We propose a low SWaP Capillary Absorption Spectrometer (CAS) which has general applicability to a range of NASA missions with specific development for methane analysis during an Enceladus plume flythrough. The system will contain a Plume Capture and Delivery System (PCDS) which transports plume molecules to the CAS to be analyzed for 13C/12C carbon and D/H hydrogen isotope ratios. The CAS utilizes laser absorption spectroscopy in a proprietary hollow fiber gas cell to enable high-precision measurements with minimal sample volume, making it ideal for a plume flythrough. This proposed effort will specifically design a PCDS and develop the CAS further to strengthen the D/H analysis with the constraints of relatively low-abundance of deuterated methane, along with the need to also measure 13C/12C isotopes jointly. In addition, the proposed technology will enable a general and significant upgrade to the core CAS technology (CAS V2.0) with the development of a higher performance, modular, multi-laser design.
Isotope-ratio analysis is a powerful tool to elucidate planetary systems. CAS is a novel technology that analyzes small sample amounts to produce high precision data enabling isotope measurement in a flythrough environment where the sample is extremely limited. For example, measurements of methene isotope ratios in a plume of Enceladus can provide insight into the possibility of life below the surface. In addition, the low sample-volume, sensitive, and low SWaP instrument can be appealing for a wide range of NASA lunar and planetary missions.
By expanding the CAS capability to measure D/H ratios in methane, the technology will be attractive for a range of environmental sensing and energy applications. In addition, the lower size, weight, power, AND cost is appealing as an alternative to isotope ratio mass spectrometry for commercial applications including pharmaceuticals, food provenance, and forensics.
All-electrical chip-scale atomic magnetometers based on spin-coherent transport effects through atomistic defects in semiconductors will have orders of magnitude improved sensitivity if the semiconductor hosts are isotopically purified and related device parameters optimized. Current all-electrical chip-scale atomic magnetometers have room-temperature sensitivities ~400 nT/root-Hz, and the proposed innovation we estimate conservatively to provide room-temperature sensitivities of 400 pT/root-Hz with possibilities as low as 100 pT/root-Hz. These are comparable to those achievable with NV-diamond chip-scale atomic magnetometers, but without the requirement for microwave fields or optical elements. These small-scale magnetometers would avoid the need to self-calibrate, compared to fluxgate magnetometers, and avoid challenges related to diffusion of gas through a glass cell and radiation damage of fiberoptics. They would thus be very well suited for NASA missions and nanosats as their size, power, and complexity restrictions are most severe.
In Phase II we plan to build a bench-top prototype based on microscopic- and device-level models of the spin-dependent dynamics in SiC-based all-electrical magnetometer developed in Phase I. Our Phase I results confirmed the dramatically improved sensitivity to magnetic fields in isotopically purified SiC. We will work with our partners to conduct further device design, epilayer growth, device fabrication and characterization in an iterative development cycle that will culminate in the second year where our objective is to demonstrate a magnetometer prototype that meets the targeted device performance in NASA-relevant environments as assessed by JPL’s mu-house facility.
Using an all-electrical readout these highly stable small-scale all-electrical SiC-based magnetometers do not require high-frequency microwave elements or optical components. Their improved size, weight and power consumption make them ideal for sensor redundancy, nanosats and cancellation of magnetic distortions due to spacecraft stray fields. Implications include search for life (water vapor, subsurface oceans), crustal anomalies for planetary magnetic history, studies of atmospheric loss by solar wind and space mining of metal-rich asteroids.
All-electrical chip-scale magnetometers have applications in aerospace, health, geological prospecting and noninvasive materials monitoring. Examples include magnetic navigation for GPS-denied airborne applications, magnetocardiography, underground/underwater anomalies, planetary probing and solar weather monitoring, and high-resolution crack detection.
Building on the successful prototype 5-way coupled resonator combiner demonstrated during Phase I, NuWaves will leverage the COREPOWER combiner technology to develop a L-band, 1 kW solid state power amplifier (SSPA) with greater than 60% power added efficiency (PAE). During the development of the SSPA, the COREPOWER combiner will be modeled and NuWaves will utilize proprietary simulation methods to gain confidence that the design will not experience Multipaction mission conditions. The prototype SSPA will be manufactured and tested in a laboratory environment with inputs from NASA on mission representative radio frequency (RF) signals.
The SSPA developed during the COREPOWER Phase II effort is targeted for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.
Small spacecraft ion thrusters, unmanned systems payloads, electronic warfare systems
Future NASA missions will require system operation at extreme environmental conditions, with temperatures as low as -180°C. Current state-of-practice is to place the hardware in bulky and power-inefficient environmentally protected housings. Hence, NASA is seeking systems that can operate in these extreme environments without needing environmental protection systems.
TDA Research, Inc. is developing hybrid supercapacitors that can operate in extremely cold temperatures (-180°C). The supercapacitor electrodes will use our patented carbon structures to provide high areal capacitance and power in a small package with high power and energy density. On-chip supercapacitors provide the unique capability to store electrical energy and deliver it very quickly and efficiently, enhancing peak-load performance, and offer excellent cycling capability (1-2 orders of magnitude better than batteries).
In Phase I project, we fabricated and tested chip-sized supercapacitors (both 2D and 3D) with superior relative powers (avg. of 28.4-34.1 W/g) and relative energies of 4.6-5.6 Wh/kg (when mass is added for a commercial fully packaged device). We cycled over capacitors over 5,000+ charge/discharge cycles showing good stability. In the proposed Phase II work, we will continue the development of structured electrochemical capacitors for extreme environments, optimizing the carbon structures and (electrode formulations), the low temperature electrolytes used and the capacitor design to maximize the areal capacitance and its power and energy density. We will then fabricate, test, and deliver functional prototype cells to NASA at the end of Phase II.
