Award Data

Fracture toughness is the material parameter that, along with applied loading and flaw geometry, dictates the critical crack size, and therefore controls the flaw size that must be detected during inspections. A major challenge facing pipeline operators is that many pipelines are old, making their structural integrity uncertain, and that material pedigree of the pipeline steel is unknown. Therefor ...

Computer forecasts of weather and climate variability created by the U.S. and other nations on the subseasonal scale (weeks) and on the seasonal scale (months) are increasingly used by private and public activities to mitigate risk and seize opportunity. These forecasts are produced as ensembles of tens of individual computer forecasts and are most useful when calibrated by comparing histories of ...

To support NASArsquo;s future Europa Subsurface Exploration missions, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) proposes a thermal probe that can penetrate the thick and cryogenic ice layer on Europa in an efficient and reliable manner. This nuclear-powered thermal probe consists of multiple novel thermal features that are meant to minimize time of penetration and mitigate a series of challenges s ...

In response to the 2019 NASA SBIR solicitation topic Z2.01, ldquo;Spacecraft Thermal Managementrdquo;, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. proposed the development of a Variable Conductance Cold Plate to provide spatial and temporal isothermality over a 0.5 m2 area despite changes in heat load or inlet coolant temperature.nbsp; The proposed design builds on ACTrsquo;s experience with passive two-p ...

Astrobotic proposes the development and prototyping of UltraNav, a low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) visual relative navigation system capable of implementing modern vision-based navigation and modeling methods including Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO), and Structure-from-Motion (SfM). The UltraNav system comp ...

In the pursuit of supplying the highest quality 3D woven material, for Woven Thermal Protection Systems (W-TPS), Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) is proposing a diagnostic tool to measure and monitor the motions of anbsp;3D weaving loom. Current weaving techniques rely on the loom operator to see or hear variations in the weaving process and detect problems early so defective material is kept to a minimum ...

Near Earth Autonomy proposes to extend the NASA SBIR Phase Inbsp;to develop the key technologies that enable urban air mobility (UAM) and its applications: delivery of goods, personal transportation, emergency/disaster response, etc. This work will contribute to advance NASArsquo;s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) program, which focuses on ldquo;enabling emerging aviation markets that will provide subs ...

The overall objective of the Phase II program is to develop a domestically-available needled (2.5D) C-C composite and demonstrate its use as a nozzle extension for future lunar lander and upper-stage propulsion applications. This will be accomplished through a design and analysis trade study, coupled with the fabrication of a representative nozzle structure. In the past decade, a number of NASA re ...

High voltage power supplies find many uses in NASA scientific missions.nbsp; Numerous missions in the past has had uses for high voltage supplies such as the HST High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS), plasma experiment power supplies, particle detection (HAPI LAPI, DE, International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE), etc.) and aboard Cassini.nbsp; The evolution of high voltage power supplies has proceeded ov ...

The process of chilling propellant transfer lines, before ignition of liquid rocket engines is initiated is a critical step before launch and in-space propulsion. Similarly, reliable engine operations, require flow to be conditioned, devoid of two-phase content and pool/flow boiling considerations impact cryogenic tank propellant management. The chilling/quenching of propellant lines undergo compl ...