Award Data

It is important to consider lithium-ion battery limitations particularly regarding temperature range, to ensure safe and successful mission outcomes. We have developed a gel polymer electrolyte that meets stringent requirements of high safety, stability, and non-flammabilitynbsp;for implantable medical devices and plannbsp;to further developnbsp;this electrolyte for use in cells operating in extre ...

NASA has previously developed its 3D-TPS conceptnbsp;which offers superior mass efficiency relative to legacy carbon-phenolic TPS.nbsp; Multiple 3D-TPS recipes developed to date includenbsp;a spun carbon:phenolic yarn constituent.nbsp; Future recipes may require alternate yarn constructionsnbsp;(denier, blend ratios, fiber chemistries, etc.) in order to tailor TPS properties to specific mission re ...

With the Artemis program, NASA is returning to manned space flight and plans to send humans to the Moon and Mars in the decades to come. New space vehicles and systems are being developed and tested, and a significant percentage of the structures in these spacecraft will be composite materials. Composites offer high stiffness- and strength-to-weight ratios, but they also exhibit complex damage mod ...

NASA is developing new spacecraft for human spaceflight. These spacecraft will utilize a variety of material systems, and many of the components are targeted for reusability and long-term use. This offers many challenges, not only for design and manufacturing, but also for inspection and maintenance. For example, inspection of thermal protection systems (TPS), bondlines, or multilayered structures ...

C-C material systems have high strength:weight ratios at high temperatures, making them well suited for future hot structure designs.nbsp; However legacy C-C solutions are subject to poor through thickness propertiesnbsp;(for 2D laminates), or manufacturing speed and capacity issuesnbsp;(for Cartesian billets.)nbsp; These issues are often compounded for tubular or conical geometries.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp ...

Next generation, 3D-TPS heat shields based on 3D weaving technology offer potential for increased mass efficiency relative to legacy solutions.nbsp; However, width, thickness and unit cell size combinations of 3D-TPS designs being considered for future missions are pushing the limits of current 3D weaving looms and driving the need for new or significantly modified set-ups.nbsp; With this SBIR Pha ...

NASA is developing new vehicles for human space flight. The Orion crew module is a reusable capsule that provides a habitat for the crew and facilitates exploration of the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. The Space Launch System (SLS) is a heavy lift system and is part of NASArsquo;s deep space exploration plans. The SLS will carry humans beyond low Earth orbit and will deliver elements of the Lunar Orb ...

T.E.A.M., Inc. proposes to develop and demonstrate a manufacturing method for a 3D woven deployable skirt structure with polar fiber orientation and integrally woven rib attachment features and trailing edge radii. The novelty of our approach comes from the combination of several unique textile manufacturing technologies that to our knowledge have never been successfully combined into a single pr ...

Thick, 3D woven carbon/phenolic composites offer potential improvement over legacy thermal protection systems (TPS) for re-entry vehicle heat shield applications. However due to the scale and complexity of typical re-entry vehicle structures, it is likely that multiple 3D woven panels would need to laid up to create the overall heat shield, creating a potential weak spots at the panel joints. ...

As NASA space missions become longer in duration the need for high efficiency power generator sets that can operate on NASA logistical fuel become critical. Historically NASA has used fuel cells as part of the energy solution. Space bound energy and power systems require rapid start and stop cycle times as well as high power densities. The high operational efficiency, coupled with the use of logi ...