Award Data

The proposing company's reformable, reusable tooling can substantially reduce the time, cost and effort associated with conventional or alternative tooling while providing the flexibility for prototyping iterations, short-run or low rate manufacture through lengthy product cycles. This Phase II project addresses the use of reformable tooling materials and tooling systems for the production of prot ...

Reduced mass composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems, but are inhibited by expensive autoclave consolidation, especially for large parts. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective high-performance thermoplastic composite materials for years. NASA materials could dramatically reduce the cost of large aerospace structures, because those materials avo ...

The NASA objective of expanding the human experience into the far reaches of space will require the development of regenerable life support systems. On-board carbon dioxide (CO2) removal units play a key role in such systems ensuring high quality cabin air for crew members. Similar but more compact units are needed for extravehicular activities (space suit). The overall objective is to develop ...

The objective of the Phase I SBIR program was to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating pyrolysis and incineration steps into a system for processing of spacecraft solid wastes. The Phase I study involved a combination of bench scale experiments and data analysis. This work was accomplished in four tasks: 1) design and construct bench scale unit; 2) laboratory studies on solid waste processing ...

This Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of providing panoramic stereoscopic images for remote-controlled robotic space operations using three fixed-position cameras. Remote-controlled robot operations are an important element in orbital and planetary space missions. Advanced display systems can greatly enhance the effectiveness of these operations. In the system proposed here, hum ...

The Next Generation MK III Lightweight HUT/Hatch Assembly will maximize the Hard Upper Torso - Hatch assembly weight reduction through the combination of innovative material selection and cross sectional redesign. The intent is to research, identify and down select robust lightweight materials that are best suited for space & planetary, (or lunar) exploration. This Next Generation MK III Lightwei ...

The Cytometer on a Chip will provide a powerful alternative to conventional flow cytometry. This system spatially sorts cells on a microarray chip based on the presence of specific cell surface markers. Detection is accomplished with grating-coupled surface plasmon resonance imaging (GCSPRI). This is a label-free detection technology that eliminates the need to fluorescently label the cells, as ...

Practical use of a RFC for solar powered winged aircraft and lighter-than-air craft has been limited due to weight constraints and the paucity of test data from and practical experience with closed loop RFC hardware. The lightweight cells and endplates developed in Phase I of this program will be applied to the practical implementation of a closed-loop regenerative fuel cell. This RFC will build ...

Preliminary results have shown that low temperature eddy current sensors can provide excellent resolution for blade tip timing, and have the ability to see ?through the case? of an engine and measure blade passings, without having to drill into the case material or subject the sensor to the harsh environment of the gas flow. What is needed is a rugged, high resolution sensor that can be used for ...

Department of Defense (DOD) interset in developing laser weaponary in the 1960's. Solid-State lasers have been a canidate technology from the earliest time, but for various reasons, this technology has not been developed to a point where they are scalable to high average power lasers. The development of diode laser pump arrays has improved efficiency, but at a considerable increase in systems cost ...