NASA SBIR 2018 Program Solicitation

Focus Area 1: In-Space Propulsion Technologies

Lead MD: STMD

Participating MD(s): SMD

NASA is interested in technologies for advanced in-space propulsion systems to reduce travel time, increase payload mass, reduce acquisition costs, reduce operational costs, and enable new science capabilities for exploration and science spacecraft. The future will require demanding propulsive performance and flexibility for more ambitious missions requiring high duty cycles, more challenging environmental conditions, and extended operation. This focus area seeks innovations for NASA propulsion systems in chemical, electric, nuclear thermal and advanced propulsion systems related to human exploration and science missions. Propulsion technologies will focus on a number of mission applications including ascent, descent, orbit transfer, rendezvous, station keeping, and proximity operations.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): JSC, MSFC

This subtopic solicits technologies related to cryogenic propellants (such as hydrogen, oxygen, and methane) storage, and transfer to support NASA's exploration goals. This includes a wide range of applications, scales, and environments consistent with future NASA missions. Such missions include but are not limited to a Methane Upper Stage, Nuclear Thermal Propulsion, Lander Propulsion, and In-Situ Resource Utilization in support of the Evolvable Mars Campaign.

Specifically, listed in order of importance:

Develop reliable cryogenic screen channel acquisition devices (NASA is mainly interested in screens with pore sizes < 100 µm) using innovative manufacturing techniques to minimize stresses of cryogenic screen channels to improve screen-to-window manufacturing reliability. Reliability should be based on changes in bubble point pressure before and after thermal cycling the elements (> 10 times) at or below 77 K.
New and improved technologies that provide for the densification (or sub-cooling) of cryogenic propellants. Propellant conditioning systems that allow for the production and maintenance of densified propellants that support operations including transfer and low-loss storage are of prime interest for future space vehicle and ground launch processing facilities.
Advanced numerical design tools are sought for cryogenic propellant management systems accounting for large EUS-scale operations in relevant low-gravity (low-acceleration) environments. Ideally, such a tool should consider thermal gradients, acceleration gradients, perturbations due to docking, and orbital maneuvers in order to help system designers evaluate the impacts of these various environments to the propellant management system. Advanced numerical design tools are sought for fuels/cryogenic management systems accounting for large EUS-scale operations in relevant low-gravity (low-acceleration) environments considering the impacts of thermal gradients, gravity gradients, perturbations due to docking, orbital maneuvers, self-gravitation, and others.
Develop an insulation to reduce the heat leak in the annulus space of approximately ¾”, which is located over a liquid hydrogen tank but under a broad area cooled (BAC) shield at 90 K for space applications. The insulation concept has the dual function of structurally supporting the 5 mil thick broad area cooled shield and roughly 35-40 outer layers of traditional multi-layer insulation (MLI) (or less with high performing MLI) and reducing the heat leak from the 90K surface to the LH₂ tank. Analysis shall focus on the thermal design’s reduction of conductive and radiative heat transfer in the vacuum of space to minimize heat load (> 70% reduction in insulation heat load compared to equivalent MLI system without BAC shield) to the tank while being lightweight for flight.
System/stage cryogenic valves sized for 3 in. (7.62 cm) tube size for low pressure (<50 psia; 3.4 bar), scalable to 10 in. (25.4 cm) size, with Cv > 200, low internal (~ 1 sccm, goal of < 0.1 sccm) and external (~ 3 sccm, goal of < 0.1 sccm) leakage, > 500 cycles with a goal of 5,000 cycles, low heat leak (<3 W/valve), low actuation power. The valve should have a clear path to combine with an actuator and its requirements.
Electric Pump technologies with low power (<40-50 kW) at flowrates suitable for feeding iRCS accumulator(s) supplying a bank of four (4) 1000-lb RCS engines operating at total oxygen or methane mass flowrates of ~8-10 lb/s (3.6-4.5 kg/s), or Low power (<4-6 kW) supplying a bank of four (4) 100-lb RCS engines, operating at a total flowrate of ~1 lb/s (0.45 kg/s). The pumps will operate between low pressure (<50 psia; <3.4 bar) propellant tanks, up to supercritical pressures >667 psia (>46 bar) under varying duty cycle demand regimes. Note actual duty cycle requirements will be mission specific – proposers should describe scalability to handle changes in demand, and changes in the scale of thrusters per thruster bank (e.g., 3x100-lb & 1x1000-lb, etc.).

Phase I proposals should at a minimum deliver proof of the concept including some sort of testing or physical demonstration (not just a paper study). Phase II proposals will be expected to provide component validation in a laboratory environment preferably with a hardware deliverable to NASA.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, JPL, JSC

Photovoltaic Energy Conversion: advances in, but not limited to, the following:

Photovoltaic cell and blanket technologies capable of low intensity, low-temperature operation applicable to outer planetary (low solar intensity) missions.
Photovoltaic cell, blanket and array technologies capable of enhancing solar array operation in a low-intensity, high-temperature environment (such as the Venus surface).
Solar arrays to support Extreme Environments Solar Power type missions, including long-lived, radiation tolerant, cell and blanket technologies applicable to Jupiter missions.
Lightweight solar array technologies applicable to science missions using solar electric propulsion.

Current missions being studied require solar arrays that provide 1 to 20 kilowatts of power at 1 AU, greater than 300 watts/kilogram specific power, operation in the range of 0.7 to 3 AU, low stowed volume, and the ability to provide operational array voltages up to 300 volts to enable direct drive electric propulsion systems for science missions.

Dynamic Power Conversion: advances in, but not limited to, the following:

Novel Stirling, Brayton or Rankine convertors that can be integrated with one or more 250 watt-thermal General Purpose Heat Source modules to provide high thermal-to-electric efficiency (>25%), low mass, long life (>10 years), and high reliability for planetary spacecraft, landers, and rovers.
Micro-miniature dynamic power convertors that can be integrated with one or more 1 watt-thermal Radioisotope Heater Units to provide long duration electric power for planetary smallsats and distributed instruments.
Advanced dynamic conversion components including hot-end heat exchangers, cold-end heat exchangers, regenerators/recuperators, alternators, engine controllers, heat pipes and radiators that improve system performance, reliability and fault tolerance.

Direct Energy Conversion; advances in, but not limited to, the following: Recent advancements in alpha/beta-voltaic energy conversion devices have the potential to increase the power level, improve reliability, and increase the lifetime of this power technology. The development of continuous, low-power generation technology for autonomous remote sensors and other specialized applications would support NASA Science Mission goals and enhance/enable new mission capabilities. The area of Direct Energy Conversion seeks technology advancements that address, but are not limited to experimental demonstration of long life (years) alpha-voltaic, beta-voltaic, and other non-solar conversion concepts with device-level conversion efficiencies in excess of 10% and the ability to scale up to 1-10 W of electrical power output with system-level specific power of 5 W/kg or higher.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GSFC, JPL

Power Electronics and Management

NASA's Planetary Science Division is working to implement a balanced portfolio within the available budget and based on a decadal survey that will continue to make exciting scientific discoveries about our solar system. This balanced suite of missions shows the need for low mass/volume power electronics and management systems and components that can operate in extreme environment for future NASA Science Missions.

Advances in electrical power technologies are required for the electrical components and systems of these future spacecrafts/platforms to address program size, mass, efficiency, capacity, durability, and reliability requirements. Radioisotope power systems (RPS), Advanced Modular Power Systems (AMPS) and In-Space Electric Propulsion (ISP) are several programs of interest which would directly benefit from advancements in this technology area. These types of programs, including Mars Sample Return using Hall thrusters and power processing units, require advancements in components and control systems beyond the state-of-the-art. Of importance are expected improvements in system robustness, energy density, speed, efficiency, or wide-temperature operation (-125° C to over 450° C) with a number of thermal cycles. Novel approaches to minimizing the weight of advanced PPUs are also of interest. Advancements are sought for power electronic devices, components, packaging and cabling for programs with power ranges of a few watts for minimum missions to up to 20 kilowatts for large missions. In addition to electrical component development, the Science Mission Directorate has a need for intelligent, fault-tolerant Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) technologies to efficiently manage the system power for deep space missions.

Overall technologies of interest include:

High power density/high efficiency power electronics and associated drivers for switching elements.
Non-traditional approaches to switching devices, such as addition of graphene and carbon nanotubes to material.
Lightweight, highly conductive power cables and/or cables integrated with vehicle structures.
Intelligent power management and fault-tolerant electrical components and PMAD systems.
Advanced electronic packaging for thermal control and electromagnetic shielding.
Integrated packaging technology for modularity.

Energy Storage

Future science missions will require advanced primary and secondary battery systems capable of operating at temperature extremes from -100° C for Titan missions to 400 to 500° C for Venus missions, and a span of -230° C to +120° C for Lunar Quest. The Outer Planet Assessment Group and the 2011 PSD Relevant Technologies Document have specifically called out high energy density storage systems as a need for the Titan/Enceladus Flagship and planetary exploration missions. In addition, high energy-density rechargeable electrochemical battery systems that offer greater than 50,000 charge/discharge cycles (10-year operating life) for low-earth-orbiting spacecraft, 20-year life for geosynchronous (GEO) spacecraft, are desired. Advancements to battery energy storage capabilities that address one or more of the above requirements for the stated missions combined with very high specific energy and energy density (>200 Wh/kg for secondary battery systems), along with radiation tolerance are of interest.

In addition to batteries, other advanced energy storage/load leveling technologies designed to the above mission requirements, such as mechanical or magnetic energy storage devices, are of interest. These technologies have the potential to minimize the size and mass of future power systems.

Research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I and show a path toward a Phase II, and when possible, deliver a demonstration unit for NASA testing at the completion of the Phase II contract. Phase II emphasis should be placed on developing and demonstrating the technology under relevant test conditions. Additionally, a path should be outlined that shows how the technology could be commercialized or further developed into science-worthy systems.

Focus Area 3: Autonomous Systems for Space Exploration

Lead MD: HEOMD

Participating MD(s): SMD, STTR

The exploration of space requires the best of the nation's technical community to provide the technologies that will enable human and robotic exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO): to visit asteroids, to extend man’s reach to Mars, and for increasingly ambitious robotic missions such as a Europa Lander. Autonomous Systems technologies provide the means of migrating mission control from Earth to spacecraft, habitats, and robotic explorers. This is enhancing for missions in the Earth-Lunar neighborhood and enabling for deep space missions. Long light-time delays, for example up to 42 minutes round-trip between Earth and Mars, require time-critical control decisions to be closed on-board autonomously through automation, augmented for human missions by astronaut-automation teaming,

rather than through round-trip communication to Earth mission control.

Long-term crewed spacecraft and habitats, such as the International Space Station, are so complex that a significant portion of the crew's time is spent keeping it operational even under nominal conditions in low-Earth orbit, while still requiring significant real-time support from Earth. The considerable challenge is to migrate the knowledge and capability embedded in current Earth mission control, with tens to hundreds of human specialists ready to provide instant knowledge, to on-board automation that teams with astronauts to autonomously manage spacecraft and habitats. For outer planet robotic explorers, the opportunity is to autonomously and rapidly respond to dynamic environments in a timely fashion. The autonomous agent subtopic addresses this challenge by soliciting proposals that leverage the growing field of cognitive computing to advance technology for deep-space autonomy.

The technology challenge for autonomous crewed systems in off-nominal conditions is even more critical. In the majority of Apollo lunar missions, Earth mission control was needed to resolve critical off-nominal situations ranging from unexplained computer alarms on Apollo 11 to the oxygen tank explosion on Apollo 13 that required executing an 87-hour free return abort trajectory around the moon and back to Earth. Through creative use of Lunar Module assets, Apollo 13 had sufficient resiliency to keep the three astronauts alive despite loss of the oxygen tank and many of the capabilities of the service module. In contrast to a lunar mission, a free return abort trajectory around Mars and back to Earth is on the order of two years – requiring a leap in resiliency. To prevent Loss of Mission (LOM) or Loss of Crew (LOC) in deep space missions, spacecraft and habitats will require long-term resiliency to handle failures that lead to loss of critical function or unexpected expenditure of consumables. Long communication delays or accidents that cause loss of communication will require that the initial failure response be handled autonomously. The subtopic on resilient autonomous systems solicits technology for the design and quantification of resiliency in long-duration missions. The subtopic on sustainable habitats solicits technology for long-term system health management that goes beyond short-term diagnosis technology to include advances machine learning and other prognostic technologies.
Enhancing the capability of astronauts is also critical for future long-duration deep space missions. Augmented reality technology can guide astronauts in carrying out procedures through various sensory modalities. The augmented reality subtopic within the STMD Robotics area is very relevant to autonomous systems technologies, and

proposers are encouraged to review that subtopic description.

Machine learning could become an increasingly important aspect of space exploration, from finding novel patterns in the science data transmitted from robotic spacecraft, to the operation of sustainable habitats. The sustainable habitat subtopic calls for machine learning technology in order to substantially improve diagnostic and prognostic performance for integrated systems health management. In addition, STTR subtopics related to machine learning are very relevant to autonomous systems technologies.

Lead Center: ARC

Participating Center(s): JPL, JSC, MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): A2.02, A3.02, H6.01, T4.01

Future human spaceflight missions will place crews at large distances and light-time delays from Earth, requiring novel capabilities for crews with limited ground support to manage spacecraft, habitats, and supporting equipment to prevent Loss of Mission (LOM) or Loss of Crew (LOC) over extended duration missions. In particular, these capabilities are needed to handle faults leading to loss of critical function or unexpected expenditure of consumables. Expanded flight control functionality will be on-board spacecraft with significant automation, autonomy, and decision support software. The increasingly complex interconnectivity of these elements introduces new vulnerabilities within space systems that are sometimes impossible to predict. In that context, one key property of the respective system is its resilience to unforeseen events.

Resilience, as defined by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences [1] (NAS), is the ability to plan and prepare for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events. This definition encompasses principles such as robustness, redundancy, modularity, and adaptability

To enable resilient behavior of a system (such as a vehicle, a habitat, a rover, etc.), "resilience" needs to be built-in during the design phase of the system development. To that end, the operational states of a system’s component need to be considered in conjunction with the intended function of the component and its possible failure modes throughout the vehicle's life cycle. Where possible, critical failures are eliminated during the design stage. For failure modes that cannot be eliminated, a mechanism needs to be devised that considers how to have optimal state awareness during operations and to mitigate the fault. Mitigation can be accomplished through fault avoidance, fault masking, or Fault Detection, Identification, and Recovery (FDIR). For the latter, system reconfiguration leveraging functional redundancies is of particular interest. Since a vehicle is made up of many components, a system-of-system’s approach needs to be considered in a multi-objective optimization context to account for interdependencies and to realize possible mutually beneficial mitigation solutions for resiliency.

Proposals to this subtopic should specify innovation and approaches toward two goals:

Development of methods and tools that allow the assessment and optimization of system resilience during its conceptual design stage, while simultaneously maximizing reliability and safety.
Development of measures and metrics that quantify the degree of resilience of a system with respect to a mission ConOps and hazard analysis.

Resilience measures and metrics must be general enough to support broad applications, yet precise enough to measure system-specific qualities. Such metrics are necessary to make resource and operations decisions. Risk metrics tend to assess risks to individual components, ignoring system functionality as the result of interacting components. Resilience measures and metrics also ideally need to account for uncertainty in the planned operation of the system, and focus on integrating statistical methods for uncertainty propagation into resilience-based design. Rather than the static view of systems and networks in risk assessment, resilience adopts a dynamic view. This means resilience metrics must also consider the ability of a system to plan, prepare, and adapt as adverse events occur, rather than focus entirely on threat prevention and mitigation. Finally, resilience depends upon specific qualities that risk assessment cannot quantify, such as system flexibility and interconnectedness.

Proposed solutions are expected to have characteristics including, but not limited to:

Life-cycle models that encapsulate cost/benefit of envisioned design solution and that can be used to inform about the resilience of the system.
- Models may need to be built at the appropriate fidelity level to capture relevant fault behavior.
- Models may need to assess behavior and consequences during degraded (or faulted) state.
- Models should also be able to assess mitigation actions that are part of an integrated health management approach.
Design optimization methodology that can systematically incorporate health management solutions.
- Methods that integrate optimal decision-making into the design concept.
- Methods that make use of both system health models and observations to provide the best decision given the information available.
- Methodology to allows bi-directional exchange between a model and the analysis tool.
- Methods that systemically include desired levels of resilience in the design optimization process.

Desired, but not necessary:

Uncertainty management:
- Identify the various sources of uncertainty that affect system performance, and quantify their combined effect on both system failure and resilience.
- Systematically incorporate uncertainty in the design process, thereby incorporating both resilience and likelihood of failure directly during the design stage.

This SBIR work aims to generate a practical toolkit for space systems that can deliver solutions with assured levels of performance, reliability and resilience. Emphasis is on the design for resilience methodology, not on delivering entire systems.

