Award Data

a. Paragon Space Development Corporation¿ (Paragon) proposes to continue our investigation into the use of microporous-ionomer membrane technology to improve the robustness and effectiveness and simplify water recovery processes for space applications. Improved robustness and effectiveness will be evident through (1) reduced loading onthe downstream post processor due to the ionomer¿s unique pr ...

Radiation-cooled, bipropellant thrust chambers are being considered for the ascent/descent engines and reaction control systems for NASA missions such as Mars Sample Return and Orion MPCV. Currently, iridium-lined rhenium combustion chambers are the state-of-the-art for in-space engines. NASA's Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine, a 150-lbf iridium-rhenium chamber produced by Pla ...

Non-toxic monopropellants have been developed that provide better performance than toxic hydrazine. Formulations based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) have superior performance as compared to hydrazine with Isp (261 seconds, 12% greater), higher density and volumetric impulse (60% greater density-impulse), lower melting point, and much lower toxicity (No self contained breathing apparatus requir ...

Frequency-locked single-frequency 2 micron fiber laser is proposed to be used for airborne/spaceborne coherent lidar measurements, i.e., Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons. The laser is based on our proprietary fiber technology and extensive experience in fiber laser development, which features a compact, highly stable, frequency-stabilized light source. Advanced freque ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to develop an open and flexible imaging platform capable of rapid, 0.5- 5 m pixel resolution image capture of large-area histology sections (up to 125 mm by 175 mm), in brightfield and by epi-fluorescence optical sectioning. The project involves state-of-the- art instrumentation development coupled with application programming inter ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed effort aims to develop a comprehensive wireless tracking and monitoring system for residents of Long Term Care facilities. The commercial product ElderAlertTM extends Q-Track's real-time location system totrack residents, caregivers, and medical assets within a LTC facility. ElderAlertTM directs caregivers to residents who have fallen or have ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop and demonstrate a novel microfluidic device and assay for selection and optimization of delivery vehicles, specifically non-viral vectors for drug delivery to tumors. Tumor drug delivery is a complex phenomenon affected by several elements in addition to drug or delivery vehicle's physico-chemical properties. A key factor is tumor mic ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall objective of this SBIR proposal is to develop and commercialize a human 3D or mini- liver bioassay system suitable for real-time analysis of metabolic functions and long-term drug toxicity profiles. At present, liver functions are mostly studied using HepG2 cell line and primary hepatocytes cultured onto collagen or polymer matrices. However, these ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall objective of this study is to develop a novel in vitro microfluidic platform to test a drug or delivery vehicle's ability to permeate the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). In contrast to current in-vitro models, our proposed device, SIM-BBB, comprises of a microfluidic two-compartment chamber. The chamber is designed in such a way as to permit vis ...

There is an urgent need to develop a new high-energy 2m ultrafast fiber laser system in order to achieve the optimized efficiency of the ESASE process, which is beneficial in areas ranging from atomic and molecular sciences to chemical, materials, and biological studies. To reach the mid-IR wavelengths for ESASE application, the traditional way is to shift the wavelengths of these commercially ava ...