TDA’s ultracapacitors can withstand extreme low temperature environments found on Titan, the Moon. Mars, asteroids, comets and other small bodies, and can be used during the descent through kilometers of cryogenic ice expected in these planetary survey missions. The applications include supplementing batteries during high power transients: powering precision actuators and sensors, high-torque force actuators, radio-frequency (RF) electronics, guidance and navigation avionics and instruments.
Micro and chip-based supercapacitors can also be used to supplement batteries, enhancing peak-load performance. Other commercial applications could include energy storage and high power in various low temperature applications: (i) Polar environment operations; (ii) Electric aircraft power systems (iii) Aircraft sensors; (iv) Infrastructure health monitoring (v) Electrical vehicle acceleration.
Proposed here is a next generation Compact All Sky Interferometric Doppler Imager (CASIDI) capable of measuring a thermospheric wind field every few minutes, with a precision of 10s of m/s. The ability to measure the wind field two dimensionally over the visible thermosphere will provide greater measurement of gravity waves, energy transport, and interaction between the ionosphere and thermosphere.
The proposed sensor addresses key science goals in the Heliophysics Decadal Survey [NRC, 2013]. The first is to “Determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs.” The Decadal Survey underscored the importance of the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere (MIT) system by stating “Understanding ionosphere-thermosphere interactions is a major area of inquiry, especially during geomagnetic storms.”
The ionosphere exhibits significant day-to-day variability, which can seriously degrade important technological systems. Lack of ionospheric data, especially over the oceans, hinders scientific progress, and degrades the quality of existing nowcasting and forecasting systems. Ion-neutral coupling is a fundamental process that drives the evolution of the ionosphere and thermosphere. Recent observations of small-scale irregularities have been linked to neutral wind variability. Variations in neutral winds can drive complex and large-scale variability in the ionosphere.
In addition to the sensor, a rapid manufacturing technique for the interferometer itself has been demonstrated. The combination of both the sensor and a vertically integrated manufacturing methodology will allow for lower cost and faster production of these sensors, thus enabling not only deployments in arrays but also on buoys and autonomous sea-going vehicles. Etalons manufactured with this technique will have applications well outside of Heliophysics.
The CDI as a standalone sensor can provide thermospheric wind maps that are needed by the Space Weather community. Specifically, CASIDI can aid in understanding the Sun-atmosphere interaction region of Earth and its dynamical response to external and internal influences. Over time, data from CDI will be important in developing a near-real-time predictive capability for quantifying the impact of dynamical processes at the Sun on human activities and in Earth’s ionosphere.
Access to global wind maps from one or more CASIDI instruments will significantly improve the specification and forecast of ionospheric responses to solar and geomagnetic disturbances. This improvement provides direct societal benefits due to optimized operation of communication, navigation, and surveillance systems. The data from CASIDI will also provide vital data for scientific studies.
In this Phase II project, Advent Diamond continues development of particle detectors which utilize doped and undoped semiconducting diamond to enable new space-based particle detection instrumentation. The detectors will have multiple, independent active layers. The active layers are made out of intrinsic (undoped) semiconducting diamond. The top active layer thickness can be customized to meet customer needs, with sub micron thicknesses demonstrated in Phase I. This is anticipated to enable unprecedented measurement resolution. The first application targeted will be for measurements and identification of ions with energies in the range of MeVs. In this application, the envisioned implementation of the innovation in an instrument is to use the dual-sided diamond detector as the first detector in a telescope stack, and use conventional silicon energy loss detectors behind it. In addition, Advent Diamond will offer a suite of customization options to target other energies and applications. Unique features of the detectors include solar blind response, and separate top-side and back-side responsivity to various radiation is an additional instrument enabling feature. Essentially, this innovation will offer 2-in-1 measurements. These detectors represent a significant advancement over the state of the art, and will be the first diode-type diamond particle detectors and single-chip diamond telescope-type detectors available on the commercial market for space and terrestrial applications. Phase I prototypes have been successfully fabricated and tested, confirming the feasibility of this approach. In addition, collaborators, beta users and mentors have been identified for Phase II to ensure the successful development and insertion of the developed components.
Measurements of the composition, sources and properties of energetic particles can aid in understanding the complex processes in the solar system environment. This innovation is an instrumentation-enabling technology for measurements of charged particles. Missions which make use of particle measurements include the Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Solar Orbiter, and future missions include HERMES and the Geospace Dynamics Constellation.
The specifications which can be achieved with this innovation surpass the state-of-the-art detectors and will enable next-generation measurement technologies for non-NASA applications in: oncological radiation therapy safety monitoring, particle physics experiments, DoD spacecraft monitoring, NOAA instruments; and, ion beam calibration for space electronics testing.
The Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation (IC2), in partnership with OptiNav, Inc., proposes to develop advanced phased-array instrumentation and processing capabilities for aircraft engine-inlet measurements. High channel-count, high-density, reduced cost-per-channel microphone arrays, using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) piezoelectric microphones with backside contacts and advanced packaging technology, will be integrated into model-scale inlet design/build efforts to revolutionize engine-inlet phased-array measurement capabilities through increases in array density and channel count while significantly reducing the cost per channel. These measurement advances will be coupled with development of advanced array processing techniques to take full advantage of the enhanced measurement capabilities, including handling of the three-dimensional (3D) problem associated with nonuniform inlet geometries. This proposed technology is in response to the NASA SBIR 2022 Phase I solicitation subtopic A1.02 Quiet Performance – Aircraft Propulsion Noise where “improvements in propulsion noise prediction, diagnostics, and reduction are needed for subsonic and supersonic aircraft.” This work is aimed at addressing the aerospace industry’s need for technically feasible and economically viable engine-inlet array-measurement capabilities that enable required noise diagnostic capabilities including characterization of in-duct noise source spatial and temporal content.
