Award Data

Long-term Lunar and Martian systems present challenges to thermal control systems, including changes in thermal load, and large changes in the thermal environment between Lunar (or Martian) day and night. The Lunar thermal environment typically includes long periods in extremely cold thermal environments. A variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) radiator will be developed that passively accommodat ...

The overall technical objective of the proposed Phase II program is to complete a system-level demonstration to show the capability and benefits of integrating this backup radiator/Variable Conductance Heat Pipe (VCHP) with the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The Phase I project developed a feasible VCHP radiator design that can be integrated with the ASRG. In Phase II, a trade ...

The Phase I project successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the vapor compression hybrid two-phase loop (VCHTPL). The test results showed the high temperature-lift capability and robust operation under transient heat loads of the VCHTPL. At the end of Phase I, the VCHTPL technology reached the NASA's defined Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 (Component/breadboard validation in a laboratory e ...

This Small Business Innovative Research project by Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) will develop an advanced high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can be used for the production of oxygen from lunar regolith. ACT proposes a high temperature heat pipe solar receiver that can accept and and transfer the solar thermal energy to the lunar soil, thereby extracting oxygen. The heat pip ...

The principal Phase II objective is to refine and further develop the prototype PCHP into a useful thermal management tool. The Phase I program established the feasibility of thermal control an axially-grooved heat pipe with a variable-volume reservoir. The follow-on Phase II program will address control system optimization, component longevity, reductions in mass and power, and show that the de ...

The overall objective of the proposed research is to design, develop and demonstrate fluidic actuator arrays for aerodynamic separation control and drag reduction. These actuators are based on a compact design of low mass-flow fluidic oscillators that produce high frequency (1-5 kHz) oscillating or pulsing jets. Our preliminary experiments on separation control over trailing edge flaps, cavity to ...

In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the Oklahoma State University (OKState) detail the development of a novel Cavity Enhanced Terahertz Absorption Spectrometer (CETAS). Key innovations of the proposed system include: a) the use of a small Whispering- Gallery- Mode (WGM) cavity to achieve very long pathlength; and b) the integration of the WGM cavity with the conventional pulsed and continu ...

Visual Data Mining (VDM) is an Internet-based software that supports spatial and temporal analyses of multimodal NASA science data including satellite images and in-situ sensory data. It combines computer vision, multi-physics simulation and interactive visualization. VDM tools can be integrated to NASA-related systems for detecting, tracking, modeling and predicting the movement of surface object ...

Artisan Laboratories Corporation proposes to develop high density, high performance RF over fiber technology. Artisan’s approach to the technology is to design for high efficiency and high volume production that saves size, weight and power plus cooling by taking advantage of advanced modulation, transmission and packaging techniques. Artisan has developed highly efficient RF over fiber links an ...

This proposal addresses the need for a smart, network-compatible, enhanced head-aimed video sensor system to enable geo-location and target hand-off from robotic platforms. The sensor system provides enhanced remote situational awareness, with specific features aimed towards reconnaissance and surveillance, and target identification and designation missions. This same sensor is also applicable t ...