Award Data

ABSTRACT: Performance of space-based digital control systems is limited by the low resolution of available radiation-hardened Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital to Analog Converters (DACs). Applied Technology Associates (ATA) proposes to develop a High Resolution ADC on an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (HRADC-ASIC) that provides: Up to 16-22 bits of resolution with corre ...

ABSTRACT: Optical refrigeration is currently the only demonstrated all-solid-state cryocooling technology. Optical cryocoolers use laser light to cool small crystal or glass cooling elements. The cooling element absorbs the laser light and reradiates it at higher energy, an example of anti-Stokes fluorescence. The extra energy of the outgoing light comes from the thermal energy of the cooling ele ...

ABSTRACT: The Air Force is facing severe budget cuts which force the need to cut operating costs of aircraft and manpower. One way to do this is to increase reliability of systems and components which would reduce maintenance and increase operational availability, which reduces the number of aircraft needed to complete missions. The Air Force desires a new prognostic health management (PHM) appro ...

High performance angular rate sensors (gyros) with low SWaP, wide operating temperature range, and low cost are required to improve tactical IMUs to strategic grade for long-range weapons guidance without GPS. ATA is proposing the Magnetic Sphere Gyro (MSG), a non-MEMS 2-DOF rate gyro based on a spinning magnetic sphere. The MSG is a relatively simple device with minimal parts count yet has the ...

High performance linear accelerometers with low SWaP, wide operating temperature range, and low cost are required to improve tactical IMUs to strategic grade for long-range weapons guidance without GPS. The ATA/Sandia Team is proposing the Massive Optomechanical Navigation Accelerometer (MONA), a MEMS integrated with an optical wave guide (zipper cavity). MONA will utilize a state-of-the-art opt ...

ABSTRACT: This effort involves the design, development and fielding of a software application for automated generation of tasking for observatory imaging of space objects. The application will incorporate capabilities from two AFRL government codes, Satellite Visualization and Signature Tool, and View Scheduler. The application will extend existing geometric constraints for pass selection with si ...

ABSTRACT: Air Force ground based observatory telescope systems leverage a wide variety of sensor capabilities to observe satellites in support of U.S. Space Situational Awareness (SSA) missions, and these valuable sensor resources face many competing requirements for mount time. However, existing astronomical schedulers do not account for variability of space object brightness or numerous other f ...

ABSTRACT: Traditional methods of gathering radiometrically accurate space situational awareness (SSA) photometry data rely on calibration steps that need 10-12 reference star images to be collected in conjunction with the primary collection. The Air Force needs calibration solutions that reduce these timelines and increase sensor throughput. Our proposed solution follows a successful model of com ...

ABSTRACT: The research for this Phase I topic is to determine an approach that will meet the derived system requirements for this challenging field of dim and bright object detection through WFOV surveillance. Answers will be determined whether the conceived approach exploits recent developments in the sensors and data processing/manipulation, eliminates the need to mechanically point and track, ...

ABSTRACT: The commercial, human and military value of Earth"s orbital space is immense. To ensure operational security, obviate collisions, and preclude potential threats in the particularly valuable region of GEO space requires that we know what is there, and how the vast number of spacecraft, derelicts, and debris are moving the goal of persistent surveillance. We shall develop and analyze ...