Award Data

Chemical contamination of spacecraft components as well as thermal and force loading from firing liquid propellant thrusters are critical concerns for in-space propulsion applications. Gas molecular contamination and liquid droplet deposition due to incomplete combustion threaten to damage surface materials, sensitive instruments and optical sensors, and poses major risks for mission success. Liqu ...

We propose that the key to robotic automation in unstructured environments is compliant robotic manipulators that can tolerate, sense, and leverage contact in a feedback loop. We will demonstrate an instrumented end-effector that will be capable of enhanced perception through observed and controlled contact. This approach requires: (i) a network of sensors capable of capturing the highly compliant ...

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 ...

HJ Science & Technology (HJS&T) and Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) propose to develop a novel penetrator-compatible technology capable of detecting key organic molecules, biomarkers, and indicators of habitability on primary astrobiological targets including icy moons like Europa and Enceladus. The proposed innovation is a novel combination of microfluidic automated colorimetric and fluo ...

The proposed innovation is a membrane bioreactor system to produce a biopolymer from methane gas. This new methane fermentation process will expand and advance current gas delivery techniques to create affordable fermentation methods on Earth and beyond. Mango Materials is currently working to scale up and commercialize the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from methane, but its scaled-up ...

The objective of this program is to develop, demonstrate and implement an integrated optical transmitter for RZ-DPSK modulation for integration into modems for the international space station (ISS). Conventional optical transmitters are based on commercially available discrete components. These have several fiber interconnects which leads to increased optical loss, reduced reliability in a space e ...

The modern warfighter faces the constant threat of endemic infections, multi-drug resistant bacteria and Biological Warfare Agents. In order to provide accurate front-line treatment that will curtail the overuse of antibiotics, a rapid and robust molecula

We propose the development of a novel aerodynamic modeling approach making use of fully unstructured grids for unsteady panel aerodynamic models for aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic analysis. The unsteady aerodynamic code will be integrated with an existing suite of aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic analysis tools making it possible to perform aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic analysis of complex v ...

High-energy space radiation from Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Particle Events (SPEs) pose significant risks to equipment and astronaut health in NASA missions. Energetic particles from SPEs associated with flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may adversely affect not only beyond-Low-Earth-Orbit missions, but also aircraft avionics, communications, and airline crew/passenger health. It is cru ...

Chromologic (CL) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) propose to continue the Phase II STTR development and demonstration of a Multifunctional Environmental Digital Scanning Electron Microprobe (MEDSEM) instrument that transmits high energy beams of electrons sequentially using a two-dimensional array of multiple, miniaturized electron probes into a planetary atmosphere and strike ...