Metrics for success include:

Development of generic quantitative measures and metrics that evaluate system resilience, and their application to space relevant systems or subsystems.
Demonstrated improvement of resilience over baseline design for at least two different space relevant systems or subsystems (In-space applications are preferred, but terrestrial analogues will be considered).
Consideration of at least 3 different fault modes.
Software tools must be able to accept other systems or subsystems through appropriate interface.

SBIR work is expected to deliver mainly software in the form of tools used during the design stage and also prototype software that would manage resiliency during autonomous operations. For the latter, the SBIR effort should analyze sensors, computational hardware, and software stack.

Proposals must demonstrate mission operations risk reduction through appropriate metrics.

Deliverables: tools developed, algorithms and any data generated in simulations or experiments.

Below are a few links to documents on resilience that may be useful to understand the context:

Resilience Engineering and Quantification for Sustainable Systems Development and Assessment: Socio-technical Systems and Critical Infrastructure - https://www.irgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Haering-et-al.-Resilience-Engineering-and-Quantification.pdf.
The New Resilience Paradigm - Essential Strategies for a Changing Risk Landscape - https://www.irgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Fiksel-The-New-Resilience-Paradigm.pdf.

References:

Kash Barker, Jose Emmanuel Ramirez-Marquez, Claudio M. Rocco, “Resilience-based network component importance measures”, Reliability Engineering and System Safety 117 (2013) pp.89–97.

Daniel A. Eisenberg, Igor Linkov, Jeryang Park, Matthew E. Bates, Cate Fox-Lent, Thomas P. Seager, Resilience Metrics: Lessons from Military Doctrines. http://www.thesolutionsjournal.org/node/237200.

[1] Committee on Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters; Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP); Policy and Global Affairs (PGA); The National Academies. Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative. The National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13457 (2012).

Lead Center: ARC

Participating Center(s): JSC, MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): H6.01

This subtopic develops intelligent autonomous agent cognitive architectures that are open and modular such that they can feasibly be certified for use on deep space missions to interact both with the mission control operators, the crew, and most if not all of the spacecraft subsystems. With such a cognitive agent that has access to all onboard data and communications, the agent could continually integrate this dynamic information and advise the crew and mission control accordingly by multiple modes of interaction including text, speech, and animated images. This agent could respond to queries and recommend to the crew courses of action and direct activities that take into account all known constraints, the state of the systems, availability resources, risk analyses, and goal priorities.

Future human spaceflight missions will place crews at long distances from Earth causing significant communication lag due to the light distance as well as occasional complete loss of communication with Earth. Novel artificial intelligence capabilities augmenting crews will be required for them to autonomously manage spacecraft operations and interact with Earth mission control under these conditions, including spacecraft and systems health, crew health, maintenance, consumable management, payload management, training, as well as activities such as food production and recycling.

Autonomous agents with cognitive architectures would be able to interface directly with the crew as well as with the onboard systems and mission control, thus reducing the cognitive loads on the crew as well as performing many tasks that would otherwise require scheduling crew time. In addition, this cognitive computing capability is necessary in many circumstances to respond to off-nominal events that overload the crew; particularly when the event limits crew activity, such as high-radiation or loss of atmospheric pressure events.

In deep space, crews will be required to manage, plan, and execute the mission more autonomously than is currently done on the International Space Station (ISS); which from Low Earth Orbit has instantaneous ground support. NASA expects to migrate significant portions of current operations functionality from Earth flight control to deep-space spacecraft to be performed autonomously. These functionalities will be performed jointly by the crew and cognitive agents supervised by the crew; so, the crew is not overburdened. Cognitive agents that can effectively communicate with the crew could perform tasks that would otherwise require crew time by providing assistance, directly operating spacecraft systems, providing training, performing inspections, and providing crew consulting among other tasks.

Due to the complexity of such cognitive agents and the need for them to be continually updated, their software architecture is required to be modular. A requirement for these cognitive software architectures is that modules can dynamically be added, removed, and enhanced. Types of modules would likely include a smart executive, state estimator, planner/scheduler, diagnostics and prognostics, goal manager, etc. Other modules that may be supported include a dialog manager, risk manager, image recognition, instructional drawing, crew task manager, etc. This type of modular cognitive architecture is consistent with that proposed by Prof. Marvin Minsky in "The Society of Mind", 1988, and subsequent proposals and realizations of cognitive agents. Recent venues for cognitive architectures include: ICCM (http://iccm-conference.org/2017/) and AAAI-17 Special Track on Special Track on Cognitive Systems http://www.aaai.org/Conferences/AAAI/2017/aaai17cognitive.php.

Due to NASA's need for fail-safe capabilities, such as continued functionality during high-radiation events, the cognitive architecture will be required to be capable of supporting multiple processes executing on multiple processors, in order to meet the expected computational loads as well as be robust to processor failure. Cognitive architectures capable of being certified for crew support on spacecraft are also required to be open to NASA with interfaces open to NASA partners who develop modules that integrate with other modules on the cognitive agent in contrast to proprietary black-box agents. Note that a cognitive agent suitable to provide crew support on spacecraft may also be suitable for a variety of Earth applications, but the converse is not true; thus, requiring this NASA investment.

The emphasis of proposed efforts is expected to be on analyzing and demonstrating the feasibility of various configurations, capabilities, and limitations of a cognitive architecture suitable for crew support on deep space missions. The software engineering of a cognitive architecture is to be documented and demonstrated by implementing a prototype goal-directed cognitive agent that interacts with simulated spacecraft systems and humans.

For Phase I, a preliminary cognitive architecture, preliminary feasibility study, a cognitive agent prototype that supports a human operating a simulated complex system that illustrates a candidate cognitive agent architecture, and a detailed plan to develop a comprehensive cognitive architecture feasibility study are expected. For Phase II, it is expected that the proposed detailed feasibility study plan is executed.

In Phase II it is expected that a comprehensive cognitive architecture will be generated, along with a demonstration of an agent prototype that instantiates the architecture. The agent prototype should interact with a spacecraft simulator and humans executing a plausible HEOMD design reference mission beyond cis-lunar (e.g., Human Exploration of Mars Design Reference Mission: https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/373665main_NASA-SP-2009-566.pdf). Phase II deliverables are also expected to include a comprehensive feasibility study report, and a detailed plan to develop a fully instantiated robust cognitive architecture suitable for proposing to NASA and other organizations interested in funding a flight capability. A Phase II prototype suitable for a compelling flight experiment or simulation interfacing with the ISS or a spacecraft-relevant robotic system is encouraged.

Focus Area 4: Robotic Systems for Space Exploration

Lead MD: STMD

Participating MD(s): SMD, STTR

This focus area includes development of robotic systems technologies (hardware and software) to improve the exploration of space. Robots can perform tasks to assist and off-load work from astronauts. Robots may perform this work before, in support of, or after humans. Ground controllers and astronauts will remotely operate robots using a range of control modes, over multiple spatial ranges (shared-space, line of sight, in orbit, and interplanetary) and with a range of time-delay and communications bandwidth. Technology is needed for robotic systems to improve transport of crew, instruments, and payloads on planetary surfaces, on and around small bodies, and in-space. This includes hazard detection, sensing/perception, active suspension, grappling/anchoring, legged locomotion, robot navigation, end-effectors, propulsion, and user interfaces.

In the coming decades, robotic systems will continue to change the way space is explored. Robots will be used in all mission phases: as independent explorers operating in environments too distant or hostile for humans, as precursor systems operating before crewed missions, as crew helpers working alongside and supporting humans, and as caretakers of assets left behind. As humans continue to work and live in space, they will increasingly rely on intelligent and versatile robots to perform mundane activities, freeing human and ground control teams to tend to more challenging tasks that call for human cognition and judgment.

Innovative robot technologies provide a critical capability for space exploration. Multiple forms of mobility, manipulation and human-robot interaction offer great promise in exploring planetary bodies for science investigations and to support human missions. Enhancements and potentially new forms of robotic systems can be realized through advances in component technologies, such as actuation and structures (e.g., 3D printing). Mobility provides a critical capability for space exploration. Multiple forms of mobility offer great promise in exploring planetary bodies for science investigations and to support human missions. Manipulation provides a critical capability for positioning crew members and instruments in space and on planetary bodies, it allows for the handling of tools, interfaces, and materials not specifically designed for robots, and it provides a capability for drilling, extracting, handling and processing samples of multiple forms and scales. This increases the range of beneficial tasks robots can perform and allows for improved efficiency of operations across mission scenarios. Manipulation is important for human missions, human precursor missions, and unmanned science missions. Sampling, sample handling, transport, and distribution to instruments, or instrument placement directly on in-place rock or regolith, is important for robotic missions to locales

too distant or dangerous for human exploration.

Future space missions may rely on co-located and distributed teams of humans and robots that have complementary capabilities. Tasks that are considered "dull, dirty, or dangerous" can be transferred to robots, thus relieving human crew members to perform more complex tasks or those requiring real-time modifications due to contingencies. Additionally, due to the limited number of astronauts anticipated to crew planetary exploration missions, as well as their constrained schedules, ground control will need to remotely supervise and assist robots using time-delayed and limited bandwidth communications. Advanced methods of human-robot interaction over time delay will enable more productive robotic exploration of the more distant reaches of the solar system. This includes improved visualization of alternative future states of the robot and the terrain, as well as intuitive means of communicating the intent of the human to the robotic system.

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): AFRC, ARC, GSFC, JSC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): S1.11, S4.04, S4.05, S4.06

Technologies for robotic mobility, manipulation, and sampling are needed to enable access to sites of interest and acquisition and handling of samples for in-situ analysis or return to Earth from planets and small bodies including Mars, Venus, comets, asteroids, and planetary moons. Application to Ocean Worlds is of increasing importance.

technologies are needed to enable access to steep and rough terrain for planetary bodies where gravity dominates, such as the Moon and Mars. Wheeled, legged, and aerial solutions are of interest. Wheel concepts with good tractive performance in loose sand while being robust to harsh rocky terrain are of interest. Technologies to enable mobility on small bodies and access to liquid bodies below the surface such as in conduits and deep oceans are desired, as well as associated sampling technologies. Manipulation technologies are needed to deploy sampling tools to the surface and transfer samples to in-situ instruments and sample storage containers, as well as hermetic sealing of sample chambers. Sample acquisition tools are needed to acquire samples on planetary and small bodies through soft and hard materials, including ice. Minimization of mass and ability to work reliably in the harsh mission environment are important characteristics for the tools. Design for planetary protection and contamination control is important for sample acquisition and handling systems.

Component technologies for low-mass and low-power systems tolerant to the in-situ environment are of particular interest. Technical feasibility should be demonstrated during Phase I and a full capability unit of at least TRL 4 should be delivered in Phase II. Proposals should show an understanding of relevant science needs and engineering constraints and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program. Specific areas of interest include the following:

Surface and subsurface mobility and sampling systems for planets, small bodies, and moons.
Small body anchoring systems.
Low mass/power vision systems and processing capabilities that enable fast surface traverse.
Electro-mechanical connectors enabling tool change-out in dirty environments.
Tethers and tether play-out and retrieval systems.
Miniaturized flight motor controllers.

Sample handling technologies that minimize cross contamination and preserve mechanical integrity of samples.

Lead Center: JSC

Participating Center(s): AFRC, JPL, KSC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): S4.04, S4.05

Within the ISS Program, maintenance requires well trained crew members and is labor intensive, expensive and inefficient. NASA uses paper and electronic procedures to direct crew through complex maintenance procedures for all on-board systems. Developing and executing procedures are still time consuming and tedious tasks, and substantial training is needed to understand the technical details for troubleshooting defective components, and the performance of critical maintenance and repairs. X-R based technology systems could have the potential to support future human exploration missions by providing the type of guidance normally associated with an expert human trainer. The capabilities of envisioned future X-R based systems will augment the ability of the crew while being simple and highly intuitive to use.

On board maintenance is one of the potential areas in which X-R technology can be a game changing technology. Other areas such as physical and mental health support for long duration mission isolation from family and friends, mission planning, mission data visualization, are also to be considered in the context of this topic.

The objective of this subtopic is to develop and mature X-R technology (system/ software) and to impact all aspects of mission operations including planning, execution, training and crew health countermeasures, in order to enable human exploration beyond LEO.

Proposal are sought to address the following Technology Areas:

TA-4 TABS 4.4 Human Systems Interface: augmenting the natural environment with precise visual cues as well as with audible and tactile alerts to fully engage and guide the human operator through lengthy and complex spaceflight procedures.
TA-4 TABS 4.5 Autonomy: using XR technology to enable crew autonomous operation and reduce dependency for ground support.
TA-6 TABS 6.3 Human Health and Performance: using X-R technology to enhance situational awareness and to reduce cognitive overload while performing complex task.
TA-7 TABS 7.5 Mission Operations & Safety: using X-R technology to reduce human error, improve operational efficiency and mission timeline while reducing prior training requirements.

For all above technologies, research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I and show a path toward Phase II system/software demonstration and delivering a demonstration system/software package for NASA testing.

Lead Center: ARC

Participating Center(s): JPL, JSC

The objective of this subtopic is to develop technology that can be integrated as payloads (software and/or hardware) on free-flying robots, which operate in human environments and/or assist humans. Current free-flyers include space robots, micro UAVs, quadcopters, etc. Applications of free-flying robots to space exploration include:

Supporting the caretaking of human spacecraft and habitats by autonomously performing critical maintenance and monitoring functions.
Supporting astronaut activity (intravehicular or extravehicular) with survey, preparation, real-time support (e.g., tool/sample delivery), and follow-up work.

On the International Space Station (ISS), for example, the SPHERES robots have shown how free-flying robots can perform environment surveys, inspection, and crew support. In addition, STMD is currently developing the "Astrobee" free-flying robot to perform mobile camera, mobile sensor, and microgravity robotics testing on the ISS starting in mid-2018. Proposals are sought to create payloads that can be integrated with small-scale free-flying robots, including the following areas (in order of interest):

Human-Robot Interfaces - Payloads that facilitate communication and coordination between humans (local and remote) and AFFs. This includes displays (3D screens, projectors, etc.), signaling devices (light indicators, sound generation, etc.), and human monitoring (activity recognition, gaze/motion tracking, etc.).
Operational Subsystems - Payloads that can be used to enhance the performance or the capability of AFFs for future deep-space exploration missions. This includes subsystems for extended AFF operations (power systems, efficient propulsion, etc.), supporting crew (e.g., mobile health monitoring), routine maintenance, emergency response, and other use cases.
Sensors - Compact sensors relevant to the scenarios listed above, including functions such as interior environment monitoring, interior/exterior structural inspection, free-flying navigation, 3D environment modeling, etc.
End Effectors - Small, lightweight mechanisms that can be used for docking/perching, prodding/pushing, tool carrying, etc. This may include deployable structures, universal end-effectors (e.g., jamming granular gripper), devices incorporating gecko or electrostatic adhesion, and devices that can interact with handles, storage lockers, and small IVA tools. Note: complete robot manipulator arms are NOT being solicited.

Proposers are encouraged to target the development of these payload technologies to the Astrobee free-flying robot. For Astrobee, payloads should ideally be less than 1 kg in mass, consume less than 5 W electrical power (5 VDC @ 1 A), interface via USB 2.0, and stow within a 10x10x10 cm volume. Payloads that exceed these specifications may still target Astrobee, but may require special accommodations. Proposals must describe how the technology will make a significant improvement over the current state of the art, rather than just an incremental enhancement, for a specific free-flying robotic application.

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): GRC, GSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): Z8.02, S2.02, S2.03

The Long Range Optical Communications subtopic seeks innovative technologies in free-space optical communications for increased data volume returns from space missions in multiple domains: >100 gigabit/s cis-lunar (Earth or lunar orbit to ground), >10 gigabit/s Earth-sun L1 and L2, >1 gigabit/s per AU-squared deep space, and >100 megabit/s planetary lander to orbiter.

Proposals are sought in the following specific areas (TRL3 Phase I to mature to TRL4 to 5 in Phase II):

Flight Laser Transceivers:

Low-mass, high-effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) laser transceivers: 30 to 100 cm clear aperture diameter telescopes for laser communications. Targeted mass less than 65 kg/square-meter with wavefront errors less than 1/25th of a wavelength at 1550 nm. Cumulative wavefront error and transmission loss not to exceed 3-dB in the far field. Advanced thermal and stray light design so that transceiver can survive direct sun-pointing and operate while pointing 3-degrees from the edge of the sun; wide range of allowable flight temperatures by the optics and structure, at least -20° C to 50° C operational range, wider range is preferred.
Diffraction limited field-of-view at focal plane of at least 1 milliradian radius, provision for point-ahead implementation from space.
Beaconless pointing subsystems for operations beyond 3 A.U.: Point 20 to 100 cm lasercomm transmitter aperture to an Earth-based receiver with a 1-sigma accuracy of better than 100 nanoradians with an assumed integrated spacecraft micro-vibration angular disturbance of 150 micro-radians (<0.1 Hz to ~500 Hz) without requiring a dedicated laser beacon transmission from Earth; lowest subsystem mass and power is a primary selection factor.
Low mass/low power/cold survivable optical transceivers for planetary lander to orbiter links [7]: bi-directional optical terminals with data rates from >100 megabit/second at a nominal link range of 1000 km, with an individual terminal mass <5 kg and operational power < 25W, including a pointing system for at least full hemisphere coverage.
Terminals shall be capable of operationally surviving >500 cycles of unpowered temperature cycling from -40° C to +40° C and a 100 krad TID. Discussion of acquisition and tracking con-ops and requirements is a must.

