium in concert with a preliminary performance modeling effort.
Microcosm, in conjunction with the Scoprius Space Launch Company (SSLC), will develop a Unibody Composite Pressurized Structure (UCPS) for in-space propulsion that constitutes a clean break from traditional spacecraft design by combining what were traditionally separate spacecraft primary and secondary support structures and metal propellant tanks into a single unibody, all-composite construction that is stronger, much lighter weight, more robust and reliable, and capable of supporting much higher pressures and smaller volume than previous approaches.  The single, all-composite structure will include linerless, high-pressure propellant tank(s), composite bosses, flanges, longitudinal and circumferential stringers with integral shelves, holding mechanisms, and attach features to support all of the spacecraft equipment and replace the separate, mission-critical primary support structure, tanks, struts, straps, braces, clamps, and brackets traditionally required to hold subsystem parts in place.  The new structure has nearly 0 CTE over a temperature range from cryogenic to over 100 C.  Phase I will determine requirements, create a preliminary UCPS design relevant to a potential SMD mission, and test material compatibility with various in-space propellants.  Phase II will build two UCPS structures employing test masses for spacecraft components, and complete qualification and burst testing on one of them (including 0-g testing).
For this program, we propose to develop large pixel-count single photon counting detector arrays suitable for deployment in spacecraft terminal receivers supporting long-range laser communication systems at 1.5 um. To surmount the present obstacles to higher photon counting rate -- as well as the complexity of back-end circuitry required -- in using conventional single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), we will leverage initial success in monolithically integrating "negative feedback" elements with state-of-the-art SPADs to beneficially modify the device avalanche dynamics. This approach can achieve extremely consistent passive quenching, and appropriate implementations can lead to rather small avalanches (e.g., ~10^4  10^5 carriers), for which reduced carrier trapping provides lower afterpulsing that will no longer limit the photon counting rate. When correctly implemented, this "negative feedback" avalanche diode (NFAD) design is also extremely simple to operate: with just a fixed dc bias voltage, the NFAD will autonomously execute the entire arm, avalanche, quench, and re-arm cycle and generate an output pulse every time an avalanche event is induced. During Phase 1 of this program, we characterized 5 different discrete NFAD designs to identify specific pixel-level design opportunities for reducing afterpulsing and timing jitter. We also fabricated and characterized wafer-level test structures  that show excellent feedback element yield and uniformity sufficient for large-format NFAD arrays.  These proofs-of-feasibility from Phase 1  position us to demonstrate space-qualifiable large pixel-count 128 x 128 NFAD arrays during a Phase 2 effort.  This effort will also include the development of appropriate test platforms for NFAD array packaging and characterization.
In this SBIR effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop, test and deploy three novel compact, rugged and easy-to-use multi-gas analysis instruments, based on tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry and a patented cavity-enhanced laser absorption-based strategy called Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (Off-Axis ICOS), for monitoring and control of extraplanetary regolith processing and oxygen production.  The instruments will also prove useful for in situ surface analysis.  The first instrument (Instrument #1), based on fast extractive sampling, will record measurements of several important gas-phase constituents in regolith processing facilities with extraordinarily high sensitivity, accuracy and specificity in real time.  This instrument will integrate directly into NASA's hydrogen and carbothermal reduction test facilities at Mauna Kea, Hawaii.  The measurement quantities of interest include the concentrations of HF, HCl, H2S, O2, H2, CH4, CO, CO2, H2O, and H2O isotopes (H2HO or HDO and H218O).  The second instrument (Instrument #2) will provide measurements of H2O concentrations and gas temperature directly in the high temperature reactive flow and prior to hydrolysis. The third instrument (Instrument #3) will provide accurate quantification of the aforementioned gases in a compact, low-power form factor suitable for integration into the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project.  This analyzer will be used to study both thermal desorption and hydrogen reduction of extraplanetary regolith.
We will implement an environment for design, formal verification, compilation of code, and performance and power evaluation of Systems on a Chip (SOCs) consisting of heterogeneous processor cores that can be single-issue pipelined, superscalar, or VLIW, and are binary-code compatible with any existing Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). Particularly, we will ensure binary-code compatibility with the PowerPC 750 ISA, which is used in the radiation-hardened RAD750 flight-control computer that is utilized in many NASA space missions, including Deep Impact, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Mars Rovers, and is planned to be used in the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The processor cores will have reconfigurable functional units and corresponding specialized instructions that can be optimized to accelerate any application. Our focus in this Phase 2 project will be on Software Defined Radio (SDR) applications. The radiation-hardening will be done at the microarchitectural level with a mechanism that will allow the detection and correction of all timing errors---caused not only by radiation, but also by variations in the voltage, frequency, manufacturing process, and aging of the chip. The binary-code compatibility of the processor cores with the PowerPC 750 ISA will allow them to seamlessly execute legacy binary code from previous space missions. We have made critical contributions to the fields of formal verification of complex pipelined microprocessors, and Boolean Satisfiability (SAT), and have developed highly efficient Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools that we will use.
Based on the successful separation of 20 compounds using a 1 m coated microcolumn in Phase I, we propose to design a new micro-gas chromatograph (microGC) system to separate and detect of all contaminants listed in NASAs "Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Airborne Contaminants (SMACs)" using cabin air as the carrier gas, and to integrate the entire system to maximize the detection of the contaminants with high-sensitivity and accuracy.  In order to attain these goals, we will use three sets of preconcentrators, columns, and detectors in parallel, each with the appropriate selectivity for a given class of gases.  Light gases will use a packed column, and polar and non-polar gases with their respective stationary phases. The prototype micro-GC/FID will comprise preconcentrators with fast injection valves, microcolumns to separate different gas analytes, an air sampling pump, a water-hydrolysis hydrogen generator to provide enough oxygen and hydrogen for a micro-flame ionization detector, thermal management, controls and circuit board to drive the system.
We propose the continuation of our research and development of a Nitrous Oxide Fuel Blend (NOFBXTM) Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) monopropellant propulsion system for future use on a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) as part of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) architecture. This liquid monopropulsion system architecture is also readily scalable to alternative planetary ascent vehicles (PAV's) and sample return systems.
In this NASA SBIR Phase II effort, AdvR will design and build an efficient, fully integrated, waveguide based, source of spectrally uncorrelated photon pairs that will enable accelerated research and development in the emerging field of quantum information science. The key innovation is the use of sub-micron periodically poled waveguides to produce counter propagating photon pairs using quasi-phase matched downconversion.  This novel device will provide a high brightness source of downconversion pairs with enhanced spectral properties, low attenuation, and operation in the visible to the mid-infrared spectral region.
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.  The Phase II technical goal is to extend the Phase I results into a fully functional prototype of a multi-band photonic phased array antenna, which will be delivered to NASA.
Bear Engineering proposes to advance the development of an innovative high torque, low speed, direct drive motor in order to meet NASA's requirements for such devices.  Fundamentally, all electric motors basically work on the same electromagnetic principle: a tangential electromagnetic force attracts the rotor to the stator.  Just when the rotor field is closest to the stator field and the electromagnetic attraction is greatest, the power is interrupted and another set of magnetic poles repeats the cycle.  Furthermore, the two magnetically attracted elements never make contact, which would otherwise offer the highest force of attraction.  

The proposed novel motor design, successfully demonstrated at TRL 4 in Phase 1, operates and behaves entirely differently from all other known electric motor designs and is capable of producing incredibly high, direct drive torques at low rotational speeds.  Its operational performance is similar to that of a stepper motor with a 1000:1 gearhead attached, but the similarity ends there.  The motor is configured such that its length to diameter aspect ratio is opposite that of traditional motors as it has a relatively large diameter and short axial length; this offers all new packaging opportunities.  The design also allows for a single, large diameter bearing pair to be used for the motor's output shaft which renders it stiff enough to directly mount the driven elements.  The need for additional bearing supports and bearing mounting structure is thus eliminated.  By the end of Phase 2, the system will be designed,  developed and tested at TRL 6 with Mars environmental conditions.
We propose to develop a system that enables integrated and adaptive analysis and visualization of satellite network management data.  Integrated analysis and visualization will enable users to see important patterns that span diverse types of satellite network management data, such as the health status of network components, network resource levels, scheduled activities, and resource allocations.  This system will simplify the creation of linked visualizations that are implemented as tightly integrated displays showing time-oriented data, schematics, spatial data, and statistical graphics.  Adaptive capabilities will enable the system to select appropriate analyses and design visualizations automatically in order to answer higher-level user questions and show data patterns of interest.

During Phase 1, we will acquire a more detailed understanding of the data analysis and visualization requirements, design representative data visualizations, produce a high-level system design, and develop a software prototype that demonstrates the utility and feasibility of our approach.  The Phase 2 project will produce TRL 6 data visualization software technologies that support greater situation awareness, enabling NASA to diagnose and manage the SCaN integrated network and other NASA space vehicles and ground-based systems more effectively.
There is an acute need for robust sensors and sensor systems capable of
operation in harsh environments. In particular, high temperature passive
wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are highly desirable for
improving safety and efficiency in aviation and space vehicles. Such
sensors are used for the detection of fuel leaks in engines, fire in its
initial stages, fuel flow modulation and control and monitoring, and
in-flight NDE and diagnostics of vehicles. In this project, we will 1)
develop a relatively new crystal material suitable for high-temperature
SAWs; 2) design SAW sensors and investigate extremely high temperature
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C) of the SAW sensor embodiments; 3) Integrate the SAW and antenna onto
the wafer such that there are no external connections.  This will form a
fully integrated sensor antenna device without any external bonds or
soldering. Phase I will include substantial materials development and
characterization for uniformity and repeatability in SAWs. Prototype SAW
designs will be developed and high-temperature characteristics
evaluated. Phase II will develop a fully integrated sensor antenna and
upscale the crystal growth for 3-4in SAW wafers. Probability for Phase
III commercialization of both the wireless SAW sensors and SAW wafers is high.
PDT is proposing a High Performance Space Pump based upon an innovative design using several technologies. The design will use a two-stage impeller, high temperature motor and a next generation sensor-less motor controller to provide several potential system improvements:

?Increased pump delivery pressure (hydraulic HP) would provide greater flow potential and improved heat transfer performance. It also makes possible heat exchanger performance improvements that will allow space and weight reductions that may aid overall vehicle performance.

?Improved overall efficiency resulting from the two-stage impeller reduces vehicle power consumption which may aid overall performance/weight/volume. This results in improved energy efficiency for all applications.

?Future mission requirements willdrive fluid temperatures above current pump operating limits. The elimination of hall-effect sensors removes the driving consideration for the maximum operating temperature of PDT's current deep-space rated pump designs.

?The higher operating temperature capability allows flexibility in placing pump within the fluid loop which may offer packaging benefits at the vehicle level.

?Higher pump temperature capability may allow use of alternate coolants at higher radiator operating temperatures. This may provide opportunity to use pumped liquid cooling for high heat flux devices.
Single photon sources and detectors hold the key to achieving success in
several quantum communication and computation applications.  Many of
these goals can be achieved with the realization of low-loss high-speed
switching for single photons.  AdvR proposes a unique implementation of
an electro-optic (EO) deflector with ideal properties for single photon
switching.  The device operates on the principle of electro-optically
controlled prisms engineered into a ferroelectric substrate, and is
designed to have very low loss (less than 0.1&amp;#37;), fast switching speed
(sub-nanosecond), good isolation (50dB crosstalk), and operation from
the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared.  AdvR has previously built and
tested fiber-coupled EO switches and the demonstrated performance shows
exciting potential for use in photonics-based approaches to quantum
information science.  This Phase I SBIR will investigate the use of the
EO deflector technology for single photon switching and evaluate the
feasibility of using engineered electro-optic deflectors to provide
low-loss, high-speed switching for quantum information processing.
Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation proposes a sensor that offers the unique capability to make wall shear stress measurement and pressure measurements for time resolved, unsteady hypersonic measurements in NASA facilities.  
An all sapphire optical-based sensor scheme will facilitate high bandwidth, high resolution, and robust sensors for both skin friction and pressure measurements in harsh hypersonic flow environment.  The proposed shear stress sensor possesses utilizes Moire based technique for non intrusive remote data acquisition using sapphire fibres.  The pressure sensor utilizes an optic lever-based measurement scheme.  Both the shear and pressure sensor are co-located on a single die for localized surface stress measurement.  A robust and compact package with miniature interface electronics enables flush sensor mounting conformal with the surface.  The sensor development effort focuses on novel pico-second laser micromachining techniques for fabrication on sapphire with minimal heat damage to maintain original sensor material properties.  Furthermore, sapphire's high transparency (170 nm to 5.3 &amp;#956;m wavelength range) along with the availability of sapphire optical fibers make possible the fabrication of optical sensors with the electronics located remotely from the sensor. Sapphire wafers are also readily available in numerous sizes and crystallographic orientations.  The sensor will exceed its predecessors in performance and will offer hypersonic surface stress measurement capabilities that are currently insufficient.
The concept of using SAR data to form 3D tomographic images has been developed over the last decade, but the enabling technology has been slow to progress.  Current 3D tomographic data gathering techniques require multiple flight passes to gather data at different phase centers.  The two technology advancements proposed enabling improvements in the collection of SAR data for ice-sounding and subsurface exploration are compact, multi-band HF/VHF antennas and multi-channel data acquisition systems.  Multi-band antennas enable a single antenna to be used over both spectrums most often used for subsurface exploration; their compact design facilitates the placement of multiple antennas on a single platform to enable data collection at multiple phase centers.  This advancement is complemented by the development of a multi-channel data acquisition system, which enables the simultaneous collection of data at multiple phase centers.  Collecting data simultaneously at multiple phase centers improves data collection by reducing instabilities in measurement locations produced by varying flight paths.  Additionally, cost of collection is reduced due the minimization of flight time needed to collect data.  Phase I will include the development, fabrication and testing of the antenna system (TRL3 ? TRL6), while forming a concept design for the multi-channel acquisition system (TRL1 ? TRL2).
A new high capacity anode composite based on mesoporous silicon is proposed. By virtue of a structure that resembles a pseudo one-dimensional phase, the active anode material will be able to accommodate significant volume changes expected upon alloying and de-alloying with lithium. The mesoporosity will be created without the aid of a surfactant template using a novel high volume synthetic process. The anode composite based on this material is designed to have a reversible Li-ion capacity exceeding 600 mAh/g or nearly twice that obtainable with graphite anodes; indeed much higher capacities could be practically attainable. Phase I successfully demonstrated the synthesis of this new meso-Si material as well as its high electrochemical activity and rechargeability. An expanded investigation on the development of mesoporous Si-based Li-ion anode is the principal objective in Phase II. The optimum anode will be evaluated in Li-ion cells containing 4V oxide cathodes.
Atomic layer deposited functional nano-film technology is used to manufacture Microchannel plate (MCP) devices capable of high gain / low ion feedback operation, on glass capillary array substrates, as a means to replace MCP chevron configuration and enable direct photocathode deposition (e.g. GaN) for NASA applications. Commercial MCP devices rely on 1970's manufacturing technology, constrained by the bulk glass: heavy metal impurities limit the achievable dark noise in low signal detection, the requisite batch processing restricts flexibility to tailor individual device performance and often result in poor yield. Arradiance's proven nano-film technology has been shown in Phase I to improve the component functions of secondary electron emission and conductivity resulting in high performance MCPs.  In Phase II performance optimization of these novel devices and, enabled by substrate independence, an opportunity to explore direct deposition of advanced photocathodes. Since the high quality GaN films required for efficient photoelectron transport can only be deposited at elevated temperatures (&lt;900 C), conventional Pb-glass MCPs, with a softening point of ~400C, are not suitable.  Arradiance nanofilms allow high temperature MCP substrates (e.g. quartz or anodized alumina - AAO) and the opportunity for significant detection efficiency improvement. TRL 4 at beginning; TRL 6 at end.
The object of this research is to develop an in-service life-monitor system for the prediction of the remaining component and system life of aircraft engines.  The embedded system will monitor the engines thrust, exhaust gas temperature, the engine efficiency, the speed and the time of operation of the engine in flight.  Based upon this data, the life-estimation analog of the system will calculate the remaining lives of the components of the engine and combine these into a prediction of the remaining life of the engine.  The calculations will be based on the statistical life distribution of the engine components and their relationship to load, speed, temperature and time.  The monitoring device will be built for use with an operational aircraft engine.
Current cryogenic insulation materials suffer from various drawbacks including high cost and weight, lack of structural or load-bearing capability, fabrication complexity, and property anisotropy. A need clearly exists for lightweight thermal insulation that is isotropic and structurally capable with high thermal performance, while also offering reduced fabrication and installation complexity and lower cost. In previous work for NASA and DoD involving lightweight structural insulation for high temperature engine and airframe applications, Ultramet developed and demonstrated lightweight open-cell foam insulators composed of a carbon or ceramic structural foam skeleton filled with a low-cost, nanoscale aerogel insulator. The potential exists to adapt and optimize aerogel-filled structural foam for the cryogenic insulation application, taking advantage of the thermal and mechanical benefits of each component while offering low cost and manufacturability in complex shapes. In Phase I, the feasibility of fabricating aerogel-filled open-cell foam for cryogenic application was demonstrated, initial thermal performance was established, and a path for continued material and structural optimization was developed through design and modeling. In Phase II, Ultramet will again team with Ocellus, a leader in low-cost aerogel fabrication, and Materials Research and Design for design and analysis support. Thermal performance will be characterized at the Cryogenics Test Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center.
The proposed innovative two-dimensional (2D) empirical mode decomposition (EMD) analysis was applied to NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission database in phase I in an attempt of extracting and revealing the finest details of regional and seasonal variations. The proposed innovation is a robust and adaptive data analysis method based on a 2D adaptive isotropic decomposition approach primarily for the GRACE orbital data. The phase-I effort included a research component to optimize the prototype 2D analysis developed by Starodub. Early results using the prototype algorithms have demonstrated great potential of extracting physical cyclic components in equidistant sinusoidal grids of variations of surface density generated using spherical harmonics coefficients of GRACE. The modes associated to noise and trends were estimated and removed adaptively in 2D. In phase II, The solutions for selected NASA applications in earth sciences, space exploration, and astrophysics will be defined both at the global and regional levels:  For example, the regions of Greenland, the Gulf of Alaska glacier, and Antartica will be studied for the GRACE application. The technical development will include the following areas: detection, de-noising, spectral analysis, reconstruction, and registration, and comparison of result with principal component analysis. The anticipated increases in data resolution and understanding of sources of signal noise in gravity field combined to satellite or airborne laser/radar altimetry will benefit the estimation of the Earth's gravimetry, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and ocean science.
Southwest Sciences proposes to continue the development of a rugged, compact, and automated instrument for the high sensitivity measurement of tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and methane. The application of recently developed room temperature vertical cavity diode lasers (VCSELs)operating near 2300 nm permits the development of sensitive and rugged instrumentation for measurement of both atmospheric CO and methane with high precision. Phase 1 efforts successfully addressed the feasibility of measuring CO to a precision of 10 parts-per-billion or better over a range of tropospheric temperatures, pressures, and humidity. Phase 2 will extend the technology to simultaneous measurement of both carbon monoxide and methane.  The principal objective is the development of prototype instrumentation for field testing.
ZONA proposes a Unified Gas Kinetic Scheme (UGKS) to cover the full
Knudsen number range from the continuum flow to free molecular flow that
can simultaneously exist in the jet nozzle flow of the spacecraft. In
the UGKS  solver, the BGK model of Boltzmann equation is solved directly
with finite volume method based on the Discrete Ordinate Method (DOM).
In the UGKS computation the convective terms and collision term is
computed in one step with a multi-scale scheme without splitting. The
UGKS also closely couples the update of macroscopic conservative
variables with the update of microscopic gas distribution functions in
one step. At the continuum flow regime, the UGKS recovers the
Navier-Stokes solutions with much larger time step than regular direct
BGK solver where UGKS essentially becomes a shock-capture scheme. In the
rarefied flow regime, UGKS recovers the direct BGK method up to the free
molecular flow. With the UGKS, the jet-like flow can be simulated with a
unique flow solver. Furthermore, a two-species chemical reaction will be
incorporated in UGKS. The UGKS will be applied to various test cases
whose results will be validated with others' computational results and
available experimental data to verify its accuracy and computational efficiency.
This proposal is submitted to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of processing the space environment stable, multifunctional thermal control material system (TCMS) that can be applied to space hardware and can enables the hardware to carry higher leakage current through engineering the high electrical conductivity. An innovative space environmental stable TCMS is suggested through research &amp; development work for the multifunctional, low (&amp;#945;S/&amp;#949;T) material systems that can meet these aggressive goals in cost effective, reliable manner. The suggested efforts emphasize developments in two material science areas: the first one considers the development of born nitride nano structure that includes nanotubes and nano mesh (BNNT-BNNM&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;) and the second area proposes the synthesis and processing of various homologous compounds of Zinco-Indates that are recently identified as the high conductivity compounds with high refractive index. The material system that integrates these two technologies can allow higher leakage currents that may also help to defend against the natural solar storm events. The suggested TCMS have been derived from the available mathematical models for space craft charging that pay attention to the individual charge dissipation mechanisms and the molecular dynamics of the material systems as well as its thermodynamics. Thus the envisioned derived material systems can provide the needed reliable TCMS in typical space environments in (LEO), (GEO) &amp; beyond. The reliability goal for the multifunctional conductive TCMS is to have a design life of &gt; 10 years in LEO and &gt; 15 years in GEO, and we anticipate the developments to mature by end of phase II ready for the hardware demonstration.
Grooved aluminum/ammonia Constant Conductance Heat Pipes (CCHPs) are the standard for thermal control in zero-gravity.  Unfortunately, they are limited in terms of their heat flux capability, approximately 5W/cm2.  Incident heat flux for laser diode applications is on the order of 5-10W/cm2, although this is expected to increase towards 50W/cm2.  This is a severe limitation for axial groove (CCHP) as well as loop heat pipes (LHP).  Standard CCHPs are also not suitable for Lunar and Martian Landers and Rovers, since they can only operate with a very small adverse elevation, on the order of 0.10 inch.  Landers can have tilts of 120&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;, while rovers can have tilts of 145&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;.  As a result, a wick with a higher heat flux capability and pumping capability is required.  This program will develop heat pipes with both 1) Sintered wicks, and 2) Hybrid grooved and sintered wicks.  Heat pipes with both wick designs will be capable of operating at heat fluxes in the ten's of watts per cm2, and in Lunar or Martian environments at large slopes against gravity.  An all-sintered wick will be used when the entire heat pipe must be able to operate against gravity, while a hybrid wick will be used when the condensers will always be gravity aided on the planetary surface.
Producing return fuel on Mars rather than carrying it from Earth significantly reduces the mass that must be lifted from Earth for a manned mission to Mars.  The most practical propulsion combination that can be produced is methane and oxygen.  Using propellant components made on Mars to generate electric power on the return voyage further reduces the mass that must be lifted.  

We are proposing to develop an energy conversion system to utilize the components of this propulsion combination to generate electricity for that voyage.  The core of the system will be a direct methane oxygen solid oxide fuel cell (DMSOFC).  To enhance conversion efficiency we will use the waste heat from the fuel cell stack to produce additional electricity before it is radi-ated away.  (The combined efficiency of all stages of this system will exceed 70&#37;.)

Phase I will select an anode electrocatalyst, demonstrate a single cell fuel cell, select a heat re-covery system, and develop a design for the complete system, which will be built in Phase II.
High throughput, fast detection and characterization of organic and inorganic materials have become important challenge for future planetary robotic rover exploration and planetary missions. Crystal Research, Inc. (CRI) proposes to develop a compact resonance-enhanced Raman spectral sensor that can provide highly sensitive remote detection and in situ characterization of geological materials.  Through resonance-enhanced Raman scattering by exciting samples deep in the UV region, we can enhance Raman signal intensities by a factor of 1 million or more compared with conventional Raman spectroscopy.  Furthermore, the proposed instrument is operated in a spectral region that is free of fluorescence interference.  Recent advances in highly efficient diode pumped true CW UV laser using a novel mixed laser crystal at CRI makes the development of such a miniaturized sensor system feasible.  The proposed instrument is a miniature, low-power stand-off sensor, ideal for future NASA in situ explorations.  In Phase I, we will develop all required building blocks and perform proof-of-concept demonstration. The Phase II research will be focused on the design, fabrication and characterization of a working prototype for NASA evaluations.
Scientific Monitoring, Inc. proposes to develop a robust propulsion control approach to facilitate control law design and simulation-based validation. The proposed approach integrates system identification and robust control design, specifically tailors it to handle large perturbations and model uncertainties affecting engine operations, and provides a framework for successive design optimization through iterations.  The integrated and iterative design methodology will reduce the cycle time in propulsion control design and validation to maintain engine operations in the presence of adverse conditions, such as engine icing, foreign object damage, and high angle of attack. 

In Phase I, A proof-of-concept (POC) simulation will be conducted to demonstrate the merit of the robust control approach in the presence of larger than normal variations in the design model. The control design and closed-loop POC will use the NASA-developed C-MAPSS generic engine model as the simulation framework. 

The anticipated benefits of the proposed innovation are to reduce design cycle time and increase robustness of the controller design, while optimizing the closed-loop system performance.
The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a reliable, fault-tolerant wavefront control system that will fill a critical technology gap in NASA's vision for future coronagraphic observatories. The project outcomes include innovative advances in component design and fabrication and substantial progress in development of high-resolution deformable mirrors (DM) suitable for space-based operation.

Space-based telescopes have become indispensible in advancing the frontiers of astrophysics. Over the past decade NASA has pioneered coronagraphic instrument concepts and test beds to provide a foundation for exploring feasibility of new approaches to high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy. From this work, NASA has identified a current technology need for compact, ultra-precise, multi-thousand actuator DM devices. 
Boston Micromachines Corporation has developed microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) DMs that represent the state-of-the-art for scalable, small-stroke high-precision wavefront control. The emerging class of high-resolution DMs pioneered by the project team has already been shown to be compact, low-power, precise, and repeatable. 
This project will develop a system that eliminates the leading cause of single actuator failures in electrostatically-actuated wavefront correctors ? snap-through instability and subsequent electrode shorting and/or adhesion. To achieve this we will implement two innovative, complementary modifications to the manufacturing process. We will develop a drive electronics approach that inherently limits actuator electrical current density generated when actuator snap-down occurs, and we will modify the actuator design to mitigate adhesion between contacting surfaces of the actuator flexure and fixed base electrode in the event of snap-down.  
Phase II research will combine the actuator design and fabrication processes, and current-limiting drive electronics to produce a MEMS DM with 3072 actuators with enhanced reliability.
Growing concern over global climatic and environmental changes and our urgent need to quantify track and understand their impact on our planet?s atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces have prompted the development of extremely sensitive and technologically sophisticated instruments. To meet the challenges of these next generation instruments, a new class of high performance electronics needs to be developed.

In this SBIR Phase II proposal, Mosaix proposes to design and build two separate low power, and  compact single board digital poly-phase Fast Fourier Transform spectrometer (FFTS) optimized for the back-end signal processing requirements of next generation instruments. These two spectrometer designs are targeted to meet different mission requirements and leverage a common FPGA based digital electronic design and spectrometer IP core. Whilst sharing a common architecture, the boards differ in the analog-to-digital (ADC) samplers used at the front-end of the spectrometer and the actual FPGA device used for the digital signal processing tasks. The first spectrometer design is for a 8 GHz bandwidth spectrometer targeted for earth observing (EOS) missions.  The second spectrometer design is for a 750 MHz bandwidth spectrometer targeted for planetary radiometer missions. The spectrometers developed under this SBIR will be state-of-the-art spectrometers.
Hydrogen/oxygen polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs) are an attractive means of generating electricity in lunar and space applications due to their high energy density. The PEMFC generally consists of an MEA supported on two sides by gas diffusion media.
Giner Electrochemical Systems, GES, has developed an advanced static vapor feed electrolyzer that has greatly simplified operation compared to traditional electrolyzers. The vapor feed results in sub-saturated product gases which eliminates the need for gas/liquid separation and for the ISS allows direct egress of the product oxygen into the cabin.
Damage detection based on ultrasonic waves is one of the most popular inspection schemes employed by many structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. We propose a novel unpowered wireless ultrasound generation and sensing system for SHM.
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) roadmap, calls for an integrated network approach to communication and navigation needs for robotic and human space exploration missions, from near-Earth to planetary missions. Anytime, anywhere connectivity for Earth, Moon and Mars is a stated goal, with high-bandwidth optical relay crosslinks for Earth, Moon, Mars and planets.
Ventions proposes the development of a pump-fed, 2-stage nano launch vehicle for low-cost on-demand placement of cube and nano-satellites into LEO.



The proposed vehicle uses high T/W and high Isp pump-fed engines that operate at high chamber pressures without the weight penalty of high pressure tanks, thereby realizing payload fractions in the 1-2&#37; range.
A radiation hard, single photon sensitive InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) receiver technology will be demonstrated useful for long range space based optical telecommunications in the spectral range from 1000 to 1600 nm. The innovation is based on a linear mode (lm) single photon sensitive APD technology for which avalanche gain as high as M = 8000 has been demonstrated. Single photon detection efficiency (PDE) up to 80&#37; has been demonstrated at 1064 nm, as well as maximum count rates in excess of 300 MHz. In the proposed effort, the dark count rate of these detectors will be reduced to the order of kHz while preserving PDE and maximum count rate. Detector dark current will be lowered by two orders of magnitude through implementation of the APD design using aluminum-free alloys with 100x lower trap density than the current design. In Phase I, a series of single element detectors of varying diameter, as well as small sized arrays, will be fabricated from the new aluminum-free material, and the corresponding decrease in dark count rate will be measured. In Phase II, radiation and lifetime testing will be repeated for the aluminum-free design, and large-area segmented detectors will be coupled to readout integrated circuits and demonstrated.
Voxtel anticipates that its technology will enter the program at TRL=4, finish Phase I at TRL=5, and exit the Phase II program at TRL=6.
Human exploration of space demands highly efficient, light-weight, long lifetime and maintenance-free power generation systems.  Energy storage applications, human-rated exploration vehicles, in-space propulsion systems, un-manned aerial vehicles, robotic and manned rovers require steady state output electricity generation to maximize the operational capabilities and successfully achieve complex missions.  Proton exchange membrane (PEM) based fuel cell systems offer the highest efficiency and the lowest weight energy conversion systems to generate electricity for space applications. The efficiency and lifetime of the current PEM fuel cell systems is mainly governed by the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts.  Lynntech proposes a novel electro-catalytic approach with an advanced ORR electrocatalyst that utilizes a stabilized platinum alloy supported on an electrically/ionically conductive mixed oxide that addresses the shortcomings of the state-of-the-art ORR Pt Black or carbon supported catalysts. Alloying with transition metals improves the microstructural properties of platinum and increases ORR rate, therefore increases the efficiency.  The mixed oxide component effectively decomposes peroxide radicals and suppresses the peroxide radical production, which minimizes the peroxide radical damages on the membrane, hence leading to significant increase in the fuel cell stack lifetime.
NASA needs narrow linewidth lasers in the 1.5 or 2 micron wavelength
regime for coherent Lidar applications. The laser should be tunable by
several nm and frequency modulated by 5GHz. Princeton Optronics has
developed ultra-stable narrow linewidth diode pumped solid state lasers
at 1550nm and has demonstrated frequency modulation with such lasers. In
this SBIR, we propose to develop a Tm:YAG material based diode pumped
solid state laser with a narrow line width which would be tunable and
capable of frequency modulation by 5GHz. By the end of the SBIR program
we plan to develop a prototype 2 micron laser which is tunable and has
very narrow linewidth in a small package. The package with the device
would be space qualified and commercialized after development.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has the potential to create deformable mirrors (DM) with 10^4 actuators that have size, weight, and power specifications that are far lower than conventional piezoelectric and electrostrictive DMs. However, building a MEMS DM with a relatively large aperture that is flat in the unpowered state is challenging. Currently, a large portion of the mirror stroke must be used to flatten the MEMS DMs and in some cases, the DM stroke is not even sufficient to flatten the mirror. In the case of the large-stroke segmented MEMS DMs manufactured by Iris AO, there is sufficient stroke for wavefront correction after flattening. However, the resolution is significantly reduced because the dynamic range of the digital-to-analog converters (DAC) used to operate the DM is spread over multiple microns of stroke rather than the 0.5 5m range required to correct for aberrations in the telescope that feeds the coronagraph.

This Phase I SBIR will make substantial improvements in the fabrication process of MEMS segmented DMs that reduce the deleterious residual surface-figure errors. It will do so by systematically addressing the sources of the segment position variations as well as addressing low-spatial frequency chip bow that can result in large peak-to-valley deformations across the DM array. The Iris AO DM architecture will also be modified to enable picometer resolution actuation with ultra-precision drive electronics.
Planetary Science Research Program
The availability of high-quality potable water is essential in crewed space missions. Closed loop water recycling systems as well as potable water holding tanks and waterlines provide environments for biofilm formation that can facilitate the growth of human pathogens, as well as organisms that can cause deterioration of distribution lines. Prevention requires the maintenance of a chemically stable and biologically effective residual concentration of biocide in water and wetted surfaces of the system. Current disinfection technologies in potable water systems for space applications utilize either iodine or silver biocide. Limitations exist in terms of incompatibility with some disinfection chemistries and surfaces, long-term health risk, rapid biocide depletion, and need for consumable supply and waste disposal. Lynntech proposes to develop an advanced disinfection system for water disinfection and biofilm prevention based on an on-demand biocide generator which does not require consumable chemicals. Excess disinfectant is decomposed on-demand into water and oxygen, representing zero toxicity for crew consumption of potable water. During the Phase I project, the effectiveness of the proposed system for potable water production will be demonstrated. During the Phase II project, an automated system will be developed and delivered to NASA.
This SBIR Phase I proposal responds to topic S3.03 of the 2010 NASA SBIR solicitation, for Power Generation and Conversion.  Thermoelectric devices offer a simple and reliable means to convert radioisotope thermal energy into useable electrical power.  Previously, thermoelectric devices based on bulk semiconductor materials have been limited by low conversion efficiencies, with Figure of Merit (ZT) values around 1.0 or less.  Increasing ZT above 1.0 has thus far proved difficult, due to the fundamental limitation of identifying semiconductor materials with both a high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity.

This SBIR project will develop high efficiency thermoelectric devices based on nanowires.  The use of nanotechnology provides a means to circumvent previous limitations, and achieve combinations of properties not possible with bulk materials.  Phase I will demonstrate technical feasibility by producing high efficiency thermoelectric devices based on nanowires.  In Phase II, we will build and demonstrate prototype high efficiency thermoelectric devices.  Phase II will also develop low cost manufacturing technology for the nanowire based thermoelectric devices, and demonstrate a technology readiness level of TRL 6.
Modern space systems such as the International Space Station (ISS) and the proposed Constellation vehicles and habitats are complex entities with hundreds of thousands of individual telemetry items. Monitoring the health of these systems, troubleshooting their faults, developing maintenance plan and schedule, and aiding to restore system functionality are key tasks that flight controllers must perform. The current suite of tools for assisting with these tasks is not tightly integrated with the telemetry stream, the commanding process or other tools that flight controllers use. In the proposed effort, Qualtech Systems Inc. in collaboration with TRACLabs Inc. will develop an advanced health monitoring, capability assessment, and opportunistic maintenance planning tool that tightly integrates with the future mission control telemetry stream and displays. Our tool will be a plug-in to the future Mission Control Technology display software that will be deployed over the next several years in NASA's Mission Control Center (MCC). As such it will share capabilities and features with all of the other MCT applications such as plotting, procedure execution, commanding and evaluators (comps). The benefit to NASA will be a fully integrated health monitoring, capability assessment, and maintenance planning tool that reduces flight controller workload by sharing information with other MCC applications. This tool will also be vital in enhancement of safety, mission success probability and freeing up crew and controller time that is currently dedicated towards performing unscheduled maintenance/repairs.
This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Topic X10.01, specifically, the need for efficient small- to medium-scale hydrogen liquefaction technologies including domestically produced wet cryogenic turboexpanders.  Future NASA missions will require hydrogen liquefaction systems for earth-based, planetary, and lunar surface missions.  A critical part of these systems is the cryogenic turboexpanders, which must be designed for high-speed operation and long life, and must be robust against the pressure and momentum excursions and the surface tension effects associated with two-phase flow.  On this Phase I/II program, Creare will build and test a cryogenic turboexpander for use in a hydrogen liquefier.  The turboexpander will be reliable, compact, lightweight, and efficient and will be able to operate in a two-phase system.  We have prior experience in designing and building wet turboexpanders for terrestrial applications as well as small turbomachines for space applications.  We plan to leverage this experience to build for NASA a wet turboexpander suitable for operation in both terrestrial and space environments.  Our turboexpander will have the innovative option of recovering the expansion work through use of an alternator (i.e., turboalternator) instead of dissipating work using a brake wheel.  This approach greatly simplifies controls, improves reliability, and reduces system mass and input power.  During the Phase I project, we will optimize the design of the turboexpander for a specific application selected by NASA.  On the Phase II project, we will build and test the turboexpander.
This Phase I study will design a flight qualified NanoRacks III Facility that is similar to the conventional NanoRacks facilities currently on the ISS but with increased power, cooling and real-time data downlink/uplink capability that will increase the capacity of on-orbit testing and analysis thus reducing or eliminating sample return to Earth. A NanoRacks III Facility will allow on-orbit testing and flight qualification (elevation of TRL to 7 and higher) of critical space hardware systems and biological research hardware which will enable crew to conduct experimentation, data collection and change implementation on-orbit with guidance from ground researchers.  NanoRacks, LLC proposes to design and prepare for fabrication the NanoRacks III facility which can be transported on any carrier (e.g. Progress, Dragon, HTV, etc.) to the ISS, installed in an ISS ExPRESS Rack and utilized with an ISS ExPRESS Rack computer.  The Phase I study will design the NanoRacks III Facility to support the Phase II construction and flight of the NanoRacks III Facility.
Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop a low-cost navigation system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that achieves an attitude accuracy of better than 0.1 degrees using commercial-grade gyroscopes and accelerometers. An order of magnitude improvement in navigation performance will be achieved by fusing low-cost inertial sensor measurements with attitude and position measurements from a small-aperture GPS-based attitude (GPS/A) sensor. The Miniature Integrated Direction-finding Attitude-determining Anti-jam System (MIDAAS(TM)) obtains position, velocity, attitude, and time (PVAT) measurements directly from GPS signals. MIDAAS employs an innovative small single-aperture antenna to compute full 3-D attitude (roll, pitch and yaw) using only two RF channels, leading to a smaller, simpler, lower-cost GPS/A receiver system. A stand-alone (gyro-less) MIDAAS unit can also be used to provide attitude information in addition to position and velocity on very small platforms. A unique ultra-tightly coupled (UTC) navigation architecture makes the system inherently more robust to interference and significantly improves the attitude estimate. In addition, MIDAAS provides active anti-jam protection and multipath mitigation thereby further improving the system integrity and robustness. The system performance will be demonstrated during the Phase I effort with data obtained during several flight tests, and will be compared with a higher-accuracy, more expensive GPS/IMU system.
The JPL web page devoted to looking for life on Mars has two images.  The first is an image of a hydrothermal pool at Yellowstone: the kind of place life might begin.  The second is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the Allen Hills 84001 meteorite.  This SEM picture is famous for capturing our imaginations when, in 1996, it was thought to show the first pictures of extraterrestrial life.  Whether these SEM images represent Martian life forms or something else, they stirred intense scientific research and vigorous debate within the astrobiology community, and increased public interest in the search for life on Mars.  When extraterrestrial life is conclusively discovered, it will most likely be shown to the world using an image from an electron microscope.

Why have no electron microscopes flown on planetary missions?  Because existing SEM's are too large, heavy and fragile to withstand spaceflight. The key to reducing the size and weight of a SEM lies in eliminating the high-vacuum pumping system. In the SEM, every time a new sample is introduced the system must be re-evacuated.  The entire pumping system must travel with the SEM.  This pumping system is heavy, fragile and consumes a lot of power.  It is because of the pumping system that no portable SEM exists, much less one that could travel to Mars.

In this proposal, we will eliminate the need for a high-vacuum system in a SEM.  This is accomplished by developing a new electron source that can operate in relatively poor vacuum conditions.  By eliminating the largest, most complex and heavy part of the SEM, this project will develop a truly portable SEM: the Backpack SEM.
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. Further, the modeling of composite structures becomes more and more important since many new vehicle designs incorporate increased amount of composite structural components due to weight specific advantages of composites. Thus, we propose to develop techniques that will allow the prediction of noise in the interior of an enclosure such as aircraft due to the transmission of turbulent boundary layer loading in the presence of composite structural components. This innovative Hybrid Element Method (HEM) solution tool for mid-frequency analysis, which utilizes elements of DEA, together with conventional low frequency FEM tools and high frequency EFEM tools, will provide a unified framework that is applicable for the solution of full frequency spectrum vibroacoustic prediction of nonuniform aerospace structures including metallic/composite configurations, accurately and efficiently.
This SBIR will develop and demonstrate acoustic sensor technology enabling real-time, remotely performed measuring and monitoring of sound pressure levels and noise exposure levels in long-duration space vehicles.  The acoustic sensor technology developed will enable a network of continuously monitored, real-time acoustic sensors providing sound pressure level information as a function of frequency and/or time at multiple locations for the current International Space Station (ISS) and future long duration spaceflight missions.  The phase I will show the feasibility for the phase II to develop the software and hardware of an acoustic monitor to a TRL 6 level.  In phase II a demonstration unit and it software package will be delivered to NASA for their testing.  A phase II demonstration will be done in JSC Acoustics and Noise Control Lab (ANCL) so that testing can be performed in the ISS Acoustic Mockup.
The Electromagnetic Plasmoid Thruster (EMPT) program demonstrated a next generation propulsion system based on the purely electromagnetic generation and Lorentz acceleration of a magnetically self-confined plasmoid. The Peristaltic Dynamic Acceleration (PDA) stage is an addition to the exhaust of the EMPT that takes an existing, translating plasmoid and adds directed, kinetic energy with a set of sequenced magnetic field coils. The EMPT creates a high-density, magnetized plasmoid known as a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) using external RF antennas that produce a Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF) throughout the thruster. The large FRC plasma currents together with the radial magnetic field result in a large JxB force that rapidly accelerates the FRC propellant out of the thruster. The Dynamic Acceleration stage then initiates a pulsed magnetic field behind the FRC increasing the magnetic field pressure gradient. These pulsed field coils can very efficiently add kinetic energy to a magnetized, closed-field plasmoid and be used to increase velocity and average thruster power from 1 kW to greater than 20 kW, all without any changes to the original thruster.

The EMPT will be operated at maximum ionization efficiency at 2 kHz. The PDA will then accelerate the high-mass plasmoid to the required mission velocities. In this way power can be added to the device incrementally depending on the mission and power available. This also enables a so-called dual mode thruster that can operate over a wide range of power, thrust, and specific impulse while still maintaining constant gas flow for very long life, deep space missions. The PDA allows for the incremental development and qualification of the thruster, dramatically reducing total costs. Finally, the ability to rapidly and cheaply increase the power of a space-qualified thruster by factors of ten allow for the propulsion technology to grow with the available power for NASA science missions.
Graphene's tightly bonded impermeable single atomic layer of carbon offers unrivalled potential for lightweight flexible gas barrier applications. Graphene has been shown to be conductive, durable, flexible, and impermeable, ideal for wall material of inflatable space structures.  SMI proposes to demonstrate the material as the principal material in impermeable gas/vacuum barrier fabrics for expandable space habitats and structures, and develop a low cost roll-to-roll production process.  In Phase I, SMI produce 10x10cm graphene films and characterize them and refine the process for web production.  SMI will also design a flexible, lightweight graphene-based multilayer barrier structure for space applications.  In Phase II, the graphene roll-to-roll production will be developed and graphene-based flexible multi-layer impermeable barriers will be demonstrated.
In this project, Ultramet is designing and fabricating a lightweight, high temperature combustion chamber for use with cryogenic liquid oxygen/methane (LOX/CH4) propellant that will deliver a specific impulse of ~355 seconds, an increase over the current 320-sec baseline that will result in a propellant mass decrease of 55 lbm. The material system is based on Ultramet's proven oxide-iridium/rhenium architecture, which has been successfully hot-fire tested with stoichiometric oxygen/hydrogen for hours. Instead of rhenium, however, the structural material will be a niobium or tantalum alloy that has excellent yield strength at both ambient and elevated temperature. Phase I demonstrated alloys with yield strength-to-weight ratios more than three times that of rhenium, which will significantly reduce chamber weight. The starting materials are also two orders of magnitude less expensive than rhenium and are less expensive than the C103 niobium alloy commonly used in low-performance engines. Phase II will focus on the design, fabrication, and hot-fire testing of a small (5-25 lbf thrust class) chamber with LOX/CH4, and will culminate in the design and fabrication of a 100-lbf chamber that can be mated and tested with an existing LOX/CH4 injector. Throughout the project, Ultramet will work closely with Aerojet, which will perform the hot-fire testing.
For maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration, there is an urgent need to develop nonflammable crew clothing with the requirements of comfort, ease of customization, durability and nontoxicity. The objective of this Phase II project is to continue the engineering development of heat and flame-resistant crew clothing (FRECLOTM) to satisfy NASA needs.  FRECLO consists of InnoSense LLC (ISL) proprietary phosphorus-containing flame-retardant (FR) formulations permanently treated on synthetic, natural or blended fabrics as well as on the readymade garments. Phase I demonstrated the NASA use potential. Upon exposure to flame, FRECLO fabrics formed a carbonaceous char layer preventing further fire or heat-induced damage to the fabric. ISL's FR treatments are devoid of halogens, making the process environmentally-friendly and eliminating toxic byproducts during combustion. In Phase II, ISL will: (1) Optimize and scale-up FRECLO treatments, (2) Fine-tune FR formulations and application methods for performance optimization, (3) Perform rigorous evaluation of the treated fabrics, and (4) Evaluate off-gassing and biocompatibility of the treated fabrics. ISL has committed $100K as Phase II co-funding and has secured $300K as Phase III follow-on funding commitment from an industrial partner for successful technology transition.  Large NASA prime contractors have strongly endorsed the FR materials.
In the Phase I effort, Busek developed a miniature precision piezo-actuated microvalve weighing 32g and occupying 4.5 cm^3.  The valve demonstrated continuous flow regulation of 0-12 sccm nitrogen (15psi supply pressure) thru 0-500 sccm nitrogen (1000psi supply pressure), with a leak rate of better than 1.0 x 10^-5 mbar-l/s.  The simple, low part-count design was developed with a critical eye toward low-rejection rate manufacturability, with several sensitive assembly operations successfully advanced toward, robust, reliable processes.  Resilience under aggressive shock loading, which exhibited negligible effects upon valve operation, was demonstrated.

For the Phase II effort, Busek shall continue refining critical assembly processes to improve reliability in assembly, eliminating remaining elastomers in order to achieve an all-metal architecture.  Additionally, a supplementary feature for downstream volume compensation (for regulation of incompressible liquids affected by induced flows due to mechanism actuation and/or liquid thermal expansion; a necessary feature for colloid thruster operation) shall be developed.  Supporting the colloid application shall be valve driver electronics able to float at thruster beam Voltage.  The design shall be validated via vibration and thermovac testing, and culminate in operation of both a gas-based thruster, as well as a colloid thruster to validate the volume compensation feature.
NASA's Aircraft Aging and Durability Project (AADP) aims to ensure the safety of both commercial and military aviation aircraft. Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are integral to this effort. In particular, NDE techniques are used to a) detect and characterize damage to aircraft and b) validate models of materials through iterative testing. The costs associated with the acquisition of major aircraft require a long usage period in order to obtain a good return on investment. The commercial and military aircraft fleets are inspected and maintained to produce a long operational life. However, many of the NDE techniques are slow, tedious, and costly.   Interestingly, the technologies used to inspect aircraft to detect flaws are quite sophisticated, but tools for keeping track of these flaws, their location, and evolution over time are haphazard and inspection-specific, so they are not easily generalized to inspections in general.
We propose to leverage our machine vision technology to help automate portions of the inspection process to greatly reduce the time and cost associated with the inspection task.   In this approach, machine vision is used to localize the sensor scan information gathered during inspection so that it can be viewed and manipulated in the context of a 3D CAD model of the inspected object.   This then helps support the prediction of flaw propagation and structure life. The system allows maintainers to accurately collect information about flaws and accurately integrate them into CAD models. The models can then be leveraged in finite element analysis tools to help predict flaw and material behavior.
Spacesuit glove pressure garments have been a design challenge for NASA since the inception of spacesuits. The human hand demands a complex range of motions, a close fit, an ease of movement, and a lack of bulk that is at odds with the engineering and durability requirements of an inflated safety garment.  While precision motions of the fingers are relatively well met by NASA's current I.L.C./Phase VI gloves, the torque required for more gross power grips such as translating along bars or grasping tools is significant.  This torque comes not from the individual fingers or phalange-phalange joints, but at the joint between the fingers and the palm, or the metacarpal-phalangeal joint.
	In addition, this motion is difficult to precisely measure.  The human hand is capable of omni-directional multifaceted movements that are challenging to mimic robotically.  In addition, the presence of a human wearer makes the measurement impossible to repeat accurately, but it is required to adequately reproduce the movements of the glove.
	FFD in collaboration with The Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) propose to develop a glove pattering specific to the bending of the metacarpal-phalangeal joint, and a robotic instrument suitable to measure this torque.  This will lead to even more functional glove pressure garments, and to a more refined way of measuring them.
Commercial aircrew members and frequent flyers face radiation hazards from the effects of cosmic rays and solar energetic particles. During significant solar events, dose rates can exceed safety thresholds. To mitigate the radiation dose rate and total dose hazards, a unique, state-of-the-art system of physics-based models and real-time data characterizing the aviation radiation environment called Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) is undergoing development. However, validation of the NAIRAS system must occur to provide confidence that accurate nowcasts, and eventually forecasts, can be made for the aviation radiation environment. The Automated Radiation Measurements for Aviation Safety (ARMAS) project will provide that validation in a cost-effective manner. The Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) radiation detector measures the rate and total quantities of absorbed dose and dose equivalent during aircraft flights. These measurements help estimate the biological risk associated with radiation exposure to humans. Up to three flights of TEPC will be flown during the first half of the performance period. The flight regimes are designed to test a range of representative radiation environments. TEPC results will be analyzed in the second half of the performance period and compared with NAIRAS to validate modeled flight profile results.
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 &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 pixel-to-pixel DC variations 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 planar bump-bond 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.
This proposal is for the development a fault detection and isolation (FDI) algorithm for a formation of satellites but processed at a ground station.  The algorithm will be capable of operating when measurement data is available on an intermittent basis.  An FDI algorithm for faults in the three translational and rotational modes of 4 satellites flying in formation in a highly elliptical orbit will be designed during the Phase 1 effort.  The satellites will carry a limited suite of instruments, just sufficient to determine faults in the three translational and rotational modes and include a GPS receiver.  Communication with a ground station will only be available near perigee.  The measurement data is not stored and transmitted in bursts, so these communication blackouts represent a break in the time history of measurements.  The proposed development will mitigate these breaks so that fault detection and isolation can be performed faster than in a simple, cyclical restart implementation.  Furthermore, their elliptical orbit will carry the satellites beyond the GPS constellation.  The proposed development will account for the loss of GPS coverage as well investigate ways of extending the useful of GPS (when signals are weak) for fault detection and isolation.
For NASA and other organizations, development using reconfigurable
technologies can be time consuming and difficult, with expensive to
over-budget development cycles and longer time-to-deployment. The
proposed Q-Deploy  Processor and FPGA Rapid-Deployment Platform, with
the endorsement of a leading prime who is heavily involved with NASA
programs and allocations, will give NASA a standardized and commercially
available system providing an environment and infrastructure for
accelerated development and rapid deployment of highly reliable
applications on reconfigurable computing platforms.  The Q-Deploy system
will leverage and extend proven reconfigurable software technologies
developed under DOD contracts and promotes the development of reusable
and easily testable functions, with an expanding library of tested
features that address normal system-level functions and requirements.
The existing technologies will be expanded for operation in Triple
Modular Redundancy (TMR) soft-core processors within FPGA(s) to provide
added reliability for applications in environments such as those of
interest to NASA.  This expansion enhances reliability, and when
combined with other capabilities, enables the possibility of, for
example, &amp;quot;replacing&amp;quot; a faulty processor in an operational
system. Reliability will be further enhanced by providing the Hardware
Object Refresh Manager to refresh objects in a managed and prioritized
manner to combat module failures due to, for example, radiation induced
bit swaps without the requirement of device reset or downtime.
Q-Deploy's innovative approach for reliable, rapid development and
deployment of reconfigurable technologies will provide a flexible,
modifiable, and extendable platform usable by multiple developers for
NASA and other organizations.
The search for organics on Mars remains a key objective for future missions.  However current instruments for detailed organic analysis require complex sample handling and can process only a limited number of samples.  To allow for rapid sample characterization, the in situ non-destructive Raman detection technique is a highly desirable sensing tool for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. However, current Raman systems deployed in the field are inadequate due to deleterious fluorescence interference. Fluorescence is often several orders of magnitude more intense than Raman scattering signals and its broad structures spectrum could be difficult to remove from Raman spectra. We propose to develop a rover-mounted infrared fiber-optic Raman sensor that can eliminate fluorescence with significantly improved Raman sensitivity for fast field detections. The infrared fiber-optic Raman sensor is based on recent technology advances in fiber lasers, fiber optic Raman probes and infrared detector arrays. Innovative infrared fiber-optic Raman sensor enables highly sensitive fluorescence-free Raman analysis and offers flexible remote detection, so that the field spectral sensor's overall performance would be intact and extremely flexible for planetary missions. We will deliver a rover-mounted infrared fiber-optic Raman sensor to NASA at the end of Phase II program.
The continued development of automated sample acquisition and handling tools is of critical importance to future robotic missions on Mars, the Moon, Venus, and other planetary bodies. In response to the need for a compact, low mass, low power, and low weight-on-bit coring device, Honeybee Robotics proposes to continue development of an arm-deployed and arm-stabilized rotary-percussive coring tool. By using a robotic arm to deploy the coring tool into rock or soil targets and stabilize the tool while operating, the coring tool's internal deployment (or "z") axis and external stabilization devices can be removed, resulting in a more compact, lower mass device. Also, adding percussion to the coring tool will reduce average weight-on-bit and energy consumption over the duration of the coring operation. The flexibility afforded from a rover or lander arm to target outcroppings, and the relatively higher TRL of surface coring tools (vs. deeper subsurface drills), make surface coring, especially with an arm-deployed coring tool, a particularly attractive option for near term planetary exploration. 

During Phase I, a preliminary coring tool design was developed that weighs less than 5 kg and meets all of the current MSR requirements. Breadboard testing also demonstrated the feasibility of arm-deployed and stabilized coring. 

The objectives of Phase II are to further develop, demonstrate and characterize a TRL 5/6 MSR-compatible coring tool. The rotary-percussive coring tool will weigh less than 5 kg, be arm-deployed and stabilized, include a passive linear feed device, require less than 50 N weight-on-bit, produce and capture 1 cm diameter by 5 cm long cores, accommodate active bit change-out and passive bit release, and positively retain cores in core tubes when removed from the bit. The coring tool will be fully demonstrated and characterized at ambient and Mars conditions.
The development of multi-meter diameter radiofrequency (RF) antennas for NASA and DoD will have a significant impact of future space programs.  Polymer membrane technologies are well suited for large area deployable space antennas by significantly reducing the mass and volume of the launch vehicle.  Low CTE polymer piezoelectric membrane technology is now at a maturity level to enable the development of high performance large area electrically formal membrane reflectors.  Advanced COATING technology is crucial to enabling technological developmental of high performance RF antennas.  The production of a conductive and highly reflective thermal control COATING that matches the CTE of the polymer membrane is at the center of this development program.  In addition, in Phase I, the piezoelectric polymeric membrane had a significant deformation at the application of the electrical potential - this manifested the need for stress balancing the coating.  Specifically, the objective is to develop the thin-film stress-balanced COATING that will precisely match the CTE of the polymer to the coating material itself, resulting in a zero CTE membrane/coating composite structure.  In addition, the coated membrane will exhibit the required RF performance, thermal characteristics, and environmental endurance, such as:  atomic oxygen (AO) resistance; visible and ultra-violet (VUV) radiation rejection; and space temperature extremes.  Surface Optics Corporation (SOC) has considerable experience in producing RF/Thermal coatings and precisely controlled intrinsic stress thin-films; both are necessary to the success of this program.  NeXolve is the partnering organization with SOC, providing the polymer membranes that have the appropriate piezoelectric formulation, surface properties, and zero CTE.
As space exploration and hypersonic cruise technologies develop, the focus has shifted towards the development of lightweight, fully reusable and lower cost vehicles. The current state-of-the-art (SOA) is taking an incremental improvement step over the Space Shuttle TPS approach. All-ceramic matrix composite (CMC) body flaps developed for the X-38 vehicle were shown to offer considerable mass savings as well as increased durability and impact resistance. The next step in advancing the state of the art is to increase the confidence in the design and manufacturing quality of a full CMC control surface for hypersonic vehicles. Within this effort, Materials Research &amp; Design (MR&amp;D) is proposing a trade study which will investigate various control surface manufacturing and material options for the ruddervator design of X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. For the proposed Phase I program, MR&amp;D has chosen an integrally fabricated all-CMC control surface, a mechanically fastened-individually fabricated fully-CMC control surface, and a CMC sandwich structure control surface to be the three candidate design structures in a trade study. Potential material candidates include, but may not be limited to, CVI C/SiC, C-C with 1-2 SiC cycles for oxidation protection, S200 Nicalon/SiNC from ATK COIC, and SiC/SiC.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II effort will develop an all-diode laser and fiber optic based, single frequency, sub-nanosecond pulsed laser source for high resolution lidar applications benefiting SLR, LIST and DESDynI missions.  This laser will have a user adjustable pulse width from 2ns to 400ps and will be ideal for seeding high power fiber amplifiers for short pulse, high resolution lidar transmitters.  The highest utility of the proposed sub-nanosecond pulsed laser is simultaneously achieving narrow linewidth AND narrow pulse widths that can be set by the user for lidar instruments with &lt;10cm vertical resolution.
Folded Structures Company (FSC) has developed 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 design approach holds the promise of a much simpler expandable structure that is both lightweight and compactable (low delivery volume) and yet capable of extending into an expansive volume.  FSC research supports the utilization 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 both single and multi-laminate sheet materials.  The proprietary patterning algorithms create 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 and software to the broad topic of expandable habitat structures.  The Phase I project has resulted in a design concept for the expandable bladder section of the proposed lunar habitat that also integrates the flooring into a single deployable structure.
For a number of years Creare has developed, fabricated, and tested highly miniaturized, high vacuum pumps specifically designed for mass spectrometers used on  NASA Mars missions.  These pumps would also be useful on other missions to planets and satellites with atmosphere, such as Titan, as well as terrestrial applications on Earth.  In order to allow these high vacuum pumps to operate in high-pressure environments such as exist on Titan and Earth, the vacuum pump needs to be supplemented with a rough pump that can take its exhaust and compress it to 11.5 atm.  This project aims to design, fabricate, test, and deliver such a compact vacuum pump system that can generate a high vacuum, on the order of 1e-8 torr, and exhaust directly to an Earth or Titan atmosphere.  The pump will be assembled in a very compact, robust, and low-power package.  Our Phase I project clearly demonstrated the feasibility of our innovative design by demonstrating the performance of a rough pump and designing a compact vacuum system for use on Earth or other planetary bodies with atmospheric pressure greater than 1 atm.  During Phase II of this project, we will build a complete benchtop pumping system that meets the requirements.
Future landed robotic missions to the lunar poles will seek to characterize the properties of subsurface regolith. Current instruments for such in-situ analysis, however, require that geological samples be brought to the surface by a sample acquisition tool and subsequently processed and presented to the analyzer. This model has significant limitations with regard to science yield: evaporation of volatile molecules before reaching the instrument, loss of stratigraphic information, sample bias, and cross-contamination. Furthermore, sophisticated sample acquisition, processing and handling mechanisms required to operate in uncontrolled, dusty environments are expensive and failure-prone.

We therefore propose an alternative: bring the instrument to the sample. Specifically, we propose development of a fiber-coupled laser-induced breakdown spectrometer (LIBS) system, integrated into a 3m-class drill. LIBS uses a high-energy laser pulse to create a plasma on the surface of the material under test; the atomic emissions are collected by a spectrometer and yield elemental composition and basic molecular information. DIHeDRAL will allow profiling of an entire borehole wall, centimeter by centimeter, 360 degrees, from the top to the bottom. 

The proposed Phase II work will include development of a functional prototype and its integration in a drill string and test to a depth of 1m. The performance of the sensor will be tested in a chamber capable of closely reproducing the conditions of the Lunar surface.
Global Science &amp; Technology, Inc. (GST) proposes to build a scalable, adaptable, and interoperable information processing and delivery infrastructure that will provide near-real-time access to satellite data from the National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP), its follow-on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), and other near-real-time observations to modelers, forecasters, and decision-makers.

Thanks to distributed Direct Broadcast facilities, a streamlined processing chain, and a scalable cloud computing environment, we propose to build technology that will reduce the latency in NPP data delivery to end-users from several hours to several minutes. Our proposed activity would serve near-real-time NPP, JPSS, and other data for the area within an antenna's satellite footprint via industry-standard Web-services, so as to maximize the use of these data by a broad set of users.
NASA has been involved in extensive research efforts to develop advanced concepts and technologies, for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) under different Research Focus Areas (RFAs). The Airspace Super Density Operations (ASDO) RFA seeks to develop efficient terminal area operations. It is expected that multiple ASDO concepts will be interacting with one another in a complex non-deterministic manner. Therefore, the overall terminal system performance may not be a straightforward combination of individual performance indices. It is also crucial that the overall system performance be robust to wind and operational uncertainties. The proposed research effort seeks to develop a fast-time, stochastic analysis tool based on queuing theory that can be used to evaluate the interaction and combined performance of multiple ASDO concepts. The utility of the approach was demonstrated under Phase I research. 
Phase II research seeks to achieve the following: (i) make enhancements to the modeling and simulation aspects of the approach, (ii) accelerate the stochastic simulation execution time using high-performance computing solutions, (iii) create software plug-ins for existing NASA research tools, (iv) conduct studies of NextGen terminal area concepts using the queuing simulation, and (v) develop a conflict free scheduling algorithm based on the queuing simulation.
The future of the NASA space program includes longer and more invasive missions into space.  Long duration storage of large quantities of cryogenic fluids for propulsion, power, and life-support is an essential requirement for these missions.  Efficient and reliable insulation of the cryogenic fluids is key to the success of long missions into space.  Aspen Aerogels successfully developed a novel low-density hybrid insulation system composed of multiple layers of low density, low dust superhydrophobic aerogels and multilayer insulation (MLI) for cryogenic fluid management.  The hybrid aerogel/MLI insulation system outperformed MLI system at cryogenic temperatures and across a range of vacuum conditions, including high vacuum.  This exceptional performance is considered a new breakthrough in high vacuum cryogenic thermal insulation materials.  During the Phase II Program, further refinement and qualification testing of the low-density aerogel material will be performed in order to be used in real world applications.  Liquid oxygen (LOX) compatibility of the aerogel material and a cost assessment will also be investigated.  For qualification of this novel insulation system for future NASA in-space programs, extensive work will be dedicated to large-scale testing and performance evaluation of the refined hybrid aerogel/MLI insulation system.
This NASA SBIR Phase II project seeks to develop and demonstrate a suite of sensor products to monitor the health of composite structures.  Sensors will be made using the Company!&s Direct Write process based on Mesoplasma' deposition technology.  This allows a wide variety of sensor materials and architectures to be deposited onto conformal components made from polymer composite, metallic, and ceramic materials.  Sensors include strain gages, thermocouples, piezoelectric devices, damage detection systems along with shielded conductors and passive circuit components.  Improving the compatibility of the Direct Write Process with advanced composites is essential for transitioning the technologies to NASA platforms. 
 
