Award Data

The primary goal of the proposed STARA innovation is to develop and demonstrate a high altitude precision guided parafoil system that will enable NASA to control the final landing point of the sounding rocket payload, thus reducing system offset, recovery time, and recovery cost. Current recovery methods utilize unguided parachutes, which are susceptible to large uncertainties in recovery location ...

The Cryogenic Encapsulating Launch Shroud and Insulated Upper Stage (CELSIUS) innovative layered system combines functions of Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI), Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) protection, and fairing functions (exposure to free stream) into a deterministic soft-goods system that provides far greater performance for far less mass than the equivalent State of the Art (SOTA) sys ...

Gas conduction and radiation are the two important heat transfer mechanisms in highly porous reusable thermal protection systems used for planetary entry of space vehicles. The relative magnitude of the two varies depending on altitude, temperature and the planet. Usually radiation is more significant at lower pressures and at higher temperatures. Gas conduction is more dominant at higher press ...