The proposed instrumentation technology has the potential to be usable in multiple NASA facilities as well as implemented across government-owned, industry and academic institution test facilities. Potential NASA applications include use in nonuniform inlets such as the Source Diagnostic Test (SDT) inlet and non-axisymmetric inlets such as those on the Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) propulsion concept and the X-59 QueSST aircraft used in the Low Boom Demonstration Project.
The technology has applications for nonuniform inlets such as DARPA's Quiet Supersonic Platform. The emerging urban air mobility (UAM) market is a key target for the proposed technology. Additional possible customers include aircraft manufacturers and engine developers for aerospace or industrial applications.
NASA’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concepts envision increasing autonomy, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to maintain operational efficiency while ensuring safety. Increasing autonomy while maintaining or improving efficiency and safety will require effective teaming between humans and automation in routine and contingency operations. The UAM and AAM concepts describe procedures for addressing contingencies, implicitly assuming automation will be able to coordinate well enough to address contingencies, with little or no human input, if procedures are pre-defined. However, if traditional air traffic operations are to be a guide, humans will need to be involved in coordinated contingency planning for UAM/AAM operations.
To address the need for coordinated contingency planning in UAM/AAM, we propose Contingency Planning Toolkit for Advanced Air Mobility (CPT AAMO), a collection of procedures and software for contingency planning and management and processes and capabilities to evaluate proposed procedures to support research, development, and certification. Its design is based on a systematic analysis of potential allocations of contingency planning functions. Metrics include function allocation coherency, operational tempo, and coordination load, enabling us to assess each candidate architecture according to properties like safety, resilience, equity, integration, and resistance to cyber-attack. This effort fills a gap in AAM concept development, providing appropriate architectures and function allocations for contingency planning in a highly automated system.
In Phase I, Mosaic ATM proved the feasibility of our approach and derived functional and information requirements for various entities within the UAM ecosystem. In Phase II, we propose to harden and expand the offerings in the CPT AAMO Toolkit, maturing from concept exploration to early technical implementation, preparing the innovation for commercialization.
Mesh generation for wall-modeled large eddy simulations (WMLES) based CFD simulations represents a critical area of research as there are significant challenges which must be overcome before this technology can be adopted for widespread use. Two critical challenges associated with these scale-resolving simulations is mesh size and mesh quality. Mesh size represents a critical challenge as WMLES simulations require at least an order of magnitude increase in mesh size compared to current Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based simulations. This means required mesh sizes are measured in billions of nodes (exascale) rather than tens or hundreds of millions. Existing commercial mesh generators can take several days just to generate these large meshes. Mesh quality also represents a critical challenge as the WMLES solver is much more sensitive to element regularity, edge alignment, element type (hex, prism, pyramid, tet), maximum aspect ratio, and surface spacing than typical RANS simulations. The objective of our Phase II effort is to solve these significant challenges by developing an automated, scalable, and high-quality mesh generation capability for next generation CFD based WMLES applications. Our approach develops enhancements to our industry leading time-to-mesh HeldenMesh grid generator to improve its support for WMLES applications while also reducing current Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based mesh generation times. It also develops a new tool which rapidly generates the billions of nodes meshes needed for WMLES simulations using a robust and automated mesh refinement approach – reducing WMLES mesh generation times from days to seconds. Finally, it also proves the production readiness of these tools on several real-world WMLES applications while also establishing the best practices needed to ensure solution accuracy. Our program represents a key enabler for widespread adoption of WMLES.
The successful completion of this Phase I effort supports all NASA programs and projects that use CFD for advanced aircraft concept design, launch vehicle design, and planetary entry vehicles. The technology developed under this project will enable design decisions by Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and Human Exploration Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD).
Helden Aerospace has already successfully transitioned its existing HeldenMesh commercial grid generator to industry where it is widespread use. This Phase II effort further improves this CFD toolset by reducing its already industry leading mesh generation times and incorporating new WMLES mesh generation capabilities. It results in a product with strong commercial near and far term viability.
Our phase I effort validated the ability of a properly designed micro-electromechanical systems vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (MEMS-VCSEL) to sense fiber bragg gratings at a distance of several meters, using reasonable Analog to Digital (A-D) converter rates of a few hundred MHz. In addition, we demonstrated that our electrically pumped MEMS-eVCSELs can be packaged with an amplifier in a single 14-pin butterfly package, which remains robust through vibration testing at peak accelerations exceeding 10g, using a standard MIL-SPEC vibration spectrum. These results form the foundation for our phase II effort, in which we will re-design the laser cavity to further reduce noise and enable fiber bragg grating sensing at >10meters. This work will progress through 5 objectives. In objective 1, we will develop a low-noise optically pumped device designed for >10meter sensing. Our subcontractor Sensuron will validate this device and develop detection electronics in objective 2. Objective 3 will duplicate objective 1 performance in a ruggedized electrically pumped version, which our subcontractor will integrate into a ruggedized sensing system under objective 4. In objective 5 we will develop an ultra-low noise MEMS-VCSEL source capable of sensing tens of meters.