A principal objective is to demonstrate operability of Direct Write sensors under environmental conditions that may be expected on a NASA mission for which composite monitoring is necessary.  Instrumented structures will be exposed to cryogenic and high temperature environments as well as requisite mechanical loading as anticipated in operation.  Sensors will demonstrate their diagnostic capability and compatibility with existing data acquisition and health management infrastructure for NASA applications of interest.  Furthermore, reducing cumbersome leadwire bundles through integrated wiring or passive wireless sensing approaches will make Direct Write technology an even more suitable solution for integrated health and condition monitoring.
Sample return missions have primary importance in future planetary missions. A basic requirement is that samples be returned in pristine, uncontaminated condition, necessitating development of a canister system capable of maintaining cleanliness and seal integrity through a variety of environments. Further development of the Sealed Planetary Return Canister (SPRC), is proposed after a successful Phase 1 program. Besides providing a high integrity seal, the canister incorporates features for robotic manipulation and to allow the sample to be accessed in a controlled manner upon return to Earth. The SPRC seal system addresses the two most significant concerns for planetary samples  seal surfaces contaminated by the sample and high pressure due to the phase change of volatiles. The SPRC incorporates a novel sealing system evolved from the only marginally successful Apollo indium knife edge seal approach but with added features to address the difficulties and inconsistencies observed. The indium is contained within a protective barrier to prevent against contamination, and the knife edge is mechanically cleaned during the sealing process. The container body can be configured to accommodate a variety of samples including rock cores, rock fragments, regolith, dust, and frozen soil. Atmospheric samples can also be preserved. The design is readily scalable and adaptable to specific missions. The prototype developed in Phase 1 demonstrated a leakage rate of less than 1e-6 cc-atm/s, meeting the primary science requirement.
Critical to the success of delivering on the promise of deep space optical communications is the creation of a stable and reliable high power multichannel optical uplink/beacon. Optical Engines proposes to deliver in phase 2 2 compact and low cost fiber amplifiers suited to the uplink application. This will be accomplished through the use of Optical Engines proprietary Multi-Fiber Coupled 2.5kW laser diode stacks, its Etched Taper All Fiber Combiner Technology and a custom designed Photonic Crystal Fiber. One of these amplifiers will be of the Coiled PCF type and one of the Rod type and will be integrated into existing NASA deep space communications up link infrastructure.
Clear air turbulence (CAT), often referred to as "air pockets," is attributed to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities at altitudes usually above 18,000ft, often without visual cues (clouds, etc.), making it difficult to avoid. The vortices produced when atmospheric waves "break" can have diameters of 900-1200ft and tangential velocities of 70-85 ft/sec. CAT is dangerous to aircraft, recently demonstrated by United flight 967 from Washington-Dulles to Los Angeles on July 21, 2010, which encountered severe turbulence and landed in Denver with over 30 injured passengers, 21 requiring a hospital visit. Many other turbulence incidents have caused injuries or deaths to passengers and crew. Another recently-highlighted hazard is the inadequacy of current airspeed sensors on commercial aircraft. Federal investigators have reported that on at least a dozen recent flights by U.S. jetliners, malfunctioning equipment made it impossible for pilots to know how fast they were flying. A similar issue is believed to have played a role in the June 2009 crash of Air France 447 that killed all 228 people aboard. Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) proposes the Molecular Air Data and Clear Air Turbulence (MADCAT) system which will be capable of providing not only a look-ahead capability to predict clear air turbulence but also a full air data solution (airspeed, angle of attack, angle of sideslip, pressure and temperature). The technology has already been demonstrated in-flight, confirming its ability to measure these air-data parameters. In addition, ground units based upon the same core technology have demonstrated the ability to detect atmospheric turbulence. MAC's direct-detection UV LIDAR technology uses molecular backscatter and does not require airborne particles and/or vapor to be suspended in the air, as other proposed solutions based on radar and LIDAR do. This Phase 2 project will result in a laboratory test model of MADCAT and a plan for subsequent airborne testing.
Future NASA missions require high efficiency, lightweight, long life, and maintenance-free water electrolyzer technologies to generate oxygen and/or hydrogen for energy storage, propulsion, life-support systems, cabin-oxygen replenishment, and zero-g science activities.  International Space Station, future Lunar and Martian Outposts, and future exploration vehicles require high efficiency electrolyzers to improve their operational capabilities for long and complex missions.  The oxygen evolution reaction is the limiting step due to non-optimal electrocatalyst structure.  State-of-the-art electrocatalysts do not meet MEA efficiency and lifetime requirements for NASA applications.  Advanced electrocatalysts are needed.  In the Phase I, Lynntech manufactured a binary nanoparticle surface decorated mixed oxide electrocatalyst with the optimal microstructure and demonstrated an MEA efficiency of &gt;90&#37; (i.e., an electrolysis potential of 1.358 V/cell) at 200 mA/cm2.  In the Phase II program, Lynntech will investigate different catalyst morphologies to improve the lifetime.  In addition, ternary transition metal oxides will be incorporated into the mixed oxide to further increase the efficiency and lifetime.  The applicability of this advanced catalyst to different membranes will be investigated.  Nanocomposite membranes with low hydrogen gas cross-over will be manufactured and tested.  A short electrolyzer stack will be assembled with the optimized components, tested and delivered to NASA.
The United States air transportation system is not performing adequately even as aircraft operations increase. To address this problem, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Joint Planning and Development Office are developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will enable critical advances to the current management of the National Airspace (NAS). The technologies that comprise NextGen offer the possibility of compelling new systems of systems that, if properly designed, will not only enhance the capabilities of the NAS but also improve its safety. At the same time, these fundamental changes bring with them implications for safety and security. In order to address these concerns, new techniques for the certification of software systems will be required to ensure that certification cost will not limit the safety innovations offered by NextGen advances. In Phase I, Barron Associates investigated the integration of ADS-B and TCAS as a representative NextGen system of systems and investigated the application of the system safety case to the system.

In the proposed Phase II research, Barron Associates will develop a new collision-avoidance system and conduct an empirical study of the system safety case compared to DO-178B compliance as a certification approach. Throughout the development of the new collision-avoidance system, evidence in support of DO-178B compliance as well as in support of the safety case will be gathered. Using the data from this evidence collection together with the data collected during development, the team will answer key research questions that center on the use of the system safety case as an alternative means for airworthiness certification.
Future manned space exploration missions will require space suits with capabilities beyond the current state of the art.  Portable Life Support Systems for these future space suits face daunting challenges, since they must maintain healthy and comfortable conditions inside the suit for long-duration missions while minimizing weight and venting no consumables.  We propose to develop an innovative system for thermal and humidity control in a space suit that is simple, rugged, lightweight, and nonventing.  In Phase I we proved the feasibility of our approach by identifying the optimal materials, developing fabrication methods, building and testing a proof-of-concept system, and demonstrating by test that its performance is suitable for use in space suit life support systems.  Results from these tests agree well with our design models, which we used to produce a conceptual design for a full-size system.  In Phase II we will optimize the overall design for integration with space suit systems, produce a full-size prototype, and demonstrate operation in a prototypical environment.
The goal of this proposal is improve testing and calibration of imaging sensors used on remote sensing platforms through the development of calibrated scene projector, the Polarization Hyperspectral Image Projector (PHIP).  Current calibration methods utilize spatially uniform optical radiation sources to ensure that sensors meet radiometric, polarization and spectral requirements, without the sensor being subjected to complex spatial /spectral / polarization imagery more typical of an operational scenario.  As a result, instrumentation is sent into orbit without proper characterization, neglecting the very real effects of stray light, optical cross-talk and earth-shine.  The proposed instrument will be capable of projecting realistic scenes to sensors under test, with accurate and high-resolution spectral/spatial /polarization tunability at each pixel.
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. By coupling Eikos Invisicon&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; nanocomposite conductors with existing dust mitigation Dust Shield technology developed at NASA-KSC, the Phase I program demonstrated an enabling approach to producing electrodynamic dust mitigation devices on a wide variety of surfaces not possible with traditional metal based electrode materials. Eikos reproduced proven NASA spiral electrodes using Invisicon&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; patterned onto transparent plastics, Tyvek&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; fabric, and silicone rubber sheets; employing inkjet and spray deposition methods, two CNT ink formulations, and four dielectric binders to create working devices. These Invisicon&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt;-based devices are far more flexible then traditional devices and exhibit superior durability to abrasion, elongation, and thermal cycling.   A dust mitigation system utilizing this technology has broad value to many NASA mission directorates and terrestrial commercial applications. The Phase II project will build on these successes and integrate the electrode into larger surfaces, and more complex components. Further, extensive dust mitigation, and both environmental and mechanical testing, will be conducted to position this electrode technology for insertion into windows, fabrics, and elastomeric components in space and terrestrial applications.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project proposes the development of a computational software package to provide NASA with advanced materials development capabilities for existing and new ablative materials used in the next generation thermal protection systems (TPS) of space vehicles. This materials development software package (MDSAM) can be used to optimize properties (high strength and low thermal conductivity) for both the virgin material as well as the char that forms during the operating conditions. It will provide atomistic-level information on char evolution and the degradation of thermo-mechanical properties. The proposed MDSAM will consist of the following two modules: (i) an experimentally validated, atomistic-level simulation engine capable of predicting the role of interfacial structure on the resin-to-carbon process and (ii) atomistically-informed continuum-level thermo-mechanical performance analyzer for composite ablative materials subjected to transient pyrolytic conditions. The underlying methodology and the software package will be transitioned to NASA scientists working on ablative materials development. In addition to developing a computational software package, we will address open, unsolved problems in the literature to support NASA's ablative materials development requirements. In the course of developing this methodology, we will produce significant scientific results on pyrolysis and materials properties that will be important to NASA.
The goal of this project is to develop, demonstrate, and deliver to NASA an innovative, portable, and power efficient Remote UV Fluorescence Lifetime Spectrometer (RUVPhase&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt;) for the in-situ robotic or manned crew planetary scientific exploration and investigation of surface and subsurface geophysical terrain. The RUVPhase&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; system is based on the integration of ROI's leading technologies: 1) frequency domain fluorescence lifetime-resolved imaging spectroscopy using time gated "phase-locked" detection, 2) steady-state fluorescence miniature spectrometer, and 3) remote fiber optic laser induced UV fluorescence detection. The RUVPhase&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; technology addresses the problem of developing a compact, energy efficient, fast detection, and highly sensitive UV Fluorescence Lifetime Spectrometer to remotely detect and measure fluorescence signals from geophysical lunar materials such as minerals and organic species that exhibit characteristic fluorescence signatures in the UV-Visible spectrum with relatively low fluorescence quantum efficiencies. The innovativeness of the miniature RUVPhase&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; system will support a large variety of NASA terrestrial and space scientific discovery applications for chemical and biological materials identification and characterization as well as in the commercial market for medical and biological applications, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, environmental science, and defense and homeland security applications.
Ridgetop developed an innovative, model-driven anomaly diagnostic and fault characterization system for electromechanical actuator (EMA) systems to mitigate catastrophic failures. 
Ridgetop developed a MIL-STD-1553 bus monitor and a MIL-STD-1553 bus controller that simulates the aircraft data bus, reads the environmental (i.e., altitude) and operational (i.e., response of system) data of a system and determines if a fault is manifesting; and if true determines the root cause and symptoms of the fault. Once an anomaly is detected, the Model-based Avionic Prognostic Reasoner (MAPR) solves a user-outlined state-space model, symbolically, using a Gauss-Newton optimization method and the information from the MIL-STD-1553 bus. This algorithm outputs a list of best fitting parameters to match the command to the actual performance. Rules are programmed in, based on results from principal component analysis . The rules determine both fault mode and the severity of that fault. The rules can distinguish between two failure modes: Mechanical jam and MOSFET failure, and healthy.
The real-time processing will allow for critical evolutions in flight safety and provides a game-changing approach to condition-based maintenance. Once  deployed, flight safety can be improved by allowing the on-board flight computers to read from the MAPR and update their control envelope based on its evaluations, reducing damage propagation and increasing operational safety. 
In Phase 2, we will develop a functioning ground-based prototype of the technology to show the efficacy of the method. A ground-based version of the tool is the best candidate for development to ease adoption by testing in a low-risk environment; this tool will be demonstrated at the end of Phase 2. The MAPR concept is also applicable to any system with a state-space representation but at this point it has been developed with EMAs in mind. 
The MAPR prototype is at TRL 5 and will reach a TRL 7 by the end of Phase 2.
Much of the earth science research data available is shared across
departments and agencies and often made available to the public. But
sharing isn't enough. As federal organizations increasingly consult one
another for expertise, the need for functional platforms that foster
collaboration becomes vital.   The proposed innovation aims to develop
the tools for open source geobrowsers, specifically: COAST (Coastal
On-line Assessment and Synthesis Tool) and NASA's World Wind Java (WWJ),
to communicate over local networks and the Internet to create a real
collaborative experience over computer desktops, greatly increasing the
quality of the decision support tools available to government agencies
and emergency management, especially when it is most needed: just after
a disaster has struck. The ultimate objective would be to develop a
fully interoperable virtual &amp;quot;geo-collaboration environment&amp;quot; of
software and hardware that delivers accurate information on emerging
situations while collaborating with distributed partners, advisors,
specialists and authorities in various jurisdictions.
Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters can provide the high-specific impulse, high-power propulsion required to support human and robotic exploration missions to the asteroids, Moon, Mars, and the outer planets. MPD thrusters, however, have traditionally been plagued by poor thrust efficiencies due primarily to power lost into the anode caused by the Hall effect. We propose to combine three innovative techniques to create a high thrust efficiency MPD thruster.  The first is an unconventional applied magnetic field geometry that counter the Hall effect near the anode surface, the second is shaping of the electrodes to optimize current uniformity, and the third is "through-anode" propellant injection to prevent depletion of the anode plasma.  In prior experiments we demonstrated elimination of the anode fall using these novel magnetic fields, and in recent simulation efforts we developed novel magnetic nozzle designs that succeed in counteracting the current concentrations and plasma starvation effects that cause the anode fall.  These magnetic nozzles also showed the ability to increase the amount of axial thrust extracted from the accelerated plasma by over 50&#37;.  In the Phase I, we will test the effect of a prototype 'optimized' magnetic nozzle on the thrust efficiency of a MPD thruster; both the magnetic nozzle prototype and thruster test article are already constructed.   Additionally, we will develop technology for through-anode propellant injection, and evaluate its performance through tests and simulations.
NASA has an unmet need for clean, dust-free surfaces critical for many mission applications: solar panels and collectors, aircraft components, optical windows, photographic equipment, and flight suits. However, dust mitigation and removal remains a difficult task, particularly given the nature and morphology of space-born particulate materials and the strong bonds they can develop with any surface. Several mechanical techniques involving shaking and wiping have been devised to address this problem, but these are difficult to implement and expensive to maintain over mission life cycles.
One successful innovation that has been developed and tested for dust removal is the "electrodynamic shield" or EDS. The EDS is composed of inter-digitated, electrically conductive electrodes connected to an AC power supply. The main parameters that govern the efficiency of dust removal are the voltage and the frequency of the AC signal applied to the electrodes. Poly Adaptive, LLC, proposes to investigate the novel application and use of nanoscale materials to address severe limitations of existing EDS designs caused by the metallic electrodes that reduce the amount of radiation reaching solar panels. Successful Phase I results will show the feasibility of an EDS that is transparent and can be placed on top of any surface.
Petscale computing is leading to significant breakthroughs in a number of fields and is revolutionizing the way science is conducted. Data is not knowledge, however, and the challenge has been how to analyze and gain insight from the massive quantities of data that are generated.  In order to address the peta-scale visualization challenges, we propose to develop a scientific visualization software that would enable real-time visualization capability of extremely large data sets. We plan to accomplish this by extending the ParaView visualization architecture to extreme scales. ParaView is an open source software installed on all HPC sites including NASA's Pleiades and has a large user base in diverse areas of science and engineering. Our proposed solution will significantly enhance the scientific return from NASA HPC investments by providing the next generation of open source data analysis and visualization tools for very large datasets.  To test our solution on real world data with complex pipeline, we have partnered with SciberQuest, who have recently performed the largest kinetic simulations of magnetosphere using 25 K cores on Pleiades and 100 K cores on Kraken.  Given that IO is the main bottleneck for  scientific visualization at large scales, we propose to work closely with Pleiades's systems team and provide efficient prepackaged general purpose I/O component for ParaView for structured and unstructured data across a spectrum of scales and access patterns with focus on Lustre file system used by Pleiades.
During this Phase I effort, CRG proposes to demonstrate the ability to significantly reduce the acoustic signature of vaneaxial fans by establishing quiet aerodynamic, mechanical, and electronic design features.  CRG will focus primarily on reducing tonal and broadband aerodynamic noise, using a combination of theory and experimentation to investigate the acoustic benefits of i) asymmetric blade spacing, ii) serrated trailing edge features, and iii) wearable blade tip liners on a scale representative of the NASA applications.  In addition, CRG will leverage its experience in high-efficiency vaneaxial fan design, which includes the development of state-of-the-art motor and controller technology, to identify the potential noise reductions in the drive system.  The Phase I results will provide a baseline for Phase II acoustic modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, drive system development, and vaneaxial fan system demonstration.  Finally, the transition of next generation quiet, high-efficiency vaneaxial fans into future NASA human exploration systems to increase occupant comfort, such as the predecessor to the space shuttle, commercial crew and cargo systems, lunar exploration systems, and even Mars exploration systems, defines the overall goal of the program.
Research on desensitized optimal filtering techniques and a navigation and sensor fusion tool kit using advanced filtering techniques is proposed. Research focuses on reducing the sensitivity of Kalman filters with respect to model parameter uncertainties using a robust trajectory optimization approach called Desensitized Optimal Control, developed by the proposing company. The proposed tool kit implements the research results as well as recent advances in robust and/or adaptive generalized Kalman and Sigma-Point filters for non-Gaussian problems with uncertain error statistics.
The proposed research and development brings new filtering and sensor fusion techniques to NASA and industry in a convenient package which can be used as a stand-alone toolbox, either for ground support or for onboard applications. Its modular structure enables it to be readily integrated with other tools, and thus enhances the existing fleet of applications.
The desensitized optimal filtering research and the feasibility study on components of the proposed tool kit will be carried out concurrently. The tool kit is a generic stand-alone application, and has a modularized structure which facilitates easy integration with existing tools. A suite of sensor models and noise distributions as well as Monte-Carlo analysis capability are included to enable statistical performance evaluations.
The overall Phase-II goal is to develop the technologies and tools that can aid the automation of operation by providing intelligent decision support in situations when a mission plan needs alteration due to an event(s). The effort targets not only developing the algorithms, but also to implement them on QSI's TEAMS platform; this will transition the technologies into a useful tool for the A4O community.
The goal of this SBIR project is to develop a predictive computational tool for the aerothermal environment around ablation-cooled hypersonic atmospheric entry vehicles. This tool is based on coupling the relevant physics models to the LeMANS code for hypersonic flows and to the MOPAR code for material response, both developed by the University of Michigan. In Phase I of this project, we developed an efficient, high-fidelity 3-D radiation transfer equation (RTE) solver based on the Modified Differential Approximation (MDA). The MDA method was shown to be accurate over at least three orders of magnitude variation in medium optical thickness, typical in entry hypersonic flows. The coupled LeMANS-radiation code was demonstrated for Stardust and IRV2 configurations, while the coupled LeMANS-MOPAR code was validated for the Passive Nosetip Technology (PANT) experiment [1], successfully establishing feasibility. In Phase II, the primary focus is to advance the flow and ablation modeling capabilities of the LeMANS/MOPAR codes by including innovative models for: (1) Non-equilibrium surface thermochemistry; (2) Non-equilibrium pyrolysis chemistry; and (3) Non-gray, non-equilibrium radiation. All models will be implemented in a modular manner with particular attention paid to their coupling interfaces to facilitate easy coupling to a computational aerothermodynamics code of interest to NASA such as DPLR. The tool will be validated and applied to ablation-cooled re-entry flow problems relevant to NASA such as the Stardust capsule.
The objective of the research is the completion of an observation platform for the ISS Light Microscopy Module (LMM) as it currently resides on the US Fluids Integration Rack (FIR). In its current configuration the LMM accommodates a Contained Bubble Experiment, and it has no substage illuminator and limited epi-illumination.
This SBIR is developing high-efficiency, high beam-quality Nd lasers and non-linear wavelength conversion technologies suitable for ozone, aerosol, oxygen, CO2, water vapor and wind lidar. The advanced solid-state laser technology proposed directly supports NASA Earth Science Decadal Study programs for aerosols and clouds (ACE), global wind (3D-Winds) and advanced multi-beam altimetry and vegetation canopy missions (DESDynI, LIST). We propose to increase the wall-plug efficiency of fieldable 1um lasers from 4-6&#37; into the 12-16&#37; range, drastically reducing the electrical power needed for satellite missions. For the same satellite bus this means that power will be available to support another lidar system, radar or other instruments - greatly increasing the science mission value. The closely related non-linear wavelength conversion technology can also enable direct range-resolved CO2 measurement and/or oxygen lidars that support CO2 pressure and density determinations. The technology developed will also support sub-orbital flight missions for ozone, water vapor, and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HRSL) systems for advanced aerosol measurements.
We propose to design and fabricate a MEMS micromirror array consisting of 1021 ultra-flat, close-packed hexagonal mirror elements, each capable of 6mrad of tip and tilt, and 1.7um of piston (TTP) motion with sub-nanometer precision as required for a space-based telescope using a hyper-contrast coronagraph for terrestrial planet finding. Fabrication process enhancements developed in the Phase I effort to increase device yield by significantly reducing the defect density in polysilicon films and reduce wafer bow by modifying thin film deposition processes, will be integrated in to the DM fabrication process to produce a device with 100&#37; actuator yield and an unpowered peak-to-valley surface figure error of &lt;500nm - well within the dynamic range of the DM actuators. This large array of mirror segments with tip-tilt-piston degrees of freedom and &amp;#955;/100 optical quality would constitute a significant technological advance and would become an enabling component for the high contrast visible nulling coronagraph instruments planned for exoplanet imaging missions.
The health and integrity of aircraft sensors play a critical role in aviation safety.  Unfortunately, inaccurate or false readings from these sensors can lead to improper decision-making resulting in serious and sometimes fatal consequences. The research performed in Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of using advanced data analysis techniques to identify anomalies in Pitot tubes resulting from blockage such as icing, moisture, or foreign objects.  The core technology used in this project is referred to as "noise analysis" since it relates a sensor's response time to the dynamic component (noise) found in the signal of these same sensors.   This analysis technique has used existing electrical signals of Pitot tube sensors that result from measured processes during in-flight conditions and/or induced signals in pre-flight conditions to detect anomalies in the sensor readings.

AMS has routinely used this technology to determine the health of pressure transmitters in nuclear power plants. The application of this technology for the detection of aircraft anomalies is innovative in that instead of determining the health of process monitoring at a steady state condition, this technology will be used to quickly inform the pilot when an air speed indication becomes faulty under any flight condition as well as during pre-flight preparation.
To-date, the realization of small-scale, high-performance liquid bipropellant rocket engines has largely been limited by the inability to operate at high chamber pressures in a regeneratively-cooled environment using on-board pumps for propellant pressurization. Ventions seeks to fulfill this critical need by using a novel fabrication scheme to realize small-scale thrust chambers and turbopumps, and proposes to extend its previously-demonstrated technologies (under DARPA and NASA sponsored efforts) to develop a 3,000lbf, regeneratively-cooled, cryogenic propulsion system with a T/W ratio of approx. 100 and a vacuum Isp up to 355sec.
Cryogenic fluid valves are subject to harsh exposure and actuators to drive these valves require robust performance and high reliability.  DSM's piezoelectric actuators offer advantages over traditional alternative actuator technology.  However, in order to use piezoceramic actuators in cryogenic fluid handling applications, proof of operational reliability and improvements in thermal neutral response are required.  During the Phase I, DSM experienced great successes and found multiple compelling reasons to continue into Phase II. Particular successes include: gaining access to a new piezoceramic material with superior cryogenic performance, demonstrating a flight-like vibration test survivability level for a small actuator sample set, and, development of a novel composite actuator with excellent neutral thermal response. The outcome of the Phase I yields multiple compelling reasons to continue into Phase 2.  The potential for application of this actuator technology to cryogenic fluid valves is substantial with interested NASA advisors at NASA JSC, MSFC, and GRC.
Technological innovations have enabled a wide range of aerial vehicles that can be remotely operated. Viable applications include military missions, law enforcement, border patrol, weather data collection, telecommunications, land use imaging, and cargo transport.
CFDRC and TRLA are proposing to develop, design and test a highly scalable, mass-optimized inflatable structure that makes maximum utilization of materials in providing tailored stiffness and rigidity for hypersonic entry vehicles. The proposed inflatable structure is a hybrid pressure restraint vessel employing an impervious cloth-reinforced barrier structure enveloped by an integrated array of high-tenacity tendons. The external grid of cordage tendons provides mass- and load pathway-optimized containment of the structure's global pressure loads. In Phase I, the conceptual model was designed and the materials were evaluated for their stiffness. The feasibility of the model was demonstrated for typical Mars trajectory point. Phase II efforts will focus on fabricating and testing a prototype of the proposed inflatable structure to validate the design robustness and capability for larger payload masses. Pre and post testing multidisciplinary integrated fluid-structure-thermal simulations will be conducted to provide insight into the aerodynamic, material stress and dynamic characteristics of the model and to verify/optimize the developed design. Wind tunnel testing as well as dynamic aerostructural simulations will be conducted to verify the stability of the model. The developed inflatable concept will be fabricated complete with flexible TPS, multiple protection layers and sensors and will be tested to demonstrate the prototype folding, packaging, and deployment.
NASA is investigating advanced turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems that utilize superconducting motors to drive a number of distributed turbofans.  Conventional electric motors are too large and heavy to be practical for this application, and so superconducting motors are required.  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.  This Phase II program will develop critical components required to meet NASA's size, weight, and performance goals.
The proposed effort will develop the "Terminator Tape Deorbit Module", a lightweight, low-cost, scalable de-orbit module that will utilize both aerodynamic drag enhancement and electrodynamic drag to rapidly remove small satellites from LEO altitudes, enabling compliance with orbital lifetime restrictions such as NSS 1740.14 and DoD Instruction 3100.12, Sec. 6.4. Unlike de-orbit devices that rely solely upon aerodynamic drag, which provide no significant reduction in the probability of collision with another space object during orbital lifetime, the Terminator Tape's generation of electrodynamic drag can dramatically reduce the Area-Time-Product of the system, minimizing chances of debris-generating collisions.  The proposed Terminator Tape design utilizes space-qualified materials, requires only standard pyro signals from the host spacecraft for activation, requires no internal avionics, and its deployment method has already been demonstrated successfully in microgravity.  It can also accommodate installation of solar cells or other devices on its surface to minimize footprint impacts on small spacecraft.  It can also be configured to serve as a multifunctional element, acting as multi-layer insulation (MLI). Positive control of de-orbit timing is provided through a simple actuation requiring only a pyro signal. The device is readily scalable from picosats up to large spacecraft, and in the proposed effort, we will develop a flight ready prototype sized for testing on a CubeSat as well as detailed designs of modules sized for 15 kg nanosats and 100 kg microsats.   We will also investigate and test innovative methods for maximizing electrodynamic current, including photoemissive and low-work-function thermoelectric materials.  These Phase I efforts will prepare us to perform a flight test on a CubeSat or other low cost platform in the Phase II effort.
Early Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) simulation is essential to early retirement of space mission development risks.  Upcoming NASA missions such as MMS involve complex high Earth orbits making the use of GPS difficult, though NASA has developed GPS receivers capable of performing in these environments.  Space GPS simulation needs are typically seen as a niche market, and the resulting solutions, which are often simply adaptations of terrestrial products, can be sub-optimal and at best handle simple, low dynamic LEO missions.  Further, space simulation solutions are frequently inflexible and cannot be modified by the end-user.  Given the broad but unique needs of HWIL testing involving RF systems, Emergent proposes to develop the Multi-purpose Radio Signal Generation (MRSiG) system to address these needs, which are essential to early risk mitigation.  The MRSiG system will provide for easy mission specific customization and generation of multiple waveforms used in ground testing applications and will return the expertise to simulate these complex environments to NASA. MRSiG will accomplish this difficult task by harnessing the latest in open Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies. Simulation complexity for RF signal generation is moved into software, enabling the emulation of many RF waveforms/protocols including, but not limited to GPS, 802.11, S-Band, WiMAX, etc.
The innovative High Efficiency, High Output Plastic Melt Waste Compactor (HEHO-PMWC) is a trash dewatering and volume reduction system that uses heat melt compaction to remove nearly 100&#37; of water from trash and reduce the volume by up to 11 times. The HEHO-PMWC system incorporates novel methods to compress the trash, recover water, and remove the resultant plastic tiles. This system requires access to power, data, and cooling interfaces. The system is suitable for recovering water and compacting all trash sources on the ISS. The system has also been designed to recover water from brine solutions produced by primary wastewater processing systems. 
The HEHO-PMWC works by heating and compressing trash simultaneously to first remove water and then to melt plastic in the trash. The melted plastic encapsulates the trash into a 16 inch square tile, approximately = inch thick. The square tile is easier to store than a round tile and is a more effective radiation shield.  
Variables such as transport vehicle availability, ISS mass, power and space availability, and ISS cooling capabilities were considered. The resulting HEHO-PWMC system, proposed here, was sized to process 3-4 kg of trash per batch while operating three times per day.
The Optimax VIBE finishing process is a fast (&lt;60 second), full-aperture, conformal polishing process incorporating high frequency motion that rapidly eliminates mid-spatial frequency (MSF) errors created by deterministic polishing.  During Phase I, we were able to show feasibility that the Optimax VIBE finishing process was able to reduce the effects of mid-spatial frequency (MSF) errors on flat sub-aperture polished surfaces without negatively affecting the surface figure.  With future funding, we anticipate advances this process will result in a cost-effective way to produce ultra-low MSF error curved surfaces for both NASA and non-NASA applications.
In Phase II, XNAV performance will be enhanced through the development of single photon processing algorithms, which utilize all available photon time data to improve the accuracy of XNAV.  A detailed model of the XNAV system, including single photon techniques will be implemented in Orbit Determination Toolbox (ODTBX), increasing its  functionality and providing a valuable mission design tool.  ODTBX will be further refined  by enhancements to detector and source models, including addition of new pulsars as their properties are better determined (including low flux sources).  Time transfer and barycenter correction effects will be added.  XNAV measurement types will include additional absolute range measurement types and range rate measurements.  Functions developed for ODTBX will provide support for XNAV and XTIM studies including:  enhanced dynamic functions  and linearized process models for inclusion of clock and other bias states; and performance prediction for the single photon processing approaches. The team will work with NRL, JHU/APL, and NASA GSFC, focusing on sources and detectors to develop improved models, and assessing timing accuracy.  This work will further validate the utility of XNAV for NASA, and develop and test relevant new technology to provide a rapid path to full flight software development should opportunity arise.
The High Melt Coating system is applied to a carbon-carbon structure and embeds HfC, ZrB2 in the outer layers.  ACC High Melt builds on the time tested base material system of T-300 fibers, impregnated with phenolic resin, pyrolyzed, densified, and SiC Conversion coated

For Phase 2, C-CAT proposes to team with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne to fully develop High Melt into a material system that when combined with the appropriate design will produce nozzle extensions for future NASA spacecraft. PWR will supply the designs for a notional nozzle extension for a 2000 lbf LOX/LCH4 lunar descent engine and a nozzle extension for a notional lunar ascent engine sized at 5500 lbf LOX/LCH4.  

Objectives:

C-CAT engineering will work with PWR designers to insure that the nozzle extension design for each prototype is both manufacturable and will meet the technical requirements.

C-CAT engineering will design and C-CAT will fabricate lay-up tools that will take into account ply shrinkage distortion and still maintain dimensional tolerances during processing.

Lay-up the nozzle extensions without defects

Process each nozzle extension through pyrolysis, heat treatment and coating without defects.

Apply SiC Conversion Coating to the ACC High Melt material without spalling.
QM Power will build and empirically test Space and Cryogenic qualified preproduction Parallel Magnetic Circuit [PMC] 1-5 HP motor/actuators with electronic controllers.  These preproduction prototypes will demonstrate lower operating power requirements for cryogenic motor/actuator components used in Space applications. PMC is an enabling technology having a broader peak power and high efficiency range than incumbent solutions for prime mover and dynamic suspensions used in space rovers and actuation in robotic systems. The PMC motors/actuators and electronic controllers to be built and empirically tested are those identified through the extensive modeling and analysis performed during the execution of QM Power's NASA Phase I contract NNX10CD85P demonstrating power densities greater than 0.050KW/lb with efficiencies greater than 90&#37;.  These PMC motor/actuator prototypes will undergo extensive testing in cryogenic and vacuum environments measuring performance, structural integrity, space radiation tolerance, and low out gassing.  The prototypes will be optimized for manufacturing production under a Phase III effort for commercialization.
To address NASA's need for a method to preserve human biological samples, mostly blood and urine, from astronauts collected during flight under ambient conditions, ChromoLogic (CL) has developed a novel Fluid Preservation System (FPS). FPS is based on collecting and sealing fluids in a sterile, hermetically sealed volume, with automatic separation of supernatant fluid where necessary. The unique microfluidic and medical expertise of CL scientists has resulted in an innovative and lightweight fluid storage system that utilizes compact and rugged microfluidic chips and novel valve technology that are capable of processing ~10ml of samples in a few minutes using on-board processing equipment. In Phase I CL has demonstrated the feasibility of the FPS technology by building prototype chips and demonstrating the proof of concept of pumping, separation, storage and preservation. The FPS has been demonstrated to be able to store blood plasma at room temperature for 54+ days. In Phase II CL will develop a fully functional system that will be FDA approved and space qualified.
The development of a standoff sensor that can measure 3D components of wind velocity in the vicinity of an airport has the potential to improve airport throughput, safety and efficiency.  The goal of this research is to develop a Lidar Wind Profiler (LWP) that uses multiple near-parallel lidar beams to track the motion of atmospheric aerosol structures and extract multi-component wind data. In Phase I, the measurement requirements were analyzed and used to develop a numerical model of the performance of a prototype system. In addition, an eye safety analysis was conducted and a conceptual design of the LWP prototype was developed. Studies were conducted with a breadboard in order to demonstrate improvements in spatial and temporal resolution of the system and to obtain more data to further refine the system requirement and algorithm. In Phase II, the LWP design will be finalized and a high power laser design will be combined with narrow pulse-width generation technology as well as an Optical Parametric Oscillator in order to generate a wavelength of 1550. The algorithm will be optimized and extended to measurements in all three dimensions using a multi-beam lidar system. Techniques to extract atmospheric turbulence and detect aircraft wake vortices will be developed. A software package will be developed that will include the following: a front-end GUI for displaying the data and for interfacing with the operator; a real-time data-processing module; a data acquisition module; a data storage and retrieval module.  At the end of Phase II, the LWP prototype will be field tested and evaluated using validation data from ultrasonic anemometers.
Extended duration missions to the Moon and Mars will require the use of In-situ resources to generate propellants and life support consumables.  Many of the processes for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) produce water, along with a variety of acid gases and other water soluble contaminants.  Paragon proposes to develop membrane technology to separate water vapor from contaminants in the ISRU systems.   The water vapor can then be processed using Paragon's demonstrated Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) technology to produce pure gaseous oxygen for life support and/or propulsion.  The membrane and SOE subsystem has no moving parts, require no regeneration or resupply of subcomponents over component life time, rely on only single phase physics, and work independent of gravity.

In Phase 1, Paragon demonstrated the potential of the membrane technology for use in the treatment of contaminated gas streams.  Preliminary results indicate that the membrane is capable of generating a purified water vapor stream by extracting it from a second stream contaminated with hydrogen chloride gas as produced in lunar ISRU systems. 

In Phase 2, Paragon will perform the following: (1) Confirm lunar &amp; Martian contaminants; (2) Predict performance and derive operating conditions / interface requirements of membrane and SOE units in ISRU systems via system analyses; (3) Experimentally verify impermeability of membrane to contaminants; (4) Demonstrate membrane performance does not hinder SOE performance through integrated testing; (5) Develop / test full scale membrane unit that meets ISRU requirements; and (6) Deliver additional membrane unit to NASA.  

At the end of the Phase 2 effort, Paragon aims to show that the membrane is impermeable to ISRU contaminants and integrates well with SOE.   The technology will be advanced to a TRL of near 4 by designing / building a full scale unit that demonstrates water extraction at requirements specific to ISRU oxygen production systems.
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. 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.
This proposal describes the development of a wireless multisensor system for NASA application to remote wireless sensing of temperature distributions in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and development flight instrumentation (DFI) for test facilities for large area composite component validation testing.  Phase 1 demonstrated ASR&amp;D's ability to produce temperature sensors with sensitivity controlled by device design, and to selectively read any one coded wireless sensor out of a set of up to 32 uniquely identifiable sensors.  Phase 2 will further develop these passive wireless sensors for target applications, and will develop a miniaturized wireless electronic reader capable of autonomously reading up to 32 sensors operating simultaneously within its field of view.  ASR&amp;D has teamed with Metis Design Corporation for the Phase 2 electronics integration, miniaturization, and DAQ hardware development.  After the Phase 1 program, the sensors and selected portions of the wireless reader are TRL 2-3.  At the completion of the Phase 2 effort ASR&amp;D will deliver to NASA a complete wireless multisensor temperature measurement system suitable for field testing (TRL 4+), including one wireless reader and 32 individually identifiable temperature sensors.
Metron Aviation, Inc. proposes 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. 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.
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.
Powder metal (PM) superalloys used for critical compressor and turbine disk applications are prone to fatigue failures in stress concentration features such as holes and radii, as well as from corrosion pits and inclusions. Residual stress and cold work will have a dramatic impact on the fatigue performance. Shot peening is widely used on PM disks to provide a fatigue benefit however, the relaxation due to thermal and mechanical loads can reduce or even eliminate the compressive residual stresses and increase the risk of a catastrophic disk failure. Up to now the evolution of the residual stress and cold work under typical operating conditions in PM disk superalloys is not well understood.

In Phase I proprietary x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques will be used to simultaneously measure the change in residual stress and cold work for fatigue specimens tested in a manner to approximate in-service conditions. XRD residual stress and cold work results will be used to establish the feasibility of applying analytical or empirically based modeling techniques to predict the residual stress and cold work evolution. The modeling technique will first be demonstrated on fatigue samples and further developed and proven on actual disk hardware in Phase II. The anticipated beginning and ending technology readiness levels (TRLs) for Phase I are 2 and 5, respectively.
A finite element based model will be developed and validated to capture the evolution of residual stresses and cold work at machined features of compressor and turbine powder metallurgy superalloy disks. The focus will be to quantify, model and validate residual stress and cold work evolution at stress concentration features during simulated service in aerospace gas turbine engine disk materials. This will be accomplished by first utilizing existing NASA Test data. If the existing test data are insufficient, a minimum number of specimens will be tested if the resources permit. These specimens will have varied surface finish conditions to be determined in consultation with NASA personnel and will be tested using a thermal mechanical load history that will simulate the operating conditions of new generation of gas turbine engines and include the effect of superimposed dwell cycles. The deliverables will include effects of service history on residual stress and cold work depth profile evolutions within notches, and analytical modeling descriptions of the evolution of these parameters as a function of simulated service history. Also included will be models and algorithms extrapolating the predicted residual stresses and cold work to service conditions outside of those tested during the program.
A microgravity-compatible Advanced Air Evaporation System (AAES) is proposed for recovering nearly 100&#37; of water from highly contaminated wastewater without concern for precipitation of organic and inorganic solids.  The AAES incorporates reusable wicks, and heat exchange and thermoelectric heat pump technologies which reduce Equivalent System Mass (ESM) by lowering consumable supplies and energy use when compared to previous air evaporation system designs.  AAES will help meet the challenge of improving water loop closure in future water recycling systems as missions venture beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), where higher fractional recovery of water from wastewater resources is needed.  Highly contaminated wastewater streams such as urine, hygiene water, and RO brines are major wastewater resource streams for the AAES.  The Phase I project will focus on development and characterization of reusable wicks.  The Phase II will incorporate heat exchange and thermoelectric heat pump technology into a working prototype whose performance will be thoroughly characterized and delivered to NASA for independent testing.  These efforts will increase water recovery, reduce logistics, increase reliability, and lower ESM for water recycling during future space missions beyond LEO.
With the information age has come a dramatic increase in our ability to generate and collect data while the traditional techniques to analyze this tsunami of data have proven woefully inadequate. The amount of data collected and stored electronically is doubling every three years. Many researchers are simply overwhelmed by the amount of data. Scientific visualization remains the dominant form of data exploration but current tools are focused on image creation and lack the much needed embedded analysis capabilities. To address this urgent need, we propose to develop and introduce a first-of-its kind tool kit called SciViz2.  SciViz2 brings together key innovations in three separate fields of scientific visualization, data mining, and computer vision to offer an integrated solution for physics mining of the most complex of data sets;  multi-dimensional, multi-variate data sets. SciViz2 bridges the existing gap in software technology by providing a scalable knowledge discovery tool that combines the power of machine learning techniques with scientific visualization.

Our Phase I goal is to develop a prototype and demonstrate the viability of the solution by applying it to one of the most challenging data analysis problem, that is the data from peta-scale particle simulations.  The underlying physics involves complex interaction of multi-variates and the output involves both grid-based and particle phase space data with nearly trillion particles and over 200 TB of data from a single run.   Phase II activity would involve full development of SciViz2 and its dissemination to the wider community. Our close collaboration with NASA's HPC group will be heavily leveraged to test and release the software for open use.
TRS Technologies proposes to develop a very wideband ultrasound diagnostic tool for quantification of trabecular bone properties for astronauts in long term space missions.  Loss of calcification in bones and general loss of strength must be monitored in missions to insure personnel health, however, there are currently limited non-invasive methods that can do this. Research has shown that different parameters of bone health can be elucidated from ultrasound characteristics at different frequencies, and the goal of TRS is to make a device that can produce the nearly 5 octave range necessary to evaluate these parameters. TRS will utilize PMN-PT single crystal piezoelectrics, which have inherent advantages over traditional materials, and integrate this with photolithographic micromachining methods to produce a device with high sensitivity and bandwidth that surpasses other systems. Bone scans will be used to show both the resolution and depth of penetration characteristics of the device and its applicability for future in vivo use in space.
We propose novel and high performance change detection algorithms to process HyspIRI data, which have been used for monitoring changes in vegetation, climate, coastal and ocean ecosystems, urban areas, etc. First, we propose a novel hybrid in-scene atmospheric correction (H-ISAC) algorithm, which can compensate for distortion of hyperspectral image characteristics due to atmosphere.
Among thermal control methods, variable-emittance materials remain the most promising for addressing deficiencies of current systems (mechanical louvers, loop heat pipes, MEMS, electrostatics, phase change materials, others), especially, e.g., for missions in extreme light/dark environments, planetary platforms. This firm's unique, patented variable-emittance skin technology, based on conducting polymers, microporous membranes and ionic liquids, with proven, space-environment performance, remains at the world forefront, with highest known Delta-emittance, good Turn-Down Ratio (TDR), very low power, low cost. Phase I work demonstrated separate emittance variation from 0.065 to 0.816,  Delta-emittance &gt; 0.48, and long-term space durability, with one "breakthrough" innovation, two  very significant innovations. A clear, specific pathway was demonstrated for combining low/high emittance in single devices to achieve TDR of 7.1, possibly 10.0. Phase II work will use this as basis to increase the TDR to &gt; 7.1, possibly &gt; 10.0, keeping the dark-state emittance ca. &gt;/= 0.80.  Surface Solar Absorptance will be further reduced from present ca. 0.31 to as low as possible (objective 0.09 to 0.24). Other Phase II tasks, following completion of TDR optimization, will address Controller, further space-qualification testing, manufacture, space-flights,  commercialization pathway, other issues. Two identified commercial partners will assist in marketing.
Cloud computing holds promise to deliver computing as a utility to scientists and large user communities. While vast computational resources could be made available instantly on cloud computing platforms, system installation and application configuration on top of these resources is still a time- and labor-consuming process, especially for compute- and data-intensive HPC applications running in large clusters.
The ability to manufacture on the International Space Station will enable on-demand repair and production capability, as well as essential research for manufacturing on long-term missions.



Having an Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) on the ISS will allow for immediate repair of essential components, upgrades of existing hardware, installation of new hardware that is manufactured, and the manufacturing capability to support commercial interests.
Shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions (SWBLI) pose challenges to aeronautical engineers because they create regions of adverse pressure gradients as a result of the discontinuous change in conditions across the shock.  This shock-induced pressure gradient is a common factor for both flow separation in supersonic inlets and high stagnation pressure losses on transonic wings, factors which are known to reduce performance and efficiency.  These affects can be corrected with appropriate forms of flow control.  Innovative Technology Applications Company (ITAC) and University of Notre Dame (UND) propose the use of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) plasma actuators to control the affects of SWBLIs for two types of problems, one involving boundary layer separation and the other transonic wave drag.  We propose to use plasma actuators near the region of the SWBLI to eliminate or delay the onset of separation in supersonic inlets while using plasma-based shock control methods to reduce the stagnation pressure losses on transonic airfoils.  The advantages of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuators are that they are fully electronic, contain no moving parts, surface mountable, minimally intrusive, can be turned off when not needed, and electrically re-configurable for optimal control in dynamic flow conditions.
FMI currently manufactures Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) material for Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) systems, such as the Stardust Sample Return Capsule and the Mars Science Laboratory Aeroshell. FMI plans to further develop TPS in support of future sample return missions such as MoonRise and OSIRIS-REx. Development of a PICA TPS with reduced mass, thermal performance enhancements, and optimized single-section near net-shape preforms are enabling technologies for these applications. It is the objective of the proposed program to develop a graded density preform to achieve a reduction in PICA TPS areal mass, to assess the performance of such a TPS, and to develop a plan for manufacturing scale-up.
Development of a sensor to detect select trace toxic heavy metals (Ag, Cd, Mn, Ni, and Zn) in water is proposed. Using an automatic side-stream sampling technique, this compact, electrochemical sensor will use small volumes of water and detect metals in the low parts-per-billion range. The novel coupling of a high-performance novel electrode material, microarray electrode geometry, and a highly sensitive sensing algorithm allows for a sensor with low detection limits and excellent specificity. Additionally, the sensor will show long-term repeatability and reliability, while requiring minimal maintenance or user calibration time. The sensor and its components have been engineered to function in a microgravity environment and for easy integration with the Water Recovery System. Giner will partner Johnson Space Center to ensure the ability of the sensor to detect trace metals in a range of reclaimed water samples and determine the appropriate concentrations. This sensor will detect trace heavy metals in water in near real-time, allowing for timely response and resolution to water contamination problems.
With retirement of the space shuttle program, microgravity researchers can no longer count on bringing experiment samples back to earth for post-flight analysis. Locker-sized processing facilities, which were typically transported up to and down from the International Space Station during the shuttle era, quite simply consume too much volume, mass, and power to be accommodated as part of both the upmass and downmass on current space transportation vehicles. As a result, more analysis must be accomplished on ISS, which makes on-orbit analytical tools critical to the continued success of microgravity research. The Analytical Cassette transfer Tool (ACT) is a low-cost, disposable device that efficiently transfers experiment samples in a safe and contained manner from unique experiment specific spaceflight hardware to on-orbit analytical tools that enable real-time analysis in microgravity.  ACT interfaces with several flight qualified processing payloads to extract experiment samples via a needle-less septum  and then allows transfer of those samples into a number of different on-orbit analytical devices, including such instrumentation as the Light Microscopy Module, the Microfluidic Flow Cytometer, a Spectrophotometer, and/or a Mass Spectrometer. Applications in life and environmental sciences include sampling liquid cultures/suspensions or sampling spacecraft water for quality evaluation.  ACT functions within or outside of on-orbit gloveboxes to safely transfer any liquid material from one container fitted with the ACT mating receptacle to another container fitted with a receptacle. Its safe, simple, effective, and with its economical advantage, ACT is destined to become the new standard fluid transfer device for the ISS and future space research venues.  For the Phase II project, Techshot will develop a flight version of the ACT and subject it to the major spaceflight integration tests.
Cognionics has developed a high-quality, low-noise, dry/non-contact ECG electrode that can obtain signals even through layers of clothing without any skin preparation. Although the idea of a non-contact electrode is not new and has been previously investigated by other research groups, a successful design has yet to be achieved due to unresolved issues relating to noise, artifacts and complexity.
&lt;p&gt;
	The primary objective of this SBIR project is to develop a novel Hemispherical and Dynamic Camera(HDC), with unprecedented capability of optically unwrapping, thus can obtain directly the high resolution undistorted (unwrapped) 360? hemispherical video or still images without requiring any external computing resources for performing digital unwrapping. This novel technology would lead to ultra-compact, low-power, light weight, and high resolution hemispherical camera for EVAs.&lt;/p&gt;
International Electronic Machines (IEM), a leader in the development of innovative sensor solutions for transportation systems, will develop the Adaptive Rotorcraft Condition and Usage Tracking System (ARCUTS), building upon and integrating wireless instrumentation systems developed for the US Navy, CBM systems developed for the US Army, and condition and diagnostic sensing systems developed for other Federal, state, and commercial purposes. ARCUTS will combine wireless technologies with specifi
Infinia Technology Corporation's (ITC) proposed Modular Stirling Power System (MSPS) is a free-piston Stirling system that addresses NASA needs in 12-kW increments. The MSPS utilizes a support structure that couples 1 heater head with 4 power modules and provides a high efficiency of 25&#37; between very conservative acceptor and rejecter temperatures of 823 K and 475 K (30&#37; @ 900/450 K).
Diamond turning is proven to be able to quickly produce highly aspheric grazing incidence optical contours to visible wavelength tolerances with extremely smooth surfaces.



Super alloys with exceptional dimensional stability and strength under cyclic high temperatures have been developed for gas turbine engines.
NASA has developed space-based thermal instrument spectrometers based on thermopile detectors linear arrays that are intrinsically radiation hard. Micro-bolometers are known to offer very high sensitivity due to high thermal isolation and low thermal mass however are at present inferior to thermopiles for space-based spectrometers. In order to achieve high performance in linear array spectrometer applications, bolometers need improvement in three areas: reduced 1/f noise, stable performance over a wide system temperature range, and improved radiation hardness. Black Forest Engineering on Phase I will design bolometer and readout circuitry for linear array spectrometer applications requiring high performance in a radiation environment while also addressing signal stability/calibration and other mission requirements. The predicted performance will be compared to thermopile arrays and recommendations made for a Phase II demonstration in one or more bands of the JEO Thermal Instrument or other NASA spectrometer applications. The bolometer spectrometer architecture will also offer monolithic construction on 200 mm diameter silicon wafers and reduced cross-scan pitch if desired to support higher spatial resolution and wider FOV applications.
NASA Glenn is examining small fission reactors for future space transportation and surface power applications. The reactors would have an 8 to 15 year design life that could be available for a 2020 launch to support future NASA science missions.
The International Space Station (ISS) needs to keep quiet to
maintain a healthy and habitable environment in which crewmembers
can perform long-term and uninterrupted scientific research
under microgravity conditions. Acoustic survey is now performed
once every two months using hand-held devices at 60 locations
on the ISS. It takes a significant amount of precious crew time 
and the sporadic monitoring program is not adequate. NASA has
defined a need for an automated, continuous acoustic monitoring 
system that is efficient in power consumption (long battery life),
accurate, highly integrated, wireless connected, scalable, 
small and lightweight. WeVoice Inc.\ proposed to develop a
ZigBee-based wireless sensor network for acoustic monitoring
to meet the challenges. During Phase I of this projects, three
essential capabilities were developed, tested, and validated:
* The design of a data collection subsystem that integrates 
  measurement microphones and the feasibility of using the 
  state-of-the-art MEMS microphones.
* The development of accurate and computationally efficient
  signal processing algorithms for acoustic frequency
  (octave, 1/3-octave, and narrowband) analysis and sound 
  level measurement.
* The construction of a ZigBee network for data	communication.

In addition, the WeVoice SBIR research team has started working 
on flight-like devices. Clear directions for improvement were 
established for the Phase II efforts that may follow. The Phase II
program focuses on system integration and optimization,
software implementation, and graphical user interface development. 
An in-situ calibration plan will be suggested and a demonstrable
system will be delivered to NASA for testing in a ground facility
at the completion of the Phase II contract. So the expected TRL
then is expected to reach 6.
NASA needs an advanced lubrication solution for its future robotic systems and planetary surface assets. The required lubrication technology must offer low-temperature performance while minimizing wear in these robotic systems and reducing the maintenance needed to keep them running. In this Phase II project, InnoSense LLC (ISL) proposes to meet NASA's need by further-engineering of its IonoGlide&amp;#153; liquid-based lubricants and validating its performance through testing by third party. IonoGlide lubricants offer low-temperature performance with limited off-gassing and high decomposition temperatures. ISL's approach is to introduce proprietary additives to the ionic liquid matrix to impart thermal stability and enhance lubricity. This depresses the apparent freezing point while maintaining high decomposition temperatures. Through electrostatic interactions, the proprietary additive and ionic liquid form an order. With near metallic surfaces, this quasi-ordering contribute to improved lubricity. Phase I testing shows that ISL's lubricant outperforms top commercially available lubricants. ISL will work with a major NASA contractor to test lubrication efficiency under simulated field conditions. IonoGlide lubricants are envisioned for use primarily in metallic ball-bearing conditions at low pressures.
The protocols needed to coordinate the activities of distributed components, such as consensus algorithms, are notoriously difficult to design, implement, and verify. Abstraction is the only way to gain intellectual control over this complex problem; so ATC-NY and Cornell University have developed Event Logic, a high-level model for describing and reasoning about distributed systems, and EventML, a high-level functional language for implementing distributed protocols by ?programming with events
The use of composites in aircraft manufacturing is growing dramatically. To ensure the integrity of composite structures and bonded joints, a variety of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies have been developed over the past three decades.
The key innovation of this project will be the application of advanced Bayesian methods to integrate real-time dense stereo vision and high-speed optical flow with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to produce a highly accurate planetary rover navigation system. The software developed in this project will leverage current computing technology to implement advanced Visual Odometry (VO) methods that will accurately track much faster rover movements. Our fully Bayesian approach to VO will utilize more information from the images than previous methods are capable of using. Our Bayesian VO does not explicitly select features to track. Instead it implicitly determines what can be learned from each image pixel and weights the information accordingly. This means that our approach can work with images that have no distinct corners, which can be a significant advantage with low contrast images from permanently shadowed areas. We expect that the error characteristics of the visual processing with be complementary to the error characteristics of a low-cost IMU. Therefore, the combination of the two should provide highly accurate navigation.
Discovery Program
Too much water, resulting in flooding, or too little water, resulting in electrolyte dryout, have both had negative impact upon fuel cell performance. ElectroChem proposes an SBIR research project to develop a Conductive Water Removal Membrane (CWRM) for PEM fuel cells operating at higher current densities in a passive mode.  The membrane will  1) be wettable; 2) allow water to penetrate easily; 3) not permit gas to leak through; 4) be electrically conductive.  ElectroChem proposes two approaches for fabrication.  (1) integrate a highly electrically conductive material with a polymer membrane which provides the desired water permeation and gas retardation properties and (2) a CWRM membrane will be made with nanostructure materials.

At the end of Phase I we expect to document the analytical / experimental results validating the key parameters of CWRM.  At the end of Phase II we expect to document the test performance of CWRM in a PEM fuel cell in agreement with the analytic predictions of Phase I.

Success of the proposal to develop a Conductive Water Removal Membrane (CWRM) will enable PEM fuel cells to operate at very high current densities passively.
Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG), proposes to demonstrate feasibility in the reduction of noise attributed to drainage slots in jet engine acoustic liners. This will be accomplished through the development of design rules for optimum slot design and the implementation of adaptive material technologies. CRG proposes to bring this technology to a technology readiness level (TRL) 2 after the Phase 1 effort and a TRL 4 after the Phase 2 effort. The proposed innovation lies in the recognition that drainage slots in the honeycomb of an acoustic liner may have a significantly adverse effect on its ability to absorb noise. This limits the ability of the acoustic liner to achieve its full potential. The proposed research will enable the acoustic designer to understand and to accurately model the effects of drainage slots on the acoustic impedance characteristics. It will also provide the impetus to find solutions that will counteract the adverse effects of drainage slots through adaptive means.
Deployable Space Systems (DSS) will focus the proposed SBIR program on the development and concept feasibility of an innovative deployable mesh/membrane reflector that enables ultra-lightweight (&lt;0.32 kg/m2 areal mass), affordability (modular based structure that provides high volume produce-ability), precise and repeatable surface accuracy (L, X, Ku &amp; Ka band capable), mechanical and structural simplicity (low parts count), high deployment reliability (relies on proven flight heritage deployment mechanization), high stiffness, compact stowage volume (&gt; 53:1 compaction ratio), scalable to small and very large apertures (up to 50m+ diameter with innovative packaging), and functional deployment capability within a 1G earth gravitational field without requiring an offloader (can also deploy on Mars/Lunar surfaces without an offloader).  The proposed reflector technology is most suitable for offset architectures, and can also accommodate central feeds.  The proposed reflector technology promises affordability and greater performance (lower mass, more compact stowage, larger aperture, and higher deployment reliability) when compared to the current start-of-the-art systems.  The proposed SBIR Phase 1 and Phase 2 programs plan to advanced TRL through higher-fidelity hardware and ever-increasing test relevance.  In partnership with commercial infusion partners DSS plans to rapidly ready this technology for infusion into NASA and non-NASA programs.
The Optimax VIBE process is a full-aperture, conformal polishing process incorporating high frequency motion that rapidly removes sub-surface damage in a VIBE pre-polish step and eliminates mid-spatial frequency (MSF) errors created by deterministic polishing in a VIBE finishing step.  This Phase I feasibility study will focus on the VIBE finishing step to remove undesirable MSF errors while at the same time maintaining the desired low spatial frequency form accuracy.
To address NASA's need for a method to preserve blood and urine samples from astronauts collected during flight, Chromologic (CL) proposes to develop a novel Fluid Preservation System (FPS). FPS is based on collecting and sealing fluids in a sterile, hermetically sealed volume, with automatic separation of supernatant fluid where necessary. The unique microfluidic and medical expertise of CL scientists will result in an innovative and lightweight fluid storage system that utilizes compact and rugged sterile microfluidic chips. FPS chips will be able to collect and effectively store blood and urine for time spans of years if necessary. In Phase I CL will demonstrate the feasibility of the FPS technology by building prototype chips and demonstrating the proof of concept of pumping, separation, storage and preservation. In Phase II CL will develop a fully functional system including compact processing devices and miniaturization of the chips
As NASA prepares for future exploration activities on the Moon, there is a growing need to develop higher fidelity lunar soil simulants that can accurately reproduce the properties and behavior of lunar soil. Simulants are employed on earth to verify the performance of equipment, mechanisms, structures and processes to be used on the lunar surface.  One of the significant limitations of current simulants is the lack of constituents, such as agglutinates and spherules, which often contain nano-phase iron (Fe0).  These constituents are needed in any high fidelity simulant.  Recently, Plasma Processes, Inc. (PPI) has developed a process to create simulated agglutinates and volcanic glasses from JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant.  Microstructural characterization has shown that these components contain an appreciable amount of nano phase Fe0.  However, current production of these simulant additives is limited.  The ultimate objective of this Phase I effort is to develop an economical, large scale manufacturing process to produce simulant agglutinates and volcanic glasses.  This production process promises to be a viable route for significantly enhancing the fidelity of existing and future lunar regolith simulants.
In this program, APEI, Inc. will build on successful demonstrations of SiC-based wireless transmitter designs in high temperature and high mechanical load environments to develop silicon carbide (SiC) based integrated wireless sensor-transmitter suites for extreme temperature operation in nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engines. These sensor suites will allow for the real?time monitoring of critical engine components, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure and decreasing the inherent risk associated with NTP operation. Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. (APEI, Inc.) will prove the feasibility of the concept and design through the successful demonstration of a prototype SiC wireless sensor suite operating in excess of 450 &lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C at the conclusion of Phase I.
The technical objectives of A-DECK are: 1)Flight Weight including
rideshare payloads will be less than 500 Kg. 2)First fundamental
frequency of integrated A-DECK System including ESPA or Type C Adapter,
payload(s), avionics and release mechanisms will be greater than 50 Hz.
3)After initial qualification, A-DECK must not require additional EELV
mission unique design or analysis. 4)A-DECK delivery ICD and
Verification products must be sufficient for acceptance of integrated
A-DECK as ready to fly meeting launch vehicle, range safety and customer
operations requirements. 5)A-DECK mechanical interface to launch vehicle
must be through multi-point pinned attachments to the interior of an
ESPA or a Type C Adapter.   6)Type C Adapter will utilize standard EELV
62.01&amp;quot; (1575 mm) bolt hole template for both forward and aft
interfaces. 7)A-DECK electrical interface to launch vehicle will be
through a single shielded multi-line cable to the launch vehicle
secondary or designated electrical panel. 8)A-DECK avionics must
control, monitor and support all A-DECK mounted spacecraft and/or hosted
technical payloads in manner not to interfere with launch vehicle
operations or primary spacecraft. 9)A-DECK integration, check out and
acceptance will be performed at facilities outside of the Primary
Spacecraft integration and check out facility. 10)A-DECK and the A-DECK
payloads must remain electrically and mechanically dormant until the
launch vehicle transmits its initiate signal to the A-DECK avionics.
11)To the greatest extent possible A-DECK will incorporate existing
mechanisms, avionics and components designed to support Small Satellites
as an example the Poly Pico-satellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD).
Nitrous Oxide Micro Engines (NOME) are a new type of nitrous oxide dissociation thruster designed to generate low levels of thrust that can be used for RCS control in large satellites or as main propulsion in micro-satellites. Nitrous is the ideal propellant choice for RCS control in satellites due to the fact that it is non-toxic, non-cryogenic, easily storable, self-pressurizing, and cost effective (unlike monopropellant engines that use hydrazine or hydrogen peroxide which are toxic and/or dangerous, increasing ground costs). NOME engines will have all the desirable features of other monopropellant engines (i.e. simplicity of design, restartable/control on demand, and repeatability) NOME engines will also have a comparable ISP to current monopropellant engines (near 190s) but will be made to achieve greater simplicity and lower handling costs than current systems. NOMEs will have over double the Isp of cold gas reaction control systems.
The purpose of this proposal is to develop and demonstrate the
feasibility of processing the High Thermal Conductivity Boron Nitride
Nano Tubes (High-K BNNTs) that can provide NASA alternative to develop
thermal management hardware for various missions that are planned for
the aggressive environment and may need environmental resistance for the
hardware. The suggested SBIR proposes to fulfill the technology gap and
provide alternative material technology for the thermal management
material systems. It proposes to investigate &amp;amp; provide input on
feasibility to produce High-K BNNTs and Graphene like h-BN materials and
their enriched Boron versions. Our ultimate aim is to provide High-K
BNNTs or its Graphene analog in abundance at affordable costs in
reproducible manner. It has proposed innovative catalytic Pyrolysis of
the unique combination of Boron Precursors that are amenable to ease of
scale up. Such approach leverages lesson learned to design high yield
processing to assure the quality of the BNNTs that provide high thermal
conductivity and demonstrates that clever use of catalyst washing and
Nano mesh removing steps can provide desired yields without compromising
quality. The processing scheme provides enough freedom to study and
collect data to demonstrate possible catalyst engineering and process
optimization pathways for optimal processing of High-K BNNTs of desired
features that are important for the structural and high temperature applications.
Conventional videoscopes for NDE suffer many shortcomings, including large diameter, limited flexibility, inadequate image quality, high cost and lack of 3D imaging capability.  
The primary objective of this SBIR is to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel ultra-miniature flexible videoscope (UMFV) that could eliminate all above-mentioned drawbacks and acquire high resolution video image (mega-pixel images at a rate of 30 frames per second), with an ultra-miniature size (~ 1~2 mm in diameter) for NASA's on-orbit NDE applications. Innovations of the UMFV include:
? Ultra miniature size: it is possible to make the entire videoscope probe diameter ~ 1 mm;
? High resolution images at video rate: images with mega-pixels can be acquired at 30 fps speed;
? Full color images: red, green and blue colors of the object surface can be obtained;
? Flexibility of the probe:  the UMFV uses only a few fibers and can be made very thin and flexible;
? Wider selection of spectral ranges: UMFV design is applicable to UV (&lt;400nm), visible (400 ~ 700 nm), or near infrared (700 ~1100 nm) spectral ranges;
? Dynamic control of image resolution and field of view(FOV): By controlling the speed, magnitude, and pattern of scanning, image resolution and FOV can be dynamically adjusted  
? 3D imaging capability:  An unprecedented ability is simultaneous 2D/3D surface image generation.
? SWaP: The UMFV's structure design is ideal to meet stringent requirements on size, weight, power (SWaP) for various space applications - We expect to see at least a 10x SWaP reduction.
The objective of this proposal is to develop a hybrid battery-ultra capacitor storage system that powers human-robotic systems in space missions. Space missions involving human-robotic systems utilizing battery based electrical power often undergo numerous operations within each complete cycle. During Phase I of this program Yardney in collaboration with Maxwell Technologies propose to develop a hybrid system consisting of a high energy Li-ion battery, high power ultracapacitor (UCAP) and the electronic interface control module. The hybrid system to be developed in this program will provide electrical energy to human-robotic systems for advanced next generation space missions.
Colloid thrusters have long been known for their exceptional thrust efficiency and ability to operate over a range of specific impulse due to easily variable charge-to-mass ratio of emitted particles.  They have also been considered limited to only very low thrust levels, able to produce few microNewtons from individual emission sites.  This has motivated significant research into developing large microfabricated arrays of emitters in order to achieve greater thrust.  Busek, using an alternate approach, avoids the complications of large emitter arrays while obtaining about 2.5 milliNewtons/cm2 and about 13,000 emission sites/cm2, and has proven this at the 0.1mN thrust level for over 450 operating hours.  Combined with colloids' variable Isp capabilities and thrust/power superior to other electric propulsion devices, these new, high thrust colloid thrusters promise to enable new classes of missions benefiting from variable Isp of 200-5000s (or greater) and variable thrusts up to and exceeding 20mN.
For the Phase I effort, Busek shall perform a proof-of-concept demonstrating scalability of its proven 0.1mN, cylindrical emitter into a swept linear or annular configuration (to increase emission area while preserving the cross-section), resulting in a 5mN prototype.  For the subsequent Phase II, the emitter will be scaled up to 20mN and packaged and tested with fully integrated propellant storage/feedsystem and electronics.
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 velocity 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 Hall thruster development, such as HiVHAc, 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.
A novel short contact time Microlith Sabatier reactor system for CO2 reduction offers a significant advance in support of manned spaceflight.  Compared to current and prospective alternatives (including microchannels), the reactor will be much smaller and lighter, more energy and resource efficient, and more durable. In the spacecraft cabin atmosphere revitalization system (ARS), the utilization of CO2 to produce life support consumables, such as O2 and H2O, via Sabatier process as part of the CO2 Reduction Assembly (CRA) is an important function for both low-earth orbit and long-term manned space explorations, and also has application for lunar/Martian ISRU concepts.  The maturation of this technology will significantly reduce launch weight requirements and the need of re-supply from Earth.  Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) proposes to build on Phase 1 proof of concept success to develop, demonstrate, and deliver an integrated Microlith&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt;-based ground test Sabatier reactor Development Unit (SDU) for CO2 reduction, with collaborative support from a systems integrator. The SDU will convert CO2 and H2 to methane and water, achieving close-to-equilibrium CO2 conversions at high throughputs and at low operating temperatures (&amp;#8804;350&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C). Major systems integrator participation will help guide the program.  TRL is now 4 and will be advanced to 5.
This proposal is for the development of an innovative, high power, and extremely reliable 1.26-micron Ho-doped fluoride fiber amplifier. The proposed fiber amplifier consists of a Ho-doped fluoride fiber pre-amplifier and power amplifier.  Laser at 1187 nm will be used as a resonant pump laser source for Ho3+-doped fiber laser.  High gain per unit length at 1.2 micron can be achieved in Ho-doped fluoride glass fiber due to the strong pump absorption at 1187 nm and strong emission at 1.2 micron transition.  The proposed Ho-doped fiber amplifier will be implemented into a MOPA system with a 1.26 micron single frequency Ho-doped fiber laser.  

