Summary

Description

Future detectors and arrays for visible, IR, and submillimeter imaging and spectroscopy require much higher speed digitizers than are currently available. In particular, low-power (< 5 W) space-qualifiable digitizers with > 5 GHz bandwidth and > 5 Gs/s sampling rates are needed to enable next generation digital submillimeter spectrometers. These digitizers must also provide data reduction and interface to typical digital processing logic using e.g. LVDS-compatible I/O. To meet these needs, Hittite proposes an innovative digitizer combining a high-speed (10 Gs/s), wideband (10 GHz), moderate-resolution (4 ? 6 bit) ADC with a companion digital demux to reduce the data rate and present LVDS-compatible outputs to e.g. Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs. The proposed SiGe HBT technology offers high reliability and radiation tolerance for space missions. A conceptual design will be developed in Phase I, and prototype digitizer modules produced during Phase II. Although a two-chip solution is initially proposed to reduce development risk, the technology will facilitate a single-chip solution during Phase III to further reduce size, weight, and power while improving system reliability.

Summary

Description

The overall objective of the Phase II effort is to demonstrate prototype multifunctional EVA system power patches that integrate energy storage into advanced space suit systems' components (suit and pack) to increase functionality and decrease weight and volume. The program will optimize materials and plasma processes to bridge the performance gap between current fiber and planar batteries. Optimized fiber batteries will be integrated into prototypes relevant to anticipated NASA missions. Successful completion of the Phase II will lead to an engineering demonstration unit that powers a distributed sensor under conditions that are compatible with anticipated missions. Additional integrated power pack designs such as composites based on fiber batteries will be also evaluated. The lessons learned in this effort will establish guidelines for effective development and transition of future generations of MFF into EVA systems and other applications.

Summary

Description

This is a Phase II SBIR proposal to develop an extremely versatile optical inspection tool for aspheric optical components and optics that are not easily inspected with conventional interferometry. Modern optical design and manufacturing procedures have begun using such components more and more in routine applications to improve optical system capability. Since the optical tolerances achieved in the manufacture of such components have an important bearing on the performance capabilities of the systems that employ them, instrumentation and techniques for precision metrology are vital for quality assurance. Inspection tools required for these types of optical components have lagged the capability to manufacture them. The proposed work will build upon a successful Phase I project that demonstrated the feasibility of a novel technique for full aperture precision metrology of such optical components. In Phase II we will deliver a complete turnkey instrument based on the Phase I research. The instrument incorporates an extremely robust, reliable, and accurate wavefront sensor for precision metrology of a transmitted or reflected wavefront, together with a projection system that covers the full aperture. Achieved through a unique combination of digital holographic interferometry, Hartmann wavefront sensing, and adaptive optics the resulting instrument will be an extremely flexible tool.

Summary

Description

The abrasive, reactive, and ubiquitous nature of lunar regolith created significant and serious problems during the Apollo moon missions. In this Phase I, Agave BioSystems, in collaboration with Dr. Randy Vander Wal of the Universities Space Research Association, propose to develop next generation smart filters using novel carbon nanotube (CNT)-based structures in electrostatic devices. Since CNTs have extremely high surface area, can function without the mass transfer limitations of traditional filtrations systems, and they can be charged to emit very high charge densities, they constitute an ideal material for integration into spacecraft air handling systems as electrostatic filtration components. The overall goal of this program is to build upon the unique structural and electronic nature of carbon nanotubes to create novel smart filters. By synthesizing the CNTs in situ on solid mesh supports and integrating them into a novel electrostatic particle collection unit, we aim to create novel filtration media capable of removing airborne lunar regolith from spacecraft airlock and cabin atmospheres.