Flight Laser Transmitters and Receivers:

High-gigabit/s laser transmitter and receiver optical-electronic subsystems: space qualifiable 1550 nm laser transmitter and receiver optoelectronic modulator, detection, and forward-error-correction (FEC) assemblies for data rates from 1 gigabit/s to >200 gigabits/s with power efficiencies better than 10W per gigabit/s and mass efficiencies better than 100 g per gigabit/s.
Radiation tolerance better than 50 Krad is required.
Technologies for efficient waveform modulation, detection, and synchronization and on-board low-gap-to-capacity forward-error-correction decoding are of interest.
Also of interest are hybrid RF-optical technologies.
Integrated photonic circuit solutions are strongly desired.
High efficiency (>20% DC-to-optical, including support electronics) space qualifiable (including resilience to photo-darkening) multi-watt Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) with high gain bandwidth (> 30nm, 0.5 dB flatness) concepts will be considered. Detailed description of approaches to achieve the stated efficiency is a must. High peak-to-average powers for supporting 7-ary to 8-ary pulse position modulation (PPM).
Space qualifiable wavelength division multiplexing transmitters and amplifiers with 4 to 20 channels and average output power > 20W and peak-to-average power ratios >200 with >10 Gb/s channel modulation capability are also desired.

Narrow Band Pass Optical Filters:

Flight qualified optical narrow band pass filters with 1 to 2 cm clear aperture and 0.5 1 nm noise equivalent bandwidth with less than 1 dB transmission loss around 1064 nm or optical c-band are also required.

Ground Assets for Optical Communication:

Large aperture receivers for faint optical communication signals from deep space, subsystem technologies: Demonstrate innovative subsystem technologies for >10 m diameter deep space ground collector capable of operating to within 3 degrees of solar limb with a better than 10 microradian spot size (excluding atmospheric seeing contribution). Desire demonstration of low-cost primary mirror segment fabrication to meet a cost goal of less than $35K per square meter and low-cost techniques for segment alignment and control, including daytime operations.
1550 nm sensitive photon counting detector arrays compatible with large aperture ground collectors with integrated time tagging readout electronics for >5 gigaphotons/s incident rate. Time resolution <100 ps 1-sigma and highest possible single photon detection efficiency, at least 50% at highest incident rate, and total detector active area > 0.2 mm². Integrated dark rate < 5 megacount/s.
Cryogenic optical filters for operation at 40K with sub-nanometer noise equivalent bandwidths in the 1550 nm spectral region, transmission losses < 0.5 dB, clear aperture >35 mm, and acceptance angle >40 milliradians with out-of-band rejection of >65 dB from 0.4 to 5 microns.

For all technologies, lowest cost for small volume production (5 to 20 units) is a driver. Research must convincingly prove technical feasibility (proof-of-concept) during Phase I, ideally with hardware deliverables that can be tested to validate performance claims, with a clear path to demonstrating and delivering functional hardware meeting all objectives and specifications in Phase II.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): Z7.01

NASA missions will require precision landing, rendezvous, formation flying, cooperative robotics, proximity operations (e.g., servicing), and coordinated platform operations. This drives the need for increased precision in absolute and relative navigation solutions, and more advanced algorithms for both ground and onboard guidance, navigation, and control. This subtopic seeks advancements in flight dynamics and navigation technology for applications in Earth orbit, lunar, and deep space that enables future NASA missions. In particular, technology relating to navigation, autonomous onboard guidance, navigation and control, and trajectory optimization are solicited.

Autonomous, On-Board Guidance, Navigation and Control:

Advanced autonomous navigation techniques including devices and systems that support significant advances in independence from Earth supervision while minimizing spacecraft burden by requiring low power and minimal mass and volume.
Onboard trajectory planning and optimization algorithms, for real-time mission re-sequencing, on-board computation of large divert maneuvers (TA 5.4.2.3, TA 5.4.2.5, TA 5.4.2.6, TA 9.2.6) primitive body/lunar proximity operations and pinpoint landing (TA 5.4.6.1).
Rendezvous targeting (TA 4.6.2.1) Proximity Operations/Capture/ Docking Guidance (TA 4.6.2.2).

Advanced Techniques for Trajectory Optimization:

Tools and techniques for distributed space missions including constellations and formations (TA 11.2.6).
Low-thrust trajectory optimization in a multi-body dynamical environment (TA 5.4.2.1).
Advanced deep-space trajectory design techniques. (TA 5.4.2.7) and rapid trajectory design near small bodies (TA 5.4.5.1).

Additional Scope Clarification

Efforts must demonstrate significant risk or cost reduction, significant performance benefit, or enabling capability. Note that implementation of well understood GN&C algorithms into hardware/software, and high TRL activities, are not in scope.

Proposals that leverage state-of-the-art capabilities already developed by NASA, or that can optionally integrate with those packages, such as the General Mission Analysis Tool (http://sourceforge.net/projects/gmat/), Goddard Enhanced Onboard Navigation System (GEONS) (https://software.nasa.gov/software/GSC-14687-1), GPS-Inferred Positioning System and Orbit Analysis Simulation Software, (http://gipsy.jpl.nasa.gov/orms/goa/), Optimal Trajectories by Implicit Simulation (http://otis.grc.nasa.gov/) , and Navigator (http://itpo.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/gsc_14793_1_navigator.pdf), or other available hardware and software tools are encouraged. Proposers who contemplate licensing NASA technologies are highly encouraged to coordinate with the appropriate NASA technology transfer offices prior to submission of their proposals.

Phase I research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility, with preliminary software being delivered for NASA testing, as well as show a plan towards Phase II integration. For proposals that include hardware development, delivery of a prototype under the Phase I contract is preferred, but not necessary. Phase II new technology development efforts shall deliver components at the TRL 5-6 level with mature algorithms and software components complete and preliminary integration and testing in an operational environment.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): ARC, JPL, LaRC, MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): Z7.01

NASA seeks innovative, groundbreaking, and high impact developments in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control technologies in support of future science and exploration mission requirements. This subtopic covers mission enabling technologies that have significant Size, Weight and Power, Cost, and Performance (SWaP-CP) improvements over the state of the art COTS in the areas of Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control Systems, Absolute and Relative Navigation Systems, and Pointing Control Systems, and Radiation-Hardened GN&C Hardware.

Component technology developments are sought for the range of flight sensors, actuators, and associated algorithms and software required to provide these improved capabilities. Technologies that apply to most spacecraft platform sizes will be considered.

Advances in the following areas are sought:

Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control Systems - Sensors and actuators that enable <0.1 arcseond level pointing knowledge and arcsecond level control capabilities for large space telescopes, with improvements in size, weight, and power requirements.
Absolute and Relative Navigation Systems - Autonomous onboard flight navigation sensors and algorithms incorporating both spaceborne and ground-based absolute and relative measurements. For relative navigation, machine vision technologies apply. Special considerations will be given to relative navigation sensors enabling precision formation flying, astrometric alignment of a formation of vehicles, robotic servicing and sample return capabilities, and other GN&C techniques for enabling the collection of distributed science measurements.
Pointing Control Systems - Mechanisms that enable milli-arcsecond class pointing performance on any spaceborne pointing platforms. Active and passive vibration isolation systems, innovative actuation feedback, or any such technology that can be used to enable other areas within this subtopic applies.
Radiation-Hardened Hardware: GN&C sensors that could operate in a high radiation environment, such as the Jovian environment.
Fast light Gyroscopes and Accelerometers - In conventional ring laser gyros, precision increases with cavity size and measurement time. Fast-light media, however, can be used to increase gyro precision without having to increase size or decrease measurement frequency, thereby increasing the time for standalone spacecraft navigation. (The increased precision also opens up new science possibilities such as measurements of fundamental physical constants, improving the sensitivity-bandwidth product for gravity wave detection, and tests of general relativity.) Prototype fast-light gyros are sought that can be implemented in a compact rugged design that is tolerant to variations in temperature and G-conditions, with the ultimate goal of demonstrating decreased angular random walk.

Phase I research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility as well as show a plan towards Phase II integration and component/prototype testing in a relevant environment. Phase II technology development efforts shall deliver component/prototype at the TRL 5-6 level consistent with NASA SBIR/STTR Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Descriptions. Delivery of final documentation, test plans, and test results are required. Delivery of a hardware component/prototype under the Phase II contract is preferred.

Proposals should show an understanding of one or more relevant science or exploration needs and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program.

Focus Area 6: Life Support and Habitation Systems

Lead MD: HEOMD

Participating MD(s): STTR

The Life Support and Habitation Systems Focus Area seeks key capabilities and technology needs encompassing a diverse set of engineering and scientific disciplines, all which provide technology solutions that enable extended human presence in space. Functions include Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Systems, Advanced Food Technology and Biological Life Support.

Habitation systems encompass process technologies, equipment and monitoring functions necessary to provide and maintain a livable environment within the pressurized cabin of crewed spacecraft, including human accommodations, atmosphere revitalization, water recycling, waste management and resource recovery. Vehicle outfitting provides the equipment necessary for the crew to perform mission tasks as well as provide a comfortable and safe habitable volume. A capability for integrated system health management for these sustainable habitats is of interest. Providing cost effective, efficient and reliable carbon dioxide removal for human space applications has been a challenge, with improvements applicable to both Spacecraft ECLSS and EVA portable life support systems. Furthermore, as we consider human missions to planetary surfaces, such as to Earth’s moon and to the surface of Mars, new technologies may be required that are compatible with attributes of these environments, including partial gravity or reduced pressure atmosphere. Needs for EVA also include development of tinting and coatings for spacesuit visors and considerations for commercial space suit systems.

For future crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) and into the solar system, regular resupply of consumables and emergency or quick-return options will not be feasible. Technologies are of interest that enable long-duration, safe and sustainable deep-space human exploration with advanced extra-vehicular capability. Special emphasis is placed on developing technologies that will fill existing gaps, reduce requirements for consumables and other resources, including mass, power, volume and crew time, and which will increase safety and reliability with respect to the state-of-the-art. Biological systems, including plant growth systems and microbial bioreactors may be useful to regeneratively recycle wastes into consumables, including fresh foods, chemicals and new materials for in situ manufacturing. A system for preparing fresh fruits and vegetables for use in meals is also of interest, including washing and disinfection.

Please refer to the description of each subtopic for further detail to guide development of proposals.

H3.01 Process Technologies for Water Recycling in Space

Lead Center: MSFC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC, JPL, JSC, KSC

Water Processors for Planetary Surface Systems

NASA seeks concepts for the development of water systems on a planetary surface that take advantage of the partial gravity on Mars or the lunar surface while implementing robust technologies with minimal consumables. The technologies should focus on the following potential waste streams: urine, humidity condensate, Sabatier product water, waste hygiene, and waste laundry water. Consideration should be given to planetary protection, for both forward and backward contamination. Technologies must be compatible with a delivery schedule to Mars (6-12-month transit) in which the system will be dormant, operational periods exceeding 500 days, followed by dormancy periods between uses for 2 or more years.

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer for Exploration Missions

Over the past 10+ years, we’ve learned the importance of real-time on-board monitoring of total organic carbon (TOC) in product water from the ISS wastewater recycling system (Water Processor Assembly - WPA). TOC along with conductivity provides a means to predict when multi-filtration beds require replacement. This data allows controllers and engineers to monitor both impending break through and recovery of upsets in water quality once appropriate remedial action is taken. Having measurement of TOC helps to optimize the life of consumable WPA elements. The hardware for monitoring TOC on the ISS is called the “Total Organic Carbon Analyzer” or TOCA. The Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) of TOCA is as follows: 67 L, 34 kg, and 64 W. Water recycling and therefore a TOCA will be required on future long duration gateway/deep space missions. The ISS TOCA design is simply too large for exploration vehicles and habitats. Any design effort toward an advanced TOCA should reduce the SWaP of the ISS TOCA by at least an order of magnitude. New technology development is sought in measuring TOC and conductivity in a miniaturized, automated system that can be plumbed into the WPA. Ideally, the TOCA requires no hazardous reagents, has long-term calibration stability, and requires very little crew time to operate and maintain. TOCA functionality is one of the critical water monitoring needs for future spacecraft based on the requirements assessment. Studies are currently being performed to explore alternative oxidation and detection techniques, as well as system simplifications and repackaging to shrink its size. In-line measurement is desired as a capability above the SOA, but it is not critical.

Silver-based Microbial Check Valve

NASA has interest in in-line microbial check valve (MCV) technologies for spacecraft potable water systems. The MCV should add 300 to 500 ug/L of silver to the water at a flow rate of 0.1 to 0.15 L/min to maintain the microbial control of the system in accordance with typical spacecraft potable water specifications. In addition, the device should be able to operate at ambient temperature, pH ranges between 4.5 - 9.0, and system pressures up to 30 psig. In addition, the MCV should prevent the passage and/or grow through of microbes across the MCV device when there is no flow. The MCV device should be capable of easy installation and be maintainable. The devices should also be small, robust, lightweight, and have minimal power and consumable mass requirements. In addition, candidate technologies should be microgravity compatible, have no adverse effects on the potability of the drinking water system, and not require removal of the imparted biocide prior to crew consumption. Of particular interest are microbial check valve technologies that are either silver-based and/or fully compatible with ionic silver disinfection strategies. Finally, MCV technologies should also be capable of providing continuous, stable and autonomous operation, and be fully functional following periods of long-term system dormancy – up to 1 year.

Lead Center: JSC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC, KSC, MSFC

There are two areas of focus in this subtopic:

Collection and Recovery of High TOC Water from Feces and Trash

Wet trash contains ~25% and feces contains ~75% water by mass that is currently not recovered on ISS. Currently wet trash and feces are collected and stored in relatively impermeable containers for short term storage (1-3 months) and disposed of in departing logistics vehicles. There have been crew comments about odor generation during storage. Trash and fecal material must be stabilized for Mars transit and surface missions. Drying and thermal processing of trash can reduce odor generation and prevent microbial proliferation. Past Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) technology development has indicated >80 volatile compounds elute from trash and recovered water can exceed 3,500 ppm total organic carbon (TOC). Innovations are requested for technologies that can recover water from a gas stream with a wide range of volatile gas contaminants for long periods. Technologies must be able to recover >80% of the gas stream water content. Captured water should have minimal free gas and should be below 2% by volume for eventual delivery to a waste water tank. Purification of the water is not requested. Technologies must be able to accommodate a wide range of condensable and non-condensable mass flow rates as trash/fecal processing systems dry and process the material. Water recovery from a variety of processes (i.e., HMC, Trash to Gas, freeze drying) should be accommodated directly or with an assumed regenerative heat exchanger to recover energy prior to phase separation. Process gas temperatures will range from -80° C to 200° C and 6-110 kPa absolute. Condensable gas will range from 0-100% by volume with a maximum water flow rate of 15 g/min. Air cooling using cabin air 18-30° C is preferred but water cooling is acceptable. Systems must be capable of microgravity operation over a 6-month transit to Mars, an 18-month dormancy period, and 6-month operation on return to Earth with minimal crew maintenance. It is highly desirable that maintenance items consider fabrication by on-demand manufacturing (i.e., additive manufacturing and post finishing). Technologies must consider accumulation of organics and microbial proliferation between normal waste processing cycles and extended dormancy and any change in performance should be characterized. Technologies shall demonstrate comparison to previous SOA condensing heat exchangers.

Low Consumable Low Residual Waste Gasification

Past trash gasification technologies focused on producing gases (methane, water, oxygen, or CO₂) for secondary purposes using supplemental oxygen, water, or other consumables. The current request focuses on the minimal total mass (combined consumables and residual mass). Recent trash storage vs processing trade studies have indicated trash jettison during the transit results in the lowest total vehicle mass. It is possible to reduce overall vehicle mass by ~6% (10,800 kg) via trash jettison. Approximately 70% of the savings is due to reduced chemical propulsion fuel and tankage for orbit departures and insertions. Innovations are requested for technologies that can convert trash to gas suitable for venting to the space craft exterior for the purpose of reducing vehicle mass. Technologies must be capable of processing the wide range of crew logistical trash and metabolic waste. Processing technologies must decompose at least a portion of the hydrocarbon waste. Technologies that only recover water are not requested. Residuals material plus processing consumables (lost gas, oxygen, water, and carrier gases) must be less than 10% of the starting trash material. Processes must be capable of serial waste loading, processing, and residual removal without complete shutdown. Systems must be capable of microgravity operation over a 6-month transit to Mars, an 18-month dormancy period, and 6-month operation on return to Earth with minimal crew maintenance. It is highly desirable that maintenance items consider fabrication by on-demand manufacturing (i.e., additive manufacturing and post finishing). Technologies must consider containment of high pressure/temperature/hazardous gases for crew safety and operational robustness. Characterization of produced gases is required with emphasis on identification of condensable gases and acid/caustic gases that can adversely affect exterior glass and metallic vehicle surfaces. Technologies shall demonstrate comparison to previous state-of-the-art Trash to Gas (TtG) systems. If water is recovered (desirable but not required) chemical contaminants within the recovered water should be characterized.

