Award Data

This proposal describes the design and manufacture of large modulating retro-reflectors (MRR) using Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) based optical modulators. In the proposed MRR device, a micromachined deformable mirror will serve as one facet of a corner cube retro-reflector which will allow intensity modulation of the retro-reflected beam. A characteristic of the MEMS device is that it can ...

The Navy has made significant investment in the design, development, and deployment of net-centric information systems that provide critical support to fleet operations. Unfortunately, adverse operational conditions affect the availability and performance of distributed information systems. Since their current systems situation awareness is inadequate, system operators, administrators, and manager ...

Plain, self-lubricating spherical bearings operating in high levels of airborne abrasive contaminant particle environments, such as desert regions, are subject to accelerated wear of their PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) liner systems. Accelerated bearing wear has been observed in fielded aircraft and leads to increased maintenance costs, Flight Safety Risk and reduced operational availability. The ...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are primary drivers of global climate change. Hence there is a crucial need to quantify their sources and sinks. A powerful method to constrain source and sink strengths is the analysis of the relative proportions of isotopic variants of GHG’s in atmospheric samples like those collected globally by NOAA’s Cooperative Air Sampling Network. Measurements that are ca ...

There are currently no inexpensive, expendable air-deployed monitoring systems (Dropsondes) that measure atmospheric data and oceanographic as a function of depth. These are important data in predicting the intensity and path of hurricanes. Boston Engineering proposes to provide NOAA with a solution to this challenge with the Multi-Purpose Above Surface/Below Surface Expendable Dropsonde (MASED) p ...

Rechargeable lithium ion battery systems can provide power throughout the aircraft, including engine or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) starting, avionics, emergency, and other systems. Because of their high specific energy/power and potential thermal instability, they can present hazards if improperly designed, tested, handled, or stored. To address the thermal safety issue of Li-ion batteries, EIC La ...

Buseks SeaCube project brings ocean altimetry to a compact and cost effective CubeSat platforma capability currently limited to an aging and vulnerable fleet of costly conventional satellites. A constellation of SeaCube altimeters will provide near real time sea height data across all of Earths oceans, bringing a new and powerful capability to the Navy or commercial shipping. Additionally this cap ...

SI2 Technologies, Inc. (SI2) proposes to build on our successful Phase I and Phase II efforts and continue to develop a wideband, electronically steered, multi-beam transmit/receive (TX/RX) array for Navy surface ship EW systems. The proposed program will focus on developing the front end receive (RX) electronics required to provide full TX/RX capability in a single multi-function aperture.In Phas ...

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and the University of Connecticut propose a Phase II program to develop enrichment processes for concentrating the rare earth elements (REE) content of a novel, low cost, and abundantly and readily available industrial waste material in the United States. This material has not previously been considered as a domestic REE source. In Phase I, laboratory scale experiments ...

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to develop and demonstrate a novel composite solid fuel for high performance ramjets and other solid fuel propulsion applications. This new class of solid storable liquid (SSL) composite fuel will provide all the benefits of traditionally used solid ramjet fuels, while providing game changing advances in combustion efficiency, burning rates, and motor operating wind ...