Award Data

Analogous to the CubeSat standardization of micro-satellites, the SPORE flight system architecture will utilize a modular design approach to provide low-cost on-orbit operation and recovery of small payloads. The Phase 1 investigation will evaluate a scalable flight system architecture consisting of a service module for on-orbit operations and deorbit maneuvering, and an entry vehicle to perform ...

Busek proposes to prove the feasibility of a Mg Hall effect thruster system that would open the door for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) based solar system exploration. Elemental magnesium has favorable thermophysical properties and is very easy to ionize. The estimated specific impulse for a high efficiency magnesium Hall thruster operating off of a standard 400 V power processing unit is 5 ...

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) together with the University of Connecticut (UCONN) proposes to demonstrate the improved fuel cell catalyst support durability offered by directly incorporating nitrogen functionality into graphitic carbon supports. In Phase I, PSI will utilize the functionalized carbon support in the construction of single cell fuel cells in order to demonstrate the performance and d ...

The proposed effort will develop a technology to wirelessly and efficiently transfer power over hundreds of meters via resonant inductive coupling. The key innovation of this approach is the use of dielectricless high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils to overcome the limitations in efficiency and range of existing solutions. This approach is informed by existing research models that predic ...

A composite fatigue damage assessment and risk informed prognosis toolkit will be developed by enhancing and integrating existing solution modules within a probabilistic analysis framework. This tool will for the first time be able to address concurrently both microcracking induced stiffness degradation and cyclic loading induced delamination crack growth without remeshing. A physics-based determi ...

NASA is researching various concepts, procedures, standards, and technologies intended for NextGen Airspace. Complex, distributed airspace simulations that utilize experimental testbeds (e.g., Multi Aircraft Control System, or MACS) are vital research tools for these projects. However, managing the various complexities and coordination of agent-supported separation assurance can be challenging. Th ...

The operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the National Airspace System (NAS) is a growing area of research for NASA, but the need for substantial amounts of research on the UAV-in-NAS concept is overwhelming. Furthermore, the quantity and nature of research questions on UAV-in-NAS operations are somewhat unpredictable as this research progresses, thereby requiring NASA to have flexible r ...

Aerosol particles affect the radiative balance of the earth directly, by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. It is now recognized that the atmospheric loading of aerosols generated through human activities can exert an influence on the earth's radiation budget comparable in magnitude with greenhouse gases. However ...

A new technique is proposed for improved trace gas detection and measurement that combines the high absorption depths afforded by mid-infrared Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (ICOS) with the added precision and sensitivity of Frequency Modulated Spectroscopy (FMS). To our knowledge, the two-tone FM technique described and prototyped in this proposal is the first demonstration of this combin ...

Auscultation, or listening to internal sounds made by the body of a patient, is an important tool in medical diagnostics. Heart, lung, intestine, and circulatory function can be assessed through careful listening. There are numerous situations, however, where the faint sounds collected using an ordinary stethoscope are overwhelmed by ambient noise. Such is the case in spacecraft, where room is ...