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This work will develop a new cost-effective ruggedized laser technology that will accelerate proliferation of optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) fiber optic sensing of physical parameters such as shape, deflection, temperature, and strain. This will impact the structural engineering and testing of cutting-edge structures and vehicles for land, air, water, and space. This laser technology can also be embedded into vehicles for continuous in-flight structural and health monitoring. |
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This work will create a new rugged 1550nm widely tunable laser source which provides continuous single mode tuning with low size, weight, and power dissipation in an economical package. This source has non-NASA applications in structural monitoring of military and commercial aircraft, of wind turbines, and in metrology, spectroscopy, and medical shape sensing. |
Air/Ground (AG) communications (AG Comm) are well established for traditional National Airspace System participants, but for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concept, the infrastructure, frequency bands, and related infrastructure build-outs are in their infancy. Initially, AAM pilots will be in the cockpit and AG Comm will use existing voice channels. However, for UAM Maturity Level 4 (UML-4) and onwards, vehicles are controlled by remote pilot. AG Comm will require higher bandwidths than AG Comm does today for transmitting video and reproducing the cockpit on the remote pilot’s workstation (a digital twin of the aircraft).
TUCM targets this remote pilot concept, UML-4 and onwards. TUCM uses a combination of statistical and Machine Learning (ML) tools to estimate the signal strength as a vehicle traverses the airspace. The signal strength is a complicated function of direct line of sight, multipath interference due to reflections off the ground and nearby buildings, electromagnetic interference, and atmospheric effects. This problem is compounded by the movement of the vehicle. The signal strength computations are then packaged into a marketable toolkit that can be inserted as a module into existing AAM management tools, AAM simulations, or used as a stand-alone tool for engineering and health checking of communication systems. TUCM’s purpose is to increase the resiliency and reliability of AAM AG Comm.
NASA Glenn Research Center actively investigates AG Comm issues for all aviation business models, including AAM. In addition, Langley and Ames Research Centers are testing concepts and platforms to support its High Density Vertiplex program associated with a UAM ecosystem. Both the ATM-X and the AAM Projects can productively use the TUCM tool. NASA also works with five state and local governments in MA, MN, TX, OH, and the City of Orlando to develop civic transportation plans to support emerging passenger-carrying air taxi services.
Target markets for TUCM include state and local governments planning AAM services. Provider of Support for UAM (PSUs) may also find the tool useful. Communication engineers can use the tool to site AAM AG Comm towers and to determine when a tower may need repair. Avionics suppliers and AAM vehicle manufacturers will also find the tool useful.
The goal of the proposed effort is to develop a framework for configurable reduced-order modeling (ROM) for the development of novel aeroservoelastic (ASE) sensing and control approaches within a broad flight parameter space. Parametric ROM techniques developed by the proposing team present a considerable opportunity to extract dominant aerodynamic, structural dynamics, and control surface effects in a compact form that can be used to evaluate and optimize controllers for suppression of flutter and gust loads. The Phase I effort focused on development of the data generation, ROM training, and control synthesis workflow. The Phase I capability was demonstrated using ASE problems of interest to NASA (e.g., suppression of gust response and flutter). The Phase II efforts will focus on: (1) refinement of the aeroelastic simulation process for improved training and verification; (2) addition of late-breaking ROM techniques for improved characterization of the aeroelastic system; (3) implementation of more complex control schemes, sensor models, and actuator models to assess whether ROMs can be used for case studies with increased realism; and (4) extensive software validation and demonstration for ASE and flight control design of realistic aircraft of interest to NASA. The capabilities will be provided as a modular software environment for integration into NASA workflow for technology transition.
This research will deliver NASA a valuable tool to automate ASE ROM and control synthesis; design advanced aerostructural controllers; and perform real-time ASE simulation; and will markedly improve the process for considering aeroelasticity in controller development through rapid predictions of gust loads, ride quality, and stability and control issues. It will significantly decrease simulation validation and workflow lag time, reduce development costs and time. NASA projects like MUTT, SUGAR, and QueSST will benefit from the technology.
The non-NASA applications are vast, and will focus on aerospace, defense, and watercraft engineering for fluid-structural interaction and fatigue analysis, control and optimization, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, and others. The proposed development will provide a powerful tool which can be used for fault diagnostics, optimized design, simulation and experiment design and planning, and more
Circle Optics proposes a NASA SBIR Phase II project to build, flight test, and deliver, a 7-channel visible DAA visor system. This system would use Sony IMX530 sensors and provide staring type imaging over a ± 112-degree horizontal FOV, with a ± 15-degree vertical FOV, to support a detection range of ~ 3.8 Nm. At the beginning of the Phase II project, Circle Optics would confer with the NASA TPOC to account for any changes or new information that has occurred in the interim, whether at NASA, Circle Optics, or in the emerging industry. Circle Optics would then complete the lens design and lens barrel design and order the custom optics. In parallel, Circle Optics would complete the system mechanical design, including for camera channel alignment and mounting, vibration isolation, electronics support, and ownship mounting. Circle Optics would complete the development of the data path and imaging software, to enable the output of tracked bogey aircraft data to the Detect and Avoid (DAA) analysis software. These efforts would converge on the assembly and testing of the cameras and integrated visor system, first in the lab, and then initial in-flight testing at Griffiss Airport in Rome, NY. Circle Optics would then deliver to NASA, a completed visor system, supporting test data, an operations manual, and final reports on system performance and paths forward.
In the emerging future world of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), with vehicles flying in congested airspaces, robust reliable sensing and AI systems to prevent collisions will be needed. The FAA and NASA have recognized this risk and are collaborating to develop standards that recognize the need for sensing redundancy, and as a contributing solution, anticipates EO/IR imaging systems onboard eVTOLs or UAVs, to optically detect and track non-cooperative aircraft within a substantial Field of Regard. Circle Optics can fulfill this need.
This technology will enable growth in the commercial UAS sector. Autonomous drones, capable of self-localizing and automatically performing maneuvers like selecting a safe emergency landing location in case of a system failure will become more common. UAS capable of achieving high levels of autonomy, such as sense and navigate, will be the first to meet the FAAs requirements for BVLOS operation.