This type of fiber based seed laser is needed for remote sensing of O  and O -N  for measuring atmospheric pressure.  Concurrent on-board O2 measurements using lines at 1.26 lm to allow for the best relative compensation for aerosol scattering along the line-of-sight of the CO2 and O2 measurements. The particular O2 band was chosen so that the surface and atmospheric scattering characteristics from aerosols and thin clouds would be nearly the same as for the measurement of CO2 at 1.57 lm.  It's part of program to provide space-based active measurements of CO2 for Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) Mission.
An inflatable habitat is a pressure vessel with flexible shell. Notable features such as low weight, large inflated operational volume, and small pre-deployment volume offer significant advantages over traditional rigid metallic and composite habitat structures. Conventional designs suffer from indeterminacy of load sharing between meridional and circumferential members as well as the internally rigid metal support structure. The designs must functionally index the meridional and circumferential members to one another to minimize sensitivity to manufacturing, handling and operational trauma, all the while maintaining their independent load carrying roles. This design process results in oversized members to account for load uncertainties and substantially increases the handling, manufacturing, and integration risks.  The unique Ultra High Performance Vessel (UHPV) technology provides the solution to the design and manufacture of robust inflatable structures with exceptional accuracy and dimensional stability. UHPV technology provides high shell load containment architecture with fully determinate load pathways that can be modeled mathematically. The lightweight, low cost inflatable fabric structure, consisting of barrier film layers, carrier cloth containment layers, and pressure restraint tendons can be designed and fabricated to provide an accurate geometry without the need for an internal skeletal frame. Eliminating the need for a rigid internal load-bearing frame allows the collapsed inflatable to be packaged in the smallest possible volume. To bring this innovative inflatable design to use for surface habitats, airlocks and myriad other space environment and containment applications, a verification and validation plan using both testing and predictive analytical models is proposed to conclusively demonstrate that the fully load-determinate UHPV can meet all structural design requirements thereby allowing for decreased mass and risk.
DSS's recently completed successful NASA SBIR Phase 1 program has established a TRL 3/4 classification for an innovative IMM PV Integrated Modular Blanket Assembly (IMBA) that can be rolled or z-folded and enables NASA's emerging high voltage solar electric propulsion (SEP) missions.  Significant concept feasibility, design/analysis, trade study/evaluation, and proof-of-concept hardware build/test efforts executed during the NASA SBIR Phase 1 program have validated DSS's IMM PV IMBA technology as a potentially revolutionary flexible photovoltaic blanket assembly that provides high performance in terms of; high voltage operability, high specific power / lightweight (&gt;1000 W/kg BOL at the blanket subsystem level, and &gt;500 W/kg BOL at the array level), compact stowage volume (&gt;50 kW/m3 BOL), rollable or z-foldable for stowage, reliability, modularity &amp; rapid production, flexibility/durability and robustness, affordability, and adaptability to all existing industry flexible blanket solar array products.  DSS's IMBA technology also accommodates standard ZTJ PV device technologies to provide significantly improved performance over current state-of-the-art.
The number of sensors that are deployed continues to increase for scientific, commercial and intelligence related applications. Quantities of sensor data are increasingly available. NASA and NOAA are generating large quantities of sensor data involving earth, oceans and weather observations. US intelligence and commercial endeavors are also generating vast amounts of sensor data, gathered from sources ranging from satellites to vehicles.

Standards have been developed that assist in making the large volume of sensor data usable. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) has developed a number of specifications related to Sensor Web Enablement. OGC working groups are not only science-focused; the newest working group that is forming is an Emergency and Disaster Management Discipline Working Group (DWG).

Intelligent Automation Inc (IAI) is proposing to support the data access and utilization needs of the individual researcher / scientist and the emergency incident commander through development of the Sensor Management Tool (SMT). SMT is standards-based, open source and will offer configurable views for different categories of users.  In the Phase I effort IAI demonstrated feasibility and prototyped the SMT concept; this involved integration of NASA World Wind to extend SMT functionality.  'Lessons learned' provide input into our detailed plan for full-featured SMT development.
This SBIR Phase II effort will continue to develop and demonstrate an innovative shape memory alloy (SMA) periodic cellular structural technology.  Periodic cellular structures (PCS) will be designed and tailored to determine if additional shape memory performance benefits can be derived from the underlying macro-structure when fabricated from SMA's.  These structures will be manufactured using an advanced reactive metal casting technology that will allow complex-shaped, integral bulk structures to be fabricated with the requisite composition-microstructure-properties needed for shape memory performance.  Casting also offers a relatively low-cost approach for fabricating near net-shape components.  The fabricated SMA structures will be characterized for resulting microstructure-properties in order to determine how to best design such PCS to better exploit SMA's for use in aerospace applications.
The major components of manmade aerosols are created by the burning of coal and oil.  Aerosols are recognized to significantly impact the climate through their effects on solar and terrestrial radiation.  Accurate speciation and measurement of aerosol composition is an important first step in understanding and managing these pollutants. This Phase II proposal continues development of a small, portable, detection system specifically for the collection, speciation and identification of gas phase and aerosolized organics. This Mini Gas Chromatograph collects samples and operates without the need for compressed-bottled gas by using Seacoast's proprietary chemicapacitive sensor array and commercial sensors with a preconcentration/chromatography system, combining selectivity from a diverse sensor array with a miniature sampling system for amplified sensitivity. Specific components are: 1) sample preconcentrator/collector capable of being heated quickly, 2) capillary column to separate the chemicals released from the preconcentrator and provide selectivity, 3) the chemical sensor array containing Seacoast's chemoselective microcapacitors and metal-oxide-based detectors, 4) integrated user interface. In Phase I Seacoast demonstrated that the system is capable of analyzing gas-phase and aerosolized volatile organics. In Phase II we propose to further develop the system's capabilities with a focus on improving sensitivity and collection efficiency.
History has repeatedly shown that combustion instability is the greatest technical risk faced in any chemical propulsion development program. The UCDS Process addresses this issue by using a rigorous physics-based analytical framework to decompose the complex flow field inside a chemical propulsion device, such as a liquid or solid rocket, in a way that allows rapid simulation of the dynamic behavior.  Using UCDS it is possible to generate high fidelity predictions of the time evolution, amplitude and waveform of a pressure oscillation, along with any changes to the mean properties due to non-linear effects.  Furthermore, it has been shown that the modal Alpha (linear growth rate) is a key physical parameter that defines the dynamic behavior of a rocket and provides a reliable measure of combustion stability margin.
By monitoring how the array of modal Alphas change with design or operational features, the effects on engine combustion stability can be predicted.  This insight provides the means to eliminate instability without resorting to expensive cut-and-try iterative developmental testing.  GTL proposes to use this design guideline and the UCDS&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; Process to create a clean-sheet design for a new liquid rocket that is inherently stable and compare it to an existing engine.
Building on our successful Phase I Tactile Data Entry program, Barron Associates proposes development of a Glove-Enabled Computer Operations (GECO) system to permit suited crewmembers to perform virtual keyboard/mouse interactions using an instrumented EVA glove.  The Phase II system will use two-hand motion tracking, multi-finger gesture recognition, and vibrotactile feedback to create an intuitive human-computer interface that mirrors familiar desktop data entry modalities. The program will deliver demonstration hardware and software compatible with laboratory, field, and on-orbit testing of crewmember performance in relevant data entry tasks.   The prototype will include functional EVA gloves with integrated motion sensing and vibrotactile transducers that couple to existing NASA suits via a quick-connect fitting.  We will produce right and left hand gloves, lower arm suit sections, and a specialized two-port acrylic glove box to enable human subject evaluations in a realistic pressurized environment.  Initial trials at Barron Associates will permit refinement of design concepts, followed by more extensive usability, comfort, and durability testing at NASA.
To improve the working performance, increase efficiency, reduce cost, and track system health status and failure modes of advanced propulsion systems; miniaturized, robust sensing systems for measuring and monitoring physical parameters, such as pressure, would be highly advantageous. Technical challenges for developing reliable sensing systems lie in extremely harsh working conditions the micro sensors must operate.  In addition to high temperatures and pressures, these conditions include oxidation, corrosion, thermal shock, fatigue, fouling, and abrasive wear.  High temperature (300-1350oC) capacitive pressure sensors are of particular interest due to their inherent suitability for wireless readout schemes. The objective of this proposed work is to develop a capacitive pressure sensor based on SiCN, a new class of high temperature ceramic materials, which possess excellent mechanical and electric properties at high temperatures (up to1600 :C). The Phase II effort will include: the development of materials formulations and fabrication processes to realize optimized devices, device prototyping, and laboratory scale/relevant environment testing such as to achieve TRL 5-6.
Simulation-based design optimization has been steadily maturing over the past two decades, but not without its own unique and persistent challenges. The proposed project will develop a novel solution to one of the long-standing bottlenecks in simulation-based design optimization. Particularly, we will develop a flexible geometry toolkit for shape parameterization and modification as required for design optimization. With our discrete geometry toolkit, shape modifications will be achieved via an elegant and intuitive "plug-and-play" approach, providing engineers with a wide variety of options for shape parameterization, shape deformation, and geometric constraint imposition. Our geometry toolkit will be composed of independent modules and will be easily integrated into existing or future analysis and design environments. Our approach will offer a modular and intuitive means to interactively synthesize appropriate modifications to discrete geometry shapes in a design optimization setting including the specification of geometric constraints and interdisciplinary data transfer.
ViFiLite is a wireless infrastructure that utilizes the advantages of a V-band technology in supporting data gathering for structural health monitoring as well as supporting high throughput local area wireless communication for  NASA applications. This system  provides: non-line-of-sight operation, wireline level reliability for the link, high node density, high throughput links, low delay data/signal, susceptibility to jamming, safe operation near ordnance/fuel for some operations, and compatibility with avionics data bus infrastructure. Our technology incorporates different techniques to utilize the 60GHz band based on the application scenarios to virtually eliminates non?LOS issues in the operating environment. The development of the proposed technology will allow for replacement of the wires for signal data and video communication onboard a spacecraft/space-vehicle platform and reducing risks resulting from the weight, the cost and the time of qualifying the wire-based architecture and the inflexibility of wired connections.
AlGaN/GaN devices on SiC substrates will be utilized to achieve Power
Added Efficiencies (PAE) in excess of 85&amp;#37;. These wide band-gap
solid-state semiconductors will be used in novel Power Amplifier (PA)
topologies such as Current Mode Class D (CMCD) and Class E. The power
output goal of a single P-band PA module is greater than 50W, and the
power output goal of the L-band PA module is greater than 10W. In turn,
these power modules will be combined in push-pull to balance
configurations for higher power.  Phase I will consist of choosing the
devices sizes and topologies for the PA modules, and performing
extensive modeling and simulation, especially for the large signal
non-linear operation with harmonic terminations required to achieve the
high efficiency goals. In addition, various power configurations will be
simulated to achieve a 50 Ohm output without extensive impedance
matching transformations to improve efficiency and useable bandwidth.
The power sizing strategies will be evaluated for overall system
efficiency, size, and weight trade-offs.
MaXentric's is proposing a radiation tolerant Software Define Video Processor, codenamed SDVP, for the problem of advanced motion imaging in the space environment. SDVP will take advantage of state of the art rad-hard by design (RHBD) manycore processors to provide radiation tolerant reprogrammable encoder, video enhancement, and other video processing capabilities for HDTV, digital cinema camera, and other image sensors used in the operations on orbit, while withstanding radiation damage that degrades image quality and performance.  Furthermore SDVP will improve the motion imaging technology in the space by offering standard compliance flexibility, multimode operation and power management capabilities. As missions evolve, parameters change that can affect the ideal motion imaging configurations. SDVR highly programmable platform will make it easy to upload patches, upgrades, and new applications and improvements, hence providing "Future-proof" video processing and over-the-air reconfiguration. SDVP can support other applications in parallel with video processing, reducing SWaP of the greater system.
Space presents a challenging environment for computing. Extended
development times and radiation tolerance requirements leave hardware
performance a decade or more behind the terrestrial state-of-the-art at
the time of deployment. Additionally, once deployed, hardware changes
are impractical, encouraging a trend towards increased software
programmability. However, topside pressure from application advancements
are forcing space-based platforms to improve throughput and latency
while reducing power consumption. A popular approach to addressing the
tension between these requirements is the heterogeneous processing
architecture. By providing multiple hardware tools that optimally
support a subset of the anticipated workload, a heterogeneous
architecture can offer a diverse processing toolset to the application
developer. However, programming these systems is extremely challenging
because of variations in toolsets and data sharing interfaces. As a
result, data sharing and  dynamic workload scheduling across
heterogeneous architectures is often suboptimal and hindered by poor
scalability. Maxentric proposes to solve this problem with RUSH, a
heterogeneous processing architecture with a unified programming model
for rapid development. RUSH employs a rad-hard multicore processor as a
host and an FPGA as an accelerator chip. The RUSH software layer unifies
these architectures through an innovative programming model described in
the proposal.
NASA is seeking proposals for innovative research in the areas of on-orbit positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). 
Tahoe RF is proposing to build a fully integrated radiation hardened beam steerable GPS receiver front end system that will support NASA's requirements for onboard navigation systems for on-orbit near-earth missions. This frontend system, termed "BeamDirect", will not only provide NASA with a software configurable radio receiver for all of the GPS frequency bands, but will also provide ability to do beamforming and beamsteering under software control. 
Tahoe RF is uniquely positioned to develop this system for NASA for two reasons. First, Tahoe RF has a proven core competency for the design of high performance multiple integrated GPS receivers on a single die. Second, Tahoe RF has recently demonstrated the feasibility of an integrated monolithic beamformer Integrated Circuit (IC) that employs LO phase-shifting techniques through coupled oscillator array. Both of these systems (GPS receiver ICs and beamformers IC) were developed in IBM SiGe process that inherently provides radiation tolerance. Hence by integrating both of these technologies, Tahoe RF can uniquely provide a fully integrated, miniaturized, radiation hardened beam-steerable GPS frontend receiver system.
The design of an aircraft is a highly iterative process.  During the conceptual design phase there is no time for developing detailed simulation models and decisions are typically made either by using low fidelity models or existing data and regression models.  However, the decisions made during the conceptual design phase greatly affect the performance of the aircraft and the associated cost, and typically the majority of the cost is locked during very early stages of the design process.  Usually the sound insulation requirements of a passenger cabin are met after the outer mold line of the aircraft and the design of the fuselage structure have been completed and this approach adds weight to the design.  Ideally the structural-acoustic concerns should enter the design cycle early and be considered along with other main design disciplines.  During the early design stages of an aircraft the interior noise performance of different fuselage configurations must be evaluated based on the following information: length, cross sectional stations as a function of longitudinal location, main interior arrangements, spacing and size of stiffeners and stringers, thickness and material properties of insulation blankets, thickness and material properties of the fuselage and of the trim panels, and the type of acoustic treatment placed in the interior.  The acoustic performance expressed in terms of noise reduction comprises the metric for assessing the aircraft performance for interior noise considerations.   The proposed project will develop an easy to use, physics based, computational capability that can provide fast an assessment for the interior noise of either conventional or novel aircraft during the early stages of the design process.  It will also allow engaging information from multi-scale simulations for designing quiet composite materials with increased damping and reduced radiation efficiency characteristics.
In this project IntAct Labs proposes to develop a novel system to increase loop closure for water treatment in regenerative life support using bio-electrochemical processes (BEC processes). One of the limiting factors in space exploration, particularly outside of low earth orbit (LEO), involves the power draw and significant mass in oxygen, water and other supplies needed for life support. Bio-electrochemical systems (BECs) are a class of technologies capable of treating water while generating electricity or other value-added products such as methane and hydrogen. In this particular project IntAct Labs proposes a variable-output BEC cell that switch between cathode reactions, generating water, hydrogen, or CO2 reduction to water and methane, depending on the operation. A properly designed cell might thus switch between cathodic outputs based on day-to-day exploration needs, while continuously treating BOD at a bio-anode at ambient temperature and pressure. During Phase I IntAct Labs will construct a variable output BEC cell, demonstrate simultaneous BOD treatment and value-added product generation with ersatz exploration wastewater streams, and conduct preliminary systems analyses to determine the relative benefit in mass and power associated with operating the system with each output at two unique process points in the ISS Water Recovery System. Based on these experimental and simulation studies, Phase II R&amp;D will focus on one, two, or all three operating modes. Through Phase II and Phase III R&amp;D we hope to develop and test a system for potential utilization aboard the ISS or related crewed systems.
We propose an all-fiber based 2.05-micron single frequency, narrow linewidth seeder laser with 10 nm tuning range and 5GHz frequency modulation for next generation LIDAR system. Highly Tm-doped fiber laser is used as a resonant pump source in order to reduce the phase noise and laser linewidth.  An environment insensitive package will be used to minimize the laser phase noise and linewidth.  Ho3+-doped fiber is used for seed laser generation, due to its strong emission at 2.05 micron. A Piezo attached to the laser cavity is used to modulate the frequency to 5 GHz with speed up to 10KHz.  The laser can be continuously tuned over 10 nm range.   

The single frequency 2.05-micron fiber laser can be used to build coherent laser radars and Differential Absorption Lidars (DIALs) to perform instant measurement of velocity and concentration of CO2 and other gases , aerosols, clouds.  The high-speed frequency modulation (5 GHz) of single frequency fiber laser used as local oscillator covers tuning over a selected CO2 absorption line.  The large wavelength tuning range (10 nm) also enable scientists and engineers to explore the feasibility of using such laser for other remote sensing applications.
Deployable Space Systems (DSS) has developed an affordable and ultra-lightweight elastically self-deployable Roll-Out Boom technology that provides affordability and mission-enabling performance features for current and future NASA missions.  The Roll-Out Boom technology provides affordability and a significant performance increase in terms of extremely compact stowage volume, ultra-lightweight, broad scalability, high deployed frequency, high deployed strength, reliable/immediate/repeatable controlled deployment, high stiffness during deployment, good thermal/dimensional stability, highly conductive composite materials construction, space environmental survivability, and broad mission applicability.  The Roll-Out Boom technology is applicable as an improved direct replacement to competing deployable structures, and is flexible in geometry, length, section, material, and construction to meet the most demanding mission requirements.  The Roll-Out Boom is highly applicable as an enabling deployable structure for electric field sensors, antennas, gravity gradient booms, and magnetometer booms, or as a deployable structural platform for solar arrays, sunshades and/or other proprietary payloads. The technology innovation is applicable for practically all NASA and non-NASA missions as a direct replacement for classical state-of-the-practice deployable structure technologies.
The state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries do not fully meet the energy density, power density and safety requirements specified by NASA for future exploration missions. Building upon our Phase I feasibility study, we propose to implement an advanced cathode material in practical Li-ion batteries. The cathode material offers superior electrochemical performance over its commercially used counterpart, particularly in terms of discharge capacity and energy density. In Phase I, working in collaboration with a leading university-based researcher, we demonstrated that intrinsic modifications in the crystal structure, and extrinsic modifications on the surface of cathode particles, can lead to energy densities greater than 1150 Wh/kg at room temperature and 800 Wh/kg at zero degrees C for the cathode powder. In the Phase II program, we intend to combine the intrinsic and extrinsic effects in the cathode material, which will deliver the needed energy density at low temperatures, along with other desirable attributes. This will represent a significant advancement of the state-of-the-art in cathode materials. The structural and morphological modifications introduced in the material will allow us to (i) maintain high energy and power density at low temperature (ii) lower the irreversible capacity loss and improve the efficiency, and (iii) further stabilize and enhance the safety of the cell. In Phase II, our university-based collaborator will fabricate and test small Li-ion pouch cells, which will help optimize the cathode material. In addition, prototype Li-ion cells with a capacity of ~ 5Ah will be fabricated and tested by a large Li-ion battery manufacturer and supplier to the aerospace industry. Further, a NASA prime contractor has offered to guide the Phase II program. The outcome of a successful Phase II program will be the demonstration of an advanced and robust energy storage system that can be used for future NASA applications.
NASA sees an increasing role in the near future for small satellites in the 5-100 kg size range. A potentially disruptive technology, small satellites are being eyed as platforms for the rapid demonstration of new technologies and important science missions. Currently, small satellite platforms struggle to balance the three critical tasks of collecting enough power, acquiring data and downlinking that data to ground stations in a way that maximizes mission return. For these small platforms, which usually do not benefit from steer-able solar arrays or gimbaled antennas and instruments, optimally balancing these three tasks strongly depends on the satellite's attitude control agility. Spacecraft agility has to do with rapid retargeting, fast transient settling and low jitter pointing control. Dr. Bong Wie, renowned spacecraft attitude control expert and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University, stated that ultimately the "measure of an agile satellite attitude control system is its ability to collect the maximum data from an area on the Earth that is rich in data-collection opportunities". A logical corollary following from this statement would be that to maximize satellite data-collection, system designers should look to increase the satellite's agility. Furthermore, in addition to data-collection, the other two critical tasks of power collection and data downlink are also maximized as agility is increased.
Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a low cost, high torque and low jitter satellite attitude control actuator derived from its Tiny Operationally Responsive CMG (TORC) design. This derivative product would combine two TORC units into a single scissored-pair configuration with SPA compatible interface. The result, a flight-certified TORC-SP, would be an actuator with the simple control interface of a reaction wheel that offers 1-2 orders of magnitude more torque per unit mass at drastically less power than a reaction wheel.
This project addresses the development of refractory coated or lined low density structures applicable for advanced future propulsion system technologies.  The fundamental idea behind this concept was to design a hot-walled refractory material (ceramic and/or metallic) in the form of a thin coating or liner and have that supported by a low density structure such as graphite or various carbon-carbon composites, offering an attractive lightweight design option.  This coated or lined low density structure combines the compatibility and hermetic seal of the ceramic and/or metallic hot-walled material with a lightweight, high strength to weight ratio support material such as graphite or carbon-carbon composites.  The advantage of this particular concept can be observed by both the weight and cost savings compared to, for example, current solid monolithic refractory propulsion components.  Lightweight structures are desirable for space transportation vehicle systems in order to reduce launch costs, increase mission flexibility, increase mission efficiency and add robustness with respect to the ability to add weight or additional materials to the mission with minimum sacrifice in performance.  This general concept is applicable to thrust vector controls, combustion chambers, nozzles and thrusters.  One study has shown that replacing a solid monolithic rhenium pintle and seat with a rhenium lined graphite version can offer both weight and cost savings as high as 80 - 90&#37;.
As the size of composite parts exceed that of even the largest autoclaves, new out-of-autoclave processes and materials are necessary to achieve the same level of performance as autoclave cured composites.  Many of the new out-of-autoclave prepreg systems can be used to manufacture high quality composites initially but the lay-up time for producing quality parts is limited by the short shelf-life at ambient conditions.  The resin advancement, due to long lay-up times, commonly causes variations in fiber volume and higher void content in the cured structures.  Also, current out-of-autoclave prepreg systems do not provide the same level of performance, especially damage tolerance, as many current autoclave cured prepreg systems.  It is the objective of this work to develop a matrix and prepreg system for out-of-autoclave processing that possesses a year plus shelf-life while also providing an excellent balance of composite properties and damage tolerance.  As an additional functionality, the out-of-autoclave prepreg system will be developed to have inherent skin-core self adhesive characteristics so that film adhesives may not be required for designs with honeycomb structures.  It is expected that the TRL will be 6 at the end of this Phase 2 program.
EDA, Inc., in partnership with Penn State, has shown previously that the concept of embedding fiber optics within ablative TPS material has merit and should yield a successful implementation of a spectrometer "window" during a Phase-II development program. 
Optical instrumentation, such as optical spectrometers would provide benchmark data for fundamental flow, radiation, and materials modeling as well as provide operational correlations between vehicle reentry drag and radiation if implemented in a TPS flight test program.  Without flight spectral data, and the appropriate modeling efforts, the power of prediction to assist in new heat shield design does not exist for reentry into other planetary atmospheres.  This is a severe limitation for future space exploration missions which FiberPlug helps address.
The motivation of the proposed SBIR is to develop, demonstrate and commercialize a compact, low-mass, high output power (1-10 milliwatt), tunable source of CW THz radiation operating at room temperature. The source will be useful both as a narrow band frequency stable sources for driving heterodyne receivers at key frequencies between 1 and 5 THz (1.4, 1.9, 2.7, 4.7 etc..) or for laboratory sources to characterize THz components, including MMIC's, or possibly for active spectrometers in an in-situ environment The proposed source would enable the development of THz array receivers for use in space and suborbital missions, or for atmospheric sounders and planetary landers. In Phase 1 our VECSEL THz source, based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation, demonstrated 2mW at 1.9THz running on a finite number of cavity modes with a linewidth per mode of around 1MHz.  Desert Beam Technologies will team up TeraVision (Tucson) and with  researchers at the Steward Observatory Radio Astronomy Laboratory (SORAL), University of Arizona  in  Phase 2  to further characterize a breadboard VECSEL 1.9THz system, measure Y-factor and I-V curves, redesign the VECSEL cavity to reduce it to single mode operation and test it as a local oscillator for SORAL's 1.9THz receiver.
The feasibility of developing a statistical decision support system for traffic flow management in the terminal area and runway load balancing was demonstrated in the Phase I research. The methodology employed an advanced estimation algorithm based on a queuing network model of the runway and the terminal area, and statistical decision theory to formulate traffic flow decisions.  Radar data from the San Francisco terminal area was used in the feasibility demonstration. Component technologies developed in Phase I work can be used for synthesizing real-time statistical decision support tools for runway configuration management and  arrival/departure scheduling. 
Phase II work will use the Phase I algorithms for developing decision support tools for NASA's  System-Oriented Runway Management program elements. Queuing networks of runways, taxiways, gates, and terminal airspace will form the foundation of the decision support tool. Predicted demand, historic traffic data and real-time measurements will be combined in an estimator to generate the statistical distributions of the queuing network parameters. These will then be used in conjunction with methods from Statistical Decision Theory to generate actionable decisions.  Phase II research will develop a software package implementing these algorithms, which can be evaluated in human-in-the-loop and operational settings during the Phase III work.
We have developed a low dropout (LDO) regulator using a patented MESFET transistor technology that can be manufactured in commercial CMOS foundries with no changes to the process flow. The regulator is stable under all load conditions without an external compensation capacitor, thereby reducing the mass/volume of the power management system and increasing reliability. The MESFET-based LDO component has very competitive figures of merit (dropout voltage, transient response, power supply rejection) compared to existing components. During Phase 1 we confirmed that the components were unconditionally stable without an external compensation capacitor over the temperature range -196C to +150C and for radiation doses up to 1 Mrad(Si). We shall build on the Phase 1 design effort to demonstrate two fully integrated LDO regulators rated up to 1A with dropout voltages of less than 50 mV. One part will be fabricated using a qualified rad-hard SOI CMOS foundry in collaboration with Honeywell, one of our commercialization partners. The other component will be fabricated using the low-cost/high-volume foundry available from IBM. Both parts will have a nominal output voltage of 1.8V with 1&#37; accuracy. Other designs will target user adjustable voltages in the range 1.2-2V. The feasibility of using the MESFET technology for low voltage applications (e.g. 0.8V) will be explored. All parts will be tested over the temperature range -150C to +150C and after irradiation exposure to a TID of 1 Mrad from a Co-60 source. The enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) of the components will be studied using a low dose rate Cs-137 source. The characteristics of all the components will be documented, and parts made available to NASA and potential customers as deliverables from the Phase 2 activity. We shall work with our commercialization partners to have the LDO regulator design adopted as a licensed 'IP block' and to develop low cost versions for the wider consumer electronics market.
Given the extended duration of future missions and the isolated, extreme and confined environments, there is the possibility that behavioral conditions and mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) will develop. The overarching goal of this project is to deliver an Individualized Behavioral Health Monitoring Tool that unobtrusively integrates all available behavioral measures collected during a mission to provide a dashboard of behavioral health indicators. These indicators will be placed within the context of quantitatively-tracked mission stressors to provide meaningful feedback allowing behavioral issues to be detected and mitigated at an early stage. The result of this project will be a system prototype that can be deployed in space analog environments (e.g., Mars 520 study, Antarctica) for validation testing and ultimately deployed in long-duration space exploration missions. The critical need for an Individualized Behavioral Health Monitoring Tool has been identified as a priority outlined in the BHP Integrated Research Plan (July 2009) gap BMED3. Phase II will achieve: (1) an Individualized Behavioral Health Monitor software interface; (2) a data integration system; (3) a trend and change detection algorithm; and (4) a countermeasure selection aid. The Technology Readiness Level at the end of Phase II will be TRL 6.
a.	Paragon Space Development Corporation? (Paragon) proposes to continue our investigation into the use of microporous-ionomer membrane technology to improve the robustness and effectiveness and simplify water recovery processes for space applications.  Improved robustness and effectiveness will be evident through (1) reduced loading on the downstream post processor due to the ionomer?s unique property of selective permeability, (2) near complete removal of water from wastewater, and (3) inclusion of a backup barrier between the retentate and permeate.  The technology offers simplification over existing technology through (1) a lower dependency on moving parts, and (2) integrated capture of wastewater solutes for disposal.  Phase 1 testing showed that 99&#37; of the contaminants in concentrated pretreated urine ersatz were removed by the proposed technology and virtually complete dewatering of the brine was achieved in a configuration that would appear to be insensitive to gravity and orientation.  As the technology is fully developed, it can be inserted into existing and/or developing water recovery system architectures to increase water recovery rates beyond that currently available to date.  The application of this technology for spacecraft water reclamation will be referenced as IWP (Ionomer-membrane Water Processor).
The proposed effort will make a dramatic improvement in a) size, weight and power based on a transformative approach to manufacturer 3D electronics as well as 2) ease of integration by exploiting standards efforts in the Space community and specifically CubeSat.   The most significant contribution we will make is in next generation packaging through the use of Additive Manufacturing of Structural Electronics. The concept of "Plug and Play" implies simple and compatible, but it also implies traditional modular packaging for a specific form factor.  By eliminating solder, wire bonds, connector, excess silicon and excess substrate, the possibility exists to shrink an electronic system by more than 100 times.  This 100 fold shrinkage will apply to both size and weight and the newly available volume could be applied to power generation and storage. By extending the plug and play concept to "3D Print and Play" ? in which entire satellites will be fabricated layer-by-layer into a monolithic, intelligent, conformal structure. Consequently, the development time is radically reduced, not from "months to days" but rather "days to hours," by automating the manufacturing component of development.
Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation proposes a sensor that offers the unique capability to make non-intrusive, direct, simultaneous mean and fluctuating shear stress measurement for subsonic and transonic test applications. Currently a standard for shear stress measurement tool does not exist.
A precise silicon micromachined, differential capacitive, instrumentation grade sensor will facilitate skin friction measurement with high bandwidth, high resolution, and minimal sensitivity to pressure. The proposed sensor possesses through wafer vias for backside electrical contacts to enable non-intrusive measurements in turbulent boundary layers. A robust and compact package with miniature interface electronics enables flush sensor mounting conformal with surfaces.  The sensor development effort transitions a proof-of-concept device by adding design components to have reduced pressure sensitivity to result in a commercially viable product. Circuit topology development for biasing and signal conditioning provides the ability to make simultaneous mean and dynamic shear stress measurement. The sensor performance will exceed its predecessors and set the standard for quantitative skin friction measurements. The simplicity of sensor design and an equally simple and proven fabrication technique allows for low cost, high performance sensors.
The sensor holds promise to transform current flow control techniques and enable efficient aerodynamic designs. Existing shear stress estimation techniques rely on known correlation to a measured quantity. Direct measurement eliminates the need for a known correlation in an unknown flow. Capacitive transduction has been successful for a highly sensitive device with a large dynamic range and low noise floor, which is the current state of the art. The proposed sensor may therefore be improved beyond the state of the art to serve as a measurement standard for all types of skin friction measurement techniques.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to develop self-healing composites using carbon nanofibers in conjunction with encapsulated resin/hardener.  Polymer matrix composites offering multiple advantages of lightweight, high strength and stiffness, vibration damping, and corrosion resistance are becoming widely used in aerospace and commercial applications.  A primary weakness of structural composites is damage from impact, where resulting microcracks can propagate to allow delamination and/or fiber breakage of the composite, resulting in loss of the excellent physical properties for which composites are selected.  Incorporation of carbon nanofibers (CNF) into the polymer matrix, resulting in a significant increase of the composite interphase, has been shown to mitigate microcrack formation.  CNF additives in the matrix have also demonstrated improvement in interlaminar mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, vibration damping, and fire retardancy.  A separate promising tool for addressing damage from impact is the emerging class of self-healing materials, having the ability to heal microcracks and restore mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties of the composite.  In the proposed effort, a combination of these tools will be investigated to determine the feasibility of incorporating self-healing, while concurrently producing multifunctional improvements in interlaminar shear strength, modulus, fracture toughness, transport properties, fire retardancy and vibration damping.
A diagnostic technique is proposed for measuring temperature and velocity simultaneously in a high temperature reacting flow for aiding research in propulsion. The technique involves seeding particles of a ceramic thermographic phosphor into the flow and illuminating them with two overlapping pulsed laser sheets. Laser-induced luminescence from the particles will be measured to obtain temperature from its effects on luminescence lifetime. Velocity will be obtained simultaneously from the same particles using conventional particle image velocimetry (PIV). Each of the two diagnostics will employ a separate CCD camera that captures a pair of images separated by a short delay. For the thermometry technique, pixel intensity ratios of the delayed to the undelayed images will be related to temperature via a calibration function. In the PIV technique, particle displacements between the images will be obtained using conventional interrogation window techniques with cross-correlation. The proposed diagnostic is expected to enable spatially and temporally correlated measurements of two key variables in combustion modeling that cannot be obtained in most high temperatures flows using currently available methods. The phase I effort will demonstrate feasibility measurements in a flame.
Low temperature survivability, high performance and radiation tolerance
of electronics in combination is required for NASA's surface missions.
Modern sub-micron CMOS circuits operate at low power supply voltages and
offer a very large scale of integration and compatibility with automated
design tools at gigabit/second data rates. Unfortunately, their power
consumption significantly increases at higher frequencies and
single-ended architectures are associated with switching noise and duty
cycle distortion. They are also highly susceptible to radiation effects
and not suitable for extreme temperatures. On the other hand,
differential current-switching circuits utilizing hetero-junction
bipolar transistors (HBTs) overcome all named problems but suffer from
high supply voltages and DC currents. Our company proposes to develop a
set of high-performance, power-efficient, wide temperature range,
radiation-hard mixed-signal components representing modifications of the
company's existing commercial products. The designs will be based on the
proprietary library of CML current switches utilizing HBTs from a
commercial BiCMOS technology and will operate within temperature range
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C and TID&amp;gt;1MRad. The list of products will include high-speed
reprogrammable serializers and deserializers, active delay lines,
trans-impedance amplifiers, sample and hold devices, VCSEL drivers, etc.
Mission critical ASICs will be analyzed during Phase I and fabricated in
Phase II.
Future NASA Space Science Missions will incorporate detectors, sensors, shields, and telescopes that must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures.  An enabling technology for these missions is advanced cryocoolers that can provide continuous and distributed cooling with minimal input power.  On this program, Creare proposes to develop and demonstrate an innovative cryocooler that produces refrigeration at temperatures of 30 to 70 K and rejects heat at a temperature of 150 to 190 K with extremely high efficiency.  The heat rejected can be absorbed by an upper stage cryocooler or rejected to space through a small cryo-radiator.  The overall mass of the cryocooler and electronics is 3 kg, the size of the cryocooler is 6 liters, the area of the cryo-radiator is 0.5 square meters and the input power is significantly less than current state-of-the-art cryocoolers.  In addition, the cryocooler technology is extremely reliable and scalable, and produces no perceptible vibration.  The key innovation is a cryogenic compressor which has heritage to the cryogenic circulator developed by Creare and operated on the Hubble Space Telescope for 6.5 years.  On the Phase I project, we will optimize the cryocooler design for a particular mission class and predict the performance of the cryocooler using component-level test data.  On the Phase II project, we will build and test a brassboard cryocooler and cryo-radiator.  The Phase II testing will be structured to achieve a TRL of 5, and will include testing with a cold-end temperature of 35 K and a heat rejection temperature of 150 K.
NASA needs sensor systems to inspect space structures with minimum human interaction. These systems must be highly integrated and self-sufficient, low mass, simple to operate, provide reliable information, and use little command processing power. 
	Eddy current testing (ECT) is a widely practiced and critically important nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method used in aerospace, yet it relies on decades-old wire-coil sensors and scanning.  RMD, in collaboration with Wyle Laboratories, proposes a revolutionary structural imaging and NDE technology based on a permanently affixed, flexible sheet containing a two-dimensional array of microscopic, directionally sensitive, solid-state eddy current sensors. 
	The modular sensing sheet could be added to the spacecraft while in space or before launch.  The sensing sheet will be thin (approximately 100 um thick) and highly flexible so that it can be mounted on curved surfaces.  Energy independent, wireless arrays could be affixed underneath thermal insulation, paint or other coatings, and images created by a CPU integrated on the sensor array.  These images permit structural assessment and NDE of many components throughout the lifetime of a mission. The system will be largely independent of the command computer and power systems, have little external wiring, and require almost no human attention.
Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., (RMD) proposes to develop an alternative very long term, radioisotope power source with thermoelectric power conversion with greater than 10&#37; energy efficiency for deep space applications.  The proposed technology is based on a betavoltaic generator which can be produced in bulk form, allowing the construction of generators with power output similar to radioisotope thermal generators (RTG) but with higher efficiency.  In Phase I, RMD will estimate the potential performance of the betavoltaic generator, examine practical issues affecting manufacturability and lifetime, and experimentally demonstrate components of the proposed betavoltaics generator.  The Phase I results will provide clear "Go-No Go" results. The goal of Phase II is to complete the research and development on the betavoltaic generator technology, and to build and test a small prototype system with at least 10&#37; conversion efficiency. A major focus of Phase II will be the development of the crystal growth process including dispersing radioactive sources within the scintillator.  By the end of Phase II, the generator technology will have been demonstrated and ready for further engineering to bring it to a more advanced level (TRL-6) in 2 to 3 years.
Flux measurements of trace gases and other quantities, such as latent heat, are of great importance in scientific field research.  One typical flux measurement setup involves placing measurement equipment (sonic anemometers and associated sensors or samplers) on rigid towers (rigidity being required to provide a stable platform for the sonic anemometers).  These towers are relatively immobile, and cannot be readily moved nor installed in remote locations.  This prevents fluxes or vertical profiles of trace species from being measured in many remote areas.  
	Anasphere will develop a tethersonde system which will allow flux measurements to be made using tethered blimps or kites.  The tethersonde modules will incorporate a three-dimensional sonic anemometer plus motion-correction sensors so that the motion of the tether and module may be removed from the wind measured by the sonic anemometer.  The result will be a highly mobile flux tower.  
	In Phase I, a proof-of-concept tethersonde module will be built and tested which incorporates a three-dimensional sonic anemometer and motion-correction sensors.  It will be tested in flight.  Phase II work will see the refinement of the modules and sensor algorithms, as well as extensive field tests.
We have developed a novel metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MESFET) technology suitable for extreme environment electronics. The MESFET technology is fully CMOS-compatible and can be integrated alongside conventional MOSFETs with no changes to the process flow. Unlike the MOSFETs however, the MESFETs do not require a fragile metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) interface and are extremely robust. With breakdown voltages in the range 10-50V the MESFET operating voltage greatly exceeds that of the accompanying CMOS. The combination of CMOS compatibility with high breakdown voltage allows for integrated DC-to-DC power conversion solutions that would otherwise require discrete components based on laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (LDMOS) devices. The MESFETs are intrinsically radiation tolerant up to 1 Mrad(Si) and have been demonstrated to work over the temperature range -196C to +150C. The Phase 1 R&amp;D we are proposing will characterize the large signal switching performance of the SOI MESFETs for buck converter applications in extreme environments.
Microcracking issues have significantly limited the reusability of state-of-the-art (SOA) composite cryotanks.  While developers have made some progress addressing this reusability issue, there are also significant reliability issues with the SOA cryotanks due to their inconsistent structural performance.
  GTL has identified the root cause of this reliability issue and proposes to confirm this diagnosis.  This will be accomplished by testing two sets of laminate samples; one set fabricated with typical SOA cryotank techniques, and a second set fabricated with intentional laminate flaws.  The results of this testing are expected to show a correlation between the identified flaws and the observed inconsistent performance.  With this confirmation, GTL will examine several techniques that could be used to detect these flaws in production composite tanks. 
  Additionally, GTL will show how the breakthrough BHL&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; cryotank technology inhibits the introduction of these flaws and produced consistently high structural performance.  This effort builds upon earlier research that confirmed the potential of the BHL technology to eliminate the microcracking issue.  With BHL technology, it is possible to build high-performance, reusable and reliable cryotanks. At the conclusion of the Phase I effort, GTL will fabricate a subscale BHL cryotank and deliver it to NASA for independent evaluation.
Spire Semiconductor proposes to make an InGaAs-based three-junction (3J) tandem thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell to utilize more of the blackbody spectrum (from a GPHS) efficiently. Semi-insulating InP wafers will be used for monolithically integrated module (MIM)compatibility and to achieve low free-carrier absorption. In Phase 1, we will design, epitaxially grow, and process large area single junction test cells for each of the three bandgaps proposed (to evaluate material quality), as well as for a full tandem cell structure. In Phase 2, we would further refine the structure and incorporate the material into MIM modules.
Picometrix's time-domain terahertz (TD-THz) non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technology could be used
to inspect space flight structures such as inflatable space habitats, thermal protection systems (TUFI-type
tiles, SOFI TPS), for voids, disbonds, and damage such as tearing and micron-meteorite impact. In this
Phase I SBIR project, we propose to test the feasibility of three key technological changes which could
substantially reduce the volume, mass, and power requirement of the TD-THz instrumentation, making it
more suitable for use by an operator in space. The current instrumentation paradigm is that a multi-purpose
TD-THz control unit is used to provide common drive, data acquisition, and analysis functionality to
interchangeable sensors and imaging which connect to the control unit with a fiber-optic/electrical
umbilical. However, the current COTS control unit is substantially larger and heavier than would be
desirable for a space-flight capable unit. The proposed developments would enable a control unit for a
hand held NDE imaging tool, sufficiently robust for spaceflight, no larger than a small shoebox. It should
be possible to reduce the size of the control unit to approximately one sixth of the current values to, for
example, 14 in. X 8 in. X 4 in and 10 pounds.
We propose development of new algorithms specifically designed to
exploit the highly parallel structure of graphics processing units
(GPUs) for performing the following most expensive, but parallelizable
computations in combustion CFD: (1) Chemical kinetics source term
(including Jacobian matrix) evaluation; (2) Transport property
evaluations; and (3) Matrix factorizations and inversions. The
algorithms developed in this work will be implemented as software
modules that can be easily interfaced with arbitrary CFD solvers for
rapid computations using GPUs. A user guide will be delivered with
directions for coupling the provided algorithms with users' CFD
programs. Phase I work will demonstrate the computational acceleration
achieved using the preliminary algorithms; and Phase II work will
optimize the algorithms for improved performance and implement the
algorithms as well-documented, distributable software modules as
described above. This work will significantly increase the predictive
capability of combustion CFD simulations by enabling efficient
application of much larger chemistry models (which is essential, but
currently prohibitively expensive) for accurately modeling the
combustion of practical fuels.
The supply voltages of modern baseband digital integrated circuits are well below the required actuation voltages for the MEMS tunable filters. Therefore, a charge pump is used to achieve the required high actuation voltage for the MEMS devices. Current state-of-the-art charge pump designs produce output voltage ripples as high as 1 V, which has adverse effects on filter performance, and this is a critical technology gap. The proposed technology will close this gap by delivering two Integrated Circuits (ICs), a high-efficiency charge pump with low-ripple output and a filter design that is immune to bias noise (caused by the ripple).
This proposal presents a stand-alone implicit high order temporal differencing solver concept that will interface with research and commercial numerical analysis codes to provide unlimited temporal accuracy. While the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) market has mature products that solve a large portion of problems faced by practicing engineers, these tools are often inadequate for fast transient, multi-scale numerical problems such as highly resolved turbulence, vortex shedding and combustion instability where rapid, small scale local phenomena can be overwhelmed by numerical dissipation. Many research and commercial solvers perform sufficient spatial resolution, but use insufficient explicit or low order implicit temporal resolution. Higher order explicit temporal schemes are not always feasible when modeling turbulence, can be severely limited by the time step size, and are less efficient than even low-order implicit methods. In the proposed Phase I effort, a previously developed high order implicit time integration formulation, tested up to 11th order accuracy, will be extracted from an existing solver and interfaced with an independent finite-volume solver to prove the feasibility of providing decoupled time integration for existing numerical codes. In Phase II, the time integration formulation will be implemented in a software framework and tested with readily available, popular numerical codes
Combustion instabilities pose a significant technical risk in the
development of liquid and solid rocket motors. Much of the effort in
modeling combustion instabilities has focused either on systems-level
tools, or use of detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate
all the involved processes. The important effects of finite-rate
chemical kinetics and turbulence-chemistry interactions have been
neglected in combustion instability modeling. In this SBIR project, CFD
Research Corporation (CFDRC) will team up with Gloyer-Taylor
Laboratories (GTL) to develop a hybrid approach by combining CFD
capabilities with a systems-level instability modeling approach, the
latter based on the Universal Combustion Device Stability (UCDS)
process.  These capabilities will be used to quantify the effects of
finite-rate chemistry and turbulence-chemistry interactions on
combustion instabilities. In Phase I, feasibility of the proposed
approach will be demonstrated by combining 2-D Reynolds Averaged Navier
Stokes and Large Eddy Simulation computations with the UCDS framework.
In Phase II, the instability analysis will be enhanced by coupling: (1)
3-D CFD analysis; and (2) Improved UCDS process with more accurate
treatment of boundary conditions and the flame.  The proposed approach
will enable an accurate combustion instability analysis of rocket
motors, gas turbine combustors, and ramjet and scramjet engines.
Silicon carbide (SiC) and other wide band-gap semiconductors offer great promise of high power rating, high operating temperature, simple thermal management, and ultra-high power density for both space and commercial power electronic systems. However, this great potential is seriously limited by the lack of reliable high temperature device packaging technology. The objective of this proposed research is to develop a ultra-compact, hybrid power module packaging technology based on the use of double leadframes and direct leadframe-to-chip transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding that allows device operation up to 450 degrees Celsius.  The unique advantages of this innovative solution include very high current carrying capability, low package parasitic impedance, low thermo-mechanical stress at high temperatures, double-side cooling, and modularity for easy system-level integration. The new power module will have a very small form factor with 3-5X reduction in size and weight from the prior art, and capable of operating from 450C to -125C.
The purpose of this phase II SBIR is to design and build new non-mechanical, electro-optic (EO) laser scanners that will be suitable for space based laser ranging, with a specific focus on the upcoming Lidar Surface Topography (LIST) mission.  Even though the applications for EO laser scanning are extensive and pervasive, replacing opto-mechanics has been a historically intractable problem.  Vescent Photonics has developed a proprietary electro-optic architecture that enables, for the first time, very wide field-of-regard (270 degrees of scanning demonstrated) and simple EO laser scanners. In our phase I work we demonstrated that these new EO scanners can be designed/adapted to meet the unique performance requirements for satellite based laser sensors.  In phase II we will design, build and deliver a full EO scanner system, including a mated optical amplifier that will meet the LIST performance requirements. This phase II program will advance the TRL from 4 to 5-6.
At the heart of scientific computing and numerical analysis are linear algebra solvers. In scientific computing, the focus is on the partial differential equations (PDEs) that arise from computational fluid dynamics (CFD), climate modeling, astrophysics, and structural and heat analysis that cannot be solved analytically. Certain problem formulations lead to sparse matrices, in which the majority of matrix elements are zero. Special attention is required when computing on sparse matrices in order to avoid using unrealistic amounts of memory or produce ill-performing software. Such topics have been the subject of considerable research and the limits of CPU-based performance have been reached.

Recently, the graphics processing unit (GPU) has emerged as an attractive platform for high performance computing. The modern GPU boasts over 1 TFLOPS performance and as much as 6 GB onboard memory, but harnessing the power can be challenging. A library-based approach is common for HPC, with most applications using several libraries to offload well-known tasks. EM Photonics maintains a library of GPU-accelerated dense linear algebra solvers that has over 5000 users. In this project we will extend this library to include a wide range of sparse solvers, including many that have direct relevance to NASA projects.
A new technique is proposed for improved trace gas detection and
measurement that combines the high absorption depths afforded by
mid-infrared Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (ICOS) with the added
precision and sensitivity of Frequency Modulated Spectroscopy (FMS).  To
our knowledge, the two-tone FM technique described and prototyped in
this proposal is the first demonstration of this combination. This
proposal requests funding to advance on the breakthrough preliminary
work shown here and to fully realize FM ICOS  as a means to achieve one
a one order of magnitude increase in detection precision compared to the
very sensitive ICOS technique, enabling a new era of trace gas
quantification including isotope ratio determinations of carbon,
nitrogen and oxygen species.
Situational Awareness is the key element of performing safe and effective operations, and the space vehicle operations carried out by NASA is by no means an exception to the rule.  Astronauts and flight controllers need to maintain awareness of the situation in the space vehicles, robots, habitats, Mission Control Center, and other systems. NASA has devoted and continues to devote a significant amount of resources to software for displaying the current situation in order to maintain this awareness.  However, astronauts and flight controllers need to predict the future state of the systems for themselves. What will happen next?
Resources have now advanced to the point where it is possible to inform the astronauts and flight controllers of the expected situation in the near future, and also to warn them if the current situation does not match the expectations of the recent past?this will indicate a developing issue that requires attention. All of this will aid in reducing the cognitive load on the astronauts and flight controllers, and help them perform their work safely and effectively.
S&amp;K Aerospace, LLC (SKA) proposes to research and develop a system that will provide predictive situational awareness to flight controllers and astronauts, by bringing together information about the current state of the vehicles and other systems, the activities planned in the near future, and the expected state of the system in the future, as well as an indication if the current state of the system matches planned state. This system will be called the Predictive System Awareness Tool, or PSAT.
Advanced dropsondes that could effectively be guided through atmospheric regions of interest such as volcanic plumes could enable unprecedented observations of important atmospheric phenomena. Innovative Dynamics, Inc. proposes to develop a flight ready optical sensor package to provide hazardous volcanic ash and particulate information within commercial airspace.  The probe will initially be used as a dropsonde from a UAV but eventually be carried by all aircraft. This volcanic ash particulate information would then be incorporated into standard E-PIREP reports as well as distributed via air traffic controllers. The innovation is a new capability for making in-situ measurement of cloud particulates to improve pilot awareness of hazardous operating conditions, such as those recently experienced by aircraft engines operating in the North Atlantic near Iceland.  Cloud and Ash particulate information is currently obtained by positioning a satellite to a location, produces limited data, and is cost prohibitive.

IDI proposes to develop a flight deployable optical probe which will determine various airborne  particulates such as volcanic ash particle size and density.  The probe packaging will be developed to be compatible with existing RQ-4 dropsonde hardware, will be low-cost, low-weight and will be able to be deployed on various platforms, i.e., radiosondes and other payload recovery vehicles.
An accurate assessment of composite structural performance and proactive component and system life management strategies requires quantitative information on the damage states of the components. Recent advances in infra-red (IR) sensing and data processing technologies have enabled real-time thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) methodologies to finally become viable for accurate diagnostics and prognostics of composite structures. The success of these thermography methods, however, depends strongly on the characteristics of the surface layer. In this SBIR program Materials Technologies Corporation proposes to design, develop and implement specialized, multi-purpose witness layers for carbon composite structures which would facilitate high accuracy quantitative thermoelastic analysis through improved IR response and thus enable on-going in-situ diagnostics (and prognostics) during component lifecycle without necessitating disassembly and off-line inspection. Phase I program will be based on concept feasibility demonstration through extensive experimental and FE analysis. At the end of Phase II program, samples of developed coating systems will be delivered to the NASA program manager for further evaluation.
Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. (ASC) is a small business, which has developed a compact, eye-safe 3D Flash LIDARTM Camera (FLC) well suited for real-time spacecraft trajectory, speed, orientation measurements relative to the planet's surfaces and evaluating potential hazards during the critical landing sequence.  Data collected using ASC's FLC at JPL's Mars Yard and in NASA ALHAT flight tests demonstrated that ASC Flash LIDAR system can meet the requirements for Entry Descent and Landing (EDL).  Aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-127), SpaceX and ASC demonstrated the DragonEye Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&amp;D) Flash LIDAR solution in low earth orbit, the first Flash LIDAR in space.  ASC is developing a camera for iRobot Corporation for use in autonomous robotic navigation which is directly applicable to EDL mission requirements.  ASC will develop hybridization process improvements and process controls to increase the lifetime and pixel operability of the 3D-FPA.  Current 3D-FPA hybrids see degradation in harsh environments.  Shock, vibration, humidity and temperature cycles are all of concern.  Improved assembly processes for the hybrid in the hermetic package will allow for improved operability, yield and lifetime.  ASC's 128x128 3D array FLC has the equivalent of 16,000 range finders on a single FPA which allows the sensor to act as a 3D video camera with enhanced functionality and value add well beyond range finding.
As NASA considers manned and/or unmanned return missions to the Moon and beyond, it is imperative that high fidelity lunar soil simulants be developed in order to accurately evaluate the life span and efficiency of any equipment exposed to the lunar surface. One of the significant limitations of current simulants is the lack of certain constituents, such as agglutinates. These constituents, which can account for up to 60&#37; by volume of a mature regolith soil, are widely regarded as components that must be present in any high fidelity simulant. Recently, Plasma Processes, Inc. has developed a process to produce Mare agglutinate simulant particles from JSC-1A feedstock. Characterization has confirmed that these agglutinate simulants have features (e.g. morphology, chemistry, crystalline phase content, nano-phase Fe) similar to actual lunar agglutinates.  When mixed with the JSC-1A root simulant in the correct proportions, the combination results in a high fidelity derivative Mare simulant. However, considering approximately 87&#37; of the lunar surface consists of Highland regolith composition, mature Highland simulants are also of great interest. Hence, the primary technical objective of the proposed Phase I effort is to extend the technology employed to enhance the fidelity of Mare simulants to the production of high fidelity derivative Highland simulants.
NASA requires a new primary battery capable of providing specific energy exceeding 2000Wh/kg over an operating temperature range of 0&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to 35&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C with a shelf life exceeding 2 years in support of Exploration Medical Capabilities. Metal/air chemistries such as aluminum/air or lithium/air are suggested due to their high theoretical specific capacity.

Recent attempts by others at Li-air batteries have provided limited energy and unacceptably poor rate performance due to their use of composite air cathodes. Such composites combine sub-optimal micro-porous powder with low-surface area, poorly distributed, un-optimized electro-catalyst and non-electrochemically contributing binder.

Ionova Technologies, Inc. proposes a new Li-air battery utilizing a binderless 3-D nanofilm air cathode comprising a networked mesoporous carbon structure decorated with novel, highly reactive, ultra-high surface area catalysts. Pore size/structure and catalyst distribution are optimized to promote oxygen diffusion and to reduce pore clogging from reaction products while maximizing reaction sites to increase capacity and current density. The proposed electro-catalyst exhibits specific capacity that exceeds what has been demonstrated by other catalyst materials in the research literature. Cumulatively, the 3-D nanofilm Li-air approach is anticipated to improve energy and power densities vs. other approaches by improving discharge capacity and current density.

This project will investigate the feasibility of the 3-D nanofilm approach to improve diffusion and reaction kinetics in a primary Li-air battery through modeling and materials/lab cell characterization to TRL3. TRL4 will be achieved by mid-phase II and TRL6 will be achieved by end phase II.
The structural design of aircraft and their propulsion systems is a challenging task that requires accurate, flexible ground facilities capable of operating over the flight regimes of emerging subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic designs. Luna Innovations is proposing to develop distributed fiber optic sensing technology specifically designed to make high precision, thermally compensated, distributed force and moment measurements on wind tunnel test articles and supporting structures.  Luna will leverage its patented Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry technology to provide unprecedented high speed data at extremely high spatial resolution. The sensing fiber will have the capability of being embedded into composite test structures, attached to the structure of a flight vehicle or model, and used to simplify force balance designs.  This advancement is needed in NASA facilities to support the Aeronautics Test Program's effort to protect current, and provide additional test capabilities, and the Fundamental Aeronautics Program's goals to evaluate new airframe designs through aerodynamic research. An all-optical distributed force and moment measurement system will be applicable to test articles across all of NASA's ground-based aerodynamic test facilities. The system will enable support of projects such as future Lunar and Mars probes, fundamental aerodynamics research, and commercial systems testing.
Ridgetop will demonstrate the feasibility of developing a radiation-hardened analog-to-digital converter (ADC) suitable for the Jupiter Europa Orbiter mission. This proposal responds to topic S1.09, In-Situ Sensors and Sensor Systems for Planetary Science.

With this innovation, the ADC will be hardened to significantly higher levels of radiation (5 Mrads) than currently existing ADCs, and its performance will still clearly exceed the performance of ADCs used previously on NASA planetary missions. The ADC will have 12-bit resolution, 125 MSPS sampling speed, and low 150 mW power consumption. The ADC will be designed on the IBM 8HP 130 nm silicon germanium (SiGe) fabrication process, which has been shown to be tolerant to very high levels of total ionizing dose (TID) radiation and suitable for wide temperature range operation. 

At the end of Phase 1, the proven mixed-signal circuits will provide momentum to create an radiation-hardened, transistor-level ADC design in a follow-on SBIR Phase 2 Program, in which  the ADC will be fabricated in the  IBM 8HP 130 nm BiCMOS SiGe process and tested.
Environmental control systems for manned exploration spacecraft and lunar/planetary bases will need a condensing heat exchanger (CHX) to control humidity in crew habitat modules.  Antimicrobial coatings are needed to prevent growth of microbes and formation of biofilms on the condensing surfaces inside the CHX and maintain a healthy spacecraft environment.  Creare has developed a highly adherent, hydrophilic, antimicrobial coating that can be applied to heat exchanger surfaces.  However, recent studies have shown that the lifetime of this coating may be limited in prototypical environments.  We propose to develop an improved coating process that builds on our prior coating development but adds features to extend the lifetime, potentially to ten years.  In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of our approach through theoretical studies of coating stability, deposition of trial coatings, analysis of the coatings, and measurement of coating performance after exposure to prototypical environments.  In Phase II we will scale up and refine the process, produce prototypical CHX cores with the hydrophilic and antimicrobial coating, and demonstrate performance after extended exposure to prototypical environments.
To address the NASA Johnson Space Center's need for a space auscultation capability, Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop a Hybrid High-Fidelity Auscultation Scope (AUSCU-SCOPE) based on a unique combination of multiple auscultation mechanisms with a novel sensor-fusion algorithm. This system incorporates a hybridized sensor configuration and novel signal processing algorithm that will separate low-intensity body sounds (&lt;25 dBA) from a noisy background (&gt;70 dBA) experienced in spaceflights with a 20-dB signal-to-noise ratio. The non-invasive and space-qualified AUSCU-SCOPE is safe, easy-to-use for a non-expert crew member and does not require extra training of clinicians to Doppler sounds. Additionally, the system easily connects with space telemetry systems via Ethernet, firewire, USB, and wireless 802.11 for transmitting sound data for distance diagnosis. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate feasibility of AUSCU-SCOPE through system design, simulation, assembly, and testing of a benchtop prototype, which will reach TRL-level 4 by the end of Phase I. In Phase II, POC will develop a fully functional prototype at TRL-6 and demonstrate high-fidelity spaceflight auscultation capability in the presence of a 70-dBA noise. The results will enable NASA to perform spaceflight auscultation even against significant background noise.
Decomposing monopropellant hydrazine across a spontaneous catalyst bed is the gold standard for small propulsion systems responsible for attitude control on satellites and spacecraft.  Such a propulsion system is both simple and reliable, and offers reasonable performance.  However, the simplicity and reliability enjoyed today is the result of a nearly two-decade effort designed to identify and perfect a spontaneous catalyst.  Modern hydrazine replacements generally do not work well with hydrazine catalysts, so the enormous costs associated with a new catalyst development effort have stalled the widespread acceptance of potential hydrazine replacements.

