Award Data

The objective of this proposal is to develop enabling technology for the production of bulk scintillating nanocomposites that have gamma radiation detection properties of single crystal NaI but with the manufacturability of plastic scintillators. These performance criteria may be met by developing nanoparticle polymer composites with ultra-high nanoparticle loadings. These ‘ultra-composites’ w ...

Analysis of nuclear material samples in the field has many advantages over laboratory analysis. Laboratory analyses can be slow, involve increased expense, lead to additional waste generation and disposal problems, and may introduce errors due to sample degradation or mishandling. In situ analysis mitigates all of these problems. The specific aim of this project is the development of a truly por ...

The team of Protection Engineering Consultants (PEC) and Applied Research Associates (ARA) will develop a fast-running methodology that predicts damage levels of structural members subject to the blast environment from high explosives detonated inside a building (i.e., internal explosions). The research in Phase I will focus on reinforced concrete slab components. The methodology will consist of a ...

Flexible electronic circuits can be easily integrated with large area (>10m aperture), inflatable antennas to provide distributed control and processing functions. Flexible electronic circuits can also perform dynamic antenna sub-arraying and gain pattern reconfiguration for active phased-array antenna (PAA) and thus significantly enhance the reliability of NASA's space radar systems. However, exi ...

Long-life, high-capacity cryocoolers are a critical need for future space systems utilizing stored cryogens. The cooling requirements for planetary and extraterrestrial exploration missions, Crew Exploration Vehicles, extended-life orbital transfer vehicles, and space depots will range from 10 to 50 W at temperatures between 20 and 120 K. Turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are ideal for these systems bec ...

High current hollow cathodes are the baseline electron source for next generation high power Hall thrusters. Currently for electron sources providing current levels >50 A and cathodes utilizing LaB6 emitters, the only viable, long life heater technology is a low reliability, low producibility, multi-element heater constructed from MgO insulated coaxial heater cable. In the Phase I project we wil ...

We shall develop wide temperature range DC-DC boost converters that can be fabricated using commercial CMOS foundries. The boost converters will increase the low voltage supply (~ 0.7 to 3V) of an advanced CMOS integrated circuit to the higher values (3-10V) required for integrated command/control/drive electronics for sensors, actuators and instrumentation. The high voltage capability is a result ...

The proposed project is to design, develop and fabricate a handheld video game console for astronauts during long space flight. This portable hardware runs entertaining games that detect neurocognitive deficits and give an objective feedback to the astronaut about this decrement. This facilitates the crewmembers and flight surgeons to prescribe recommended countermeasures to the cognitive decremen ...

Widely varying working conditions of a space shuttle and the special design of an astronaut's spacesuit form an extreme acoustic environment that imposes unique challenges for capturing and transmitting speech communications to and from a crewmember. NASA has a serious unmet need for innovative voice communication systems and technologies, which provide enhanced speech intelligibility and quality, ...

With the increasing demands placed on extravehicular activity (EVA) for the International Space Station assembly and maintenance, along with planned lunar and Martian missions, the need for increased human productivity and capability becomes ever more critical. This is most readily achieved by reduction in space suit weight and volume, and increased hardware reliability, durability, and operating ...