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Industrial Scale Production of Celestial Body Simulants

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX11CC13C
Agency Tracking Number: 095852
Amount: $587,170.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: X6.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2011
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2011-06-01
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2013-05-31
Small Business Information
CO
Boulder, CO 80301-1229
United States
DUNS: 079891292
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: Yes
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Michael Weinstein
 Principal Investigator
 (303) 530-2727
 mike@zybekap.com
Business Contact
 Michael Weinstein
Title: Project Manager
Phone: (303) 530-2727
Email: mike@zybekap.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

The technical objectives of this program are to develop a cost-effective process to deliver Celestial body simulants for the foreseeable future. Specifically, the technical objectives of this project are:?Deliver 3 metric tons of a lunar Mare simulant. A portion of the simulant will be bulk, excavation-grade that is compatible to the now depleted JSC-1a. Another portion of the simulant will be a technical grade simulant that has the proper amounts of glass and agglutinates included. Finally, a titanium-rich Mare will be produced. The correct concentrations of titanium are critical for mechanical and chemical process development and testing.?After the 3 metric tons of Mare simulant; be able to produce bulk simulant at $10,000 per ton. This will be 30% better than the NASA cost target specified in the original solicitation.?ZAP will deliver 1 metric ton of research grade Highlands type lunar simulant.?ZAP will deliver a documented process for producing low-cost, bulk mare simulants. After phase 2 project, estimated cost is: $5,000 per ton.?ZAP will test and demonstrate the applicability of the manufacturing process to produce other Celestial body materials. Examples include: Asteroid, Mars, probe reference samples, and dark glass.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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