Our proposed effort will explore the use of an alternative ignition source that eliminates the need for a catalyst bed entirely.  It achieves the same simplicity enjoyed by traditional monopropellant propulsion systems, but dramatically increases thruster response time on both startup and especially shutdown.  It requires low power because it exploits a unique property of most of the propellants often cited as the future replacement for hydrazine.  It is also low cost because it requires a very low part count and development issues will be trivial.
Lithium ion battery technology provides the highest energy density of all rechargeable battery technologies available today.  However, the majority of the research into this technology is focused on developing lower cost materials for the consumer electronics market, and not on high reliability or long life.  As a result, the materials developed do not meet the needs of the aerospace industry in terms of mass and volume specific storage capacities, and suppliers will often alter the formulation or process with little warning.  It is therefore proposed to use domestically manufactured, advanced anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials to design advanced batteries for aerospace systems.  The proposed anode material, developed at Applied Sciences, is a nanometer-scale composite of silicon and carbon nanofiber capable of providing 1000 mAh/g with coulombic efficiencies above 99.6&#37; to moderate cycle numbers.  The electrolyte will be a multi-blend of asymmetric linear carbonates capable of operating from -40&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C to +70&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C.  These materials will be coupled with high capacity cathode materials to enable the production of cells with specific energy (&gt; 300 Wh/kg) and an energy density (&gt; 600 Wh/l) that can operate across a wide temperature range.  Cells fabricated under this program will be characterized for electrochemical performance and safety.
Successes to date with the use of integrated software framework tools have led NASA engineers and other researchers to expand the breadth, depth, and sophistication of the problems that they are attempting to solve. Both the utilization of "high-fidelity" physics based models ("depth") and the total number of different engineering disciplines included in system models ("breadth") have steadily increased. As model size and complexity grows, the number of engineers involved in the development and maintenance of these models is also increasing. Increases in system model size and complexity and the corresponding need for collaborative model development are beginning to stretch the limits of existing software frameworks. Large models are more difficult to build and maintain, while the inclusion of more people in the development process leads to model management and coordination issues. Enhanced and improved framework tools are required if NASA and industry are to continue to expand their modeling, simulation, and design capabilities. In this project, Phoenix Integration will develop an innovative software environment that will allow individual engineers and collaborative engineering teams to better build and manage large, complex, system models. Key elements in the solution include a new infrastructure for hierarchical model building (models within models), enhanced data linking and model verification tools, and an integrated version-controlled model and data library. These tools will combine to provide NASA engineers with a powerful and flexible environment for creating, maintaining, and collaborating on the creation, execution, and maintenance of large and complex system models.
This Phase I SBIR proposal describes, &amp;quot;A New Approach to
Commercialization of NASA's Human Research Program Technologies.&amp;quot;
NASA has a powerful research program that is developing cutting-edge
technologies for use in the space program, and these technologies can
become important in many non-NASA commercial and medical markets. NASA
is looking for new ways to increase the number of valuable biomedical
devices that are being commercialized. Virtual Incubation Company (VIC)
is a technology venture development firm that creates successful new
enterprises by focusing on developing early-stage technologies into
market-focused products. We currently have 11 portfolio companies
ranging from new established companies (at TRL 2) that are seeking first
funding to established ventures (at TRL 9) with growing production and
sales. Our business development team has proven expertise in executive
management, strategy development, financial management, funds
acquisition, IP management, legal support, grant writing, market and
technical research, and negotiating sublicense and partnering
agreements.  This proposal outlines VIC's business development model,
demonstrates the breadth of its experience in creating actionable
business plans for various stage technologies, and provides examples of
product development and company development successes.  Virtual
Incubation Company has the experience and expertise necessary to help
drive improved commercialization of NASA's Human Research Program
Technologies by identifying and validating market opportunities,
outlining go-to-market strategies, developing a funding strategy, and
minimizing business development risks.
To develop an Augmented Reality system that runs on a small portable
device to aid crew in routine maintenance activities by providing
enhanced information and situational awareness of their immediate
environment. This system would improve the speed and quality of
maintenance procedures, and reduce error and risk. The specific
enhancements we will investigate include: - Overlaying devices with
relevant telemetry. - Highlighting of items that require action, e.g., a
switch that needs to be flipped, a hose that needs to be removed, or a
bolt that needs to be tightened. - Information about consequences of
actions, e.g., if the bolt is removed, this assembly will be detached or
if the switch is flipped then this panel will be powered on. - Guidance
aids through planned procedures or activities. - Navigation aids, e.g.,
where is the next device to be adjusted.
This SBIR project is aimed at developing a novel thermometry technology with upconverting phosphors for temperature measurement in NASA's high-enthalpy wind tunnels. Conventional thermographic phosphors require illumination by ultraviolet (UV) light and emit light at visible wavelengths. However, UV excitation is problematic in many large-scale facilities because it demands very expensive UV-quality windows and the UV light can be absorbed and scattered by gas species and particles in the flow path. Upconversion phosphors have been previously developed in our company and the temperature-sensing effect up to around 1000:C with excellent sensitivity was demonstrated. A major part of this Phase I efforts will be directed towards applying these thermographic phosphors to a surface coating on a model and tested in a wind tunnel environment. The objective is to develop new surface coatings that are aerodynamically smooth, very durable, require near IR excitation and enable surface temperatures in the range of 300 K to 1500 K to be measured.
Non-toxic monopropellants have been developed that provide better performance than toxic hydrazine. Formulations based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) have superior performance as compared to hydrazine with Isp (261 seconds, 12&#37; greater), higher density and volumetric impulse, lower melting point, and much lower toxicity (No self contained breathing apparatus required). HAN based monopropellants require higher chamber temperatures (2083K vs 883K) to combust. Current hydrazine based combustion chamber technology (Inconel or niobium C103 and silicide coating) and catalyst (Shell 405) are inadequate. However, current state of the art iridium lined rhenium chambers are compatible with monopropellants and new ignition techniques are being developed. The goal of the SBIR project is fabricate and test a flight weight thrust chamber for HAN based monopropellants.
Aluminum based metal matrix composites are particularly attractive in
aviation and aerospace applications because of their exceptional
strength and stiffness-to-density ratios and superior physical
properties.  A vast range of composites have been fabricated with
reinforcements such as glass, ceramic particulates and fibers, and more
recently carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes present considerable
improvement in properties of the composite but suffer from problems of
galvanic corrosion at the interfaces. Other nanotubes that are not
galvanically detrimental to the composite are required for design of
ultrastrong composites.  Boron nanotubes are attractive in this respect,
as they are lighter than carbon and are not very far removed from
aluminum in the electrochemical series, thus avoiding corrosion issues,
while retaining the excellent mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes.
MMI's proposed technology that produces composites comprising boron
nanotubes will have the considerable impact on future structural
applications of NASA.
Clear air turbulence (CAT), often referred to as "air pockets," is attributed to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities at altitudes generally above 18,000ft, often in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, making it difficult to avoid. The vortices produced when atmospheric waves "break" can have diameters of 900-1200ft and tangential velocities of 70-85 ft/sec. CAT is dangerous to aircraft, recently demonstrated by United flight 967 from Washington-Dulles to Los Angeles on July 21, 2010, which encountered severe turbulence and landed in Denver with over 30 injured passengers, 21 requiring a hospital visit. Many other incidents attributed to turbulence have caused injuries or deaths to passengers and crew. Another recently-highlighted hazard is the inadequacy of current airspeed sensors on commercial aircraft. Federal investigators have reported that on at least a dozen recent flights by U.S. jetliners, malfunctioning equipment made it impossible for pilots to know how fast they were flying.  Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) proposes the Short-Range Clear Air Turbulence Sensor (SR-CATS) system to detect and measure turbulence within an aircraft length ahead of the aircraft, both as a component of a predictive gust alleviation control system. The integration of the SR-CATS instrument with MAC's full air data solution (airspeed, angle of attack and angle of sideslip), a MAC technology already demonstrated in-flight, will be explored. This proposal will focus on combining these capabilities into a practical solution.  MAC's direct-detection UV LIDAR technology uses molecular backscatter and so does not require aerosols, as required by many competing approaches.
Durable high temperature materials are required for structural thermal protection systems (TPS) that exhibit a structural load carrying capability at temperatures in excess of 2700:F. Fabrication times and costs are challenging for high acreage applications such as a structural TPS system. This proposed effort offers a new approach in manufacturing of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite components cost effectively with short lead time and high flexibility. The composites will be fabricated via a powder metallurgy/sintering approach using an emerging field assisted sintering technology (FAST). The objective is to fabricate and demonstrate making a cost effective CMC composite by FAST. The SiC/SiC produced will be produced from SiC constituents suitable for TPS applications.  Basic mechanical and thermal properties will be measured to assess the promise of the FAST process to rapidly producing a SiC/SiC composite.  A technical assessment of the FAST process to produce a 2700:F+ SiC/SiC will be made as well.
We propose to demonstrate ultra precision manufacturing of components
for NASA payloads, specifically for electro-optical and infrared sensors
that are used in Earth, atmosphere, oceans, and planetary missions.  We
will integrate the optical and mechanical element and form lighter, more
efficient sensor components, capable of replacing traditional
multi-element higher weight and more expensive optics.  The ability to
take advantage of new manufacturing capabilities including micro and
nano fabrication, with surface quality in the sub micrometer, and
advanced metrology, allows us to develop more efficient sensor payloads,
that will result is smaller, lighter less expensive EO and IR sensor
payloads.  We have selected to manufacture one specific optical system
for Phase-I that will demonstrate the concept and increase confidence in
the process.  In Phase-II we will fabricate additional optical elements.
Together with the Phase-I optical system, these element will be
assembled into a complete sensor system and the sensor performance will
be characterized and compared with present NASA technology in terms of
overall optical efficiency (that affects sensor sensitivity, &amp;amp; SNR
performance) as well as size, weight, and cost.  If successful, these
optical components can be introduced into future NASA mission planning.
This SBIR seeks to improve the definition of design loads for rocket engine components such that higher performing, lighter weight engines can be developed more quickly.  The long-term goal of this SBIR program is to substantially improve the overall load determination by demonstrating and validating new methods.  The overall plan includes advances in computational fluid mechanics to provide more accurate tools for estimating the nozzle side loads and fluctuating pressure loads as well as the interaction between system models and components models and the combination of dynamic loads for prediction of component margins and life.  The Phase I detailed development includes a tightly-integrated coupling of computational fluid dynamics and structural dynamics codes to better predict the nozzle side loads due to flow separation.  In addition, improvements will be identified to both the loads process and the combination of dynamic loads in the time domain to support finite fatigue life predictions.  These improvements to the loads definition will provide an improvement to the engine development process by providing better loads estimations which can be used to reduce conservatism and to significantly improve performance with reduced weight, cost, and development time.  Phase II will include efforts to validate the fluid-structure interaction tool with experimental data and further develop and validate the new loads process methodologies.
Future NASA exploration plans will realize significant performance advantages with aerocapture and aerobraking of large, heavy payloads for Mars, Titan, and the gas giant planets.  During a previous NASA LaRC funded High Mass Mars Entry System study, Andrews Space found that while inflatable aerobrake designs potentially offer the lowest-mass solution, they are challenged from the uncertainties of dynamic response of large soft structures at the sizes required, and from the risks associated with cleanly separating the lander/payload from the decelerator. A "Petal Brake" concept was introduced as an integrated hypersonic entry system design that addresses these issues.  The design performs hypersonic aerocapture and entry maneuvers as a biconic aeroshell, then deploys to provide higher drag just prior to terminal descent and landing.  It covers a wide range of EDL environments, is structurally determinate, with minimal aero-elastic issues, and with positive separation characteristics during jettison.  During Phase I of this project, Andrews proposes to further advance the operational Petal Brake concept by designing and evaluating a point-of-departure petal-brake design for Mars entry, defining a potential test program, then generating a detailed subscale petal-brake design suitable for manufacture, wind tunnel testing, and high altitude deployment testing in Phase II.
NASA has a need for process technologies that enable life support loop closure for manned exploration missions beyond earth's atmosphere.  A critical component in life support loop closure is the removal of carbon dioxide (produced by the crew) from the cabin atmosphere.  An attractive approach for removal of carbon dioxide is the Bosch reaction, where carbon dioxide is reacted with hydrogen (produced from water electrolysis) to produce solid elemental carbon and water.  However, no technology currently exists for the continuous operation of a Bosch reactor.  The process cannot be run in a continuous manner because of degradation of the catalysts, which are required to precipitate carbon at a reasonable rate.  In this Phase I SBIR, PH Matter, LLC will develop a catalyst for the continuous formation of carbon in a system fed with carbon dioxide and hydrogen.  Researchers will demonstrate continuous operation of the catalyst in Phase II.  Based on the catalyst performance, a reactor will be designed to allow continuous carbon formation without the need for regular maintenance.
NASA, DoD, and commercial aircraft operators need to transform vast amounts of aircraft data accumulated in distributed databases into actionable knowledge. We propose distributed algorithms for data-driven health monitoring on aircraft, aircraft fleet, and national airspace levels. The proposed algorithms are based on distributed optimization formulation, and, unlike existing distributed processing methods, have rigorous guarantees of producing the same results as centralized processing would do. Our algorithms will be implemented in an open scalable framework that allows integrating distributed data and federated third party algorithms for anomaly detection, diagnosis, prediction, and prognosis.   We will apply the proposed approach to aircraft performance monitoring from FOQA data. We will train regression models of aircraft performance using distributed agents associated with different data sets, locations, and organizations.  The trained models will be then used for anomaly detection, diagnosis (fault isolation), prognosis (forecasting), and mitigation (decision support).  This project will develop web-based distributed open architecture software implementing the proposed optimization-based approaches and demonstrate scalability to at least 10 TB of data. Besides the developed algorithms, we will explore integration of third party algorithms into the distributed environment. The developed technologies will be applicable to a broad range of aircraft-related and other problems.
ORBITEC proposes to develop a non-thermal technology based on
atmospheric-pressure (AP) cold plasma to sanitize foods, food packaging
materials, and other hardware and working surfaces that are encountered
during food processing in space vehicles or habitats. AP plasma is well
known to be highly effective in promoting oxidation, enhancing molecular
dissociation, and producing free radicals and other types of high
energies. It has recently attracted much attention in food industry due
to its potential of being a non-thermal and highly effective sanitation
method. The proposed technology will support sanitation of food
preparation surfaces and equipment, food storage containers, and surface
sanitation of delivered fresh fruit and vegetables, and freshly prepared
foods in a space based habitat. It can function in reduced gravity and
pressure environments, and is efficient in terms of waste and resource
use. It may also have applications in air and water purification,
allowing some sharing of components and training procedures. During this
Phase I effort, two different reactor designs will be built and tested.
Their performance will be evaluated on tomato, lettuce, Teflon, and/or
other non-food substrates, all of which will be inoculated with
Salmonella enterica.
To enhance NASA systems, Spire proposes a novel technique for growing a graded nanocrystalline ZrON/ZrO2 protective coating with superior heat tolerance on relevant in-space substrates. The proposed coating technology will adhere to and protect engine components such as injectors, combustion chambers, nozzles, and nozzle extenders.  Conventional high temperature coatings applied by chemical vapor deposition inadequately adhere, and often spall.  The proposed coating will distribute stress induced by thermal cycling and improve adhesion, resulting in an improved and longer lasting coating.  The high temperature phase of ZrO2 is produced by controlling nucleation, grain growth, and grain size via the unique features of our deposition technique. The increased surface energy of the nanograins results in the formation of a dense cubic phase of zirconia, which is stable at very high temperature.

Phase I will develop a base-line process for applying highly adherent, thermally-resistant cubic ZrO2 layers on in-space propulsion substrates with a functionally graded ZrON metalloceramic transition layer at the metal interface. 

The deposition guidelines for nanocrystalline ZrON/ZrO2 coating will be perfected to each unique substrate in Phase II. In addition, a number of metallic components will be coated and delivered to NASA to be evaluated for in-space propulsion use.
We propose to develop a non-thermal soot denuder for measuring chemical
components of the nucleation mode particulate matter emissions from gas
turbine engines, in combination with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass
Spectrometer (AMS). This proposed approach will effectively eliminate
the contribution of soot particles to the AMS-measured volatile PM mass
spectrum. It is capable of identifying the semi-volatile composition of
the nucleation mode particles based on their characteristic mass spectra
and also determining the particle size distribution in aerodynamic diameter.
ATA Engineering, Inc. (ATA) proposes a small business innovation research (SBIR) program for a novel compressor heat-extraction development program in response to NASA's solicitation for advanced design concepts to enable increased high stage loading in single and multi-stage axial compressors while maintaining or improving aerodynamic efficiency and operability. The 'compressor cooling' development program proposed herein will be applicable to advanced turbomachinery based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion systems suitable for high Mach number flight vehicles that extend to the hypersonic range as well as to conventional high bypass ratio (HBPR) engines that operate with high compressor exit temperatures. Cooling in the rear stages of a compressor would improve mass flow capability, increase margins set by material temperature limits, and improve turbine blade cooling effectiveness by reducing bleed air temperatures.

The Phase I proposal technical objectives are to 1) estimate the system level benefit of compressor heat extraction for a mutually agreed-on TBCC-powered aircraft mission, 2) understand the fluid dynamics of flows with surface heat extraction in a multistage compressor using computational fluid dynamics, and 3) define the necessary validation steps on cascade and compressor component rig hardware to advance the technology readiness level of compressor cooling to the point where it may be implemented in an aircraft engine application.  The final deliverable will be a written report to NASA presenting a conceptual design of a cooled compression system and a proposed test plan for Phase II rig validation, based on the requirements set forth in a design specification that is defined at the beginning of the program.
Traditionally spaceflight life science experiments require the return of samples to earth for analysis, which is frequently a challenge to the success of investigations. Even with more analytical instruments on ISS, conditions do not facilitate the transfer of liquid samples from experimental devices to analytical devices. In response to the science community's call for on-orbit analyses, Techshot, Inc. proposes to develop an On-orbit Analytical Cassette (OAC) for life and microgravity sciences research, which provides an innovative way to leverage Techshot's ADSEP payload, which is considered by NASA to be part of the existing ISS facilities. The proposed innovation consists of properly contained access ports for the OAC, making it possible to remove a small aliquot of liquid sample from an OAC and transfer it to Techshot's Dynamic Stage for microscopic observations and analysis using the Light Microscopy Module.  The OAC is precisely on target to meet NASA's specific objective of (1) providing innovative ways to leverage existing ISS facilities for new scientific payloads, and (2) providing on orbit analysis to enhance capabilities and reduce sample return requirements. Techshot's innovative OAC is destined to improve the throughput of ISS, making it a win-win for both NASA and the science community.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS), in partnership with Entech Solar (ENTECH) and Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) will focus the proposed NASA Phase 1 effort on the development of our innovative SOLAROSA technology.  SOLAROSA, named for Stretched Optical Lens Architecture on Roll-Out Solar Array, is a new lightweight, high performance space solar array that enables missions through low cost, lightweight, compact stowage volume, radiation hardness, high voltage capability, scalability to ultra-high power, and LILT/HIHT environment operability.  SOLAROSA is a fusion of ENTECH's proven Stretched Lens Array (SLA) concentrator technology with DSS's innovative ultra-lightweight Roll-Out Solar Array deployable structural platform.  The proposed SOLAROSA technology promises to provide NASA/industry a near-term and low-risk solar array system that provides revolutionary performance in terms of high specific power (&gt;400-500 W/kg BOL at wing level), affordability (&gt;50&#37; projected cost savings at the array level), lightweight, high deployed stiffness, high deployed strength, compact stowage volume (&gt;80 kW/m3 BOL), reliability, high radiation tolerance, high voltage operation capability, scalability, and LILT &amp; HIHT operation capability (LILT ? Low Intensity Low Temperature, HIHT ? High Intensity High Temperature).
Advanced Materials Technology, Inc (AMTI) responds to the NASA solicitation X10 "Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer" under subtopic X.01 "Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies".  NASA is seeking for technologies in advanced cryogenic fluid storage and transfer to reduce launch operation costs by providing higher efficiency, lower maintenance and longer life while improving safety and minimizing consumable losses.   To address the NASA needs, we propose to develop novel, sprayable, fire resistant, composite coating for insulation of advanced cryogenic fluid storage systems.  The novel insulations will offer affordable cost, high strength and flexibility, high thermal stability, excellent durability, and easy processability through spraying technique, which will result in improved efficiency and reliability of the cryogenic systems.  Once the feasibility of fabrication of lightweight cryogenic insulating materials by the proposed technology is demonstrated in Phase I, we shall scale-up this technology in a Phase II program to meet the NASA's requirements.
This SBIR will develop core Yb laser technology that is higher than 50&amp;#37;
optical to optical efficient with pulse energies up to 300uJ/pulse in
the all fiber version and up to 5mJ using planer waveguide power
amplifiers. This SBIR try to newest fiber technology  3C fiber as the
gain medium fiber to improve the stability of beam profile, pointing and
polarization stability to suitable for space working environment. The
proposed laser transmitter is based on Fibertek's proprietary laser
architecture that utilize state-of-the-art optical and ultra high
bandwidth RF analog and digital electronic component technologies.
Technical Objectives of SBIR program:   Analysis and Design of high
energy, high efficient fiber based 3C amplifier transmitter at the 1030
nm.  Laboratory Benchtop Demonstration of 300uJ/pulse operation at 10
kHz with 1.5 ns pulse width and &amp;gt;17dB PER  Design fibre-PWG hybrid
amplifier and have PWG fabricated and tested Work Plan for Phase I:
Model &amp;amp; optimize both type amplifiers' parameters for high energy,
high efficiency and stability  Build fiber based lidar transmitter and
demonstrate proposed operation in the laboratory environment.  Initial
investigate on the PWG optical characterizations and amplification performance.
Fibertek proposes a high energy and flexible operation 1570 nm pulsed lidar transmitter for airborne and space-based remote CO2 gas and doppler wind sensing. The lidar system is expected to operate with 5 mJ energy at 1 kHz repetition rate, and the pulse width will be adjustable from 20 ns to 1 microseconds. The proposed system is based on Fibertek's proprietary laser architecture that utilize state-of-the-art optical and RF analog and digital electronic component technologies.
This Phase I research will result in a prototype high temperature pressure sensing cell based on the piezoresistive properties of platinum:tungsten alloys. The Eltron Research &amp; Development sensor will be based on a flexible, circular nickel-alloy diaphragm onto which the sensor electrodes will be deposited via sputter coating. A series of insulating and conducting thin-films will comprise the pressure sensing element and an inert protective top-coat will protect the underlying materials from oxidizing/reducing environments and potential degradation from space weather. The prototype sensor will make exclusive use of high-temperature materials in order to facilitate continuous operation in the 550?1200 deg. C range (significantly higher than currently available commercial pressure sensors). A technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 will be achieved by the conclusion of Phase I. Phase II research will package the prototype cell into appropriate hardware with all of the necessary on-board electronics for full transducer operation and proceed towards TRL 8.
The VASIMR propulsion system uses a high temperature Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) radiator to reject heat from the helicon section. The current baseline radiator uses titanium/water LHPs, however, deployable radiator and trace heating features are required to keep the water in the condenser from freezing when the radiator is turned off. The proposed project will develop high temperature toluene LHP radiators that will minimize the freezing problem, since the freezing temperature of toluene is roughly 100&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C lower than water. Preliminary calculations on the toluene LHP radiator showed that a graded wick is required, with the pore size decreasing from the center to the surface of the wick. One goal of the project is to develop a graded alumina wick that reduces wick mass, back conduction, and pressure drop, enabling toluene as the working fluid. The ceramic wicks will also have near net shape fabrication, eliminating much of the current machining which adds costs to the LHP wicks. Optimizing the radial variation in porosity and permeability reduces the transport line sizes of toluene LHPs, significantly improving their mass and performance. The ceramic wicks can also be used in conventional LHPs, potentially reducing the LHP wick mass, pressure drop, and back conduction by 50 to 90&#37; when compared with conventional nickel wicks. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating these wicks, demonstrate the wicks' machine-ability, conduct life tests, and evaluate the benefits of a graded wick versus a conventional wick with uniform properties. In Phase II, ACT will fabricate and test toluene LHP radiators with graded ceramic wicks to fully demonstrate their performances. We expect the technology to reach TRL 6 at the end of Phase II.
In this proposal, we propose to demonstrate and build a widely tunable, narrow linewidth, single frequency fiber laser by developing an innovative Er/Yb-co-doped single mode fiber. Such a fiber laser is needed for coherent lidar and interferometric fiber sensing. In Phase I, we will design and fabricate this new fiber, demonstrate fixed wavelength narrow linewidth single frequency fiber laser with linewidth of less than 3KHz, demonstrate wavelength tuning range of greater than 5nm, and demonstrate 5GHz frequency modulation with no any mode-hoping in less than 1ms. Successful demonstration of such a fiber laser will enable many new commercial and military applications.
NASA is seeking innovative structure technologies that will advance expandable exploration space modules and surface based habitats.  To address this need CTD has proposed to develop multi-functional, highly mass efficient deployable composite structures.  These composite structures will build upon CTD's innovative Composite Rollable Extendible Slit-Tube Structures (CRESTS) and TEMBO&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; shape memory composites.  The deployable composite structures have much lower mass and part counts than corresponding mechanical deployable systems.  These composite deployable structures can be configured to meet a variety of needs within Expandable Space Habitats, and significantly increase functionality.
This 2010 NASA SBIR Phase 1 proposal for an innovative Low-Field Vector Magnetometer (V-400-LF) is a response to subtopic S1.06 Particles and Field Sensors and Instrument Enabling Technologies. The V-400-LF instrument is intended for making high-resolution magnetic field measurements of planets and in interplanetary space on small satellites and spacecraft. The Phase 1 effort includes development of designs for advanced miniaturized components and a conceptual design for a miniaturized V-400-LF instrument in order to establish the feasibility of designing and fabricating a prototype V 400-LF in Phase 2. Laser-pumped helium magnetometers have proven to be world-class instruments for measuring the direction and magnitude of the geomagnetic and planetary fields. The V-400-LF will build on the heritage of the Low-field Vector Helium Magnetometer (LVHM), the Scalar Helium Magnetometer (SHM), and the laser-pumped vector/scalar Self-calibrating Vector Helium Magnetometer (SVHM). The goal of Phase 1 is development of a conceptual design for a miniaturized instrument appropriate for small spacecraft and microsatellites. This miniaturization will be accomplished through the use of advanced miniaturized components and packaging methods for the V-400-LF Sensor and Electronics. The V-400-LF can be used to measure vector components of low magnetic fields, scalar gradients (difference of vector magnitude measurements from two V-400-LF instruments), and gradient tensor elements (difference between vector components using three or more instruments) with very high stability and accuracy. The V-400-LF will have a dynamic range of +/- 1,000 nT, a sensitivity of 10 pT/rtHz at 1 Hz, and a calibrated accuracy of +/- 0.5 nT. The sample rate will be 430 Hz. The TRL is expected to be 4 at the end of the Phase 1 contract.
In response to NASA's solicitation for light-weight and power efficient instruments that enable elemental and/or mineralogy analysis, Q-Peak, together with Firestar Technology and the Colorado School of Mines, proposes to develop a compact, robust and efficient, instrument capable of performing, Laser-Raman Spectroscopy and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).  The main advantages in using these techniques for planetary science is the ability to rapidly collect a wealth of chemical information, by simply directing a laser beam on remote targets of interest. As an important component of the Raman/LIBS instrument, Q Peak proposes to develop, build, and test a miniature Q-switched, solid state laser, producing 1-3 mJ, nanosecond-duration pulses at 526 nm wavelength.  We will produce a preliminarily design for integrating the laser into a robotic arm. The proposed work will utilize a low-pressure uLIBS investigation facility, and spectrometer and available at the Colorado School of Mines, and a processing algorithm development begun under an ASTID award.  We will initiate the design review to integrate the uLIBS system into the CHAMP-SLS microscope, a spaceflight qualifiable microscope with a laser spectroscopy optical path.
To fully realize the advances NASA has made in x-ray microcalorimeter
detectors, x-ray filters with enhanced out-of-band performance are
needed. Blocking filters are essential components in these cryogenic
detectors to minimize thermal load while admitting the soft x-rays of
interest. Theoretically, an aluminum coating 15-20 nm thick, on each
filter in the stack will provide the necessary IR attenuation. In
practice, coatings this thin are less optically dense than predicted,
and thickness must be nearly doubled to achieve sufficient thermal
blocking. This degrades performance. The proposed innovation is to
improve the thin aluminum blocking layer to increase its optical density
and thermal rejection performance. Preliminary work suggests it is
possible to increase the visible and IR light rejection of aluminized
polyimide by a factor of 3 or more. In Phase 1, test samples will be
made through altered processes. Film microstructural changes, x-ray, IR,
and visible light transmission will be measured to identify process
parameters that enhance IR blocking. Once optimized, coatings will
provide equivalent IR blocking with thinner layers, enhancing mission
throughput for the sounding rockets XQC and Micro-X in the near term and
provide needed technology enhancements to make possible future missions
such as IXO.
The development of new, robust, lightweight systems for CO2 removal during EVA is a crucial need for NASA.  With current and anticipated space activities, 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 solid 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 from the O2 environment.  Unfortunately, separating gas phase molecules with the needed selectivity is difficult with standard membranes.  However, identifying a low vapor pressure liquid sorbent that will react with CO2 to form a meta stable product, could facilitate the needed separation.  Therefore in this Phase I project, Reaction Systems will develop a supported liquid membrane that will have high permeance and selectivity for CO2 compared to O2, advancing the TRL from 1 to 4 by the end of the Phase I.  In Phase II we will design and construct a full scale prototype, which will be delivered it to NASA.
Aerodynamic and structural reliability and efficiency depends critically on the ability to accurately assess the aerodynamic loads and moments for each lifting surface. A thin-film, flight-worthy sensor capable of providing spatio-temporally accurate estimation of aerodynamic coefficients enables revolutionary energy-efficient, physics-based, force-feedback flight control of a wide range of vehicles from subsonic to supersonic flows. Recent biophysics research has uncovered sensory techniques to recover information from the noisy environment. Tao Systems proposes to develop a unique sensor that robustly applies these biomimetic sensory techniques to the aerodynamic problem to obtain accurate estimates of aerodynamic coefficients with minimal calibration requirements.
Advanced Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) radio system is a pivotal technology for the successful support of the International Space Station  beyond 2020 and future human space exploration missions. It facilitates surface operations, enables crew mobility, and supports point to multi-point communications across rovers, Lander, habitat, and other astronauts. Driven by Communications, Command, Control, and Information interoperability, tight power budgets, and extreme miniaturization, this mobile radio platform must be power efficient and highly adaptive. Intelligent Automation, Inc. (IAI) and its sub-contractor, Purdue University, propose to develop a power-efficient, miniaturized, reconfigurable EVA radio system using state-of-the-art RF micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and software defined radio (SDR) technologies; and middleware with power aware algorithms. Modern FPGA devices are bridging the gap between high speed digital design and digital signal processor (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. Therefore, it can lower the mission cost by upgrading the EVA radios when needed. The MEMS tunable filters proposed are 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.
During this program Fiber Materials, Inc. (FMI) will develop innovative yet practical methods for preparing Phenolic Impregnated Felt (PIF) materials for thermal protection system (TPS) segments and heat shield assemblies. Future mission flight environments and designs, such as those anticipated for Mars EDL missions, will require a variety TPS options to accommodate entry system designs.  The capability of the developed PIF solutions will address various vehicle shapes, integration methods and the ability to deploy a flexible TPS. Testing of mechanical and thermal robustness, heat exposure and surface recession under representative mission conditions will be conducted in a two phase program approach. The Phase I program will assess materials, designs and processing options that can be cost effectively manufactured and assembled.  The material approaches, design options, fabrication/assembly methods, Phase II work plan, Phase II proposal and final report are delivered at the conclusion of the Phase I program.  During the Phase II program, a mission-applicable PIF TPS utilizing the developed material system will be demonstrated and tested under representative flight conditions.  The proposed materials, designs and methods are currently TRL !\ 3. It is anticipated that TRL !] 5 will be achieved at the conclusion of a successful Phase I and Phase II program.
Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to design, develop, and demonstrate, a novel high performance monopropellant for application in future planetary ascent vehicles. Our non-carcinogenic, non-cryogenic, monopropellants will significantly augment specific impulse and density specific impulse over conventional monopropellant and bi-propellant systems. In Phase I, the proposed investigation will focus upon characterizing critical thermal and chemical behavior of our monopropellants to ensure realistic system level design and maximum performance of future planetary ascent vehicles.
Radiation-cooled, bipropellant thrust chambers are being considered for
the ascent/descent engines and reaction control systems (RCS) for future
NASA missions such as Mars Sample Return.  Currently, iridium-lined
rhenium combustion chambers are the state-of-the-art for in-space
engines. NASA's Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine, a
150-lbf rhenium-iridium chamber produced by Plasma Processes, Inc. (PPI)
and Aerojet, recently set a hydrazine specific impulse record of 333.5
seconds.  To withstand the high loads during terrestrial launch, rhenium
chambers with improved mechanical properties are needed, i.e., 40ksi
yield strength and 10&amp;#37; elongation at room temperature.  Recent
electrochemical forming (EL-Form) work has shown considerable promise
for improving the mechanical properties of rhenium by producing a
multi-layered deposit comprised of a tailored microstructure, i.e.,
Engineered Re.  In addition, the multi-component processing ability of
the EL-Form process has the potential to significantly reduce the cost
of producing advanced rhenium-iridium thrust chambers.  Therefore, PPI
and its industry partner, Aerojet, will work together to develop rhenium
based in-space engines with improved mechanical properties at a reduced cost.
This project will develop innovative composite powders and composites that will surpass the properties of currently identified materials for advanced gas turbine engine applications.  Phase I will demonstrate a powder metallurgy technique for fabricating high-temperature, oxidation-resistant composite powders.  Once consolidated, the resulting composite will possess high creep and thermal fatigue strength, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion properties.
In an attempt to build more computationally powerful systems and improve the FLOPS/dollar and FLOPS/Watt of high-performance computers (HPCs), we have recently seen the proliferation of GPU-based clusters.  Many major vendors are now supporting this technology and such systems are becoming increasingly common everywhere from university research labs to the Top500 supercomputer list.  To take advantage of these systems, however, requires understanding a new programming paradigm, namely the ability to program GPUs.  In this project, we propose the development of tools to make programming massive GPU clusters transparent to the developer, thus allowing them to access their extreme computational power without significant additional effort.  Specifically, we propose the development of dense and sparse linear algebra libraries that are optimized for the underlying GPU hardware but are called by the user from a standard, high-level interface.  This work will build off our NASA-funded and commercially-successful CULA libraries, a set of GPU-accelerated, dense linear algebra libraries that run on single GPUs.  More recently we have begun adding sparse linear algebra libraries to this package and prototyping their transition to multiple GPUs located in a single node.  The proposed effort will involve scaling this technology so it is available on massive GPU clusters, thus making the power of such systems easily accessible to all programmers.
KWJ is proposing a microfabricated multichannel ozone source, and will evaluate several designs for efficiency of ozone production in Phase I. The voltage requirements to produce a sustainable plasma discharge in the microchannel depend on the field strength required to cause the electrical breakdown of gas, and can be minimized by reducing the electrode gap as well as by impedance matching to optimize the power transfer to the ozone generation reaction. The proposed innovation combines microplasma ozone generation with a microreactor platform to provide a low energy-cost, highly efficient and compact sterilization system using ambient air for ozone production. Our vision includes efficient, scalable micro-reactors that are safe, need no handling of chemicals, are low power and effective for direct use in NASA applications to disinfect potable water. The design incorporates closed-loop process flows with no chemical handling required by the crew. The technology will produce spin off products to clean air, water, and surfaces for NASA as well as commercial clients.
ZIN Technologies, Inc. will provide a preliminary design showing the feasibility of a Reconfigurable Multi-functional Architecture (RMA) for a deployable floor secondary structure. 
This will address NASA requirements for innovative deployable secondary structures that have minimal mass, high packaging efficiency, and multi-functional utilization. The primary usage of the floor will be to provide a light weight, deployable walkway for a habitat, which meets the appropriate strength, stiffness, and stability requirements. In Phase 1, ZIN will design, analyze and breadboard the necessary joints to  enable the structure to be readily deployed and/or un-deployed, while maintaining the appropriate stiffness. The secondary purpose of the floor will be to take advantage of the walkway's cross sectional geometry and utilize it to provide water storage within the floor. The floor will house electrical and plumbing interfaces, which will connect these utilities between two sides of the module. An addition of electrical outlets within the structure will be provided upon need. Possible  features  include making the floor reconfigurable to serve as a radiation shield. ZIN will develop universal joints, to  enable crew members to disassemble the flooring system and re-assemble it into other secondary or EVA structures. The proposed Phase 1 effort will be geared towards a full scale Phase 2 demonstrator,  to  show the floor system usage in a relevant environment and raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of RMA structures. The RMA structure we propose will provide a highly robust, stiff and mass efficient surface within a primary structure that will enable the useful outfitting and pre-integration of subsystems within the primary volume
NASA's Vision for Space Exploration advocates a return to the moon and involves a pl an of using the moon as a base of for missions to other planets. Early return missions to the moon will involve lunar exploration with robotic spacecrafts with instrumental payloads for scientific measurements of lunar surface features such as rocks, soil, and minerals. These instrument payloads will be helpful in identifying lunar resources that can be used in establishing extended human presence. Raman spectroscopy has been actively investigated as a lunar as well as a Mars surface robotic investigative tool for minerals. Current Raman instruments for space exploration utilize a single excitation wavelength, with a laser in the near-infrared (IR) to minimize fluorescence background. The goal of this project is to employ a dual excitation (visible and near-IR lasers) Raman instrument to minimize background emission. To achieve this goal, a dual excitation wavelength fiber optically coupled Raman probe head and a compact wide spectral range echelle spectrograph were demonstreated in Phase I. Phase II will integrate the probe into a compact instrument for mineralogical analysis capable of deployment on a rover-type of vehicle.
This 2009 NASA SBIR Phase 2 proposal for an innovative Miniature Laser Magnetometer (MLM) is a response to subtopic S1.06 Particles and Field Sensors and Instrument Enabling Technologies. The MLM instrument will incorporate a number of technical innovations to achieve high-sensitivity and high-stability performance while significantly reducing the size of the laser-pumped helium magnetometer for use on very small satellites and UAVs. The MLM design approach will trade sensitivity for miniaturization of critical components while still meeting the performance requirements for geomagnetic and space science experiments. Reduction in instrument mass, volume and power will be accomplished through innovations including new non-magnetic components, compact nested triaxial Braunbek coils for vector measurements, and miniaturized packaging designs. The MLM will have a dynamic range up to 75,000 nT.  The scalar sensitivity will be 5 pT/rtHz with an accuracy of 0.2 nT. The vector sensitivity will be 5 pT/rtHz with an accuracy of 0.5 nT. The feasibility of fabricating and demonstrating a MLM prototype in Phase 2 was established in the Phase 1 effort. The TRL is expected to be 6 at the end of the Phase 2 contract.
Honeybee Robotics therefore proposed to develop a software tool for facilitating prospecting and excavation system trades in support of selecting an optimal architecture for the Moon. The tool could serve as a starting platform for excavation software for Mars or asteroids.  The tool will provide engineers with the ability to quickly examine "What if?" scenarios within a trade space by specifying a surface system architecture (e.g. lander or rover based, digging for ice or building burms) and receiving reliable data and graphs evaluating that architecture's performance in terms relevant metrics, such as total energy used or total duration. 

The proposed software aims to be (a) user friendly, (b) relevant to NASA excavation priorities (xPRP: digging icy regolith for ISRU or LSS: outpost preparation), and (c) accurate for lunar excavation (equations verified by testing in relevant environment and scaled for gravity).
Low-profile, embedded sensors are proposed for condition monitoring and
health management (HM) of thermal protection systems.  The sensors will
be fabricated using a high precision Direct Write (DW) process based
upon thermal spray, affording them the advantages of high temperature
tolerance, reproducibility, durability, and materials compatibility.
In-situ sensing of temperature, heat flux, and surface recession will be
demonstrated per the performance requirements specified for thermal
protection systems.  Relevant testing configurations will employ high
temperature furnaces and flame rigs, specifically to validate sensor
functionality, accuracy, and survivability.  Sensor compatibility with
TPS representative materials will also be considered to ensure seamless
integration for rapid technology deployment.  Having demonstrated their
diagnostic capabilities, combining the sensors with DAQ and HM
infrastructures would form the cornerstone of a potential Phase II,
continuing application-specific development while expanding to address
HM integration issues.
Magnetometers are the most common instrument flown on NASA science missions and interference from onboard electronics requires that these instruments be deployed away from the spacecraft. Particle sensors and electric field sensors can have similar requirements creating a significant need for deployable booms. Currently, these booms are usually custom designed for each spacecraft, resulting in wasted development costs through repetition. The Composite Rolled Magnetometer and Instrument Boom (CROMIB) will be a highly capable, standardized boom for field instruments that can be scaled from 2m long to 12m long. CROMIB is a slit-tube rolled boom that will deploy using strain energy to simplify the storage canister and eliminate the motor and motor electronics. Rolling the boom provides a highly compact stowed volume. Recurring cost will be roughly 1/3 of the cost for custom designing a segmented deployable boom. CROMIB builds upon the composite boom experience gained from rolled solar arrays.
Propellant densification systems particularly for H2 require compression systems developing very large amounts of head.  Development of this head requires multiple stages of compressors running at high speed.  In the past these compressors have run on grease-packed ball bearings with very limited life.  This project will utilize special foil bearings in place of the ball bearings and not only greatly increase bearing life but also permit even higher speed operation which will reduce the number of compression stages and increase system efficiency.
This SBIR phase I project proposes a single frequency high energy
resonant amplifier for remote sensing. Current state-of-art technologies
can not provide all features of high energy and efficiency, compactness,
and narrow spectral width. PolarOnyx proposes, for the first time, a
high energy (100 mJ) resonant amplifier to meet with the requirement of
solicitation. This proposal is based on the spectral shaping sub-mJ
fiber laser at 1550 nm we have achieved in our labs.  In the high power
amplifier stage, PolarOnyx proposes an innovative resonant cavity based
amplifier approach by employing our patent pending proprietary
technologies in hybrid high energy amplifiers, that will be able to
operate at low repetition rate (10's Hz to 1 kHz) and reach high energy
level of 100 mJ. These will make the hybrid fiber laser transmitter
system superior in terms of wall plug efficiency (over 30&amp;#37;), energy(100
mJ), noise, size, and cost.  A tabletop experiment will be demonstrated
in Phase I time frame for proof of concept. A compact prototype will be
delivered in Phase II.
We propose the development of nanoscale superlattices (SLs) as the active elements of high efficiency thermoelectric coolers.
Recent models predict that the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT can reach 4 for elements fabricated from HgCdTe-based SLs and
could exceed 6 for related metal/semiconductor SLs. The feasibility of using HgCdTe and metal-based SL materials with embedded
nanodefects for increased hot-carrier transport during thermoelectric cooling will be demonstrated in the proposed Phase 1 effort. We
will perform calculations to optimize the material parameters of HgCdTe- and metal-based SL structures to maximize ZT. Next, we will
use our extensive experience in molecular beam epitaxy to grow the designed structures. Finally, we will develop device structures
and metallization methods appropriate for performing ZT measurements, measure the ZTs of fabricated devices and compare results
with theory.
Access to space for Small Satellites is enabled by the use of excess launch capacity. An integration process that minimizes risk to the primary, allows parallel integration and predictable cost/schedule for the secondary enables use of that capacity. Design_Net has developed and flown a Falcon 1 RideShare Adapter (RSA)  and is developing  a RSA for the Minotaur IV, EELVs and Falcon 9. An RSA is more than structure, it must have electronics to provide a single simple interface to the launch vehicle (constant from mission to mission), yet provide a standard set of services to Payloads.  DNet has leveraged work on the Falcon RSA, work on advanced AFRL Plug and Play avionics and commercial investments to develop a modular Secondary Payload Support Unit (SPSU). SPSU provides deployment, power distribution, and telemetry services for secondaries. We propose building on that work by adding video capability to verify and evaluate payload deployment.  During Phase 1 we develop the video to PDR level (Begin TRL 3; End TRL 4) and during Phase 2 carry development of that module coupled with the rest of the SPSU (currently at TRL 6) to TRL 8 and have a system ready for flight in  2012 timeframe.
The integrated NASA/DoD electric propulsion objectives are for a
specific mass less than 3 kg/kW while demonstrating a throttlable
thrust-to-power ratio of 100:1 at a specific impulse of 1,000 sec down
to 40:1 at 4,000 sec with an operational lifetime exceeding 20,000
hours.  Modern Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) are a proven technology with
flight heritage, established manufacturing readiness and testing
channels that nearly meet the desired specifications (as shown in Figure
1).  However, the major limitation is that HETs fail to achieve all four
of objectives simultaneously. This Phase I feasibility study is focused
on a proof-of-concept experiment to alleviate the HET dual-mode
operational envelope limitation for both high thrust-to-power and high
specific impulse.   Starfire Industries believes that a &amp;quot;low
hanging fruit&amp;quot; modification to HETs exists, and such an improvement
would be evolutionary to enable multi-mission EP systems for NASA's
Science Mission Directorate and DoD platforms.  Towards this end,
Starfire has partnered with Aerojet Corporation to rapidly demonstrate
feasibility in Phase I through experimental modification to an existing
HET system.  If results are confirmed, a Phase II design can be driven
to yield immediate upgrades for flight-qualified HET systems for
near-term payback.
Aircraft particle emissions contribute a modest, but growing, portion of the overall particle emissions budget.  Characterizing aircraft particle emissions is required to improve aircraft combustor design and aircraft operating practices.  Aircraft particle emissions are a complex mixture of soot and semi-volatile material, primarily inhabiting sizes smaller than 100 nm.  New instruments are required to characterize aircraft particle emissions.  We propose to build a new instrument for sensitive (&gt;200 ng m-3 on a 1 Hz cycle) measurements of particle sulfate.  The key instrument component will be a tunable infrared diode absorption spectrometer (TILDAS).  Compared to existing sulfate measurement instruments, the TILDAS-sulfate instrument will be able to reject NO interferences, a key capability required for aircraft exhaust applications.  Prior to reaching the TILDAS, gas phase SO2 will be removed using an acid gas denuder and particle sulfate will be converted to SO2 in a quartz oven. By running the TILDAS-sulfate in tandem with a commercial differential mobility analyzer, we anticipate obtaining size resolved sulfate mass loadings (10 size bins, from 10 nm to several hundred nm).  Phase I tasks include evaluating acid gas denuder and SO2-to-sulfate technologies, determining the instrument detection limits, demonstrating instrument discrimination against NO and other interferences, and demonstrating the use of the instrument to characterize simulated aircraft exhaust gas.
A problem perceived for Trex Enterprises chemical vapor composite silicon carbide CVC SiC&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; mirrors is the cost associated with machining and lightweighting the mirrors.  Indeed these processes are labor, schedule, risk and cost drivers for our exceptional, high performance variety of silicon carbide material. Although we have made significant strides in improving our baseline CVC SiC&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; manufacturing processes, the product is still substantially higher priced than the goals of the NASA project.  In Phase I, we created and demonstrated a manufacturing process for the new ceramic matrix composite honeycomb panel silicon carbide (HoneySiC or H-SiC) which nearly eliminates the machining and lightweighting process steps for mirrors and opto-mechanical structures. The new material achieves lightweighting of 92&#37; relative to bulk material and net production cost on the order of $38K per square meter (unpolished), less than half of NASA's goal of $100K per square meter. Web thickness, core geometries (pocket depth, pocket size), and mirror shape are easily tailored since H-SiC starts as a molded precursor material. The Phase II project will start at Technology Readiness Level 3 (TRL 3, experimental critical function and characteristic proof of concept) and end at TRL 5 (breadboard in a relevant environment).
NASA's future science missions to investigate the structure and evolution of the universe require highly efficient, very low temperature coolers for low noise detector systems.  We propose to develop a highly efficient, lightweight Active Magnetic Regenerative Refrigeration (AMRR) system that can continuously provide remote/distributed cooling at temperatures in the range of 2 K with a heat sink at about 15 K.  The AMRR system uses a vibration-free, reversible cryogenic circulator and Micromachined Active Magnetic Regenerators (MAMRs) to achieve a large cooling capacity and very high thermal efficiency.  The MAMRs use an innovative flow channel configuration and novel micromachining technologies to achieve very high thermal and flow performance.  In Phase I we proved the feasibility of our approach by demonstrating critical fabrication methods for the micromachined regenerator and its thermal and flow performance through detailed analysis.  In Phase II we will build and demonstrate a full-scale micromachined regenerator for a prototype AMRR system that can provide 70 mW of cooling near 2 K.  In Phase III we will demonstrate the operation of an AMRR system incorporating the MAMRs and Creare's innovative reversible cryogenic circulator.
The overall program objective is to develop a high-temperature passive thermal management system for the Radioisotope Power Conversion system that energizes the refrigeration system applicable to Venus missions.  The innovation consists of a high temperature alkali metal variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) integrated with a two-phase heat collection / transport package  from the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) stack to the Stirling convertor heater head.   The thermal management system collects the heat from the GPHS modules, and delivers heat as required to the Stirling system.  Any excess heat is removed by the VCHP.  Excess  heat must be removed when the Stirling system is shut down, or in the early stages of a mission powered by a short-life radioisotope.  In Phase I, it was demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that the VCHP allows the Stirling convertor to: stop during transit to Venus, pre-cool the system before re-entry, work on Venus and execute brief stoppages on Venus. The reservoir is exposed to the environment temperature during the mission and this is a key for the HTTMS to work passively. The other component of the system, the two-phase heat transport package (HTP), minimizes the temperature drop between the multi-GPHS stack and the heater head. In Phase II, a full scale HTTMS will be designed and a representative multi-segment of the full scale HTTMS will be build and tested in relevant environment.  This multi-segment contains two or three parallel/redundant heat paths from the simulated GPHS stack to the heater head simulator, in addition to the backup cooling system (VCHP). The full-scale multi-segment HTTMS will be integrated and tested with the corresponding full scale multi-segment of the Intermediate Temperature Thermal Management System (ITTMS) of the Venus Lander.
Makel Engineering and Cornell University propose to develop a galley architecture taking into account the design constraints of the space habitat, such as reduced pressure and gravity, minimize size, mass, power and crew time, while producing food with high nutritional value and enough variety, acceptable taste and texture qualities for long term crew consumption. The current design of the space habitat will have a reduced atmospheric pressure of 8 psia which is equivalent to a 16,000 foot mountain top, with oxygen enrichment to prevent hypoxia effects on the crew.  The combination of reduced pressure and gravity will affect the heat and mass transfer during food processing and food preparation of the food.  Whether the food system is based chiefly on bulk packaged ingredients or crops grown on site, it must minimize mass, volume, power and waste, make effective use of the limited resource of crew time, produce nutritious, highly acceptable and varied food, and integrate into the closed habitat's atmospheric control system by containing and controlling airborne particulates, water vapor and odors generated during food preparation.
The main goal of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a monolithic solid state laser on the basis of PTR glass co-doped with luminescent rare earth ions. The main feature of this new complex material is its ability to be simultaneously an active laser medium and a phase photosensitive medium. That way the same piece of material can be used as laser gain element and a monolithic laser resonator produced by the recorded in that volume Bragg gratings (VBGs). A series of PTR glasses co-doped with rare-earth ions (Nd, Yb and Er) was fabricated. It was shown that those glasses possess both high efficiency of luminescence and photosensitivity (photo-thermo-induced change of refractive index). A technology of the recording of volume Bragg gratings in each of these new PTR glasses was developed and controllable diffraction efficiency between 10 and 99&#37; was demonstrated. A laser was demonstrated in Nd-doped PTR glass plate using an external Fabry-Perot resonator based on two plane dielectric mirrors with longitudinal pumping by laser diodes at 808 nm. Lasing and narrowing of spectrum down to ~20 pm is demonstrated when one of the mirrors was replaced by a high efficiency VBG.
We propose an improved cathode based on our novel theory of the role of scandium oxide in enhancing emission in tungsten-impregnated cathodes.  Recent results have demonstrated the efficacy of nano-particle scandium oxide, but a detailed theory on the mechanism of operation has been lacking.  Our theory explains published data and points to an optimized cathode, which we propose here to build and test.  

The cathode is the performance-limiting component in high-frequency linear beam amplifiers such as traveling wave tubes and klystrons.  The required bandwidth, data rate, number of channels, frequency, and output power are going up.  The performance of linear beam amplifiers is acutely limited by current cathode performance.  Scandate cathodes offer a way to increase top emission from 10 A/cm2 to at least 50 A/cm2.  

Phase I proved the feasibility of applying layers on unagglomerated scandium oxide on impregnated cathodes.  Phase II will optimize, test, and commercialize the process.
Accurate estimates of the vibroacoustic loading placed on space vehicles and payloads during launch require knowledge of the rocket noise source properties. Given the extreme nature of acoustic environments near the plume, data sufficient to characterize the noise source region have been difficult to acquire. Without these data, structures may be designed to handle insufficient or excessive vibroacoustic loads, resulting in either an overbuilt structure (and extra weight), or an under-designed vibration isolation system that could result in damaged cargos. Current energy-based acoustic probe designs have limited frequency bandwidth due to physical limitations. A new set of probe designs is proposed that incorporate both a new physical probe design but also a more advanced signal processing methodology that will significantly increase the usable frequency bandwidth of the probes while reducing the manufacturing and maintenance costs of the probes. The probe system will also include the design of a complete data acquisition system capable of recording data under the harsh conditions present in typical rocket motor test firings.
With more missions at high data rates demanding use of limited spectral resources, NASA's SCaN office recently coordinated a study to identify a space communications architecture to support future missions.  The study recommends precoded GMSK and AR4JA LDPC codes as preferred options in most Space Network and Ground Network forward and return links and Deep Space Network return links.  This modulation and coding pair provides excellent bandwidth-efficiency and greatly reduced transmitter SWaP.  Unfortunately, there are no high-data-rate AR4JA LDPC devices currently available and existing GMSK receivers operate far from the performance predicted by theory, especially in the presence of severe channel and equipment impairments.

Phase I provided a design of a soft-decision generating GMSK demodulator integrated with an AR4JA LDPC decoder and with estimation and compensation of a comprehensive set of severe impairments.  Fixed-point simulations show performance within a small fraction of a dB of the performance with far less bandwidth-efficient modulations such as BPSK.  The results of this effort show the technical and commercial viability of an integrated GMSK/AR4JA LDPC design.

The proposed Phase 2 effort involves the development and delivery of a prototype transmitter and receiver to demonstrate the superior capabilities offered by this innovation and enable subsequent commercialization.  A simple and highly flexible GUI system for prototype configuration and control and modular API design will allow Phase II refinement of the design and facilitate integration in future commercial products.
FTT proposes development of a magnetically actuated dynamic seal.  Dynamic seals are used throughout the turbopump in high-performance, pump-fed, liquid rocket engines for a variety of purposes.  The most common applications are in the lift-off seal (LOS), inter-propellant seal (IPS), and balance piston seals  high-pressure orifice (HPO), low-pressure orifice (LPO), and inner diameter impeller shroud seal (eye seal).  The system solution for conventional seals represents a compromise between the turbopump mechanical design, primarily flowpath, and secondary flowpath design that results in increased leakage, increased seal wear, and reduced balance piston load capacity that reduces performance, throttle-ability, thrust-to-weight, reliability, and operability.  The magnetically actuated seal eliminates this compromise and provides significant improvement in performance, throttle-ability, thrust-to-weight, reliability, and operability.  Phase 1 resulted in a significant advancement of the technology by demonstrating a magnetically actuated face seal in both ambient and cryogenic conditions, characterizing the seal and actuator performance, and quantifying the performance improvements for the turbopump and engine.  Phase 2 will advance the technology from TRL 3 to 5.  The technology is applicable to booster engines, in-space engines, and ascent/descent engines.
Tech-X proposes to develop a comprehensive Fortran testing and refactoring infrastructure that allows developers and scientists to leverage the benefits of comprehensive Integrated Developer Environment
(IDE) tools.  An intriguing aspect of the infrastructure is the integration of performance measurement, unit testing, and refactoring tools with the many other features of an IDE, which will allow developers to get immediate feedback about the overall application and reduce their development cycle time.  Our goal is to promote modern software engineering methodology to a broad spectrum of Fortran users.

The infrastructure will facilitate refactoring newly developed and legacy codes correctly and accurately for single and multi-processor applications. Major benefits to refactoring include creating robust codes that are more easily ported to different hardware and software platforms, promoting extensibility, facilitating better collaboration, and encouraging best software engineering practices. For example, refactoring code to remove common blocks allows porting to multi-core architectures with increased thread safety.

By packaging pFUnit (Fortran Unit Test Tool) into the Eclipse, combining with improved versions of Photran IDE and the Parallel Tools Platform plugins, the proposed integration we will be able to quickly contribute to the Fortran developer community, whose feedback we hope to use to guide our product development.
Optoelectronic integrated holds the key to higher performance, reduced mass and radiation-hard space systems.  A special need is increased flexibility of phased arrays for communication and detection. Currently RF arrays use ferrite waveguide elements for phase shifting which are both bulky and lossy with a phase shift limit of 360: . Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) arrays currently use a single optical source with mechanical steering. An identified goal would be an RF array with true time delay for beam steering and combined in the same physical location with an optical array steered via optical phase shift. ODIS approaches this problem with an optoelectronic circuit that integrates the RF and optical elements within a single chip. The RF at Ka band is generated by an optoelectronic oscillator and converted to RF power in a photodiode at the antenna element. The antenna element is a printed dipole on chip with dimensions of &amp;#955;/2 (&amp;#8776;4.3mm). The optical source is an array of vertical cavity lasers spaced sufficiently closely to achieve a coherent beam. Optical beam steering is achieved by optical phase shifting of the coherent beam. In this SBIR, ODIS will demonstrate the key components integration to achieve a common RF/optical aperture.
In order to achieve a high payoff turbopump with a low investment, the modern turbopump in today's space propulsion program is required to have greater life, with lower maintenance costs.  In order to achieve lower maintenance costs, the turnaround time between mission cycles must be kept to a minimum.  At each cycle, one item on the maintenance checklist to be conducted is rotor torque.
In order for a turbopump to be returned to service, among other requirements, it must be clear of all FOD as well as damage to the rotor or bearings.  One maintenance check that is a valid indicator of FOD or rotor and bearing damage is a rotor torque check.  Failure of a turbopump due to rotor or bearing damage may lead to an event categorized as a Criticality 1 (Loss of Life or Vehicle) failure mode.
In most modern turbopumps, performing a rotor torque check involves timely and costly maintenance procedures.  In many cases, inlet piping or structural cases must be removed to expose the turbopump rotor.  As each piece of hardware is reinstalled, they routinely must undergo lengthy quality checks to ensure proper assembly and function.
FTT proposes development of a means to measure the rotor torque through the use of an electromagnetic drive device.  Similar to a DC electrical motor, the new component would be powered and cause the rotor to rotate.  After recording measurements of the rotor speed and electromagnet input power, the rotor torque could be calculated.  Incorporating a device such as this into a turbopump would reduce time associated with torque measurements from days to seconds.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate is currently considering various sample cache and return missions to the Moon, Mars and asteroids. These missions involve the use of a coring tool to produce rock and soil cores. The MEPAG committee recommends that core acquisition take place directly into an individual encapsulation sleeve with a pressed-in cap. The improved sample encapsulation technology of this proposal can be activated while the drill bit is still in the drill hole, thus preserving sample integrity before the core is even extracted. It also insures the sample does not fall out during bit extraction. The sleeves can handle cores of rock, soil or regolith; and are translucent or transparent enabling inspection of the core after extraction. They preserve stratigraphy, volatiles, voids and gaps, and incomplete cores. A unique aspect of the sleeves instills the ability to preserve core integrity even in the vibration and shock environment of a sample return mission. This proposed Phase 1 effort involves a design trade study, analysis and a proof-of-concept test.  At the end of Phase 1, the innovations will be at TRL 4. A proposed Phase 2 effort would involve integration into a core drill design, environmental testing, and shock and vibration testing to advance the technology to TRL 6.
The proposed project will develop a new technique for invariant inference and embed this and other current invariant inference and checking techniques in an easy-to-use tool. The result will enhance an engineer's ability to use formal methods ? generating, editing, reviewing, proving and testing invariants ? and improve productivity in verification and validation of safety and correctness properties software.

Currently, invariants that represent such properties require extensive human effort to write; automated techniques, though improving, are still insufficiently capable of automatically inferring them.

The proposed project will develop innovative techniques to infer logical invariants describing the behavior of individual software modules by combining static (analyzing a program without running it) and hybrid analysis (inferring invariants from observations of executing software). In particular, the project will (a) combine concolic execution and hybrid analysis to find candidate invariants from high-branch-coverage test suites, (b) apply that combination to obtain invariants for individual functions and data structures, (c) iterate the analysis to broaden data coverage of the test suite and improve the accuracy of invariants, and (d) create early prototypes and development plans to integrate the resulting tools in selected IDEs (Eclipse and GrammaTech's CodeSonar tool).

In carrying out this project, GrammaTech will build on its static analysis tools, concolic engine, and software dynamic translation module. It will leverage its base of research and expertise in static and hybrid analysis, specification languages, automated SMT theorem provers, and GUI tools for program analysis and development. The commercialization prospects for the proposed project are enhanced by GrammaTech's demonstrated experience in producing prototypes and commercial products from research results.
Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation (IFOS) proposes, in this Phase 1 SBIR project, to demonstrate the feasibility of innovations based on an ultra-light-weight, ultra-high-speed, multi-channel, optical fiber sensor system for acoustics emissions (AE) monitoring for detection of damage and cracks in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV). The project goals are to (1) design an ultra-high-speed, high resolution , small-foot-print fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogator, (2) construct a system model, (3) test platform including embedded FBG sensors and (4) develop signal processing algorithms to identify and measure AE signals in the presence of a quasi-static background strain field. The system model will demonstrate proof-of-principle and the test results will provide proof-of-functionality of the proposed sensor system for monitoring AE including using the advanced fiber optic sensor signal processing algorithms.  AE will be measured on composite cylinders performing pencil break or impact hammer tests.  The model test results will be compared to the measurements made concurrently by a standard single channel piezoelectric AE transducer. In Phase 1, IFOS will also develop a Phase 2 strategy plan that includes development and integration strategy, potential demonstration opportunities, program schedule, and estimated costs.
Our vision for this NASA proposal is to develop a rad-hard and ultra low
power (ULP) reconfigurable FPGA that will have
A practical CO2 control system for ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) on Mars have not yet been developed. TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a durable, high-capacity, continuously regenerable sorbent that can remove CO2 from the breathing loop.  The energy for regeneration is provided by the metabolic load, and the  sorbent can be regenerated at or above 6 torr, eliminating the potential for Martian atmosphere to leak into the regeneration bed and into the breathing loop. 

In Phase I, we demonstrated the feasibility of the concept in a series of bench-scale experiments and by conducting a preliminary system analysis. We showed the sorbent regeneration can be accomplished with a temperature swing of only 17:C, The entire system runs at near ambient temperature, and the sorbent can be regenerated at 13 torr (well above the Martian atmospheric pressure). We also performed over 1,000 adsorption/regeneration cycles to demonstrate the life of these sorbents. The major objective in Phase II is to design and fabricate a full-scale breadboard prototype unit to demonstrate the merits of the new technology. We will also improve the sorbent formulation.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to fabricate, characterize, and verify performance of a new type of frequency steered acoustic transducer (FSAT) for structural health monitoring for impacts and leaks in aerospace structures.  FSATs will be demonstrated both in the laboratory and on relevant NASA structure.  Testing would be performed on both simple and complex parts.  Multiple receivers would be tested to develop incoming signal analysis, angular distribution mapping, and source detection and localization.  In addition, Genziko will evaluate the suitability of its integration into a wireless system, using a micro power generator and RF transceiver.
AOS has shown that it is feasible to use the combined NASA/SBIR resources from Phases I and II to:

(i)	Build a turn-key analyzer system that has the dual-band/differential architecture and is small, light and sensitive enough to be deployed in the smallest zone of the Global Hawk (GH);
(ii)	Demonstrate TRL 9 and flight readiness of the analyzer system for deployment on the GH and
(iii)	Validate the analyzer system for observations of CO2 DMF by double-blind comparison with the flask sampling technology of NOAA/GMD and by broadband comparison with an AOS analyzer system that have been validated on hundreds of airborne missions.

