Not Available The heating of high pressure sub-cooled liquid coupled with liquid-injected two-phase expansion is proposed as a pathway to a compact and high-efficiency combined cycle diesel engine. The concept is a novel and non-obvious departure from earlier industry efforts to develop high… More

Instruments such as those proposed for the High Resolution Solar Optical Telescope (HRSOT) mission will require a very high resolution and high throughput device to isolate absorption lines in the solar continuum. Thus, a very narrow passband is required, and sideband contamination must be… More

Michigan Aerospace has developed a new autonomous satellite docking and servicing system for the Orbital Express program. The new design is based on analysis and technology assessments performed in the Phase I SBIR. As a result of this analysis andassessment, it was determined that the Michigan… More

Michigan Aerospace has developed a new autonomous satellite docking and servicing system for the Orbital Express program. The new design is based on analysis and technology assessments performed in the Phase I SBIR. As a result of this analysis andassessment, it was determined that the Michigan… More

The application identified by the Air Force requires a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system that can help in the launch, flight and recovery of Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs). This Multifunction Wind Measurement Sensor (MWiMS) will have ashort-range function (less than 50m) that allows it to… More

The cost of building and launching satellites limits the number of assets that can be placed in orbit. This makes it critical for the asset to have as long a lifetime as possible to reduce the replacement rate. A propellent depot has become an integral part of most plans for providing on-orbit… More

Several significant potential infrared applications of tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers are not presently possible because of the unavailability of a Fabry-Perot that can be tuned at cryogenic temperatures. For operation in the far infrared (8-12 micron) region of the electromagnetic spectrum,… More

Several significant potential infrared applications of tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers are not presently possible because of the unavailability of a Fabry-Perot that can be tuned at cryogenic temperatures. For operation in the far infrared (8-12 micron) region of the electromagnetic spectrum,… More

"It is the objective of this proposal to explore three innovations that would improve this technology in a way that would result in a commercially available etalon for use as a filter spectrometer, or imaging Fabry-Perot system for spaceflight use inunusually harsh environments. The first innovation… More

Currently, there is a lack of proven sensors that can provide winds and density ahead of a weapon system, while still meeting the requirements of low observability/size/weight/power/cost and high reliability. Guidance of a weapon system would benefitgreatly with air data knowledge, particularly… More

Potential commercial applications include the retirement of satellites that have become unresponsive or unstable. For instance when this occurs in a constellation of satellites, where relative position to each other is critical, removing the defective satellite and replacing it with a new one is of… More

As autonomous undersea vehicles become more widespread in their use for complex missions, the difficulty inherent in deploying versatile autonomous systems at long range becomes more challenging. Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes a system of small autonomous undersea vehicles that are… More

Michigan Aerospace Corporation has been funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) over the past several years to investigate on-orbit satellite docking and servicing technology. One of the key technologies required for all of those operations… More

Michigan Aerospace Corporation has developed spaceflight qualified compact tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers for a number of applications, from ranging direct detection Doppler wind LIDAR applications to IR spectroscopy. Under a previous phase I SBIR, Michigan Aerospace developed a design for a… More

The need for a multi-purpose long-range 3-D sensor to perform spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and inspection has been made abundantly clear by the number of organizations pursuing various solutions to this problem for a multitude of applications. The proposed sensor is uniquely capable of… More

As the Navy proceeds to update our shipboard assets through the fielding of new and innovative ship designs, the need for a modular, adaptable, multi-purpose warship becomes apparent. The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program is intended to field a multi-purpose, mission-adaptable combat ship for… More

We propose a toolset and architecture that will not only provide assessment and mitigation of threats, but will also provide a simulation environment to allow generation of realistic data sets and metrics for testing and comparison of different threat detection and assessment algorithms. Our… More

Current air data systems include standard pitot systems as well as flush port pressure sensors, which suffer from many shortfalls. Installation and calibration must be tailored to each airframe, and airframe modifications may require recalibration of the air data system. This can be costly and time… More

The capability to deploy, maintain, and retrieve a network of small unmanned underwater vehicles from an unmanned surface craft is a vital missing link for the Navy as it increases its reliance on unmanned vehicles for littoral, minesweeping and other operations. To this end, Michigan Aerospace… More

SSpace Situational Awareness (SSA) is a growing area of concern for the Air Force. Space superiority cannot be assumed, as witnessed by recent events in which China is suspected of attempts to jam U.S. reconnaissance satellites. The Situational Awareness and Response System (SARS) program strives… More

One of the critical gaps in homeland security is the inability to efficiently detect and identify kilogram-size samples of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM, uranium and transuranic elements). Unlike other forms of radiation produced by SNM (e.g. gamma rays), penetrating neutron emission is unique to… More

