Award Data

The S-351 mini-sub is a prototype of the Dry Combat Submersible (DCS). This prototype was established as a means of risk reduction prior to a full commitment to the DCS program. Both of these platforms have an operational need to transit with minimum operator fatigue safely to a pre-defined point and covertly deploy and retrieve SEALS. To meet these operational needs, these platforms require upgra ...

Polymer matrix composites are increasingly replacing traditional metallic materials in NASA launch vehicles. However, the repair and subsequent inspection methods for these materials are considerably more complicated. Typically, a composite laminate patch must be manually fabricated and bonded or co-cured to the damaged structure. To ensure high quality patches with sufficient compaction and l ...

Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) and University of Dayton (UD) will team on development of a non-mechanical beam steering (NMBS) subsystem for Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) sensors. BNS will improve their current polarization grating (PG) technology which is capable of switching well over the +- 25 degree requirement called for in the solicitation. Advances to the PG technology specific to the ...

Laser & Plasma Technologies (LPT), teamed with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Lasers at the University of Virginia (UVA), proposes an advanced optical fiber coupled hybrid spectroscope for in situ characterization of organic compounds. The proposed approach provides information on organic compounds by analyzing spectra obtained from Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) an ...

With the capacity and performance of FPGAs suitable for space borne applications continuously increasing, the design of FPGAs is becoming increasingly complex involving trading off or simultaneous optimization of space, speed, and power. RNET and ANL are proposing to develop software infrastructure that facilitates automatic performance tuning of FPGAs in terms of speed, power, and size. We introd ...

Using novel materials and device geometries unique to North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Third Floor Materials (3FM) this program will develop a detector technology that enables room-temperature multispectral IR imaging by exploring transduction pathways between infra red light and a measureable electric signal mediated by an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode. The research activity will use a c ...

The Phase I STTR project will develop an ignition system for a high density hybrid rocket motor using non-toxic, storable, ionic liquid oxidizers and high density polymer fuels. The program will also research fuel additives to boost ISP and fuel regression rate of the high density, high regression ate fuel.. This high density propulsion system resolves one of the chief drawbacks of hybrid rock ...

Wrong decisions during the missions can lead to an unsafe condition or immediate failure, while correct decisions can help continue the missions even from faulty conditions. In view of the lessons learned from mishaps, i.e., failed space missions, it is imminent that reliability analysis and risk assessment are kept in sync with space system design as it evolves from the concept through preliminar ...

While much attention is necessarily focused on the evaluation and certification of the materials and processes involved in adhesive bonding, development is still needed in decreasing the cost, time, and complexity of the current repair concepts. A material and processing system is needed that allows the design, infusion, and cure of composite repairs without the current roadblocks imposed by ovens ...

Supporting aerospace mission readiness, a system is needed that allows for composite repairs without the current roadblocks imposed by ovens, autoclaves, and expensive tooling. Cornerstone Research Group (CRG), its subsidiary NONA Composites, and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) presents NASA with the opportunity to obtain a rapid and robust method for on-site composite structura ...