Award Data

Development of new polyurethane (PU) insulation foams through a non-toxic environmentally friendly composite approach. Target FR foams will exhibit high heat flow resistance as well as lower density than conventional PU. Foams involve synergism between novel phosphonate FRs and smoke suppression agents coupled with use of aerogel. Preliminary data show peak heat release rates reduced by 50% ver ...

Thermal Stir Welding (TSW) provides advancement over the more conventional Friction Stir Welding (C-FSW) process because it separates the primary processes variables thereby allowing independent control of metal stirring and forging from the stir zone temperature. However, the feedback for precise control of the stir zone temperature, and hence the process parameters to sustain that temperature w ...

The proposed Wireless, passive, SAW sensor system operates in a multi-sensor environment with a range in excess of 45 feet. This proposed system offers unique features in two (2) important areas. The first is in the development of a new sensor type, a strain gauge that is based on OFC techniques and implemented with the low loss characteristics of SAW Unidirectional transducers. The second is in t ...

Using small aperture telescopes for detecting exoplanets could have a significant impact on astronomy and other imaging and space communication systems. In this new generation of smaller, lighter and more affordable coronagraph systems, the starlight is rejected with the aid of phase-based transparent masks capable of transmitting planetary light at small angular separation from the star. These so ...

Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation proposes a sensor that offers the unique capability to make non-intrusive, direct, simultaneous mean and fluctuating shear stress measurement for subsonic and transonic test applications. Currently a standard for shear stress measurement tool does not exist. A precise silicon micromachined, differential capacitive, instrumentation grade sensor will facili ...

High-temperature passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are highly desirable for improving safety and efficiency in aviation and space vehicles. This proposal addresses the growth and processing of a new class of high temperature material into acceptable SAW wafers, the production of SAW temperature sensors, and the integration of the SAW and thin film antenna (SAWtenna). The proje ...

A significant challenge faced by space-bound experiment packages is the requirement for a minimally controlled environment while a small payload is awaiting launch or is in transit to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is seeking thermal solutions for the transportation of NanoRack and CubeSats experimental payloads. This proposal discusses a unique thermally-controlled storage/shipping ...

The AirCore is a simple and novel atmospheric air column sampler to validate satellite observation data of greenhouse gases, using a lightweight, inexpensive coated stainless steel coil. The simple design of the leads to cost savings during manufacture and operation. The addition of a UAV to the AirCore system provides much needed functionality and flexibility to the end user of the product: it r ...

A Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) experiment is proposed to improve the performance of GPS during geomagnetic storms. There are two primary sources of degradation during a geomagnetic event?loss of phase coherency by the receiver and abrupt path delay changes due to total electron content (TEC). By monitoring the degradation at the ISS instead of the E ...

In an effort to support a range of social educations in the context of constantly evolving mission objectives, this proposal focuses on the creation of a framework that can be used to rapidly construct virtual training scenarios, execute those scenarios and, finally, measure the effectiveness of the training in behavior improvement. The first stage of the framework is a scenario generation tool t ...