Award Data

Chemical contamination of spacecraft components as well as thermal and force loading from firing liquid propellant thrusters are critical concerns for in-space propulsion applications. Gas molecular contamination and liquid droplet deposition due to incomplete combustion threaten to damage surface materials, sensitive instruments and optical sensors, and poses major risks for mission success. Liqu ...

In the Phase I effort, Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories LLC (GTL) verified the feasibility of generating power from space particle radiation. This effort successfully demonstrated electrical power production from a particle radiation source using an initial proof-of-concept device. The effort also identified a second approach that has the potential for even better power generation and offers enhanced ...

At the completion of the research and development effort a Li-foil multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) neutron detector with more than 625-cm2 of active area will be included in a portable radiation detection system. The system is expected to outperform the standards set by the ANSI N42.53 standards, and gamma-ray rejection ratio (GRR) of 1.0x10-8 or better. A gamma-ray spectrometer for isotope ...

Solid oxide fuel cells have long suffered from degradation due to impurities in the fuel and complexities associated with dissimilar materials and high operating temperatures.This degradation lowers the usable cell power output and requires ancillary equipment for fuel sulfur removal and reformation.A unique microstructure for the tubular anode will be produced using a novel freeze-casting techniq ...

High-energy space radiation from Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Particle Events (SPEs) pose significant risks to equipment and astronaut health in NASA missions. Energetic particles from SPEs associated with flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may adversely affect not only beyond-Low-Earth-Orbit missions, but also aircraft avionics, communications, and airline crew/passenger health. It is cru ...

Random numbers are essential for a growing number of modern applications. As computer speed and communications bandwidth have increased the potential for practical streaming cipher and large-scale Monte Carlo simulations have become technologically feasible. For these and other applications, ultrafast random number generators are essential. This is intuitively clear. Additionally, however, the ide ...

There is an unmet demand for ultra-low-power, ultra-compact and low-cost radios to address emerging sensing and communication needs for military and commercial applications such as IoT/IoE. To overcome the limitations in existing bulky and power hungry radios, we propose a disruptive solution by integration of a nano-scaled THz transceiver, on-chip antenna, and energy harvesting circuits in a form ...