Award Data

This proposal is submitted under the Innovative Tools and Techniques Supporting the Practical Uses of Earth Science Observations topic. We seek to create a prototype rangeland decision support system that links remote sensing based rangeland products, a soil biogeochemical model and web-based tools for data mining, data management and product visualization. The resulting decision support system wi ...

Range surveillance is a critical component of space exploration because of its implications on safety, cost, and overall mission timeline. However, launch delays, due to the difficulty of verifying a cleared range, are common and will increase as spaceports are developed in new areas. In order to expedite range clearance, it is vital to see "through" the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the quality ...

We propose to develop a novel thermal interface material (TIM) that is based on an array of vertical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for high heat flux applications. For high precision, spaceborne lasers and other high power devices critical to NASA's Science Mission Directorate, heat flux levels are projected to reach 100 W/cm2. The state-of-the-art in space-compatible thermal interface materials (TIMs ...

Future missions to investigate the structure and evolution of the universe require highly efficient, low-temperature cryocoolers for low-noise detector systems. We propose to develop a highly efficient low-cost regenerator for regenerative cryocoolers with cooling temperatures in the range of 15 K and below. The proposed regenerator uses an innovative non-rare-earth material to achieve a volumetri ...

Future manned spacecraft will require thermal management systems that effectively and safely control the temperature in inhabited modules. Interface heat exchangers will be required that isolate the heat transfer fluid in the spacecraft thermal bus from the circulating water used to cool inhabited modules. We propose to develop an innovative heat exchanger that provides two completely independen ...

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 ...

This proposal is submitted under the Innovative Tools and Techniques Supporting the Practical Uses of Earth Science Observations topic. We seek to evaluate and demonstrate technical approaches for linking remote sensing rangeland products with a soil biogeochemical model to form a decision support system for improved rangeland management. The resulting decision support system will be unique and in ...

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 ...

The physical difficulty of designing entry vehicles originates from the large degree of coupling between the various disciplines involved in the design. Every subsystem design decision has far reaching consequences that must be evaluated in a multidisciplinary fashion in order to assess the impact on the weight and the performance of the entire vehicle. The disciplines which must be accounted an ...