Lead Center: JSC

For the next generation of NASA's space suits, being able to enable an architecture for microgravity and planetary capabilities is required. To support these future missions, we will need support hardware to be designed, such as a new extravehicular visor assembly (EVVA) to protect the astronaut’s eyes from the damaging UV rays of the sun. The EMU has an EVVA that is a sun visor that can be manually deployed by the crew members. This changes the radiation protection from just UV via the clear helmet to a reflective visor that blocks visible light and IR via the gold visor. Unlike the EMU EVVA design, the new EVVA will need to integrate with the exploration space suit helmet bubble, which is a 10”x13” hemi-ellipsoid dome. We feel that in this new design we have a unique opportunity to integrate the new technologies in the field of actively controlled coatings that affect tint-ability, UV protection, and optimized transmittance through our EVVA. Focus areas of coating technology that appeal to the team are electrochromics and solar variable reflectance, but we are open to other novel solutions.

The goal at the end of Phase I SBIR is to have a tabletop prototype helmet bubble that is coated with a controllable tint that would demonstrate the technology needed to replace the EVVA reflective visor.

Phase I Performance Targets:

Transmittance requirements in off state: 450 nm N/A, 550 nm 70% min, 1100 N/A.
Transmittance requirements in on state: 450 nm 10+/-4%, 550 16+/-4%, and 1100 nm 10% max.
Cannot hinder visibility in a failed state.
Must be thermally stable in the space environment.
Concepts of how to make it operable with a gloved hand.
If required, low power consumption.

Phase II would require the coating to meet the same requirements as seen in Phase I, but to deliver a full helmet bubble prototype that could interface with NASA's Z-2 spacesuit for a suited demonstration. Examples of Phase II performance targets would include ability to autosense UV/light with the ability to turn on/off the coating automatically, integrating a scratch resistant coating, a packaged power supply (if needed) that is dust resistant and tolerant to the space environment, and packaged controls for the crew member that are operable with a gloved hand.

Lead Center: JSC

NASA’s plans for Exploration EVA Operational Concepts and Architectures currently lead to conceptual design solutions optimized for relatively long EVA’s and extensive re-use of the PLSS over the course of many missions. From an economics perspective, that is one way to solve the question of “value” – by amortizing the development and manufacturing cost of a relatively small amount of production units across a relatively long period of use (many years, many EVAs or many separate missions).

However, it is possible that alternative ways of solving the Suit and PLSS problems, including cost, could be acceptable – by reducing the capability inside the EVA PLSS to a point where it might only enable a relatively short EVA (perhaps ~2 hours instead of ~8) and relatively few EVAs (perhaps ~10 instead of ~100) one might be able to construct a schematic and design that was affordably “mass produced”.

Embracing innovative suit garment technologies and concepts such as novel material layups, self-healing/self-repair bladders and restraints, Shape Memory Alloy (for adjustable sizing and fit geometry, ballistic projectile mitigation (for secondary eject from MMOD strikes on nearby natural surfaces), electrochromics, Mechanical Counter Pressure (MCP) concepts, and hybrid designs and manufacturing approaches may lead to cost effective suits that could inform NASA future plans as well as support future commercial space needs. Ultimately, concepts, technologies and design solutions leading to the capability of “low-cost customization” is vital to NASA’s future exploration capabilities in many ways.

The potential benefits of these approaches could include the ability to more regularly incorporate emerging technologies and minor feature updates to continuous reduction of cost through refinement and modernization of the production system. Such an approach might also stimulate or otherwise support the adoption of EVA as a viable, cost effective feature in commercial spaceflight systems for non-NASA customers.

Design solutions might look significantly different from current/historic EVA PLSS and suit designs, including features similar to the emergency breathing systems used for short periods by firefighters, first responders and Hazardous Material teams. Parallels with such terrestrial applications offer opportunities for existing commercial product lines to be adapted or modified for the “hazardous environment” of EVA and could further grow existing sectors of the economy. Such innovative design solutions would also provide NASA technical data that NASA could then integrate into analysis of alternative “Mission Design” scenarios where the total spaceflight architectural impact of mass, volume, reliability, spares and contingency scenarios are assessed. These types of analysis currently only use the conventional PLSS design solution parameters as inputs, but running the same models by adapting Operational Concepts to use a “mass produced” EVA PLSS might reveal surprising alternative approaches that NASA should be aware of.

Phase I products:

A paper report on the concept highlighting the design’s minimal capabilities.
A manufacturability analysis explaining why it is mass-producible at an extremely low cost (including an estimate of the number of units needed to achieve a minimal unit price).
A comparison of the proposed concept with existing commercially available terrestrial life support systems such as firefighter breathing apparatus’:
- The comparison highlights commonality or differences in the technical design and the economies of scale found in available terrestrial life support systems and the proposed concept.
- This information should clearly support the manufacturability analysis by providing evidence to the costs of existing product lines and why those are relevant analogies to the proposal.
Prototype suit subsystem manufacture, up to and including a full suit, which could be used in testing.

Phase II would require the product development, further characterization of the limits of the design’s performance and additional financial analysis on the cost of mass production.

Lead Center: ARC

Participating Center(s): GRC, JSC, LaRC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): H6.02, H6.03

Habitation systems provide a safe place for astronauts to live and work in space and on planetary surfaces. They enable crews to live and work safely in deep space, and include integrated life support systems, radiation protection, fire safety, and systems to reduce logistics and the need for resupply missions. Innovative health management technologies are needed in order to increase the safety and mission-effectiveness for future space habitats on other planets, asteroids, or lunar surfaces. For example, off-nominal or failure conditions occurring in safety-critical life support systems may need to be addressed quickly by the habitat crew without extensive technical support from Earth due to communication delays. If the crew in the habitat must manage, plan and operate much of the mission themselves, operations support must be migrated from Earth to the habitat. Enabling monitoring, tracking, and management capabilities on-board the habitat and related EVA platforms for a small crew to use will require significant automation and decision support software.

This subtopic seeks to broaden the scope of traditional caution and warning systems, which are typically triggered by out-of-bounds sensor values, by including machine learning and data mining techniques. These methods aim to reveal latent, unknown conditions while still retaining and improving the ability to provide highly accurate alerts for known issues. The performance targets for known faults and failures will be based upon false alarm rate, missed detection rate, and detection time (first time prior to the adverse event that the algorithm indicates an impending fault/failure). Methods should explore the trade space for ISHM data and processing needs in order to provide guidance for future habitat sensor and computational resource requirements.

Proposals may address specific system health management capabilities required for habitat system elements (life support systems, etc.). In addition, projects may focus on one or more relevant subsystems such as water recycling systems, photovoltaic systems, electrical power systems, and environmental monitoring systems. Proposals that involve the use of existing testbeds or facilities at one of the participating NASA centers (e.g., Sustainability Base at ARC) for technology validation, verification, and maturation are strongly encouraged. Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 4 to 6 or higher are sought.

Key features of Sustainability Base that make it relevant to deep space habitat technology are its use of a grey water recycling system and a photovoltaic array. Data logged from other facility management/building automation systems include environmental data (temp, CO₂, etc.) and facility equipment sensors (flowrates, differential pressures, temperatures, etc.). Also, information on power consumption (whole building, plug load, other loads metered at the panel/circuit level) can be made available. These remaining systems, while conventionally "green," have no unique feature that can't be exclusively used for terrestrial purposes. However, the fact that all such systems require less power to support human occupancy can be used as a focal point to serve as a testbed for deep space habitats that will need to operate within finite energy budgets.

Specific technical areas of interest related to integrated systems health management include the following:

Machine learning and data mining techniques that are capable of learning from operations data to identify statistical anomalies that may represent previously unknown system degradations. Methods should facilitate the incorporation of human feedback on the operational significance of the statistical anomalies using techniques such as active learning.
Demonstration of advanced predictive capability using machine learning or data mining methods for known system fault or failure modes, within prescribed performance constraints related to detection time and accuracy.
Prognostic techniques able to predict system degradation, leading to system robustness through automated fault mitigation and improved operational effectiveness. Proposals in this area should focus on systems and components commonly found in space habitats or EVA platforms.
Innovative human-system integration methods that can convey a wealth of health and status information to mission support staff quickly and effectively, especially under off-nominal and emergency conditions.

Focus Area 9: Sensors, Detectors and Instruments

Lead MD: SMD

Participating MD(s): STTR

NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) (http://nasascience.nasa.gov/) encompasses research in the areas of Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics and Planetary Science. The National Academy of Science has provided NASA with recently updated Decadal surveys that are useful to identify technologies that are of interest to the above

science divisions. Those documents are available at the following locations:

Astrophysics - http://sites.nationalacademies.org/bpa/BPA_049810.
Planetary - http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ssb/completedprojects/ssb_065878.
Earth Science - http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/decadal-surveys/.
Heliophysics the 2014 technology roadmap can be downloaded here: http://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/.

A major objective of SMD instrument development programs is to implement science measurement capabilities with smaller or more affordable spacecraft so development programs can meet multiple mission needs and therefore make the best use of limited resources. The rapid development of small, low-cost remote sensing and in situ instruments is essential to achieving this objective. For Earth Science needs, in particular, the subtopics reflect a focus on instrument development for airborne and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms. Astrophysics has a critical need for sensitive detector arrays with imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetric capabilities, which can be demonstrated on ground, airborne, balloon, or suborbital rocket instruments. Heliophysics, which focuses on measurements of the sun and its interaction with the Earth and the other planets in the solar system, needs a significant reduction in the size, mass, power, and cost for instruments to fly on smaller spacecraft. Planetary Science has a critical need for miniaturized instruments with in situ sensors that can be deployed on surface landers, rovers, and airborne platforms. For the 2018 program year, we are restructuring the Sensors, Detectors and Instruments Topic, adding new, rotating out, and retiring some of the subtopics. Please read each subtopic of interest carefully. We continue to emphasize Ocean Worlds and solicit development of in situ instrument technologies and components to advance the maturity of science instruments focused on the detection of evidence of life, especially extant of life, in the Ocean Worlds. The microwave technologies subtopic was split last year into two subtopics one focused on active microwave remote sensing and the second on passive systems such as radiometers and microwave spectrometers. A key objective of this SBIR topic is to develop and demonstrate instrument component and subsystem technologies that reduce the risk, cost, size, and development time of SMD observing instruments and to enable new measurements. Proposals are sought for development of components, subsystems and systems that can be used in planned missions or a current technology program. Research should be conducted to demonstrate feasibility during Phase I and show a path towards a Phase II prototype demonstration. The following subtopics are concomitant with these objectives and are organized by technology.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): GSFC, JPL

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): Z7.01

NASA recognizes the potential of lidar technology in meeting many of its science objectives by providing new capabilities or offering enhancements over current measurements of atmospheric and topographic parameters from ground, airborne, and space-based platforms. To meet NASAs requirements for remote sensing from space, advances are needed in state-of-the-art lidar technology with an emphasis on compactness, efficiency, reliability, lifetime, and high performance. Innovative lidar subsystem and component technologies that directly address the measurement of atmospheric constituents and surface topography of the Earth, Mars, the Moon, and other planetary bodies will be considered under this subtopic. Compact, high-efficiency lidar instruments for deployment on unconventional platforms, such as balloon, small sat, and CubeSat are also considered and encouraged.

Proposals must show relevance to the development of lidar instruments that can be used for NASA science-focused measurements or to support current technology programs. Meeting science needs leads to four primary instrument types:

Backscatter - Measures beam reflection from aerosols to retrieve the opacity of a gas.
Ranging - Measures the return beams time-of-flight to retrieve distance.
Doppler - Measures wavelength changes in the return beam to retrieve relative velocity.
Differential absorption - Measures attenuation of two different return beams (one centered on a spectral line of interest) to retrieve concentration of a trace gas.

Phase I research should demonstrate technical feasibility and show a path toward a Phase II prototype unit. Phase II prototypes should be capable of laboratory demonstration and preferably suitable for operation in the field from a ground-based station, an aircraft platform, or any science platform amply defended by the proposer. For the 2018 SBIR Program, NASA is soliciting the component and subsystem technologies described below:

Compact and rugged single-frequency continuous-wave and pulsed lasers operating between 290-nm and 2050-nm wavelengths suitable for lidar. Specific wavelengths are of interest to match absorption lines or atmospheric transmission: 290 to 320-nm (ozone absorption), 450 to 490-nm (ocean sensing), 532-nm, 817-nm (water line), 750 to 950-nm (aerosol sensing), 935-nm (water line), 1064-nm, 1570-nm (CO₂ line), 1650-nm (methane line), and 2050-nm (Doppler wind). Architectures involving new developments in diode laser, quantum cascade laser, and fiber laser technology are especially encouraged. Additionally, novel solid-state laser materials are sought for reaching infrared wavelengths of 2500-nm to 10,000-nm. For pulsed lasers two different regimes of repetition rate and pulse energies are desired: from 1-kHz to 10-kHz with pulse energy greater than 1-mJ and from 20-Hz to 100-Hz with pulse energy greater than 100-mJ.
Optical amplifiers for increasing the energy of pulsed lasers in the wavelength range of 300-nm to 2050-nm. Also, amplifier and modulator combinations for converting continuous-wave lasers to a pulsed format are encouraged. Amplifier designs must preserve the wavelength stability and spectral purity of the input laser.
Ultra-low noise photoreceiver modules, operating at 1600-nm or 2050-nm wavelength, consisting of the detection device, complete Dewar/cooling systems, and associated amplifiers. General requirements are: large single-element active detection diameter (>100 micron), high quantum efficiency (>85%), noise equivalent power of the order of 10^-14 W/sqrt(Hz), and bandwidth greater than 10-MHz.

Novel approaches and components for lidar receivers such as: new approaches for high-efficiency measurement of high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) aerosol properties at 1064, 532 and/or 355 nm; compact and lightweight Cassegrain telescopes compatible with existing differential absorption lidar (DIAL) and HSRL lidar systems; frequency agile solar blocking filters at 817-nm and/or 935-nm, and scanners for large apertures of telescope of at least 10-cm diameter and scalable to 50-cm diameter.

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): ARC, GSFC, LaRC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): S2.01, S2.04

NASA is seeking new technologies or improvements to existing technologies to meet the detector needs of future missions, as described in the most recent decadal surveys:

Earth science - (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11820.html).
Planetary science - (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10432.html).
Astronomy and astrophysics - (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070317/html/).

In pixel digital readout integrated circuit (DROIC) for high dynamic range infrared focal plane arrays to circumvent the limitations in charge well capacity, by using in-pixel digital counters that can provide orders of magnitude larger effective well depth, thereby affording longer integration times. Longer integration times provide improved signal-to-noise ratio and/or higher operating temperature, which reduces cooler capacity, resulting in savings in size, weight, power and cost.

Compact, low power, ASICs for readout of Kinetic Inductance Detector arrays each with a low operating power and capable of operation at both room temperature and cryogenic temperatures to perform one of the following functions.

8192 point FFT processor with 5 bits of depth using a polyphase oversampling or a Hanning window. Input format would be SERDES (2-4Gsamples/sec) and output format USB2.0 or similar and Power <=2W.
>10bit ADC at >1GHz sampling rate with >2000 bands, ~5kHz bandwidth, power <0.3W.

Two-dimensional row and column, cryogenic, multiplexing readout system for hybridization to two dimensional Far IR and Submillimeter bolometer arrays. Of particular interest are SQUID based systems with a first stage operating at sub-Kelvin temperatures and compatible with 32X40 detector array format.

New or improved technologies leading to measurement of trace atmospheric species (e.g., CO, CH₄, N₂O) or broadband energy balance in the IR and far-IR from geostationary and low-Earth orbital platforms. Of particular interest are new direct detectors or heterodyne detectors technologies made using high temperature superconducting films (YBCO, MgB₂) or engineered semiconductor materials, especially 2Dimensional Electron Gas (2DEG) and Quantum Wells (QW). Candidate missions are thermal imaging, LANDSAT Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS), Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO), BOReal Ecosystem Atmosphere Study (BOREAS), Methane Trace Gas Sounder or other infrared earth observing missions.

Development of a robust wafer-level integration technology that will allow high-frequency capable interconnects and allow two dis-similar substrates (i.e., Silicon and GaAs) to be aligned and mechanically 'welded' together. Specially develop ball grid and/or Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology that can support submillimeter-wave arrays. Initially the technology can be demonstrated at 1-inch die level but should be do-able at 4-inch wafer level.