This effort combines speech analytics, Speed to Text (STT) translation software, and intent inference algorithms in order to assess aviation system safety. Each of these components has a different perspective on spotting potential off-nominal and anomalous conditions, for instance, in the way people speak under stress and high workload, the mis-communications and mishearing of key words in a dialog, or the intent to follow a command or not follow a command. The system being designed and built analyzes pilot-controller conversations in real-time, identifies key speech features, STT translations, and intent models to identify if the situation is nominal, off-nominal, or anomalous.
This effort directly relates to NASA’s ISSA and IASMS:
Additional commercial applications include stock trading voice communications workflow monitoring and regulatory compliance checking. The appropriate prime contractors are typically deeply involved with both voice and data communications.
Hinetics performed a detailed study in Phase I to evaluate the integration of a lightweight, high efficiency 150 kW generator-drive subsystem within the SUSAN concept aircraft. Analysis on potential subsystem and system level integration strategies ensured stability and reliability were maintained across all operating conditions of the propulsion system and while maximizing the system level performance. This has set the stage for hardware development for a sub-scale SUSAN demonstration in this Phase II program, helping to increase the TRL of critical technologies for future low carbon aircraft. The Phase II project will include prototype construction of the machine and integration with a Lycoming O-360 engine to de-risk overall system considerations. Because the full scale SUSAN concept utilizes an aft turbine and our topology has clear weight and efficiency benefits at higher shaft speeds, Hinetics will design, build, and demonstrate a higher speed generator for mating to a COTS turboshaft. In parallel, a US-based subcontractor, Beehive Industries, will perform a study on the potential of improving turboshaft efficiencies in the 150 kW power range to become more competitive with combustion engine solutions while maintaining low system mass.
Subsonic Single Aft Engine (SUSAN) Electrofan would be the major targeted application for this motor design and system integration study. It will also be applicable to any of the drivetrain testing and qualification programs of NASA in a similar power scale with a few varying details such as cooling availability and drivetrain.
While this study is targeted at the generator coupled to aft engine, it is directly applicable to a distributed propulsor or the propulsor in any turbo-electric, hybrid-electric or fully electric concept. In addition, the drivetrain developers can potentially use this study to test the sub-systems and to validate the performance and reliability of electric aircraft drivetrains.
Crown Consulting, Inc. in partnership with George Washington University and several industry leading expert consultants in heliport infrastructure propose to develop Vertiport Human Automation Teaming Toolbox (V-HATT). V-HATT is designed for real-time human-in-the-loop simulations for vertiport arrival, surface, and departure operations on the airside of a vertiport. Human-machine teaming is a core component of V-HATT, and the simulation toolbox will be designed to toggle various teaming strategies with differing degrees of automation to examine the teaming relationship performance. The Federal Aviation Administration anticipates the development of future guidance on advanced vertiport operations including autonomy and high tempo facilities. As vertiports grow in capability and complexity, managing operations will require innovative concepts that adapt to scale with vertiport operational complexity. V-HATT will assist researchers, operators, manufacturers, and infrastructure developers to understand realistic operational bottlenecks and vertiport capacity considering human roles.
V-HATT can be decomposed by mission phases to illustrate the envisioned system capabilities.
NASA researchers could use V-HATT to investigate the human machine interactions with specific vertiport designs by creating different vertiport designs and analyzing human workload for each concept of operation. V-HATT is designed to integrate with existing vertiport interfaces already developed by NASA and other commercial operators. We intend to investigate joining the Air Traffic Management eXploration X-series. Other NASA applications may include supporting High Density Vertiplex, System Wide Safety, or AAM National Campaign.
Primary target markets include:
Crown is looking at integrating V-HATT into other commercial offerings, such as the Advanced Air Mobility Community Integration Platform (AAM-CIP) currently being developed.
Safe Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operations and airspace management depend on accurate weather data to make critical decisions, plan fleet asset tasking, schedule cargo or people movements, reduce flight uncertainty and meet client expectations. Accurate weather data requires a robust, autonomous and reliable sensing platform capable of detecting multiple weather hazards across urban, suburban and rural domains.
Weather data are a crucial building block for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), especially over urban areas where the operations are expected to become routine in complex environments. High-resolution weather measurements are necessary to detect relevant hazards in urban environments, and ultimately improve forecasts.
This Phase II effort consists on developing algorithms to retrieve ceiling, cloud base, and visibility to enhance the utility of Doppler lidars that will already be utilized to measure wind in urban areas, making lidars multipurpose sensors. This work will improve algorithms developed in the Phase I portion and quantitatively assess the value of Doppler lidars as part of an urban sensing network for business justification. Additionally, optimal scanning strategies will be established as well as uncertainty metrics to inform risk-based decision making. These efforts will address significant gaps in urban airspace weather situational awareness critical to reach a mission safety level as required in the Urban Weather section of the NASA UAM UML-4 CONOPS.
This initiative enables NASA applications that depend on highly reliable and persistent non-government space, atmospheric and terrestrial measurements and predictions:
UAS and UAM is a “blue sky” mission area to demonstrate how weather monitoring systems, especially in urban areas, can reduce the impact of hazardous events to mission critical operations.
Our applications for this technology extend to FAA and commercial endeavors of the same mission areas that NASA is working in, namely:
We are also looking at how cities can use urban micro weather data as part of Smart City initiatives by deploying weather sensing platforms.
