Award Data

ABSTRACT: Over half of spacecraft system anomalies attributed to interactions with the natural space environmentincluding electron upsets, damage to components, power system debilities, and complete satellite failuresare attributed to spacecraft charging. While measurements of electron emission, surface potential and electrostatic breakdown provide important information, the"holy grail"of materi ...

ABSTRACT: This Phase I SBIR will produce a concept, and algorithms, for a Sensor Suite which can be used as a research tool to characterize strong atmospheric turbulence. Previous and on-going theories, statistics, and empirical data will be evaluated to arrive at an optimal Sensor design concept. That Sensor may exploit the superior resolution and performance inherent in the Radio-Hydro-Physi ...

This small business innovation research is intended to develop a long-life, highly efficient O2-CO cogeneration system to support NASA's endeavors to pursue extraterrestrial exploration (Moon, Mars, and Asteroids/Phobos). The cogeneration system will be built using a Tubular, Negative Electrode-supported Solid-Oxide Electrolysis Cell (Tune-SOEC) employing MSRI's most promising degradation-resista ...

The future capabilities of sensors and instrumentation deployed in space will continue to increase, resulting in increasing amounts of collected data. To reach these higher speed data rates, increases to the overall system gain of the communication link will be required. A deterministic method to increase system gain of a RF communication link is to provide higher transmitted RF power. However, ...

The use of automated robotic tooling is required in a number of space missions. It is possible to have better tool control if the robotic arm could report loads experienced by the tooling.ATI Industrial Automation proposes to develop and prove technologies to be used in a low weight, low outgassing multi-axis force and torque transducer that can be used at cryogenic temperatures. The transducer wi ...

Accelerators used for nuclear-physics research require megawatts of radio-frequency energy. They currently employ vacuum-tube power amplifiers or conventional solid-state amplifiers that are inefficient and therefore consume a great deal of prime power. Many other applications including semiconductor processing, cellular-telephone base station transmitters and military communication systems simila ...

Accelerators used for nuclear-physics research require megawatts of radio-frequency energy. They currently employ vacuum-tube power amplifiers or conventional solid-state amplifiers that areinefficient and therefore consume a great deal of prime power. Many other applications including semiconductor processing, cellular-telephone base station transmitters and military communication systems similar ...

SOFC technology promises to provide an efficient method by which electricity can be generated from coal-derived syngas, biofuels, and natural gas, while increasing energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The large capital costs attributed to the cathode low performance and long-term stability issues are a current limitation of SOFC technologies that must be addressed before commerci ...

Conventional indoor environmental monitoring technologies are expensive, cumbersome to install and maintain, and do not provide the distributed granularity required to capture the necessary details for efficient energy management of commercial buildings. Developments in wireless sensor networks (WSN) provide substantial framework for monitoring and addressing indoor environments at scale. However ...

Networks, such as the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), are an interconnection of multiple networks in a complex mesh that require continuous real-time monitoring and management. As with any network, issues arise in ESnet that need to be analyzed and resolved in a timely manner. The issues in ESnet are complicated by application paths that cross multiple domains requiring visibility along the pat ...