Single photon avalanche diode or silicon photomultiplier photon-counting detector technology for high-speed, non-imaging lidar applications. Detector(s) (single or array) to provide ≥ 10E10 ph/s linear counting dynamic range, < 5x10E5 dark count rate at non-cryogenic temperatures, > 30% detection efficiency at 532 nm.

Space qualify a commercial 2k x 2k polarization camera for a solar coronograph for low Earth orbit and Earth-Sun lagrange point environments.

Higher power THz local oscillators and backend electronics for high resolution spectroscopy for astrophysics. Local Oscillator capable of spectral coverage 2-5 THz; Output power up to >2 mW; Frequency agility with > 1GHz near chosen THz frequency; Continuous phase-locking ability over the THz laser tunable range with <100 kHz line width. Backend ASIC capable of binning >1GHz intermediate frequency bandwidth into 0.1-0.5 MHz channels with low power dissipation <0.5W.

Development of an un-cooled broadband photon detector with average QE>50% over the spectral range from 3um to 50um. The Detectivity D* must be greater than 5x10⁹. The detector may have electrically tunable spectral range.

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC, GSFC, MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): H2.01

This subtopic solicits development of advanced instrument technologies and components suitable for deployment on in-situ planetary missions. These technologies must be capable of withstanding operation in space and planetary environments, including the expected pressures, radiation levels, launch and impact stresses, and range of survival and operational temperatures. Technologies that reduce mass, power, volume, and data rates for instruments and instrument components without loss of scientific capability are of particular importance. In addition, technologies that can increase instrument resolution and sensitivity or achieve new & innovative scientific measurements are solicited. For example missions, see http://www.nasa.gov/missions. For details of the specific requirements see the National Research Council’s, Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/2013decadal/). Technologies that support NASA’s New Frontiers and Discovery missions to various planetary bodies are of top priority.

In-situ technologies are being sought to achieve much higher resolution and sensitivity with significant improvements over existing capabilities. In-situ technologies amenable to CubeSats and SmallSats are also being solicited. Atmospheric probe sensors and technologies that can provide significant improvements over previous missions are also sought. Specifically, this subtopic solicits instrument development that provides significant advances in the following areas, broken out by planetary body:

Mars - Sub-systems relevant to current in-situ instrument needs (e.g., lasers and other light sources from UV to microwave, X-ray and ion sources, detectors, mixers, mass analyzers, etc.) or electronics technologies (e.g., FPGA and ASIC implementations, advanced array readouts, miniature high voltage power supplies). Technologies that support high precision in-situ measurements of elemental, mineralogical, and organic composition of planetary materials are sought. Conceptually simple, low risk technologies for in-situ sample extraction and/or manipulation including fluid and gas storage, pumping, and chemical labeling to support analytical instrumentation. Seismometers, mass analyzers, technologies for heat flow probes, and atmospheric trace gas detectors. Improved robustness and g-force survivability for instrument components, especially for geophysical network sensors, seismometers, and advanced detectors (iCCDs, PMT arrays, etc.). Instruments geared towards rock/sample interrogation prior to sample return are desired.
Venus - Sensors, mechanisms, and environmental chamber technologies for operation in Venus's high temperature, high-pressure environment with its unique atmospheric composition. Approaches that can enable precision measurements of surface mineralogy and elemental composition and precision measurements of trace species, noble gases and isotopes in the atmosphere are particularly desired.
Small Bodies - Technologies that can enable sampling from asteroids and from depth in a comet nucleus, improved in-situ analysis of comets. Imagers and spectrometers that provide high performance in low light environments. Dust environment measurements & particle analysis, small body resource identification, and/or quantification of potential small body resources (e.g., oxygen, water and other volatiles, hydrated minerals, carbon compounds, fuels, metals, etc.). Advancements geared towards instruments that enable elemental or mineralogy analysis (such as high-sensitivity X-ray and UV-fluorescence spectrometers, UV/fluorescence systems, scanning electron microscopy with chemical analysis capability, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography and tunable diode laser sensors, calorimetry, imaging spectroscopy, and LIBS) are sought.
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - Components, sample acquisition, and instrument systems that can enhance mission science return and withstand the low-temperatures/high-pressures of the atmospheric probes during entry. 
The Moon - Note that there is one subtopic, "Lunar Resources (H2.01)" in the HEOMD list. The emphasis of that subtopic is on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). All proposers are encouraged to submit any proposal related to ISRU to the HEOMD subtopic. However, proposals with pure science objectives and without ISRU application may be submitted to this SMD subtopic. One example is a seismometer.

Proposers are strongly encouraged to relate their proposed development to:

NASA's future planetary exploration goals. 
Existing flight instrument capability, to provide a comparison metric for assessing proposed improvements.

Proposed instrument architectures should be as simple, reliable, and low risk as possible while enabling compelling science. Novel instrument concepts are encouraged particularly if they enable a new class of scientific discovery.

Technology developments relevant to multiple environments and platforms are also desired.

Proposers should show an understanding of relevant space science needs, and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): JPL

Recent developments of laser control and manipulation of atoms have led to new types of precision inertial force and gravity sensors based on atom interferometry. Atom interferometers exploit the quantum mechanical wave nature of atomic particles and quantum gases for sensitive interferometric measurements. Ground-based laboratory experiments and instruments have already demonstrated beyond the state of the art performances of accelerometer, gyroscope, and gravity measurements. The microgravity environment in space provides opportunities for further drastic improvements in sensitivity and precision. Such inertial sensors will have great potential to provide new capabilities for NASA Earth and planetary gravity measurements, for spacecraft inertial navigation and guidance, and for gravitational wave detection and test of properties of gravity in space.

Currently the most mature development of atom interferometers as measurement instruments are those based on light pulsed atom interferometers with freefall cold atoms. There remain a number of technical challenges to infuse this technology in space applications. Some of the identified key challenges are (but not limited to):

Compact high flux ultra-cold atom sources for free space atom interferometers (Example: >1x106 total useful free-space atoms, <1 nK, Rb, K, Cs, Yb, Sr, and Hg. Performance and species can be defined by offerors). Other related innovative methods and components for cold atom sources are of great interest, such as a highly compact and regulatable atomic vapor cell.
Ultra-high vacuum technologies that allow completely sealed, non-magnetic enclosures with high quality optical access and the base pressure maintained <1x10^-9 torr. Consideration should be given to the inclusion of cold atom sources of interest.
Beyond the state-of-the-art photonic components at wavelengths for atomic species of interest, particularly at NIR and visible: efficient acousto-optic modulators (low RF power d ~ 200 mW, low thermal distortion, ~80% or greater diffraction efficiency); efficient electro-optic modulators (low bias drift, residual AM, and return loss, fiber-coupled preferred), miniature optical isolators (~30 dB isolation or greater, ~ -2 dB loss or less), robust high-speed high-extinction shutters (switching time < 1 ms, extinction > 60 dB are highly desired).
Flight qualifiable lasers or laser systems of narrow linewidth, high tunability, and/or higher power for clock and cooling transitions of atomic species of interest. Cooling and trapping lasers: 10 kHz linewidth and ~ 1 W or greater total optical power. Compact clock lasers: 5x10^-15 Hz/τ1/2 near 1 s (wavelengths for Yb+, Yb, Sr clock transitions are of special interest).
Analysis and simulation tool of a cold atom system in trapped and freefall states relevant to atom interferometer and clock measurements in space.

All proposed system performances can be defined by offerors with sufficient justification. Subsystem technology development proposals should clearly state the relevance, define requirements, relevant atomic species and working laser wavelengths, and indicate its path to a space-borne instrument.

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC, GSFC, MSFC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): S4.02, S4.04, S4.05

This subtopic solicits development of in-situ instrument technologies and components to advance the maturity of science instruments focused on the detection of evidence of life, especially extant of life, in the Ocean Worlds (e.g., Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Ganymede, Callisto, Ceres, etc.). These technologies must be capable of withstanding operation in space and planetary environments, including the expected pressures, radiation levels, launch and impact stresses, and range of survival and operational temperatures. Technologies that reduce mass, power, volume, and data rates for instruments and instrument components without loss of scientific capability are of particular importance. In addition, technologies that can increase instrument resolution and sensitivity or achieve new & innovative scientific measurements are solicited.

In addition, this subtopic solicits development of innovative sample processing technologies (methodologies and hardware) for the purposes of improving the resolution and sensitivity of life detection measurements and supporting habitability assessment of environmental samples from Ocean Worlds (e.g., Europa, Enceladus, Titan, etc.). Samples are expected to contain water, minerals, salts, etc. that may complicate measurements or interfere with interpretations. Thus, samples are expected to require separation of components as a preparatory step to analysis. Analytes of interest (e.g., organic molecules including biomolecules, cells, and inorganic solutes and particulates) in samples may also be too dilute and could escape detection unless concentration technologies are applied as a preparatory step. These technologies must be capable of operation under space and planetary conditions, including the extreme pressures, temperatures, radiation levels, stress from launch and impact. Technologies should be of low mass, power, volume; capable of radiation-hardening and sterilization; and require low data rates. Technologies that minimize biological and analytical contamination of the sample stream in order to meet planetary protection requirements and can maintain sample integrity for mission-science investigations and support integration of contamination and/or analyte monitoring are solicited.

For synergistic NASA technology solicitation, see ROSES 2016/C.20 Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTECH) call:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=%7B5C43865B-0C93-6ECA-BCD2-A3783CB1AAC8%7D&path=init.

Specifically, this subtopic solicits instrument technologies and components that provide significant advances in the following areas, broken out by planetary body:

Europa, Enceladus, Titan and other Ocean Worlds in general - Technologies and components relevant to life detection instruments (e.g., microfluidic analyzer, MEMS chromatography/mass spectrometers, laser- ablation mass spectrometer, fluorescence microscopic imager, Raman spectrometer, tunable laser system, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence, digital holographic microscope-fluoresce microscope, Antibody microarray biosensor, nanocantilever biodetector etc.) Technologies for high radiation environments, e.g., radiation mitigation strategies, radiation tolerant detectors, and readout electronic components, which enable orbiting instruments to be both radiation-hard and undergo the planetary protection requirements of sterilization (or equivalent).
Technologies and components relevant to sample processing of water and ice samples from plumes, surface ice, subsurface ice, or sub-ice waters - Examples of such technologies include, but are not limited to: sonic processing; subcritical and critical solvent extraction; solid-phase extraction; cell isolation, concentration, and lysing; filtering, separation by osmosis and dialysis; chemical hydrolysis and derivatization; novel substrates or adaptives to enhance sensitivity or selectivity of target analytes; total organic carbon, pressure, temperature, pH, eH, dissolved ion monitoring and regulation components; miniaturized components such as microfluidic valves and pumps; and other fluid and solid handling systems following separation and concentration processing components).  
Europa - Life detection approaches optimized for evaluating and analyzing the composition of ice matrices with unknown pH and salt content. Instruments capable of detecting and identifying organic molecules (in particular biomolecules), salts and/or minerals important to understanding the present conditions of Europa’s ocean are sought (such as high-resolution gas chromatograph or laser desorption mass spectrometers, dust detectors, organic analysis instruments with chiral discrimination, etc.). These developments should be geared towards analyzing and handling very small sample sizes (mg to mg) and/or low column densities/abundances. Also of interest are imagers and spectrometers that provide high performance in low-light environments (visible and NIR imaging spectrometers, thermal imagers, etc.), as well as instruments capable of providing improving our understanding Europa’s habitability by characterizing the ice, ocean, and deeper interior and monitoring ongoing geological activity such as plumes, ice fractures, and fluid motion (e.g., seismometers, magnetometers). Improvements to instruments capable of gravity (or other) measurements that might constrain properties such as ocean and ice shell thickness will also be considered.
Sample-processing approaches optimized for particulate, inorganic chemicals, and organic molecules of possible biological origin in aerosols and surface materials - Mechanical and electrical components and subsystems that work in cryogenic (95 K) and hydrocarbon-rich environments; sample extraction from liquid methane/ethane and/or hydrogen cyanide, sampling from organic 'dunes' at 95 K and robust sample preparation and handling mechanisms that feed into spectral and mass analyzers, as well as X-ray detection devices are solicited.  
Enceladus - Life detection approaches optimized for analyzing plume particles, as well as for determining the chemical state of Enceladus’ icy surface materials (particularly near plume sites). Instruments capable of detecting and identifying organic molecules (in particular biomolecules), salts and/or minerals important to understand the present conditions of the Enceladus ocean are sought (such as high resolution gas chromatograph or laser desorption mass spectrometers, dust detectors, organic analysis instruments with chiral discrimination, etc.). These developments should be geared towards analyzing and handling very small sample sizes (mg to mg) and/or low column densities/abundances. Also of interest are imagers and spectrometers that provide high performance in low-light environments (visible and NIR imaging spectrometers, thermal imagers, etc.), as well as instruments capable of monitoring the bulk chemical composition and physical characteristics of the plume (density, velocity, variation with time, etc.). Improvements to instruments capable of gravity (or other) measurements that might constrain properties such as ocean and ice shell thickness will also be considered.
Titan - Life detection approaches optimized for searching for biosignatures and biologically relevant compounds in Titan’s lakes, including the presence of diagnostic trace organic species, and also for analyzing Titan’s complex aerosols and surface materials. Mechanical and electrical components and subsystems that work in cryogenic (95 K) environments; sample extraction from liquid methane/ethane, sampling from organic 'dunes' at 95 K and robust sample preparation and handling mechanisms that feed into mass analyzers are sought. Balloon instruments, such as IR spectrometers, imagers, meteorological instruments, radar sounders, solid, liquid, air sampling mechanisms for mass analyzers, and aerosol detectors are also solicited. Low mass and power sensors, mechanisms and concepts for converting terrestrial instruments such as turbidimeters and echo sounders for lake measurements, weather stations, surface (lake and solid) properties packages, etc. to cryogenic environments (95 K).

Other Ocean Worlds targets may include Ganymede, Callisto, Ceres, etc. Proposers are strongly encouraged to relate their proposed development to: NASA's future Ocean Worlds exploration goals. Existing flight instrument capability, to provide a comparison metric for assessing proposed improvements.

Proposed instrument architectures should be as simple, reliable, and low risk as possible while enabling compelling science. Novel instrument concepts are encouraged particularly if they enable a new class of scientific discovery. Technology developments relevant to multiple environments and platforms are also desired.

Proposers should show an understanding of relevant space science needs, and present a feasible plan to fully develop a technology and infuse it into a NASA program.

Focus Area 11: Spacecraft and Platform Subsystems

Lead MD: SMD

Participating MD(s): STMD

The Science Mission Directorate will carry out the scientific exploration of our Earth, the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids of our solar system and the universe beyond. SMD’s 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 (landers, rovers, and sample returns) or at more optimal observation points in space. These future destinations will require new vantage points, or would need to integrate or distribute capabilities across multiple assets. Future destinations will also be more challenging to get to, have more extreme environmental conditions and challenges once the spacecraft gets there, and may be a challenge to get a spacecraft or data back from. A major objective of the NASA science spacecraft and platform subsystems development efforts are to enable science measurement capabilities using smaller and lower cost spacecraft to meet multiple mission requirements thus making the best use of our limited resources. To accomplish this objective, NASA is seeking innovations to significantly improve spacecraft and platform subsystem capabilities while reducing the mass and cost that would in turn enable increased scientific return for future NASA missions. A spacecraft bus is made up of many subsystems like: propulsion; thermal control; power and power distribution; attitude control; telemetry command and control; transmitters/antenna; computers/on-board processing/software; and structural elements. High performance space computing technologies are also included in this focus area. Science platforms of interest could include unmanned aerial vehicles, sounding rockets, or balloons that carry scientific instruments/payloads, to planetary ascent vehicles or Earth return vehicles that bring samples back to Earth for analysis. This topic area addresses the future needs in many of these sub-system areas, as well as their application to specific spacecraft and platform needs. For planetary missions, planetary protection requirements vary by planetary destination, and additional backward contamination requirements apply to hardware with the potential to return to Earth (e.g., as part of a sample return mission). Technologies intended for use at/around Mars, Europa (Jupiter), and Enceladus (Saturn) must be developed so as to ensure compliance with relevant planetary protection requirements. Constraints could include surface cleaning with alcohol or water, and/or sterilization treatments such as dry heat (approved specification in NPR 8020.12; exposure of hours at 115° C or higher, non-functioning); penetrating radiation (requirements not yet established); or vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide (specification pending). The following references discuss some of NASA’s science mission and technology needs:

The Astrophysics Roadmap - https://science.nasa.gov/science-committee/subcommittees/nac-astrophysics-subcommittee/astrophysics-roadmap.
Astrophysics Decadal Survey “New Worlds, New Horizons: in Astronomy and Astrophysics” - http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12951.
The Earth Science Decadal Survey - http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11820.
The Heliophysics roadmap “The Solar and Space Physics of a New Era: Recommended Roadmap for Science and Technology 20092030” - http://hpde.gsfc.nasa.gov/2009_Roadmap.pdf.
The 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey was released March 2011. This decadal survey is considering technology needs - https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/2013decadal/.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): JPL

Satellite Communications

Improved and innovative downlink bitrates using satellite relay communications from balloon payloads are needed. Long duration balloon flights currently utilize satellite communication systems to relay science and operations data from the balloon to ground based control centers. The current maximum downlink bit rate is 150 kilobits per second operating continuously during the balloon flight. Future requirements are for bit rates of 1 megabit per second or more. Improvements in bit rate performance, reduction in size and mass of existing systems, or reductions in cost of high bit rate systems are needed. TDRSS and Iridium satellite communications are currently used for balloon payload applications. A commercial S-band TDRSS transceiver and mechanically steered 18 dBi gain antenna provide 150 kbps continuous downlink. TDRSS K-band transceivers are available but are currently cost prohibitive. Open Port Iridium service is also currently being used.

