Award Data

Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation has demonstrated the feasibility of a new type of electric propulsion device dubbed the Magnetically Enhanced Vacuum Arc Thruster (MVAT). This thruster is itself a variant on the Vacuum Arc Thruster that has been demonstrated via a recently concluded Phase I SBIR contracts from NASA. The VAT was verified to be a throttleable low mass (ca. 150g) high efficiency ...

3DGeo will implement a graphical user interface (GUI) built on top of the Globus Toolkit 3.0 (GT3) middleware and complying with the Open Grid Services Infrastructure (OGSI) standard. This GUI will be a convenient interface for computational resource discovery, computational resource monitoring, and workflow submission to the Grid. These features will be built into 3DGeo?s Java-based INSP system - ...

The purpose of this program is to develop a compact and efficient ultraviolet laser system for ozone sensing from space. The basis for this system will be a diode-pumped neodymium-yttria (Nd:Y2O3) laser which is frequency-tripled to generate uv light at either 305nm or 315nm. The ability to generate both uv wavelengths from a single frequency-tripled Nd:Y2O3 laser makes this approach potentially 4 ...

As the unmanned exploration of Mars and Venus becomes more of a focus area at NASA, inflatable, rigidizable wings will become an enabling technology. The successful development of this type of wing will also have significant military applications in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Rigidization of inflatable wings provides several potential advantages, including reducing the vulnerability to punct ...

The prime objective of this proposal is to develop a multi-functional sandwich composite material design to fulfill current needs for non-parasitic, lightweight, high-strength, thermally insulating and effective radiation shielding materials for deep space exploration applications. The phase II program will further improve and characterize the mechanical, physical and radiation protection properti ...

The NASA objective of expanding the human experience into the far reaches of space will require the development of regenerable life support systems. On-board carbon dioxide (CO2) removal units play a key role in such systems ensuring high quality cabin air for crew members. Similar but more compact units are needed for extravehicular activities (space suit). The overall objective is to develop ...

The objective of the Phase I SBIR program was to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating pyrolysis and incineration steps into a system for processing of spacecraft solid wastes. The Phase I study involved a combination of bench scale experiments and data analysis. This work was accomplished in four tasks: 1) design and construct bench scale unit; 2) laboratory studies on solid waste processing ...

In recent decades, NASA?s interest in spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations has grown. Additional instrumentation is needed to improve manned docking operations? safety, as well as to enable telerobotic operation of spacecraft or completely autonomous rendezvous and docking. To address this need, we propose a suite of active sensors that will provide range and bearing information to a doc ...

The objective of the proposed Phase II effort is to transfer proven sensor technology from the laboratory breadboard to a functional flight-ready prototype for installation in an aircraft fuel tank. In the Phase I effort, a novel spectroscopic technique was shown to be an effective method for measuring oxygen concentration in harsh environments with sufficient accuracy for use in an OBIGGS system. ...

The Stretched Lens Array SquareRigger (SLA-SR) solar array is based on the combination of two cutting edge technologies, the SquareRigger solar array structure and the SLA optics/PV-blanket assembly. The combined SLA-SR system produces an extremely lightweight (>330 W/kg BOL near term and ~500 W/kg BOL mid term), high efficiency, high power (10kW to 100kW+), high voltage (100VDC to 1000VDC) and l ...