Award Data

Future reentry and hypersonic vehicles require advanced lightweight leading edge thermal protection systems that can provide the dual functionality of thermal/oxidation protection and structural capability. In Phase I, Ultramet demonstrated the feasibility of combining the light weight of carbon/carbon (C/C) with the long-duration oxidation resistance of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) in a unique ...

Several solid waste management systems currently under development result in the production of gas-phase organic contaminants which, due to the periodic and unpredictable nature of solid wastes and contaminants produced by these systems, cannot be treated by the Trace Contaminant Control System. Two examples of these are the Heat Melt Compaction System under development at NASA - Ames Research Ce ...

Development of a microgravity and hypogravity compatible catalytic methane pyrolysis reactor is proposed to recover hydrogen which is lost as methane in the conversion of carbon dioxide to water via the Sabatier process. This will close the hydrogen loop which currently requires 50% resupply and also produce carbon nanotubes, a high value product which may be employed as an adsorbent or catalyst ...

As one of NASA's key motivation, the use of truly autonomous unmanned vehicles (UV) has been hampered by lack of sophisticated and resource efficient obstacle avoidance systems. Solving the obstacle avoidance problem to permit truly autonomous operations in a cluttered and occluded environment has been the subject of considerable research. In Phase I, UtopiaCompression (UC) has developed a layered ...

This project consists in developing a Vibrating Powder Handling System for planetary X-Ray Diffraction instruments. The principle of this novel sample handling technique relies on vibrations generated in a sample holder to create movements in the powdered sample. The major benefit over conventional sample handling techniques is the possibility to characterize materials with grain-sizes up to two o ...

The ADEPT project aims to improve the state-of-the-art with respect to capabilities and costs of scenario-based training in support of future space exploration missions at NASA. The key features of ADEPT will include: (1) a scenario-based intelligent tutoring system focused on the problem of training systems-operators on how to think through operational contingencies; (2) reliance on explicit rep ...

Radiometers are a crucial element in NASA's studies of Planet Earth. This proposal addresses the basic need for a miniature light sensor, flexibly configurable and optimized for above and in-water optical property measurements. The innovation we are proposing develops a 1 cm diameter photodetector module, called a "microradiometer." The microradiometer consists of a photodetector, preamplifier ...