Award Data

NASA seeks intelligent monitoring for hybrid and/or all electric propulsion systems, as well as methods to significantly extend the life of electric aircraft propulsion energy sources. Lithium-based batteries will continue to play a key role as an electric propulsion source due to their high energy and power densities. However, the requirement to advance towards more fuel efficient and environment ...

GTL has been developing a suite of transformational technologies that have the capability to disrupt the traditional launch vehicle paradigm. BHL composite cryotank technology provides a four times improvement over large aluminum iso-grid tanks, offering a 6 percentage point improvement in small stage PMF. Superior Stability Engine is an innovative liquid rocket engine configured to maximize comb ...

One of the strategic goals of NASA's Planetary Science Mission is to advance scientific knowledge of the origin and history of the solar system, the potential for life elsewhere. The current STTR addresses this strategic goal. The proto-type AOTF-based SWIR spectropolarimetric imaging system developed in Phase I (which will be further optimized and integrated with optimal algorithm/software in Pha ...

DEC-Shield technology offers the means to generate electric power from cosmic radiation sources and fuse dissimilar systems and functionality into a structural component to create a Multi-functional Structure (MFS). DEC-Shield integrated into MFS technology can be used to generate electric power and provide radiation protection in a space vehicle; even maximizing that protection by spreading the ...

Arctic Slope Technical Services, ASTS, is pleased to propose this innovative approach for reducing the cost and power requirements for an electrically-heated, stored gas thruster well-suited for use in small spacecraft and satellites (CubeSats and NanoSats especially). The thruster features exceptionally-high heat transfer from the heaters to the gas, which will provide excellent Isp performance ...

This proposal aims to develop a low cost, high efficiency catalyst technology to address navigation and maneuver difficulties in NASA's return missions. Our approach takes advantage of two recent innovations in the space industry regarding green monopropellants and additive manufacturing (AM). In the proposed project, we are to design and fabricate a monolithic catalyst bed using selective laser m ...

Plasma Controls will manufacture and test several sets of ion optics for electric propulsion ion thrusters using additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing. Additive manufacturing can potentially produce optics with novel or complex geometry that have better performance compared to those made traditionally, while also giving cost and mass savings.

This Phase 1 SBIR is to demonstrate feasibility of using selective laser melting (SLM) to produce a 3-meter symmetrical radius of curvature (ROC) isogrid mirror substrate which will significantly reduce traditional mechanical machining of the mirror surface before and after nickel plating. The technique in accomplishing this is by fabricating the lens facesheet as the top most layers in the meltin ...

Research in Flight is proposing to develop a fundamentally new, lower order, high fidelity solution approach for the aerodynamic analysis required for engine integration studies. This new approach is based on a new tool known as Flightstream. Flightstream is a surface vorticity based solver which uses an unstructured surface geometry, and a correlation for skin friction which is based on the sur ...

The proposed technology builds off GTL's advanced solid ramjet fuel. The method uses additive manufacturing methods to produce an innovative new type of fuel grain that regresses quickly and has a high Isp and combustion efficiency. With this technology, the performance of a liquid rocket engine can be had with a hybrid rocket system. This technology allows for a simple, low cost, high performanc ...