Award Data

NASA recognizes the importance of conservation, smart utilization and reuse of resources for their deep space missions to address the need for regeneration of air, water and waste with highly reliable systems to reduce mission payload. Additionally, energy for life support and other systems needs to be obtained from renewable energy sources or waste streams. In order to address NASA's requirements ...

DEC-Shield technology offers the means to generate electric power from cosmic radiation sources and fuse dissimilar systems and functionality into a structural component to create a Multi-functional Structure (MFS). DEC-Shield integrated into MFS technology can be used to generate electric power and provide radiation protection in a space vehicle; even maximizing that protection by spreading the ...

Fibertek, Inc. in partnership with researchers at the Pennsylvania State University Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D) are proposing to develop a state of the art, space-qualifiable laser transmitter that meets the requirements of the flash lidar transmitter defined in the 2016 STTR subtopic T9.01, Navigation and Hazard Avoidance Sensor Technolog ...

Woven TPS (WTPS) is an attractive option for thermal protection because it allows for a design to be tailored to a specific mission ? material composition can be adjusted by weaving different fiber types together and controlling their placement using computer-controlled, automated, 3D weaving technology. NASA?s HEEET program is responsible for the development of WTPS, with the objective of enablin ...

This NASA Phase I SBIR program would fabricate wireless networked nanomembrane (NM) based surface pressure sensors for remote monitoring in propulsion systems, using SOI (Silicon on Insulator) NM techniques in combination with our pioneering HybridSil ceramic nanocomposite materials. Such low-modulus, conformal nanomembrane sensor skins with integrated interconnect elements and electronic devices ...

Through the proposed STTR program, NanoSonic and Virginia Tech will create an innovative low viscosity, high Tg copolymer injection repair material and methodology that enables fiber reinforced composite repair within a short time frame in areas with limited user access. The proposed injection repair material will consist of fluidic HybridSil poly(siloxane imide) resins that are molecularly engine ...

Newly developed phase-engineered and low dimensional materials have opened the door to the design of materials structures that exhibit extremely efficient ionic transport. Recently, a new type of electro-filtration system designed to convert thermal power into purified water from salt water (or other ionic pollutants) has been demonstrated in the lab. The system is based on a bi-phasic nanoplate ...

ProtoInnovations, LLC and Carnegie Mellon University propose to research, design, develop, and test software tools and hardware that will greatly increase the performance of planetary robots by manipulating the environment around them. We are specifically interested in developing new planning algorithms and non-prehensile manipulation techniques and simple robotic tools that will allow rovers to ...

Luna is addressing NASA?s need to develop new multifunctional textiles for improved Environmental Protection Garments (EPG). Previous protective suits such as the Apollo era EPG or currently used Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) provide thermal and micrometeoroid protection, but are intended only for short duration use. NASA plans for a future manned Mars mission will potentially require exten ...

Future long-duration, crewed space habitat systems will be inflatable structures. This type of structure is advantageous in that it is not limited to the diameter of the launch vehicle and can therefore provide a greater volume of living and work space. Unlike conventional metal structures, however, softbody inflatables require support members to maintain their desired shapes. Despite their robust ...