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AJT proposes to develop a low-cost, engine test-stand system for small (500 pound) thrust engines using gaseous, liquid or cryogenic propellants. This test stand would incorporate automated propellant transfer and automated propellant line purge systems. The engines would be configured to a standard test-stand interface, greatly reducing the time required to install and remove various engines. Thi ...

Filters don't exist that are capable of removing virus and bacteria at high enough flow rates to be practical either for space systems or for domestic consumption. In Phase 1 we demonstrated feasibility that our nano ceramic fiber filter could produce sterile water at high flow rates. In Phase 2 we propose to develop performance data on such filters that would provide NASA with the capability for ...

The proposed research is intended to develop a new analysis for stresses and displacements in aerospace structures based on the combined conventional Displacement (Stiffness) Method and on a new formulation of the Force Method developed by the principal investigator. Since some of the elements used currently in the Displacement Method violate equations of stress equilibrium, an additional analysis ...

Solar sails use a thin reflecting membrane to deflect sunlight, converting the momentum of solar photons striking the sail to a means of spacecraft propulsion. The trajectory of the sail-powered spacecraft may be controlled by through a mechanical arrangement or through the use of an electrochromic material that changes reflectivity or transmittance in response to the application of an electric po ...

Small light-weight satellites and space vehicles under development for future NASA missions have reduced thermal mass and are rapidly affected by changes in orbital conditions, resulting in large temperature variations. Restrictions on payload weight and volume limit the usefulness of many thermal control system technologies. To address this problem, Eclipse Energy Systems, Inc. (EES) has suggeste ...

Gas sensors based on metal oxides are known to be widely used for the detection of gases, aromatic hydrocarbon, etc., but such sensors lack selectivity, and operation at high temperatures is required. We have proved feasibility of our approach in Phase I, which focused on the use of highly organized ultrathin films of conducting polymers synthesized/processed via the layer-by-layer self-assembly t ...

A new fission powered space power and propulsion system based on using a non-moving fissile gas is proposed. The main innovation in the proposed fission based propulsion system is the use of well-established fusion plasma confinement and compression methods to achieve a supercritical condition in a highly subcritical fissile gas. In particular, electromagnetic induced shock wave compaction and gas ...

The ?space adaptation syndrome? develops in conditions in which nauseogenic stimuli are present for a long period. The perceptual situation of an astronaut exposed to unusual gravitational-inertial forces has been compared to that found in experiments involving perceptual rearrangement, such as optically induced displacement, curvature, tilt, or right-left reversal. In both instances, the observer ...

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