Award Data

Nanosatellites are receiving increased interest since they are proving reliable for surveillance, communication and other space missions. Also, the possibility of launching "constellations" of them offers unique capabilities for low-cost experimentation, sensing and communications in space. In comparison to larger spacecraft, their development time and costs have reduced and their launch costs a ...

A spacecraft thermal control system must keep the cabin (both air and its structure if manned) and electronic equipment within a narrow temperature range even though the environment may vary from very cold to warmer than room temperature. Since water is safe to use and an excellent coolant (other than its high freeze point and volumetric expansion during freeze), a water coolant loop often is use ...

Development of new polyurethane (PU) insulation foams through a non-toxic environmentally friendly composite approach. Target FR foams will exhibit high heat flow resistance as well as lower density than conventional PU. Foams involve synergism between novel phosphonate FRs and smoke suppression agents coupled with use of aerogel. Preliminary data show peak heat release rates reduced by 50% ver ...

Thermal Stir Welding (TSW) provides advancement over the more conventional Friction Stir Welding (C-FSW) process because it separates the primary processes variables thereby allowing independent control of metal stirring and forging from the stir zone temperature. However, the feedback for precise control of the stir zone temperature, and hence the process parameters to sustain that temperature w ...

An opportunity to boost energy efficiency in homes and buildings exists through the design of functional radiative properties in glass and other building materials. Current surface materials ignore or take first-order approaches to complicated spectral behavior, leading to sub-optimal properties. The sensitivity of material properties to microscale surface structuring creates a design challenge ...

The proposed Wireless, passive, SAW sensor system operates in a multi-sensor environment with a range in excess of 45 feet. This proposed system offers unique features in two (2) important areas. The first is in the development of a new sensor type, a strain gauge that is based on OFC techniques and implemented with the low loss characteristics of SAW Unidirectional transducers. The second is in t ...

ABSTRACT: The next generation of hypersonic and reentry vehicles being designed for the Department of Defense (DoD) applications will require advanced Thermal Protection System (TPS). While new TPS shields are under development, a key difficulty is the ability to predict and diagnose TPS performance. ElectroDynamic Applications (EDA) has been developing an optical diagnosticfor use during testi ...

ABSTRACT: This project will apply resonant infrared pulsed laser ablation techniques to deposit environmentally-durable, adherent and conformal anti-reflection (AR) coating on a plastic (polycarbonate) substrate. The proposed broadband AR coating is based on a multilayer architecture of low-refractive index polymer and high-refractive index polymer or polymer hybrid materials. High quality poly ...

ABSTRACT: Tech-X Corporation in partnership with the University of Washington will develop a commercial tool for modeling multi-fluid and single fluid plasmas including the ability to model problems using unstructured grids. An oracle will be developed to inform the user of the validity of plasma models in the regime of a given simulation. Algorithms developed at the University of Washington (i ...

ABSTRACT: The proposed Phase I efforts seek to develop a dual-mode Hybrid ChemicalElectric Propulsion thruster concept design based on the extensive microwave torch/arcjet experience of PSU and Hall and ion experience of EDA. The primary focus of the Phase I effort will be demonstrate the operation of an ionic liquid microwave thruster in the high-T/P regime and the basic operation of a Hall and ...