Award Data

Aniuk Consulting, LLC, proposes to create a GIS software toolkit for easily converting NASA HDF-EOS data into formats that can be readily used within a Geographic Information System (GIS) or other geospatial software programs. The Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) is a widely used scientific data format and serves as the standard format for NASA EOS products. The HDF-EOS toolbar will allow a user t ...

Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) and the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) propose to develop the Advanced Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (AMET), a high-efficiency thruster which will use water propellant to enable various Lunar and Mars missions. The proposed AMET will incorporate a number of innovations to dramatically improve upon existing designs, including the use of a l ...

The severity of the lunar dust problems encountered during the Apollo missions were consistently underestimated by ground tests, illustrating the need to develop significantly better lunar dust simulants and simulation facilities. ORBITEC is proposing to continue developing high-fidelity lunar dust simulants that better match the unique properties of lunar dust than existing regolith simulants (s ...

ORBITEC and Duke University have teamed on this STTR to develop the ALERT (Advanced Lunar Exhaust-Regolith Transport) code which will include new developments in modeling of regolith erosion and entrainment as well as plume transport with full mass and momentum conservation. The Plume is handled in a Vlasov formalism with drag force on dust grains, dust equations of motion are solved over a size s ...

SETI proposes to develop GaN and Si based multicolor FIR/THz cameras with detector elements and readout, signal processing electronics integrated on a single chip. The active detector elements will be submicron gated channels with 2 dimensional electron gas (2DEG). The devices with gated 2DEG (commonly known as field-effect transistors) respond to the incoming FIR radiation due to the rectificat ...

The purpose of the Enhanced Brine Dewatering System (EBDS) is to provide an easily scalable means of completely recovering usable water from byproducts created by reverse osmosis water purification systems without the use of consumable wicks. Extended duration Lunar and Mars missions will require the conservation and recovery of water to allow for autonomous closed environments that in turn can dr ...

The proposed Plasma Air Decontamination System (PADS) is a trace contaminant control device based on non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma technology that operates at ambient pressure and temperature and has the potential to replace the existing Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) used on the International Space Station and future exploration vehicles. Non-thermal atmospheric plasma has been ...

Long-duration missions may one day present the most demanding situations ever encountered in manned spaceflight. Success will therefore depend on the knowledge and flexibility of the crew and the critical tools at their disposal. This Phase I proposes to combine intelligent tutoring with highly interactive 3D simulation software to create an on-demand situational training and operations support sy ...

Sierra Engineering Inc. and Purdue University propose to develop a non-intrusive plume instrument capable of detecting and diagnosing combustion instability. This Stability Diagnostic System (SDS) will be designed, assembled, and tested during this effort. The SDS will include a high-speed video camera and multiple photodiode detectors for observing the plume. It will also include a software pa ...

Next generation General Aviation (GA) Sport Class air vehicles limited to 1200lbs, represent the first opportunity to overhaul the FAA certification process necessary to manufacture affordable aircraft. With propulsion representing over one-third of the direct manufacturing costs of the entire aircraft, dramatic reductions in aircraft engine costs must be achieved by design, economy of scale, and ...