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<p> Current water quality monitors aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are specialized and provide limited data. The Colorimetric Water Quality Monitor Kit (CWQMK) and the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) are used to measure biocide concentrations and the total organic carbon load, respectively.  While each of these instruments provides important analytical information, they lack the ability to fully characterize the organic and inorganic compounds present in the ISS water systems.  Identification of individual compounds requires the return of ISS archival samples that are analyzed in ground laboratories.</p> <p> A survey of the other environmental monitoring hardware used on the ISS reveals that air quality monitors have advanced further toward the end goal of providing real-time, compound-specific information that can be used by the crew. As many of the organic compounds on the target lists for air and water quality monitoring are identical, evaluating the current air quality monitoring technologies is a logical first step toward development of a water quality platform that can characterize the organic load in spacecraft water systems. The initial phase of this effort is focused on ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). IMS technology was previously used in the ISS Volatile Organic Analyzer (VOA), and it is employed for numerous terrestrial applications, such as the detection of a variety of large analytes in aqueous solution. It also is widely field-deployed by the Department of Homeland Security for explosives detection.</p> <p> Our approach couples IMS with electrospray ionization (ESI) to ionize and detect target analytes in water samples. The successful completion of this work could potentially allow for the analysis of both air and water samples using a single instrument.</p>

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Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS), and Space Systems Loral as a key subcontractor and potential commercial infusion partner, will focus the proposed SBIR Phase 2 program on the TRL 5/6 technology maturation / development of an affordable, lightweight, high power, maximum performance solar array specifically configured to next-generation high power geostationary-earth-orbit commercial mission requirements, and in support of future NASA missions. DSS's recently completed NASA SBIR Phase 1 program has established a TRL 3/4 classification for an innovative affordable maximum performance solar array as applied to a multitude of NASA and commercial missions. Significant concept feasibility, design/analysis, trade study/evaluation, and proof-of-concept hardware build/test efforts executed during the Phase 1 program have validated the proposed technology as a potentially revolutionary photovoltaic flexible blanket solar array system that provides enabling performance in terms of: High specific power / lightweight (up to 200 W/kg BOL at the array level with ZTJ PV), compact stowage volume (>60-80 kW/m3 BOL), high deployed strength and stiffness, mechanical and electrical simplicity, high reliability, high modularity, rapid production capability, high platform flexibility and applicability to many missions, and ultra-affordability (>24% recurring cost savings at a minimum). Building off the success of the recently completed Phase 1 program, the proposed Phase 2 follow-on program will significantly increase technology readiness to TRL 5/6, ready it for an end-user qualification program, and drastically accelerate commercial infusion.

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<p>The space suit is arguably the most intimate piece of space flight hardware yet we know surprisingly little about the interactions between the astronaut and this machine.  Current EVA mobility studies only allow for comparisons of how the suit moves when actuated by a human and how the human moves when unsuited. Over decades, engineering and science teams have attempted to bridge this gap using tools from live x-rays to shape tape to pressure sensors but none of these technologies have proved to be both safe and reliable. However, there are now new wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) that are small enough to be worn in pockets of the space suit undergarments to provide real-time data on the postures and joint angles assumed by the suited test subject as they conduct simulated EVA tasks.   Thus the proposed development is to use the new IMUs with the data collection system that can synch across 32 human worn sensors and simultaneously link to the Vicon MX data collected from externally mounted suit reflectors.  Initially, success of this project will be measured by the ability to transmit the wireless signals through the pressurized suit without significant loss of signal or distortion and the development of software code to accurately describe the motion of joint segments during simulated EVA tasks.  Follow on efforts will provide the first time linked data sets for internal and external movements during suited mobility assessments. </p>

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<p> Develop interferometric High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) receiver component technology that will reduce mass, power, volume, risk, and cost for the Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) Decadal Survey mission.  This interferometer will be a significant advance over the current HSRL-2 interferometer:<br /> More robust frequency locking (one degree of freedom vs. 3 in current design)<br /> Higher long-term calibration stability (increased accuracy in science retrievals)<br /> Allows simpler supporting detectors, electronics, and frequency locking architecture<br />  </p>