Summary

Description

The feasibility of radioisotope thermophotovoltaic (RTPV) power systems has been shown. The best efficiencies reported to date for a TPV module test include front surface spectral control filters. This program will address the technical challenges to developing and qualifying highly efficient spectral control filters that can survive high temperatures(above 150 degrees C)for long periods of time. In earlier work, we have identified thermally stable filter materials and demonstrated their use as high index filter materials, however they are quite sensitive to deposition conditions. In this program, we will (1)optimize deposition conditions to improve reliability, repeatability, uniformity, and filter performance, (2)develop and optimize filter designs for radioisotope power, (3)conduct extended high temperature, long life, radiation, and environmental durability testing, (4)identify other potential high temperature materials, (5) address the use of multiple spectral control architectures including spectrally selective emitters, back surface reflectors (BSR) and photonic crystals, and (5) integrate the spectral control architectures with RTPV technology to address NASA missions.

Summary

Description

Single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable large stroke, high precision, shape control for cryogenic lightweight deployable membrane mirror structures for future NASA Science and communications applications. Piezoelectric properties of PMN-PT single crystal at a temperature of 4 K will be investigated. Compact piezo linear motor utilizing PMN-PT single crystal driver will be assembled and characterized at temperatures of 4K-300K. Specific goals for cryomotor are: maximum stroke >100 mm, maximum driving force ~10 N, response time ~ ms, positioning resolution ~50 nm, operating temperature of 4K-300 K, total mass <50 g, and power consumption <1 W. The deployment structure design and the stroke, force required for membrane mirror deployment will be identified in the phase I, and a 25 mm aperture membrane mirror deployment concept demonstration will be conducted in Phase I. At the conclusion of the Phase I program the feasibility of single crystal cryomotor for deployable membrane mirror will have been demonstrated. In Phase II, optimized single crystal piezoelectric actuators will be integrated into a 3 m deployable membrane mirror structure and delivered to NASA Labs for evaluation.

Summary

Description

Stereochemistry is an essential element of our organic life. Only certain enantiomers are useful as drugs for the human body. Raman optical activity (ROA) provides stereochemical information down to the bond levels. Many biomolecules like proteins and DNA can be studied to understand their structural chemistry and structure related dynamics. These methods do not require material in the crystalline form and hence can be very useful tools. However, ROA signals are even weaker than the Raman signals. Using an important biomolecule, we have demonstrated in Phase I that ROA can be enhanced using nanoparticles. Not only did the ROA ratio increase by two orders of magnitude, the measurement time reduced from several hours to 10 seconds. Phase II work will focus on enhancing ROA signals in different subspecies of biomolecules, namely amino acids and proteins, and developing the appropriate colloidal chemistry. Use of nanoparticles is known to enhance Raman signals by several orders of magnitude. Our goal is to achieve similar gains in ROA signals by using a sensitive detection system in combination with improved surface enhanced chemistry and microfluidics-based single-molecule detection techniques. This will result in improved precision of measurement and shorten measurement time.

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Description

NASA and DoD are seeking high-performance, lightweight liquid rocket combustion chambers with future performance goals that cannot be achieved using state-of-the-art actively cooled metallic liners, silicided C103, or even carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Ultramet has previously developed and successfully demonstrated carbon fiber-reinforced zirconium carbide (C/ZrC) and zirconium-silicon carbide (C/Zr-Si-C) matrix CMCs for use in liquid propellant applications up to 4200<SUP>o</SUP>F. In Phase I, Ultramet demonstrated the feasibility of combining the light weight of C/C with the oxidation resistance of ZrC and Zr-Si-C matrix composites in a unique system composed of a C/C primary structure with an integral CMC liner. The system effectively bridges the gap in weight and performance between coated C/C and bulk CMCs. Rapid fabrication was demonstrated through an innovative variant of Ultramet's melt infiltration refractory composite processing technology. In Phase II, Ultramet will team with ATK-GASL for process optimization, component fabrication, and comprehensive testing of lightweight, high-strength, elevated temperature oxidation-resistant liquid rocket combustion chambers. The fully developed system will have strength that is comparable to that of C/C, low density comparable to that of C/SiC, and ultrahigh temperature (>4000<SUP>o</SUP>F) oxidation stability.

