Award Data

Infinity's High Efficiency Advanced Lightweight Fuel Cell (HEAL FC) is an improved version of its current fuel cell technology developed for space applications. The fundamental operation of this Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell is improved over comparable fuel cell technologies, providing simplified system design and longer duration missions. The Non Flow Through (NFT) nature of reactant c ...

NASA has invested significant effort in the past decade in developing and maturing technologies that enable efficient and effective use of Next-generation (NextGen) Vertical Lift (VL) systems for a broad class of missions and operations. One of the key barriers it faces to the widespread use of VL vehicles within the National Airspace is the cost of maintenance on the vehicles to keep them safe an ...

ADS-B is emerging as the defacto standard for manned aircraft in the context of NextGen ATM. There are several advantages to ADS-B, but most ADS-B gear was developed for manned aircraft, and some smaller versions have been developed for UAVs recently. However, even the smallest currently-available ADS-B transponder is still about 250g, which is not suitable for small UAVs, such as those becoming p ...

A hardware/software solution for autonomous reporting of flight operations of a UAS is proposed. Such a system would enable the UAS to report identity, position, and other information to local human and autonomous traffic and air traffic controllers in an autonomous manner, in legacy terminology. This will improve the overall safety of UAS operations, and lead to easier integration of UASs into th ...

As human spaceflight once again moves toward planetary exploration, space suit hardware must be ready to face the harsh environmental conditions of these surfaces. This is especially true for High Pressure Oxygen Quick Disconnects. These systems are critical life support items that enable the flow of breathing gas, water, and electrical & communication signals from the suit to the vehicle or habit ...

Trace contaminants that are introduced into the ventilation loop of a spacesuit (primarily ammonia and formaldehyde) via metabolic processes, off-gassing of spacesuit materials, and by-products of the amine used in the rapid cycle amine (RCA) system are typically removed using activated charcoal. Although effective, the downside of using these materials is a bulky system with low regeneration capa ...

Autonomous, avionic and robotic systems are used in a variety of applications including launch vehicles, robotic precursor platforms, etc. Most avionic innovations are based on software-embedded systems, and this has resulted in an increase in the number of interactions (coupling) among heterogeneous subsystems. Avionic systems degrade in performance due to gradual development of anomalies and una ...

PCI will develop and demonstrate advanced materials and innovative structural elements integrated within the stack for efficient H2O/CO2 electrolysis to overcome known SOEC shortcomings. The key focus will be to mitigate anode delamination and enable operation at high pressure differentials. Capability for effective regenerative operation will be examined. In Phase I proof of concept will be demon ...

Fault Management (FM) is a key enabler of system autonomy critical to reducing overall operations costs of increasingly complex science missions while ensuring their success. NASA has invested significant effort and has developed a draft FM Handbook to improve FM design, development, V&V and operations processes. While the FM Handbook provides rules and guidelines, those can be effectively followe ...

The proposed research pursues a path for reducing structural weight, increasing structural performance, and reducing fabrication cost while also minimizing maintainability. The approach, which is based on selective reinforcement, is a change in the basic design philosophy and will result in the development of a hybrid material form. The selective reinforcement approach allows the structural desi ...