Balloon Sensors and Instrumentation

Improved and innovative devices to make measurements of the balloon and the ambient flight environment are needed. Devices or methods to accurately and continuously measure ambient air, helium gas, balloon film temperatures, ambient wind velocity and film strain are desired. These measurements are needed to accurately model the balloon performance during a typical flight at altitudes of approximately 120,000 feet. The measurements must compensate for the effects of direct solar radiation through shielding or calculation. Minimal mass and volume are highly desired. For film measurements, a non-invasive and non-contact approach is highly desired for the thin polyethylene film, with film thickness ranging from 0.8 to 1.5 mil, used as the balloon envelope. Devices for these measurements must be compatible with existing NASA systems and operations.

Planetary Aerial Vehicles

Innovations in materials, structures, and systems concepts have enabled aerial vehicles to play an expanding role in NASA's future Solar System Exploration Program. Aerial vehicles are expected to carry scientific payloads at Venus that will perform in-situ investigations of its atmosphere, surface and interior. Venus features extreme environments that significantly impact the design of aerial vehicles. Proposals are sought in the following areas:

Aerial Vehicle Platforms for Venus - NASA is interested in conducting long term monitoring of the Venus atmosphere and planetary surface using aerial vehicles at altitudes around 50 to 60 km. Concepts for Lighter-than-Air (e.g., balloons, airships) and Heavier-than-Air (e.g., fixed wing, rotary wing) vehicles are encouraged. The aerial platforms should be capable of operation through daylight and/or night time observations on Venus. The proposal should describe how the vehicle concept would be deployed into the atmosphere and operated for its mission. Concepts for any of the following capabilities of aerial vehicle are encouraged:

Technology demonstration with science payload less than 10 kg.
Pathfinder mission with science payload less than 50 kg.
Flagship mission with science payload up to 100 kg.

It is expected that a Phase I effort will consist of a system-level design and a proof-of-concept experiment on one or more key components.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): AFRC, JSC, MSFC

This subtopic encompasses the development of reusable, hot structure technology for primary structure that is exposed to extreme heating environments on atmospheric entry vehicles. A hot structure system is a multifunctional structure that can reduce or eliminate the need for a separate thermal protection system (TPS). The potential advantages of using a hot structure system in place of a TPS with underlying cool structure are: reduced mass, increased mission capability such as reusability, improved aerodynamics, improved structural efficiency, and increased ability to inspect the structure. Hot structure is an enabling technology for reusability between missions or mission phases, such as aerocapture followed by entry, and has been used in prior NASA programs (HyperX and X-37) on control surfaces and leading edges, and Department of Defense programs.

This subtopic seeks to develop innovative low-cost, damage tolerant, reusable and lightweight hot structure technology applicable to atmospheric entry vehicles, exposed to extreme temperatures between 1000° C to 2200° C. The material systems of interest for use in developing the hot structure technology include: advanced carbon-carbons (C-C), ceramic matrix composites (CMC), or advanced high temperature metals. Potential applications of the hot structure technology include: primary load-carrying aeroshell structure, control surfaces, and propulsion system components (such as hot gas valves and passively-cooled nozzle extensions). Proposals should address one or more of the following:

Employing advanced materials in novel structural system concepts for thermal management associated with atmospheric entry and/or hypersonic flight.
Utilizing preceramic polymers for producing advanced material systems with tailored chemical, mechanical, and physical properties. Of particular interest are polymers yielding ceramics in the SiOC, SiNBC, SiNC or SiC families in the form of ceramic foams, fibers, coatings, and fiber-reinforced CMC, for use in a hot structure concept.
Material/structural architectures and multifunctional systems providing significant improvements of interlaminar mechanical properties while maintaining in-plane and thermal properties compared to state-of-the-art C-C or CMC. Examples include: incorporating through the thickness stitching or 3D woven preforms.
Improvements in manufacturing process and/or material design to achieve repeatable and uniform material properties, scalable to actual vehicle components; specifically, data obtained from flat-panel test coupons should represent the properties of future flight vehicles.
High temperature oxidation resistant coating integrated with a hot structure concept to extend performance for multiple cycles up to 2200^oC.

For proposals to this subtopic, research, testing, and analysis should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I and show a path towards Phase II hardware demonstration. Phase I feasibility studies should also address cost and risk associated with the hot structures technology. At completion of Phase I, project deliverables should include: coupon specimens of components adequate for thermal/mechanical and/or arc-jet testing and a final report that is acceptable for publication as a NASA Technical Memorandum. Emphasis should be on the delivery of a manufacturing demonstration unit for NASA testing at the completion of the Phase II contract. In addition, Phase II studies should address vehicle integration. Opportunities and plans should also be identified and summarized for potential commercialization.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC, JSC, MSFC

Background: NASA is developing deployable aerodynamic decelerators to enhance, and enable, robotic and human missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, and Titan, as well as returning payloads to Earth from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The biggest challenge facing Entry, Descent and Landing systems is the delivery of human class missions to the surface of Mars. One benefit of deployable decelerators is that a relatively large atmospheric entry vehicle can be packed into, and deployed from, a comparatively small space transit vehicle. Eliminating these entry vehicle size constraints imposed by the launch system enables delivery of very large (20 metric tons or more) of usable payload required to support Mars human exploration. For reference, it is estimated that safely landing 20 metric tons may need a deployable diameter as large as 20 meters. The technology also allows for the return of payloads from LEO and recovery of launch assets that will reduce the cost of space access. This subtopic area solicits innovative technology solutions applicable to deployable entry vehicles. Specific technology development areas include:

Advancements in woven and non-woven textile technologies that can be used in the design and production of mass efficient flexible thermal protection systems (TPS) such as durable, high-temperature fibrous insulators capable of efficiently suppressing both radiation and convective heat transfer at temperatures above 1200° C. TPS concepts must be flexible to allow compact stowage. They can be passive approaches that do not rely on decomposition to manage heat loads, or active systems, such as phase change approaches, that enhance thermal management capability. Reusable concepts and/or materials, capable of surviving multiple atmospheric entries, are of particular interest. Focus of Phase I development can be subscale manufacturing demonstrations that lead to Phase II manufacturing scale up that is relevant to Mars human exploration.
Concepts that augment the drag of rigid or deployable hypersonic aerodynamic decelerators subsequent to the hypersonic entry phase. Envisioned secondary decelerator systems would be activated after the entry heat pulse during the earliest stages of the supersonic regime. Devices can be either deployable or rigid design concepts, but must be suitable for, and scalable to, a Mars human exploration architecture. Inflatable structural designs and deployment methods for a secondary decelerator that augment drag over the primary decelerator by a factor or 2 to 4 are to be considered. Phase I proof of concept and preliminary design requirements that will lead to a demonstration under a Phase II effort are of interest.

Inflatable structural concepts with non-axisymmetric geometries, or features, that provide lift for flight control during atmospheric entry. Envisioned concepts can be deployed or adjusted to provide active flight control to improve landing accuracy. Concepts that provide lift-to-drag ratios of 0.1 to 0.2 during hypersonic flight conditions appear to be sufficient for human exploration of Mars. Lift-to-drag ratios of 0.8 or more may provide benefit, or may be enabling, for other destinations with atmospheres. Innovations can include morphing concepts, drag modulators, or center of gravity offset approaches. Thermal management and response time should be addressed. Phase I proof of concept and preliminary design requirements that will lead to a demonstration under a Phase II effort are of interest.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): JPL, MSFC

The NASA Earth (http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/) and Applied Science (http://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/) programs seeks innovative and unique approaches to increase the utilization and extend the benefit of Earth Science research data to better meet societal needs. The main focus of this subtopic is improving the pipeline from NASA Earth Science data and products to a range of end user communities to support decision making. To that end, one area of interest is new or improved decision support tools for a variety of applications areas (http://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/ar2014/index.html#/applications-areas), including but not limited to, disaster response, agricultural and food security, water resource management, ecological forecasting, land surface modeling, air quality and health.

Under this subtopic, NASA also invites proposals from companies that provide innovative data science tools to extract new insights from applicable NASA Earth science dataset that can support emerging commercial activities. State-of-the-art geospatial data analytics such as automated image classification, feature extraction, or change detection deployed at scale can reveal new insights and drive increased utilization of publicly available NASA Earth science data. NASA Earth science data may be fused with non-NASA remote sensing data or even non-remote sensing data to provide context or other added value and unlock new information products. Areas of commercial focus (not all inclusive) include agricultural, financial services, transportation, logistics, oil, gas, resource extraction, land management, water resource management, and leisure industries.

This subtopic aims to connect and demonstrate the integration of NASA Earth science data and models into societal benefit areas and commercial applications. This solicitation encourages project teams to consider products from recently-launched NASA Missions, as well as simulated products from upcoming, planned missions (e.g., SMAP, GPM, Landsat, GRACE, GRACE-FO, IceSat-2, SWOT), and field campaigns or other observatories (e.g., Airborne Snow Observatory (http://aso.jpl.nasa.gov/), SnowEx (https://snow.nasa.gov/snowex)). Projects may consider connecting with NASA-sponsored activities including, but not limited to SPoRT (http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/sport/) and NASA Earth Exchange- NEX (https://nex.nasa.gov/nex/). The NASA Applied Science Program sponsors several Capacity Building Programs, including SERVIR (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/servir/), DEVELOP (https://develop.larc.nasa.gov/) and ARSET (https://arset.gsfc.nasa.gov/); proposed projects may find it valuable to leverage resources and relationships with these capacity building activities. Proposed projects should also note that NASA hosts a broad range of modeling systems and related that have been highly valuable to operational and end user communities, including MERRA-2 (https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/), climate project information from GISS GCMs (http://www.giss.nasa.gov/projects/gcm/) and Land Data Assimilation Systems (LDAS (http://ldas.gsfc.nasa.gov/gldas/).

Currently, creating decision support tools (DST) that effectively utilize remote sensing data requires significant efforts by experts in multiple domains. NASA Earth Science data, while accessible, is massive in breadth and scope – a true “Big Data” problem. However, the formatting of the data is not easily accessed or readily usable beyond remote sensing experts and the research community, suggesting that application by commercial users is even more challenging. While the data has commercial use, it is underutilized due to accessibility and translation issues. This creates a barrier to the widespread use of Earth observations by state and local governments, businesses, and the public. This subtopic aims to democratize the creation of Earth science driven decision support tools and to unleash a creative explosion of DST development that significantly increases the return on investment for Earth science missions.

Specifically, this subtopic develops core capabilities that can be integrated to build multiple remote sensing driven DSTs customized to the requirements of different users in varied fields. Proven development and commercialization strategies will be used to meet these objectives. The goal of this solicitation is to directly link what is being done at NASA with the end user community to support decision making. The outcomes of this work could include new tools, integration systems, visualization interfaces, among others. Responsive proposals must include a clear identification of a data product(s), modeling tools, or NASA activities that will be used and a clear end user or business application to which the tools, systems, etc. are intended to support for applied research and decision support. Proposals should explain how the proposed capabilities will address an end user need, business opportunity or gap area in decision support capabilities. Proposals should also outline existing capabilities, including software, models, and data that are already implemented at NASA or through related NASA activities and how the proposed activities may leverage, complement, or expand from existing infrastructure. Projects must be mindful of NASA security restrictions in the development of new activities.

Ultimately, this subtopic aims to provide commercial analytics firms and other data-driven companies with improved access to, and translation of, NASA data. The subtopic supports research and technology focused on innovative data science tools and information products that will improve business productivity, reduce the cost of operations, and provide for better informed decision making. Research proposed to this subtopic should demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I, and in partnership with Commercial customers, show a path toward a Phase II prototype demonstration, with significant communication with commercial stakeholders to increase the potential for non-governmental market penetration.

Lead Center: GSFC

Participating Center(s): ARC, JPL, LaRC

NASA research and engineering has begun exploring the application of Machine Learning and Deep Learning (ML/DL) within Science and Engineering. While there are many problems that can be addressed with ML/DL, the adoption of these techniques and technologies are slow due to the large learning curve associated with the application of this technology and the applicability of commercial and open source tools to specific problems of interest for NASA.

This subtopic area seeks to close those gaps and accelerate the use of ML/DL across NASA Science and Engineering. The emphasis of this subtopic will be on the application of ML/DL to solve challenging Science and Engineering problems and also for new technologies to enable and accelerate the use of ML/DL within NASA.

Proposals MUST be in alignment with existing and/or future NASA programs and address or extend a specific need or question for those programs. It is therefore incumbent upon the proposers to have discussions with NASA scientists and engineers to receive feedback prior to submission and to adequately show the alignment of the proposed innovation to NASA.

Specifically, innovative proposals are being sought to assist NASA Science and Engineering in the following two areas:

Application of ML/DL to solve challenging and unique problems in order to significantly advance NASA’s Science and Engineering.
New algorithms, methods, or tools to accelerate the use and adoption of ML/DL within NASA.

Research proposed to this subtopic should demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I, and in partnership with scientists, show a path toward a Phase II prototype demonstration, with significant communication with missions and programs to later plan a potential Phase III infusion. It is highly desirable that the proposed projects lead to solutions that will be infused into NASA programs and projects.

Tools and products developed under this subtopic may be developed for broad public dissemination or used within a narrow scientific community. These tools can be plug-ins or enhancements to existing software, on-line data/computing services, or new stand-alone applications or web services, provided that they promote interoperability and use standard protocols, file formats, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Lead Center: JPL

Participating Center(s): GSFC, KSC

The focus for the coming year is on the integration of model-based approaches into NASA's life-cycle processes: Design, Build, Assemble, Integrate and Operate. Specific areas of interest supporting one or more of these life-cycle processes are listed below. Proposers are encouraged to be familiar with the State-of-the-art in these areas. Proposers are also encouraged to address more than one of these areas with an approach that emphasizes integration with others on the list.

Visualization and tool interaction

Techniques and tools for:

Using MBSE to support trade evaluation and capabilities for visualization and comprehension of results/options. NASA needs the ability to engage the intuition and experience of those without significant tool expertise.
Enabling SysML profiles to be more easily created, integrated and compared with other profiles. NASA has a wide variety of users and use cases and the ability to better manage profiles (or the equivalent) is important.
Enabling early phase agility. In the early phases, rapid trade space exploration presents challenges in utilizing typical models or library elements, trade space navigation, rationale capture, and archival/retrieval of options.

Model Management:

Methods for archiving/storing, retrieving and integrating model fragments. The approach should be easy to use and not require significant new infrastructure investment.
Approaches for defining and utilizing permission/access control in a collaborative environment.

Training and Engagement

As NASA continues down the Model-based approach to the engineering disciplines it will be imperative to engage and develop the skilled engineers necessary to achieve our desired end state. To that end, NASA seeks approaches for initial engagement with MBSE/SysML that are “lightweight” without onerous costs and complexity. This must include approaches for transitioning to “full featured” tool sets without significant retraining. Proposers encouraged, but not required, to consider utilizing plug-ins to existing tool sets

Tool and Process integration

As MBSE continues to develop at NASA, it is critical to explore and develop tools and techniques for better integration at the boundaries of Systems Engineering both breadth (other disciplines) and depth (detailed information). Integration (breadth) includes integration with other discipline tools and processes (e.g., Finite Element Modeling, Circuit Analysis) as well as business and programmatic processes. Integration (depth) includes integration, or at least interfacing, with lower-level information (e.g., Piece part data, assembly process specifications). It is critical that we understand the nature of these interfaces, and reduce the complexity and difficulty of developing and maintaining these interfaces.