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<p>Develop an alkaline exchange membrane (AEM)for use as a polymer electrolyte in both fuel cell and electrolyzer systems.  The ultimate goal in AEM development is to fabricate fuel cell systems required for future human space missions.</p>

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<p>Develop and demonstrate a software architecture, initially based on GPU’s but expandable to multiple CPU platforms, to provide optical raytraces with more than 232 independent rays (current capability is 224).<br />The new software architecture will use GPU programming techniques developed for the Palomar P3K adaptive optics system (world-record holder for number of actuators and speed).<br />Systems like TMT, CCAT, ATLAST will require this large number of rays to accurately model and verify their system performance<br />A demonstration connecting existing single-threaded tools (MACOS) to SIERRA has been done by Lee Peterson and Scott Basinger and proven to be a powerful new tool for truly integrated modeling.</p>

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<p>The Human-Robot Interaction Reconfigurable Test Environment (HRI-RTE) integrates a grid-based, reconfigurable test arena and an operator workstation with state-of-the-art displays and controls for commanding small, multi-purpose robots. It will be used to investigate advanced methods of commanding robots, innovative display concepts, improved camera views, methods of feedback to operators for teleoperation, and mitigations for time delays. The reconfigurability of the test environment will be validated by test scenarios that focus on human-robot system performance across a range of HRI technologies, tasks, metrics, and environmental scenarios. The project’s focus is on the human interface to the robotic system rather than on robot design.</p>

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<p>Develop an algorithm to model foam compression during impact and implement as an easy to use excel based shipping foam design tool.</p><p>Refine methodology of calculating foam compression using the innovative Stress-Energy testing method which drastically increases flexibility of data collected by normalizing data with respect to drop height and foam volume. Foam compression is critical in cases where a protrusion exists which should not contact the bottom of the container. There are benefits of using multiple foam types or sandwiched foam packaging. Tests were conducted to confirm the theory for how to combine foams as well as add the function to the existing tool. Calculations for sandwiched foams along with the addition of flight foams to the data base provides tools required for engineers to properly design foam packaging when multiple foams would be beneficial. This provides the option to pack hardware for flight then ship hardware to launch facility.</p>

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<p>To illustrate the viability of this technology, a prototype Natural User Interface (NUI) was developed as a proof-of-concept for system control.  Gesture and voice controls were developed and compared.   Both methods of control input allowed the user to be in a general area as opposed to a specific location.   Voice input highlighted the ability to achieve truly hands-free interaction.</p><p>The prototype provided for control of a simplistic lighting system and cabin temperature control system which represented a typical space habitat system requiring interaction.  The user interacted with the system through a Microsoft Kinect sensor which includes an infrared light source and receiver and array microphone capability.   Code was developed in conjunction with the skeleton tracking and speech recognition capabilities in the software development kit to allow the use of gestures and speech as a source of input.  To allow the user to monitor system response and to 'see' the results of their commands, a simple set of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed to include the logical equivalent of commands and telemetry feedback.   In addition, an end effector unit was developed using an Arduino microprocessor which received serial port inputs from the application software to control light emitting diodes which represented habitat light systems and a servo motor which represented an air mixing valve that might be used to support temperature control setpoint.  </p><p>To interact with the system, the user began with a main display where they could navigate to the lighting controls display and a thermal control display.  The lighting controls consisted of on-off buttons for three areas of the simulated habitat (lab, crew quarters, airlock). Using voice commanding, the user could control the lights in each habitation area (e.g., “lab off” would select the off button). Gesture control employed both the left and right arms. Once the participant told the system to track their arm, a focus box would move over the lighting controls as controlled by the left hand. Once the focus box was over the desired on-off control, the button would be activated by a wave of the right hand. On the thermal control screen, a slider was shown with setpoint values ranging from 62 and 82 degrees. Using simple voice commands such as “temp 70”, the setpoint indicator would move to that temperature. When the participant told the system to track the hand, the slider would move in parallel with the right hand. To stay at a specific temperature, the participant simply told the system to stop tracking.   The appropriate lights on the end-effector unit would turn on/off consistent with the GUI indications and the servo would move to a position in its range of motion that was scaled to be consistent with the temperature setpoint command.</p><p>Development, test and evaluation of this small system emphasized the importance of designing it in a way that ensures the actions the system takes are consistent with the intent of the user and that the application software contains logic necessary to correctly interpret the sensed inputs.   This is particularly challenging to accomplish while trying to ensure that the gestures and voice commands remain natural and easily remembered/applied.   It was also important to allow the user to enable/disable the processing of voice/gesture at any given time during use.</p><p>Through this project we have identified the need to investigate and develop gesture and voice 'vocabularies' that will be perceived as natural and easily remembered by users.   We have also determined that design approaches using mode control are relevant but require additional considerations when using one or more NUI input modalities.   Progressively more complex system development would be the best approach to mature the design practices required for spacecraft application.  It is understood that other options exist for NUI input sensing which may be preferable for certain applications.   However, it is believed that this forward work  would apply to alternate NUI input sensing options as well.</p>

