Award Data

AN ON-ORBIT PROPULSION CAPACITY IS REQUIRED FOR STRATEGIC DEFENSE THATFEATURES HIGH EFFICIENCY AT A SPECIFIC IMPULSE OF 1000-3000 SECONDS. THIS PROPULSION IS REQUIRED FOR ORBIT TRANSFER, ORBITAL MANEUVERING AND STATION-KEEPING MISSIONS. THE PULSED ELECTROTHERMAL (PET) THRUSTER SEEMS PARTICULARLY ATTRACTIVE FOR THESE APPLICATIONS, AND HASPREVIOUSLY APPROACHED THE REQUIRED PERFORMANCE LEVELS WITH WA ...

NEW AND INNOVATIVE NONEQUILIBRIUM MATERIALS FOR VARIOUS SPACE STRUCTURES ARE NEEDED FOR STRATEGIC DEFENSE. ONE AREA WHERE LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSSED IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOLID LUBRICANTS. THE POTENTIAL USE IS BEING EXPLORED OF HIGH LEAD BEARING COPPER ALLOYS(UP TO 50% LEAD) AS BEARING MATERIALS; BATTERY GRIDS THAT WOULD REPLACE THE CURRENTLY USED LEAD ALLOYS; AND POSSIBLE COATINGS FOR HIG ...

ANY VERY HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGE (VHLL) FOR STRATEGIC DEFENSE REQUIRES A COMPILER. NEW META COMPILERS USING ADVANCED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS ARE BEING STUDIED SO THAT EVENTUAL VHLL APPLICATION SOFTWARE CAN BE EFFECTIVELY PORTED TO THE SEVERAL GROUND-BASED/SATELLITE-BASED MACHINES. TO DO SO REQUIRES A META COMPILER THAT CAN COMPILE CODE TO DIVERSE ARCHITECTURES. RESEARCH WITH META COMPILERS DEM ...

There are no commercial amplifiers that can operate at temperatures above 125 degrees Celsius. We will combine two comparable wide bandgap semiconducting materials to make electronic amplifiers and switches that operate at high temperatures (at least 500 degrees Celsius). These devices can be controlled remotely by a light beam. Hence wireless coupling to a room temperature macroprocessor is possi ...

A compact x-ray laser driver with a high repetition rate is the subject of this phase I project. Most existing x-ray laser drivers are huge (1000s of square feet of floor space), expensive ($10,000,000+), have a low repetition rate (1/hr), are complex and require several PhDs to keep them working. Thus applications of present x-ray lasers are limited. In contrast, the proposed laser will occupy on ...

Although there have been many advances in optics for low energy x-rays, (

Certain ferro-magnetic (F/M) materials expand and/or contract in the presence of an electrical current or field. This program proposes basic and applied research to use this material property as the working medium to achieve quantum improvements in the performance of miniature actuators. Using this exciting new solid state technology, it appears possible to create ultra-fast response, high force, ...

Sarcos is currently developing a technology that can lead to low-cost millimeter-scale gyroscopes, multi axis inertial sensors, and very compact laser scanning devices. This technology, called Micro Disk Systems (MDS), is based on levitating a small disk above a VLSI substrate using electrostatic fields. AC stabilization of the fields ensures that the disk position remains suitable, and field-base ...

2Superconductors, materials that carry electrical current without any resistance, can make electronic circuits more efficient and communications between remote locations easier. In the past two years, the materials developments of superconductors have progressed so much that the quality of the materials can no longer be measured even with the most sophisticated techniques. Xsirius Superconductivit ...