Summary

Description

The objective of this NASA Phase II program is to develop and increase the Technology Readiness Level of multifunctional Metal RubberTM (MR<SUP>TM</SUP>) materials that can be used as 1) large strain sensors, and 2) strain-insensitive electrical interconnects for aerospace systems and structures. The aerospace systems-level problem these materials would help solve is the inability of currently available metal-based sensors and wiring/interconnects to undergo the large strains and displacements associated with shape changes of inflatable, flexible and morphing structures. During Phase I, NanoSonic demonstrated the feasibility of the MRTM family of free-standing nanocomposite materials to serve as 1) electrically-conductive, low-modulus electrode wiring for a) large displacement mechanical actuators required to affect large shape changes, and b) embedded or attached electrical data buses that are not affected by strain, and 2) strain sensors capable of measuring very large strains to allow mapping of the deformation of adaptive structural components. During Phase I, NanoSonic also developed a first-principles physical model of electrical conductivity percolation in Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP>, and performed experimental analysis to validate model assumptions. During Phase II, NanoSonic would work cooperatively with a large aerospace contractor to optimize material properties, upscale material production, and evaluate material performance under simulated space environmental conditions.

Summary

Description

High-bandwidth, Radiation Hardening, low-power, low-EMI, easily reconfigurable and upgradeable transponder-based interconnects between processor nodes, subsystems, and blocks are of utmost importance for the achievement of high performance computing on orbit and for providing reliable electronic systems in natural space and terrestrial radiation environments. In response to the described needs, we will develop a novel, monolithic radiation-tolerant transponder, which will be integrated into a hermetically-sealed pigtailed multi-chip module, containing opto-electrical and electro-optical components. Module will be featuring FPGA-friendly parallel interface and will provide an improved radiation tolerance, high data rate, low power consumption, and advanced functionality. The developed ASIC transponder will utilize our patent-pending high-speed current-mode logic library of TID-tolerant-by-technology and SEU/SEE-tolerant-by-architecture cells. 8B10B encoding will be used to achieve data disparity equal to 0, optimize performance of the optical receiver, and perform a reliable clock recovery. The encoder and decoder will utilize our patented radiation tolerant half-rate architecture. A fully functional module will be delivered and tested at the end of Phase II.

Summary

Description

The development of a library of Common MDO Objects is proposed, in which the software objects will automate a variety of recurring problems in the development of MDO systems. The focus of the Phase I project is development of MDO objects to implement multi-fidelity modeling and simulation within MDO systems, and to implement general inter-disciplinary mapping/coupling algorithms that can apply to disciplines such as aerodynamics, structures, and thermal. These modules will make it much easier to develop MDO applications, as the common issues can be solved by simply selecting the appropriate "MDO Object".

Summary

Description

Future detectors and arrays for visible, IR, and submillimeter imaging and spectroscopy require much higher speed digitizers than are currently available. In particular, low-power (< 5 W) space-qualified digitizers with > 10 GHz bandwidth and sampling at > 10 Gs/s are needed to enable next generation digital submillimeter spectrometers. These digitizers must also interface to typical digital signal processing logic using e.g. LVDS I/O. To meet these needs, Hittite proposes an innovative digitizer combining a high-speed (10 Gs/s), wideband (10 GHz), moderate-resolution (6 bit) ADC with a companion digital demux to reduce the data rate and present LVDS-compatible outputs to e.g. Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs. The proposed SiGe HBT technology offers high reliability and radiation tolerance for space missions. A conceptual design was developed in Phase I. During Phase II, the ADC and demux chips will be designed, laid out, and fabricated. Prototype digitizer modules will be assembled into a small module, tested, and delivered during a Phase III effort. The initial two-chip digitzer reduces development risk. The technology will readily support a single-chip solution to further reduce size, weight, and power while improving system reliability in future programs.

Summary

Description

New wind tunnel flow quality test and analysis procedures have been developed and will be used to establish standardized turbulent flow quality measurement techniques and data reduction procedures for future flow quality studies in the National Transonic Wind Tunnel (NTF) and other Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) facilities. To date, few measurements have been made of the characteristics of freestream turbulence in transonic wind tunnels, and details of the amplitude and spectra of freestream velocity and pressure fluctuations is lacking. Consequently, there is an urgent need for in-situ measurements to determine flow quality and the performance of turbulence and noise suppression devices. This information is required if we are to accurately assess and characterize ground test facility performance. To meet these challenges, a unique research program is proposed to clarify and alleviate the aerodynamic problems associated with adverse wind tunnel flow quality. It combines innovative advances in data base assessment and management, and new approaches to turbulence instrumentation and analysis. Standardized turbulence measurement techniques and data analysis procedures will be established and used to document the flow quality in our major test facilities.

