Award Data

To solve the problem of autonomous navigation on small satellite platforms less than 20 kg, we propose to develop an onboard orbit determination receiver for small LEO satellites which lack stable Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), continuous GPS coverage, or ground tracking. The system is a refinement of existing spaceborne receiver technology built around a new, innovative collec ...

The innovation proposed here is a high performance, high fidelity simulation capability to enable accurate, fast and robust simulation of unsteady turbulent, reacting flows involving cryogenic propellants (such as LOX/LH2 and LOX/LCH4). The key features of this proposed capability are: (a) Hybrid RANS-LES (HRLES) methodology, and (b) flamelet modeling for turbulent combustion incorporated in a pr ...

Adverse physiological events (PEs) have plagued warfighters piloting military aircraft, in particular PEs involving hypoxia and cockpit cabin decompression. Though there has been a large variety of research performed in trying to understand the problems and why theyre caused, there are inefficiencies due to the lack of standardized cross-laboratory protocols, procedures, and metrics. To address th ...

NASA has been investigating morphing aircraft for multi-mission capabilities and performance improvements in existing fixed-wing aircraft. In addition, the design of aeroelastic aircraft that can control the structural flexibility to their advantage, is an open area of research and development. In spite of the plethora of work on morphing aircraft and long slender wings, the goal of fielding such ...

Reducing the allowable concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in spacecraft is a critical need for NASA. The system now used on the International Space Station (ISS) is the carbon dioxide removal assembly (CDRA). While it has performed well on the ISS, managers have concluded that using the device to reach the new ppCO2 limit of 2.0 mm Hg is not practical and a new method is needed.In this projec ...

Leveraging their prior experience working with automated fiber placement (AFP) of thin-ply composite materials, NextGen Materials & Processing LLC and the University of Massachusetts Lowell will utilize a Design of Experiments approach, combined with analytical modeling, to identify the critical material, slitting, spooling, and AFP parameters that influence the repeatable, high quality laydown of ...

Aurora proposes to develop a vision-based subsystem for incorporation onto Mars vehicles in the air (VTOL) and on the ground. NOAMAD will be an embedded hardware device with associated firmware for payloadlimited UAVs, performing autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, guidance using bio-inspired methods, and communication of information between agents within the autonomous team. NOAMAD will tr ...

To meet the NASA's need for innovative technologies that decrease turn-around time for inspections and assessments for safe operations of aircraft and spacecraft, X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII), teaming up with Prof. Fuh-Gwo Yuan at North Carolina State University (NCSU), proposes to develop an innovative guided-wave based Time-Reversal Tomography (TRT) technology and Bayesian Framework base ...

There is an urgent need to bypass or cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) to deliver drugs for TBI treatment. This project aims to develop targted intranasally delivered, magnetically propulsed, and targted nanoparticles for traumatic brain injury (TBI). In Phase I, we will demonstrate the design, fabrication, and in vitro characterization of proposed drug laden magnetic nanoparticles as well as co ...

Swarm robotics is one of the key enabling technologies for significantly extending mankind's reach beyond the Earth's surface. However, when bringing theory to practice, challenging problems related to the coordination and control of these swarms quickly arise. Vecna Robotics proposes a collaboration with MIT to extend existing autonomy behaviors and test platforms to address a class of pl ...