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<p>Goals of the DSH Testbed include:</p><ul><li>Function as a habitat systems integrator and technology pull across many domains</li><li>Develop and integrate software-based models of habitat systems with system to system interdependencies</li><li>Enable maturation of select habitat systems</li><li>Integration of physical hardware where available</li><li>Distributed testing to link to other facilities</li></ul><p>The DSH Testbed provides a place to build the instance of the DSH vehicle, and as a result provide integration testing of habitat subsystems and technologies in a vehicle-like context.  Some of these technologies include:</p><ul><li>WSN</li><li>Power</li><li>Avionics</li><li>Software</li><li>Impact Detection</li><li>Comm</li><li>Crew Systems (Displays, TRWS, programmable lighting)</li></ul><p>Testing in an incremental fashion, subsystems can be added on to the core architecture, modularly removed and replaced, and finally matured.  Subsystems also do not have to be physically present in order to be included in the testbed.  The DSH Testbed is able to perform a combination of local and distributed connectivity to hardware and software to complete vehicle integration.  Finally, subsystems can be varying maturity levels, and even exist as simulations.  The DSH Testbed is able to host subsystem models and simulations and stress them in the integrated habitat context.</p>

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<p>The spectrum of a light affects crew health.  This solution does not require power or a calibration cycle. The premise is that an optical solution is sufficient to document spectra for light sources such as those on ISS.</p><p>This innovation would like to research the viability of spectral characterization of a light source without the use of photometric devices like spectrophotometers.  The spectral characteristics of a light source are an important component to the design and maintenance of a lighting environment where habitability and workmanship issues are tied to color. Color is important for tasks like litmus strip color matching, and crew health issues in controlling Circadian Rhythm.  Currently, the International Space Station does not have on-board sensors to measure the spectrum of the lighting environment.  </p><p>Assuming a successful completion of this study, additional proposals will be made for formal development of a test kit to be used for ground support and on-orbit color characterization of lighting environments.</p>

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<p>Develop Zernike phase-contrast wavefront sensor for alignment of segmented telescopes using external light sources.</p>

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<p>The Flight Deck of the Future (F.F) will integrate interdisciplinary talent to design innovative, integrated human interfaces for the next generation of human spaceflight. Two research areas that are ripe for development and vetting through the F.F are Virtual Windows and Electronic Textiles (e-textile):</p><p>  - Virtual Windows can significantly improve external visibility  thereby greatly enhancing crew situational awareness, performance, and psychological health. This project includes integration of tiled displays, scene-stitching software, multiple cameras with real-time video imagery, and various camera control methods.</p><p>  - By putting interfaces on the body, wearable technology enables rapid access to information and controls, continuous physiological monitoring, and alarms for dangerous environmental conditions. This project includes design and development of an e-textile garment with integrated power, data network, and wireless communications.<br /> </p>

