Award Data

The goal of this SBIR project is to develop a predictive computational tool for the aerothermal environment around ablation-cooled hypersonic atmospheric entry vehicles. This tool is based on coupling the relevant physics models to the LeMANS code for hypersonic flows and to the MOPAR code for material response, both developed by the University of Michigan. In Phase I of this project, we developed ...

CFDRC and TRLA are proposing to develop, design and test a highly scalable, mass-optimized inflatable structure that makes maximum utilization of materials in providing tailored stiffness and rigidity for hypersonic entry vehicles. The proposed inflatable structure is a hybrid pressure restraint vessel employing an impervious cloth-reinforced barrier structure enveloped by an integrated array of h ...

The High Melt Coating system is applied to a carbon-carbon structure and embeds HfC, ZrB2 in the outer layers. ACC High Melt builds on the time tested base material system of T-300 fibers, impregnated with phenolic resin, pyrolyzed, densified, and SiC Conversion coatedFor Phase 2, C-CAT proposes to team with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne to fully develop High Melt into a material system that when ...

This 2009 NASA SBIR Phase 2 proposal for an innovative Miniature Laser Magnetometer (MLM) is a response to subtopic S1.06 Particles and Field Sensors and Instrument Enabling Technologies. The MLM instrument will incorporate a number of technical innovations to achieve high-sensitivity and high-stability performance while significantly reducing the size of the laser-pumped helium magnetometer for u ...

Thermal analysis is increasingly used in the engineering of spacecrafts at every stage, including design, test, and ground-operation simulation. Currently used high-fidelity modeling and simulation tools at NASA are computationally prohibitive and not fully compatible with integrated analysis of spacecrafts. We propose to develop and demonstrate an innovative Model Order Reduction (MOR) software t ...

The innovations proposed here are Ka-band (38 GHz) group III-nitride power FETs and the dislocation density reducing epitaxial growth methods (LPE) needed for their optimal performance and reliability.Ka-band power transistors with>60% Power Added Efficiency (PAE) are not commercially available. The primary limitations to their manufacture are lack of mature process technology at major GaN foundri ...

Future NASA missions require high efficiency, lightweight, long life, and maintenance-free water electrolyzer technologies to generate oxygen and/or hydrogen for energy storage, propulsion, life-support systems, cabin-oxygen replenishment, and zero-g science activities. International Space Station, future Lunar and Martian Outposts, and future exploration vehicles require high efficiency electrol ...

The proposed project is aimed at investigating ways to accelerate the creation of SysML based models that can be used for model checking and more generally for Model-Based System Engineering. In the past few years, multiple projects in the ISHM domain as well as the operations domain (Procedure V & V) have started to leverage the power of model checking through the use of the Finite State Machines ...

The proposed innovation is a hybrid simulation module to replace the current "Behavioral Sim" in JSC's Predictive Interactive Graphical Interface (PIGI). PIGI helps an operator compensate for lunar-scale time delay, and is part of NASA's "RAPID Workbench". The Behavioral Sim acts as an oracle, taking initial conditions and a sequence of commands and producing trajectories and expected f ...

Achievement of a dramatic increase in the bond strength in the adhesive and composite/adhesive interfaces of existing fiber reinforced composite material joints and structures suitable for various NASA applications is the main goal of this project. The proposed technology developed at Integrated Micro Sensors Inc is based on laser-assisted fabrication of Micro Column Arrays (MCA) on the surface o ...