Award Data

Future human space exploration missions will require advanced life support technology that can operate across a wide range of applications and environments. Thermal control systems for space suits and spacecraft will need to meet critical requirements for water conservation and adaptability to highly variable thermal environments. To achieve these goals, we propose an International Space Station ...

A prototype high temperature, single optical fiber thermal imaging system will be developed, tested, and delivered to GRC. The components of the instrument will be specified in detail, designed, fabricated, and purchased where appropriate. The illumination and imaging system will be assembled and system tests will be performed. Given a set of calibration images produced by the diagnostic, the i ...

This SBIR Phase II proposes the development and delivery of a compact, space qualifiable, diode-based seed laser system that utilizes a digital controller to allow autonomous acquisition of lock to the required wavelength in remote environments for multi-wavelength flight and space-based lidar applications. Successful development of this technology, due to its compact, efficient, and reliable des ...

The proposed innovation is the development of a cathode feed electrolysis cell stack capable of generating 3600 psi oxygen at a relevant scale for future exploration missions. This innovation is relevant to NASA's need for compact, quiet, efficient, and long-lived sources of pressurized oxygen for atmosphere revitalization (AR) and EVA oxygen storage recharge. Present AR equipment aboard Interna ...

This Phase II SBIR will seek to develop a prototype laser source suitable for atomic interferometry from compact, robust, integrated components. AdvR's design is enabled by capitalizing on robust, well-commercialized, low-noise telecom components with high reliability and declining costs which will help to drive the widespread deployment of this system. The key innovation is the combination of c ...

We propose to build and commercialize a working prototype Geospatial Decision Support Toolkit (GeoKit). GeoKit will enable scientists, agencies, and stakeholders to create and deploy their own web based applications containing maps, forms, algorithms, and a rich set of functionality related to visualization, analysis, reporting, querying, and publication of geospatial data and information. GeoKit ...

Long duration manned space exploration requires further closure of the oxygen loop of the life support system than is currently realized aboard the International Space Station. In order to further close the oxygen loop, NASA has been developing an advanced Plasma Pyrolysis (PPA) technology that reduces the waste methane to higher order hydrocarbons in order to better utilize the hydrogen for oxyge ...

Infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on Type-II strained layer superlattice (SLS) photodiodes have recently experienced significant advances. In Phase I we developed and delivered to NASA a 320x256 DUALBAND FPA integrated in a dewar cooler assembly (IDCA) that produces simultaneous and spatially-registered imagery in two spectral bands, namely, a fire channel in the 3-5 micron window and a the ...

In Phase II, the QSI-Vanderbilt team seeks to develop a system-level diagnostics and prognostic process that incorporates a "sense and respond capability," which first uses error codes and discrete sensor values to correctly diagnose the system health including degradations and failures of sensors and components, and then invokes appropriate prognostics routines for the assessment of RUL and perfo ...

NASA's future remote sensing science missions require advanced thermal management technologies to provide effective cooling for multiple instruments and reject heat through multiple radiators. To meet this need, we propose to develop a reconfigurable two-phase pumped loop that can accommodate a complex network of evaporators and multiple radiators. The pumped loop has two performance features: ( ...