The net result of Phase II will be a TRL 9 CO2 analyzer system that can be deployed on the GH as needed for NASA field studies and validation of CO2 satellites.
Microwave interferometers for NASA missions such as PATH employ the GeoSTAR instrument, consisting of 600 receivers. Each receiver requires I and Q ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) for signal digitizing at 1GHz before further processing in the cross-correlators. Power consumption as well as instrument volume and weight are critical in space born instruments. During Phase I, Pacific Microchip Corp. designed the block diagrams and circuits of a monolithic array consisting of sixteen 2-bit ADCs. A serializer is integrated to reduce the number of outputs from 32 to 1. This reduces the power consumption per ADC and resolves the problem of wiring congestion in the interface with cross-correlators. For further power reduction, a novel metastability programming feature is integrated into the ADC latches. The clock distribution is fundamentally simplified as well. The 2-wire serial I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) interface allows all 1200 ADCs of the GeoSTAR instrument to be calibrated and optimized. Phase I work provided a complete definition and in silico validation of the monolithic ADC array with serial output. Phase II of the project will produce a fieldable product. In order to facilitate the commercialization efforts in Phase III, a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) Silicon-on-Isolator (SOI) technology will be used for fabrication.
This SBIR phase I project proposes a single frequency high energy fiber laser for remote sensing. Current state-of-art technologies can not provide all features of high energy and efficiency, compactness, and narrow spectral width.
A launch vehicle and its launch facilities are subjected to intense acoustic loads generated by the vehicle's propulsion system. The vehicle, its payload, and facilities must be designed to withstand these loads to ensure mission safety and success.
Future NASA LIDAR missions require low noise and large area photodetectors operated at short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths. Silicon avalanche photodiodes have very low responsivity for wavelength longer than 1.
ATA Engineering, Inc, proposes an SBIR program to demonstrate an innovative engine air-brake (EAB) technology that uses a deployable swirl vane mechanism to switch the operation of a turbofan engine nozzle from a conventional to a "drag management" mode. Such "drag on demand" enables operational benefits such as slower, steeper, and/or aeroacoustically cleaner flight on approach, addressing NASA's need for active and passive control of aeroacoustic noise sources for conventional and advanced air
The future capabilities of sensors and instrumentation deployed in space will continue to increase, resulting in increasing amounts of collected data. To reach these higher speed data rates, increases to the overall system gain of the communication link will be required.
With recent advances in MicroLink's inverted metamorphic (IMM) multijunction epitaxial lift off (ELO) solar cells, new opportunities for solar cell packaging are possible that leverage the inherent physical flexibility of these high efficiency solar cells. Novel photovoltaic (PV) blankets can be constructed with these flexible and modular solar cells.
Prognostic monitoring capabilities for space exploration aircrafts are crucial to enable safety and reliability in these platforms. Nokomis proposes to develop and mature a system which exploits electromagnetic emissions to identify degradation in avionics components and determine the probability of failure and remaining useful life (RUL).
In this effort, Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc (RMD) addresses NASA's request for sensitive, high quantum efficiency (QE) optical detectors for space- and ground-based light detection and ranging (Lidar) instruments. We propose to address this need by utilizing our latest designs in solid state photodetectors, and providing optimal receiver solutions needed for NASA's ongoing and future science missions.
Makel Engineering and the Ohio State University propose to develop a harsh environment tolerant gas sensor array for atmospheric

analysis in future Venus missions. The proposed instrument will be very compact, require low power, and ruggedly packaged to be

compatible with balloon a payload for atmospheric composition analysis.
Extracting water and volatiles from icy soils requires excavating and manipulating those soils as feedstock, but the Phoenix mission demonstrated some of the difficulties that may be encountered during such operations. The solution to these problems is an integrated mobile mining and water extraction system that uses an auger based excavation approach and an integrated water-ice extraction plant &amp;#150; hence, if the water-ice does sublime, it will sublime straight into the extraction system.
The explosive eruption of a volcano under the Eyjafjallaj?kull glacier in Iceland on 14 April 2010 brought air travel in Europe and across the Atlantic to a standstill. Millions of passengers were stranded for over a week and the shutdowns cost the airlines $200 million per day. Jet airliner encounters with volcanic ash plumes have resulted in 90 known incidents of damage to engines and airframes over the past 30 years.  Research aircraft measurements from the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980 showed that particles with diameters &lt; 0.1 micron were found in concentrations similar to those measured in ambient air, but concentrations with diameters from 0.1 to 30 microns were up to 100 times greater than in ambient air. A safe and cost-effective alternative to flying conventional research aircraft into volcanic ash plumes is to instrument a small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that uses electric motor propulsion.  In Phase I we propose to design and laboratory test a novel, standalone sensor system that can measure the particle size distribution from 0.09 micron to hundreds of microns, record high-resolution digital images, and collect samples for post-analysis of the composition of volcanic ash.  In Phase II we will install the sensor package on a tethered balloon and a small electric-powered UAS supplied by Vanilla Aircraft LLC.  In concert with experts from the University of Alaska and the University of Cost Rica, we will perform a pilot field project measuring ash size distribution, recording high-resolution digital images, and analyzing ash composition in the plume of an active volcano in Costa Rica.
Long duration storage of large quantities of cryogenic fluids for propulsion, power, and life-support is an essential requirement for long-term missions into space. The behavior of active and passive cryogenic fluid management (CFM) is paramount to the reliability of a spaceship and cryotank storage.
Research is proposed to investigate the feasibility of using advanced manufacturing techniques to enable the affordable application of multi-functional high temperature coatings having enhanced resistance to high temperature engine environments. For example, thermal / environmental barrier coatings (T/EBCs) are envisioned to protect the surface of Si-based ceramics against moisture-assisted, oxidation-induced ceramic recession.
Lightweight, steady and stiff mirrors are necessary to decrease cost of telescopes such as IXO and GenX used in special NASA missions. Low-density materials are ideal for use as mirrors in such applications.
According to the NASA A2-01 topic description titled Materials and Structures for Future Aircraft, "advanced materials and structures technologies are needed in all four of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program research thrusts (Subsonics Fixed Wing, Subsonics Rotary Wing, Supersonics, and Hypersonics) to enable the design and development of advanced future aircraft. Proposals are sought that address specific design and development challenges associated with airframe and propulsion systems.
Gamma ray and neutron spectroscopy are well established techniques for determining the chemical composition of planetary surfaces, and small cosmic bodies such as asteroids and comets; however, new technologies with the potential to significantly improve the performance of planetary nuclear spectroscopy are emerging in response to demands in other fields such as homeland security. We propose to develop new gamma-ray and neutron detectors based on wide-band-gap solid state photomultiplier (SSPM)
During this Phase I, Michigan Aerospace Corporation will adapt the design of an optical MEMS seismometer for lunar and other planetary science instrumentation. The optical MEMS based seismometer takes advantage of the high Q of morphological dependent resonances and can be sensitive to a few nano-g with a proof mass under 80 grams.
We propose to investigate a virtual teamwork training suite incorporating serious games that target specific team-oriented skills and behaviors. We will define metrics for evaluation of team performance, devise games that engage crew and controller participants in relevant team tasks, and perform a review on the applicability of virtual environment and serious game mechanics to training objectives.
We propose to develop a Visual Intelligent Robot Performance Monitor (VIRPM) that will help crew members maintain situation awareness of robot performance more effectively. VIRPM will provide intelligent assistance to crew members by detecting topical data that suggest possible problems (causes and effects), gathering additional topical data that provides supporting or rebutting evidence for each problem, and presenting routine and topical data graphically that enable crew members to quickly un
A central focus of NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) atmospheric general circulation modeling effort is the development of an atmospheric model suitable for data assimilation, weather forecasting, and climate simulation. Ongoing developments are focused on highly parallel processing, global simulations of increasing resolutions, and increased coupling of the earth system's process models.
We propose a novel new architecture for a quantum communications laser transmitter that is designed for free-space polarization encoded quantum key distribution (QKD) between a spacecraft and a ground based system. The transmitter will operate at 775 nm, a wavelength that has previously been analyzed to be optimize free-space QKD due to the combined influence of atmosphere transition and detection efficiency by Si:APD detectors.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc (DSS) and MicroLink Devices, Inc (MicroLink) as a key subcontractor will focus the proposed SBIR program on the creation and development of a lightweight high-efficiency un-concentrated ELO IMM multi-junction photovoltaic flexible blanket assembly specifically for future NASA Space Science and Exploration missions that demand ultra-lightweight and affordability. The proposed IMM PV flexible blanket assembly when coupled to an optimized structural platform (such as
This innovative and practical measurement and monitoring system optimally defines dynamic pressure fields, including sound fields. It is based on passive acoustic tomography technologies.
As concepts and technologies being developed for the Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) mature, the natural progression is to study their integration and evaluation in the operational environment. Before they can be integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS) for evaluation in the field, they typically have to undergo extensive human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing in a controlled laboratory environment to identify and work out the issues.
NASA has an ongoing commitment to collect in situ data with a documented uncertainty in keeping with established performance metrics for vicarious calibration of ocean color satellite sensors and to validate the algorithms for which the remotely-sensed observations are used as input parameters. This proposal seeks funding to develop an in-water "Hybridspectral" capability that combines two differing practices for data collection (multiwaveband and hyperspectral) to satisfy the necessary diversi
Monopropellants are readily ignited or decomposed over a bed of solid catalyst. A serious limitation of existing catalysts in the ignition of advanced monopropellants is limited thermal stability.
Originally designed for space applications, multi-junction solar cells have a high overall power conversion efficiency (&gt;30&#37;) which compares favorably to amorphous silicon, CIGS and bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices which are limited to &lt;10&#37;. Recent advances in manufacturing of Inverted Metamorphic Multi-junction (IMM) solar cells have opened new opportunities to greatly improve the specific power of the devices by means of removal of the epitaxial substrate.
The technical innovation proposed here is the application of an alternative hydrocarbon fuel &amp;#150; densified propylene, in combination with liquid oxygen (LOX) &amp;#150; that has the potential to enhance the performance of a proposed Nano / Micro Launch Vehicle (NMLV) enough such that a simple two-stage, pressure-fed configuration will be sufficient for orbital missions. Besides eliminating the third stage, the absence of turbopumps reduces hardware costs, improves overall system reliability and s
The Innovation Laboratory, Inc, proposes to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance &amp;#150; Broadcast (ADS-B) information as the basis of atmospheric wave and turbulence identification. Working in conjunction with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), we research the feasibility of using the high rate ADS-B altitude information to detect the presence of mountain waves and Mountain Wave Turbulence (MWT) in the vicinity of steep terrain as well as atmospheric waves and turbulence from
This effort proposes to design, build, and demonstrate a new instrument for icing research and flight safety capable of discriminating liquid water from ice while simultaneously measuring the diameter, velocity, and temperature of droplets or the velocity and size for ice crystals. From these individual particle characteristics the total liquid water content (LWC) and the total water content (TWC) of the flow may be found.
Isotopic analysis of carbon dioxide is an important tool for characterization of the exchange and transformation of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere. These measurements require highly accurate and precise instruments that are capable of providing isotopic abundances to discriminate between man-made and natural carbon sources.
New multiscale modeling capability for analyzing advanced Hall thrusters is proposed. This technology offers NASA the ability to reduce development effort of new high power Hall thrusters, and reduce system complexity and increase system lifetime and durability.
Forward Osmosis (FO) is a promising technology for wastewater treatment applications. FO-based treatment does not require external pressure, can use lightweight components, and has low propensity to foul.
In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop a miniature, high-resolution, low power, triple-isotope water analyzer for lunar and planetary exploration based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) in conjunction with LGR's patented Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (Off-Axis ICOS) technique. This compact instrument will provide highly accurate quantification of H2^16O, HOD, H2^18O, and H2^17O (&amp;#948;D, &amp;#948;1
The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate a set of methods for automatically extracting metadata from diverse data sets to serve as a common vocabulary by which data can easily be queried, retrieved and combined for visualization in a geobrowser. We propose extracting keyword tags from both structured and unstructured data sets by applying natural language processing (NLP) to metadata and unstructured content.
We propose a high-performance broadband infrared focal plane array (FPA) for the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on NASA's LANDSAT satellite. The FPA will feature a cutoff wavelength of 13 microns, operate at &gt; 55K, have a format of 640x512, quantum efficiency &gt; 30&#37;, and will be realized using Type-II InAs/GaSb strained layer superlattice (SLS) photodiodes.
In this effort, ZONA Technology, Inc aims at developing an innovative multi-fidelity and multi-disciplinary optimization (MDO) sub-framework that can (i) effectively reduce the number of design variables without screening-out any of the variables, (ii) accelerate the convergence through a novel design space evolution technique, and (iii) enable rapid determination of design sensitivities (gradients) for all the levels of fidelity during aerodynamic analyses. The innovative application of Proper
Very large solar arrays to power future solar electric propulsion systems will require a new generation of solar cells that are not only high efficiency, but also light weight and significantly lower cost than existing multijunction solar cells based on Ge substrates. The large volume of solar cells required for individual missions (hundreds of kilowatts to megawatts) also presents significant manufacturing challenges.
As ground operations personnel and crew manage the operations of orbiting and exploration spacecraft, inevitably anomalies will arise. Resolving anomalies in real-time and preventing their future occurrence can be difficult.
An innovative Microchannel Sabatier Reactor System (MSRS) is proposed for 100&#37; recovery of oxygen (as water) and methane from carbon dioxide (CO2), a valuable in situ resource available in the atmosphere or as frozen deposits on Mars and other Near Earth Objects (NEOs), using hydrogen. The Sabatier reaction will greatly benefit from inherently superior microreactor heat and mass transfer characteristics compared to conventional reactor designs.
Research on utilizing inexpensive and personal-level parallel computing architectures to speed up the implementation of the class of particle filters is proposed. This study will leverage NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and multi-core CPUs that are quickly becoming commonly available for engineering communities.
We propose to develop a coke-can-size, 250 g, 400 mW instrument for mounting on small lander or rover arms: the ultra-Compact Optical Spectrometer for Organic Mapping (&amp;#61549;COSOM) instrument. Two core technologies enable the proposed instrument: a narrow linewidth, 235 nm, deep UV (DUV) semiconductor laser triode (LT), currently being developed by Photon System under DARPA funding; and a new uncooled, linear DUV CCD array detector with high quantum efficiency in the DUV with fast read rates a
The Exercise Load Measurement Insole (ELMI) is a system that is designed to measure normal and shear foot forces during exercise. The ELMI system is lightweight, portable, unobtrusive, and its versatility allows it to be used for many purposes outside of exercise load measurement and study.
Systima is developing a high performance 25 lbf DACS thruster that operates with a novel non-toxic monopropellant. The monopropellant has a 30&#37; higher density-specific impulse compared to hydrazine and is commercially available off-the-shelf.
Mega-ROSA-EX is an enhanced, higher stiffness, higher sun-pointing accuracy, higher strength, higher specific power and even larger overall power / deployed size / stowed packaging capability configuration of the innovative Mega-ROSA technology. Mega-ROSA, named for Mega Roll-Out Solar Array, is a highly-modularized and extremely-scalable ROSA-based solar array architecture that provides immense power level range capability from 100kW to multiple Megawatts in size, for NASA Exploration Initiat
Achieving very high-power amplification with maximum efficiency at X- and Ka-band is challenging using solid-state technology. Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) has been the material of choice for high-power microwave systems at these frequencies for decades.
The UCDS process is the result of 50 years of research into combustion instability by the worlds leading scientists and engineers. The breakthroughs that created UCDS have provided a solid analytical foundation upon which tools can be developed and applied.
Loveraging on Agiltron's experience in optical fiber components, Agiltron proposed a coherent single-mode fiber (SMF) spatial filter array (SFA) with a gradient index fiber (GIF) lens array pair to meet NASA's application of planet exploration. There are several advantages over the current approach in: small aberration, low insertion loss, high uniformity, low cost, easy assembly and high stability.  
In Phase I, Agiltron will build a GIF-based SFA prototype to prove the feasibility of the proposed low cost program for NASA applications. At the same time, a theoretical study will be made to build a simulation model for the proposed SFA. This simulation and actual physical testing will provide the necessary baseline for us to build and demonstrate a prototype including the mechanical enclosures in Phase II. We expect to provide fully functional and environmentally tested production units for NASA in Phase II.
In this proposal, we propose to demonstrate and build a near 2 micron widely tunable, narrow linewidth, single frequency fiber laser by developing an innovative Ho-doped single mode fiber. Such near 2 micron fiber laser is needed for coherent lidar and interferometric fiber sensing.
In this proposal, we propose to demonstrate and build a 1.55 micron single frequency high energy and high peak power fiber amplifier by developing an innovative Er-doped gain fiber with large core diameter and high gain per unit length. 1.55 micron single frequency high energy and high peak power fiber amplifier is needed for coherent lidar and sensing.
The proposed 45 nm radiation hardened platform based structured ASIC architecture offers the performance and density expected of a custom ASIC with the low manufacturing cost associated with a structured ASIC. The low cost, high performance customization of the structured ASIC portion of the chip is made possible by the 1-D 45 nm Mask-Lite process technology.
mistakes have been made in the system 4:50 ET Thursday Sept 9,2011
Dropsondes are one of the primary atmospheric measurement tools available to researchers. Current dropsondes are deployed with a free fall parachute trajectory, allowing no flight path control and requiring the deployment aircraft to fly close to the target.
Supersonic propulsion systems include internal ducts, and therefore, the flow often includes shock waves, shear layers, vortices, and separated flows. Passive flow control devices such as micro-vortex generators and micro-ramps have been proposed to improve vehicle performance.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will address the needs of space astronomy, military threat detection, and scientific research for image sensors that are sensitive in the ultraviolet while insensitive in the visible spectrum. This is because solar illuminated backgrounds are orders of magnitude greater than the ultraviolet radiation of interest (solar blocking filters exhibit low UV transmission and scattered light).
S&amp;K Aerospace (SKA) proposes to develop the Fault Management Assistant (FMA) to aid project managers and fault management engineers in developing better and more cost-effective fault management (FM) for new systems. The Phase I effort involves establishing an FM approach and architecture and designing a tool that supports them.
The proposal represents a radical revolution in Power Management &amp; Distribution (PMAD) that addresses many of the challenges for NASA missions that will operate in harsher space environments. One of the several advances it introduces is to eliminate the number one problem of electronics failure in space environment &amp;#150; "latch-up".
NanoSonic proposes to design and develop light-weight, low-modulus, and durable Metal Rubber&amp;#153; sensors for aeroelastic analysis of Hypersonic Decelerator Entry Systems (HDES), which would in effect increase the systems aerodynamic stability by contributing to optimize its design. The in-situ Metal Rubber&amp;#153; (MR&amp;#153;) strain sensors would be utilized to monitor drag at varying Mach flow regimes (subsonic to hypersonic) by analyzing dynamic pressures, and billowing effects (or similar shap
The Space Micro &amp;#150;Arizona State University (ASU) team will develop an all-digitally controlled, wide temperature range point-of-load switch-mode DC-DC regulator core with built-in self-test (BIST) functionality which meets space radiation requirements. In Phase I we will produce a design that can be fabricated into silicon in Phase II and demonstrate aspects of the design in the laboratory with some preexisting silicon circuits and discrete components.
Space Micro's technology features the use of a FPMA or field programmabe microwave array that is Multi-band and multi-waveform capable. The FPMA can be integrated into a Multi-Chip Module (MCM)to enable SWaP (size weight and power) improvements.
High-power electric propulsion with Hall thrusters has been proposed as a strong candidate for Electric Path missions, but conventional power processing units (PPUs) are complicated and the mass of the discharge power converters needs to be reduced. Direct Discharge Power Processing Units (DDUs) have been proposed as an alternative due to their simplicity and low mass, but the achievable operating range of thrust and ISP is significantly limited because power regulation for DDUs is only achieved
This proposal address innovations to the Laser-Induced Incandescence method aimed at (1) improving the lower detection limit of soot volume fraction by as much as two orders of magnitude and increasing overall measurement range by two orders of magnitude to meet new regulation that are in place or anticipated and (2) provide PM mean volumetric particle size and number density measurement capabilities. The proposed advances in the LII technique will substantially increase the capabilities for re
ORBITEC, in collaboration with Lucigen, proposes a rapid genetic detector for spaceflight water systems to enable real-time detection of E-coli with minimal consumables and crew time. The Rapid Coliform Detector (RCD) amplifies the genetic material in a liquid sample to allow near real-time identification of specific genetic sequences, in this case, that of E-coli.
Designation of the International Space Station (ISS) as a National Laboratory creates exciting opportunities for a broad spectrum of researchers to take advantage of ISS's unique space attributes and scientific research facilities. The Light Microscopy Module (LMM), which was developed and is being managed by the NASA Glen Research Center (GRC), is currently operating on the ISS and has supported many high profile research experiments.
Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) proposes to advance NASA's nonintrusive spatially- and temporally-resolved Interferometric Rayleigh Scattering (IRS) technology to perform additional multiple properties measurements in high-speed flows. In particular, an instantaneous nonintrusive Optical Mach Probe (OMP) to obtain the Mach number and the flow angularity among the flow density, translational temperature, and the bulk velocity is proposed.
Deployable Space Systems, Inc (DSS) will focus the proposed NASA Phase 1 program on the development and validation of ROSA-Max, a significantly structurally/electrically optimized version of the basic ROSA solar array technology with advanced ultra-lightweight structures and IMM photovoltaics. The combined embodiment with advanced ultra-lightweight structures and IMM photovoltaics offers maximum performance in all key metrics and unparalleled affordability for NASA Space Science missions.
Aircraft wake vortices is especially hazardous during the landing and taking-off phases of flight. It is essential to obtain an accurate atmospheric temperature profile in the lower troposphere for a better prediction and understanding of aircraft wake vortex.
In order to address NASA's needs identified in the RFP, TetraVue proposes the use of a unique, non GPS and non-observer position dependent 3D sensor system to achieve both high lateral and depth resolution during the landing phase of the EDL. The system uses a nanosecond-class laser strobe to illuminate the scene and capture the 3D data in a single shot and is thus insensitive to motion of the observe or the scene.
Long-duration robotic and manned space missions have a number of unique requirements for mission success. These include ultra-high reliability, safety, sustainability and affordability of launch vehicles and spacecraft.
TDA Research, Inc proposes to develop a compact, low power, high life-cycle computer controlled Programmable Force Generator (PFG) that can generate any force between 0 and 700 lbf during any phase of the exercise motion. The proposed device uses a closed loop control system to maintain the predetermined load throughout the range of motion by controlling an electric motor.
Ultramet recently demonstrated rapid, reliable, and repeated ignition of hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN)-hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate (HEHN) monopropellant mixtures. Before this milestone was achieved, the feasibility of using this advanced ionic liquid monopropellant was distant.
Low-cost access to space demands durable, cost-effective, efficient, and low-weight propulsion systems. Key components include rocket engine nozzles and nozzle extensions for boost and upper stages.
This project will develop a multi-functional, automated sample preparation instrument for biological wet-lab workstations on the ISS. The instrument is based on a transducer technology developed by Microsonics Systems; BLU (Bulk Lateral Ultrasonic).
We will develop a prototype of a GPU-based parallel Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) software package. BDDs are a data structure that satisfies some simple restrictions, resulting in a unique representation of a Boolean function regardless of its actual implementation.
The next generation of launch vehicles under development by NASA requires significant mass reduction to fully meet mission and performance needs. For example, NASA is aiming to create a new generation of heavy-lift launch vehicles to support both human spaceflight and space exploration missions.
The long-term goal for this effort is to develop a low-cost, high-temperature thruster. Within the attitude control propulsion community, many efforts have focused on development of ultra-high temperature precious metal alloys and systems that give long life and good performance (eg, Ir/Re).
To address NASA's need for compact nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of the structural integrity of spacecraft components and structures, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Structural Integrity Inspection and Visualization System (SIRIUS), based on acquiring two-dimensional images of Compton-scattered hard X-ray radiation produced by multiple slices of the object, with subsequent three-dimensional reconstruction of the inspected structure for high-resolution (~0.5 mm) dete
In this Phase I SBIR project for NASA, Flexure Engineering of Greenbelt, MD will leverage the work we did in our current SBIR project entitled: Cryogenic Optical Metrology Through A Chamber Window by producing an orthogonal development path that will push the envelope of integrating optical metrology instrumentation to a space environment simulation facility. We plan to fully integrate a Laser Radar scanning head inside a thermal-vacuum chamber for operation in cryogenic and high vacuum conditio
A new type of solid oxide fuel cell based on thin film technology and ultra-thin electrolyte is being proposed to develop to realize major reductions in fuel cell size, weight, and operating temperature, while significantly increasing power density. The thin film fuel cell is comprised of a micro-thin electrolyte (thickness ~ 1??m) that is grown on a foil nickel substrate.
Future satellite missions carrying X-ray spectrometers will be cooled to milliKelvin temperatures by multi-stage Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators (ADR), which, in turn will be precooled by closed-cycle cryocoolers. Each stage of the ADR will use a low temperature superconducting magnet, which will periodically be energized via high temperature superconducting (HTS) leads.
The proposed solution is to create a high fidelity simulation environment that merges a UAS ground control station (GCS) simulator with an air traffic control (ATC) simulator. The UAS GCS station will have the capability of introducing a single UAS or multiple UASs simulator operated by a single and/or multiple UAS pilots into the ATC.
This Phase I SBIR project will investigate a new, low-cost approach to atomic magnetometry that is suited for operation from UAVs and research balloons. Atomic magnetometers have been available for decades, but they remain expensive and relatively power-hungry, restricting their use to a small range of platforms.
Future NASA lunar missions will require a high efficiency, lightweight, long life, maintenance-free water electrolyzer for energy storage. Anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the limiting step in water electrolysis to achieve high efficiency and durability for current electrolyzer technology. Current best candidates for OER catalysts comprising of iridium and ruthenium oxides still suffer from high activation overpotential and incur performance losses in the electrolyzer due to non-optimized microstructural properties. In the present proposal, Lynntech proposes an advancement of its proprietary OER catalyst technology through optimization in microstructure and composition of mixed oxides of iridium and ruthenium. Lynntech's optimized catalyst will exhibit lesser overpotentials due to enhanced uniform nanophase properties of electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity and high surface area. In addition, surface modification of the catalyst is proposed to improve the kinetics of the OER reaction at lower current densities and also to improve the stability of the catalyst towards high potential operation during anodic OER. With its present OER catalyst already achieving less than 1.44 V at 200 mA/cm2 at 90 :C and stable operation even at 2.05 V electrolyzer potentials, Lynntech plans to achieve even lower potentials at 200 mA/cm2 with the proposed advancement of technology.
Microwave interferometers for NASA missions such as PATH and SCLP consist of up to 900 receivers. Each receiver requires I and Q ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) for signal digitizing at &gt;200MHz before further digital processing in the cross-correlators. Power dissipation as well as instrument volume and weight are the most important parameters in space born instruments. 
Pacific Microchip proposes designing a monolithic array consisting of 20x1-bit ADCs. A serializer will be integrated to reduce the number of outputs from 20 to 1. This will reduce the power per ADC and resolve the problem of wiring congestion where the cross-correlators interface. For further power reduction, Pacific Microchip proposes integrating a novel metastability programming feature into the ADC latches. The clock distribution will also be dramatically simplified. The 2-wire serial I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) interface will allow all 1800 ADCs to be calibrated and optimized. 
Phase I work will provide a complete definition, in silico validation of the product, and a hardware proof of concept. The Phase II program will produce a fieldable product. In order to facilitate the commercialization efforts in Phase III, a low cost commercial radiation-tolerant SiGe HTB technology will be used to fabricate the product.
For manned aircraft, loss of control in flight and controlled flight into terrain are two main causes for aviation accidents. Recently, the authors have developed systems that autonomously execute recovery strategies to rapidly restore nominal flight without overcommanding the aircraft, exacerbating the upset condition, or endangering nearby structures and vehicles. The opportunity exists to extend the automated recovery system (ARS) by incorporating it in manned aircraft in a way that collaborates with the crew about corrective actions and utilizes crew expertise in real-time to provide the most effective recovery.  The proposed research will develop and demonstrate such crew-specific extensions to show the benefits of a collaborative human/automated (H/A) upset recovery system. Metrics will be defined to evaluate mixed H/A team performance both in terms of performance and crew experience, and a variety of levels of autonomy will be implemented including manned recovery, ARS advisory mode, human oversight of ARS autonomy, and fully autonomous mode.  A key goal is to demonstrate that a mixed H/A mode will provide significant advantages over what can be achieved by either the pilot or the fully autonomous system alone. Toward this end, human-in-the-loop hardware demonstrations will be used to demonstrate the benefits of joint H/A approaches and to set the stage for Phase II flight demonstrations.
This proposal is for the development of an innovative, high power, and extremely reliable 1.26-micron Ho-doped fluoride fiber amplifier. The proposed fiber amplifier consists of a Ho-doped fluoride fiber pre-amplifier and power amplifier.  Laser at 1187 nm will be used as a resonant pump laser source for Ho3+-doped fiber laser.  High gain per unit length at 1.26 micron can be achieved in Ho-doped fluoride glass fiber due to the strong pump absorption at 1187 nm and strong emission at 1.2 micron transition.  The proposed Ho-doped fiber amplifier will be implemented into a MOPA system with a 1.26 micron single frequency Ho-doped fiber laser.  

This type of fiber based seed laser is needed for remote sensing of O  and O -N  for measuring atmospheric pressure.  Concurrent on-board O2 measurements using lines at 1.26 lm to allow for the best relative compensation for aerosol scattering along the line-of-sight of the CO2 and O2 measurements. The particular O2 band was chosen so that the surface and atmospheric scattering characteristics from aerosols and thin clouds would be nearly the same as for the measurement of CO2 at 1.57 lm.  It's part of program to provide space-based active measurements of CO2 for Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) Mission.
In response to NASA SBIR topic X1.04, Ridgetop Group will extend and adapt RingDown: an innovative system for the non-invasive prognostic monitoring of the health of electromechanical actuators and related power systems.  This comprehensive solution provides both advanced hardware sensors to monitor the systems and prognostic health management algorithms to interpret the signals available in them.  RingDown will significantly improve the reliability of and confidence in these critical NASA systems by alerting NASA personnel to impending failures well before they occur, averting disaster and improving confidence in the health of the systems.
Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) are comprised of a complex system-of-systems: a high-power switch mode power supply to power the EMA's servo drive, a lower-voltage switch mode power supply to power the EMA's logic controller, power inverters, and the EMA itself.  The sensors and algorithms provided by Ridgetop will allow NASA to monitor the health of?and anticipate failures in?all of these systems.  In addition, these algorithms will be applicable to other switch mode power supplies (SMPSs), which are a very common component in NASA's electrical systems.
Ridgetop's goal in this SBIR program is to transition these EMA prognostic health management technologies into fielded systems.  In Phase I, Ridgetop will extend the RingDown sensors developed under previous NASA SBIRs to monitor additional components in the EMA system-of-systems.  Ridgetop will also prototype the algorithms to interpret the data from those sensors in this Phase. In Phase II, Ridgetop will implement additional functionality for these algorithms and then field-test the combined algorithm and sensor solution.  In a future Phase III or other commercialization program, a final version of this comprehensive solution will be demonstrated in-flight and then transitioned into actual system usage.
Accurate real-time microbial monitoring of water environment is of paramount importance to crew health as well as to ensure proper functioning and control of the life support system during space exploration. The existing methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the devices used are bulky, consumable-hungry, and ill-suited for spacecraft deployment. We propose to develop and demonstrate a novel, fully automated, microfluidics-based sensor for detection and identification of microbes in water. The final product will be compact, accurate, fully integrated and automated, power-effective, and fieldable in research and space environments. The program objectives will be accomplished via several innovations: (a) a milli-fluidic microbe preconcentrator to improve detection sensitivity; (b) CFDRC's proprietary dielectrophoresis technology will be adapted to develop a dielectrophoretic focuser for differentiation and separation of target microbes from complex sample matrices; and (c) microfluidic impedance spectroscopy-based cytometry to enable label-free detection and near reagent-free operation. In Phase I, we will demonstrate all critical components to establish proof-of-concept of the proposed technology. Phase II efforts will focus along two lines. First, component design optimization will be carried out with fabrication enhancements and extended testing and characterization for technology validation. Second, an integrated microfluidic cartridge and instrumentation capable of automated operation (sample processing and detection) will be developed. The prototype instrument will be demonstrated in both terrestrial and hypogravity environments (in collaboration with NASA researchers/facilities).
In this proposal, TiER1 Performance Solutions and Alion Science and Technology offer to identify requirements and specifications, and implement a proof-of-concept prototype tool to support human factors evaluations.  This prototype, called the Human Factors Evaluation Automated Tool (HFE-AT), will provide guidance, for non-human factors personnel, to address human factors-related aspects of the engineering design process.  It will identify requirements for coordination across engineering teams to help ensure that potential human factors integration issues are identified and resolved early in the design process.  HFE-AT also will indicate when more detailed human factors analyses are needed, and provide step-by-step guidance to walk users through the process of performing certain human factors analyses.  It will provide a repository for the results and allow users to produce reports that help them interpret and summarize the results.  In Phase I, we propose to identify the requirements for such a tool, create a plan for developing the tool, and develop a proof-of-concept prototype to demonstrate the potential for such a tool.  In Phase II, we will continue the development of this tool, adding functionality and expanding the scope.  We also will perform validation studies, to ensure that the tool is providing meaningful results.  We will conduct usability studies, and modify the tool so that it provides an easy-to-use interface, understandable feedback, and useful results.  In Phase III, we will prepare this tool for commercialization.
The Small Business Innovative Research Phase I proposal seeks to develop a compact, room-temperature widely tunable middle infrared laser source that will be ideal for detecting methane, it's isotopes and related species using ultrasensitive absorption spectroscopies. The broad tuning ability of the laser will also enable the detection of multiple gas-phase trace species in planetary atmospheres with high selectivity.  The laser source will be engineered to be ideally suited for use with high finesse multipass cells, including cavity-ringdown cells.  During Phase I, a spectral region of tens of nanometers near 3.3 &amp;#956;m will be demonstrated, which overlaps the spectral absorption features of methane, 13CH4, and formaldehyde.  When combined with high sensitivity absorption methods, the laser system will enable these species to be detected at concentrations of less than 1 ppbv in the Martian atmosphere.
Currently, wide area coverage with manned aircraft, or existing UAS, requires expensive logistical operations and many flight sorties, which are made especially difficult if operating from remote airfields in inhospitable climates. There is currently a need for a low-altitude long endurance unmanned aircraft that can provide the expansive coverage necessary for cryospheric investigations. Extreme cold places unique requirements on aircraft if they are to operate consistently and reliably in these environments. This Phase I SBIR will, through design, analysis and test activities, determine the feasibility and system impact of making a low altitude ultra-long endurance UAS compliant with varying levels of minimum temperature requirements.
This proposal describes the development of passive surface acoustic wave
(SAW) temperature sensors with enhanced sensitivity and detection range
for NASA application to remote wireless sensing of temperature
distributions in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and
development flight instrumentation (DFI) for test facilities for large
area composite component validation testing.  ASR&amp;amp;D has developed a
novel SAW device structure that is more sensitive to temperature
variations than previous SAW temperature sensor devices, that will
function with the high S/N interrogation electronics being develop by
ASR&amp;amp;D for longer range SAW sensor measurement.  These demonstrated
high sensitivity temperature sensors can be individually coded for
identification, to operate in a multi-sensor system consisting of
multiple passive solid-state SAW sensors that can be interrogated
remotely using RF signals, and that respond with a signal that encodes
both the sensor's identity as well as measurements of temperature.  The
proposed Phase I effort will modify the current temperature sensor
devices to incorporate coding, build and test these sensors (wired),
verify compatibility of the sensors with the wireless interrogation
system electronics, and demonstrate wireless temperature sensing of
multiple uniquely identifiable sensors.
Adverse aeroservoelastic (ASE) interaction is a problem on new and existing aircraft of all types causing repeated loading, enhanced fatigue and undesirable oscillations for pilots. Traditionally, to suppress adverse ASE interaction, notch and/or roll off filters have been utilized in the flight control system architecture to effectively "cancel out" problematic frequencies that will potentially excite the ASE dynamics. This solution has pitfalls; rigid body performance is degraded due to the resulting phase penalty and the filter is not robust to unexpected or un-modeled off nominal behavior. STI proposes an adaptive approach, which is leveraged by the adaptive Higher Harmonic Control (HHC) algorithm for high frequency disturbance rejection. This adaptive approach is robust to system variations, minimizes lower frequency phase penalty, and has been utilized for similar dynamic systems with supporting experimental validation. Development of the adaptive HHC algorithm for ASE suppression will be accomplished utilizing a high fidelity model of a representative high-speed fighter aircraft that is capable of parameter variation consisting of flight condition changes, configuration changes (stores configurations) as well as damage and failures. Validation of the proposed approach will be accomplished via simulation with representative parameter variations. Validation via real-time piloted simulations is proposed for future studies.
Reaction wheels are used to stabilize satellites and to slew their orientation from object to object with precision and accuracy by varying the rotational speed of the wheels. Three or four wheels are usually used with three of them aligned along orthogonal axes. The degree to which pointing stability is achieved depends on the stability of the wheels' angular momentum vectors while spinning, which can be affected by static and dynamic unbalance contributions and other wheel construction issues. With the smaller satellites, requiring smaller wheels, the stability of the wheels will be even more challenging as the uncertainty of construction is likely to remain the same. To stabilize the smaller reaction wheels we propose to integrate a Sensor Chip containing MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers with each reaction wheel. This allows direct measurement of the wheel motions for fine-tuning its operation. The improved wheel then becomes a means for improving IMU sensor stability for precision pointing and slewing from object to object.
In NASA is seeking an electric propulsion system capable of producing 20mN thrust with input power up to 1000W and specific impulse ranging from 1600-3500 seconds.  The key technical challenge of the topic is the target mass of 1kg for the thruster and 2kg for the power processor (PPU).  In Phase 1 Busek develop an overall subsystem design for the thruster/cathode, PPU and XFS.  The feasibility of a low mass power processing architecture that replaces four of the DC-DC converters of a typical PPU with a single multi-functional converter and a low mass Hall thruster design employing permanent magnets was demonstrated.
In Phase 2 effort will develop an engineering prototype model of the low mass BHT-600 Hall thruster system with the primary focus on the low mass PPU and thruster.  The broad technical objectives are: 1) Design, fabricate and demonstrate an engineering model version of the low mass, Hall thruster PPU developed in Phase 1.  The target mass is 2kg. 2) Design, fabricate and demonstrate a low mass version of the BHT-600 thruster The target mass and efficiency is 1 kg and &gt;45&#37;, respectively. 3) Conduct an integrated system test and deliver the prototype PPP and thruster system to NASA.
Ultrastable, narrow linewidth, tunable, high reliability sources at 1.5 or 2mm are needed for high performance LIDARs for several NASA applications, including wind speed measurement, surface topography, earth and planetary atmosphere composition measurements. Princeton Optronics proposes to develop a low noise, narrow linewidth, 10W output MOPA source at 1500nm using a tunable, low noise, narrow linewidth, FM modulated seed laser as a master oscillator coupled to a fiber amplifier. The technology developed in this SBIR could be applied to develop a Thulium MOPA at 2mm. The proposed program will develop a MOPA laser system assembled in a small robust package for field applications.  
The optical design of the system comprises the FM solid-state microchip seed laser in which a FM source drives the piezo tuning actuator in the microchip laser to provide &gt;5GHz frequency modulation at 1kHz rates.  The microchip laser is designed for output power of &gt;20mW in single frequency, linear polarized, single transverse mode. This is coupled into the fiber amplifier to produce 10W output with the same narrow linewidth and FM modulation as the seed laser.  Isolators are used between the seed and fiber amplifier to prevent ASE and reflections causing noise and lasing of the amplifier.
Achievement of a dramatic increase in the bond strength in the  adhesive and composite/adhesive interfaces of existing fiber reinforced composite material joints and structures suitable for various NASA applications is the main goal of this project. The proposed technology developed at Integrated Micro Sensors Inc is based on laser-assisted fabrication of Micro Column Arrays (MCA) on the surface of the two materials prior to bonding. There are several advantages of the MCA technology in the drastic improvement of any bond: (i) mechanical strength increases due to interlocking of the adhesive or brazing material between micro columns, (ii) the bond strength increases due to the increase of the specific surface area by more than an order of magnitude, (iii) stability increases due to the inherent elasticity of the micro cones during a deformation, (iv) increase in the bond durability because of the repeated bend contours of the surface preventing hydrothermal failure, (v) wettability of the material surface significantly improves due to the highly developed surface morphology at the micro and submicron level and changes in local chemistry as a result of surface oxidation. Based on the feasibility proven in the Phase I project, this Phase II project will focus on implementation of the proposed technology for newest materials developed up to date and scaling of the proposed technology to large area and complex shape FRP composite structural joints. The investigation of the approach based on using the bond interface electrical properties for joint health monitoring initiated in the Phase I project, will be further developed into viable transducer device concepts.
Recent advances in airport surface surveillance have motivated the creation of new tools for analysis of Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations, such as the Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool, which is being used by NASA to conduct airport ATC operations analysis. What is missing from ATC operations analysis, however, is accessible and reliable data regarding the clearances issued by the controller and other communication conducted with the pilot that influences the behavior seen in the surveillance data. The reliance on voice communication in ATC operations presents challenges to the researcher who is trying to obtain data and conduct detailed analyses of ATC operations. During the Phase I effort, we designed and developed a prototype system to perform automatic speech recognition (ASR) of ATC clearances. We demonstrated the feasibility of recognizing ATC clearances from speech audio data and associating the clearance data with the flight that is the subject of the clearance. In the Phase II effort, we will create a complete prototype of the ATC speech recognition, processing and analysis capability in SODAA. In addition, we will integrate ATC speech recognition capabilities into a real-time application in the Surface Management System (SMS).
A Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) uses solid rocket motors to propel soil samples into orbit, but the motors cannot provide steering.  Flexseal TVC control is planned for the first stage while hydrazine thrusters will be used for spin stabilization of the second stage. This approach is heavy and results in a spinning sample container in orbit, which is difficult to recover. Wickman Spacecraft &amp; Propulsion Company (WSPC) proposes innovative hot gas thrusters for steering that use the gases from the solid rocket combustion chambers. This approach is lighter, improves orbit insertion accuracy and provides a non-spinning orbiting container to increase mission success probability. 

The MAV valves must handle metalized gases at 3,093 C.  During Phase I, WSPC demonstrated a hot gas valve operating above 3,093 C with the same propellant to be used in MAV.  Valves from all other companies must operate at 2,760 C or below with little metal in the exhaust gas.  During Phase II, WSPC will demonstrate a MAV first stage thruster and multiple MAV first stage thrusters operating from a single solid rocket motor using MAV solid propellant.  This final demonstration test will simulate a typical MAV first stage TVC duty cycle.
We propose to fabricate a germanium blocked-impurity-band (BIB) detector using a novel process which will enable us to:

1-	fabricate a suitably-doped active layer using the well-established bulk crystal-growth process, which guarantees excellent dopant control and extremely low compensating impurities, and

2-	 grow the blocking layer using an implant-passivation technique which will produce the required high purity and a very sharp transition from the active to blocking layer.

These features are key in design and optimization of the multi-layered structure of BIBs, and their implementation and quality are crucial in optimum operation of these detectors.  The proposed process is a drastic departure from conventional epitaxial methods, such as chemical vapor deposition and liquid phase epitaxy, which have yet to produce far IR BIBs suitable for astronomical instruments.

Germanium BIBs will offer extended wavelength response up to at least 2005m, high quantum efficiency, high immunity to ionizing radiation, and elimination of long-term transient and memory effects.  Coupled with their compatibility with Si cryo-CMOS readout multiplexers and the planar, bump-bond hybridization process, these detectors will make possible the construction of large format, high sensitivity FPAs for far IR astronomy and will replace the current unstressed and stressed germanium detectors.
IST-Rolla developed two nonlinear filters for spacecraft orbit determination during the Phase I contract. The theta-D filter and the cost based filter, CBF, were developed and used in various orbit determination scenarios.  The scenarios were application to low Earth orbit, range only, and range and range rate estimation.  The modified state observer was also developed to estimate uncertainty in the dynamic model besides estimation of orbital states.  
Phase I research showed that there is a problem with the linear-like form that is used by many nonlinear filters such as the State Dependant Riccati Equation filter (SDRE filter), and the theta-D and CBF.  A study of the observability led to important discoveries about the lack of observabilty in some formulations.  Detailed study of the working of the proposed nonlinear filters in terms of observability and their application to more precise orbit determination and model uncertainty estimation will be undertaken in Phase II. 
Also learned from Phase I, IST-Rolla will focus more on how and where these nonlinear filters can help NASA.  There will be three main applications studied during Phase II:  interplanetary orbit determination, space debris tracking, and interplanetary landing spacecraft tracking.  These applications were chosen because of their relevance to current NASA missions and the nonlinearity of the measurements involved should show the need for the nonlinear filters. Furthermore, working algorithms and software will be given to NASA to test on ongoing applications.
This Phase II SBIR project focuses to continue developing cryogenic insulation foams that are flexible, deforming under compression. InnoSense LLC (ISL) demonstrated enhanced structural and insulation properties in Phase I to establish NASA use potential. In particular, ISL demonstrated a 30&#37; increase in thermal shielding properties over baseline polyurethane foams. These foams were easily formed into a variety of shapes resisting high impact loads without damage. The coated foams were extremely hydrophobic showing excellent resistance to moisture. These materials insulated liquid nitrogen temperatures with one inch of insulation thickness. Upon fine tuning the foam formulations in Phase II, cryogenic insulation performance will be tested at liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen temperatures. ISL has teamed with a large NASA prime contractor for computer modeling and performance validation during Phase II. For assuring success, ISL has committed $100K of co-funding during Phase II, and secured  $300K as Phase III Follow-on funding from a commercialization partner. A technical and business team is now in place for successful execution of the project.  At project end, we expect to achieve a TRL Level of at least 6 from 3 in the beginning.
Busek leveraged previous, internally sponsored, high power, Hall thruster discharge converter development which allowed it to design, build, and test new printed circuit board converter within this Phase 1 effort.  The new converter consists of two series or parallel boards (slices) intended to power NASA GRC HiVHAC thruster or other similarly sized EP devices.  The converter accepts 80 to 160V input and generates 200 to 700V isolated output while delivering continually adjustable 300W to 3.5kW power.  Busek built and demonstrated one board which achieved &lt;94&#37; efficiency the first time it was turned on, with projected efficiency exceeding 97&#37; following timing software optimization.  The board has a projected specific mass of 1.2kg/kW achieved thru high frequency switching.
In Phase 2 we will perform the required optimization to exceed 97&#37; efficiency and build a second prototype in a form factor more appropriate for flight.  This converter will then be integrated with a set of upgraded existing boards for powering magnets and the cathode which constitute the balance of the PPU and use the traditional input voltage of 28V.  The program will culminate with integrating the entire PPU and testing it on Busek thruster at Busek and on HiVHAC thruster at NASA GRC.
Energid Technologies proposes the development of a digital simulation to replace robotic vehicles in field studies.  It will model the dynamics, terrain interaction, sensors, control, communications, and interfaces of a robotic vehicle with the goal of supporting validation and training.  The simulation will be very easy to use by simple execution on a networked PC.  It will connect to NASA's robot-control frameworks and be easy to configure using a drag-and-drop interface.  It will be thorough in its ability to model a range of environments, from terrestrial to lunar, and through its ability to provide accurate sensor and truth data for analysis.  It will include simulation of communication latency and bandwidth restrictions.  Sensors will be modeled through a powerful plugin interface that supports tying stimulation of new sensor modalities to terrain and objects.  The effort will include the development of robot, sensor, and environment models tailored to the simulation of field-study vehicles, and it will emphasize mimicking the network interfaces used by NASA.  The proxy simulation will be able to model multiple and disparate robots simultaneously.  Energid will implement and deliver a complete, executable system and an underlying C++ software toolkit.
New NASA vehicles (EDS, Orion, landers &amp; orbiting fuel depots) need improved cryogenic propellant transfer &amp; storage for long duration missions.  Current cryogen feed line Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) performance is 10X worse per area than tank MLI insulation.   Cryogenic piping heat leak is 50  80&#37; of cryotank heat leak, and 40  50&#37; of LH2 is lost - about 150,000 gallons ($300,000) - during transfer, chill down &amp; ground hold during each STS launch.   Quest Product Development, teaming with Ball Aerospace, proposes to continue development of an innovative advanced insulation system, Wrapped MLI, which could provide improved thermal insulation for cryogenic feed lines.

Wrapped MLI (wMLI) is high performance multilayer insulation designed for cryogenic piping that uses Quest's innovative discrete spacer technology to control layer spacing/density and reduce heat leak. The Phase I program successfully proved wMLI feasibility by designing, building and testing a wMLI prototype with a measured heat leak 3.6X lower than spiral-wrapped conventional MLI widely used for piping insulation. A wMLI prototype had a heat leak of 7.3 W/m2, or 27&#37; of the heat leak of conventional MLI (26.7 W/m2). 

Modeling estimates the thermal performance of wMLI could be further improved by 3-fold, leading to a heat leak of 0.7 W/m2 (20 layers, 77K to 295K), and even larger advantages over conventional MLI piping insulation. 

In a Phase II program we would further develop wMLI technology with custom, molded polymer spacers, and advance the product toward commercialization via a rigorous testing program including developing advanced vacuum insulated pipe for GSE application. wMLI could provide advanced cryogen transfer line insulation and be the basis of a superior Vacuum Insulated Pipe technology.
Odyssey Space Research proposes to develop a modular navigation software package to provide precise state information for offline analysis and real-time applications.  This navigation package will use particle filter methodology to process discrete observation data and maintain an accurate state.  This navigation system will leverage several NASA products to rapidly prototype and demonstrate the feasibility of this software during Phase I, including the General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) and Trick, taking it from TRL 2 past TRL 3.  Phase II will deliver an expanded modular software product integrated into several other software packages demonstrating different estimation capabilities (TRL 5-6).  This system will function as a standalone estimation package that can be easily integrated into other software packages, or as the basis for embedded flight software algorithms.
This navigation package will be designed to meet the position, velocity, and time estimation requirements for space missions.  It will contain an expanded state vector used to estimate non-Gaussian forcing functions perturbing the vehicle's dynamics.  This navigator will integrate the measurements from diverse sensors running at different rates.  And it will demonstrate accurate estimation of uncertain dynamics parameters that are affecting the vehicle's state such as the gravitation field of small bodies.
Automation of a flight control system to perform functions normally attributed to humans is often not robust and limited to specific operating conditions and types of operation and a small set of fixed behaviors (i.e. modes). eSky has shown  that metrics such as the time delay between a required control input from the crew and the actual input is sensitive to crew functional degradation through external distraction.  We are currently developing strategies for using such crew state metrics to modulate the level of automation support provided to the flight crew.  Dynamic reallocation of function between crew and automation can reduce the cognitive workload on the crew, enhance their ability to supervise the automation and help them intervene in the event of any failure or operation outside the desired operating conditions.
eSky is exploring function reallocation in a collaborative flight control system (HFCS) design pioneered at NASA Langley.  HFCS combines precise flight control automation with rudimentary intelligence that the flight crew can guide using relatively simple mechanisms.  HFCS automation manages short-term control tasks (e.g. path following) while the crew is required to direct every significant trajectory change using flight controls rather than an FMS interface to keep them engaged in conduct of the flight. The automation communicates intentions to the pilot through visual and haptic (tactile) feedback; the crew communicates intentions to the automation through conventional controls.   
The HFCS user interface is primarily visual and tactile with limited auditory elements, mainly limited to a few alerts and warnings.  eSky proposes to establish the auditory channel as a key element in providing flight dynamic information and cueing of required crew in puts in addition to envelope protection warnings.  These new interface elements will be integrated into eSky's evolving strategies for functionality reallocation of between automation and crew.
SibellOptics proposes to develop an eye-safe, long-range, compact, versatile, all-fiber wind LIDAR system for wake vortex measurement and other wind measurement applications that is more efficient, and reliable, and at a much lower up-front and lifetime cost than any wind LIDAR system currently available. It is proposed herein that the fiber transmitter sub-system be ordered and built on a breadboard and characterized.
Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) proposes to develop an extremely compact, lightweight and regenerable Microlith&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; catalytic CO2 reduction reactor, capable of converting mixtures of CO2 and H2 to carbon and water vapor with high CO2 conversions at high throughputs and at low operating temperatures. This is based on a novel catalytic reactor approach with high heat and mass transfer, high conversion efficiency, narrow temperature distribution, and novel approaches to carbon removal. The utilization of carbon dioxide to produce life support consumables, such as O2 and H2O, via Bosch reaction offers a potential advance for NASA's cabin atmosphere revitalization system (ARS) and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) concepts for long-term manned space missions. Current Bosch reactor designs suffer from a large recycle penalty due to slow reaction rates and the inherent limitation in approaching thermodynamic equilibrium, plus significant challenge in carbon removal. PCI's short contact time catalysts offer the potential for faster reaction rates, higher conversions and a reduced need for recycle. In addition, strategies will be explored for more effective mechanical and chemical approaches to carbon removal and catalyst regeneration.  The approach offers a potential for an ultra-compact Bosch reactor with improved effectiveness and robustness, with lower pressure drop and power requirement.
Impact Technologies has proposed development of an effective prognostic and fault accommodation system for critical DC power systems including PV systems. Overall goal for this program is development of techniques that enable power system fault tolerance based on diagnostic features from the solar cells, power bus, and power transistors. After completion of Phase I efforts towards this goal, Impact has achieved substantial and promising results in several technical areas that provide opportunities for maturing PHM tools. The technical areas covered include: 1) solar cell modeling and characterization, 2) power system monitoring, 3) semiconductor device modeling and aging characterization, and 4) application of the leakage current sensing to DC systems. During Phase II, impact will apply and maturing phase I accomplishments to incorporate and embed effective PHM techniques and fault tolerance for power system reliability and extended operation. Impact also plans development of a prototype low cost dynamic leakage current sensor for solar cell and DC power system application. The long-term implications of a successful completion of this program will provide reliability and health management tools for the state-of-the-art technologies, such as advanced power systems based on solar power generation, contributing directly to NASA's ISHM efforts.
The Electromagnetic Plasmoid Thruster (EMPT) is a revolutionary electric propulsion thruster and power processing (PPU) system that will allow a dramatic decrease in system mass and increase in thrust efficiency over traditional 500-3000 W propulsion systems. The high specific power (&gt;700 W/kg) and high efficiency of EMPT will enable a wide range of deep space missions such as Neptune, Pluto and Oort Cloud orbital insertion. Additionally, a solar electric EMPT system would dramatically increase the capability and reduce the travel time of an asteroid or Martian moon sample and return mission due to the variable-power, low-mass propulsion system. The EMPT employs a Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF) to produce large plasma currents inside a conical thruster creating a plasmoid that is magnetically isolated from the thruster walls. The intensified gradient magnetic field from the plasmoid together with the large plasma currents result in an enormous body force that expels the plasmoid at high velocity. The EMPT is a pulsed device, nominally operating at 1 kWe with 0.5-1 Joule discharges at 1-2 kHz. Presented is a full description of the relevant plasma physics as well as the thruster and PPU design. The Phase I EMPT demonstrated the multi-pulse formation and ejection of plasmoids at 0.1-3 Joules and 500-6,000 s Isp on both Xenon and Argon. Additionally, it demonstrated zero erosion or life limiting phenomena. The focus of the proposal is the experimental validation of an integrated thruster and PPU operating in a steady-state mode. The EMPT will be characterized over a range of parameters: input power from 200-3000 Watts, and 1,500-4,000 seconds specific impulse. The integrated thruster and PPU to be built and tested will have a total system mass of less than 1.5 kg. Successful completion of Phase II will be a fully integrated, steady-state demonstration of thruster and integrated power processing. Phase II will mature the technology from a TRL level 4 to 6.
ZONA Technology, Inc. proposes to develop an integrated flight dynamics simulation capability with nonlinear aeroelastic interactions by combining a flight dynamics model and an add-on nonlinear aeroelastic solver in a Simulink environment.  This nonlinear aeroelastic solver is generated by interacting a nonlinear structural Reduced Order Model (ROM) with a Neural-Network-based (NN-based) aerodynamic ROM and a gust ROM to provide the incremental aeroelastic forces and moments of a classical flight dynamics model. In this way, the flight dynamics model is kept with minimum changes so that this integrated flight dynamics simulation remains in the frame work of a 6-degrees-of-freedom simulation environment.  The nonlinear structural ROM employs an ELSTEP/FAT procedure that operates on a commercial nonlinear finite element software to construct the nonlinear stiffness matrices.  The NN-based and gust aerodynamic ROM is generated using a system identification technique operating on a CFD code to evaluate the weights and biases in a two-layer feed-forward NN system.  The end product is called FuNL-DFS that can simulate the key aeroelastic coupling mechanism between nonlinear structural dynamics and nonlinear unsteady aerodynamics with classical rigid body dynamics and can be used for control law development, maneuvering flight simulation, flight loads prediction and handling quality assessment. The FuNL-DFS system will be validated with the flight test data of the Predator B Aircraft.
ZONA Technology, Inc. (ZONA) proposes to develop an on-line flutter prediction tool using the parameter varying estimation (PVE) methodology, called the PVE Toolbox, to ensure the flight safety during the flight flutter test and to prevent the damage to the wind tunnel hardware from the structural failure of the flutter model during wind tunnel flutter test. This tool can be applied to rapidly identify parameters, such as modal damping and frequency from test data measured at pre-flutter flight/wind tunnel conditions, then subsequently to assess the flutter boundary of aircraft/wind tunnel model in real time. In this PVE Toolbox, several system identification techniques are employed to consistently estimate the damping/frequency of the physical modes, followed by the implementation of Zimmerman-Weissenburger flutter margin, damping trends extrapolation, linear parameter varying modeling combined with mu-analysis, and thin plate interpolation method for flutter boundary prediction.  Seamlessly integration of the PVE Toolbox into IADS (a real-time flight test data acquisition software system) will significantly improve the on-line flutter prediction capability of the PVE Toolbox.  This robust, production-ready, and flight test demonstrated PVE Toolbox will provide flight/wind tunnel test engineers an on-line flutter prediction capability in the control room for decision-making during flight/wind tunnel flutter tests.
Model calculations and risk assessment estimates indicate that secondary neutrons, with energies ranging between 0.5 to &gt;150 MeV, make a significant contribution to the total absorbed dose received by space crews during long duration space missions [1-3]. Advanced scintillation materials, which exhibit radiation type and mass dependent emission times, coupled to SSPM detectors, provide the optimum volume to payload performance and the ability to easily discriminate between the fraction of dose, which results from secondary neutrons, and that which results from exposure to energetic charged particles and background gamma-rays.
The Phase-1 effort successfully characterized the critical components of the proposed dosimeter, specifically, the response of the scintillation material to irradiation by gamma-rays, protons, and neutrons, as well as the performance of the SSPM detector.  The Phase-1 modeling studies provide a critical foundation for assessing the anticipated signals in the space radiation environment. The proposed dosimeter would overcome many of the limitations in the current generation of neutron dosimeters, and would provide baseline information on the physics, needed with the information from biological studies, to assess risk in future human-space-exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
In the proposed Phase II program, we will continue the development of Mg bipropellant rockets for Martian PAV applications.  In Phase I, we proved the feasibility of this game-changing technology.  Through chemical analysis, we determined that Mg can be combusted with CO2 condensed in-situ from the Martian atmosphere to yield Isp ~240 s.  We then successfully demonstrated a low fidelity Mg-CO2 rocket in the laboratory, achieving combustion for 43s before voluntary termination.  We also analyzed the use of H2O and H2O2 as oxidizers, and Al as a propellant.  H2O exists at the Martian poles and below the surface, while both Mg and Al can be acquired in-situ from the Martian regolith.  We determined that the ideal vacuum Isp of a 10 bar Mg-H20 rocket would be as high as ~340 s, while the Isp of a Al-steam rocket would be ~380 s, and hydrogen peroxide could yield higher density Isp and operational benefits.  In Phase II we plan to develop and test an integrated high performance laboratory model system.  We will first fully characterize multiple propellant oxidizer combinations in a linear combustor.  Then we will design, build, and test an integrated system including both a rocket and a propellant management system.  Comprehensive test results would feed back into the design, culminating in an advanced system sized for prospective near-term applications.
In this SBIR project, AlphaSense, Inc. and the Carnegie Mellon University propose to develop a RF receiver front end based on CMOS-MEMS components for miniaturized digital EVA radio applications. In Phase I, we have proven the feasibility of implementing a compact, low power and high performance S band receiver front end based on CMOS- MEMS components. Specifically, we conducted link budget analysis to define the radio requirements for different applications, including low data rate voice, data/telemetry and high data rate, high definition video transceiving. We also identified and optimized the receiver front end architecture (i.e. a low-IF architecture), and analyzed its electrical performance based on known properties of individual CMOS- MEMS components. Finally, we fabricated two key components, a high quality factor MEMS band pass filter and a mixer-filter, and validated their performances. Phase II will be focusing on performance improvements of individual device and the whole receiver front end. We will also implement a fully integrated receiver based on the radio- on- a-chip solution, and characterize its performance.
Nuvotronics has developed and optimized the PolyStrata&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; process for the fabrication of intricate microwave and millimeter-wave devices. These devices have primarily been rectangular coaxial transmission lines, although rectangular waveguide and other structures have also been demonstrated. Intricate devices have been demonstrated with insertion loss 5 to 10 times lower than traditional planar circuits; isolation better than 60dB for lines that share separating walls; multiple levels of densely-packed coaxial circuits; and low-parasitic attachment to active devices and traditional circuit boards. In this Phase II project, Nuvotronics will optimize and fabricate high density low-loss millimeter backplane circuits to package and interconnect components of future NASA millimeter wave (MMW) radars. The significance of the innovation primarily lies in three areas: reduction of system size, weight and loss in MMW radars. The PolyStrata technology is a batch manufacturing process, providing economies of scale and cost reduction for higher volumes, in addition to flexibility in design for various frequencies of interest.
Nielsen Engineering &amp; Research (NEAR) proposes a new method to generate mathematical models of wind-tunnel models and flight vehicles for robust aeroelastic analysis and design.  These models provide a unified description applicable to CFD steady and unsteady aerodynamics, reduced-order CFD approaches, flexible structures and active control systems, and can accommodate probabilistic aerodynamics and aeroelastics.  NEAR's offering is based on probabilistic metamodels which are supported by analyses and data at all available levels of fidelity and which are dynamically updated based on multifidelity expected improvement concepts.  The proposed software will help reduce the design and life-cycle cost of next-generation high-efficiency flight vehicle systems and revolutionary aerospace vehicles, and will help attain better aeroelastic designs, by providing a better understanding of how the design variables interact and affect each other under the influence of uncertainty, and by incorporating these interactions early in the design to reduce risk.
In this SBIR Phase I effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to develop a highly-accurate, lightweight, low-power gas analyzer for eddy flux covariance measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) aboard unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  This analyzer will be the first sensor capable of meeting the stringent speed, weight, power, and environmental requirements for unmanned airborne flux measurements. Airborne eddy flux covariance measurements enable regional-scale investigations of carbon sources and sinks as well as measurements in areas where conventional tower flux deployments are infeasible.  These data complement current satellite observations by providing higher horizontal resolution and vertical profiling, enabling better quantification of carbon sources and sinks. Such deployments are critically important to NASA's Earth Science Division, because they enable more efficient and cost-effective Earth observations.
A Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) experiment is proposed to improve the performance of GPS during geomagnetic storms. There are two primary sources of degradation during a geomagnetic event &amp;#150; loss of phase coherency by the receiver and abrupt path delay changes due to total electron content (TEC).
Both NASA and the FAA have identified large civil tiltrotors (LCTRs) as the most promising method for meeting FAA goals for extending future airport capacity, flexibility, efficiency and safety. This has led to important research at NASA exploring flight dynamics and handling qualities associated with these aircraft in terminal area operations.
Both ground and space telescopes employ aspheric mirrors. A particular example is the X-ray telescope where primary and secondary mirrors have nearly cylindrical surfaces.
To address NASA's need for alternative methods for ambient preservation of human biological samples collected during extended spaceflight and planetary operations, Chromologic (CL) proposes to develop a novel Biological Sample Ambient Preservation (BioSAP) device. BioSAP device is based on an improved dried biological specimens storage approach and specialized matrix to (1) collect a known amount of biological samples, (2) rapidly capture and stabilize them, (3) protect them from biodegradation,
The Advanced Microgravity Compatible, Integrated Laundry (AMCIL) is a microgravity compatible liquid / liquid vapor, two-phase laundry system with water jet agitation and vacuum assisted drying. Umpqua Research Company previously developed a complete microgravity compatible Single Phase Laundry System (SPLS).
Ten of thousands of hours of video footage already exist and countless more hours will be logged as spacecraft continue to orbit the Earth and explore the solar system. These video logs contain immeasurable amounts of useful data on crew social interactions, crew task performance, and crew-vehicle interaction.
NASA is soliciting new concepts for lightweight stabilized inflatables in regards to low weight, high storage density, and ease of deployment. What most of the inflatable concepts are lacking is the ability for integrated structural members that do not require permanent inflation pressure.
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 in-flight hazards, such as wake vortices generated by other aircraft, wind-shear, clear-air turbulence (CAT), and volcanic ash.
A device is proposed that can track the electrical charge dispersion that is created when hyper velocity impact (HVI) occurs between two entities with a closing velocity greater than 1 km per second. This same device can measure the time of arrival of the charge wave front at transducers placed throughout the vehicle.
In situ resource utilization (ISRU) is essential for several of NASA's future flagship missions. Currently envisioned ISRU plants include production of oxygen from hydrogen reduction of lunar regolith and extraction of water from Martian regolith or asteroid material.
This SBIR will study the application of a brain machine interface (BMI) to enable crew to remotely operate and monitor robots from inside a flight vehicle, habitat and/or during an extra-vehicular activity (EVA). The goal is to improve robot operator productivity, situational awareness, and effectiveness.
NASA has near-term needs for solar electric propulsion (SEP) power sources from 5 to 30 kW and longer term goals for SEP tugs as large as 300 kW and beyond. UltraFlex is a high-TRL solar array technology that spans the initial range of power levels with as-yet unmatched performance in specific power, stiffness, and strength.
With the Titan Saturn System Mission, NASA is proposing to send a Montgolfiere balloon to probe the atmosphere of Titan.  To better plan this mission and create a robust optimized balloon design, NASA requires the ability to more accurately evaluate the convective heat transfer characteristics of the balloon operating in Titan's atmosphere.  Based on limitations of previous efforts, NASA has requested proposals for a testbed to support CFD validation.  Leveraging the results of the Phase I effort, Near Space Corporation (NSC), proposes to develop and operate two full scale Testbeds (~9 m diameter) in order to help validate CFD models for the TSSM Titan Montgolfiere balloon.  The Testbeds will incorporate new envelope design innovations and state-of-the-art data acquisition methods to enable data intensive tethered and free-flight tests.  Utilizing its unique balloon facility located in a large blimp hangar, NSC will conduct iterative tethered hangar tests of the full scale Testbeds (which is not possible in existing cryogenic test chambers). These flights will enable better IR imaging and flow characterization measurements.  The acquired data will provide critical input to incrementally improve and validate the CFD models.  The outdoor drop/inflation test and a free flight test will retire technology risks associated with the future Titan mission in addition to generating the validation data necessary to improve the existing CFD models.  NSC proposes to develop and operate a mature TMTT system during Phase II, generate pertinent data that will be used to improve the CFD models, and leverage the effort to create valuable technology with both NASA and non-NASA commercial applications.
CU Aerospace and team partner, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, propose to perform innovative research and development that targets the design and control of adaptive bioassistive and telerobotic devices - ABATRODs - that augment normal musculoskeletal function in rapidly changing and disruptive environments while providing predictable response. ABATRODs accommodate fast changes in environment while actively shaping the response to muscle actuation to that anticipated by the opera
Formaldehyde (HCHO) is of great interest to atmospheric scientists in
NASA and other research institutions.  In this SBIR project, we propose
to build an airborne or ground based, atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO)
profiler implementing Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) techniques.  The
instrument will be able to operate under the range of environmental
conditions encountered during ground and airborne tests.  In the phase I
effort, we will breadboard system and perform a proof of concept HCHO
measurement. We will also carry out a comprehensive review of the UV
laser systems and identify the optimum laser for the prototype sensor.
The outcome of the Phase I work will establish the feasibility of this
LIF technique for high sensitivity detection of HCHO, and provide the
design of the prototype sensor.
Orbital Research proposes to develop, build and test a high temperature Data Concentrator Module for use in distributed turbine engine control at high temperatures.  The concentrator receives analog and digital signals related to turbine engine control and communicates with a FADEC or high level command processor.  This data concentrator is follows the road map put forth by DECWG for use in creating a demonstration platform for turbine engine distributed controls communication development that operates at temperatures at least up to 225&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;C.

The goal of Phase I is to develop detailed specifications for each component needed for the system, as well as to define the total system specification.  This will entail a combination of system design, compiling existing component specifications, laboratory testing, and simulation.  The results will show feasibility of the data concentrator.

