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This STTR topic seeks commercial solutions that will allow and encourage standardization of key payload to launch vehicle, and subsystem interface standards to reduce the cost associated with analysis, integration, and preparation required to design and then configure space systems for launch. The goal is a set of launch vehicle adapters, processes, and avionics interface standards that can be collectively used to facilitate spacecraft and subsystem design while reducing testing duration and complexity, overall reducing mission risk and while enabling novel mission concepts.

NASA has a growing need for flexible polymer foams for cryogenic insulation, fireproofing, energy absorption and other aerospace applications. NASA Chemists and Engineers at Langley Research Center and Kennedy Space Center have been developing high performance polyimide foams for the last 15 years or more for such applications with great success in varying densities, addressing cell content and e ...

Validation of future complex integrated systems designed to ensure flight safety under off-nominal conditions associated with aircraft loss of control is a significant challenge. Future systems will ensure vehicle flight safety by integrating vehicle health management functions, resilient control functions, flight safety assessment and prediction functions, and crew interface and variable autonomy functions. Each of these functions is characterized by algorithmic diversity that must be addressed in the validation process.

The fulfillment of the SSAT project's goal requires the ability to transform the vast amount of data produced by the aircraft and associated systems and people into actionable knowledge that will aid in detection, causal analysis, and prediction at levels ranging from the aircraft-level, to the fleet-level, and ultimately to the level of the national airspace. The vastness of this data means that data mining methods must be efficient and scalable so that they can return results quickly. Additionally, much of this data will be distributed among multiple systems.

The benefit of prognostics will be realized by converting remaining life estimates and dynamically changing context information into actionable decisions. These decisions can then be enacted at the appropriate level, depending on the prognostic time horizon and safety criticality of the affected area. In particular, information about RUL could be used either reflexively, through resource re-allocation, through mission replanning, or through appropriate maintenance action.

The NASA Aviation Safety program seeks proposals to support the development of robust human interactive, dynamic, safety-critical systems. The aviation Safety program is particularly interested in methods and tools that support predictive analysis of Human - Automation Interaction of mixed initiative systems in complex environments.

The Aviation Safety program has been put in charge of addressing the JPDO concerns that current V&V techniques are not sufficient to verify and validate NextGen. This is reflected in the VVFCS element under the SSAT project in the Aviation Safety program. VVFCS has four major themes: 

Novel integrated system health management technologies will enable NASA’s pursuit of a more sustainable and affordable approach to spaceflight. New heavy lift launch systems will incorporate new engines, propellants, materials, and combustion processes and will increase NASA’s capabilities and significantly lower operations costs. Health management is essential for the safe and reliable operation of these complex systems. Innovative health management technologies are also essential for long-duration robotic precursor missions.

The objective of this subtopic is to create human-robotic technologies (hardware and software) to improve the exploration of space. Robots can perform tasks to assist and off-load work from astronauts. Robots may perform this work before, in support of, or after humans. Ground controllers and astronauts will remotely operate robots using a range of control modes (teleoperation to supervised autonomy), over multiple spatial ranges (shared-space, line-of-sight, in orbit, and interplanetary), and with a range of time-delay and communications bandwidth.

Advances are needed in alerts/warnings and risk assessment models that give mission planners, flight control teams and crews sufficient advanced warning of impending Solar Proton Event impact. Research and development should be targeted which leverages modeling techniques used throughout terrestrial weather for extreme event assessment. There is particular interest in development of models capable of delivering the probability of no SPE occurrence in a 24-hour time period, i.e., an “All-Clear” forecast.