Award Data

AASC proposes to develop a pulsed field emisson electric propulsion system with adjustable specific impulse for microsatellites. A multiemitter liquid metal ion source array is paired with an innovative pulsing network that allows ion emission to be switched using pulses of a few hundred volts. A new automated system is proposed to ensure high effciency over a wide range of ISP. The phase I will d ...

Filament wound fiber reinforced composite rocket motor cases are widely used on MDA missile systems. However, significant performance and behavior characteristics of the composite structure can be affected by degradation resulting from exposure to environmental conditions or damage resulting from handling conditions. Fueling of the rocket motor adds an additional complexity in that inspection of t ...

This project will develop a data driven prognostic fault tolerant smart weapon system concept for the Airborne Laser. A real-time prognostic health management (PHM) system will be developed to track the likelihood of future system or subsystem failures and initiate or indicate appropriate actions to maintain or optimize system performance. A library of predictive algorithms will be employed to tak ...

This project will develop a data driven prognostic fault tolerant smart weapon system concept for the Airborne Laser. A real-time prognostic health management (PHM) system will be developed to track the likelihood of future system or subsystem failures and initiate or indicate appropriate actions to maintain or optimize system performance. A library of predictive algorithms will be employed to tak ...

The problem of efficient clutter suppression is a challenge for space-based infrared sensors that have to provide early detection/tracking of missiles launches in cloud solar backgrounds. In such systems, reliable target tracking is impossible without clutter rejection down to/below the level of sensor noise. In Phase I we developed novel parametric and nonparametric spatial-temporal techniques fo ...

A near-term low-cost end-to-end optical signature code is proposed which incorporates advanced physical models and simulation methods within a unified code structure to enable unprecedented levels of computational performance (speed, fidelity) for analysis and simulation of target/background signatures (spectra, imagery) and laser-radar cross sections for ground/air/space vehicles. The code is de ...

Advanced interceptor seekers with active ladar systems offer enhanced capabilities for target acquisition, discrimination, tracking, and targeting of a lethal object within a ballistic missile threat train including off-nominal threats and countermeasures. Full exploitation of these capabilities requires robust ladar algorithms to enhance seeker decision functions that include far-range ladar cui ...

A compact, high-performance, low cost optical transmitter chip comprised of a widely-tunable laser, monolithically integrated with an array of semiconductor optical amplifiers and elelectroabsorption modulators, is a key component of an optical source suitable for arbitrary waveform generation in a dynamic scene projector. Agility Communications develops and manufactures widely-tunable CW sources ...

It makes great economical and environmental sense to recycle A/C C-C brake. Used C-C brake composites, both 2D and 3D, are available in large quantities but to date have found limited use due to their thinness and annular shape. In Phase I, we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using recycled C-C brake material as thermal spreaders for electronic thermal management applications. ...

The objective of this Phase I project is to design a micro inertial stabilization mechanism with embedded microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors, for laser pointing and stabilization. The stabilization mechanism design is based on AGNC-developed MEMS gyro technology and integrates the mechanical design of the platform with the microelectromechanical design of the inertial sensors. The applic ...