Award Data

There is a clear and growing need to detect and monitor for highly dangerous releases of toxic industrial compounds (TICs) for the protection of the general public. Current detection and monitoring devices are not adequate to protect against unwanted releases of low vapor TICs because of the high detection sensitivity required. Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) proposes to provide an improved new ...

Antibody-based receptor scaffolds used in chemical and biological sensors suffer from certain inherent shortfalls. We propose an approach based on the use of computationally designed proteins as receptor scaffolds. Such receptor scaffolds overcome many of the problems encountered with antibodies. This approach offers the significant advantage of being a general method that provides a path to rapid ...

The war against terrorism requires the capability to inspect cargo through the walls of ship and boat compartments. For this purpose, the U.S. Coast Guard is seeking a handheld instrument that can accurately analyze and visualize material hidden from view behind walls and bulkheads. This inspection device must not endanger Coast Guard personnel or hidden illegal migrants, must be simple to operate ...

Having achieved success for NASA equipment health monitoring applications, Expert Microsystems will develop new SCADA security solutions derived from its pattern recognition and decision support software. Using our patent pending ¿predict, detect, decide¿ techniques, we will develop an innovative decision support tool providing automated intrusion detection system (IDS) information management. W ...

This Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of providing panoramic stereoscopic images for remote-controlled robotic space operations using three fixed-position cameras. Remote-controlled robot operations are an important element in orbital and planetary space missions. Advanced display systems can greatly enhance the effectiveness of these operations. In the system proposed here, hum ...

Laser induced thermal acoustics (LITA) is a nonintrusive, transient-grating optical technique that provides simultaneous high-accuracy measurements of velocity, sound-speed, and thermal diffusivity among other parameters. In a fluid of known composition, sound speed and thermal diffusivity are readily correlated to temperature and density. Thus LITA provides a measurement of thermodynamic state. W ...

A compact, autonomous and rugged instrument to measure the concentration of inorganic ions, and possibly organic acids, in atmospheric aerosols is proposed. This instrument will combine an innovative method for particle concentration and collection with emerging ?laboratory on a chip? analytical methods. The analytical microchip, measuring a few centimeters across, will contain all of the critic ...

High-performance, radiation-hard, widely-tunable integrated laser/modulator chip and large-area avalanche photodetectors (APDs) are key components of optical transmitters and receivers that can dramatically lower the barriers to deployment and operation of high capacity in-space optical communication links. Agility Communications develops and manufactures widely-tunable CW sources and transmitter ...

The Next Generation MK III Lightweight HUT/Hatch Assembly will maximize the Hard Upper Torso - Hatch assembly weight reduction through the combination of innovative material selection and cross sectional redesign. The intent is to research, identify and down select robust lightweight materials that are best suited for space & planetary, (or lunar) exploration. This Next Generation MK III Lightwei ...

Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) technology holds great promise for power and propulsion demands of NASA current and future deep space explorations. Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) space power system is one of the most efficient energy conversion technologies for nuclear electric propulsion. There are three heat exchanges in CBC and the recuperator is very important to enhancing CBC efficiency. An ad ...