Award Data

Reduced-mass polymer composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems for reducing vehicle weight. But, composite material adoption is inhibited because the autoclave consolidation required is prohibitively expensive for the large tanks and skins contemplated in the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective, ...

Reduced mass composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems, but their adoption is inhibited because they require autoclave consolidation, a process that is prohibitively expensive for large aerospace structure. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective high-performance thermoplastic composite processing equipment that enables out-of-autoclave tape placemen ...

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. proposes to develop a hybrid cooling loop technology for space thermal control. The proposed technology combines the high heat flux performance of active cooling loops with the effective fluid management of passive cooling devices. The result is a simple, robust and high performance cooling technology that allows maximum degree of packaging flexibility. Phase I ...

Current manned spacecraft heat rejection systems use two heat exchangers and an intermediate fluid loop to provide isolation between the crew compartment air and the exterior fluid loop. Isolation is required because the fluids used are either toxic or can cause suffocation. The extra hardware doubles the mass of the system, consumes more power, and reduces reliability. Advanced Cooling Technolo ...

This innovative SBIR Phase II proposal will develop next generation products for Thermal Control Material Systems (TCMS) an adhesives based on the next generation nano-cluster chemistry based new binder systems, through the systematic investigations to tailor required unique performance properties with reliability and durability. The efforts address a critical need of NASA which plans to undertak ...

TRS Technologies proposes large stroke and high precision piezoelectric single crystal and electroactive polymer actuator concepts?HYBrid Actuation System (HYBAS) for cryogenic passive optics devices such as Fabry-Perot interferometer and Fourier Transform Spectrometer for NASA remote sensing applications. Both single crystal piezoelectrics (PMN-PT and PZT-PT crystals) and electro-active polymer ( ...

There currently are no analytical or CFD tools that can reliably predict unsteady cavitation dynamics in liquid rocket turbopumps. Cavitation effects, particularly at low-flow, off-design conditions, generate large amplitude pressure fluctuations that result in performance loss, and may interact with other components to generate damaging system-wide instabilities. The innovation proposed here is ...

CFD based analyses are playing an increasingly important role in supporting experimental testing of rocket propulsion systems. The focus of this proposal is towards identifying and characterizing flow induced instabilities in the experimental test facility. Computational simulations will be carried out with advanced turbulence modeling extensions to the hybrid unstructured framework that has been ...

Current Technology for CO2 removal from enclosed air of spacecraft utilizes LiOH canisters for CO2 absorption. This absorption is irreversible so longer flights require more LiOH. For long duration flights it is essential that a small, lightweight system that recovers the CO2 be developed. This allows the CO2 to be used to regenerate O2 for re-use. Compact Membrane systems (CMS) has identified ...

A high efficiency low scatter echelle grating will be developed using a novel technique of multiple diamond shaving cuts. The grating will have mirror surfaces on both faces for high efficiency in high orders. The grating will be manufactured using a 3/4 ton air bearing grating carriage that oscillates at 30 strokes per minute between two non-contact magnetic fields. The groove spacing will be con ...