Focus Area 14: In-Space and Advanced Manufacturing

Lead MD: HEOMD

Participating MD(s): STMD, STTR

NASA is seeking technological innovations that will accelerate development and adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies supporting a wide range of NASA Missions. NASA has an immediate need for more affordable and more capable materials and processes across its unique missions, systems, and platforms. Cutting-edge manufacturing technologies offer the ability to dramatically increase performance and reduce the cost of NASA’s programs. This topic is focused on technologies for both the ground-based advancements and in-space manufacturing capabilities required for sustainable, long-duration space missions to destinations such as Mars. The terrestrial subtopic areas concentration is on research and development of advanced metallic materials and processes and additive manufacturing technologies for their potential to increase the capability and affordability of engines, vehicles, space systems, instruments and science payloads by offering significant improvements over traditional manufacturing methods. Technologies should facilitate innovative physical manufacturing processes combined with the digital twin modeling and simulation approach that integrates modern design and manufacturing. The in-space manufacturing subtopic areas which focus on the ability to manufacture parts in space rather than launch them from Earth represents a fundamental paradigm shift in the orbital supply chain model for human spaceflight. In-space manufacturing capabilities will decrease overall launch mass, while increasing crew safety and mission success by providing on-demand manufacturing capability to address known and unknown operational scenarios. In addition, advances in lighter-weight metals processing (on ground and in-space) will enable the delivery of higher-mass payloads to Mars and beyond. In order to achieve necessary reliabilities, in-situ process assessment and feedback control is urgently needed. Research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility and prototype hardware development during Phase I and show a path toward Phase II hardware and software demonstration and delivering an engineering development unit for NASA testing at the completion of the Phase II that could be turned into a proof-of-concept system for flight demonstration.

Lead Center: MSFC

Participating Center(s): LaRC

There is a substantial rift between the properties of 3D printed thermoplastics (that can be produced with the current printers on the International Space Station) and the aerospace metals traditionally used in critical space systems. However, processes compatible with metals are more challenging from the perspective of operations in the space environment, often having volumes, powers, and safety hazards that may be incompatible with ISS requirements. As an alternative to adapting traditional AM of metals process to microgravity, this topic seeks development of higher strength feedstocks compatible with the FDM process that would uniquely enable NASA applications, facilitating sparing and/or palliative repair scenarios (the latter is where FDM would provide a stopgap solution until a more permanent fix could be developed). This work also has clear terrestrial benefits, as it stands to stands to significantly enhance the properties achievable with FDM techniques and expand the use of FDM processes for manufacturing beyond low-criticality applications. Proposers must clearly state how their development work under this opportunity advances the state of the art and enables new applications of AM.

This SBIR subtopic is intended to investigate development of materials and/or post-processing techniques that will:

Narrow the gap between the properties of materials produced using FDM techniques and metals.
Result in much higher strength plastics with isotropic properties and improved dimensional tolerances.
Homogenize material by reducing presence of pores.

The solution may be obtained by a variety of approaches, including but not limited to:

Novel post-processing or heat treatment techniques. Any techniques developed must be adaptable to the microgravity environment of ISS. Post-processing techniques must also preserve the characteristic dimensions of the part.
Incorporation of nano or microfibers into filament feedstock.
Benchtop materials development of high strength feedstock materials that are also extrudable with FDM. Feedstock materials which incorporate in-situ materials (such as those found on a planetary surface) and/or materials which represent polymer trash recyclables are of strong interest.
Materials testing activities must be undertaken to demonstrate and quantify improvements in mechanical properties, densification, and dimensional accuracy possible with a proposed approach. Complementary modeling efforts are not required, but will be value added in establishing predictive relationships between processing conditions and material outcomes.

Phase I SBIR is a feasibility demonstration and should provide:

Development and implementation of new materials in FDM systems that represent a significant improvement over current material options.
Materials testing and characterization to quantify material improvement over traditional FDM techniques or FDM manufactured material in the as-built condition.
Proposed design approach for integrating methods developed into current or future ISM payloads for FDM as well as ground based machines and processes.

Verification that material approaches or exceeds key mechanical performance targets for polymeric feedstocks sought under this opportunity: tensile strength of at least 200 MPa, specific strength of at least 100 kN-m/kg, Poisson's ratio of 0.20-0.45, and fracture toughness of at least 5 MPa/m^1/2.Ability to meet these requirements will be demonstrated as part of the materials development activities in Phase I.

Lead Center: MSFC

Participating Center(s): KSC, LaRC

The ability to ensure production of parts with repeatable quality is critical for ISM implementation. There are essentially two approaches to ensure consistency in the parts and the manufacturing process: a traditional qualification and certification (which may be difficult for ISM due to constraints on crew time and equipment size limitations) and online quality control (i.e., process monitoring, where in-situ monitoring of process signals provides information about the quality of the part produced by the process).

and certification processes for ISM require better machine and feedback control than is currently available with off the shelf printers and other small manufacturing systems. While traditional approaches to qualification and certification are also being pursued, a more immediate solution is that of online/off-line quality control techniques that are adaptable to ISM. This SBIR seeks approaches to real-time, in-situ quality assurance of parts manufactured in the space environment and specifically focuses on manufacturing platforms similar to those used on ISS. The solicitation seeks methods that can be demonstrated for FDM or nonmetallic additive processes initially but are also broadly applicable to other candidate manufacturing processes for ISM, including AM of metallics and potentially even CNC machining. The latter technologies will likely be incorporated in to the Fabrication Laboratory in some capacity.

Development of in-situ techniques for quality control applicable for ISM may utilize the following approaches or leverage other techniques not listed here:

Online layer/trace monitoring would allow for rapid identification of defects as they are generated and well before the part is finished. In turn, this would allow for stoppage of the production run (thus conserving feedstock and lowering processing/recycling energy) or for the correction of defects by introducing layer compensation algorithms. Ideally, evaluation should occur with every layer (enabling corrective actions to be taken right away) but can also be done after a batch of layers. This approach may require:
- A multi-sensor approach and the ensuing data fusion and signal processing to extricate sensor data signatures that point to anomalies in the current print layer. This might include a combination of vision, structured light profilometry, thermography (IR), temperature, etc. Sensors and measurement methods are needed for:
  - Dimension and geometry.
  - Roughness and general surface finish.
  - Defects, porosity and flaws.
  - Feedstock tolerance.
  - Energy source.
  - Microstructure and mesostructured.
  - Strength of the interlayer bonding.
  - Residual stresses.
- Collection of extensive data that will help develop feedback systems, predictive processing and modeling capabilities. Defect taxonomies (type, frequency and size quantification) and algorithms will be needed to map the functional correlation between the type and size of defects and the potential impact on material composition and microstructure (thus mechanical and functional properties).
- Validation of modeling with process measurements to enable robust process control (e.g., vision system identifies a defect/pore and process control system corrects and eliminates defect).
- Use of statistical process control.
- Measurement of in-situ materials properties.
- In-situ, monitoring of operating conditions (e.g., temperature management and others) to reduce and control residual stresses and distortion.
- On-demand/adaptive post-processing based on actual thermal history of part
Off-line quality control (nondestructive testing), including traditional finished part inspection and verification. Less desirable because it is post-mortem. Must be non-destructive testing. Computer Tomography (CT) and X-Ray analyses have become the norm for aerospace components. Others include visual and instrument-based inspection of dimensional accuracy, surface finish and perhaps some mechanical/physical properties. Likely to be intensive on crew time and limited by size of equipment.

Phase I is a feasibility demonstration and should provide:

Approach for in-situ quality control and verification of parts manufactured in space with clear adaptability to current and future ISM systems.
Demonstration of approach:
- Sensors integrated into a ground based AM system (can be FDM initially), but has high extensibility to other processes that operate in a similar volume.
- Demonstrate that process signals acquired during build are correlated with and predictive of material outcomes (density, mechanical properties, other metrics) through a combination of material testing and statistical analysis.

II would focus on integration of the system in a NASA ground-based ISM platform as a demonstration and development of closed-loop control systems. Phase III would integrate the technique/NDE system into an ISM platform on ISS and verify its efficacy for V&V applications.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): GRC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): Z1.01

Human missions to the Mars surface will require tens of kilowatts of electrical power for life support, science, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and other equipment. Possible power sources include nuclear reactors and solar arrays with batteries or regenerative fuel cells. Solar arrays are a mature, reliable technology used on most spacecraft and increasingly for Earth terrestrial power, and also at small sizes up to ~3 m² for several successful Mars landers and rovers. However, human missions will need thousands of square meters of solar cells to generate the required power. Furthermore, the solar arrays must survive inevitable dust storms and possibly months of dormancy before and between crew visits.

This subtopic seeks structural and mechanical innovations for solar arrays with at least 1000 m² of total area that autonomously deploy from Mars landers. Design guidelines for these large deployable solar arrays are:

Solar arrays must self-deploy.
Total area: 1000 m². Extensibility to 1500+ m² is desirable.
Mass goal: < 1.5 kg/m² including all mechanical and electrical components. Packaging goal: < 10 m³ per 1000 m² of deployed area.
Launch loads: 5 g axial, 2 g lateral, 145 dB OASPL.
Lander may not have azimuth control (i.e., guaranteed landing clocking angle). State all assumptions concerning array orientation and sun pointing.
Solar arrays deploy in Mars 0.38 gravity and low winds (use 0.5 g for preliminary design). Solar arrays operate in Mars 0.38 gravity and wind gusts (use 1.0 g for preliminary design).
Must survive peak winds of 50-100 m/s and simultaneous upward winds of 25-50 m/s (dust devils) with maximum air density of 0.023 kg/m³.
Deployable on terrain with up to 0.5 m obstacles/depressions, 15 degree slopes, and potentially hidden hazards (e.g., sand-filled holes). Operating height > 0.5 m to avoid wind-blown sand collection.
Time to deploy: < 8 hrs.
Deployed strength: Ideally > 1 g to allow unconstrained Earth deployment qualification.
Integrated dust abatement or removal methods. Dust accumulation is the #1 design risk issue for sustained solar power production on Mars.
Tolerant of daily thermal cycling from -100° C to 25° C over a lifetime of 10-15 years.
Describe the concept of operations (ConOps) including all packaging, deployment, and operating assumptions.

This subtopic seeks innovations in the following areas for Mars solar array structures:

Novel packaging, deployment, retraction, terrain-following ground supports, or in-situ assembly or manufacturing concepts.
Lightweight, compact components including booms, ribs, substrates, and mechanisms.
Load-limiting devices to avoid damage during extreme winds.
Optimized use of advanced ultra-lightweight materials (but not materials development).
Validated modeling, analysis, and simulation techniques.
High-fidelity, functioning laboratory models and test methods.

Proposals should emphasize structural and mechanical innovations, not photovoltaics, electrical, or energy storage innovations, although a complete solar array systems analysis is encouraged. If solar concentrators or solar tracking are proposed, strong arguments must be developed to justify why this approach is better from technical, cost, and risk points of view over fixed planar solar arrays. Of special interest are design innovations that improve NASA’s proposed solar array concepts using multiple Compact Telescoping Arrays (CTAs) as depicted on Charts 16-19 of Reference 2. Load alleviation methods to avoid damage during extreme winds are also of high interest.

In Phase I, contractors should prove the feasibility of proposed innovations using suitable analyses and tests. In Phase II, significant hardware or software capabilities that can be tested at NASA should be developed to advance their Technology Readiness Level (TRL). TRLs at the end of Phase II of 3-4 or higher are desired.

References:

1. Joseph Appelbaum and Geoff Landis, “Photovoltaic Array for Martian Surface Power,” 43^rd Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, NASA TM-105827, August 28, 1992, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19920024655.pdf.

2. Richard Pappa and Tom Kerslake, “Mars Surface Solar Arrays,” FISO telecon seminar with recorded audio, June 7, 2017, http://spirit.as.utexas.edu/~fiso/telecon/Pappa-Kerslake_6-7-17/.

3. Lee Mason, “Mars Surface Power” panel, AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum with recorded video, July 12, 2017, https://livestream.com/AIAAvideo/PropEnergy2017/videos/159709334.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, JSC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): T13.01

Technologies sought under this SBIR program can be defined as advanced sensors, sensor systems, sensor techniques or software that enhance or expand NASAs current senor capability. It desirable but not necessary to target structural components of space flight hardware. Examples of space flight hardware will include light weight structural materials including composites and thin metals. Technologies sought include modular, smart, advanced Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) sensor systems and associated capture and analysis software. It is advantageous for techniques to include the development on quantum, meta- and nano sensor technologies for deployment. Technologies enabling the ability to perform inspections on large complex structures will be encouraged. Technologies should provide reliable assessments of the location and extent of damage. Methods are desired to perform inspections in areas with difficult access in pressurized habitable compartments and external environments for flight hardware. Many applications require the ability to see through assembled conductive and/or thermal insulating materials without contacting the surface. Techniques that can dynamically and accurately determine position and orientation of the NDE sensor are needed to automatically register NDE results to precise locations on the structure. Advanced processing and displays are needed to reduce the complexity of operations for astronaut crews who need to make important assessments quickly. NDE inspection sensors are needed for potential use on free-flying inspection platforms. Integration of wireless systems with NDE may be of significant utility. It is strongly encouraged to provide explanation of how proposed techniques and sensors will be applied to a complex structure. Examples of structural components include but are not limited to multi-wall pressure vessels, batteries, tile, thermal blankets, micrometeoroid shielding, International Space Station (ISS) Radiators or aerospace structural components.

Phase I Deliverables - Lab prototype, feasibility study or software package including applicable data or observation of a measurable phenomenon on which the prototype will be built. Inclusion of a proposed approach to develop a given methodology to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 2-4. All Phase Is will include minimum of short description for Phase II prototype. It will be highly favorable to include description of how the Phase II prototype or methodology will be applied to structures.

Phase II Deliverables - Working prototype or software of proposed product, along with full report of development and test results. Prototype or software of proposed product should be of Technology Readiness Level (TRL 5-6). Proposal should include plan of how to apply prototype or software on applicable structure or material system. Opportunities and plans should also be identified and summarized for potential commercialization.

For proposers with an interest in airframes, please see Subtopic A1.01 - Structural Efficiency - Tailored Airframes and Structures.

Lead Center: SSC

Participating Center(s): KSC

Rocket propulsion development is enabled by rigorous ground testing to mitigate the propulsion system risks that are inherent in spaceflight. This is true for virtually all propulsive devices of a space vehicle including liquid and solid rocket propulsion, chemical and non-chemical propulsion, boost stage and in-space propulsion and so forth. It involves a combination of component-level and engine-level testing to demonstrate that propulsion devices were designed to meet the specified requirements for a specified operational envelope and over robust margins and shown to be sufficiently reliable, prior to its first flight.

topic area seeks to develop advanced ground test and launch environment technology components and system level ground test systems that enhance Chemical and Advanced Propulsion technology development and certification. The goal is to advanced propulsion ground test technologies to enhance environment simulation, minimize test program time, cost and risk and meet existing environmental and safety regulations. It is focused on near-term products that augment and enhance proven, state-of-the-art propulsion test facilities. This subtopic is especially interested in ground test and launch environment technologies with potential to substantially reduce the costs and improve safety/reliability of NASA's test and launch operations.

In particular, technology needs include producing large quantities of hot hydrogen, and developing robust materials, advanced instruments and monitoring systems capable of operating in extreme temperature and harsh environments. Harsh environments include high vibration and ablative.

This subtopic seeks innovative technologies in the following areas:

Efficient generation of high temperature (>2500° R), high flowrate (<60 lb/sec) hydrogen.
Devices for measurement of pressure, temperature, strain and radiation in a high temperature and/or harsh environment.
Development of innovative rocket test facility components (e.g., valves, flowmeters, actuators, tanks, etc.) for ultra-high pressure (>8000 psi), high flow rate (>100 lbm/sec) and cryogenic environments.
Robust and reliable component designs which are oxygen compatible and can operate efficiently in high vibro-acoustic, environments.
Advanced materials to resist high-temperature (<4400° F), hydrogen embrittlement and harsh environments.
Tools using computational methods to accurately model and predict system performance are required that integrate simple interfaces with detailed design and/or analysis software. SSC is interested in improving capabilities and methods to accurately predict and model the transient fluid structure interaction between cryogenic fluids and immersed components to predict the dynamic loads, frequency response of facilities.
Improved capabilities to predict and model the behavior of components (valves, check valves, chokes, etc.) during the facility design process are needed. This capability is required for modeling components in high pressure (to 12,000 psi), with flow rates up to several thousand lb/sec, in cryogenic environments and must address two-phase flows. Challenges include accurate, efficient, thermodynamic state models; cavitation models for propellant tanks, valve flows, and run lines; reduction in solution time; improved stability; acoustic interactions; fluid-structure interactions in internal flows.

For all above technologies, research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I and show a path towards Phase II hardware/software demonstration with delivery of a demonstration unit or software package for NASA testing at the completion of the Phase II contract.

Lead Center: KSC

Participating Center(s): ARC, LaRC, SSC

Autonomous Control Technologies (ACT) are needed to reduce operations and maintenance costs of ground and payload operations and to increase the availability of systems to support mission operations. These technologies perform functions such as anomaly and fault detection, fault isolation, diagnostics and prognostics and enable variable levels of autonomous control and recovery of system operations, where recovery may include reconfiguration or repair. Autonomous Control Technologies are enabled by intelligent systems health management component technologies, methodologies, and approaches; command and control architectures; computing architectures; software for decision-making and control; and intelligent devices.

will be applied to operations such as autonomous propellant management, which includes the transfer, storage, measuring, and sampling of cryogenic, or other propellant for use in launch systems without requiring human interaction. Propellant management includes pre-planned nominal capabilities such as vehicle fill and drain as well as contingency and off-nominal capabilities such as emergency safing, venting and system reconfiguration. ACT capabilities will enable the autonomous monitoring and control of the integrated system resulting from the loading system and all other associated systems involved in the loading process. The system autonomy software itself includes both prerequisite control logic (PCL) and reaction control logic (RCL) programming, and may utilize some form of machine learning, neural network, or other form of artificial intelligence to adapt to degraded system components or other form of off-nominal conditions. In addition to cryogenic and other propellants, propellant management systems may utilize additional commodities to prepare a vehicle for launch, such as high-pressure gases for purges, pressurization, or conditioning, and may include power and data interfaces with the vehicle to configure vehicle valves or other internal systems and utilize on-board instrumentation to gain visibility into the vehicle during loading.