Summary

Description

We propose to develop and commercialize a new class of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coatings containing the rare-earth element gadolinium (Gd), designed as efficient narrow-band reflective mirror coatings operating near normal incidence in the 60-65 nm wavelength range. This long-wavelength region of the EUV includes the important solar emission lines O V near l=63.0 nm and Mg X near l=61.0 nm, formed at intermediate temperatures in the solar atmosphere. While narrow-band EUV multilayer coatings are by now widely used in NASA missions for high-resolution solar imaging at wavelengths shorter than 35 nm, the observations made at those wavelengths probe coronal and transition region lines formed at either low (e.g., He II at l=30.4 nm) or high (e.g., numerous Fe lines) temperatures. In contrast, the 60?65 nm wavelength region provides a unique spectral window in which to observe intermediate-temperature solar emission lines. However, efficient narrow-band multilayer coatings operating in this range have been unavailable until now. The successful development of efficient, stable Gd-based multilayers as we propose, based on preliminary experimental results, especially those obtained during our Phase I effort, will therefore enable the construction of new high-resolution solar telescopes tuned to O V or Mg X that will complement existing multilayer telescopes tuned to shorter EUV wavelengths, thereby providing more complete temperature coverage, and leading to better understanding of the solar atmosphere, its variability, and its crucial role in driving space weather. EUV imaging instruments incorporating the multilayer technology we propose to develop may be included in future missions such as RAM, Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter, as well as future GOES satellites and new Explorer-class missions.

Summary

Description

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I proposal seeks to develop an ultrasensitive, laser-based formaldehyde gas sensor system for airborne and ground-based atmospheric monitoring. The proposed instrument will be capable of accurately determining sub-parts-per-billion formaldehyde concentrations in seconds. This compact, lightweight instrument will be capable of long-term autonomous operation, and require minimal power. The Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of the technology by performing measurements on formaldehyde samples using a bench-scale laboratory instrument that employs a novel, frequency agile laser source. The results of these tests will be used to quantify detection limits for a Phase II instrument. Commercial systems based on the Phase II prototype will be developed and marketed during Phase III.

Summary

Description

The objective of the project is the development of an open architecture, computational toolbox for design and implementation of diagnostic and prognostic algorithms for aircraft electrical power systems. The management of typical failure modes of the electrical system can have substantial returns in the overall availability, safety and operating cost of aircraft. We propose several innovative techniques for monitoring specific components of the power system such as generators, converters, and batteries. The integrated architecture using general purpose symbolic processing, numerical tools and data logging makes this project especially attractive and will bring advances in diagnostics and prognostics to engineering practice. The toolbox will include code generation tools resulting in the ability to seamlessly integrate the designed algorithms by automating several key steps for the implementation phase. In Phase I we have demonstrated the approach using simulations and experimental test beds. The successful completion of this phase of the project provided a prototype health monitoring system and established a framework to integrate new algorithms allowing the rapid packaging of advanced health management techniques for validation and verification, flight certification and final system integration and evaluation. In Phase II, we will develop a diagnostics and prognostics toolbox that will allow the transition of advanced techniques for on-line health monitoring of power system components to operational situations. Outputs from the computational toolbox will be useful for scheduling both routine and preventive maintenance. The developed software and real time implementations will be well suited for packaging and integrating into vehicle health management systems for both military and commercial aircraft.