Phase II of this program is will focus on three key objectives:
The first objective will be the detailed design, fabrication and testing of three new high temperature ASICs.  Secondly software necessary to demonstrate operation the prototype will be developed.  Finally integration of the components and software into a prototype high temperature Data Concentrator Module will be completed to demonstrate operation of the complete system in a realistic environment.
The CubeSat platform represents a valuable architecture from which to develop satellite capabilities, payloads and technologies.  However, CubeSat spacecraft must be able to support a variety of payload options and mission profiles while providing high reliability.  A highly efficient CubeSat Electrical Power System (EPS) is critical to enabling these mission and payload requirements.  When compared against existing products, an Innoflight CubeSat Power Management Controller (CPMC) with associated CubeSat Solar Array Articulation System (CSAAS) provides game changing performance, flexibility, and reliability.  The proposed CubeSat CPMC / CSAAS solution provides 20 watts of on-orbit average power, accommodates various battery chemistries, supports ultra-capacitor technologies for high peak power payload, and is provided in a fully redundant configuration.  At the conclusion of Phase 1, Innoflight will demonstrate the operation of a prototype CPMC / CSAAS system for a representative CubeSat mission, bringing the system to a TRL of 5.  During Phase 2, Innoflight will complete functional and environmental qualification, bringing the system to a TRL of 8.  Following the completion of Phase 2, two sets of CPMC / CSAAS flight hardware will be fabricated and tested, and the system will be ready for flight demonstration on a CubeSat platform.
Ionu Biosystems will develop a fluorescent smart phone blood analyzer that can measure important physiological concentrations from a drop of blood. The approach will be to develop fluorescent optode sensors to detect the concentration of the components of basic metabolic and blood gas panels.
HJ Science &amp; Technology, Inc proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated "lab-on-a-chip" technology capable of in-situ, high throughput, and real time identification and characterization of a variety of toxic metals, organics, and bacteria biomarkers in spacecraft water supplies onboard the International Space Station. The novel technology combines automated programmable on-chip sample processing technology, microchip capillary electrophoresis, and laser induced fluorescence detect
HJ Science &amp; Technology, Inc proposes to develop a novel high pressure "pump-on-a-chip" and "valve-on-a-chip" microfluidic technology for NASA planetary science applications including on-chip sample manipulation and analysis. In particular, we will design, build and demonstrate a miniature high pressure micropump to precisely control fluid flow in microfluidic devices with no moving parts.
The proposed innovation is a hybrid simulation module to replace the current "Behavioral Sim" in JSC's Predictive Interactive Graphical Interface (PIGI).  PIGI helps an operator compensate for lunar-scale time delay, and is part of NASA's "RAPID Workbench". The Behavioral Sim acts as an oracle, taking initial conditions and a sequence of commands and producing trajectories and expected final location of the robot. We propose to provide functionality to extend PIGI to manipulation activities.  This includes modeling the robot's manipulation and perception capabilities and its environment.  We will use NASA's R2 robot operating on ISS as our test case.
In Phase 1, Ridgetop Group designed a high-speed, yet low-power silicon germanium (SiGe)-based, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to be a key element for digital beam forming (DBF) systems that will be used in NASA's future radar applications. The ADC will employ a novel combination of time interleaving, high-speed silicon-germanium BiCMOS technology and low-power techniques, such as the double-sampling technique, providing exceptional sampling speed of 500 MSPS, 1.5 GHz analog bandwidth,12 bits of resolution, and below 500 mW power dissipation, exceeding NASA's requirements. 
Ordinarily, ADC design requires large trade-offs in speed, resolution, and power consumption. The significance of this innovation is that it simultaneously provides a high-speed, high-resolution, and low-power ADC that is well ahead of the state of the art. These three characteristics are needed for DBF systems that contain large ADC arrays. The power consumption of existing ADC chips prohibits implementation of large DBF arrays in space. Ridgetop's innovative design leverages newer semiconductor process technologies that combine silicon and germanium into a compound semiconductor.
Ridgetop has identified two Phase 2 objectives, which are:
1.	Design, fabricate and characterize Test Chip 1 that contains critical ADC subcircuits. 
2.	Design, fabricate and characterize Test Chip 2 that contains the complete radiation tolerant, digitally calibrated, time-interleaved ADC design. 
During Phase 1 Ridgetop identified the topologies for all of the circuit blocks that will be included on Test Chip 1 and Test Chip 2. Ridgetop has also completed transistor-level designs for the key components on these chips. 
Estimated TRL at beginning and end of Phase 2 contract: Begin 4; End 8.
The uncertainty quantification methods developed under this program are designed for use with current state-of-the-art flow solvers developed by and in use at NASA.  The Phase I program demonstrated the CRISP CFD&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; error quantification and reduction code with simulations conducted using the NASA unstructured solvers FUN3D and USM3D.  Phase I provided evidence supporting the suspected need for an error prediction code that matches the finite volume scheme of the Navier-Stokes solver itself.  Phase II will continue this work by expanding our Error Transport Equation (ETE) solver to treat both classes of unstructured grid finite volume schemes.  Support for the CGNS standard will be implemented and permit use of the Phase II product by a broader spectrum of potential users.  Specific issues that affect numerical accuracy of the error predictions and how they propagate into integrated quantities such as lift and drag coefficients will be addressed.  Reduction of error for large scale meshes is a matter of equal importance, and improvements are planned that will provide for anisotropic grid refinement within the existing CRISP CFD&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; mesh adaptation code.  Finally, error quantification approaches for transient applications will be explored to expand these developments to problems that involve inherent unsteadiness and/or moving boundaries.
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.
Traditional approaches for active flow separation control using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are limited to relatively low-speed flows and atmospheric conditions. It results in low feasibility of the DBDs for aerospace applications, such as active flow control at turbine blades, fixed wings, rotary wings and hypersonic vehicles, which require a satisfactory performance of the DBD plasma actuators at wide range of conditions, including rarified flows and combustion mixtures. An optimization of the DBD plasma actuators should be achieved using efficient, comprehensive, physically-based DBD simulation tool for different operation conditions. We propose to develop a DBD plasma actuator simulation tool for a wide range of ambient gas pressures. The proposed tool will treat DBD using either kinetic, fluid or hybrid model, depending on the DBD operational condition. The proposed tool will be validated by comparison with the experimental and numerical data on the DBD investigations.
In order to support the tools needed to develop the Mars Sample Return (MSR) rendezvous and capture of the Orbiting Sample (OS), Aurora and MIT Space Systems Lab proposed the development of the Mars Orbiting Sample Return (MOSR) Rendezvous &amp; Docking with the OS (RDOS) system. This system supports development of GN&amp;C algorithms to address the "last few meters" operation between the chaser spacecraft and OS and extends the capabilities of the current SPHERES MOSR test bed. During Phase 1, the team demonstrated the feasibility of the visual navigation and controls infrastructure for the test bed. During Phase 2, the team proposes to integrate these capabilities into the test bed while engaging the NASA safety process throughout the development effort, resulting in ISS flight payload hardware ready for environmental testing and safety approval.
This program is designed to achieve high operational efficiency for superconducting ADR magnets in space, and to meet space launch requirements. The overall technical objective is to manufacture an efficient magnet using YBCO HTS tapes that can generate 3 T at 30-40 K with an operating current of 5-7 A. To meet this goal we will conduct research and development in areas of: 
1) Characterization and use of 1.25 mm YBCO tape in ADR coils. 
2) Fabrication of narrower YBCO tapes. 
3) Development of low resistance tape-to-tape electrical joints.
4) Quench protection of YBCO ADR coils operating at 30-40 K.
5) Design and manufacturing of a 3 T, YBCO ADR magnet. 
6) Testing of the 3 T magnet at 30-40 K.
The NASA Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) conceptual payload contains a thermal instrument with six different spectral bands ranging from 85m to 100lm. The thermal instrument is based on multiple linear arrays of thermopile detectors that are intrinsically radiation hard; however, the thermopile CMOS readout needs to be hardened to tolerate the radiation sources of the JEO mission. Black Forest Engineering (BFE) is developing a thermopile readout to tolerate the JEO mission radiation sources. On Phase II, BFE will test new circuitry for radiation hardness, complete the design of a 1x128 thermopile readout integrated circuit (ROIC) and fabricate the ROIC using 180 nm CMOS technology. The Phase II ROIC also includes on-chip 16-bit analog-to-digital conversion and serial digital output for system noise immunity. The Phase II ROIC will be characterized to meet the JEO thermal instrument requirement.
A small, modular dropsonde launcher is being developed for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  Some critical measurement needs can only be satisfied by in-situ measurements.  Key examples of such measurements include detailed atmospheric profiles, point meteorological conditions on the surface, and in-situ measurements for calibration and validation of remote sensing systems.  
	Phase I work saw the design and fabrication of a new type of dropsonde with a novel form factor and the associated launcher.  The system was installed in a representative UAV nose.  System components were successfully tested.
	Phase II will involve finalizing the launcher and dropsonde designs, developing the associated control and data handling system, building and testing the integrated system, and finally conducting test flights on a UAV.  
	The ultimate result of the project will be a dropsonde system that can be fitted to many NASA UAVs, including small UAVs, and enable them to gather in-situ atmospheric profiles and surface measurements using dropsondes.
	The Phase II entry TRL is 5; the expected exit TRL is 8.
In order to meet NASA's vision to develop sustainable and affordable solar system exploration strategies, NASA seeks advanced high-strength and high-toughness composite materials with the microcrack resistance at cryogenic temperatures.  These materials must be suitable for use in fuel containment of liquid oxygen, hydrogen, and methane.  The objective of this SBIR project is to develop advanced high microcrack-resistant composite cryotanks.  In Phase I we successfully demonstrated the synthesis of functionalized graphene sheet (FGS) nanofillers in large scale, which exhibited significantly increased resin strength and toughness at both room and low temperatures, and reduced coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).  The further investigation of nanocomposite formulation and composite processing can result in FGS-polymer nanocomposite based carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites with significantly enhanced microcrack resistance at cryogenic temperatures in ways it has never done before.  The new nanocomposite based CFRP composite materials also provide additional advantages in forming an impermeable barrier to gas and liquid molecules ideal for fuel tanks.  Nanotrons' proposed new multifunctional nanocomposite based CFRP composite cryotanks will replace the currently used aluminum-lithium cryotanks providing significant weight savings and can be economically manufactured.
Amplification Technologies Inc ("ATI") proposes to develop the enabling material and device technology for the design of ultra low noise, high gain and high speed near-infrared single photon counting photodetectors and arrays sensitive in the 1000 nm to 1600 nm spectral region for long range space communication applications, based on the already proven mechanism of internal discrete amplification technology in InGaAs/InP material system. We plan to achieve this by using the concept of internal discrete amplification mechanism in the InP material system that gave state of the art performance parameters in the 1000 to 1600nm wavelength range and the developed device design as part of the Phase I program that shows higher detection efficiency and lower jitter performance. The primary accomplishments from the Phase II effort would be the development of ultra low noise (low jitter), high detection efficiency, very high gain and high speed near-infrared photodetectors and arrays sensitive in the 1000 nm to1600 nm spectral region. The technology of internal discrete amplification enables the combination of high speed, very high gain and ultra low noise because the internal discrete amplification nullifies the effect of impact ionization coefficients and prevents the edge break down, with high detection efficiency and high speed of operation. These photodetectors might also be used in missile seekers, battlefield target identification and recognition systems, and eye-safe LADAR. Potential civilian applications include fiber-optic telecommunications, remote sensing and laser spectroscopy.
Space-based imaging sensors are important for NASA's mission in both performing scientific measurements and producing literature and documentary cinema. The recent proliferation of high-definition capture devices and displays (HDTV) provide the general public with first-hand human experiences hundreds miles above sea level in brilliant detail. The recent IMAX film "Hubble," which features one of the final space shuttle missions to repair the orbital telescope, is a prime example. The core of current space-based video capture devices consist of digital imaging sensors. Unfortunately, the harsh conditions of space limit the lifespan of all the imaging sensors, in addition to other electronics. Consequently, NASA is seeking innovative technologies for space-based applications to extend the operational life of these systems to three years or more. In this SBIR project, we propose to investigate robust image reconstruction based on novel signal processing techniques in the vein of compressed sensing (CS) to mitigate pixel damage to the point that is imperceptible by the human eye. Specifically, this proposal is a response to the solicitation for radiation-hardened programmable encoding technology as an identified mid-term NASA solution. CS is a recently introduced novel framework that goes against the traditional data acquisition paradigm. CS demonstrates that a sparse, or compressible, signal can be acquired using a low rate acquisition process that projects the signal onto a small set of vectors incoherent with the sparsity basis. This approach is divided into encoder and decoder stages.  We propose performing the encoding in-line with acquisition using a low-SWaP, radiation-tolerant FPGA. The robust reconstruction will occur back on Earth where high-performance GPU-accelerated workstations can be used.  A benefit of our solution is that it does not require a modification to the original imaging system.
Integrated circuits in NASA spacecraft and vehicle electronics must operate over large temperature extremes and mitigate radiation effects that can result in upset and/or destruction of devices. PrivaTran has previously demonstrated a two-terminal, electronically-programmable resistor as a nonvolatile memory (NVM) element with performance metrics exceeding those of competing technologies, and herein proposes this device as a radiation hardened NVM array formed within the metal interconnect layers of the integrated circuit and fully integrated in a 3D architecture, resulting in significant savings in weight, power and reliability.
We propose the concept of a tube map display as a means to effectively integrate schedule timeline information and fault diagnosis data into a single high value presentation. Tube maps are potentially a high value method of presenting multiple dimensions of information. This work will prove the feasibility of depicting combined schedule and fault information in the domain of asset scheduling using  a communications simulation testbed. This testbed will be based upon key node and link abstractions of the space, ground and deep space networks. In order to simulate how mission schedules are affected by faults, a range of communication path faults can be selected by a user and injected into mission scenarios in order to gain further insights into how schedules can be tuned in real time to changing conditions on ground and space assets. Injected faults are modeled as a set of additional scheduling constraints in exactly the same way as other physical or mission preference constraints. The uniform constraint representation used capture mission requirements, preferences, constraints and faults can also be extended to multi-criteria optimization objectives for the resource scheduler ? enabling a mix of factors to drive the generation of the optimized schedule.
Under a Phase 1 effort, IES successfully developed and demonstrated a spark ignition concept where propellant flow drives a very simple fluid mechanical oscillator to excite a piezoelectric crystal.  The Phase 1 effort exceeded expectations, with the device demonstrating reliable ignition of both hydrogen and propane fuels, and achieving in excess of 1 million impact cycles (40,000 start cycles) during fatigue testing without measureable degradation.  Several spin-off concepts were also identified that provide additional options for improving spark ignition system design.  For Phase 2, IES proposes an accelerated, 18 month effort to refine design concepts and analysis tools, and then develop specific ignition system designs for two customer applications, with the intention of having these ignition systems demonstrated in engine ground testing during Phase 2 and ready to start flight qualification immediately following the Phase 2 effort.  Both customers (United Launch Alliance and Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne) have expressed interest and commitment in participating in the Phase 2 activity, making engines and facilities available for development testing, and integrating any resulting viable products into their flight engines.  The ULA application is a new gaseous bipropellant H2/O2 attitude control thruster, for which the piezoelectric igniter is ideal as a simple, direct ignition source.  The PWR application is for an evolved RL-10 study currently underway, for which the piezoelectric system might be scaled up or used as a pilot igniter for a torch, or make use of another spin-off concept that was identified during the Phase 1 effort.  The timing of this Phase 2 effort coincides perfectly with near term needs of both these customers, as well as for other small engine applications in work to replace catalytic hydrazine engines with bi-propellant engines that will require a simple and reliable ignition source.
The innovation in this SBIR Phase II project is the development of a unique triple junction inverted metamorphic technology (IMM), which will enable the manufacturing of very lightweight, low-cost, InGaAsP-based multijunction solar cells.  The proposed IMM technology is based on ELO (epitaxial lift-off) and consists of Indium (In) and Phosphorous (P) solar cell active materials, which are designed to improve the radiation resistance properties of the triple junction solar cell while maintaining a high efficiency. Because of the intrinsic radiation hardness of InP materials, this material system is of great interest for building solar cells suitable for deployment in very demanding radiation environments, such as medium earth orbit and missions to the outer planets.  Due to high launch costs, weight reduction is a key driver for the development of new space solar cell technologies.  Our recently developed epitaxial lift-off (ELO) process will also be applied to this new structure, which will enable the fabrication of the IMM structure without the substrate.  Cells with excellent end-of-life (EOL) performance require less area to meet specific mission power requirements.   The target efficiency of the proposed IMM cell at the beginning of life (BOL) is greater than 30&#37; at AMO 1-sun.  The EOL target of the IMM cell is a degradation of less than 10&#37; in efficiency.
Future Lunar Landers and Rovers will require variable thermal links that can reject heat during daytime, and passively shut-off during lunar night.  During the long lunar day, the thermal management system must remove the waste heat from the electronics and batteries keep them within the acceptable temperature limit. Since the heater power availability is restricted, a variable thermal link is therefore required to limit the amount of heat that is removed from the electronics and radiated to space during the long lunar night. Conventional Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) can provide the required variable thermal conductance, but they consume electrical power to shut down the heat transfer.  Our innovation adds a Thermal Control Valve (TCV) to the LHP, allowing it to passively shut off without consuming any electrical power.  This is important since there is a severe penalty for electrical power consumption: supplying 1 W in a photovoltaic system requires roughly 5 kg of extra equipment.  The TCV used in the LHP has been previously selected for thermal control in the pumped loop on the Mars Science Laboratory. The Phase I project was successful in demonstrating the feasibility of integrating the TCV in a LHP. The Phase II project will fabricate and test a LHP with a TCV at representative conditions, bringing the technology to TRL 6.  The testing will include full characterization of the TCV under various LHP operation modes.  Analysis and testing of different LHP condenser layouts will also be performed, as well as freeze/thaw analysis.
The technical objectives of this program are to develop a cost-effective process to deliver Celestial body simulants for the foreseeable future.  Specifically, the technical objectives of this project are:

 Deliver 3 metric tons of a lunar Mare simulant.  A portion of the simulant will be bulk, excavation-grade that is compatible to the now depleted JSC-1a.  Another portion of the simulant will be a technical grade simulant that has the proper amounts of glass and agglutinates included.  Finally, a titanium-rich Mare will be produced.  The correct concentrations of titanium are critical for mechanical and chemical process development and testing.  
 After the 3 metric tons of Mare simulant; be able to produce bulk simulant at $10,000 per ton.  This will be 30&#37; better than the NASA cost target specified in the original solicitation.
 ZAP will deliver 1 metric ton of research grade Highlands type lunar simulant.
 ZAP will deliver a documented process for producing low-cost, bulk mare simulants.    After phase 2 project, estimated cost is: $5,000 per ton.
 ZAP will test and demonstrate the applicability of the manufacturing process to produce other Celestial body materials.  Examples include: Asteroid, Mars, probe reference samples, and dark glass.
There is serious concern about the introduction of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in the National Air Space (NAS) because of their potential to increase the risk of collision between aircraft.  At present, many UAV platforms lack a Sense and Avoid (SAA) capability to mitigate collision risk, and this has prevented both the government and private contractors from using these platforms in critically needed reconnaissance, surveillance, and security enforcement missions.  To demonstrate a SAA capability that is applicable to a wide range of UAV platforms, advanced trajectory estimation and prediction algorithms are developed and used to exploit a small collision avoidance radar currently under development for UAV operation.  Collision prediction algorithms will assess potential risk in probabilistic terms using adaptive techniques that permit accurate predictions across long time horizons.  Techniques to ensure these predictions are robust to modeling uncertainty increase the utility the developed SAA capability for realistic scenarios.
The primary goal of this project is to design and develop an autonomous instrumentation and control (I&amp;C) health monitoring system for space nuclear power applications.  The system, once fully developed, will be able to detect system anomalies based on analytical modeling technique using data from existing sensors in the power generator.
The primary application for the proposed technology will be with space nuclear reactors and the non-nuclear test systems that are being used for component and system level validation.
Ridgetop's innovation addresses the need for improved capabilities for detecting wear in the drive gears inside helicopter gearboxes. Rotorcraft drive trains must withstand enormous pressure while operating continuously in extreme temperature and vibration environments.
The innovative, high transmission band-pass filter technology proposed here is an improvement in multilayer metal-mesh filter design and manufacture for the far IR to submillimeter ranges.  The proposed metal-mesh filters can tolerate cryogenic temperatures (down to 4K and below) and a wide vibration/shock spectrum, making them launch-capable and durable for long periods in space.  In addition, the proposed band-pass filters are light weight, as they employ no heavy substrates.  The proposed 2  5 mm thickness (mostly the mounting frame) allows insertion into tight spaces and standard filter wheels.  The thin, light weight, vacuum compatible design can be incorporated into almost any detector setup.  Large sizes can be manufactured for newer instruments with larger diameter beams.
Currently, wide area coverage with manned aircraft, or existing unmanned air systems, requires expensive logistical operations and many flight sorties, which are made especially difficult if operating from remote airfields in inhospitable climates. There is currently a need for a low-altitude long endurance unmanned aircraft that can provide the expansive coverage necessary for cryospheric investigations. Extreme cold places unique requirements on aircraft if they are to operate consistently and reliably in these environments. Building on the successful results of the Phase 1 SBIR work, this Phase 2 SBIR will test low temperature long-endurance unmanned aircraft engine and systems technologies in a relevant environment through flight test of a prototype unmanned air system and associated work.
The key innovation in this effort is the development of an industrial-grade analysis testbed to integrate simulation tools, such as ACES, with aviation environmental effects models, such as the Aviation Environmental Design Toolkit (AEDT), to provide a "360-degree" evaluation of new operational concepts. The testbed will be demonstrated by producing such  a "360-degree" evaluation of advanced NextGen concepts such as time-based merging and spacing at ATL airport, high-density metroplex concepts, and the efficiency of new route structures with environmentally responsible aircraft using RNAV routing.   The industrial-grade software will be implemented in Java and can potentially reduce the analysis time for combined performance/environmental analyses by several months over the current state of the art.
Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) are used for storing pressurized gases on board spacecraft when mass saving is a key requirement.  All future mass critical space applications will be designed to use COPVs to minimize vehicle mass.  Saving mass is critical for facilitating deep space travel in which a series of space depots will be implemented as a means of providing fuel along the journey.  These depots will require a means for long-term storage of fuel and other resources that can be placed in the appropriate locations ahead of time.  Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) materials offer tremendous potential for lightweight propellant and pressurant tankage.  Touchstone teamed with Carleton Technologies Inc. (a subsidiary of Cobham) to demonstrate feasibility of this technology in Phase I.  A COPV with Al MMC liner was designed and a demonstration liner was produced.  The proposed Phase II effort will address key technical risk items identified in Phase I, optimize the liner design and process, and extend the Technology Readiness Level to 5 by completing validation testing on a full-scale COPV demonstration article.
In Sub-topic X4.01, NASA has identified a need for advanced radiation-shielding materials and structures to protect humans from the hazards of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) on long-duration missions, outside the earth's magnetosphere. The radiation species of greatest interest are light ions (particularly protons), heavy ions (such as iron-56) and neutrons. International Scientific Technologies, Inc., in conjunction with the College of William and Mary, in its Phase I program developed lightweight, multi-layered, polymeric shielding against GCR and SEP.  The Phase II objectives include analysis and design of single and multi-layered nanocomposite polymeric radiation shields using OLTARIS modeling protocols to supplement the empirical results of Phase I, fabrication of nanocomposite films and multi-layered structures, acquisition of families of test data to determine key parameters of single and multi-layered structures tailored to stopping GCR and SEP, optimization of prototype multi-layered polymeric shields using statistical design and OLTARIS modeling for a range of manned and unmanned NASA applications prior to commercialization in Phase III.  The anticipated result of the Phase I and Phase II programs is the development of multi-layered shields with an outer layer of hydrogenous polymeric material for significant dose reduction of incident GCR ions and inner layers of polymeric composites containing additives chosen to moderate and absorb neutrons resulting from fragmentation of incoming heavy ions and to absorb short wavelength electromagnetic radiation resulting from the slowing of the GCR particles and capture of neutrons.  The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at the beginning of Phase II is 4. At the end of Phase II, the TRL will be 5.
ORBITEC proposes to develop and test new, non-toxic ionic liquid fuels for propulsion applications.  Vintage propulsion systems frequently use highly toxic propellants such as MMH.  The toxicity of these propellants increases not only the risk of the missions but also the expense, due to special handling required during the entire lifetime of the propellant.  Replacing toxic propellants with strong-performing, non-toxic formulations will significantly reduce the cost of propulsion systems.  The Phase I project demonstrated the feasibility of developing several ionic liquid formulations that essentially equaled MMH in performance while offering low volatility and low toxicity.  The Phase II work will continue the synthesis strategy to refine the formulations, conduct more extensive material property testing, conduct ignition delay tests, and demonstrate the fuels in a small-scale thruster.  The collective result of these tasks will be the development and demonstration of new, safer fuels for propulsion applications.
We propose to develop a planning model integrated development environment (PM/IDE) that will help people construct, review, understand, test, and debug high-quality planning domain models expressed in the Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML) more quickly and effectively.  PM/IDE will enable novice modelers to review and understand models more expediently, so they can learn modeling techniques more efficiently.  PM/IDE also will enable experienced modelers to review the models of others more quickly, so they can share modeling techniques and best practices.  Interactive graphical displays will enable modelers to describe planning domain models under construction and the plans they can generate to domain experts in order to facilitate more efficient knowledge elicitation and model review.  Without PM/IDE, ANML modeling will remain a tedious and difficult task that can be carried out only by the small number of people who have the necessary specialized skills and patience. This, in turn, will severely limit the use of ANML-based automated planning systems.

During Phase I, we characterized the planning domain modeling task to identify the types of analyses and decisions that modelers carry out and the kinds of information they review and assess.  Based on this understanding of the task, we designed and prototyped PM/IDE capabilities and user-system interactions that help people develop ANML models.  During Phase 2, we propose to develop a TRL 7 version of PM/IDE. Our design approach draws upon our experience using a top-down, decision-centered software requirements and design process to develop data visualization and decision support systems.
This STTR Phase I effort proposes to develop an innovative, affordable processing route for larger-sized shape memory alloy (SMA) components.  Despite significant advances over the last decade, innovative, cost-effective shape processing techniques yielding controlled microstructure-properties are still needed for SMA's.  An advanced reactive metal casting technology is applied in this project to manufacture SMA's.  Casting offers a relatively low-cost approach for fabricating near net-shape components, and would allow for widespread acceptance and application due to its cost-effectiveness.
Fuel cell air handling systems require clean and contaminant-free inlet air, which dictates that oil-free, motorized, compressor/expander systems should be used.  Although there is no sliding contact in the steady state operation of the foil bearing, occasional contact between the foil and journal surfaces at startup and shutdown and during overload situations, could limit the bearing life.  Therefore, to ensure that the compressor system is highly efficient and reliable the foil air bearings need wear resistant, low friction coatings.  

The objective of the proposed STTR investigation is to identify new coatings for use in fuel cell propulsion compressor bearings that would allow the foil bearing to be functional from low temperature start-up conditions to the maximum temperatures encountered during operation. The proposed program will build on a novel hydrogenated diamond like carbon (DLC) coating developed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The goal of this joint MiTi&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; and ANL STTR Phase I program is to demonstrate the feasibility of ANL hydrogenated DLC and MiTi&lt;SUP&gt;REG&lt;/SUP&gt; KorolonTM coating technology for fuel cell propulsion compressor bearings.  This will be accomplished through coating adhesion and tribological testing of the coatings against various potential shaft coatings such as the NASA developed PS304 and/or Korolon 1350B.
The objective of this STTR is to determine the capability of Net Shape
LENS processing with Nano-coated powders.  The unique composites
produced using regualr processing and these powders ahs provided unique
material properties.  The use of nano-coated powders witht he rapid
prototype LENS process should also provide unique data.
We propose to develop a foundation for the Airworthiness Certification of the Personal Air Vehicle (PAV), This framework will recommend a model for Quality Assurance, consistent with the "consensus" based industry standards, and acceptable to the FAA. 

Further, our focus will include the review of certain FAA Regulations (CFAR) that create economic barriers to entry to the aircraft industry for high-volume automotive manufacturers and to offer alternative concepts for certification that remove or reduce these barriers.
The STTR Phase I proposal aims to develop innovative device concepts and
fabrication techniques that enable the construction of high-performance
uncooled long-wave infrared (LWIR, 8-12?Ym) photodetectors. LWIR
photodetectors are of great importance in real-time acquisition of
radiation characteristics of the Earth and its environments for
understanding and predicting the Earth's climate and potential hazards.
Quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP) technology offers an excellent
choice for LWIR sensing due to its superior performance, including high
temporal resolution (&amp;lt;1 ?Ys) and low noise equivalent temperature
difference (NETD &amp;lt;10mK). However, existing QDIP technology requires
cryogenic cooling to reduce dark current, which substantially increases
size, weight and power consumption. Because of this, the proposed
research aims to develop innovative device concepts and fabrication
techniques that can substantially reduce dark current, thus allow the
construction of uncooled QDIPs. The uncooled QDIP technology enables
high-performance LWIR detecting on a chip with significantly reduced
payload. It is highly desired in many Earth science applications. The
Phase I work will perform feasibility investigation of the proposed
device concept, optimize quantum dots growth and annealing techniques
and produce a preliminary design for a prototype system that can be
built and demonstrated in Phase II with a NASA supplied platform.
Development of a Modular Solar Thermal Propulsion Engine Project
Ultra Large Solar Sail Technology Project
Refractory Open-Cell Foam Fuel for High-Efficiency Nuclear Space Propulsion, Phase II Project
Autonomous Spacecraft Power Scheduling Project
Piezoelectric ultrasonic motors (PUMs) are ideal actuators for a variety of spaced-based robotics applications. These motors replace conventional drive systems consisting of motor, gear train, and brake with a rugged and reliable actuator containing one moving part. It is not currently feasible to fully exploit the capabilities of PUMs due to the lack of model-based torque control systems. This research will eliminate the barrier to PUM adoption and lead to model-based torque control algorithms and driver hardware. The key result of the Phase I STTR will be demonstration of the feasibility of model-based torque control of PUMs using a passive inertial load. This result will provide assurance that the overall project result, development of model-based torque control hardware and software, is both feasible and attainable. This result will be achieved via the development of a mathematical model relating motor input parameters and speed to output torque and experimental validation of the model. This Phase I STTR will also produce a design for an enhanced laboratory apparatus incorporating an active load, thus permitting detailed modeling of the space-based robot actuation environment.
Stochastic Optimization of Aeroelastic Response (SOAR) Project
Ultra-Stable Miniature Seed Laser for High Power Nd:YAG Lasers Project
Wavelength-Agile Optical Rocket Propulsion Sensor (WORPS) Project
CFD-Based Multidisciplinary Analysis for Flight Vehicle Simulation and Control Project
Embedded Software Technologies for Dynamic Goal Determination and Execution Project
Intelligent Medical Systems for Aerospace Emergency Medical Services Project
The gasdynamic mirror (GDM) plasma thruster has the ability to confine high-density plasma for the length of time required to heat it to the temperatures corresponding to specific impulse requirements. The often-cited plasma confinement time is directly proportional to the mirror ratio and the length, and is inversely proportional to the square root of ion energy.  This confinement law, however, ignores the role of the ambipolar (electrostatic) potential which arises as a result of the rapid escape of electrons through the mirrors due to their small mass.  This positive potential tends to accelerate the ions while slowing down the electrons until both species drift out at the same rate.  It is expected, therefore, that a larger specific impulse and larger thrust will arise in the presence of ambipolar potential but at the expense of a longer device to maintain a desired confinement time.  This proposal is aimed at a theoretical and computational investigation of the impact of the ambipolar potential on the propulsive capability of the GDM thruster. It includes the generation of parameters that will allow experimental verification of this phenomenon using the existing GDM device at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).
Multi-layer Architecture for Trajectory Replanning and Intelligent plan eXecution (MATRIX) Project
The Development of a Human Fatigue Meter Using Finite Element Multidisciplinary Simulation Project
Multi-Application Survivable Tether (MAST) Experiment Project
An Autonomous Wireless Instrumentation Network for Antarctic Research Project
TAGS II: Tether Electrodynamic Spinup and Survivability Experiment (TESSX) Project
Light Weight Concepts for Mirrors Project
This work proposes to capitalize on our Phase I success in
monolithically integrating magneto-optic and magnetic materials with
semiconductor platforms in order to reduce the size and weight, as well
as increase the performance, of NASA?s strategic optical systems.
Nonreciprocal components play extremely important role in laser systems
and telecommunications. Currently all such components are discrete;
there are no fully monolithically integrated nonreciprocal components
available in the market. This work will use a novel technique,
metallorganic chemical liquid deposition (MOCLD) to achieve this feat.
Phase I results have demonstrated the feasibility of this technique in
fabricating doped and undoped magneto-optic films, as well as buffer
layers, onto semiconductors.  Permanent magnet films were also grown
with sufficient strengths to bias the magneto-optic films for fully
integrated waveguide isolators. All of these materials will be optimized
during initial fabrication/characterization tasks in the Phase II
program. Also, prototype devices will continue to be simulated using the
beam propagation method. These simulation results will allow a fast path
toward fabricating prototype devices with minimal processing/testing
iterations. Photonic circuitry with electric and magnetic drives and
magnetophotonic crystals will also be designed and developed in this
Phase II program.
The proposed innovation is to use combustion synthesis techniques to manufacture ceramic-based acoustic liners capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2500?C. Combustion synthesis or self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) is a novel technique used by Guigne Space Systems Inc. to produce many advanced high-temperature materials and composites. The materials have a ceramic matrix (alumina Al2O3, MgO, Al2O3-MgO, TiC-Al2O3, or Al2O3-TiB2) and exhibit high porosity. These materials can also be fabricated with a functional gradient, i.e., with a change in chemistry and/or porosity within the same sample. When compared to traditional manufacturing techniques for high-temperature materials, combustion synthesis has the advantages of energy and time saving methods, high purity final product, simplicity of process and low cost. The target application for the porous ceramics is as high temperature acoustic liners for noise reduction in rocket and jet engines. The proposed work is Phase I of the project.
slowed rotor / compound (SL/C) aircraft offer VTOL combined with
fixed-wing flight-efficiencies.  They are safer than any other type
aircraft -- with much lower acquisition, maintenance and operational
cost than helicopters and tiltrotors.  Carter Aviation Technologies
began developing SL/C aircraft in 1994 and began flying a prototype, the
CarterCopter Technology Demonstrator (CCTD) in 1998.  This proposal,
using CCTD data, will provide a prototype 2-seat SR/C, VTOL aircraft
that meets NASA?s PAVE goals.  Reduced community noise is provided by a
computerized propeller, designed for quietness, which operates at low
tip-speeds and is protected by tail-booms.  The non-stalling
autorotating rotor provides low tip-speeds, eliminates the helicopter
?dead man zone? and provides the equivalent of an emergency parachute.
Low cost per seat mile is provided by simplified construction, reduced
parts count and high flight-efficiency.  During VTOL and low-speed
flight, SR/C aircraft fly like an autogyro having the same hp to weight
ratio.  Autogyros are the easiest aircraft to learn to fly safely.
Pilot workload is simplified by an automated tilting pylon that keeps
the wings in best L/D, an automated boosted collective and automated
rotor flapping controls.  The landing gear absorbs 24 ft/sec impacts.
Only the tilting pylon is untested.
In this Phase I STTR project, we propose to develop the critical innovations necessary for a high speed three dimesnional terahertz (THz) tomographic imaging system for aerospace non destructive evaluation (NDE) applcations.  NASA and the Aerospace industry are beginning to utilize THz reflection imaging (for example, examining the space shuttle external tank sprayed on foam insulation for voids and disbonds).  THz NDE imaging is widely applicable to composite resin, ceramic, plastic, natural, and other non-metallic materials.  Current commercial equipment is capable of  two dimensional raster scanning.  The wider utility of THz NDE technology can be more fully exploited for the development of NASA and aerospace applications if the full potential for high speed three dimensional THz imaging is realized.  The current state of the art equipment collects the THz waveform reflection from a very narrow depth range from a strongly reflective backing.  The proposed innovations will increase the dynamic range of the THz waveform acquisition to allow collection of reflections from weaker interfaces, and will increase the window of high speed scanning of the THz waveform to allow three dimensional images to be reconstructed for objects many inches thick.
Commercially available software suites such as the Automate Structural Optimization System (ASTROS) and MSC/NASTRAN represent the current industry standard in multidisciplinary design and optimization (MDO) tools. The primary capabilities of these products have remained largely unchanged since their initial release. In the analysis and design of modern aerospace vehicles, the deficiencies of these legacy tools are becoming increasingly clear. The linear aerodynamic methods employed by these tools are not appropriate when transonic flight regimes are considered or when other nonlinearities are present, particularly when these techniques are used to predict flight vehicle performance. Although advances in computational power and numerical techniques present an opportunity to employ higher fidelity methods, the development of new software is proceeding slowly. The effort described in this Phase I proposal describes a means by which nonlinear analytic and experimental data can be used to improve the accuracy of flight vehicle performance predictions by utilizing existing analysis tools. A procedure is presented to integrate a finite element based analysis and design tool with a nonlinear aerodynamic solver and graphical visualization system to provide improved correlation of simulated results with flight test data.
NextGen Aeronautics is proposing an innovative space qualified non-destructive evaluation and health monitoring technology. The technology is built on concepts developed by PIs from the University of South Carolina (USC) and NextGen. Excitation of preferential Lamb/Rayleigh wave modes, utilization of phased array concepts, and utilization of software algorithms rather than hardware for beam forming and signal analysis, are three innovative concepts in the proposed technology. These concepts set our approach apart from most of the technologies in use or under development at present. The purpose of Phase I effort is to firmly establish the feasibility of the technology developed at USC. This will be mostly accomplished by experimental validation on realistic test articles. Stiffened, bonded and mechanically fastened metallic panels will be fabricated and tested to mitigate most of the risk going into Phase II. We will demonstrate the ability to detect cracks, corrosion and debonds. Technology, under planned development, will be applicable to various metallic, composite, plastic and ceramic materials as structural material or adhesives, sealants and coatings. This technology offers the potential for low cost and light weight damage detection capabilities to permit continuous or on-demand structural damage assessment of the entire structure.
A new multidisciplinary software environment ('MUSE') will be developed for the simulation of flight vehicles, drawing on the results of recent research on very fast algorithms, performed at Stanford University under Professor Antony Jameson's guidance.  This new technology will be merged with Intelligent Aerodynamics' finite element methology implemented in the product FASTPLANE.  This code, which uses multigrid acceleration techniques and is fully parallelized, can already perform^Msteady-state simulations of complete aircraft in less than 5 minutes on a 16 processor Beowulf cluster. The synergy resulting from the technology transfer will lead to a new level of capability for the simulation of both steady and unsteady flows, thus providing the platform needed to couple additional disciplines into an advanced multidisciplinary tool for aero-structural and thermal analysis.  It can also provide the platform for a new generation of design-optimization software using the adjoint methodology developed by Antony Jameson and his collaborators during the last decade.  Moreover, with further advances in the performance of computer hardware that can be anticipated, real time simulation of flight vehicles should in the future be feasible with this new software. This would provide a powerful new tool to support flight-testing.
The proposed innovations conform precisely to the technology needs described in Subtopic T5.02, Robotics and Virtual Digital Human Technologies. ?Two potential areas for research are the ever-evolving robotics and 3-D simulation technologies providing operational robustness and intelligence.? Our proposal explicitly addresses two of the ?specific technology requirements?: the application of haptics for improved operator awareness of and reaction to robotic activity; and the introduction of stereographic display systems for optimized operator visual situational awareness. We extend our proposal?s relevance by ?offering innovation in the form of 3-D visualization and simulation capabilities of robotic systems with relation to the 3-D virtual-digital-human-in-the-loop concept.? Our VDH technology can place realistic virtual humans working collaboratively with virtual Robonauts in synthetic environments that emulate Space Station or Space Shuttle. Finally, we propose to address the application targets of ?flight and ground operations development, analyses, training and support? by incorporating gravitational force as a variable in the simulation environment, offering the design of highly realistic tests that ?improve the ability of humans and computers to seamlessly control robotic systems?.  The Phase I investigation could result in opportunities for design enhancement of the robotic devices themselves.
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)/ gas turbine hybrid power systems (HPSs) have been recognized by federal agencies and other entities as having the potential to operate at unprecedented levels of performance for terrestrial applications (e.g., 70&#37; power generation efficiencies with significantly mitigated criteria pollutant and noise emissions). An innovative approach is proposed for leveraging competencies in high temperature fuel cell stack and system simulation/validation and manufacturing, in conjunction with robust aeronautical sub-system/system design capabilities, to optimize these promising systems for novel aerospace propulsion and power applications. NASA GRC?s ?Protect the Environment? and ?Explore New Aerospace Missions? initiatives are addressed via the proposed technical contributions to both alternative non-combustion and alternative fuels/combustion aeronautical power generation.   SOFCs, the non-combustion alternative, serve as a promising fuel infrastructural bridge; because the technology engenders practical efficiencies between 45-60&#37;, and it is amenable to a variety of fuel feeds (including hydrocarbons and hydrogen). The inclusion of the SOFCs into modified Brayton cycles also enhances combustion-based power/propulsion via its byproduct enhancement of the fuel quality and heating value upstream of the combustor. A rigorous conceptual design/validation study is proposed for Phase I, corresponding proof-of-concept enabling hardware development for Phase II, and NASA/non-NASA commercialization efforts for Phase III.
The following proposal summarizes the process by which Trex Enterprises
will utilize our patented CVC (Chemical Vapor Composite) SiC process
towards the fabrication of near net shape lightweight SiC mirrors with
high optical performance for both the surface figure and surface
roughness of the as-deposited mirror.  The as-deposited surface figure
and roughness will be optimized through careful selection and
preparation processes applied to a variety of mandrel structures and
designs.  The CVC process replicates the current mandrel surface
precisely and this work will look to explore and quantify optically the
absolute limits of the surface replication potential of the CVC process.
Once this surface has been characterized and optimized, we will then be
in a position to either move directly to polishing or eliminate the
polishing stage completely from our mirror fabrication process.  The
savings in both time and cost would greatly improve both the cost of
high performance SiC optics as well as reduce the long lead time from
many months to as little as several weeks.
The massive acoustic loads produced by launch vehicles can detrimentally affect the proper functioning of vehicle components, payloads, and launch support structures. The high-velocity and high temperature rocket engine exhaust stream mixes with ambient atmosphere to generate intense acoustic loads, which account for the majority of structural vibration during launch. Ultramet has developed a unique, high temperature material that has demonstrated passive broadband sound attenuation over a range of frequencies and can withstand temperatures in excess of 1650 C (3000 F). In this project, Ultramet proposes to team with the Graduate Program in Acoustics at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) to develop and test a scale model to validate the impedance of this novel high temperature acoustic liner. An innovative, porous acoustic material will be developed that has demonstrated thermal, corrosion, acoustic, and mechanical load resistance at high temperatures, and porosity, pore size, pore shape, and material of construction will be varied to optimize mechanical and acoustic performance over a wide range of frequencies, amplitudes, and gas flow velocities and temperatures. Ultramet and PSU will also develop a basic numerical model to aid in the design of an economical and efficient liner exhaust duct system.
The goal of this proposal is to develop a new method to create Non-Rotationally Symmetric (NRS) surfaces that overcomes the limitations of the current techniques and is fast, accurate and inexpensive.  Diamond turning (DT) has revolutionized the fabrication of lightweight optical surfaces for defense and science applications such as forward-looking infrared radar and infrared spectrometers.  It has made this impact not only because it can accurately and rapidly fabricate diffractive, refractive and reflective optical surfaces, but because it can create reference features tied to the optical surfaces to guarantee optical alignment.  An emerging trend in optical design is the use of NRS surfaces that reduce complexity, bulk and weight.  To create these surfaces, DT machines have been modified with a low-amplitude Fast Tool Servo, a third axis or a fly-cutter.  The problem with the FTS is its limited range and the other techniques are plagued by thermal drift during long fabrication times.  The proposed Live Axis Turning (LAT) process combines evolving technologies of air bearings, linear motors, high-resolution encoders and high-speed control systems into a moving lightweight toolpost on a conventional DT machine.  The result is a more flexible machine that can increase production and reduce cost for NRS components.
The use of multidisciplinary analysis (MDA) techniques for complex fluid/structure interaction phenomena is increasing as proven numerical and visualization algorithms and high performance computing (HPC) platforms become more prevalent.  Parallel solution methodologies and networked computing clusters are readily available, yet the challenge of bringing highly sophisticated MDA research algorithms into a fast-paced NASA engineering environment still remains.  In particular, if the time accurate solution of fluid and thermal structural responses becomes practical, then significant improvements in the analysis of modern rocket engine combustion chambers and other space transportation subsystems will be achieved.  Continued improvements in current research tools and further validation of physical models are needed to develop practical MDA capabilities within the growing multidisciplinary engineering community.  Our research will produce an innovative MDA system based on an existing multi-physics code (CHEM) to compute the turbulent, chemically reacting flow and coupled structural heating of given configurations.  Our unique approach, involving solution adaptive algorithms on generalized unstructured grids, will provide NASA with an important capability to solve fluid/structure interaction problems in a collaborative engineering environment.  Furthermore, our hands-on experience with complex MDA problems will help ensure that the research product will offer NASA a significantly improved, commercially viable analysis tool.
The John C. Stennis Space Center's primary mission is testing rocket propulsion systems and components for the Space Shuttle and for future generations of space vehicles.  Research to develop new instrumentation technologies and techniques for test facility monitoring and control during propulsion testing includes the need for instrumentation to improve reliability and performance of ground test facilities.  Current sensors can not survive the harsh conditions (high pressures and high flow rates) that are required for ground based rocket propulsion systems testing.  Luna Innovations proposes to develop a high-speed, cryogenic fiber optic temperature sensor housed in a ruggedized, aerodynamic probe to increase sensing capabilities for ground-based rocket testing.  Luna will be teaming with the Aerospace Department at a partnering university to develop a materials-compatible housing designed for survivability in high flow and high pressure cryogenic conditions.  Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling will be conducted to optimize the aerodynamic design for frequency response and ruggedization of the sensor and housing.  Special attention will be given to designing smart features into the sensor, such as self-diagnostics to monitor sensor health, and on-board storage of calibration data.
TRS Technologies, Inc. in collaboration with The Pennsylvania State University propose to develop new families of high temperature piezoelectric materials for adaptive engine control.  The identification, synthesis and characterization of these new materials will enable the design of new high temperature piezoelectric active flow control actuators that may enable dramatic increases in the efficiency of revolutionary alternative propulsion system concepts or the concept designs themselves.  Specifically, the objective of the program is to identify materials for high authority (d33 ? 400 pC/N) piezoelectric actuators for fuel flow control in gas turbine engines.  The high strain, high force actuators will be operational in the range of 600?1200&lt;SUP&gt;o&lt;/SUP&gt;F with 1 to 10 kHz capabilities.  This will be achieved by synthesizing new piezoelectric in both textured ceramic and single crystal form.  The focus will be to use cost effectives methods to produce either textured microstructures or single crystal materials that lend themselves to domain engineering for enhanced piezoelectric performance at elevated temperatures.
Fiber optic sensors are rapidly emerging to replace conventional electrical-based sensor instrumentation in specific applications where small size, low mass, multiplexing capability, and high temperature resistance is a requirement. The advantages offered by state-of-the-art fiber optic sensors are particularly important for flight testing applications where the extremely low-profile geometry of a hair-thin Fiber optic sensor permits precise measurements of pressure, temperature and skin friction with minimal intrusion into the flow field. Luna innovations propose the design of a miniaturized, co-located temperature, pressure and skin friction sensor for point distributed transonic flow measurements during aircraft testing. Luna will also work on demodulation hardware and algorithms to improve output accuracy and reliability in a flight environment. During Phase I, Luna proposes to leverage previous experience in the development of combined pressure, temperature and skin friction sensors previously developed and investigate the feasibility of miniaturizing and ruggedizing these transducer assemblies to make an integrated sensor package that is simple to install, cost effective and is compatible with the harsh aircraft environment.
Recent success of an annular aerospike flight test by NASA Dryden has prompted keen interest in providing thrust vector capability to the annular aerospike nozzle (AAN).  The AAN with a moveable spike could provide a solid-fueled rocket with thrust vectoring and unique throttling capability.

Cal Poly, which has a thrust vector research facility, has teamed with Rolling Hills Research Corporation, with CFD capability, to experimentally and analytically determine the optimal approach to thrust vectoring and throttling the AAN.

In Phase I a scale model AAN will be fabricated to include a movable spike that can be displaced and/or gimballed.  One set of studies with this model will examine thrust changes as a function of spike position.  Other studies will examine the thrust vectoring effectiveness of vanes at two positions:  side of the spike and outer edge of the annular  throat.  Nozzle exhaust flows will be photographed using color Schlieren techniques in order to validate CFD analysis.

The most promising of the nozzle configurations for thrust vectoring and throttling will be selected from Phase I results.  In Phase II, the selected configuration will undergo extensive laboratory testing and computational analysis for optimization.  The objective of Phase III will be flight test.
ACI proposes a design for a Propulsor (Low Cost/Low Noise Variable Pitch
Ducted Fan) that has wide application in all sectors of Aviation.
Propulsor hardware of this low cost design can be integrated with a
broad range of aircraft engines (e.g. existing piston engines,
automotive derivative piston engines, new design turbine engines) for
use in new design aircraft.   The proposed Propulsor design will
incorporate known acoustic design features that support low noise
aircraft operation.  These features include the use of duct acoustic
liners, attenuating harmonic stator vane and rotor blade configurations,
and duct designs that direct/condition the exhaust air stream to
minimize noise heard by individuals on the ground during aircraft
takeoff, landing, and fly-over.   The proposed Propulsor design makes
possible the fabrication of low cost and low weight variable pitch fan
blades and rotors.  The new composite blade/retention design avoids the
need for heavy and expensive ball bearings and other complex hub pitch
change mechanism components.
The proposed R&amp;D is to develop a wireless data networking capability.  A prototype capability will result from the Phase 1 and 2 contracts.  The Versatile Wireless Data Net (VWDN) employs an 802.11x wireless protocol for a network of sensor, recording, and monitoring nodes.   The concept combines extensive computational capability with a family of transducers in self-contained packages with an electrical and environmental immunity.  Plug-in transducers include microphones, extensometers, toxic gas, pressure sensors, explosive gas, strain gauges (both resistance and fiber-optical), load cells, electromagnetic flux, pyrometers, and accelerometers; many will be MEMS devices.  The net enables coordinated, efficient transmission of measurement signals; self test metrics, and environmental metrics to a recording computer.  This computer also performs data display and network control for operator intervention to set network functional priorities and implement appropriate responses to monitoring trouble messages.  An existing ABT wireless nodal prototype and workstation computer will be used as the basis for the developing the full network capability, that will primarily use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) MEMS transducers.  After the concept is sufficiently defined, Phase 1 tasks will include a simulation to demonstrate proof of concept.
RTI proposes to develop an efficient, reliable, compact and lightweight heat pump for space applications. The proposed effort is expected to lead to (at the end of Phase II) a microclimate system that can remove 300 Watts of heat (in the cooling mode) requiring 92 Watts of electrical power. In the heating mode, the same system would provide up to 392 Watts of heat. The system is expected to weigh around 3.5 pounds (not including the power source) within a volume of about 1000 cc or 1 L. The design is based on a recently developed portable cooler for the Army. The performance of this system cannot be matched simply by using smaller versions of conventional designs, and is accomplished with recent advances in miniaturization and MEMS. Key technological innovations include use of a Wankel compressor with solid lubricants, system configuration for compact design, and design of condenser and evaporator for microgravity application. Phase I effort will concentrate on thermodynamic cycle, compressor, and solid lubrication. Design of the rest of the system, components and system testing and system integration would be undertaken in Phase II.
In this STTR project Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) and  Brigham Young University (BYU) propose to  design, implement, and test an  Autonomous Coordinated Control And Management System (ACCAMS) for multiple Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) engaged in cooperative missions under rapidly changing environment. Over the past few years, BYU has developed an effective approach for complex cooperative missions such as the coordinated multiple UAV rendezvous mission. In this project we plan to enhance this approach by integration of Failure Detection, Identification, and Reconfiguration (FDIR) algorithms, Achievable Dynamic Performance  (ADP) estimation  algorithms, and high level decision making logic to the control architecture.  The integration of these  algorithms allow the UAVs to make intelligent decisions in the presence of subsystem failures or external threats in an autonomous fashion. The FDIR algorithms detect and identify the failure when it occurs, and reconfigures the controller to continue the mission if possible.  It also estimates the new ADP and pass this information to the upper layers to decide if the trajectory/path/mission need to be changed after the failure or threat has occurred.  We also plan to conduct flight tests of the baseline  coordinated control scheme to demonstrate the path planning and trajectory generation capabilities using the  BYU  fixed-wing UAV testbed during Phase I.
The innovation proposed in this STTR program is a high temperature membrane to increase the efficiency and power density of PEM fuel cells.  The NASA application is newly emerging electric aircraft propulsion systems.  The proposed membrane is based on novel proton conducting polymeric materials that will not require humidification or the use of leachable dopants to enhance proton transport.  Operation of fuel cells at temperatures &gt; 150 ?C will facilitate heat and water management, increase the current density, and reduce the over-potentials for hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction.  These advantages will translate to lower power system weight for propulsion applications through reduced fuel cell system size and improved fuel economy.  The high temperature membranes will be based on new polymer materials recently discovered at the University of Michigan (UM).  In this program T/J Technologies will collaborate with UM to transfer this technology into fuel cell applications through developing blends or copolymers designed to improve fuel cell performance.  T/J Technologies will modify casting and fabrication methods for the new membrane materials.  The overall goal of phase I is to demonstrate a novel membrane that is mechanically, thermally and chemically robust at &gt;150 ?C and attains a proton conductivity &gt; 0.1 S/cm2.
The innovation is a low aspect ratio all-lifting configuration for personal air vehicles. This configuration uses an architecture fundamentally different from conventional aircraft to achieve large reductions in cost and improvements in safety. The concept features an integrated all-lifting body that performs the functions of the wing, tail and fuselage of a conventional light airplane with a single, simple structure.
  
The integrated lifting body has an aspect ratio between approximately 1.0 and 2.5, and is deep enough to contain the crew and payload without a conventional fuselage.
  
A further innovation is the use of a faceted shape composed of flat panels. The faceting greatly simplifies the manufacture of the major parts of the airframe, further reducing cost.
Biofilms are ubiquitous in the environment.  Few surfaces resist biofilm
formation, most promote it.  Biofilm formation poses problems in water
systems as they can clog pipes and pores, block filters, reduce heat
transfer, and in general restrict flow.  Their metabolic products can
aid corrosion, even of stainless steel.  In potable water systems, both
their metabolic products and the bacteria or fungi themselves directly
pose a health hazard.  A space environment appears to be a particularly
favorable one for biofilm formation.  Cell cultures have shown far
higher rates of growth in low-gravity environments.  Space radiation
seems to accelerate microbial growth and foster their mutation.  Within
a closed environment with many non-replaceable resources, prevention of
biofilm formation is paramount.  To meet this need, Agave BioSystems and
the Universities Space Research Association, propose to develop carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) and other nanostructures for the prevention of biofilm
growth.  In this Phase I, we propose to demonstrate that the use of
nanostructured materials can prevent or inhibit growth of biofilms due
to geometry effects and that they can also be functionalized with a biocide.
The complexity of modern systems and the stringent performance requirements for operation and uptime suggest that optimum and robust means must be deployed to make effective use of multiple sensor suites for assessing risk, identifying system degradation, understanding how system degradation progresses to failure, etc. Global Technology Connection and Georgia Tech proposes the development of data fusion architecture based on a hybrid analytical / intelligent methodology that exploits the concept of "focus of attention" via active perception in order to optimize degradation/fault classification accuracy while reducing substantially the computational burden. The fusion scheme incorporates several levels of abstraction: fusion at the data level, the feature level and the sensor level.  The overall architecture employs technologies from soft computing, Dempster-Shafer theory and game theory to provide a robust and reliable platform for critical aerospace systems.  Phase I effort will develop a data fusion algorithms for system degradation/fault identification.

Phase II will address design and construction of prototype field hardware for implementing the data fusion concept for components. 

Several aerospace end users like Lockheed Martin and Boeing have already expressed interest in the commercial applications (Phase III) of this approach for health monitoring and life determination of Aerospace vehicles/systems.
For space-born energy storage systems, the energy to weight ratio is extremely important. From this perspective, a hubless flywheel energy storage design is very advantageous since most of the flywheel energy is stored in its outer circumference, while the core significantly adds to the system weight. One of the problems with this design is that conventional active magnetic bearings are difficult to integrate into the overall system. We propose to utilize recently developed Null-E Magnetic Bearings instead, which appear to be better suited for the hubless topology.  Their major advantages over active magnetic bearings include inherent stability at high rotational speeds, simplicity, low cost and lack of laminated components. At the same time, Null-E bearings deliver the desired combination of high load capacity, stiffness and low rotational losses. They can be designed to operate as entirely passive systems with no electronics or external power supplies, or as partially active systems, with some supplementary electronics. A combination of different modes is also possible, e.g. an active system at low speeds and passive at high.  The proposed study includes electromagnetic design and analysis of Null-E bearings as well as research of composite material technologies suitable for the proposed design.
A critical barrier for GA to serve as viable and volume personal transportation is the lack of a cost-effective, yet open-growth, Lean Design and manufacturing technologies using automotive manufacturing technologies in for new personal airplanes.  Munro &amp; Associate and Michigan SATS share a vision, ?The CAR of the FUTURE is an Airplane?. This STTR?s goal is to create an innovative, Lean Design PAV design through 21st century automotive industry technologies ? Such designs systems will serve as a vital enabler for turning NASA's PAV Vision into reality.
Time Reversal Acoustic (TRA) structural health monitoring with an embedded sensor array represents a new approach to in-situ nondestructive evaluation of air-space systems. The suggested approach is based on a sufficient improvement of recently developed Electro-Mechanical Impedance method and will use a similar array of embedded sensors. The application of TRA principles will significantly improve the system?s ability to detect the presence of structural faults and localize damage due to directive focusing of the ultrasonic signals radiated by many sensors. Scanning of the focus will give the necessary information for tomographic mapping of damage and degradation. During Phase I, the principles of TRA system with embedded sensors for damage detection will be developed and feasibility test will be conducted on composite and metal parts with increasing levels of damage. The developed TRA software and hardware will form a basis for the prototype that will be built in Phase II.
In this Phase I STTR project for NASA, Concrete Solutions Inc (CSI), together with the University of Texas at Austin (UTA), will develop a detailed research plan that will provide for an acoustic liner that is capable of withstanding high exhaust temperatures up to 3,000 F over a range of sound frequencies.  

Using CSI?s patented product, SoundSorb, a cementitious material that is used extensively in the transportation industry to attenuate the reflection of highway and railway noise, the CSI/UTA team will develop (1) Formulation and testing of SoundSorb, or variants thereof, that will meet the requirements of sound absorption, heat and vibration for the target application; (2) Develop an application system or process that can be used to manufacture acoustic liners of this material; and (3) Develop a scale model to validate and demonstrate that the material can meet or exceed the requirements of the liners.

SoundSorb? has been tested under several ASTME testing regimes required by various governmental and transportation organizations. It has passed all these tests for acoustic behavior, durability and extreme weather conditions.  This project will show feasibility for use in this application.

In Phase II, CSI/UTA will produce prototype liners for testing in actual launch conditions.
To date, bond strength is considered one of the ?holy grails? for NDE. Preliminary data indicates that the Luna Nonlinear Ultrasonic Bond Strength (NUBS) monitor will permit a nondestructive evaluation of bond strength for many classes of adhesives and bond configurations. The technology is based on high-resolution ultrasonic measurements that extract nonlinear parameters of the elastic bond properties. Working with Professor David Dillard, a recognized international expert in adhesion science at Virginia Tech., the Luna team will validate the NUBS concept using butt-joints and shear-lap joints with a family of adhesives and surface preparations.  The tests will help Luna optimize the device electronic design while determining the range of use for quantitative assessments.

The result of this R&amp;D if carried to the Phase II will be a cost-effective field instrument that has wide applicability for one-sided bond assessment testing. This is especially critical for NASA as aerospace structures rely more and more on adhesives for beneficial design characteristics.
Impact Technologies LLC, in cooperation the Georgia Institute of Technology, proposes to develop and demonstrate an innovative Automated Contingency Management (ACM) concept for advanced propulsion systems that will provide a superior level of engine fault accommodation and optimized performance based on a seamless integration between the engine health management (EHM) system and the engine controller.   Utilizing a sophisticated engine simulation model with full transient capability and integrated control, a software-in-the-loop demonstration will be delivered that will be capable of realistically simulating various control sensor failures, actuator faults, and engine degradation scenarios with associated results obtained comparing the benefits of the ACM technologies implemented.  