ACT must also support tasks such as setup, testing and checkout, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrades and repair. These additional tasks drive the need for autonomous element to element interface connection and separation, multi-element inspection, and recovery of high value cryogenic propellants and gases to avoid system losses.

For all above technologies, research should be conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility during Phase I and show a path toward Phase II demonstration, and delivering a demonstration package for NASA testing in operational or analog test environments at the completion of the Phase II contract.

Phase I Deliverables - Research, identify and evaluate candidate technologies or concepts for systems and components fault detection, isolation and recovery, fault prediction and diagnosis, and decision-making algorithms for control to enable autonomy of ground systems. Demonstrate the technical feasibility, and show a path towards a demonstration. Concept methodology should include the path for adaptation of the technology, infusion strategies (including risk trades), and business model. It should identify improvements over the current state of the art for both operations and systems development and the feasibility of the approach in a multi-customer environment. Bench or lab-level demonstrations are desirable. Deliverables must include a report documenting findings.

Phase II Deliverables - Emphasis should be placed on developing, prototyping and demonstrating the technology under simulated operational conditions using analog earth-based systems including dynamic events such as commodity loading, disconnect or engine testing. Deliverables shall include a report outlining the path showing how the technology could be matured and applied to mission-worthy systems, functional and performance test results and other associated documentation. Deliverable of a functional prototype (software and hardware) is expected at the completion of the Phase II contract. The technology concept at the end of Phase II should be at a TRL of 6 or higher.

Lead Center: JSC

Participating Center(s): GRC, GSFC, JPL, MSFC

NASA seeks new technologies that will facilitate low mass and highly reliable thermal control systems for exploration vehicles. Broad topics of interest include development of: high efficiency lightweight radiators, advanced heat exchangers and coldplates, condensate separators with inlet air/water volume ratios greater than 99:1 and outlet separation efficiency of greater than 95%, phase change materials with optimized thermal capacity to structural mass ratios, high heat flux acquisition and transport devices, variable heat rejection technologies, closed-loop space suit thermal systems, high efficiency miniature pumped fluid systems, and improved thermal math modeling tools. Of particular interest in this solicitation are thermal control technologies that serve an integrated vehicle level function at a net mass benefit, those that enable human missions to Mars, and those enabling more than 24 hours of operation on the surface of Venus.

Integrated Spacecraft Solutions

The development of the systems required for spacecraft operations generally focus on providing a single primary function. Here, novel thermal control hardware that provides additional vehicle level functionality at a net mass benefit is sought. A concept of interest is body mounted radiators that provide effective micrometeoroid protection for deep space vehicles. Such a radiator must continuously provide its thermal control function while tolerating the micrometeoroid environment of cis-lunar space. The integrated radiator/micrometeoroid shield should have a radiator fin-efficiency better than 0.95. The shielding approach taken should provide a similar level of module and radiator flow tube protection as is currently in use on the International Space Station (ISS). The shielding configuration for ISS modules is 2 mm thick Al Alloy 6061 T6 stood off from the pressure vessel. The radiator tube shielding is a 1.2 mm thick aluminum bumper above a 4.75 mm gap, followed by a second 0.3 mm aluminum bumper over the flow tube. Another concept of interest includes flexible radiator solutions that could be integrated with existing inflatable structures. Flexible radiator solutions should meet a fin efficiency of at least 0.85 and provide radiative optical properties consistent with the current state of the art.

Enabling Thermal Control Technologies Missions to Mars

Operating large vehicles on the Martian surface presents unique challenges on a number of vehicle systems. During the entry, descent, and landing phase of the mission spacecraft surfaces are expected to experience incident heat loads up to 3.5 W/cm² for up to 5 minutes over the course of entry. These heat fluxes result in radiative equilibrium temperatures between 500 K and 900K. As a result, vehicle components must either be isolated from these loads or tolerate the loads by design. Large pumped fluid loop radiators, as the currently exist, were not designed to tolerate these types of external loads. Here NASA seeks new highly efficient radiator designs that are capable of surviving the described entry environment. Radiator designs should target mass to area ratios better than 5.4 kg/m². In addition to external loads experienced through the entry phase, the vehicle must also be capable of managing its own heat load. Concepts that incorporate both external environment tolerance and vehicle thermal management are desired.

Thermal Systems for Surface Missions to Venus

Proposals are sought for enabling thermal technology systems for the in-situ planetary exploration of deep atmosphere and surface environments. A driving scenario is exploration of the surface of Venus through the use of long-lived (> day) landers. Venus features a dense, CO₂ atmosphere completely covered by clouds with sulfuric acid aerosols, a surface temperature of 760K, and a surface pressure of 90 atmospheres. Thermal technologies are needed that permit more than 24 hours of operation of internal components within a 1 m diameter pressure vessel while minimizing resources consumed by the thermal system. A total systems approach must be considered that may include, but are not limited to, novel insulation, energy storage, heat pumping, and expendable coolant systems. The thermal system should be capable of providing heat management for 150 W of average internal dissipation. The entire assembly initial temperature can be assumed to be 273K and the maximum allowable temperature of internal equipment is 343K. Proposals must include a detailed description of the assumptions, thermal model, and bases of estimate for mass and power consumption of the technologies being put forward. Phase I results should include analytical proof-of-concept and provide a feasibility and development assessment of novel thermal control technologies. Phase II results should include development and testing of a prototype system or key piece of enabling technology identified in the Phase I effort.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): LaRC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): T13.01

Achieving low emissions and finding new pathways to cleaner power are critical for the development of future air vehicles. Vehicles for subsonic and supersonic flight regimes will be required to operate on a variety of certified aircraft fuels and emit extremely low amounts of gaseous and particulate emissions to satisfy increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Future vehicles will be more fuel-efficient which will result in smaller engine cores operating at higher pressures. Future combustors will also likely employ lean burn concepts which are more susceptible to combustion instabilities. Fundamental combustion research coupled with associated physics based model development of combustion processes will provide the foundation for technology development critical for these vehicles.

Combustion involves multi-phase, multi-component fuel, turbulent, unsteady, 3D, reacting flows where much of the physics of the processes are not completely understood. CFD codes used for combustion do not currently have the predictive capability that is typically found for non-reacting flows. Low emissions combustion concepts require very rapid mixing of the fuel and air with a minimum pressure loss to achieve complete combustion in the smallest volume. Areas of specific interest where research is solicited include:

Development of laser-based diagnostics for quantitative spatially and temporally resolved measurements of fuel/air ratio in reacting flows at elevated pressure.
Development of ultra-sensitive instruments for determining the size-dependent mass of combustion generated particle emissions.
Low emissions combustor concepts for small high pressure engine cores.
Development of miniature high-frequency fuel modulation valve for combustion instability control able to withstand the surrounding high-temperature air environment.

Infusion/Commercial Potential - These developments will impact future aircraft engine combustor designs (lower emission, control instabilities) and may have commercial applications in other gas-turbine based industries (such as power generation and industrial burners). The modeling and results can be and will be employed in current and future hydrocarbon rocket engine designs (improving combustion efficiency, ignition, stability, etc.).

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC

The CFD Vision 2030 Study (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140003093.pdf) highlighted the many shortcomings in the existing technologies used for conducting high-fidelity simulations, and made specific recommendations for investments necessary to overcome these challenges. Areas of research that help to significantly reduce CFD workflow are the subject of this solicitation. It was recognized that the generation of meshes suitable for high-accuracy CFD simulations constitutes a principal bottleneck in the simulation workflow process as it requires significant human intervention. As more capable high performance computing (HPC) hardware enables higher resolution simulations, fast, reliable mesh generation and adaptivity will become more problematic. The other area of research pertains to extracting knowledge of physical relevance from computed and experimental data from wind tunnels and flight.

To enable accurate CFD solutions for complex configurations, proposals are solicited for generating unstructured and mixed-element meshes for accurate flow solutions. The new capability will be demonstrated for configurations of interest to NASA aeronautics (http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/programs.htm) in terms of accuracy, speed and robustness. Of particular interest is the NASA juncture flow model (AIAA Paper 2016-1557) for which grids suitable for unsteady flow simulations (e.g., large eddy simulation (LES) and wall-modeled LES) needs to be generated. Another potential test case is the aircraft landing gear requiring hybrid RANS/LES solutions. The metrics for success are the quality and speed of grid generation. The proposers must present a convincing case that the proposed approach has the potential for dramatic decrease in CFD workflow time while generating quality grids that would produce physically relevant results. Proposers should also specify how the grid quality will be determined.

The second area of research for which proposals are solicited pertain to merging of high-fidelity CFD simulations with other aerodynamic data. With wind tunnel and flight testing still expected to play a key role in the aerospace system design process, methods to merge and assimilate CFD simulation data with other experimental/computational data sources to create an integrated database, including some measure of confidence level and/or uncertainty of all (or individual) portions of the database, are required. Currently, the merging of large amounts of experimental and variable fidelity computational data is mostly carried out through experience and intuition using fairly unsophisticated tools. Well-founded mathematically and statistically-based approaches are required for merging such data, for eliminating outlier numerical solutions as well as experimental points, and for generally quantifying the level of uncertainties throughout the data base.

Phase I research is expected to develop the technology and demonstrate it on relatively simpler configurations, while Phase II will increase the technology readiness level and include demonstration for more complex flow configurations.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): AFRC, LaRC

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a concept for immediate and flexible air transportation within a metropolitan area consisting of passenger-carrying operations. UAM passengers can select a trip origin, destination and timing without being aggregated with many other air travelers. An emerging UAM market will require a high density of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) operations for on-demand, affordable, quiet, and fast transportation in a scalable and conveniently-accessible “vertiport” network. It is envisioned that UAM will provide increased mobility within a given metropolitan area by flying faster, and using shorter (< 100 miles) and more direct routing as compared to ground vehicles. UAM vehicles are assumed to require various degrees of autonomous operations to reach their full potential as the concepts are implemented and the market develops.

A series of workshops with NASA, FAA, academia, and industry were held over the past few years to discuss the potential benefits and challenges of UAM. The outcomes of these workshops, including technology roadmaps, are available at http://www.nianet.org/ODM/roadmap.htm. Growth of UAM is dependent on affordable, low-noise VTOL configurations, which may be enabled by electric aircraft propulsion technologies, and the ability of these vehicles to operate within densely populated urban areas in most weather conditions including low altitude operations in rain, ice, wind, and turbulence.

The Vertical Lift Technology and Urban Air Mobility subtopic is primarily interested in innovative technologies focused on passenger-carrying UAM vehicles that include:

Development and demonstration of technologies for vertical lift Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle airframes and propulsion systems, including validated modeling and analysis tools and prototype demonstrations, that show benefits in terms of operating cost, noise, safety, weight, efficiency, emissions, fuel consumption, and/or reliability based on the vehicle mission, operating environment, and system status. Examples include:
- Reconfigurable power and energy management system technologies.
- Distributed electric propulsion and airframe technologies and associated design tools.
- Technologies to enable operations in most weather conditions including rain, ice, wind, and turbulence.
- Computationally efficient modeling tools capable of modeling sound propagation in an urban environment for creating auralizations of UAM vehicles.

Lead Center: GRC

Participating Center(s): AFRC, LaRC

Proposals are sought for the development of enabling power systems, turbofan engines, range extenders, electric machines, batteries, power converters, electrical fault management systems, protective devices (such as circuit breakers), and related materials that will be required for future thin/short haul aviation or commercial transport vehicles which use turboelectric, hybrid electric, or all electric power generation as part of the propulsion system. Electrified Aircraft Propulsion work for urban air mobility (UAM) should be proposed against subtopic A1.06 Vertical Lift Technology and Urban Air Mobility. Turboelectric, hybrid electric, and all electric power generation as well as distributed propulsive power have been identified as candidate transformative aircraft configurations with reduced fuel consumption/energy use and emissions. However, components and management methods for power generation, distribution, and conversion are not currently available in the high-power ranges with the necessary efficiency, power density, electrical stability and safety required for thin haul/short haul, or transport-class aircraft. Novel developments are sought in: aircraft power systems operating at or above 1000V, turbofan engines in which >20% of power is extracted electrically, range extenders which consume fuel and produce electricity with significantly higher efficiency than available turbogenerator or diesel generators, batteries and other energy storage systems with specific energy>400Whr/kg at the system level and cycle life>10,000 cycles, electric machines (motors/generators) with efficiency >98% and specific power>13 kW/kg, converters (inverters/rectifiers) with efficiency>99% and specific power>19kW/kg, light weight AC and DC electrical fault management systems and protective devices (such as circuit breakers), soft magnetic material with high magnetic saturation and/or lower losses for 100kHz-300kHz operation, hard magnetic materials with an energy product greater than neodymium iron boron, conductors with a specific resistivity less than copper or aluminum and cable insulation materials with increased dielectric breakdown strength, and significantly higher thermal conductivity (≥ 1W/m·K) and resistance to ageing effects such as corona, ozone, humidity and dust operating at greater than 3kV. Individual components should target the 15kW-3MW size range and would be combined into power systems in the range of 200kW-10MW total power.

Areas of particular interest this year are: turbofans in which >20% of power is extracted electrically, range extenders which burn fuel and produce electricity with significantly higher efficiency than available turbogenerator or diesel generators, and light weight AC and DC electrical fault management systems.

Lead Center: LaRC

Participating Center(s): ARC, GRC

Related Subtopic Pointer(s): T13.01

NASA's aeroscience ground test facilities include wind tunnels, air-breathing engine test facilities, and simulation and loads laboratories. They play an integral role in the design, development, evaluation, and analysis of advanced aerospace technologies and vehicles. These facilities provide critical data and fundamental insight required to understand complex phenomena and support the advancement of computational tools for modeling and simulation. The primary objective of the Aeronautics Ground Test and Measurements Technologies subtopic is to develop innovative tools and technologies that can be applied in NASA’s aeroscience ground test facilities to revolutionize testing and measurement capabilities and improve utilization and efficiency. Of primary interest are technologies which can be applied to NASA’s portfolio of large-scale ground test facilities [1]. For this solicitation, NASA seeks proposals for innovative research and development in the following areas:

Wind Tunnel Calibration and Characterization - Capabilities for wind tunnel calibration and characterization are critical for overall enhancement of facilities and will play a critical role in achieving the CFD 2030 Vision [2]. Systems that can provide planar or volumetric measurements of flow quantities such as velocity, density, temperature, and pressure in the airflow upstream, around, and downstream of test articles are required to quantify tunnel inflow and outflow conditions and specify boundary conditions for numerical simulations.
Model Attitude, Position and/or Shape Sensing - Measurements of test article attitude and position (e.g., roll, pitch, and yaw angles and spatial coordinates X, Y, Z of a wind tunnel model or other structure under test) are critical but are often difficult to make due to packaging constraints and model orientations where gravity based sensors are not applicable. To address some of these limitations, optical and non-optical techniques are needed to provide real-time or near real-time measurements of model attitude at data rates of up to 100 Hz and with sufficient accuracy (0.005± 0.0025 degrees in pitch 0.025±0.025 degrees in roll and yaw). For some applications, dynamic surface shape measurement techniques are needed at rates exceeding 10 kHz.
Technologies for Engine Simulators - The need to assess aerodynamic performance at higher system levels with respect to fuel-burn and noise has created a great demand for propulsion-airframe integration (PAI) testing. Such tests use engine simulators which generate properly-scaled flows in the model. Currently, PAI tests can be quite expensive due to issues related to the integration of the simulator into the model, reliability, complexity of the calibration, and the high-pressure air and/or power which must cross the force and moment balance. NASA seeks innovative propulsion simulators that are more compact and capable of recreating the speed and volume of actual propulsion systems, including approach and landing conditions for the assessment of airframe noise. Hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, or hybrid approaches are solicited. NASA also seeks innovative measurement systems and techniques for monitoring and evaluating the performance of these simulators. Of interest are systems that can measure loads on individual blades for studies involving boundary layer ingestion, and balances capable of transferring high pressure air and/or power across the balance and operating at high temperatures (up to 350° F).

In addition to the areas listed above, proposals for especially innovative measurement systems and techniques which are broadly applicable to common problems in aerodynamic ground testing will also be considered.

[1] https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/programs/aavp/aetc/ground-facilities.

[2] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140003093.

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NASA SBIR 2018 Program Solicitation

Available Funding Topics