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<p>This project has developed a set of tactile display garments that will be used to evaluate various tactile display methodologies. The garments include two sleeves and a belt that are designed for easy don/doff to facilitate research with multiple users. Fifteen small vibrating motors are integrated into the garments and are controlled wirelessly via a custom desktop control interface.</p>

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<p>An independent portable equipment platform was designed to house a wide variety of electrical equipment encased into a self-contained portable enclosure unit, which not only provides remote data acquisition and control capability, but was also constructed so that it can be set up and safely used within hydrogen environments. The unit takes advantage of the use of a battery powered system, a cooling cycle and a purging system for electrical equipment deployment. This enables cutting-edge and novel equipment to be rapidly deployed, economically support projects, and  improves anomaly investigations in remote locations.</p>

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<p>The primary objective is to mature an existing TRL 5 product that is designed for Earth applications into a fully designed and tested micro-transceiver useable on space-based extreme MEV challenged platforms. A secondary objective is to demonstrate interoperability between this micro-transceiver and next-generation NASA communications assets: specifically the "Communications, Navigation and Networking ReConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT)/Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed" scheduled to be deployed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The demonstration will be a ground (Earth) to Space (ISS) link demonstration.</p>

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<p>SWCam is CCAT’s short-wavelength camera.  It will image at 350 μm, possibly also 450 and 200 μm.  Photons are absorbed directly in the TiN inductor which, together with the interdigitated capacitor, forms the KID resonator.  A 432-pixel prototype array has been demonstrated at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO), showing good yield and reasonable systematics.  During this year we plan to deliver a second-generation array with increased response to improve sensitivity.  This will be obtained with a smaller inductor, which is coupled with an array of lenses.   We expect to demonstrate photon-noise-limited performance demonstrated at realistic sky loadings for CCAT (<50 pW per pixel).  A second deliverable is a demonstration array which operates in a different band, either 200 μm,  450 μm, or 850 μm, as SWCam.</p><p>LWCam is CCAT’s long-wavelength camera.  It will image at 750 μm, 860 μm, 1.1 mm, 1.3 mm, 2.0 mm, and 3.3 mm, with a total of ~50,000 detectors.  The multi-color information provides discriminating power for dusty galaxies, galaxy clusters (as probed with the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (S-Z) effect), and star-formation regions.  It uses multi-scale phase-array antennas which are coupled via transmission lines to on-chip bandpass filters and the TiN KIDs. Deliverables this year include a full LW Cam prototype chip with 3-scale antenna, demonstrating good efficiency, beamshape, and sensitivity.</p>

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<p>Strained Layer Superlattice (SLS) detectors are a new class of detectors.   In our FY12 IRAD “<strong>Strained Layer Superlattice Infrared Detector Array Characterization” </strong>we verified that these devices exhibit a dramatic increase in quantum efficiency (QE) over quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) and are approaching QE values comparable with mercury cadmium telluride and indium antimonide detectors.   The anticipated advantages of SLS detector technology over existing IR detectors are: high sensitivity, band-gap tunable wavelength response (similar to QWIPs), warmer operating temperatures, array spectral uniformity (yet to be realized), high temporal stability, relatively low cost of manufacturing, scalability (to very large format arrays) and multiple vendor sources all contributing to higher performing scientific instruments.  Warmer and more stable focal planes lead to simpler instrument designs which result in higher reliability, longer mission lifetimes and reduced costs.   In our FY12 IRAD we obtained a test SLS array and performed extensive tests to ascertain the veracity of researcher claims, as well as to assess the potential applications to NASA missions from a practical infusion standpoint.   The most important result of that investigation was the verification of the (unexpected) very high QE.  However, along with the dramatic improvement in QE we measured much higher dark current and the array was quite non-uniform. Before we embark on an ambitious in-house program to design and fabricate SLS detectors it would be very valuable to build an IR camera system using the existing SLS array we currently have and perform some local field tests.  We believe that actual IR imaging of external environment scenery will prove most valuable.</p>

