Award Data

Sensors for spaceborne aerosol, cloud, and ocean (ACO) lidar must possess very wide dynamic range to cover the weakest stratospheric returns from the Rayleigh region and the strongest atmospheric targets, such as bright water clouds and strong reflections from the ocean surface. Currently this is not possible using a single sensor. To address NASArsquo;s need for next-generation spaceborne lidar s ...

The Bottom Feeder project is designed to prove out the research done in Phase I using a prototype platform. The prototype will be a full size version of the platform designed during Phase I. The Phase I platform was designed to work in two operational configurations, a highly efficient mode and a highly maneuverable mode, with the ability to switch between them while submerged. The platform is equ ...

We offer a plasma cathode for micro Hall and ion thrusters of unprecedented power efficiency, low cost, compactness, and durability. It employs, among others, a very small planar scandate cathode as electron source. This is a revolutionary cathode technology only recently perfected by e beam inc. It is capable of delivering over 350 ma of discharge from an emitter area only 0.012 cm2. Efficiency i ...

The innovation in this project is model-based design (MBD) tools for predicting the performance and useful life of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and COTS-based systems beyond their rated temperature range. Phase I results have shown the feasibility of these tools, which consist of novel modeling tools and advanced system and data analysis capability. The modeling tools differ from all ...

Several solid waste management systems currently under development result in the production of gas-phase organic contaminants which, due to the periodic and unpredictable nature of solid wastes and contaminants produced by these systems, cannot be treated by the Trace Contaminant Control System. Two examples of these are the Heat Melt Compaction System under development at NASA - Ames Research Ce ...

Development of a microgravity and hypogravity compatible catalytic methane pyrolysis reactor is proposed to recover hydrogen which is lost as methane in the conversion of carbon dioxide to water via the Sabatier process. This will close the hydrogen loop which currently requires 50% resupply and also produce carbon nanotubes, a high value product which may be employed as an adsorbent or catalyst ...