Our proposal provides a measurement technology to detect atmospheric conditions that favor the formation and persistence of aircraft-induced cirrus clouds in real time. These clouds account for the major share of aviation’s climate impact via radiative forcing. We need aircraft equipped with our technology that fly along the busiest flight corridors combined with adaptive flight routing as mitigation strategy. We are developing a new compact laser-spectroscopic instrument to measure the relevant humidity levels. During Phase I we achieved a relative uncertainty of 110 ppb (0.11 ppm) for real-time data recorded at 1 Hz with a short optical pathlength of only 30 cm. With further data averaging the relative uncertainty improved to ~25 ppb (0.025 ppm) for 1-minute averages. We have demonstrated excellent linearity of response of our Phase I benchtop system between 10 ppm and >6000 ppm. Based on simulated vertical profile measurements in the laboratory we estimate the accuracy of our Phase I benchtop system to be 1..2 ppm or ~2 %, whichever is greater. This performance makes our technology highly suitable for the proposed contrail avoidance application onboard aircraft.
In Phase II we will further refine the instrument design with a strong focus on manufacturability and low cost. Innovations include an optical-fiber based open-path-free optical system with collimation optics and detector integrated into the sample cell, and a fast and efficient look-up based spectroscopic fit. We are actively planning the demonstration of the Phase II prototype instrument during an aircraft deployment.
A simple-to-integrate, highly compact, and maintenance free water vapor instrument for NASA aircraft campaigns would be a great asset for many scenarios. This includes satellite validation where a NASA aircraft would perform profile measurements co-located with satellite observations. The project will enable commercial airspace management procedures that avoid contrail induced cirrus cloud, which has a significant short term climate benefit.
Persistent contrail avoidance has emerged as a mitigation strategy for airlines to reduce their climate burden. The sensor enables a global system that quantifies the atmospheric state in real time, where contrails could be avoided with minor adjustments. The additional benefit of the technology developed here will involve assimilation of the water data by meteorological modeling systems.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of western wildfires. Threats to people and infrastructure are growing with more population living in the wildland-urban interface. Blindly throwing more resources at the problem while doing things the same way is not a cost-effective. Extending manned and unmanned aerial firefighting to 24-hour, second-shift operations will provide a major increase in firefighting effectiveness and efficiency. During the night, winds die down, temperatures decrease and humidity increases making night time a more productive time to fight fires from the air. But, existing airspace management processes are visual, manual, and not conducive to Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) participation. Hence, firefighting is largely restricted to manned, daytime, clear air mass visual operations. By applying emerging technology in innovative ways, firefighting will transition to round-the-clock operations with UAS picking up much of the workload.
During Phase II, a full prototype Second-Shift Aerial Supervision Module (SSASM) will be developed to extend aerial firefighting to second-shift operations while supporting simultaneous UAS support missions such as search and rescue, surveillance and resupply. SSASM eliminates the daytime overhead stack and allows manned/unmanned tanker loads to be delivered on arrival, vastly improving efficiency and lowering cost. Night operations are de-conflicted through the use of innovative 4-D corridors and airspace containers. Progress is monitored on AirBoss displays with automatic detection of traffic conflicts during planning and execution. SSASM supports ground based, manned and unmanned tanker mission planning, tasking, and 4D trajectory guidance from ingress, retardant delivery, and egress. Mission metrics are down linked for evaluation of drop effectiveness. Real-time, persistent surveillance enables night firefighting operations. Line-of-Sight and SATCOM data communication architectures are demonstrated.
This research supports NASA Wildfire projects:
A comprehensive UTM solution for wildfire operations is proposed based on real-time 3-D visualizations of wildfire management operations that include a common operating picture of participating actors, the location and predicted propagation of the wildfire front, and dynamic airspace management capabilities for UAS operators to define flight intent polygons and deconfliction volumes dynamically.
The platform will retrieve imagery from multiple aircraft in a common tool, as well as atmospheric data. Improving Aviation has developed a wildfire spread and ember spotting model that predicts near-term spread using the wildfire perimeter and in situ wind speed and direction information. The model will be integrated into the SkyTL platform to provide a predicted wildfire propagation perimeter and risk hotspots using in-situ atmospheric parameters. The information on fire propagation and risk hotspots will be used for resource allocation, strategic deconfliction, and the definition of dynamic flight intent volumes. A 3-D real-time visualization includes a real-time common operating picture, the wildfire perimeter, and predicted progression. Deconfliction algorithms implemented in the platform check if the position of the UAS is within the boundaries of the flight intent polygon. Additional functionality will be developed that includes deconfliction algorithms to offer UAS operators an alternative flight intent polygon if two or more flight intent polygons intersect. An API will be used to share the collected in-situ data with external partners and applications in standardized open-source formats. Analysis and quality control processes will be implemented by assigning quality control parameters associated with each data field. Enhancements to the SkyTL platform will be performed to enable implementation, scalability, and interoperability with current solutions.
The proposed platform is envisioned to support NASA’s efforts by offering a solution for airspace strategic and dynamic deconfliction, allowing resource tracking of manned and unmanned aircraft and emergency responders on the ground, and contributing to an extended UTM network suitable for wildfire management. It supports real-time information flows through increased communications throughput and a reduction data transfer latency, enhancing situational awareness and ensuring safe, efficient, and scalable complex multi-purpose operations.
The platform may be used by UAS operators to conduct emergency response-related missions and obtain strategic and dynamic deconfliction, or by incident managers for situational awareness. The data retrieval and wildfire spread prediction capabilities offer many potential applications, from enhancements of fire perimeter maps, to the delivery of in-situ data for model initialization and training.
NASA has identified a clear and pressing need for education of both local decision makers and the local flying and nonflying public to enable AAM operations to commence in a timely manner. The goal of this research effort is to develop a robust and cost-conscious capability to support local organizations and local decision makers with materials that support community education, engagement, and outreach for AAM. Developing Local Knowledge (DLK) for AAM will address this need by establishing the capability to provide local community partners with educational materials for AAM that are tailored specifically to their community education and engagement efforts. DLK will enable and enhance the ability for local, regional, and state agencies to provide community education, engagement, and outreach for AAM tailored for their constituencies.