Summary

Description

This research proposes to develop the technology needed to implement a solar-fired regolith processing system at a lunar outpost that achieves low mass, high performance, easy assembly, operation and maintenance, and durability. The Modular Distributed Concentrator (MDC) comprises an array of identical, smaller-sized solar concentrator dishes with a network of power transmission links that route the high quality concentrated energy to a centralized receiver and avoids the challenges of deploying large concentrators with furnace chambers suspended at their focus. The Phase I showed the ability to optimize the concentrator reflector scale to provide low mass, showed that the heat pipe approach had better figures of merit than the optical waveguide approach, and, as a proof-of-concept, used a terrestrial solar concentrator to fire a sodium heat pipe to transmit heat at 1000C. The Phase II effort proposes to establish a system design for a MDC / heat-pipe based carbothermal processing system which requires >1625C process heat. We develop and demonstrate the components needed to deliver heat at this temperature with high performance, using space quality materials, including concentrator, concentrator receiver, tungsten/lithium heat pipe, and an innovative Heat Pipe Thermal Interface (HPTI) that most effectively transfers the power directly into the regolith. The Phase II includes an end-to-end demonstration of all of the subsystems, collecting and concentrating solar energy, transmitting it at >1625C, through the heat pipe and HPTI into the regolith, and extracting oxygen from regolith simulant in an existing process chamber.

Summary

Description

Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are the key components for digitizing high-speed analog data in modern data acquisition systems, which is a critical part of sensor/detector array readout electronics widely used by NASA. Unfortunately, commercially available ADCs consume high power and feature high system latency and poor linearity; especially at input bandwidths larger than 1GHz. In addition, these ADCs are not radiation tolerant due to the utilized process technologies and thus are susceptible to harmful total ionization dose and single event upset effects. Thus, they do not satisfy NASA's low-power, radiation tolerant, and high bandwidth (>20GHz) requirements. In response to the described needs, we propose to develop a monolithic high input bandwidth, radiation tolerant analog-to-digital converter (HIBRA), which will be implemented into a sealed metal-ceramic microwave package with an FPGA-friendly parallel interface and will feature an improved radiation tolerance, high sampling rate, extremely high input bandwidth, and advanced functionality. The ADC will utilize ADSANTEC's high-speed current-mode logic library of Total Ionization Dose-tolerant-by-technology and proprietary architectural cells. The fully functional ASIC will be fabricated in IBM SiGe technology at the end of Phase II.

Summary

Description

This proposed Phase II program seeks to create dual-band pixel-collocated MWIR/LWIR photodetector arrays based on III-V semiconductor materials in a Type-II superlattice structure. The Type-II superlattice offers a customizable cutoff wavelength while maintaining a lattice-matched condition to the host substrate. This superlattice also has lower Auger-recombination, which reduces dark current noise, than HgCdTe solutions, and is sensitive to normal incidence radiation, in contrast to QWIP approaches. The Phase I efforts successfully designed, fabricated and characterized a Type-II dual band IR photodetector. The superlattice material growth will be further optimized in the Phase II, along with modifying the fabrication steps required to realize dual-band photodetector arrays.

Summary

Description

An innovative, ultra-low phase-noise, fully integrated single-chip cavity oscillator is proposed. The cavity is built on a standard MMIC process and has a quality factor of 120 at 50 GHz, and an insertion loss of 7 dB. This proposed technique is very well suited for MMW applications with emphasis on the frequency range 50-100 GHz. The achievable phase noise at 50 GHz is -112 dBc/Hz at 100 KHz offset. This is at least 10dB better than the best fully integrated oscillator reported today. To our knowledge this is the first ever implementation of a waveguide cavity on standard MMIC process. This new technique will allow the realization of ultra-small, high-performance integrated oscillators for future market demands. The oscillator can be readily integrated with digital blocks to form a Phase Locked Oscillator (PLO). The PLO will consist of a cavity oscillator, phase frequency detector, prescaler, and a loop filter. All components can be integrated on InP HBT process.

