Award Data

An integrated computational environment for multidisciplinary, physics-based simulation and analyses of airbreathing hypersonic flight vehicles will be developed. These vehicles are among the most promising alternatives for the next generation of Highly Reliable Reusable Launch Systems (HRRLS). The proposed work will enable development of models with varying fidelity, incorporating the coupled dyn ...

Atmospheric entry is one of the most critical phases of flight during planetary exploration missions. During the design of an entry vehicle, experimental and analytical methods are used; however, the current integration level of experimental and analytical methods with planetary entry simulations is low. Comprehensive software, comprised of multiple design tool components for simulating planetary ...

Air-Lock, Incorporated proposes to design an Enhanced Shoulder Mobility Joint Assembly (ESMJA) that increases dynamic mobility and static sizing capabilities for spacesuited crewmembers (CM) employing a Hard Upper Torso (HUT). The proposed shoulder joint will allow historically fixed Hard Upper Torsos to be sized in-situ by crewmembers of varying anthropometries. The Shoulders will also increase ...

A novel quiet engine air-brake is proposed in response to NASA's solicitation for concepts for active and passive control of noise sources for conventional and advanced aircraft. The air-brake concept is applicable to 1) next-generation, conventional tube and wing aircraft (current generation +1) and 2) advanced integrated airframe/propulsion system configurations (current generation +2), and cou ...

Various planned NASA missions require thermal switches for active thermal control. As an example cryocoolers, including redundant coolers are incorporated on select missions. The redundant coolers operate when deteriorating or defunct coolers are deactivated. However, integration of redundant coolers may cause substantial parasitic heat loads unless the cold regions are thermally connected to the ...

Future NASA missions require thermal control systems that can accommodate large changes in ambient temperature. The two essential aspects of an effective thermal interface material (TIM) are high compliance and high thermal conductivity. Thermal interface materials (TIM) are often used to fill the cavities between mating surfaces to increase the thermal conductance across the interface. Tradition ...

High throughput, fast detection and characterization of geological materials have become important challenge for future lunar robotic rover exploration and planetary missions. To allow for sample characterization on the moon and Mars, rover missions need to decide what samples to acquire for further onboard analysis. An in situ non-destructive detection technique is highly desirable remote sensing ...

NASA mission planning in the next decade includes small spacecraft and secondary flight opportunities on Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs), specifically Atlas V and Delta IV. NASA's use of EELVs is accelerated because of the impending termination of the Delta II launcher. Nearly all EELVs slated for launch have significant excess payload capacity. The EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ES ...

CSA Engineering proposes the design of an adaptive aeroelastic mode suppression for advanced fly-by-wire aircraft, which will partition the modal suppression function from the rigid-body Flight Control System (FCS). CSA is recognized as having world-class expertise in the areas structural dynamics, vibration control, and control-structure interaction. Phase 1 will leverage expertise in structura ...

The proposed innovation is to use the refrigerant capabilities of nitrous oxide (N2O) to provide the cooling required for reusable operation of an aerospike nozzle in conjunction with an N2O-HTPB† hybrid rocket motor. The phase change cooling as liquid N2O is flashed into a vapor is crucial to limiting to acceptable levels the erosion of both the nozzle throat and spike, thereby enabling reusabl ...