The proposed ACM software hierarchy will act from the engine subsystems level up through the air vehicle level and will implement advanced fault-accommodating control, health management, and intelligent software agents to accomplish its goal.  The core innovations of this project include: 1.) The development of advanced fault detection algorithms for sensor, actuator and component faults in different flight regimes; 2.) The development of intelligent software agents for achieving optimal dynamic performance under faulty propulsion dynamics; and 3.) The development of reconfigurable control algorithms linked to the EHM system for guaranteeing the stability of the fault-accommodating control system.
Clear Science Corp. and Duke University propose to develop and demonstrate a new and efficient computational method of modeling nonlinear aeroelastic systems.   The method will extend the scope of multi-disciplinary computational tools like NASA Dryden's STARS by augmenting linear eigenmode stability algorithms and coupled time-marching techniques.  The objective is a low-dimensional model that accurately reflects nonlinearity in both structure and fluid and that is efficient enough to permit full exploration of parameter space.  In Phase I, our team will evaluate two types of model order reduction: proper orthogonal decomposition of the coupled-system variables and the method of harmonic balancing.  We will downselect one method based on efficiency, accuracy, and versatility, demonstrate its merit via a prototype problem, and design a comprehensive Phase II plan for model development and testing.  The proposed innovation can minimize the risk of failure and maximize flight safety in aircraft like the F-18-AAW and X-43 by accurately and efficiently predicting nonlinear dynamics over a broad range of flight conditions.  Integrating the nonlinear model with codes like STARS will augment the capability of quickly determining linear stability with the capability of efficiently analyzing nonlinear behavior like limit cycle oscillations, hysteresis, higher harmonic and sub-harmonic resonances, jump resonances, entrainment, beating, and period doubling.
SSC needs the sensors that are capable and can be operated in liquid oxygen (LOX) and or liquid hydrogen (LH2) cryogenic environment to improve SSC cryogenic testing.  In particular, the Stennis Space Center (SSC) would like to develop a sensor to monitor the quality of LOX in the delivery line during the testing of a rocket engine.  Spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) with its relative simplicity and multi-molecule analysis can be easily employed to develop a sensor for on-line, real-time measurement. The goal of the proposed effort is to develop a SRS sensor, which is able to provide sub-millisecond sampling time for detecting nitrogen percent concentration in cryogenic propellants. During Phase I, a SRS system based on photo multiplier tube detection will be designed. The experimental parameters will be evaluated to achieve optimum response time and sensitivity. A prototype will be delivered to NASA/SSC at the end of Phase I. The study from Phase I will provide the necessary information to improve the phase II prototype design to achieve sub millisecond response time and better sensitivity. In Phase II, a prototype SRS system will be developed and tested at SSC and will be delivered to NASA/SSC for on line measurement
The proposed work seeks to develop and optimize an electrode-less plasma propulsion system that is based on a high power helicon (HPH) that is being developed collaboratively between MSNW and the University of Washington.  The helicon is well suited for this task, as it is known for efficient production of high-density plasmas.  The proposed system takes helicon research into an entirely unexplored regime of high power, moving from the traditional kW level discharges to tens and hundreds of kW.  Preliminary results indicate that it has excellent potential for making an efficient propulsion system with an estimated thrust of about 1 N for 50 kWe.  Higher thrust levels are expected with optimization of its operational characteristics, particularly the addition of a magnetic nozzle that will facilitate conversion of thermal energy into directed flow.  Numerical modeling will be employed to understand the relevant physics, and help determine the optimal thruster configuration.  Scaling studies will determine the power levels where HPH is competitive or surpasses other systems under consideration for NASA?s higher power missions.  Based on results, a plan for the complete system design and test demonstration of the HPH to be realized in Phase II will be detailed.
New classes of sensors are needed on spacecraft that can be interrogated remotely using RF signals and respond with the sensor's identity as well as the environmental parameter without use of batteries. Such systems are emerging in the field of RF identification (RFID), but often lack the ability to encode a separate parameter and require the RFID tags to be mounted on an insulator-type surface. The proposed innovation does not employ the conventional 'backscatter' approach now being commercialized, which would preclude mounting the RF-powered sensor devices on metal surfaces. Passive and semiactive devices may respond on the same frequency as they are interrogated, or a separate frequency, and support frequency hopping. Advances are also needed to adapt the same to harsh air and space environments and to include encoding of sensor information for hundreds of sensors, with a total reporting time of about 1 second.  Means must be incorporated to distinguish the multitude encoded responses from up to hundreds of sensors and the interrogator must not pose a health hazard to personnel.
We will rigorously document the mechanisms by which the OrTec biocatalyst can help solve the most pressing waste-management problems for the next-generation of long-term manned space missions.  Based on preliminary results, integrating the OrTec biocatalyst into a biological treatment and recovery system could dramatically reduce the amount of required mass, power, volume, and crew time devoted to managing organic solids.  At the same time, it can improve safety, reliability, and resource recovery.
In this research, we will experimentally document the degree to which the OrTec biocatalyst enhances volume reduction, stabilization, water recovery, and odor control in the biological treatment of wet and dry solid wastes.  This research will lay the foundation for research and development directed towards using the OrTec biocatalyst in the NASA space-mission environment.  This research also will help advance the use of OrTec for achieving our society?s environmental and sustainability goals beyond manned space flight.
We propose to develop high speed magnetostrictive and MEMS actuators for rapidly deflecting or deforming mirrors.  High speed, light-weight, low voltage beam deflectors are required for rapid tuning of lasers, airborne and ground based lidar transmitters and receivers, image correctors, scanners, printers, target acquisition and countermeasures.   Technologies currently employed include, electro-mechanical actuators: piezo, galvanometric, voice-coil, etc, electro or acousto-optical devices.  They suffer from some or all of following drawbacks: low speed, high voltage requirement, limited life, hysteresis, high cost and bulky connections. Recent advances in magentostrictive materials have shown that large displacements (&gt;100mm) at high frequencies (~ 40kHz) can be achieved.  Using this novel technology we will build innovative mirror systems for achieving high speed beam deflections (tens of mrad). Key attributes of these deflectors are: low voltage excitation, non-contact energy transfer, compact and rugged systems for applications in lasers, lidars and airborne systems. In Phase I after exploring optimum configurations and designs of deflectors, we will fabricate laboratory scale actuators and mirrors.  The speed and deflection performance of the devices will be measured and establish their feasibility.  In Phase II we will build two prototype beam deflectors and incorporate them into tunable laser and lidar receiver systems for testing.
Harsh Environment Applied Technologies, ThermTech Services and James Madison University have formed a research and development team to investigate the design of a portable thermal line scanning inspection system. The technique involves the movement of a linear heat source across the outer surface of the tubing followed by an infrared imager at a fixed distance behind the heater. Quantitative images of the material loss due to corrosion are reconstructed from measurements of the induced surface temperature variations. The application of the thermal line source coupled with the analysis technique represents a significant improvement in the inspection speed and accuracy for large structures such as boiler water-walls. Wall thinning due to corrosion in utility boiler water-wall tubing is a significant operational concern for boiler operators. Conventional ultrasonic inspection is currently used. This is very manpower intense and slow. Thickness measurements are typically taken over a relatively small percentage of the total boiler wall and statistical analysis is used to determine the overall condition of the boiler tubing. Other inspection techniques, such as electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT), have recently been evaluated; however they provide only a qualitative evaluation, identifying areas where corrosion has significantly reduced the wall thickness. ThermTech Services in cooperation with NASA Langley Research Center has developed a thermal NDE technique designed to quantitatively measure the wall thickness and thus determine the amount of material thinning present in steel boiler tubing. This STTR proposal is focused on further development of this innovative but proven technique to expand into the inspection of aerospace superstructures and eventually in orbit applications.
AdTech Photonics, in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research (CASPR) at UMBC, is pleased to submit this proposal entitled ?Very-High Efficiency, High Power Laser Diodes? in response to NASA?s needs in the such areas as diode pumped solid state lasers and Lidar Remote Sensing. Our goal is to develop ultra-high efficiency diode laser bars that can achieve greater than 80&#37; external quantum efficiency, even when operated at very high power, in order to enable various NASA applications. 
	To demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing the laser diodes, we propose important milestones that include: a. innovative laser structures to incorporate well-designed band alignment to reduce over-flow leakage current. b. Designing, fabricating, packaging, and testing of thin film double-side heat removal designs that reduce the laser operating temperature and heating induced losses. c. Developing mass production on-wafer processing and packaging techniques that allow thin film lasers to be processed and separated into discrete laser bars. 
	AdTech Photonics has many years of production experience in the high power laser area covering both military and commercial market needs since 1995. We will work out all tasks and provide NASA with small quantity fabricated samples for space qualification, and other NASA applications.
Since high temperature Sm-Co based magnets were developed, a number of new applications have been introduced.  NASA?s Xe+ ion propulsion engine used in Deep Space I (DS-I) is a prime example. The magnets with coating perform well at temperatures up to 550?C.  Magnets without coating perform well in the current 10 kW Xe+ ion engines in the vacuum which exists in space and at temperatures up to 400?C. Additional challenges are expected in the missions NASA is planning.  The new missions, with higher-powered engines, include travel toward the sun, to Jupiter, and planets beyond. In these higher-powered engines (&gt; 10 kW) temperatures are expected to reach 550?C in vacuum to ~10-5 Torr.  Technical data of the high temperature Sm-Co in the conditions of the NASA?s new mission are needed.  
This program proposes to study the effects of radiation on physical and magnetic properties, and the thermal stability and its improvement, in vacuum at temperature up to 550?C, of Sm-Co high temperature magnets.  Based on the results of this work, improvements to Sm-Co magnets will be made to enhance the performance of high power Xe+ ion propulsion engines.
The goal of this proposal is to investigate the applicability of recent advances in plasma manufacturing and material treatment to NASA advanced life support systems. In particular we wish to examine surface treatment, material deposition, and the use of low pressure and atmospheric pressure plasma reactors as methods of creating single-piece multi-function fluid handling surfaces. Phase I will determine the feasibility of modifying existing plasma processes to develop a number of different functionalities directly onto an aluminum or ceramic surface. Plasma deposition techniques will be used to create a hydrophilic and bactericidal surface. Etching and deposition will be used to create temperature sensors directly on a surface. Further investigation of deposition techniques will examine the feasibility of depositing thermoelectric (Pelltier) materials onto surfaces. Finally, a resource utilization analysis will be performed to determine the relative merits of creating an atmospheric pressure plasma reactor directly on a thin surface for the purpose of water purification.
This proposal describes the development of passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors and multi-sensor systems for NASA application to remote wireless sensing of temperature and pressure distributions in space vehicles and demanding environments.  SAW devices are a mature technology used in numerous commercial wireless communication applications, satellites, and military systems. Research into the use of SAW devices as solid-state physical sensors is a relatively recent development, with potential emerging applications such as automotive tire pressure sensing.  Much of the work reported has focused on single sensor devices and systems, with little work done on dense multi-sensor systems.  The system proposed herein consists of multiple passive solid-state SAW sensors that can be interrogated remotely using RF signals, and that respond with a signal that encodes both the sensor's identity as well as measurements of temperature and pressure.  The proposed research will study several innovative aspects of SAW sensor technology, including: new piezoelectric materials which can operate over large temperature ranges; new SAW device embodiments for measurement of temperature and pressure and their wireless transmission in multi-sensor environments; transceiver design and optimization given the SAW operating parameters; and innovative packaging and antenna considerations for rugged, small devices.
MPAC and UMR are proposing development of an Acoustic Control System for high temperature gas flow in ducts.  This control system is based on a passive inorganic acoustical coating. MPAC has developed and applied for a patent on a architectural acoustical control coating with unusually high wear resistance, a noise reduction coefficient of 0.5, and  excellent low frequency damping. UMR has long experience in modeling acoustic treatment in ducts with high speed flow and has world class facilities for experimental characterization of acoustic materials and systems.  The proposal team is committed to a phase one proof of concept deliverable consisting of  passive coatings for application. This acoustic control coating, if successful, would provide a very low cost high reliability acoustical damping for hot gas structures.
There is a continuing need within NASA for solar cells and arrays with very high specific power densities (1000-5000 kW/kg) for generating power in a new generation of ultralight space payloads. An emerging technology with promise to meet these ambitious goals are solar cells based on very thin films of discrete layers or interpenetrating networks (IPNs) of organic donors and acceptors. It is also recognized in the field of thin film inorganic solar cells, that it is possible to stack cells tuned to the blue, green and red portions of the solar spectrum, thus harvesting photons with less degradation of their energy. Theoretical efficiencies for multijunction solar cells are ~70&#37; compared to ~30&#37; for single junction devices. Indeed, these multijunction solar cells hold the current record for solar conversion efficiency. In this proposed joint STTR program between EIC Laboratories and the University of Florida, we will develop multijunction organic donor-acceptor solar cells as a means to achieve higher efficiencies than can be realized with single junction devices. Phase I will demonstrate feasibility using a two junction ?blue-red? device. Phase II will develop three junction devices and scaled up devices on lightweight flexible polymer substrates.
Advanced space fission systems are being developed as safe and affordable space propulsion alternatives for long-term space exploration.  The characterization of non-nuclear test core simulators is limited by the lack of instrumentation options available for temperature and strain measurements.  Luna Innovations proposes to develop sensors based on a fiber Bragg grating system for temperature and strain measurements.  These fiber optic sensors can provide 20 to 100 times more sensing points as thermocouples on interior and exterior surfaces of the core simulator, which are expected to reach temperatures of 1000?C.  In addition, Luna Innovations will work with a university partner to develop a modeling strategy to characterize the core by comparing critical data collected during operation (power distribution, temperature, strain, etc.).  Hence, an array of sensors will map the physical responses of the core and produce a working feedback model for use in optimization studies of the system.
The technical objectives for the proposed Phase I study are:
1.Develop a compact, dual-wavelength antenna system capable of electronically scanning or producing multi-beams at different incidence angles, conical scanning and generating matched beams at both wavelengths.
2.Determine the optimal frequencies for the dual-wavelength operation that balances resolution, sensitivity, atmospheric attenuation, sea clutter contamination, size and weight. This will include conducting a brief literature review to select a model or develop a model for simulating the radar response to precipitation as a function of frequency and for a range of precipitation rates. Simulation will likely be based on Mie/Rayleigh scattering and attenuation models using a Gamma drop-size distribution shape.
3.Develop a compact, power efficient dual-frequency transceiver design that is based on surface mount RF components and low-noise monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) receivers. While custom MMICSs are available from several vendors, RSS and UMass will develop the low frequency RF and digital circuit board designs.
4.Investigate and develop compact, low-voltage power amplifier designs to produce high average power linear transmit signals. Design will need to operate unpressurized at the high altitudes typical of the Global Hawk UAV and similar aircraft.
5.Develop advance remote sensing algorithms to interpret the unique sampled data from the proposed instrument and retrieve high resolution maps the ABL winds, precipitation and ocean surface winds within tropical cyclones.
Next generation General Aviation (GA) Sport Class air vehicles limited to 1200lbs, represent the first opportunity to overhaul the FAA certification process necessary to manufacture affordable aircraft.  With propulsion representing over one-third of the direct manufacturing costs of the entire aircraft, dramatic reductions in aircraft engine costs must be achieved by design, economy of scale, and modern Quality Assurance (QA) manufacturing techniques.  Future on-demand intra-urban Personal Air Vehicles (PAV) will require a breakthrough in affordable ($20/hp) propulsion technology capable of STOL or VTOL performance with specific weight ratio above 1hp/lb.  Affordable engines of this performance do not exist today.  Therefore this propulsion system study proposes to examine 3 innovative concepts of widely different configurations, namely: Advanced Uniflow Supercharged 4-cycle; Advanced Contra-Prop Supercharged 2-cycle; and Free Piston/Turbine designs.  The common design philosophy of maximum breathing capacity, unobstructed combustion chamber design, and high mechanical/structural efficiency ensures maximum power density on multi-fuels at the lowest cost.  Economy of scale and QA production are approached by innovative/universal design that is aligned with recreational engine power and manufacturing practices.
Propulsion systems that provide high power to weight and minimal mass are required for the planned generation of nanospacecraft and nanosatellites.  Power-MEMS can provide a low cost, highly scalable production approach to small power systems as well as distributed power systems.  However, to achieve the desired efficiencies from the MEMS operating temperatures need to exceed the structural temperature limit of silicon. In conjunction with the MIT Micro-Engine program, many of the technologicalissues for the incorporation of a refractory reinforcement, such as silicon carbide, have already been addressed.  Selective deposition of the silicon carbide is believed to address the last remaining processing issues for fabricating selectively reinforced Si/SiC hybrid wafers.
The intent of this proposal is to develop key building block technology for lightweight composite structures suitable for cryogenic fuel depot storage as well as human in-space habitat.    The effort will incorporate and expand on previous work by the participants in the cryogenic performance of composite materials as well as improved impact technologies for micro-meteor/space debris survivability.  It will then develop radiation resistant capabilities. 

In order to develop reliable composite structures for use as cryogenic fuel storage, human habitation, or other mission critical application a solid understanding of constituent material environmental capabilities is required.  While good progress has been made in expanding the knowledge of how composite fibers and matrix systems (resins) react to loads and strains at extremely cold temperatures little to no effort has been made to incorporate radiation exposure such as would be encountered with in-space fuel storage depots.  

With a view to developing dual-use lightweight composite structures the proposed effort will develop improved composite material resistance to the harsh radiation environment a spacecraft would be expected to encounter during the life of its mission.  Our intent is to develop robust light weight composite structures which are cryogenic capable as well as impact and radiation resistant.
The objective of this proposal is to develop a gravity-independent pasteurization and hot air drying process suitable for stabilization of ALS wet cabin waste, drying of crew laundry, and water recovery from water-reprocessing brines. This dryer will use an energy-efficient closed air-loop Heat Pump Desiccant dryer to remove moisture from wet starting material and a Porous Membrane Condensing Heat Exchanger (PMCHX) to trap condensate. Water recovered during drying should be of good quality and available for reuse with standard processing. The process is energy efficient since enthalpy released by the condensing vapor is used to reheat the drying air. Volatile organic compounds are contained throughout the drying process. The system could incorporate a photocatalytic oxidation system to remove VOCs accumulated during drying. The key objective for the PMCHX is to extend its range of application from low-load humidity control in plant growth chambers to high-load condenser duty at up to 80?C air temperature and at temperatures varying over a 40?C range during a single drying run. Since the presence of organics in the condensate, and the predicted condenser temperatures of 5-40?C are conditions favorable to biofilm growth, PMCHX membranes will need to be configured to inhibit the formation of biofilms.
The overarching challenge of tele-presence is to provide an environment to the human operator that is sufficiently familiar that the interface itself does not become burdensome and distract from the goals of the mission.  The ultimate achievement would be to embed the operator into a scene in such a way as to convince him or her that they are actually on site.  We propose a technology that can potentially achieve this by addressing and expanding on two specific technology needs outlined under the subtopic of human/robot interfaces: 1) Stereographic display systems that provide a large field of view, and high resolution, and 2) Techniques for capturing 360 degree video at a work site and redisplaying as a mosaiced virtual environment to the crewmembers back at the base camp.  The extension to these ideas is a technology to offer Omni-Directional (full 4p steradian) stereographic information at an appropriately high resolution.  The first innovation is the technique for acquiring the necessary information.  The second is processing it to provide a continuous, unobstructed, Omni-Directional, stereographic field of view.  A head mounted display with attitude tracking has been selected as the most appropriate display device to truly embed the users into the scene.
As space missions become increasingly complex, they demand increased reliance on spacecraft to adjust to unexpected or unfamiliar events without the assistance of real-time human-in-the-loop control.  Such conditions as a thruster failure moments before an automated docking, or imprecise or unknown inertial properties due to fuel slosh, partially deployed appendages, etc., can cause controllers to become unstable or otherwise unable to complete their objectives.  Based on our prior work in control systems and specifically in developing the existing Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, &amp; Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) ISS testbed, we propose to analytically characterize the requirements to implement algorithms for autonomous thruster fault identification, fuel slosh and online inertia property estimation on the SPHERES system.  This Phase I effort will focus on the necessary software architecture changes and any hardware modifications required to implement these algorithms using SPHERES.  Successful completion of this effort will produce specifications and preliminary designs for all necessary components, and pending a manifest opportunity, lead to testing the new algorithms in ISS within Phase II.  This proposal offers valuable innovation in three respects:  creation of novel spacecraft control algorithms, rapid advancement from concept to spaceflight demonstration, and low-cost/high-return use of existing spaceflight resources.
Our proposed innovation is to develop neural network (NN) rule extraction technology to a level where it can be incorporated into a software tool, we are calling NNRules, which captures a trained neural network?s decision logic and uses it as a basis for verification and validation (V&amp;V) of the neural network. This formalism has never been attempted. The significance of the NNRules innovation is that: 
?	The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Aviation Administration are currently researching the potential of neural networks in mission- and safety-critical systems. 
?	High assurance neural network applications require rigorous verification and validation techniques.
?	The adaptive and ?black box? characteristics of neural networks make verification and validation of neural networks practically intractable.
?	Rule-based systems have a more visible, and potentially human readable, decision logic that supports a robust set of verification techniques.
?	Neural network rule extraction research has developed algorithms that translate a neural network into an equivalent set of rules. NNRules embeds this technology in a generally usable tool that will dramatically increase the ability to V&amp;V high assurance neural networks.
The proposed PAVE propulsion system technology demonstration combines an innovative high-speed aero-diesel engine with a novel ducted fan assembly resulting in a low noise/cost and high performance propulsion system.  The core engine makes extensive use of a novel self-injection, compression ignition/combustion system capable of high-speed operation on kerosene-based fuels without degradation due to variations in fuel viscosity, lubricity and cetane value.  Propulsion system safety is greatly enhanced by inherent single lever control, the employment of high flash point fuel, and the absence of fuel injection system degradation when operating on variable viscosity/lubricity Jet-A fuel having unregulated cetane values.  Competing aero-diesel developments are dependant on OEM fuel system manufactures that are not willing to sell their system intended for aviation use due to the low lubricity of Jet fuel and the high product liability of General Aviation industry.  On the contrary the preferred self-injection system does not require any specialized equipment to produce and is comparable in cost to a carburetor.  The multi-fuel combustion system is controlled by the "Fuel deposit on the wall" method of injection.  The controlled combustion is characterized by having modest pressure rise and virtually absent combustion noise thus eliminating the classic "diesel knock" and greatly improving the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) of the installation.
Luna Innovations is teaming with the University of Alabama, Huntsville, to develop a miniature flush-mounted fiber-optic pressure sensor that will allow accurate, high-frequency high-pressure measurement of LOx and LH2.  The Innovation of this system is that the sensor is not intrusive, will not interfere with the flow field, and is a novel adaptation of proven technology.  To insure compatibility with the LOx environment, the sensor will be constructed from metal-oxides, ceramics and other materials that are intrinsically safe.  The sensor will help engineers optimize performance of liquid fueled rocket engines for the next generation of reusable lift vehicles, and flight versions of the sensors will enable real-time monitoring and control of the engines, improving safety and enabling commercialization of space.  During the Phase I, a prototype sensor will be designed and tested to verify feasibility.  Materials and bonds will be tested to insure compatibility with LOx.  During the Phase II, optimized sensors will be constructed and extensive tests conducted to advance the technology to pre-production status.  This system meets NASA?s goals by providing LOx and LH2 pressure data while: 1) minimizing intrusion, 2) improving reliability, 3) having fast response time, and 4) being intrinsically safe.
In comparison to stereovision, it is well known that structured-light illumination has distinct advantages including the use of only one camera, being significantly less sensitive to background clutter, and not requiring the target object to have nonambiguous features. But because structured-light illumination requires a scanning process, it is inappropriate for humancomputer interfacing where the movements/gestures of a human subject are of interest. We propose the innovative process of composite pattern design as a means of constructing structured-light illumination patterns that measure surface topologies with only a single image and, thereby, are appropriate for recording real-time depth video. By moving the composite pattern into the Near-Infra-Red wavelength light spectrum and coupling with real-time optical processor, we intend to establish feasibility of a real-time, low latency, ambient light resistant, and high accuracy depth video sensor for producing a depth map of a scene applicable to virtual reality interfaces that permit control of robotic systems through human gestures by way of spatial tracking of user appendages in motion absent any wearable transmitters or markers.
The purpose of the proposed work is to develop a multi-color imaging array capable of simultaneously detecting radiation in either the UVa (400-320nm) and UVb (320-290nm), or UVa (400-320nm) and UVc (290-100nm) wavelength bands. This will be the first such device ever fabricated. Imagers of this type can identify and track rocket trajectories even in bright sunlight. Many types of camouflage material are transparent in the UV, allowing for ordinance detection beneath camouflage. Earth resource management (crop data acquisition and weather prediction) will also benefit from this activity. Our research team has fabricated a single-color GaN imaging array. We found that bright solar radiation does create a significant background signal that makes missile plume identification difficult. The solar spectrum provides well-defined intensity ratios of UVa, UVb and UVc radiation. Sensing simultaneously in two of the three bands allows for rejection of signals with the solar ratio signature. This significantly reduces the possibility of registering false positive alarms.
The need for aerodynamics-based efficiency enhancements for air vehicles is presented. Concepts are presented for morphing aircraft, to enable the aircraft to optimize its configuration for various flight regimes. Using simulations, wind tunnel testing, and benchtop hardware development, the feasibility of the concepts will be established in Phase I. In Phase II, flight testing will be performed to refine and finalize the designs. The concepts involve tailoring of the wing using adaptive surfaces to acheive drag reduction. This translates to benefits in range, endurance, manueuvering and speed characteristics of the air vehicle.
There is a continuing need within NASA for solar cells and arrays with very high specific power densities (1000-5000 kW/kg) for generating power in a new generation of ultralight space payloads. An emerging technology with promise to meet these ambitious goals are solar cells based on very thin films of discrete layers or interpenetrating networks (IPNs) of organic donors and acceptors. It is also recognized in the field of thin film inorganic solar cells, that it is possible to stack cells tuned to the blue, green and red portions of the solar spectrum, thus harvesting photons with less degradation of their energy. Theoretical efficiencies for multijunction solar cells are ~70&#37; compared to ~30&#37; for single junction devices. Indeed, these multijunction solar cells hold the current record for solar conversion efficiency. In this proposed joint STTR program between EIC Laboratories and the University of Florida, we will develop multijunction organic donor-acceptor solar cells as a means to achieve higher efficiencies than can be realized with single junction devices. Phase II will continue with development of high mobility, bandgap engineered organic donors and acceptors, as well as develop three junction devices and scaled up devices on lightweight flexible polymer substrates.
Automated Contingency Management (ACM), or the ability to confidently and autonomously adapt to fault conditions with the goal of still achieving mission objectives, can be considered the ultimate technological goal of a health management system.  In an innovative Phase I STTR program, Impact Technologies and Georgia Institute of Technology developed a prototype Test Bench software for developing and validating ACM systems.  With the Phase II support of Boeing/Rocketdyne, the primary goal of this project is to further develop and demonstrate a design and development tool for ACM technologies called the Propulsion ACM Test Bench, and to develop specific ACM solutions within this environment for Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The commercial-grade software to be delivered at the conclusion of Phase II will utilize technologies based on open-systems, modular software architectures suitable for 3rd party system integration.  Two such modules of note for the Test Bench include an Integration Toolkit for Livingstone2&lt;SUP&gt;TM&lt;/SUP&gt; as a Reasoner and a Validation and Verification Toolkit for health management algorithms and the ACM system design.  This technology is expected to provide immediate benefit to the SSME program and a comprehensive, SSME software demonstration is planned at the conclusion of the 2 year effort.
This data set contains annual accumulation data in water equivalent from 14 ice cores collected in 1997 and 16 ice cores collected in 1998. Data are provided in Microsoft Excel Format. Users of these data are encouraged to see the literature paper referenced below to aid them with the use of this data.
These data provide land cover classifications derived from the Boston University MOD12Q1 V004 MODIS/Terra 1 km Land Cover Product (Friedl et al. 2002). The data are available in various EASE-Grid 2.0 azimuthal and global projections, in multiple spatial resolutions ranging from 3 km to 100 km.  The data are in flat binary, 1 byte files that are stored by row and are available via FTP.
These Land-Ocean-Coastline-Ice (LOCI) files provide land classification masks derived from the Boston University MOD12Q1 V004 MODIS/Terra 1 km Land Cover Product (Friedl et al. 2002). The masks are available in various EASE-Grid 2.0 azimuthal and global projections, at various spatial resolutions ranging from 3 km to 100 km.  The masks are in flat binary, 1 byte files stored by row. Quick-look browse images of the masks are also available in PNG (.png) format. The data are available via FTP.
These data provide land cover classifications derived from the Boston University MOD12Q1 V004 MODIS/Terra 1 km Land Cover Product (Friedl et al. 2002). The data are available in various EASE-Grid azimuthal and global projections, in 12.5 km and 25 km spatial resolutions. The data are in flat binary, 1 byte files that are stored by row and are available via FTP.
These Land-Ocean-Coastline-Ice (LOCI) files provide land classification masks derived from the Boston University MOD12Q1 V004 MODIS/Terra 1 km Land Cover Product (Friedl et al. 2002). The masks are available in various EASE-Grid azimuthal and global projections, at 12.5 km and 25 km spatial resolutions. The masks are in flat binary, 1 byte files stored by row. Quick-look browse images of the masks are also available in PNG (.png) format. The data are available via FTP.
This data set provides weekly estimates of sea ice age for the Arctic Ocean from remotely sensed sea ice motion and sea ice extent.  The ice age data are derived from a number of passive microwave imagers: the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS). Visible and infrared data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) were also utilized through 2004. In addition, International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) drifting-buoy vectors and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Reanalysis Project (CDAS) are used to augment the satellite data. The data are on a sub-set of the Northern Hemisphere 12.5 km EASE-Grid. The data are in flat binary files and each has a corresponding browse GIF image for quick inspection of the data. Both are available via FTP.
Scanning laser altimeters were flown over the Greenland icesheet during late spring or early summer from 1993 to 1999. Flights spanned the entire icesheet, sampling interior and coastal regions and several outlet glaciers. The data provided here are condensed from the original scanning lidar measurements to roughly one measurement per 75 m along the flight track, by fitting a plane to a set of points within a 70 meter by 150 meter subset. Each record in the resulting data set includes location, ellipsoid elevation, surface slope, and an RMS surface roughness. Flights from 1993 and 1994 were repeated in 1998 and 1999 to provide a measurement of the ice elevation change over a five-year period.
Two 150-MHz coherent radar depth sounders were developed and flown over the Greenland ice sheet to obtain ice thickness measurements in support of PARCA investigations and the North Greenland Ice Core Project. These radar depth sounders are designed to use pulse compression techniques and coherent integration to obtain the high sensitivity required to measure the thickness of more than 4 km of cold ice. These systems are used to collect radar data over the interior and margins of the ice sheet and several outlet glaciers. Both radar systems are operated on the NASA P-3B aircraft equipped with GPS receivers. Radar data are tagged with GPS-derived location information and are collected in conjunction with laser altimeter measurements. All data collected from 1993 to 2014 have been processed, and ice thickness was derived with an accuracy of ± 10 m over 90 percent of the flight lines flown as a part of the PARCA initiative. Radar echo grams and derived ice thickness data are available via FTP.
This data set contains bed topography beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet based on mass conservation derived from airborne radar tracks and satellite radar. The data set also includes surface and ice thickness measurements.
The NASA IceBridge Paroscientific L0 Pressure Altimeter Raw Air Pressure (IAPRS0) data set contains air pressure readings taken over Antarctica using the Paroscientific Digiquartz Transmitter.  The data were collected by scientists working on the Investigating the Cryospheric Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate (ICECAP) project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with additional support from NASA Operation IceBridge.  The data are stored in ASCII text format and are available for periodic, ongoing campaigns from 2009 to the present via FTP.
This data set offers users a 25 km daily record of surface/near-surface melting on the Greenland Ice Sheet. The presence of melting is determined from brightness temperature data acquired during a 34 year span by three satellite-borne microwave radiometers: the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS).
This data set reports the location of Northern Hemisphere snow cover and sea ice extent, the status of melt onset across Greenland and Artic sea ice, and the level of agreement between three different snow cover data sources.
This data set offers users 25 km Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent represented by four different variables. Three of the snow cover variables are derived from the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System, MODIS Cloud Gap Filled Snow Cover, and passive microwave brightness temperatures, respectively. The fourth variable merges the three source products into a single representation of snow cover.
This data set offers users weekly 100 km Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent represented by three different variables. Two of the variables are derived from individual source products: the NOAA/NCDC Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover Extent Climate Data Record and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) passive microwave brightness temperatures, respectively. The third variable merges the other two into a single representation of snow cover.
This data set includes the annual total precipitation from 1985 to 1999 and monthly total precipitation from January 1985 to December 1999. The data is derived from a dynamic model using the omega equation which describes vertical atmospheric motion. The data are arrayed in a 67 x 69 grid with a grid length of 50 km.

Two versions of the data are available in separate directories (ver1 and ver2). Data are in ASCII files named yy.sum for annual total precipitation (mm), yymm.sum for monthly total precipitation (mm), and yy1-yy2.mean for annual mean precipitation from yy1 to yy2. Latitude and longitude data for the grid points and topological data are also available.
This data set contains mean normalized backscatter coefficient (sigma-naught); backscatter variance; and other associated data files from Seasat SASS carrying a Ku-band scatterometer (1978), European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Remote Sensing (ERS) -1 and -2 missions carrying a C-band scatterometer (1992-2001), the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) mission (1996-1997), SeaWinds on QuikSCAT  (1999-2009), SeaWinds on ADEOS-II/Midori2 (2003), and the ESA Advanced scatterometer (ASCAT) (2009+). Global, overlapping swath data were accumulated over a fixed interval of time. The data were then gridded, binned, and averaged, before it was processed using the Scatterometer Image Reconstruction (SIR) and SIR w/filtering algorithms developed at Brigham Young University.
Notice to Data Users: The documentation for this data set was provided solely by the Principal Investigator(s) and was not further developed, thoroughly reviewed, or edited by NSIDC. Thus, support for this data set may be limited.

This data set contains Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) Level-3 daily measurements of surface soil moisture and vegetation/roughness water content interpretive information, as well as brightness temperatures and quality control variables. Ancillary data include time, geolocation, and quality assessment. Input brightness temperature data, corresponding to a 56 km mean spatial resolution, are resampled to a global cylindrical 25 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid (EASE-Grid) cell spacing. Data have been spatially subsetted to the SMEX03 study areas in Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, USA and Brazil. The study period covers 1 April to 31 August 2003 for study areas in the USA and 6 November to 31 December 2003 for the Brazil study area. Total volume for this data set is approximately 70 MB. Data are stored in HDF-EOS format and are available via FTP.

These data were collected as part of a validation study for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AMSR-E is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to SMEX are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E soil moisture data. Specific validation objectives include assessing and refining soil moisture algorithm performance; verifying soil moisture estimation accuracy; investigating the effects of vegetation, surface temperature, topography, and soil texture on soil moisture accuracy; and determining the regions that are useful for AMSR-E soil moisture measurements.
Notice to Data Users: The documentation for this data set was provided solely by the Principal Investigator(s) and was not further developed, thoroughly reviewed, or edited by NSIDC. Thus, support for this data set may be limited.

This data set contains Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) Level-3 daily measurements of surface soil moisture and vegetation/roughness water content interpretive information, as well as brightness temperatures and quality control variables. Ancillary data include time, geolocation, and quality assessment. Input brightness temperature data, corresponding to a 56 km mean spatial resolution, are resampled to a global cylindrical 25 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid (EASE-Grid) cell spacing. Data have been spatially subsetted to the SMEX03 study areas in Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, USA and Brazil. The study period covers 1 April to 31 August 2003 for study areas in the USA and 6 November to 31 December 2003 for the Brazil study area. Total volume for this data set is approximately 70 MB. Data are stored in HDF-EOS format and are available via FTP.

These data were collected as part of a validation study for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AMSR-E is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to SMEX are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E soil moisture data. Specific validation objectives include assessing and refining soil moisture algorithm performance; verifying soil moisture estimation accuracy; investigating the effects of vegetation, surface temperature, topography, and soil texture on soil moisture accuracy; and determining the regions that are useful for AMSR-E soil moisture measurements.
This data set provides brightness temperature data acquired during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). The study was conducted between 29 April 2003 and 29 September 2003 in the SMEX03 Alabama/Georgia study area, between 29 April 2003 and 23 September 2003 in the SMEX03 Oklahoma study area, and between 29 September 2003 and 28 February 2004 in the SMEX03 Brazil study area. Data are provided as ASCII text files and are available via FTP.

These data were collected as part of a validation study for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AMSR-E is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to SMEX are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E soil moisture data. Specific validation objectives include assessing and refining soil moisture algorithm performance; verifying soil moisture estimation accuracy; investigating the effects of vegetation, surface temperature, topography, and soil texture on soil moisture accuracy; and determining the regions that are useful for AMSR-E soil moisture measurements.
This data set provides brightness temperature data acquired during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). The study was conducted between 29 April 2003 and 29 September 2003 in the SMEX03 Alabama/Georgia study area, between 29 April 2003 and 23 September 2003 in the SMEX03 Oklahoma study area, and between 29 September 2003 and 28 February 2004 in the SMEX03 Brazil study area. Data are provided as ASCII text files and are available via FTP.