Summary

Description

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are metal alloys (of Nickel-Titanium, for example) that can change their shape when heated. When drawn and processed in wire form, the shape change is an aggressive contraction, with useable lifetimes of millions of cycles. Despite this fact, SMAs have largely been a scientific curiosity, finding very little commercial use as actuators since their discovery over 30 years ago. The apparent lack of practical application may be attributable to their low recoverable strain (~4% of total wire length). MIGA Motor Company has numerous international patents covering Displacement Multiplication (DM) techniques that allow us to package large strokes in highly compact, lightweight packages. Our current commercially available electric linear actuators provide 1/2" of stroke with 4.5 pounds of output force. We propose to develop several high force variants of our DM designs, allowing up to 32 lbf (high cycle count) or 48 lbf (hundreds of cycles) in a device weighing less than 2 ounces. The manufacturing techniques that we have developed in manufacturing the DM actuators have paved the way to expansion into the high force realm: high reliability wire attachment methods, use of high temperature thermoplastics, protected or over-molded precision chemically-etched stainless-steel stages, and various load-sharing techniques have enabled these powerful actuators to finally become a reality.

Summary

Description

NASA, DoD, DHS, and commercial industry have a pressing need for miniaturized, rugged, low-cost high-vacuum systems. Recent advances in sensor technology at NASA and other government laboratories, in academia, and in industry have led to the development of very small mass spectrometer detectors as well as other analytical instruments such as scanning electronic microscopes. However, the vacuum systems to support these sensors remain large, heavy, and power hungry. To meet this need, Creare proposes to build a miniaturized vacuum system based on a very small, rugged, and inexpensive to manufacture, molecular drag pump. The vacuum pump has performance that is well matched to the needs of these new generation miniature analytical instruments. Such a pump represents an order-of-magnitude reduction in mass, volume, and cost over current, commercially available, state-of-the-art vacuum pumps. The new pump will form the heart of a complete vacuum system optimized to support analytical instruments in terrestrial applications and on spacecraft and planetary landers.

Summary

Description

Many scientists have the common need of visualizing data in a collaborative and interactive manner. In a modern environment, these data are often stored across a widely distributed network and the researchers themselves are just as often separated by large geographical distances. Traditional visualization and collaboration approaches require the local installation of software specific to each end user as well as the downloading of data to each local machine. The proposed innovation would provide researchers with an environment that allows them to visualize remote data using the standard and familiar web browser as the application platform. No proprietary software need be installed and no data has to be downloaded to local machines. Furthermore, multiple researchers can interactively explore data via visualization in a joint session where changes by one researcher are seamlessly seen by the others. The architecture is based on technologies underlying state of the art web applications such as Google Maps. Employing a modular design using web services as means to connect the modules, the environment is easy to modify and improve as new data access, rendering, and client-side display technologies mature and become available.

Summary

Description

Validating software is a critical step in developing high confidence systems. Typical software development practices are not acceptable in systems where failure leads to loss of life or other high costs. Software best practices for high confidence systems are often codified as coding rules. Adhering to these practices can increase software readability and predictability, thereby enhancing quality. However, adherence is limited by the lack of high-quality tools to measure adherence automatically. Checking rule conformance requires a diverse set of software analysis technologies, ranging from syntactic analysis to sophisticated inference of runtime behavior. By combining lightweight verification techniques with other scalable analysis techniques that target syntactic and other static properties, we will create a tool that flags violations for almost all the rules typically applied to high-assurance code. Our Phase I work demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. In Phase I, we developed a tool for checking compliance with rules developed for JPL flight software. The tool leveraged GrammaTech's existing technology for static analysis, including facilities for analyzing a program's abstract syntax tree, control-flow graph, and inferred runtime behavior. The prototype successfully checks a set of rules designed for high-assurance software. Our experiments show that the tool adds only minimal overhead to our CodeSonar bug-finding tool, and generates few or no spurious results that could distract or annoy users.

Summary

Description

Patz Materials and Technologies has developed, produced and tested, as part of the Phase-I SBIR, a new form of composite cellular core material, named Interply Core, this new product is a major step forward in composite core technology. The Interply Core was physically tested to have twice the compressive strength compared to the same density aramid paper and glass fabric core presently available to the aerospace industry. In addition, the new core material has the ability be utilized without any change in the composite aerospace structures manufacturing processes. The Phase II project will be to develop the production equipment to make significant quantities of Interply Core and then build and test different material iterations to quantify all parameters of Interply Core's abilities. At the end of phase II the rotorcraft, as well as other aerospace industries, will have a new material to significantly lower weight without changing platform production methodologies.