The DLK effort directly supports NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) AAM mission its contributing projects. While the focus of this work is on developing materials to support local community education for AAM, the methods, tools, and materials also support education of the public regarding NASA’s role in aviation research and development, and aviation research being conducted under ARMD programs and projects.
The target market for our DLK web-portal and DLK services includes municipal, regional, state, and federal agencies that are involved in or affected by AAM planning, design, development, testing, and implementation activities. In addition, DLK web-portal and DLK services could be of use to non-government organizations including business associations and trade groups with an interest in AAM.
This proposal focusses in the development of two high power density and high reliability asynchronous lift motors for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) while being relevant to the NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project. This motors are proposed in response to NASA’s A1.06 Vertical Lift Technology for Urban Air Mobility -Electric Motor Fault Mitigation Technology request of advanced technologies supporting electric/hybrid-electric propulsion for the advance air mobility, specifically, to the area of Single Fluid Motor with High Power Density and High Reliability.
The key issues in the Phase II program are the redesigning - scale down of the present highly successful Ohio State University megawatt class induction motor to, (1) optimize overall design (poles, topology, size, etc.) from 1 MW class to a 200 kW class UAM eVTOL motor as well as, (2) to operate with single fluid bearings and (3) synergistically integrate the lubrication with cooling in order to operate a single fluid and to achieve maximum power density and reliability.
During this program, two full-size motors (with shaft equivalent performances) based on different electromagnetic solutions will be fabricated in order to allow a complete shaft-to-shaft testing program and an apple-to-apple comparative analyze. Both motors will develop 500 kW continuously at 5000 rpm using a proprietary single fluid & semi-evaporative cooling and lubrication method.
At the end of Phase 2, both motors will be thoroughly tested on a custom built bench test.
The innovations (related to cooling and lubrications) may be directly and immediately applied to the other area (the first area) of the A1.06 solicitations: Electric Machine/Motor Fault Detection and Fault Mitigation and Megawatt electric propulsion systems in the A1.04 Electrified Aircraft Propulsion subtopic.
In addition to eVTOL, UAMs and electric passenger aircraft, NASA can benefit for many applications where lightweight power components are required such as smaller land-based motors and generators.
The results of this work can lead to various applications related to high power density rotating machines in a plethora of fields which are not traditionally electrically driven. Transportation and energy are two major relevant application areas with immediate applications for aircraft turbogenerators, aero-propulsion motors, marine propulsion and portable emergency power systems.
In the Phase I, The Longbow Group, LLC (LONGBOW), with Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. (DHWA) as a subcontractor, demonstrated the feasibility of developing key components of a future In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) and commercializing those components as IASMS Services, Functions, and Capabilities (SFCs) within one or more Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSPs) supporting Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM). Phase I laid the groundwork for Phase II prototype development of a Multi-Objective Risk Prediction and Hazard Evaluation/optimization for Urban air Services (MORPHEUS), which will support (1) pre-flight planning to assess and mitigate risk (e.g., to the populace, infrastructure, airframe/payload/mission); (2) in-flight monitoring and mitigation of risk; and (3) post-flight analysis of risk and model and database updates. MORPHEUS will leverage LONGBOW’s development of PEGASUS which will soon be used to demonstrate safe, effective, and efficient UAS operations in Hampton, VA, as well as
Ph II prototype development will result in a functional MORPHEUS system as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready for transition to PEGASUS and other UTM systems. Benefits to NASA and the UAS commercial enterprise will include safer and more efficient flights in the NAS.
MORPHEUS will directly support NASA programs/projects related to UAS/eVTOL safety and risk mitigation such as the High Density Vertiplex (HDV) program, which used GRASP data in a recent FAA COA Safety Case application for BVLOS operations at NASA LaRC, and particularly the AOSP System Wide Safety (SWS) initiative. MORPHEUS would also benefit programs involved in human-autonomy teaming (e.g., the HAT Lab), providing multi-objective optimization for humans to review and understand, accept/reject, and/or modify.
With FAA recognition as a Risk Assessment and Mitigation tool for UAS/eVTOL operations over populated areas, the market opportunity for a fully developed MORPHEUS, as a stand-alone SDSP or as part of a scalable, expandable end-to-end PEGASUS Urban Air Services platform, are excellent and valuable for air cargo logistics and air taxi companies to gain regulatory approval inside urban environments
The basic concept of the Alternate Route Availability Tool (ARAT) is to use available Traffic Management Initiatives (TMI) from the Digital Information Platform (DIP), correlate it with weather data, and produce a tool that can both determine if an alternate route is feasible given the constraints and assess the impact of the alternate route. Alternate routes are obtained from NFDC data, with additional logic definitions added to acquire preferred routes from the dataset. While weather information is available from many publicly available sources, Mosaic chose to use Aviation Weather Center as our weather data source due to ease of use for the data formats and already accessible application programming interfaces (APIs). The impact of alternate routes is assessed using a route scoring algorithm initially implemented as a stoplight approach in Phase I. Phase II expands this logic to assess delay, wind miles along each route, and severity of impact from significant weather phenomena.
Potential NASA applications include registration of decomposed ARAT services with the Digital Information Platform, enabling DIP’s mission to expose external services to the Platform’s participants. This would include direct integration with NASA’s Collaborative Digital Departure Reroute (CDDR) tool, adding weather impacts to compute benefits more accurately on alternate routes.
Integration with existing airline flight planning tools to address the shortfalls of Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs) not included in the current set of digital information.
