Award Data

Herein, PSI propose a system-on-chip (SoC) solution for an entangled photon pair source (EPPS) based on thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (TFLNOI) photonic integrated circuits (PIC). Using integrated photonic devices such as fiber coupler, waveguide, modulator, splitter/combiner and micro-ring, the proposed EPPS can generate and process the entangled photons with high efficiency and speed. In ...

New textile and material solutions are needed to withstand the challenging environments that will be encountered during extended duration Lunar exploration missions. We propose a novel textile technology for environmental protection garment (EPG) outer layers that leverages space-proven materials together with a novel sintered powder textile surface modification process to impart superior dust res ...

Our innovation, Focused LIBS for Elements in Water IDentification (FLEW.ID), is a compact, cost-effective, and sensitive instrument for monitoring the elemental composition of aqueous solutions in plant growth systems on-board the International Space Station (ISS). FLEW.ID utilizes a miniaturized, low-pulse energy laser for performing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements that, ...

In Phase I, Meroxa proposes to demonstrate the technical feasibility of building accessible tooling and connectors (proof of concept) for NASA to move space weather data, regardless of format and location, to any destination in the format required and in real-time.

The Solar Powered Rocket with Impulsive Thermal Engine (SPRITE) combines the high performance of a nuclear thermal rocket with the simplicity of solar thermal propulsion. The system operates by collecting solar power and storing energy in a high temperature phase change material. This allows the SPRITE to minimize solar collector area by gathering energy over a period of time and releasing it quic ...

NASA is developing in situ water retrieval technologies to excavate regolith-based water deposits from various regions on the lunar surface, then transport, store, and process them into potable water, propellant, fuel cell reactants, and life support consumables for Artemis missions. Part of this logistics chain is a collapsible water container that can operate in harsh environments such as lunar ...

High temperature heat acquisition and transport is a critical technology gap inhibiting full implementation of nuclear energy propulsion (NEP) and power sources for NASA inter-planetary and Lunar Surface missions.nbsp; Nuclear energy thermal management requires acquisition and transport of 4-10MW of power at 1200-1400K; the target axial heat flux is 1.0MW/m2.nbsp; Furthermore, NASA requires candid ...

NASA has outlined several goals and objectives regarding cost-effective long-duration access to the stratosphere for environmental observation and scientific research. nbsp;The High-Altitude, Long-Endurance (HALE) mission is to fly a payload weighing 22 or more pounds for at least 30 days at or above 60,000 ft altitude, while maintaining position within 100 nautical miles of a target point on the ...

The planet Venus is an interesting target for scientific exploration. However, long-duration missions to the surface of Venus present a significant challenge to the power system due to its ambient temperature (390 to 485oC), high surface pressure of carbon dioxide (92 bar) and other corrosive gases. Therefore, conventional power technologies including photovoltaic power systems and the traditional ...

To effectively monitor plant nutrient uptake and cycling, optimize fertilizing and watering routines, and reproducibly grow healthy plants for consumption, researchers on board the space station must know the concentration of key elements, nutrients, and other constituents present in plant growth systems to a high degree of specificity and regularity. High frequency, accurate, in-situ data is curr ...