These data were collected as part of a validation study for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AMSR-E is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to SMEX are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E soil moisture data. Specific validation objectives include assessing and refining soil moisture algorithm performance; verifying soil moisture estimation accuracy; investigating the effects of vegetation, surface temperature, topography, and soil texture on soil moisture accuracy; and determining the regions that are useful for AMSR-E soil moisture measurements.
Measurement data of aboveground litterfall and littermass and litter carbon, nitrogen, and nutrient concentrations were extracted from 685 original literature sources and compiled into a comprehensive database to support the analysis of global patterns of carbon and nutrients in litterfall and litter pools. Data are included from sources dating from 1827 to 1997. The reported data include the literature reference, general site information (description, latitude, longitude, and elevation), site climate data (mean annual temperature and precipitation), site vegetation characteristics (management, stand age, ecosystem and vegetation-type codes), annual quantities of litterfall (by class, kg m-2 yr-1), litter pool mass (by class and litter layer, kg m-2), and concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and base cations for the litterfall (g m-2 yr-1) and litter pool components (g m-2).  The investigators intent was to compile a comprehensive data set of individual direct field measurements as reported by researchers. While the primary emphasis was on acquiring C data, measurements of N, P, and base cations were also obtained, although the database is sparse for elements other than C and N. Each of the 1,497 records in the database represents a measurement site. Replicate measurements were averaged according to conventions described in Section 5 and recorded for each site in the database. The sites were at 575 different locations.
Measurement data of aboveground litterfall and littermass and litter carbon, nitrogen, and nutrient concentrations were extracted from 685 original literature sources and compiled into a comprehensive database to support the analysis of global patterns of carbon and nutrients in litterfall and litter pools. Data are included from sources dating from 1827 to 1997. The reported data include the literature reference, general site information (description, latitude, longitude, and elevation), site climate data (mean annual temperature and precipitation), site vegetation characteristics (management, stand age, ecosystem and vegetation-type codes), annual quantities of litterfall (by class, kg m-2 yr-1), litter pool mass (by class and litter layer, kg m-2), and concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and base cations for the litterfall (g m-2 yr-1) and litter pool components (g m-2).  The investigators intent was to compile a comprehensive data set of individual direct field measurements as reported by researchers. While the primary emphasis was on acquiring C data, measurements of N, P, and base cations were also obtained, although the database is sparse for elements other than C and N. Each of the 1,497 records in the database represents a measurement site. Replicate measurements were averaged according to conventions described in Section 5 and recorded for each site in the database. The sites were at 575 different locations.
The flux and ancillary data collected at the NSA-Fen tower flux site by the TF-10 group.
The flux and ancillary data collected at the NSA-Fen tower flux site by the TF-10 group.
Notice: This data set and guide were updated on June 30, 2014 to correct an error in the reported units. The data values were not changed.Spatially-gridded estimates of above ground biomass (AGB), net primary productivity (NPP), and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) are provided for forested areas of the conterminous United States (CONUS). Estimates of uncertainty are also provided for AGB and NEP. These data were derived by using Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to constrain forest growth rates in a Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) carbon-cycle process model. Note that the data set does not include data for forests in the Northern Prairie States region (NPS; see Figure 3). These data provide a detailed estimate of carbon sources and sinks from recent forest disturbance and recovery across regions and forest types of the US.The data are presented as a series of ten NetCDF v4 (*.nc4) files at two spatial scales (1-degree and 5-km spatial resolution) for the nominal year of 2005.
Notice: This data set and guide were updated on June 30, 2014 to correct an error in the reported units. The data values were not changed.Spatially-gridded estimates of above ground biomass (AGB), net primary productivity (NPP), and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) are provided for forested areas of the conterminous United States (CONUS). Estimates of uncertainty are also provided for AGB and NEP. These data were derived by using Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to constrain forest growth rates in a Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) carbon-cycle process model. Note that the data set does not include data for forests in the Northern Prairie States region (NPS; see Figure 3). These data provide a detailed estimate of carbon sources and sinks from recent forest disturbance and recovery across regions and forest types of the US.The data are presented as a series of ten NetCDF v4 (*.nc4) files at two spatial scales (1-degree and 5-km spatial resolution) for the nominal year of 2005.
The data provided are annual land cover projections for years 2005 through 2095 generated by the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) Version 3.1. For the conterminous USA, the GCAM global gridded results were downscaled to ~5.6 km (0.05 degree) resolution. For each 5.6 x 5.6 km area, the annual land cover percentage comprised by each of the nineteen different land cover classes/plant functional types (PFTs) of the Community Land Model (CLM) (Table 1) are provided.Results are reported for GCAM runs of three scenarios of future human efforts towards climate mitigation as related to global carbon emissions, radiative forcing, and land cover change. Specific scenario conditions were 1) a reference scenario with no explicit climate mitigation efforts that reaches a radiative forcing level of over 7 W/m2 in 2100, 2) the 2.6 mitigation pathway (MP) scenario which is a very low emission scenario with a mid-century peak in radiative forcing at ~3 W/m2, declining to 2.6 W/m2 in 2100, and 3) the 4.5 MP scenario which stabilizes radiative forcing at 4.5 W/m2 (~ 650 ppm CO2-equivalent) before 2100.These downscaled land cover projections can be used to derive spatially explicit estimates of potential shifts in croplands, grasslands, shrub lands, and forest lands in each future climate scenario.Data are presented as three NetCDF v4 files (.nc4), one for each future climate scenario -- 2.6 MP, 4.5 MP, and GCAM reference).
The data provided are annual land cover projections for years 2005 through 2095 generated by the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) Version 3.1. For the conterminous USA, the GCAM global gridded results were downscaled to ~5.6 km (0.05 degree) resolution. For each 5.6 x 5.6 km area, the annual land cover percentage comprised by each of the nineteen different land cover classes/plant functional types (PFTs) of the Community Land Model (CLM) (Table 1) are provided.Results are reported for GCAM runs of three scenarios of future human efforts towards climate mitigation as related to global carbon emissions, radiative forcing, and land cover change. Specific scenario conditions were 1) a reference scenario with no explicit climate mitigation efforts that reaches a radiative forcing level of over 7 W/m2 in 2100, 2) the 2.6 mitigation pathway (MP) scenario which is a very low emission scenario with a mid-century peak in radiative forcing at ~3 W/m2, declining to 2.6 W/m2 in 2100, and 3) the 4.5 MP scenario which stabilizes radiative forcing at 4.5 W/m2 (~ 650 ppm CO2-equivalent) before 2100.These downscaled land cover projections can be used to derive spatially explicit estimates of potential shifts in croplands, grasslands, shrub lands, and forest lands in each future climate scenario.Data are presented as three NetCDF v4 files (.nc4), one for each future climate scenario -- 2.6 MP, 4.5 MP, and GCAM reference).
This data set provides estimates of monthly carbon dioxide (CO2) flux from the Amazon mainstem rivers, tributary stream networks, and their associated varzeas (floodplains). CO2 flux was calculated using two aggregation approaches: for defined river basins (data file #2) and for defined river reaches (figure 2). Flux was calculated from (1) estimated surface water area by month for the Amazon mainstem rivers, associated varzeas, and tributary stream networks, (2) mean daily partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) concentrations for the mainstem rivers, and (3) calculated mean pCO2 values for the varzea waters. Mean monthly discharge data for 11 mainstem rivers are also included. There are five comma-delimited data files with this data set. Amazon mainstem is a region covering the Amazon/Solimoes River mainstem from 70 degrees W to 54 degrees W. Data from the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) L-band synthetic aperture radar were used to estimate the areal coverage and inundation status of rivers and floodplains over 100 m in width and compiled into mosaics for periods of high and low  water.  For each mosaic, the study area was classified into either flooded or non-flooded areas. Data for the seasonal and spatial distributions of pCO2 within each hydrographic region were utilized from over 1,800 samples taken on 13 Carbon in the Amazon River Experiment (CAMREX) expeditions at different water stages throughout a 2,000 km reach of the central Amazon mainstem, tributary, and floodplain waters (Degens et al., 1991, Devol et al., 1995, Richey et al., 1988).
This data set provides estimates of monthly carbon dioxide (CO2) flux from the Amazon mainstem rivers, tributary stream networks, and their associated varzeas (floodplains). CO2 flux was calculated using two aggregation approaches: for defined river basins (data file #2) and for defined river reaches (figure 2). Flux was calculated from (1) estimated surface water area by month for the Amazon mainstem rivers, associated varzeas, and tributary stream networks, (2) mean daily partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) concentrations for the mainstem rivers, and (3) calculated mean pCO2 values for the varzea waters. Mean monthly discharge data for 11 mainstem rivers are also included. There are five comma-delimited data files with this data set. Amazon mainstem is a region covering the Amazon/Solimoes River mainstem from 70 degrees W to 54 degrees W. Data from the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) L-band synthetic aperture radar were used to estimate the areal coverage and inundation status of rivers and floodplains over 100 m in width and compiled into mosaics for periods of high and low  water.  For each mosaic, the study area was classified into either flooded or non-flooded areas. Data for the seasonal and spatial distributions of pCO2 within each hydrographic region were utilized from over 1,800 samples taken on 13 Carbon in the Amazon River Experiment (CAMREX) expeditions at different water stages throughout a 2,000 km reach of the central Amazon mainstem, tributary, and floodplain waters (Degens et al., 1991, Devol et al., 1995, Richey et al., 1988).
This data set reports eddy flux measurements of CO2 and H2O exchange and associated meteorological measurements at the Para Western (Santarem) - km 67, Primary Forest Tower Site. This site is in the Tapajos National Forest located in north central Brazil. Measurements extend from January 2002 through January 2006.Eddy fluxes of CO2 and H2O were measured at two levels (58m and 47m) using tower-mounted closed-path Licor 6262 gas analyzers and Campbell CSAT3 sonic anemometers (Figure 1). Eddy-flux measurements were made at a sampling  rate of 8 Hz and averaged over a 1 hour interval.. A comprehensive set of meteorological parameters (air temperature, pressure, PAR, net radiation, precipitation, etc) were also measured.Co-located measurements included a third Licor gas analyzer that measured (a) the CO2 and H2O concentration profiles at 8 levels in and above the canopy (1 level every 2 minutes) and (b) the instantaneous integrated canopy storage of CO2 and H2O, using a design that pulled air simultaneously through all 8 inlets (once every 20 minutes). See related data sets.With the permission of the author, Hutyra, L.R. 2007. Carbon and water exchange in Amazonian rainforests. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts., is included as a companion file.
This data set reports eddy flux measurements of CO2 and H2O exchange and associated meteorological measurements at the Para Western (Santarem) - km 67, Primary Forest Tower Site. This site is in the Tapajos National Forest located in north central Brazil. Measurements extend from January 2002 through January 2006.Eddy fluxes of CO2 and H2O were measured at two levels (58m and 47m) using tower-mounted closed-path Licor 6262 gas analyzers and Campbell CSAT3 sonic anemometers (Figure 1). Eddy-flux measurements were made at a sampling  rate of 8 Hz and averaged over a 1 hour interval.. A comprehensive set of meteorological parameters (air temperature, pressure, PAR, net radiation, precipitation, etc) were also measured.Co-located measurements included a third Licor gas analyzer that measured (a) the CO2 and H2O concentration profiles at 8 levels in and above the canopy (1 level every 2 minutes) and (b) the instantaneous integrated canopy storage of CO2 and H2O, using a design that pulled air simultaneously through all 8 inlets (once every 20 minutes). See related data sets.With the permission of the author, Hutyra, L.R. 2007. Carbon and water exchange in Amazonian rainforests. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts., is included as a companion file.
This data set contains 20 multispectral surface reflectance images collected by the EO-1 satellite Hyperion sensor at 30-m resolution and covering the entire Amazon Basin for 2002 - 2005. All images were converted to GeoTiff format for distribution. The respective ENVI *.hdr files are included as companion files and contain image projection and band information.The selected multispectral images were processed using ENVI software as described in Chambers et al. (2009). Bands with uncalibrated wavelengths and those with low spectral response were removed leaving a spectral subset of generally 196 bands (some images have fewer). A cloud mask was developed using 2-d scatter plots of variable reflectance bands to highlight clouds as regions of interest (ROIs), allowing clouds and cloud edges to be masked. A de-streaking algorithm was then applied to the image to reduce variance in balance between the vertical columns.  Apparent surface reflectance was calculated for this balanced image using the atmospheric correction algorithm ACORN in 1.5pb mode (AIG-LLC, Boulder, CO).  The images (18 of the 20) were georeferenced using the corresponding Advanced Land Imager (ALI) satellite images.
This data set contains 20 multispectral surface reflectance images collected by the EO-1 satellite Hyperion sensor at 30-m resolution and covering the entire Amazon Basin for 2002 - 2005. All images were converted to GeoTiff format for distribution. The respective ENVI *.hdr files are included as companion files and contain image projection and band information.The selected multispectral images were processed using ENVI software as described in Chambers et al. (2009). Bands with uncalibrated wavelengths and those with low spectral response were removed leaving a spectral subset of generally 196 bands (some images have fewer). A cloud mask was developed using 2-d scatter plots of variable reflectance bands to highlight clouds as regions of interest (ROIs), allowing clouds and cloud edges to be masked. A de-streaking algorithm was then applied to the image to reduce variance in balance between the vertical columns.  Apparent surface reflectance was calculated for this balanced image using the atmospheric correction algorithm ACORN in 1.5pb mode (AIG-LLC, Boulder, CO).  The images (18 of the 20) were georeferenced using the corresponding Advanced Land Imager (ALI) satellite images.
This data set includes high-resolution geocoded mosaics derived from the Validation Overflight for Amazon Mosaics (VOAM) aerial video surveys as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere (LBA) Experiment in the Amazon. The VOAM flights were carried out in the wet-season (June) 1999 in the Brazilian Amazon to provide ground verification for mapping of wetland cover in the Amazon Basin conducted by the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) Project JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Remote Sensing Satellite). Digital camcorder systems were installed in a Bandeirante survey plane operated by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. The VOAM99 surveys circumscribed the Brazilian Amazon, documenting ground conditions at resolutions on the order of 1-m resolution for wetlands, forests, savannas, and human-impacted areas. Geocoded mosaics were generated by processing the aerial videography into GeoTIFF format, maximizing its usefulness for environmental monitoring applications. Other applications of the VOAM99 videography include acquisition of ground control points for image geolocation, forest biomass estimation, and rapid assessment of fire damage. Geocoded digital videography provides a cost-effective means of compiling a high-resolution validation data set for land cover mapping in remote, cloud-covered regions.
This data set includes high-resolution geocoded mosaics derived from the Validation Overflight for Amazon Mosaics (VOAM) aerial video surveys as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere (LBA) Experiment in the Amazon. The VOAM flights were carried out in the wet-season (June) 1999 in the Brazilian Amazon to provide ground verification for mapping of wetland cover in the Amazon Basin conducted by the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) Project JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Remote Sensing Satellite). Digital camcorder systems were installed in a Bandeirante survey plane operated by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. The VOAM99 surveys circumscribed the Brazilian Amazon, documenting ground conditions at resolutions on the order of 1-m resolution for wetlands, forests, savannas, and human-impacted areas. Geocoded mosaics were generated by processing the aerial videography into GeoTIFF format, maximizing its usefulness for environmental monitoring applications. Other applications of the VOAM99 videography include acquisition of ground control points for image geolocation, forest biomass estimation, and rapid assessment of fire damage. Geocoded digital videography provides a cost-effective means of compiling a high-resolution validation data set for land cover mapping in remote, cloud-covered regions.
This data set presents georeferenced digital video files from Validation Overflight for Amazon Mosaics (VOAM) aerial video surveys as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon. The VOAM flights were carried out in the wet-season (June) 1999 in the Brazilian Amazon to provide ground verification for mapping of wetland cover with the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) Project JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Remote Sensing Satellite) mosaics of the Amazon basin. Digital camcorder systems were installed in a Bandeirante survey plane operated by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. The VOAM99 surveys circumscribed the Brazilian Amazon, documenting ground conditions at resolutions on the order of 1-m (wide-angle format) and 10-cm (zoom format) for wetlands, forests, savannas, and human-impacted areas. Other applications of the VOAM videography include acquisition of ground control points for image geolocation, creation of a high-resolution geocoded mosaic of a forest study area, forest biomass estimation, and rapid assessment of fire damage. Geocoded digital videography provides a cost-effective means of compiling a high-resolution validation data set for land cover mapping in remote, cloud-covered regions.
This data set presents georeferenced digital video files from Validation Overflight for Amazon Mosaics (VOAM) aerial video surveys as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon. The VOAM flights were carried out in the wet-season (June) 1999 in the Brazilian Amazon to provide ground verification for mapping of wetland cover with the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) Project JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Remote Sensing Satellite) mosaics of the Amazon basin. Digital camcorder systems were installed in a Bandeirante survey plane operated by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. The VOAM99 surveys circumscribed the Brazilian Amazon, documenting ground conditions at resolutions on the order of 1-m (wide-angle format) and 10-cm (zoom format) for wetlands, forests, savannas, and human-impacted areas. Other applications of the VOAM videography include acquisition of ground control points for image geolocation, creation of a high-resolution geocoded mosaic of a forest study area, forest biomass estimation, and rapid assessment of fire damage. Geocoded digital videography provides a cost-effective means of compiling a high-resolution validation data set for land cover mapping in remote, cloud-covered regions.
This data set contains biomass estimates for coarse roots measured on the forest floor and measurements of fine root growth down to 2-m depth at the km 67 Rainfall Exclusion Experiment site, Tapajos National Forest, Brazil. The study site was part of a rainfall exclusion experiment that was conducted from 1999-2006 to develop an understanding of the physical processes driving the observed soil water dynamics at the site. All surface roots intersected along three 1000-m long x 1-m wide transects were identified to species, measured, and biomass calculated. The collections were made on January 26, 2001 during the experimental rain exclusion period.The fine root growth was measured from 0.5-m to 2-m depth with a rhizotron. The rhizotron tubes were inserted into deep soil pits in the control and treatment plots. Average root growth measurements are provided by depth interval on a monthly basis from July 25, 2000 to December 14, 2003. DATA QUALITY STATEMENT: The Data Center has determined that there are questions about the quality of the data reported in this data set. The data set has missing or incomplete data, metadata, or other documentation that diminishes the usability of the products. KNOWN PROBLEMS: There are discrepancies with the documentation, collection dates reported and collection method for fine roots utilizing rhizotrons.
This data set contains biomass estimates for coarse roots measured on the forest floor and measurements of fine root growth down to 2-m depth at the km 67 Rainfall Exclusion Experiment site, Tapajos National Forest, Brazil. The study site was part of a rainfall exclusion experiment that was conducted from 1999-2006 to develop an understanding of the physical processes driving the observed soil water dynamics at the site. All surface roots intersected along three 1000-m long x 1-m wide transects were identified to species, measured, and biomass calculated. The collections were made on January 26, 2001 during the experimental rain exclusion period.The fine root growth was measured from 0.5-m to 2-m depth with a rhizotron. The rhizotron tubes were inserted into deep soil pits in the control and treatment plots. Average root growth measurements are provided by depth interval on a monthly basis from July 25, 2000 to December 14, 2003. DATA QUALITY STATEMENT: The Data Center has determined that there are questions about the quality of the data reported in this data set. The data set has missing or incomplete data, metadata, or other documentation that diminishes the usability of the products. KNOWN PROBLEMS: There are discrepancies with the documentation, collection dates reported and collection method for fine roots utilizing rhizotrons.
This data set contains two image mosaics of L-band radar backscatter and two image mosaics of first order texture. The two backscatter images are mosaics of L-band Radar Backscatter at Horizontal-Horizontal (HH) Polarization created from 1,500 images collected by the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) over the Amazon River Basin as part of the Global Rainforest Mapping Project (GRMP). These backscatter image mosaics were developed using data collected over 62 days from August to November of 1995 for the peak of the dry season and for 62 days from May to June of 1996 during the peak of the wet season. The two image mosaics are at 3 arc-sec resolution. Data provided under this project are resampled images at 30 arc-sec resolution (or about 1 km resolution). For each radar backscatter image, first order texture statistical information was derived and is distributed along with the image mosaic.This data set contains four images each in both geotiff and ENVI formats, provided in eight zip files.  The four files in ENVI file format contain envi in their file name and when extrapolated contain an envi image (*_envi.dat) and an envi image header file (_envi.hdr). The four files in geotiff format contain geotiff  in their file name and when extrapolated contain *.tif and *.tfw file pairs. See Section 2 for more information about the characteristics of these data files.
This data set contains two image mosaics of L-band radar backscatter and two image mosaics of first order texture. The two backscatter images are mosaics of L-band Radar Backscatter at Horizontal-Horizontal (HH) Polarization created from 1,500 images collected by the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) over the Amazon River Basin as part of the Global Rainforest Mapping Project (GRMP). These backscatter image mosaics were developed using data collected over 62 days from August to November of 1995 for the peak of the dry season and for 62 days from May to June of 1996 during the peak of the wet season. The two image mosaics are at 3 arc-sec resolution. Data provided under this project are resampled images at 30 arc-sec resolution (or about 1 km resolution). For each radar backscatter image, first order texture statistical information was derived and is distributed along with the image mosaic.This data set contains four images each in both geotiff and ENVI formats, provided in eight zip files.  The four files in ENVI file format contain envi in their file name and when extrapolated contain an envi image (*_envi.dat) and an envi image header file (_envi.hdr). The four files in geotiff format contain geotiff  in their file name and when extrapolated contain *.tif and *.tfw file pairs. See Section 2 for more information about the characteristics of these data files.
This data set provides measurements for soil physical and chemical properties, rooting depth and weight, leaf area index (LAI), plant area index (PAI), biomass, fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), and ground-based reflectance measurements of soil and litter samples. The samples were collected from 23 areas within the Brazilian research sites of the Brasilia National Park (BNP) and Aguas Emnendadas Ecological Station (AE), Brasilia; Cangacu Research Center, Tocantins; and Tapajos National Forest, Para.The research areas were in the most intensely stressed areas in Brazil, with rapid and aggressive land use conversions in forested and cerrado-transition areas. These field measurements were conducted from June to July 2002. There are 61 comma-delimited (.csv) data files with this data set.
This data set provides measurements for soil physical and chemical properties, rooting depth and weight, leaf area index (LAI), plant area index (PAI), biomass, fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), and ground-based reflectance measurements of soil and litter samples. The samples were collected from 23 areas within the Brazilian research sites of the Brasilia National Park (BNP) and Aguas Emnendadas Ecological Station (AE), Brasilia; Cangacu Research Center, Tocantins; and Tapajos National Forest, Para.The research areas were in the most intensely stressed areas in Brazil, with rapid and aggressive land use conversions in forested and cerrado-transition areas. These field measurements were conducted from June to July 2002. There are 61 comma-delimited (.csv) data files with this data set.
This data set contains field observations, corresponding GPS points, and point and polygons of deforested areas in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, for the period August 2003 to July 2004. The field observations were conducted in the forested areas between Nova Mutum and Sinop, MT. These data were part of a study to validate Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 250-m resolution for the detection of deforested areas.There are 16 data files with this data set. This includes 10 shapefile (.shp) and six comma-separated files (.csv).
This data set contains field observations, corresponding GPS points, and point and polygons of deforested areas in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, for the period August 2003 to July 2004. The field observations were conducted in the forested areas between Nova Mutum and Sinop, MT. These data were part of a study to validate Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 250-m resolution for the detection of deforested areas.There are 16 data files with this data set. This includes 10 shapefile (.shp) and six comma-separated files (.csv).
This data set contains field observations, corresponding GPS points, and point and polygons of deforested areas in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, for the period  March 17-24, 2005. Fieldwork was conducted in the regions surrounding Sinop, Mato Grosso, with specific emphasis on large clearings occurring in the Xingu Basin. The field campaign was designed to validate preliminary MODIS deforestation products designed to detect deforestation during the wet season. There are five data files with this data set. This includes four shapefiles (.shp) and one comma-separated file (.csv).
This data set contains field observations, corresponding GPS points, and point and polygons of deforested areas in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, for the period  March 17-24, 2005. Fieldwork was conducted in the regions surrounding Sinop, Mato Grosso, with specific emphasis on large clearings occurring in the Xingu Basin. The field campaign was designed to validate preliminary MODIS deforestation products designed to detect deforestation during the wet season. There are five data files with this data set. This includes four shapefiles (.shp) and one comma-separated file (.csv).
This data set provides annual spatial patterns of cropland, natural pasture, and planted pasture land uses across Amazonia for the period 1940/1950-1995. Two series of 5-minute grid cell historical maps were generated starting from land use classification products for 1995. Annual data are the fraction of natural pasture, planted pasture, and cropland in each 5-min grid cell. The annual maps are provided in two NetCDF (.nc) format file at 5-minute resolution. The AMZ-C.nc file covers the Brazilian portion of Amazon and Tocantins Rivers basins, and is based on the 1995 land use classification of Cardille et al. (2002), generated through the fusion of remote sensing (AVHRR) and agricultural census data. The second file, AMZ-R.nc, covers the entire Legal Amazon region and adjacent areas and is based on the 1995 land use classification by Ramankutty et al. (2008). The land use classification was generated by the fusion of satellite imagery (MODIS and VEGETATION-SPOT) and data from the agricultural census. A historical land-use reconstruction algorithm was used to generate the annual spatial patterns (based on work from Ramunkutty and Foley, 1999).
This data set provides annual spatial patterns of cropland, natural pasture, and planted pasture land uses across Amazonia for the period 1940/1950-1995. Two series of 5-minute grid cell historical maps were generated starting from land use classification products for 1995. Annual data are the fraction of natural pasture, planted pasture, and cropland in each 5-min grid cell. The annual maps are provided in two NetCDF (.nc) format file at 5-minute resolution. The AMZ-C.nc file covers the Brazilian portion of Amazon and Tocantins Rivers basins, and is based on the 1995 land use classification of Cardille et al. (2002), generated through the fusion of remote sensing (AVHRR) and agricultural census data. The second file, AMZ-R.nc, covers the entire Legal Amazon region and adjacent areas and is based on the 1995 land use classification by Ramankutty et al. (2008). The land use classification was generated by the fusion of satellite imagery (MODIS and VEGETATION-SPOT) and data from the agricultural census. A historical land-use reconstruction algorithm was used to generate the annual spatial patterns (based on work from Ramunkutty and Foley, 1999).
This data set provides a time series of land cover classifications for Ariquemes, Ji-Parana, and Luiza, research sites in Rondonia, Brazil. The land cover classifications are derived from the Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensors.  The time period ranges from June 1975 through June 2000, but all areas do not have images for all the years. The images were classified into the following categories: 1. Primary upland forest, representing the dominant natural vegetation in the area; 2. Pasture and green pasture; 3. Second growth, dominated by small trees and shrubs with low species diversity and biomass relative to primary forest; 4. Soil/urban; 5. Rock/savanna; 6. Water;  and 7. Cloud and smoke obscured. In addition, areas covered by rock and savanna were mapped and all areas outside of the overlap zone between all dates within a scene, and scene edges, were masked.There are 75 GeoTIFF files (.tif) with this data set which includes: classified images (*ful.tif) and a corresponding image mask (*ful_mask .tif) for each date (with the exception of 1978 and 1996 images for Ji-Parana, for which there are only ful_mask.tif files), and three mask files for rock, savannah, and scene edges, for each area. By area, there are 31 images for Ariquemes, 23 images for Ji-Parana, and 21 images for Luiza.
This data set provides a time series of land cover classifications for Ariquemes, Ji-Parana, and Luiza, research sites in Rondonia, Brazil. The land cover classifications are derived from the Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensors.  The time period ranges from June 1975 through June 2000, but all areas do not have images for all the years. The images were classified into the following categories: 1. Primary upland forest, representing the dominant natural vegetation in the area; 2. Pasture and green pasture; 3. Second growth, dominated by small trees and shrubs with low species diversity and biomass relative to primary forest; 4. Soil/urban; 5. Rock/savanna; 6. Water;  and 7. Cloud and smoke obscured. In addition, areas covered by rock and savanna were mapped and all areas outside of the overlap zone between all dates within a scene, and scene edges, were masked.There are 75 GeoTIFF files (.tif) with this data set which includes: classified images (*ful.tif) and a corresponding image mask (*ful_mask .tif) for each date (with the exception of 1978 and 1996 images for Ji-Parana, for which there are only ful_mask.tif files), and three mask files for rock, savannah, and scene edges, for each area. By area, there are 31 images for Ariquemes, 23 images for Ji-Parana, and 21 images for Luiza.
This data set provides a 27-year land cover time series of 28.5-m resolution products derived from Landsat images for 80% of Rondonia, Brazil, for the period 1984 to 2010. Selected Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images from the years 1984 through 2010, for seven path/row scenes (PortoVelho, Ariquemes, Jiparana, Luiza (or Urupa), Cacoal, Chapuingaia, and Vilhena) were mosaicked for each year. Each mosaicked image was georectified and classified into seven land-cover classes--savanna/rock, pasture, secondary forest, primary forest, cloud, urban, or water. This 27-year time series allows the long-term assessment of land-cover variation across the state. There are 27 GeoTIFF image files (.tif) and one accompanying .xml file for each GeoTIFF file, compressed and available as *.zip files, one file for each year for the period 1984-2010, with this data set.
This data set provides a 27-year land cover time series of 28.5-m resolution products derived from Landsat images for 80% of Rondonia, Brazil, for the period 1984 to 2010. Selected Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images from the years 1984 through 2010, for seven path/row scenes (PortoVelho, Ariquemes, Jiparana, Luiza (or Urupa), Cacoal, Chapuingaia, and Vilhena) were mosaicked for each year. Each mosaicked image was georectified and classified into seven land-cover classes--savanna/rock, pasture, secondary forest, primary forest, cloud, urban, or water. This 27-year time series allows the long-term assessment of land-cover variation across the state. There are 27 GeoTIFF image files (.tif) and one accompanying .xml file for each GeoTIFF file, compressed and available as *.zip files, one file for each year for the period 1984-2010, with this data set.
Various aspects of primary production of a variety of plant species found in natural temperate biomes were compiled from literature and presented for use with process-based ecosystem simulation models or ecosystem studies.  Information was selected according to the input parameter needs of the BIOME-BGC process-based simulation model.
Various aspects of primary production of a variety of plant species found in natural temperate biomes were compiled from literature and presented for use with process-based ecosystem simulation models or ecosystem studies.  Information was selected according to the input parameter needs of the BIOME-BGC process-based simulation model.
This data set provides an estimate of the spatial and temporal extent of surface water at 250-m resolution over nine years (2003-2011) for the African Sahel region (10-20 degrees N) using imagery from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Water bodies were identified by a spectral analysis of MODIS vegetation indices with the aim to improve existing regional to global mapping products. This data set can be used to enhance the understanding of Earth system processes, and to support global change studies, agricultural planning, and disease prevention. These data provide a gridded (250-m) estimate of the number of years (during 2003-2011) that a pixel was covered by water. The data are presented in a single netCDF (*.nc) file.
This data set provides an estimate of the spatial and temporal extent of surface water at 250-m resolution over nine years (2003-2011) for the African Sahel region (10-20 degrees N) using imagery from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Water bodies were identified by a spectral analysis of MODIS vegetation indices with the aim to improve existing regional to global mapping products. This data set can be used to enhance the understanding of Earth system processes, and to support global change studies, agricultural planning, and disease prevention. These data provide a gridded (250-m) estimate of the number of years (during 2003-2011) that a pixel was covered by water. The data are presented in a single netCDF (*.nc) file.
This data set provides normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data for the arctic growing season derived primarily with data from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors onboard several NOAA satellites over the years 1982 through 2012. The NDVI data, which show vegetation activity, were averaged annually for the arctic growing season (GS; June, July and August). The products include the annual GS-NDVI values and the results of a cumulative GS-NDVI time series trends analysis. The data are circumpolar in coverage at 8-km resolution and limited to greater than 20 degrees N.These normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) trends were calculated using the third generation data set from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS 3g). GIMMS 3g improves on its predecessor (GIMMS g) in three important ways. First, GIMMS 3g integrates data from NOAA-17 and 18 satellites to lengthen its record. Second, it addresses the spatial discontinuity north of 72 degrees N, by using SeaWiFS, in addition to SPOT VGT, to calibrate between the second and third versions of the AVHRR sensor (AVHRR/2 and AVHRR/3). Finally, the GIMMS 3g algorithm incorporates improved snowmelt detection and is calibrated based on data from the shorter, arctic growing season (May-September) rather than the entire year (January-December).
This data set provides normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data for the arctic growing season derived primarily with data from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors onboard several NOAA satellites over the years 1982 through 2012. The NDVI data, which show vegetation activity, were averaged annually for the arctic growing season (GS; June, July and August). The products include the annual GS-NDVI values and the results of a cumulative GS-NDVI time series trends analysis. The data are circumpolar in coverage at 8-km resolution and limited to greater than 20 degrees N.These normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) trends were calculated using the third generation data set from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS 3g). GIMMS 3g improves on its predecessor (GIMMS g) in three important ways. First, GIMMS 3g integrates data from NOAA-17 and 18 satellites to lengthen its record. Second, it addresses the spatial discontinuity north of 72 degrees N, by using SeaWiFS, in addition to SPOT VGT, to calibrate between the second and third versions of the AVHRR sensor (AVHRR/2 and AVHRR/3). Finally, the GIMMS 3g algorithm incorporates improved snowmelt detection and is calibrated based on data from the shorter, arctic growing season (May-September) rather than the entire year (January-December).
This data set provides estimates of aboveground biomass (AGB) for defined land cover types within World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ecoregions across the boreal biome of Alaska and western and eastern Canada, roughly between 45 and 70 degrees N. The study focused on within-growing-season data, i.e. leaf-on conditions.The AGB estimates were derived from a series of models that first related ground-based measured biomass to Portable Airborne Laser System (PALS) LiDAR measurements, and a second set of models that related the airborne estimates of biomass to Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) LiDAR canopy structure measurements. The GLAS LiDAR biomass estimates were extrapolated by land cover types and ecoregions across the entire biome area.The study compiled remotely sensed forest structure data collected in June of 2005 and 2006 from the GLAS LiDAR instrument aboard the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation (ICESat) satellite and from the PALS airborne instrument flown at various times from 2005-2009 over both the ground plots and the ICESat GLAS flight path. For a consistent biome-level analysis, ecoregions contained within the boreal forest biome were identified by the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) ecoregion map of the world (Olson et al., 2001). Land cover maps were used to identify land cover types for stratification purposes within eco-regions. Land cover data for Canada were provided by the Earth Observations for Sustainable Development (EOSD) project centered on year 2000, with images from 1999 to 2002. The National Land Cover Data (NLCD) 2001 classification was used for Alaska based on data collected between 1999 and 2004. The ground-based measurements are not provided with this data set.
This data set provides estimates of aboveground biomass (AGB) for defined land cover types within World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ecoregions across the boreal biome of Alaska and western and eastern Canada, roughly between 45 and 70 degrees N. The study focused on within-growing-season data, i.e. leaf-on conditions.The AGB estimates were derived from a series of models that first related ground-based measured biomass to Portable Airborne Laser System (PALS) LiDAR measurements, and a second set of models that related the airborne estimates of biomass to Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) LiDAR canopy structure measurements. The GLAS LiDAR biomass estimates were extrapolated by land cover types and ecoregions across the entire biome area.The study compiled remotely sensed forest structure data collected in June of 2005 and 2006 from the GLAS LiDAR instrument aboard the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation (ICESat) satellite and from the PALS airborne instrument flown at various times from 2005-2009 over both the ground plots and the ICESat GLAS flight path. For a consistent biome-level analysis, ecoregions contained within the boreal forest biome were identified by the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) ecoregion map of the world (Olson et al., 2001). Land cover maps were used to identify land cover types for stratification purposes within eco-regions. Land cover data for Canada were provided by the Earth Observations for Sustainable Development (EOSD) project centered on year 2000, with images from 1999 to 2002. The National Land Cover Data (NLCD) 2001 classification was used for Alaska based on data collected between 1999 and 2004. The ground-based measurements are not provided with this data set.
This data set provides high precision and high accuracy atmospheric CO2 data from seven instrumented communication towers located in the U.S. Upper Midwest. The overall sampling period was from January 2007 through December 2009 although actual sampling dates vary within this time period for individual towers and sampling heights above ground level. The measurements were obtained in support of the North American Carbon Program (NACP) Mid-Continent Intensive (MCI) campaign.The sampling network included: the five Ring 2 towers (Centerville (Iowa), Galesville (Wisconsin), Kewanee (Illinois), Mead (Nebraska), and Round Lake (Minnesota)) deployed and operated by PSU; the Missouri Ozarks (Missouri) co-located AmeriFlux site (PSU/Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)); and the Rosemount (Minnesota) tall tower trace gas observatory (University of Minnesota, Rosemount Research and Outreach Center (RROC)). Hourly CO2 dry mole fractions (in ppm) were averaged from measurements made at different above-ground levels on the towers and are reported in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For the five Ring 2 sites, daily daytime average CO2 dry mole fractions were also calculated, from hourly values between 12:00-17:00 local standard time and reported in UTC. There are seven compressed (.zip) data files and one comma-separated (.csv) file with this data set. Data quality flags are provided in each file.
This data set provides high precision and high accuracy atmospheric CO2 data from seven instrumented communication towers located in the U.S. Upper Midwest. The overall sampling period was from January 2007 through December 2009 although actual sampling dates vary within this time period for individual towers and sampling heights above ground level. The measurements were obtained in support of the North American Carbon Program (NACP) Mid-Continent Intensive (MCI) campaign.The sampling network included: the five Ring 2 towers (Centerville (Iowa), Galesville (Wisconsin), Kewanee (Illinois), Mead (Nebraska), and Round Lake (Minnesota)) deployed and operated by PSU; the Missouri Ozarks (Missouri) co-located AmeriFlux site (PSU/Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)); and the Rosemount (Minnesota) tall tower trace gas observatory (University of Minnesota, Rosemount Research and Outreach Center (RROC)). Hourly CO2 dry mole fractions (in ppm) were averaged from measurements made at different above-ground levels on the towers and are reported in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For the five Ring 2 sites, daily daytime average CO2 dry mole fractions were also calculated, from hourly values between 12:00-17:00 local standard time and reported in UTC. There are seven compressed (.zip) data files and one comma-separated (.csv) file with this data set. Data quality flags are provided in each file.
This data set provides the results of (1) field measurements of woody vegetation (shrubs) at 26 diverse sites across the North Slope of Alaska during 2010 and 2011, (2) field-based statistical estimates of site shrub structural characteristics, (3) high-resolution panchromatic satellite imagery-based estimates of the field site shrub characteristics using the Canopy Analysis with Panchromatic Imagery (CANAPI) model, and (4) adjusted CANAPI estimates of shrub characteristics at 1,013 selected sites widely distributed across the North Slope. A site characterization file is included with the assigned “Physiognomic vegetation class”, which was one of the criteria for the selection of the 1013 CANAPI sites, and with the sources of the high resolution imagery used to obtain CANAPI estimates. The CANAPI crown detection algorithm (Chopping, 2011) is also provided as a companion file.As part of a NASA-funded research project to map changes in tall shrub (taller than 0.5 m) abundance in Arctic tundra, a 3-week field campaign was carried out in 2010 and 2011 on the North Slope of Alaska to statistically survey shrub structural characteristics at 26 sites. The field data presented include genus, crown height, crown radius, and spatial coordinates of all shrubs sampled at each 250 x 250-m site. These measurements were correlated with raw CANAPI structural estimates and the derived regression coefficients were applied to adjust CANAPI estimates for the field sites and additional sites across the North Slope.
This data set provides the results of (1) field measurements of woody vegetation (shrubs) at 26 diverse sites across the North Slope of Alaska during 2010 and 2011, (2) field-based statistical estimates of site shrub structural characteristics, (3) high-resolution panchromatic satellite imagery-based estimates of the field site shrub characteristics using the Canopy Analysis with Panchromatic Imagery (CANAPI) model, and (4) adjusted CANAPI estimates of shrub characteristics at 1,013 selected sites widely distributed across the North Slope. A site characterization file is included with the assigned “Physiognomic vegetation class”, which was one of the criteria for the selection of the 1013 CANAPI sites, and with the sources of the high resolution imagery used to obtain CANAPI estimates. The CANAPI crown detection algorithm (Chopping, 2011) is also provided as a companion file.As part of a NASA-funded research project to map changes in tall shrub (taller than 0.5 m) abundance in Arctic tundra, a 3-week field campaign was carried out in 2010 and 2011 on the North Slope of Alaska to statistically survey shrub structural characteristics at 26 sites. The field data presented include genus, crown height, crown radius, and spatial coordinates of all shrubs sampled at each 250 x 250-m site. These measurements were correlated with raw CANAPI structural estimates and the derived regression coefficients were applied to adjust CANAPI estimates for the field sites and additional sites across the North Slope.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Copenhagen Institute of Geography, the European Soil Bureau, the University of Manchester Institute of Landscape Ecology, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, and the Agricultural Research Institute Iceland have shared data and expertise in order to develop the Northern and Mid Latitude Soil Database (Cryosol Working Group, 2001). This database was the source of data for the current product. The spatial coverage of the Northern and Mid Latitude Soil Database is the polar and mid-latitude regions of the northern hemisphere: Alaska, Canada, Conterminous United States, Eurasia (except Italy), Greenland, Iceland, Kazakstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Italy, and Svalbard. The Northern and Mid-Latitude Soil Database represents the proportion (percentage) of polygon encompassed by the dominant soil or nonsoil. Soils include turbels, orthels, histels, histosols, mollisols, vertisols, aridisols, andisols, entisols, spodosols, inceptisols (and hapludolls), alfisols (cryalf and udalf), natric great groups, aqu-suborders, glaciers, and rocklands. Also included are data on the circumpolar distribution of gelisols (turbels, orthels, and histels), and the ice content (low, medium, or high) of circumpolar soil materials (from the International Permafrost Association, 1997). The resulting maps show the dominant soil of the spatial polygon unless the polygon is over 90 percent rock or ice. Data are in the U.S. soil classification system and includes the distribution of soil types (%) within a map unit (polygon). Data are available in ESRI shapefile format and include the same attribute values with the exception of Italy, which does not contain distribution values.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Copenhagen Institute of Geography, the European Soil Bureau, the University of Manchester Institute of Landscape Ecology, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, and the Agricultural Research Institute Iceland have shared data and expertise in order to develop the Northern and Mid Latitude Soil Database (Cryosol Working Group, 2001). This database was the source of data for the current product. The spatial coverage of the Northern and Mid Latitude Soil Database is the polar and mid-latitude regions of the northern hemisphere: Alaska, Canada, Conterminous United States, Eurasia (except Italy), Greenland, Iceland, Kazakstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Italy, and Svalbard. The Northern and Mid-Latitude Soil Database represents the proportion (percentage) of polygon encompassed by the dominant soil or nonsoil. Soils include turbels, orthels, histels, histosols, mollisols, vertisols, aridisols, andisols, entisols, spodosols, inceptisols (and hapludolls), alfisols (cryalf and udalf), natric great groups, aqu-suborders, glaciers, and rocklands. Also included are data on the circumpolar distribution of gelisols (turbels, orthels, and histels), and the ice content (low, medium, or high) of circumpolar soil materials (from the International Permafrost Association, 1997). The resulting maps show the dominant soil of the spatial polygon unless the polygon is over 90 percent rock or ice. Data are in the U.S. soil classification system and includes the distribution of soil types (%) within a map unit (polygon). Data are available in ESRI shapefile format and include the same attribute values with the exception of Italy, which does not contain distribution values.
This data set contains three files (.txt format). Two of the files contain stand characteristics, above- and below-ground biomass, and above- and below-ground production allocation data for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests near Jadraas, Sweden. One file is for a young regenerating forest (14-20 years old) and the other is for an old-growth forest (120-125 years old). The field measurements were made by destructive and non-destructive methods between 1973 and 1983. The third file contains climate data recorded at the Jadraas site from 1974 through 1990.The research was conducted under the auspices of SWECON (Swedish Coniferous Forest Biome) Project to enhance understanding of plant biomass dynamics and factors regulating plant growth. Most of the research concerned plant and vegetation processes, but particular interest was also given to soil processes, consumption processes, and energy and water exchange in the canopy and the soil.Total net primary production (NPP) in the young forest was estimated at 860 g/m2/year (above-ground = 372 g/m2/year; below-ground = 488 g/m2/year). NPP for the old-growth forest was not calculated; however, the data set contains estimates of branch and trunk growth (43 g/m2/year and 106 g/m2/year, respectively), annual litterfall (135-162 g/m2/year), needle grazing loss (1.55 g/m2/year), fine tree root production (188 g/m2/year), and understory root production (30 g/m2/year).Revision Notes: The NPP data file has been split into two files, one for the young regenerating forest and one for old-growth forest. The data files have been revised to correct previously reported data and information and to add new data from published sources. Please see the ORNL DAAC Data Set Change Information file for more information.
This data set contains three files (.txt format). Two of the files contain stand characteristics, above- and below-ground biomass, and above- and below-ground production allocation data for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests near Jadraas, Sweden. One file is for a young regenerating forest (14-20 years old) and the other is for an old-growth forest (120-125 years old). The field measurements were made by destructive and non-destructive methods between 1973 and 1983. The third file contains climate data recorded at the Jadraas site from 1974 through 1990.The research was conducted under the auspices of SWECON (Swedish Coniferous Forest Biome) Project to enhance understanding of plant biomass dynamics and factors regulating plant growth. Most of the research concerned plant and vegetation processes, but particular interest was also given to soil processes, consumption processes, and energy and water exchange in the canopy and the soil.Total net primary production (NPP) in the young forest was estimated at 860 g/m2/year (above-ground = 372 g/m2/year; below-ground = 488 g/m2/year). NPP for the old-growth forest was not calculated; however, the data set contains estimates of branch and trunk growth (43 g/m2/year and 106 g/m2/year, respectively), annual litterfall (135-162 g/m2/year), needle grazing loss (1.55 g/m2/year), fine tree root production (188 g/m2/year), and understory root production (30 g/m2/year).Revision Notes: The NPP data file has been split into two files, one for the young regenerating forest and one for old-growth forest. The data files have been revised to correct previously reported data and information and to add new data from published sources. Please see the ORNL DAAC Data Set Change Information file for more information.
This data set contains three files (.txt format). One file provides stand characteristics, biomass, and production allocation data for an old-growth boreal forest near Kuusamo, Finland. The research was conducted during the 1967-1972 growing seasons. The other two files provide climate data from a weather station about 60 km south of the forest. One record contains precipitation and mean average temperature data for the 1961-1994 period (excluding 1971-1980) and the other contains precipitation data for 1908-1994. The Kuusamo research site is located just south of the Arctic Circle (66.37 N 29.32 E) and belongs to the northern boreal zone of taiga forests. The forest is an old Hylocomium-Myrtillus type spruce forest which has remained in a natural state and reached climatic climax long ago. The average age of the dominant spruces (Picea abies) is about 260 years. There is a well-developed ground layer of vegetation, chiefly dwarf scrub and mosses (dominant species: Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Hylocomium splendens, and Pleurozium schreberi). The northerly location of the forest and the age of its trees are the main factors responsible for low biomass and net production figures in comparison with spruce forests further south. Total above-ground biomass (including tree, understory, and moss layers) was determined by harvest methods and estimated to be 10,194 g/m2. Below-ground tree biomass estimates, also determined by harvest methods, are less reliable, at 3,753 g/m2. Total net primary productivity (NPP) for this site was estimated to be 441 g/m2/yr (421 g/m2/yr above-ground, 20 g/m2/yr below-ground).
This data set contains three files (.txt format). One file provides stand characteristics, biomass, and production allocation data for an old-growth boreal forest near Kuusamo, Finland. The research was conducted during the 1967-1972 growing seasons. The other two files provide climate data from a weather station about 60 km south of the forest. One record contains precipitation and mean average temperature data for the 1961-1994 period (excluding 1971-1980) and the other contains precipitation data for 1908-1994. The Kuusamo research site is located just south of the Arctic Circle (66.37 N 29.32 E) and belongs to the northern boreal zone of taiga forests. The forest is an old Hylocomium-Myrtillus type spruce forest which has remained in a natural state and reached climatic climax long ago. The average age of the dominant spruces (Picea abies) is about 260 years. There is a well-developed ground layer of vegetation, chiefly dwarf scrub and mosses (dominant species: Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Hylocomium splendens, and Pleurozium schreberi). The northerly location of the forest and the age of its trees are the main factors responsible for low biomass and net production figures in comparison with spruce forests further south. Total above-ground biomass (including tree, understory, and moss layers) was determined by harvest methods and estimated to be 10,194 g/m2. Below-ground tree biomass estimates, also determined by harvest methods, are less reliable, at 3,753 g/m2. Total net primary productivity (NPP) for this site was estimated to be 441 g/m2/yr (421 g/m2/yr above-ground, 20 g/m2/yr below-ground).
This data set contains two files (.txt format) for study sites in the Mississagi River area of Ontario, Canada (46.35 N -83.38 W elevation 860 m). One file summarizes the results of a series of investigations on the nutrition of jack pine ecosystems, including stand characteristics, above-ground biomass, and where available, litterfall amount and nutrient content of vegetation, litterfall, and soil horizons. Field data were collected in three jack pine (Pinus banksiana) study plots between 1969 and 1973. The stands were 20, 30, and 65 years of age. The second file contains climate data recorded at two weather stations near the Mississagi sites. Precipitation data were obtained from Saulte Sainte Marie, Michigan, USA (46.5 N -84.4 W elevation 218 m) and temperature data were obtained from Saulte Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada (46.5 N -84.5 W elevation 188 m). Net primary productivity (NPP) was not directly measured, but is estimated based on above-ground tree growth and litterfall. For the different aged stands, above-ground tree growth was estimated at 262 g/m2/yr (0-20 years), 289 g/m2/yr (20-30 years), and 93 g/m2/yr (30-65 years). Annual tree litter production for the 30-year-old stand averaged 372.9 g/m2/yr over the course of 3 years. Understory litterfall production for the 30-year-old stand in one year was 33.1 g/m2/yr. Revision Notes: The NPP and climate data files for Mississagi have been revised to correct previously reported temporal coverage and litterfall data. Please see the Data Set Revisions section of this document for detailed information.
This data set contains two files (.txt format) for study sites in the Mississagi River area of Ontario, Canada (46.35 N -83.38 W elevation 860 m). One file summarizes the results of a series of investigations on the nutrition of jack pine ecosystems, including stand characteristics, above-ground biomass, and where available, litterfall amount and nutrient content of vegetation, litterfall, and soil horizons. Field data were collected in three jack pine (Pinus banksiana) study plots between 1969 and 1973. The stands were 20, 30, and 65 years of age. The second file contains climate data recorded at two weather stations near the Mississagi sites. Precipitation data were obtained from Saulte Sainte Marie, Michigan, USA (46.5 N -84.4 W elevation 218 m) and temperature data were obtained from Saulte Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada (46.5 N -84.5 W elevation 188 m). Net primary productivity (NPP) was not directly measured, but is estimated based on above-ground tree growth and litterfall. For the different aged stands, above-ground tree growth was estimated at 262 g/m2/yr (0-20 years), 289 g/m2/yr (20-30 years), and 93 g/m2/yr (30-65 years). Annual tree litter production for the 30-year-old stand averaged 372.9 g/m2/yr over the course of 3 years. Understory litterfall production for the 30-year-old stand in one year was 33.1 g/m2/yr. Revision Notes: The NPP and climate data files for Mississagi have been revised to correct previously reported temporal coverage and litterfall data. Please see the Data Set Revisions section of this document for detailed information.
This data set contains two files (.txt format). One file provides ground-based biophysical measurements and above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) estimates for 31 black spruce (Picea mariana) and 30 quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands in Superior National Forest (SNF) in northeastern Minnesota, U.S.A. (-92 W 48 N). The measurements were obtained during a 1983-1984 intensive field campaign. Non-destructive measurements were made in over 100 forest plots covering a 50 x 50 km area. Trees sacrificed for biomass and annual increment measurements were taken outside the plots. The second file provides climate data from nearby weather stations for the period 1976-1986. The data set provides stand structural measurements (diameter at breast height, tree height, crown depth, and stem density), above-ground biomass, leaf area index, bark area index, and ANPP estimates. ANPP data are based on a combination of allometric relationships and annual tree-ring (radial) increments for the 5-year period 1979-1983. In the spruce stands, above-ground biomass ranged from 700-15,100 g/m2, LAI varied between 0.5-4.3, and ANPP ranged from 39-572 g/m2/yr. In comparison, above-ground biomass among aspen stands ranged from 600-22,000 g/m2, LAI varied between 1.3-4.0, and ANPP ranged from 213-1,199 g/m2/yr. The purpose of the SNF campaign was to investigate the ability of remote sensing to provide estimates of ecosystem biophysical properties. In addition to the results presented herein, satellite, aircraft, and helicopter observations and other ground measurements for the study sites are available from the ORNL DAAC Superior National Forest (SNF) Project web site [http://daac.ornl.gov/SNF/snf.shtml]. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1997.
This data set contains two files (.txt format). One file provides ground-based biophysical measurements and above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) estimates for 31 black spruce (Picea mariana) and 30 quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands in Superior National Forest (SNF) in northeastern Minnesota, U.S.A. (-92 W 48 N). The measurements were obtained during a 1983-1984 intensive field campaign. Non-destructive measurements were made in over 100 forest plots covering a 50 x 50 km area. Trees sacrificed for biomass and annual increment measurements were taken outside the plots. The second file provides climate data from nearby weather stations for the period 1976-1986. The data set provides stand structural measurements (diameter at breast height, tree height, crown depth, and stem density), above-ground biomass, leaf area index, bark area index, and ANPP estimates. ANPP data are based on a combination of allometric relationships and annual tree-ring (radial) increments for the 5-year period 1979-1983. In the spruce stands, above-ground biomass ranged from 700-15,100 g/m2, LAI varied between 0.5-4.3, and ANPP ranged from 39-572 g/m2/yr. In comparison, above-ground biomass among aspen stands ranged from 600-22,000 g/m2, LAI varied between 1.3-4.0, and ANPP ranged from 213-1,199 g/m2/yr. The purpose of the SNF campaign was to investigate the ability of remote sensing to provide estimates of ecosystem biophysical properties. In addition to the results presented herein, satellite, aircraft, and helicopter observations and other ground measurements for the study sites are available from the ORNL DAAC Superior National Forest (SNF) Project web site [http://daac.ornl.gov/SNF/snf.shtml]. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1997.
This data set contains a single data file (.csv format) that provides gridded values of net primary productivity (NPP) for cropland in eight counties in the central United States for the year 1992 and estimates of interannual cropland NPP in Iowa for years from 1982 through 1996. The data file also includes climate, soil texture, and land cover data for each 0.5 degree grid cell. The magnitude and interannual variation in NPP was estimated using crop area and yield data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The major harvested commodities were corn, soybean, sorghum, sunflower, oats, barley, wheat, and hay. Total NPP estimates include both above- and below-ground components. County-level NPP in 1992 ranged from 195 to 760 gC/m2/year. The area of highest NPP, ranging from 650 to 760 gC/m2/year, was found in a band extending across Iowa, through northern Illinois, Indiana, and southwestern Ohio. Areas of moderate NPP, from 550 to 650 gC/m2/year, occurred mostly in Michigan and Wisconsin, while large areas of low NPP, from 200 to 550 gC/m2/year, occurred in North Dakota, southern Illinois, and Minnesota. The area of highest production was also the area with the largest proportion of land sown with corn and soybean. NPP for counties in Iowa varied among years (1982-1996) by a factor of 2, with the lowest NPP in 1983 (which had an unusually wet spring), in 1988 (which was a drought year), and in 1993 (which experienced floods). Revision Notes: The documentation for this data set has been modified, and the data files have been reformatted. The data files have been checked for accuracy and the contents are identical to those originally published in 2001.
This data set contains a single data file (.csv format) that provides gridded values of net primary productivity (NPP) for cropland in eight counties in the central United States for the year 1992 and estimates of interannual cropland NPP in Iowa for years from 1982 through 1996. The data file also includes climate, soil texture, and land cover data for each 0.5 degree grid cell. The magnitude and interannual variation in NPP was estimated using crop area and yield data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The major harvested commodities were corn, soybean, sorghum, sunflower, oats, barley, wheat, and hay. Total NPP estimates include both above- and below-ground components. County-level NPP in 1992 ranged from 195 to 760 gC/m2/year. The area of highest NPP, ranging from 650 to 760 gC/m2/year, was found in a band extending across Iowa, through northern Illinois, Indiana, and southwestern Ohio. Areas of moderate NPP, from 550 to 650 gC/m2/year, occurred mostly in Michigan and Wisconsin, while large areas of low NPP, from 200 to 550 gC/m2/year, occurred in North Dakota, southern Illinois, and Minnesota. The area of highest production was also the area with the largest proportion of land sown with corn and soybean. NPP for counties in Iowa varied among years (1982-1996) by a factor of 2, with the lowest NPP in 1983 (which had an unusually wet spring), in 1988 (which was a drought year), and in 1993 (which experienced floods). Revision Notes: The documentation for this data set has been modified, and the data files have been reformatted. The data files have been checked for accuracy and the contents are identical to those originally published in 2001.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains estimates of above-ground live phytomass for an ephemeral desert steppe located in the Badkhyz Nature Reserve in southern Turkmenistan. Monthly measurements of plant biomass were made by harvest during the growing season (January-May) from 1948 through 1963. Afterwards, an annual measurement of peak live biomass was made in May from 1964 through 1982, with gaps for years 1973-1976. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site from 1941 through 1982. Above-ground net production (ANPP) for the Badkhyz site is the lowest among the eight Eurasian grassland sites, at 100 g/m2/yr. Below-ground NPP for Badkhyz (1,745 g/m2/yr) was conservatively estimated from a similar dry, semiarid continental steppe in Northern Kazakhstan (i.e., Shortandy). Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains estimates of above-ground live phytomass for an ephemeral desert steppe located in the Badkhyz Nature Reserve in southern Turkmenistan. Monthly measurements of plant biomass were made by harvest during the growing season (January-May) from 1948 through 1963. Afterwards, an annual measurement of peak live biomass was made in May from 1964 through 1982, with gaps for years 1973-1976. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site from 1941 through 1982. Above-ground net production (ANPP) for the Badkhyz site is the lowest among the eight Eurasian grassland sites, at 100 g/m2/yr. Below-ground NPP for Badkhyz (1,745 g/m2/yr) was conservatively estimated from a similar dry, semiarid continental steppe in Northern Kazakhstan (i.e., Shortandy). Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set contains two ASCII text files, one providing productivity measurements for a chalk grassland on Beacon Hill, West Sussex, U.K. (50.92 N, -0.85 W) and the other containing climate data from a weather station at the former King's College London, Rogate Field Centre, 6 km distant (51.01 N, -0.85 W). Measurements of above-ground live biomass and total dead matter were made by harvesting 0.25-m2 quadrats in the 20 x 20-m study area at eight to ten week intervals from March 1972 to April 1973. Precipitation amount and minimum/maximum temperature were recorded from 1969 through 1993.Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated by several methods: 332 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass, sum of species); 355 g/m2/year (peak or maximum live biomass, plant dry matter weight); 773 g/m2/year (maximum live + dead biomass); 310 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass carbon by summing positive increments in biomass); and 691 g/m2/year (annual net production accounting for leaf turnover). The carbon content of ANPP (accounting for leaf turnover) was estimated to be 310 gC/m2/year using a conversion factor of 0.45. Below-ground production was not measured.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set contains two ASCII text files, one providing productivity measurements for a chalk grassland on Beacon Hill, West Sussex, U.K. (50.92 N, -0.85 W) and the other containing climate data from a weather station at the former King's College London, Rogate Field Centre, 6 km distant (51.01 N, -0.85 W). Measurements of above-ground live biomass and total dead matter were made by harvesting 0.25-m2 quadrats in the 20 x 20-m study area at eight to ten week intervals from March 1972 to April 1973. Precipitation amount and minimum/maximum temperature were recorded from 1969 through 1993.Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated by several methods: 332 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass, sum of species); 355 g/m2/year (peak or maximum live biomass, plant dry matter weight); 773 g/m2/year (maximum live + dead biomass); 310 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass carbon by summing positive increments in biomass); and 691 g/m2/year (annual net production accounting for leaf turnover). The carbon content of ANPP (accounting for leaf turnover) was estimated to be 310 gC/m2/year using a conversion factor of 0.45. Below-ground production was not measured.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set contains three ASCII text files for the Bridger grassland study site in the Rocky Mountains (45.78 N, -110.78 W, Elevation 2,340 m). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass data, one for each treatment (ungrazed and moderately grazed). The third file contains climate data from the Big Timber weather station (45.80 N, -110.00 W, Elevation 1,249 m) near Bridger. Dynamics of above- and below-ground plant biomass were monitored by harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season for the years 1970, 1972, and 1973. Data on above-ground live biomass, standing dead matter, and litter are provided for each sampling date. Below-ground biomass (roots and crowns) are provided for 0-30 cm and 0-50 cm depths. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States under the U.S. Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP). Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated, conservatively, by summing peak biomass of individual species. Below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns). Values varied according to treatment.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set contains three ASCII text files for the Bridger grassland study site in the Rocky Mountains (45.78 N, -110.78 W, Elevation 2,340 m). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass data, one for each treatment (ungrazed and moderately grazed). The third file contains climate data from the Big Timber weather station (45.80 N, -110.00 W, Elevation 1,249 m) near Bridger. Dynamics of above- and below-ground plant biomass were monitored by harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season for the years 1970, 1972, and 1973. Data on above-ground live biomass, standing dead matter, and litter are provided for each sampling date. Below-ground biomass (roots and crowns) are provided for 0-30 cm and 0-50 cm depths. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States under the U.S. Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP). Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated, conservatively, by summing peak biomass of individual species. Below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns). Values varied according to treatment.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.
This data set contains four ASCII text files for a 260-hectare humid Trachypogon savanna at the Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos, Calabozo, Venezuela (8.93 N, -67.42 W, Elevation 98 m). Two data files contain monthly estimates of above-ground biomass for the period January 1969 to October 1969, one file for each treatment (burned and unburned plots). These files also provide one estimate of below-ground biomass. Another NPP data file contains monthly estimates of above- and below-ground biomass, LAI, and nitrogen content of living and dead leaves and stems and below-ground biomass for an unburned area of the Calabozo savanna for March 1986 to April 1987. The fourth data file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data from a nearby weather station at Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos (8.88 N, -67.32 W, Elevation 86 m) for the period 1968-1986. Harvest methods were used to estimate above- and below-ground biomass. Total NPP (above- plus below-ground productivity) was estimated at 682 g/m2/yr for unburned and 755 g/m2/yr for burned grassland plots in 1969. Later TNPP estimates (1986/87) for the unburned grassland ranged from 823 to 1,310 g/m2/yr.
This data set contains four ASCII text files for a 260-hectare humid Trachypogon savanna at the Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos, Calabozo, Venezuela (8.93 N, -67.42 W, Elevation 98 m). Two data files contain monthly estimates of above-ground biomass for the period January 1969 to October 1969, one file for each treatment (burned and unburned plots). These files also provide one estimate of below-ground biomass. Another NPP data file contains monthly estimates of above- and below-ground biomass, LAI, and nitrogen content of living and dead leaves and stems and below-ground biomass for an unburned area of the Calabozo savanna for March 1986 to April 1987. The fourth data file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data from a nearby weather station at Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos (8.88 N, -67.32 W, Elevation 86 m) for the period 1968-1986. Harvest methods were used to estimate above- and below-ground biomass. Total NPP (above- plus below-ground productivity) was estimated at 682 g/m2/yr for unburned and 755 g/m2/yr for burned grassland plots in 1969. Later TNPP estimates (1986/87) for the unburned grassland ranged from 823 to 1,310 g/m2/yr.
This data set contains two ASCII text files; one providing above-ground biomass, productivity, and bioelement concentration data for a derived savanna at Cañas (10.4 N 85.1 W Elevation 45 m) in northwestern Costa Rica, and the other providing climate data from the La Pacifica weather station near Cañas and rom other sources. Monthly dynamics of above-ground plant matter were monitored from July 1969 to June 1970 using harvest procedures within an exclosure to restrict grazing. The climate data are available from three time periods: 1951-1960, 1963, and 1969-1970. The climate is characterized by a dry season from late November to April, with little seasonal differences in temperature. The Cañas study site is dominated almost exclusively by Hyparrhenia rufa, a perennial grass of African origin introduced extensively throughout the tropics. The original vegetation cover was closed semideciduous forest. The study area was deforested and converted to a grass savanna around January 1947, 22.5 years before the start of the present study. Light grazing by cattle and horses is accompanied by burning of the Cañas savanna annually between December and April. Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated by two methods: maximum standing crop of herbaceous shoot tissue (peak live + dead matter) (968 g/m2/year); and the sum of monthly estimates of shoot production (including estimated mortality) (1,387 g/m2/year). End-of-season (November, 1969) live root biomass estimates of 1,220 g/m2 at 0-20 cm depth and 2,254 g/m2 at 0-100 cm depth are available in the literature.
This data set contains two ASCII text files; one providing above-ground biomass, productivity, and bioelement concentration data for a derived savanna at Cañas (10.4 N 85.1 W Elevation 45 m) in northwestern Costa Rica, and the other providing climate data from the La Pacifica weather station near Cañas and rom other sources. Monthly dynamics of above-ground plant matter were monitored from July 1969 to June 1970 using harvest procedures within an exclosure to restrict grazing. The climate data are available from three time periods: 1951-1960, 1963, and 1969-1970. The climate is characterized by a dry season from late November to April, with little seasonal differences in temperature. The Cañas study site is dominated almost exclusively by Hyparrhenia rufa, a perennial grass of African origin introduced extensively throughout the tropics. The original vegetation cover was closed semideciduous forest. The study area was deforested and converted to a grass savanna around January 1947, 22.5 years before the start of the present study. Light grazing by cattle and horses is accompanied by burning of the Cañas savanna annually between December and April. Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated by two methods: maximum standing crop of herbaceous shoot tissue (peak live + dead matter) (968 g/m2/year); and the sum of monthly estimates of shoot production (including estimated mortality) (1,387 g/m2/year). End-of-season (November, 1969) live root biomass estimates of 1,220 g/m2 at 0-20 cm depth and 2,254 g/m2 at 0-100 cm depth are available in the literature.
This data set records the productivity of a semiarid shortgrass prairie steppe located in the Central Plains Experimental Reserve (CPER)/Pawnee National Grassland in north-central Colorado. There are nine data files (.txt). Four files contain measurements of monthly dynamics of harvested above-ground plant biomass, one file each for untreated, irrigated, fertilized, and irrigated + fertilized plots for the period 1970 to 1975. The fifth file contains annual above-ground NPP estimates for the untreated plot for the period 1970-1974. The sixth file contains long-term ANPP estimated from field harvest measurements made between 1970 and 1990 and by correlation with forage production measurements made between 1939 and 1990. Two additional files provide estimates of above- and below-ground NPP based on peak growing season harvests; one record covers 1970-1972 from the Pawnee site and the other covers 1985-1988 from CPER. The ninth file contains climate data for 1912-1990 from a weather station located at CPER.Revision Notes: This data set has been revised to correct the study site elevation, extend the temporal coverage, and add four data files containing estimates of NPP. Please see the Data Set Revisions section of this document for detailed information.
This data set records the productivity of a semiarid shortgrass prairie steppe located in the Central Plains Experimental Reserve (CPER)/Pawnee National Grassland in north-central Colorado. There are nine data files (.txt). Four files contain measurements of monthly dynamics of harvested above-ground plant biomass, one file each for untreated, irrigated, fertilized, and irrigated + fertilized plots for the period 1970 to 1975. The fifth file contains annual above-ground NPP estimates for the untreated plot for the period 1970-1974. The sixth file contains long-term ANPP estimated from field harvest measurements made between 1970 and 1990 and by correlation with forage production measurements made between 1939 and 1990. Two additional files provide estimates of above- and below-ground NPP based on peak growing season harvests; one record covers 1970-1972 from the Pawnee site and the other covers 1985-1988 from CPER. The ninth file contains climate data for 1912-1990 from a weather station located at CPER.Revision Notes: This data set has been revised to correct the study site elevation, extend the temporal coverage, and add four data files containing estimates of NPP. Please see the Data Set Revisions section of this document for detailed information.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides above- and below-ground biomass, productivity, litterfall, and bioelement data for a native C3 grassland near Charleville (-26.40 S, 146.27 E, Elevation 304 m) in southern Queensland, northeast Australia. The second file provides above- and below-ground biomass and productivity estimates for an introduced C4 grassland near Charleville. The third file contains climate data (precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature) recorded a weather station located at the Charleville Airport for the period 1942-1994. The NPP studies were carried out over a 12-month period from 1973 to 1974 using harvest techniques with a view to parameterizing a simulation model of primary production and livestock carrying capacity. Peak above-ground standing crop at the end of the summer season was 122 g/m2 and 154 g/m2 for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Maximum below-ground standing crop was markedly different, at 110 g/m2 and 400 g/m2, respectively, suggesting a significant difference in shoot/root allocation. Annual net primary production was estimated as the sum of above-ground peak standing crop (live + dead) and root increment. These values were 182 and 319 g/m2/yr for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Additional data on litter production and nutrient dynamics are available for the native grassland site. Data on soil moisture, determined gravimetrically with each biomass harvest, are available in the literature.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides above- and below-ground biomass, productivity, litterfall, and bioelement data for a native C3 grassland near Charleville (-26.40 S, 146.27 E, Elevation 304 m) in southern Queensland, northeast Australia. The second file provides above- and below-ground biomass and productivity estimates for an introduced C4 grassland near Charleville. The third file contains climate data (precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature) recorded a weather station located at the Charleville Airport for the period 1942-1994. The NPP studies were carried out over a 12-month period from 1973 to 1974 using harvest techniques with a view to parameterizing a simulation model of primary production and livestock carrying capacity. Peak above-ground standing crop at the end of the summer season was 122 g/m2 and 154 g/m2 for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Maximum below-ground standing crop was markedly different, at 110 g/m2 and 400 g/m2, respectively, suggesting a significant difference in shoot/root allocation. Annual net primary production was estimated as the sum of above-ground peak standing crop (live + dead) and root increment. These values were 182 and 319 g/m2/yr for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Additional data on litter production and nutrient dynamics are available for the native grassland site. Data on soil moisture, determined gravimetrically with each biomass harvest, are available in the literature.
In many grasslands, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is commonly estimated by measuring peak aboveground biomass. Estimates of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP), and consequently, total net primary productivity (NPP), are more difficult. We addressed one of the three main objectives of the Global Primary Productivity Data Initiative for grassland systems - to develop simple models or algorithms to estimate missing components of total system NPP.
In many grasslands, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is commonly estimated by measuring peak aboveground biomass. Estimates of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP), and consequently, total net primary productivity (NPP), are more difficult. We addressed one of the three main objectives of the Global Primary Productivity Data Initiative for grassland systems - to develop simple models or algorithms to estimate missing components of total system NPP.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a northern mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a heavily grazed treatment. The study site (46.90 N, -102.82 W, Elevation 784 m) is located in the northern Great Plains, near the city of Dickinson, about 160-km west of Bismarck, North Dakota. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station near Dickinson (46.88 N, -102.80 W, Elevation 750 m). Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 351 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 302 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 932 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 958 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a northern mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a heavily grazed treatment. The study site (46.90 N, -102.82 W, Elevation 784 m) is located in the northern Great Plains, near the city of Dickinson, about 160-km west of Bismarck, North Dakota. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station near Dickinson (46.88 N, -102.80 W, Elevation 750 m). Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 351 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 302 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 932 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 958 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of biomass measurements made between 1955 and 1989 on a semi-desert steppe at the Dzhanybek Research Station in Kazakhstan (49.33 N 46.78 E Elevation 20 m). The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1953-1989.Peak live biomass measurements were made from 1955 to 1989 (excluding 1976) and additional measurements of above-ground live biomass and dead matter were made seasonally from 1985 to 1989. Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass and standing dead were estimated to be 137 g/m2 and 32 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass dry weight was 1,750 g/m2. ANPP was estimated to be 201 g/m2/yr. BNPP and TNPP were not estimated.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1997.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of biomass measurements made between 1955 and 1989 on a semi-desert steppe at the Dzhanybek Research Station in Kazakhstan (49.33 N 46.78 E Elevation 20 m). The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1953-1989.Peak live biomass measurements were made from 1955 to 1989 (excluding 1976) and additional measurements of above-ground live biomass and dead matter were made seasonally from 1985 to 1989. Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass and standing dead were estimated to be 137 g/m2 and 32 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass dry weight was 1,750 g/m2. ANPP was estimated to be 201 g/m2/yr. BNPP and TNPP were not estimated.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1997.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a moderately grazed treatment. The study site (38.87 N, - 99.38 W, Elevation 714 m) is located in the central Great Plains near the city of Hays, Kansas, about 400-km west of Kansas City. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station (38.87 N, -99.38 W, Elevation 613 m) located at the Hays grassland study site. Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 363 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 372 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 1,062 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 855 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a moderately grazed treatment. The study site (38.87 N, - 99.38 W, Elevation 714 m) is located in the central Great Plains near the city of Hays, Kansas, about 400-km west of Kansas City. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station (38.87 N, -99.38 W, Elevation 613 m) located at the Hays grassland study site. Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 363 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 372 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 1,062 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 855 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a desert grassland in the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a light to moderately grazed treatment. The study site (32.60 N, -106.85 W, Elevation 1,350 m) is located in the Basin and Range geomorphic province at the northernmost extent of the Chihuahuan Desert, near the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, about 60-km northwest of El Paso, Texas. The third file contains climate data for the period 1954-1992 obtained from a weather station located near the study site (32.62 N, -106.73 W, Elevation 1,300 m).Dynamics of above-and below-ground plant biomass were monitored at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season from 1970 to 1972. Data on above-ground live biomass, recent and old dead matter, and root-crown biomass are available for one to two replications of grazed and "ungrazed" (relatively undisturbed) treatments. Total below-ground biomass was also sampled. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US GrasslandBiome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated, conservatively, by summing peak biomass of individual species, and annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a desert grassland in the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a light to moderately grazed treatment. The study site (32.60 N, -106.85 W, Elevation 1,350 m) is located in the Basin and Range geomorphic province at the northernmost extent of the Chihuahuan Desert, near the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, about 60-km northwest of El Paso, Texas. The third file contains climate data for the period 1954-1992 obtained from a weather station located near the study site (32.62 N, -106.73 W, Elevation 1,300 m).Dynamics of above-and below-ground plant biomass were monitored at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season from 1970 to 1972. Data on above-ground live biomass, recent and old dead matter, and root-crown biomass are available for one to two replications of grazed and "ungrazed" (relatively undisturbed) treatments. Total below-ground biomass was also sampled. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US GrasslandBiome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated, conservatively, by summing peak biomass of individual species, and annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains biomass measurements made in 1948 and between 1967 and 1970 for a humid temperate steppe in the Khomutovskaya Steppe Nature Reserve in the Donezk Region of Ukraine. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1955-1972.Biomass measurements were made once in July of 1948 and biweekly to monthly during the growing season (April-August/September) from 1967 to 1970 at the permanent Khomutovskaya research station. ANPP was calculated for each sampling date and cumulatively over the four years, 1967-1970. Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were estimated to be 340, 90, and 240 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass and mortmass were estimated to be 1,675 and 792 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively. ANPP was estimated to be 460 g/m2/yr. BNPP was estimated to be 1,340 g/m2/yr.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains biomass measurements made in 1948 and between 1967 and 1970 for a humid temperate steppe in the Khomutovskaya Steppe Nature Reserve in the Donezk Region of Ukraine. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1955-1972.Biomass measurements were made once in July of 1948 and biweekly to monthly during the growing season (April-August/September) from 1967 to 1970 at the permanent Khomutovskaya research station. ANPP was calculated for each sampling date and cumulatively over the four years, 1967-1970. Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were estimated to be 340, 90, and 240 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass and mortmass were estimated to be 1,675 and 792 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively. ANPP was estimated to be 460 g/m2/yr. BNPP was estimated to be 1,340 g/m2/yr.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) estimates made between April 1984 and July 1990 on a semi-natural tropical monsoon grassland in southern Thailand. The second file contains a year-long record of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates made on a portion of the same grassland that was accidentally burned in January 1985. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1973-1989.Two accidental fires occurred during the course of the study; the one in January 1985 burnt 40% of the study area and the other in February 1986 burnt most of the site. During 1985, sampling occurred simultaneously on unburned primary and burned secondary portions of the grassland; afterwards sampling continued on the primary site. Measurements of above- and below-ground live and dead biomass were made on the 15th day of each month. NPP estimates were calculated from changes in biomass and decomposition rates in unburned areas from 1984 through 1986. From April 1984 to April 1985, NPP was 2,036 g/m2/yr, with below-ground organs contributing 23% of this total. Production in the unburned area in 1985 was substantially lower (1,677 g/m2/yr) which coincided with a 35% decrease in mean leaf area index. NPP in the 1985 burned area was only slightly lower (1,524 g/m2/yr); however, NPP was substantially lower after the second fire in 1986 (134 g/m2/yr).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) estimates made between April 1984 and July 1990 on a semi-natural tropical monsoon grassland in southern Thailand. The second file contains a year-long record of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates made on a portion of the same grassland that was accidentally burned in January 1985. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1973-1989.Two accidental fires occurred during the course of the study; the one in January 1985 burnt 40% of the study area and the other in February 1986 burnt most of the site. During 1985, sampling occurred simultaneously on unburned primary and burned secondary portions of the grassland; afterwards sampling continued on the primary site. Measurements of above- and below-ground live and dead biomass were made on the 15th day of each month. NPP estimates were calculated from changes in biomass and decomposition rates in unburned areas from 1984 through 1986. From April 1984 to April 1985, NPP was 2,036 g/m2/yr, with below-ground organs contributing 23% of this total. Production in the unburned area in 1985 was substantially lower (1,677 g/m2/yr) which coincided with a 35% decrease in mean leaf area index. NPP in the 1985 burned area was only slightly lower (1,524 g/m2/yr); however, NPP was substantially lower after the second fire in 1986 (134 g/m2/yr).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above-ground biomass and productivity data for a humid temperate tall-grass prairie grassland located in the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area, Kansas. One file provides data for an unburned treatment and the other for a burned treatment for 1975 to 1990. The third file contains climate data for the period 1891-1988 obtained from a weather station at Konza. The above-ground net primary productivity measurement presented here (394 g/m2/year) is a 10-year average (1975-1984) based on peak seasonal live biomass values averaged for burned and unburned lowland and upland grasslands. The Konza study site (39.10 N, - 96.61 W, Elevation 400 m) is situated near the town of Manhattan in north-eastern Kansas, about 170-km west of Kansas City. The Konza research program is built upon a long-term database on ecological pattern and process data derived from a fully replicated watershed-level experimental design, in place at the Konza Prairie Biological Station since 1977. This design includes replicate watersheds subject to different fire and grazing treatments. Within the watersheds, permanent sampling transects are replicated at various topographic positions, where plant species composition, plant and consumer populations, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), soil properties, and other key above- and below-ground processes are measured. In addition to these watershed-level studies, the Konza Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program includes a number of long-term plot-level experiments.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above-ground biomass and productivity data for a humid temperate tall-grass prairie grassland located in the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area, Kansas. One file provides data for an unburned treatment and the other for a burned treatment for 1975 to 1990. The third file contains climate data for the period 1891-1988 obtained from a weather station at Konza. The above-ground net primary productivity measurement presented here (394 g/m2/year) is a 10-year average (1975-1984) based on peak seasonal live biomass values averaged for burned and unburned lowland and upland grasslands. The Konza study site (39.10 N, - 96.61 W, Elevation 400 m) is situated near the town of Manhattan in north-eastern Kansas, about 170-km west of Kansas City. The Konza research program is built upon a long-term database on ecological pattern and process data derived from a fully replicated watershed-level experimental design, in place at the Konza Prairie Biological Station since 1977. This design includes replicate watersheds subject to different fire and grazing treatments. Within the watersheds, permanent sampling transects are replicated at various topographic positions, where plant species composition, plant and consumer populations, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), soil properties, and other key above- and below-ground processes are measured. In addition to these watershed-level studies, the Konza Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program includes a number of long-term plot-level experiments.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of biomass measurements made between 1954 and 1983 on a virgin meadow steppe in the Central-Chernozem V.V. Alyekhin Natural Reserve, Kursk Region, Russia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1947-1983.Above-ground live biomass measurements were made at biweekly to monthly intervals over the entire 30-year time series. Discontinuous measurements of above-ground standing dead matter and litter biomass (1956-1983) and below-ground live and dead biomass (1972-1973 and 1981-1983) were also made. Cumulative ANPP was estimated at the end of the growing season (1956-1963 and 1972-1973) and monthly (1982-1983). Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were estimated to be 362, 344,  and 424 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass and mortmass were 910 and 1,370 g/m2  (dry matter weight), respectively. ANPP was estimated to be 774 g/m2/yr and BNPP was estimated to be 1,700 g/m2/yr for a TNPP estimate of 2,474 g/m2/yr. The study site is one of eight major grassland types of Eurasia which encompass an extremely wide climatic gradient in the direction of increasing maximum summer temperatures and continentality and decreasing precipitation in a north-west to the south-east band of steppes in the European and Asian parts of the former USSR (Commonwealth of Independent States). Kurst, on rich loamy chernozem soil, is one of the most productive upland grassland ecosystems of Russia with annual mean maximum/minimum temperatures of 24.8/-14.4 C and annual mean precipitation of 582.7 mm for the period 1947-1983. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of biomass measurements made between 1954 and 1983 on a virgin meadow steppe in the Central-Chernozem V.V. Alyekhin Natural Reserve, Kursk Region, Russia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1947-1983.Above-ground live biomass measurements were made at biweekly to monthly intervals over the entire 30-year time series. Discontinuous measurements of above-ground standing dead matter and litter biomass (1956-1983) and below-ground live and dead biomass (1972-1973 and 1981-1983) were also made. Cumulative ANPP was estimated at the end of the growing season (1956-1963 and 1972-1973) and monthly (1982-1983). Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were estimated to be 362, 344,  and 424 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass and mortmass were 910 and 1,370 g/m2  (dry matter weight), respectively. ANPP was estimated to be 774 g/m2/yr and BNPP was estimated to be 1,700 g/m2/yr for a TNPP estimate of 2,474 g/m2/yr. The study site is one of eight major grassland types of Eurasia which encompass an extremely wide climatic gradient in the direction of increasing maximum summer temperatures and continentality and decreasing precipitation in a north-west to the south-east band of steppes in the European and Asian parts of the former USSR (Commonwealth of Independent States). Kurst, on rich loamy chernozem soil, is one of the most productive upland grassland ecosystems of Russia with annual mean maximum/minimum temperatures of 24.8/-14.4 C and annual mean precipitation of 582.7 mm for the period 1947-1983. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains above- and below-ground biomass (including standing dead material and litter) and productivity data for a tropical grassland at Kurukshetra University (29.97 N, 76.85 E, Elevation 247 m) in northern India, about 150-km north-northwest of Delhi. The second file contains climate data from a weather station located at the study site. Biomass measurements were made monthly by harvest methods from mid-May 1970 to mid-May 1971. Annual net primary productivity (NPP) was calculated for the grassland according to several methods, with preference shown for the estimate given by summing positive increases in biomass and accounting for mortality. Total NPP was estimated at 3,538 g/m2/yr, with above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) of 2,407 g/m2/yr and below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) of 1,131 g/m2/yr. Seasonal changes in the vegetation were studied through tiller analysis. Examination of vertical distribution of above-ground biomass showed that different layers of vegetation were dominated by different species in different months. ANPP was maximum during the rainy season (1,706 g/m2) and BNPP was maximum during the dry winter season (785 g/m2). Production was more directed above ground during the rainy season and below ground during the dry season. Apparent efficiency of energy conversion was calculated at 1.66% on the basis of 50% total solar radiation.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains above- and below-ground biomass (including standing dead material and litter) and productivity data for a tropical grassland at Kurukshetra University (29.97 N, 76.85 E, Elevation 247 m) in northern India, about 150-km north-northwest of Delhi. The second file contains climate data from a weather station located at the study site. Biomass measurements were made monthly by harvest methods from mid-May 1970 to mid-May 1971. Annual net primary productivity (NPP) was calculated for the grassland according to several methods, with preference shown for the estimate given by summing positive increases in biomass and accounting for mortality. Total NPP was estimated at 3,538 g/m2/yr, with above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) of 2,407 g/m2/yr and below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) of 1,131 g/m2/yr. Seasonal changes in the vegetation were studied through tiller analysis. Examination of vertical distribution of above-ground biomass showed that different layers of vegetation were dominated by different species in different months. ANPP was maximum during the rainy season (1,706 g/m2) and BNPP was maximum during the dry winter season (785 g/m2). Production was more directed above ground during the rainy season and below ground during the dry season. Apparent efficiency of energy conversion was calculated at 1.66% on the basis of 50% total solar radiation.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass measurements made in 1965 in a humid grass savanna at the Lamto Research Station, Cote Ivoire, Africa. The second file contains monthly above- and below-ground biomass measurements and calculations of carbon/nitrogen ratio of above-ground live and dead biomass and below-ground biomass from the same site for 1969-1987. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1990.Total net primary production (NPP) of the Loudetia simplex grass savanna was estimated at 2,150 g/m2/yr, of which 1,320 g/m2/yr (61%) was below-ground production. Normally 50-90% of above-ground grass biomass is burned annually,Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass measurements made in 1965 in a humid grass savanna at the Lamto Research Station, Cote Ivoire, Africa. The second file contains monthly above- and below-ground biomass measurements and calculations of carbon/nitrogen ratio of above-ground live and dead biomass and below-ground biomass from the same site for 1969-1987. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1990.Total net primary production (NPP) of the Loudetia simplex grass savanna was estimated at 2,150 g/m2/yr, of which 1,320 g/m2/yr (61%) was below-ground production. Normally 50-90% of above-ground grass biomass is burned annually,Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set contains five ASCII files (.txt format). Three files contain productivity data for a mixed prairie at the Matador Field Station, Canada, and two files contain climate data. The 8-km2 Matador Field Station (50.70 N, -107.72 W, Elevation 676 m) is located approximately 47-km north of the city of Swift Current in southern Saskatchewan Province at the northern limit of the "mixed prairie" portion of the North American Great Plains. The study area is located on the bed of a former glacial lake. One NPP file contains monthly measurements of above-ground standing live and dead biomass and litter made in "Section 16" by harvest methods during the growing season from March or April 1968 to October or November 1972. The second NPP file contains monthly measurements of root biomass made at different depths in "Section 16" during the growing season from April 1968 to July 1971. The third NPP file contains monthly above-ground biomass estimates for a secondary study area during the growing season from May 1970 to August 1972. The climate data are reported from two locations, one file from a weather station at Swift Current (1938-1990) and the other from a weather station at the Field Station during the study period (1968-1972). The above- and below-ground net primary productivity (ANPP and BNPP, respectively) were calculated for "Section 16" only. ANPP (363 g/m2/yr) was sum of the increase in green biomass over the growing season, plus increase in dead biomass and litter. BNPP (600 g/m2/yr) was the increase in root biomass over the growing season.
This data set contains five ASCII files (.txt format). Three files contain productivity data for a mixed prairie at the Matador Field Station, Canada, and two files contain climate data. The 8-km2 Matador Field Station (50.70 N, -107.72 W, Elevation 676 m) is located approximately 47-km north of the city of Swift Current in southern Saskatchewan Province at the northern limit of the "mixed prairie" portion of the North American Great Plains. The study area is located on the bed of a former glacial lake. One NPP file contains monthly measurements of above-ground standing live and dead biomass and litter made in "Section 16" by harvest methods during the growing season from March or April 1968 to October or November 1972. The second NPP file contains monthly measurements of root biomass made at different depths in "Section 16" during the growing season from April 1968 to July 1971. The third NPP file contains monthly above-ground biomass estimates for a secondary study area during the growing season from May 1970 to August 1972. The climate data are reported from two locations, one file from a weather station at Swift Current (1938-1990) and the other from a weather station at the Field Station during the study period (1968-1972). The above- and below-ground net primary productivity (ANPP and BNPP, respectively) were calculated for "Section 16" only. ANPP (363 g/m2/yr) was sum of the increase in green biomass over the growing season, plus increase in dead biomass and litter. BNPP (600 g/m2/yr) was the increase in root biomass over the growing season.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides monthly above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter data and daily above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) data for a temperate grassland steppe at the Media Luna Ranch in Patagonia, Argentina (45.60 S, 71.42 W, Elevation 630 m) for the period May 1981 to March 1983. The second file contains climate data recorded at Media Luna Ranch from 1981 through 1985. Productivity of the steppe was monitored at monthly or bi-monthly intervals during two growing seasons. The ANPP measurement presented here is the sum of the increase in above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter. ANPP was estimated to be 0.00-0.15 g/m2/day in winter months (May-September) and 0.22-0.94 g/m2/day in the warmer months. Annual ANNP was estimated to be 35 g/m2/year. The study site is a 2.5-hectare exclosure situated on the Rio Mayo terraces. The steepe represents one of the most important grassland areas of Patagonia which occupy a narrow belt in the foothills of the Andes. The region has been over-grazed by introduced livestock since the early 1900s, and is currently used for sheep production.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides monthly above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter data and daily above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) data for a temperate grassland steppe at the Media Luna Ranch in Patagonia, Argentina (45.60 S, 71.42 W, Elevation 630 m) for the period May 1981 to March 1983. The second file contains climate data recorded at Media Luna Ranch from 1981 through 1985. Productivity of the steppe was monitored at monthly or bi-monthly intervals during two growing seasons. The ANPP measurement presented here is the sum of the increase in above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter. ANPP was estimated to be 0.00-0.15 g/m2/day in winter months (May-September) and 0.22-0.94 g/m2/day in the warmer months. Annual ANNP was estimated to be 35 g/m2/year. The study site is a 2.5-hectare exclosure situated on the Rio Mayo terraces. The steepe represents one of the most important grassland areas of Patagonia which occupy a narrow belt in the foothills of the Andes. The region has been over-grazed by introduced livestock since the early 1900s, and is currently used for sheep production.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between June 1984 and December 1994 on an ungrazed saline grassland (MNT1) that was accidently burned in February 1986 at the Colegio de Postgraduados field station site, Montecillo, Mexico. The second file contains a shorter time series of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates on an adjacent saline grassland (MNT2) that was burned in May 1989, probably by local farmers following normal burning practices. Both files also contain above-and below-ground dead matter decomposition rates. There are data gaps in both files. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1963-1989 from the Chapingo meteorological station located 5 km northeast for the study area.Annual NPP at MNT1 was calculated for 1985-1987 to determine impacts of the unexpected fire. Above-ground NPP (NPP) averaged 669.2 g/m2/yr despite post-fire decline and recovery and variable rainfall over the period. Below-ground NPP (BNPP) was higher, averaging 1,007 g/m2/yr, but with a similar post-fire decline and recovery pattern. Total NPP reflected the yearly variation in ANPP and BNPP, averaging 1,676 g/m2/yr over the 3 year period. Monthly ANPP and BNPP values for MNT2 were lower overall but were not analyzed to determine annual trends.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between June 1984 and December 1994 on an ungrazed saline grassland (MNT1) that was accidently burned in February 1986 at the Colegio de Postgraduados field station site, Montecillo, Mexico. The second file contains a shorter time series of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates on an adjacent saline grassland (MNT2) that was burned in May 1989, probably by local farmers following normal burning practices. Both files also contain above-and below-ground dead matter decomposition rates. There are data gaps in both files. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1963-1989 from the Chapingo meteorological station located 5 km northeast for the study area.Annual NPP at MNT1 was calculated for 1985-1987 to determine impacts of the unexpected fire. Above-ground NPP (NPP) averaged 669.2 g/m2/yr despite post-fire decline and recovery and variable rainfall over the period. Below-ground NPP (BNPP) was higher, averaging 1,007 g/m2/yr, but with a similar post-fire decline and recovery pattern. Total NPP reflected the yearly variation in ANPP and BNPP, averaging 1,676 g/m2/yr over the 3 year period. Monthly ANPP and BNPP values for MNT2 were lower overall but were not analyzed to determine annual trends.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between July 1984 and November 1994 on an ungrazed tropical dry savanna grassland in the Nairobi National Park, Kenya. The second file contains a shorter time series (October 1989-June 1991) of monthly biomass measurements made on an adjacent savanna that had been clipped in September 1989. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1989.Measurements of above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were made on the 15th day of each month on the ungrazed grassland over the time series (except during 1987 and at a few other times). The time series for below-ground biomass (BNPP) measurements (live and dead) is more discontinuous with large gaps in 1987-1989. NPP estimates are only available for part of 1984 through 1986 on the ungrazed savanna. The above-ground NPP (ANPP) values averaged 1,004 g/m2/yr and BNPP averaged 875 g/m2/yr. The record of above- and below-ground biomass measurements for the clipped savanna is complete except for a few months in 1990. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.
This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between July 1984 and November 1994 on an ungrazed tropical dry savanna grassland in the Nairobi National Park, Kenya. The second file contains a shorter time series (October 1989-June 1991) of monthly biomass measurements made on an adjacent savanna that had been clipped in September 1989. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1989.Measurements of above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were made on the 15th day of each month on the ungrazed grassland over the time series (except during 1987 and at a few other times). The time series for below-ground biomass (BNPP) measurements (live and dead) is more discontinuous with large gaps in 1987-1989. NPP estimates are only available for part of 1984 through 1986 on the ungrazed savanna. The above-ground NPP (ANPP) values averaged 1,004 g/m2/yr and BNPP averaged 875 g/m2/yr. The record of above- and below-ground biomass measurements for the clipped savanna is complete except for a few months in 1990. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.
This data set contains five data files in text format (.txt). Three files contain biomass dynamics data for a broad-leaved savanna located in the 800-hectare Nylsvley study site 200 km north of Johannesburg, South Africa. One net primary productivity (NPP) file contains monthly above-ground biomass data from harvests made between mid-October 1974 and mid-September 1977. A second NPP file contains three-year mean monthly values for above-ground, standing dead, and litter biomass. The third NPP file contains monthly below-ground living and dead biomass data from excavations made from August 1988 to November 1989. Climate data are provided in the other two files. One file contains air temperature data measured at the study site (1975-1983). The other file contains rainfall data measured at a nearby farmhouse (1917-1995).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.
This data set contains five data files in text format (.txt). Three files contain biomass dynamics data for a broad-leaved savanna located in the 800-hectare Nylsvley study site 200 km north of Johannesburg, South Africa. One net primary productivity (NPP) file contains monthly above-ground biomass data from harvests made between mid-October 1974 and mid-September 1977. A second NPP file contains three-year mean monthly values for above-ground, standing dead, and litter biomass. The third NPP file contains monthly below-ground living and dead biomass data from excavations made from August 1988 to November 1989. Climate data are provided in the other two files. One file contains air temperature data measured at the study site (1975-1983). The other file contains rainfall data measured at a nearby farmhouse (1917-1995).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass data (total live biomass plus dead matter) for May 1956 to February 1958 for an annually burned, humid derived savanna in the Olokemeji Forest Reserve, Nigeria (7.42 N, 3.55 E) . This file also contains single measurements of above-ground biomass for years 1963 and 1964, single measurements of above-ground biomass at a nearby area for years 1960 and 1964, a single measurement of peak herbaceous leaf area index (LAI) for 1963, and a single measurement of peak tree/shrub LAI for 1964. Harvest procedures were used to measure biomass. LAI was determined by direct measurements. The second file contains climate data (precipitation amount and maximum/minimum temperature) from a weather station at the study site for the period 1956/01/01 through 1964/12/31.Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) estimates presented here are the sum of the increase in above-ground plant matter accumulation (total live biomass plus dead matter). ANPP of the herbaceous layer was estimated in 1957 to be around 680 g/m2/yr based on peak total clipped matter.
This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass data (total live biomass plus dead matter) for May 1956 to February 1958 for an annually burned, humid derived savanna in the Olokemeji Forest Reserve, Nigeria (7.42 N, 3.55 E) . This file also contains single measurements of above-ground biomass for years 1963 and 1964, single measurements of above-ground biomass at a nearby area for years 1960 and 1964, a single measurement of peak herbaceous leaf area index (LAI) for 1963, and a single measurement of peak tree/shrub LAI for 1964. Harvest procedures were used to measure biomass. LAI was determined by direct measurements. The second file contains climate data (precipitation amount and maximum/minimum temperature) from a weather station at the study site for the period 1956/01/01 through 1964/12/31.Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) estimates presented here are the sum of the increase in above-ground plant matter accumulation (total live biomass plus dead matter). ANPP of the herbaceous layer was estimated in 1957 to be around 680 g/m2/yr based on peak total clipped matter.
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for the Osage tallgrass prairie study site (36.95 N, -96.55 W, Elevation 392 m) in the U.S. Central Lowlands. There is one file for each treatment area (ungrazed and lightly grazed). The third file contains monthly and annual climate data from weather station at Pawhuska, Oklahoma (36.67 N, -96.35 W, Elevation of 255 m) near Osage.Dynamics of above- and below-ground plant biomass were monitored by harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season for the years 1970-1972. Data on above-ground live biomass, standing dead matter, and litter are available for two replications each at recently grazed and an "ungrazed" (relatively undisturbed) grassland sites at Osage. Below-ground biomass was sampled at 0-30 cm and 0-90 cm depths. The data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP). Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species (346 g/m2/yr), and annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in root biomass (including crown biomass) (542 g/m2/yr).
This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for the Osage tallgrass prairie study site (36.95 N, -96.55 W, Elevation 392 m) in the U.S. Central Lowlands. There is one file for each treatment area (ungrazed and lightly grazed). The third file contains monthly and annual climate data from weather station at Pawhuska, Oklahoma (36.67 N, -96.35 W, Elevation of 255 m) near Osage.Dynamics of above- and below-ground plant biomass were monitored by harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season for the years 1970-1972. Data on above-ground live biomass, standing dead matter, and litter are available for two replications each at recently grazed and an "ungrazed" (relatively undisturbed) grassland sites at Osage. Below-ground biomass was sampled at 0-30 cm and 0-90 cm depths. The data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP). Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species (346 g/m2/yr), and annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in root biomass (including crown biomass) (542 g/m2/yr).