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<p>To demonstrate (benchtop experiment) a DPSK receiver with a free-space interferometer, showing that fiber-optic coupling, associated adaptive optics, and optical preamplification can be avoided, with potential large cost savings; To rigorously quantify the performance (capacity and photon-budget) tradeoff between conventional (adaptive optics + optical preamplification) systems and our proposed free-space photon-counting-array approach; To develop extensions to orthogonal phase-modulated signaling over multiple symbols and associated photon-counting receiver structures, which enable approaching the photon efficiency of high-order pulse position modulation.</p>

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<p>A study was done to examine low-temperature effects and radiation damage properties of bipolar integrated circuits.   Anticipated benefits:  useful in missions with electronics that operate at low temperature. This task developed analytical methods for low temperature performance.   Bandgap narrowing was shown to be the underlying reason for the large decrease in npn transistor gain at low temperature. Furthermore, we have developed analytical methods for radiation damage in combination with low temperature.  This model reproduces our experimental results of temperature dependent radiation damage yields. This work has shown that operating bipolar circuits at reduced temperature can improve radiation tolerance.   Deliverable:  report.</p>

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<p>Develop autonomous rapid response to science observations in missions targeting small bodies in fly-by mode where observing and reaction time is precious.</p>

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A Multi-Depth Underwater Spectroradiometer for Validation of Remotely-Sensed Ocean Color and Estimation of Seawater Biogeochemical Properties (A) Project

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<p>Evaluate Current State of the Art; Define Critical Performance Requirements; Select Components; Smart Initiator or Smart Connector; Perform Detailed Cost/Benefit Analysis; Develop System Architecture; Build Prototype System; Qualify Prototype System to TRL 6; Develop Full Qualification Plan for implementation on JPL Flight Project.</p>

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<p>Active radiation shielding concepts have been studied for many decades as a means to protect crew from deep space radiation environments. These studies yield architectures that are significantly massive and too costly to launch and assemble in space largely due to the magnet size and field strength required to deflect galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) spectra and solar particle events (SPE) for meaningful crew protection in space. Since then state-of-the-art superconducting technology has made great strides in performance including higher temperature superconductivity (HTS) and greater current carrying capacity allowing for simpler magnet cooling systems and greater magnetic field strength per unit mass. </p><p>During Phase I, the pros and cons of more than 20 potential coil configurations were analyzed by Advanced Magnet Lab (AML) personnel and INFN with the University of Perugia. Substantial progress has been made to develop a feasible solution for the required large HTS coils. The work performed showed that single layer expandable coils with diameters of 4 to 8 m and lengths of 15 to 20 m, arranged in a 6-around-1 configuration constitute the best solution among all concepts analyzed. The single compensator coil closely surrounds the habitat serving as a habitat thermal radiation shield for the outer coils and compensates for outer coil fringe fields trying to enter the habitat. AML has secured separate funding from Space Florida to demonstrate the concept of expandable HTS coils. The phase 2 proposal effort will continue with the creative method of the “expandable” coil concept. The team will refine the structural concept to house such a coil assembly. This will include a more comprehensive structural loads analysis and structural design to manage field forces on each of the coils and the habitat. Concept design and analysis will include effects of the compensation coil on the entire system. The team will evaluate safety implications for the phase 1 coil concept including quench performance, fault scenarios and mitigation strategies.</p>

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<p>Project will procure available graphite foam products in small quantities, perform testing, and build simple prototype designs. Several specific applications have been identified in thermal management systems, energy storage, and multifunctional structures that will require continued collaborative engineering between divisions to develop.  Working groups are being established to pursue small efforts in each area.  Materials processing on as-received foams to enable engineering designs as well as techniques to produce foams with specific desirable properties are being studied.</p>