Award Data

We propose to design, build and evaluate a prototype of a compact, robust, optically-based sensor for making temperature and multi-species concentration measurements in propulsion system ground and flight test environments. This system will utilize a widely tunable near infrared light source to make absorption measurements of combustion reactant and products in the combustion zone (with accuracy f ...

We have designed a compact two-color, polarization-sensitive instrument to measure cloud characteristics from a high altitude UAV and can also be widely deployed as inexpensive ground-based ceilometers and aerosol finders. The instrument is modular, can operate with one or two wavelengths, and can measure depolarization or not depending on the need. The instrument is in two pressurized boxes, an o ...

Simulation technology plays an important role in propulsion test facility design and development by assessing risks, identifying failure modes and predicting anomalous behavior of critical systems. This is true for facilities such as the proposed A-3 that will operate at low pressures in conjunction with steam ejectors and the B-2 facility where flame deflector cooling and plume impingement dynami ...

Long-term Lunar and Martian systems present challenges to thermal control systems, including changes in thermal load, and large changes in the thermal environment between Lunar (or Martian) day and night. The Lunar thermal environment typically includes long periods in extremely cold thermal environments. A variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) radiator will be developed that passively accommodat ...

This Small Business Innovative Research project by Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) will develop an advanced high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can be used for the production of oxygen from lunar regolith. ACT proposes a high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can accept and and transfer the solar thermal energy to the lunar soil, thereby extracting oxygen. The heat pip ...

The overall objective of the proposed research is to design, develop and demonstrate fluidic actuator arrays for aerodynamic separation control and drag reduction. These actuators are based on a compact design of low mass-flow fluidic oscillators that produce high frequency (1-5 kHz) oscillating or pulsing jets. Our preliminary experiments on separation control over trailing edge flaps, cavity to ...

Visual Data Mining (VDM) is an Internet-based software that supports spatial and temporal analyses of multimodal NASA science data including satellite images and in-situ sensory data. It combines computer vision, multi-physics simulation and interactive visualization. VDM tools can be integrated to NASA-related systems for detecting, tracking, modeling and predicting the movement of surface object ...

This proposal describes the preliminary development of passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) based humidity sensors for NASA application to distributed humidity monitoring systems. SAW devices are a platform technology for passive wireless sensing of numerous possible measurands. SAW devices have been demonstrated as passive wireless temperature sensors in NASA contracts NNK04OA28C and NN ...

A rocket engine turbopump design using a partial emission pump combined with a zero net positive suction pressure inducer design is proposed to achieve a robust, deep throttling capability in 5k to 15k lbf thrust range rocket engines. A partial emission pump can provide better low-flow/thrust stability at a better efficiency than full emission pumps in this throttle range. A zero net positive suc ...

Instruments employing X-ray detection are countless, in different sectors from medicine to industry and from basic to applied science. Given this importance, and despite existing technologies, there is still need for X-ray detection with increased system performance. The solid-state detector array is the primary technology to implement the current generation of space borne high-energy astronomy mi ...