This proposal introduces the Detecting Intrusion from Network Anomalies (DINA) system, which uses data mining tools to automatically detect anomalous behaviors that can be related to undesired intrusion and/or attacks upon computer networks, as well as other use patterns which may indicate behaviors… More

In response to NASA SBIR topic A1.05, "Data Mining for Integrated Vehicle Health Management", Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) asserts that our unique SPADE (Sparse Processing Applied to Data Exploitation) technology meets a significant fraction of the stated criteria and has functionality that… More

The proposed work is to develop a high-efficiency aircraft-qualified Fabry-Perot-based interferometer for the High Spectral Resolution LIDAR (HSRL). Through this Phase I effort, Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) will perform instrument simulations to optimize a photon-recycled fringe imaging… More

With the increased emphasis in recent years on expanding the Navy's capabilities in littoral battlespace, there has been an increasing demand for self-sustaining autonomous vehicle networks that can support this expansion. Manned refueling and servicing of surface vehicles is currently possible,… More

OBJECTIVE: Development of a deployable neutron spectrometer for the prompt identification of materials by exploiting both spontaneous and stimulated neutron emissions. DESCRIPTION: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) seeks the means for extending the identification of materials to… More

The Repeatable Release Holdback Bar (RRHB) is a device that is used to hold aircraft in place just prior to launching them with a catapult. These bars are about 3 feet in length and attach to the front landing gear and hold it to a cleat on the flight deck. Once the catapult is fired a… More

Current air data systems include standard pitot systems as well as flush port pressure sensors, which suffer from many shortfalls. Installation and calibration must be tailored to each airframe, and airframe modifications may require recalibration of the air data system. This can be costly and time… More

Currently, nuclear tests are monitored by the International Monitoring System (IMS), a network of automated seismic stations that record any evidence of clandestine nuclear explosions. Although geographically extensive and relatively accurate, this system occasionally fails to detect man-made… More

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) is pleased to present the following Phase II proposal for a Fabry-Perot Based Interferometer Receiver for the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) System. Under the Phase I work, MAC successfully developed instrument models and created a conceptual design for… More

In a successful Phase 1 project for NASA SBIR topic A1.05, "Data Mining for Integrated Vehicle Health Management," Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) demonstrated its SPADE anomaly detection software to key personnel in NASA's Intelligent Systems Division (ISD) and with data from our partners at… More

In response to Navy SBIR Topic N092-113, "Universal Signal Matching for RF Threat Classification," Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes a robust method to identify emitter Electronic Intelligence Notation types from sensor data streams based on state-of-the-art techniques in estimation and… More

Currently, nuclear tests are monitored by the International Monitoring System (IMS), a network of automated seismic stations that operate to record any evidence of clandestine nuclear explosions. Although geographically extensive and relatively accurate, this system does not adequately detect… More

Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes to develop an optical MEMS based skin friction sensor specifically designed for hypersonic applications. This instrument will be capable of shear stress resolutions as small as 0.01 Pa, have a high dynamic range, and data rates in excess of 100 Hz. The sensor… More

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… More

Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes building a breadboard prototype LIDAR instrument that will demonstrate the measurements needed to aid in ordinance delivery. Current methods (launching balloons with meteorological packages) cannot measure atmospheric conditions along actual projectile flight… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop a low-cost, easily-deployable sensor suite capable of providing the entire flow velocity field of wake vortices produced by airplanes near airports. Large aircraft produce strong air vortices at their wingtips, a… More

In response to Navy SBIR topic N092-149, "Similarity Measures for Persona/Human Networks", Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) proposes the True Colors system (TC): an application that utilizes a unique means of assessing, quantifying and understanding the relationship between N-dimensional vectors… More

In a successful Phase I program for Navy SBIR topic N092-113,"Universal Signal Matching for RF Threat Classification,"Michigan Aerospace Corporation demonstrated robust techniques for Specific Emitter Identification that combine advanced time-frequency analysis to generate feature vectors… More

In order to fully capitalize on the delivery of wind energy to the U.S. power grid, unexpected wind turbine down-time due to equipment failure must be minimized. Deployed turbines typically have numerous sensors collecting information from subsystems such as the blades, gearbox, lubrication oil and… More

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… More

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… More

As wind turbine rotor diameters increase in size, especially for offshore wind farms, susceptibility to damaging wind conditions is increasing as well. The fatigue and extreme loads that a turbine must endure ends up increasing the Cost of Energy (CoE) significantly through higher maintenance and… More

ABSTRACT: Michigan Aerospace Corporation, in cooperation with the University of Michigan"s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, will refine existing upper atmospheric models and apply them to the problem of predicting satellite drag. The primary goal of this Phase 1 project… More

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… More

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… More