Cyber threat identification includes the ability to detect, track, and disrupt advanced persistent threats. While emerging avionics system architectures support limited cyber hygiene and rudimentary defense, well-tailored cyber-attacks remain elusive to current detection technology. Additionally, the inherent structure of avionics systems makes monitoring and detection difficult. To meet the NASA need, QED proposes the Cyber Overwatch tool that provides a host-based threat detection capability for identifying and correlating attacks targeting aircraft avionics. Overwatch is based on QED’s history of developing and evaluating avionics malware for assessment and testing of aircraft and the positive results demonstrated during the Phase I effort.
Overwatch epitomizes the innovations expected of a NASA sponsored project. To date, there is very little focus on host-based intrusion detection capabilities for embedded device real-time operating systems. The focus of this SBIR effort is novel in that the solution resides at the host-level and provides an ability to encompass end-point security for embedded systems, with flexibility to address the varying communications protocols. The solution also provides systematic reporting to enable in-depth analysis and event correlation. Overwatch shall be tested and validated in a relevant environment to include multiple instances of real-world avionics systems against associated sample malware. We anticipate that by the end of Phase II, we shall demonstrate the ability of Overwatch to detect malware targeting aircraft avionics systems while adhering to the stringent requirements of operating in the aviation environment.
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Expected benefits and applications for NASA:
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Expected applications extending beyond NASA:
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Luna Innovations has partnered with magniX, a leading manufacturer of electric propulsion units (EPUs) for electric-powered aircraft, to develop and test an EMI hardened version of its proven Hyperion® fiber optic sensing platform to support critical testing needs for ground and flight based Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) applications. The Hyperion is a versatile instrument, compatible with a variety of fiber optic sensor types, including temperature, strain, pressure, and acceleration sensors based on Fiber Bragg Grating and Fabry-Perot technologies. The Hyperion can simultaneously monitor as many as 1,024 sensors at data rates up to 5kHz.
During Phase I Luna tested the Hyperion at magniX on a 650kW electric aircraft motor driving a propeller and characterized the EMI environment during the test. In addition, the Hyperion was exposed to high levels of EMI through formal testing at an EMC laboratory. The Hyperion performed within specifications during all of the test campaigns proving initial viability for EAP applications. A detailed plan for creating a robust EMI and flight hardened unit was developed incorporating standard DO-160G requirements.
The proposed Phase II will result in the development of a ruggedized, flight capable Hyperion interrogator that can withstand the high EMI and demanding physical operational environment of emerging electric aircraft applications. This system, coupled with distributed fiber optic strain and temperature sensors, will establish the commercial viability of the platform. During the Phase II effort, Luna will work with its partners to build a prototype system, test it at extremes of temperature, vibration and EMI exposure, and demonstrate its successful operation in relevant EAP test scenarios. magniX will provide facilities, equipment and test opportunities to enable the evaluation of the system, culminating in a final technical demonstration of the rugged Hyperion in an operational environment.
The proposed research will directly address NASA’s need for an optical interrogator that is immune to EMI. This system will find potential applications in electric powered aircraft such as the X-57 Maxwell, SUSAN, STARC-ABL, N3-X and other vehicles being developed under the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) and Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Technologies (EAPT) projects. It may also be useful for ground testing at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) or for other applications under the AATT or EPFD programs.
Electric powered aircraft are poised to become commonplace in the coming years given the decreased cost of operation and lower environmental impact of electrified aircraft propulsion technologies. The proposed EMI-hardened Hyperion will find a ready market for instrumentation in commercial EAP applications due to the challenges presented by conventional wired electronic systems.
The Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) is a subassembly of the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system on the International Space Station (ISS). The function of the CDRA is to remove CO2 from cabin air, ideally turning it into a useful resource such as water or methane. This is accomplished using a sorbent material, zeolite, to adsorb and desorb CO2. Zeolite has a highly porous molecular structure, and CO2 can favorably bond within these pores at certain temperatures and pressures. This molecular bonding process is exothermic during CO2 adsorption and endothermic during CO2 desorption. Thus, the zeolite material on the CDRA must be heated and cooled to very specific temperatures for the most efficient desorption and adsorption of CO2, respectively. The current CDRA operates most effectively when the sorbent bed is cooled to 20°C for adsorption and heated to 220°C for desorption. The zeolite material has poor heat transfer characteristics, making a well-designed thermal management system a priority on the CDRA. Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT) has developed an additively manufactured (AM), titanium-water, vapor chamber to heat and cool the zeolite material in the CDRA. ACT’s proposed thermal management system is designed to heat and cool the zeolite to these specific temperatures at faster rates and more uniformly than the state-of-the-art design, which utilizes a cartridge heater and aluminum fin. ACT’s titanium water vapor chamber design has additional benefits over the state-of-the-art such as reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) and adaptability to future sorbent materials.
The proposed vapor chambers are applicable to the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly, which is a subset of the Environmental Control and Life Support System on the International Space Station. The vapor chambers will be used to heat and cool the sorbent material to sequester CO2 from the cabin air on the ISS. The vapor chambers may also be applicable to future manned missions to lunar or Martian surfaces, such as those proposed under NASA’s Space Launch System.
These vapor chambers are designed to heat and cool sorbent material to adsorb/desorb CO2, thus can find non-NASA applications in any application using a similar sorbent material. This could be direct air capture systems, CO2 capture systems in coal and power plants, or certain air filtration systems.
This proposal addresses technology for reusable propulsion and vehicle hot structures specified in topic H5.02:
Propulsion systems for Commercial Space industry supporting NASA efforts.
Upper stage engine systems, such as those for Space Launch System.
Lunar/Mars lander descent/ascent propulsion systems.
Aerodynamic structures for aeroshells, control surfaces, and leading edges for hypersonic flight vehicles.
North Country Composites (NCC) worked with Lancer Systems to adapt their commercial ceramic matrix composite (CMC) manufacturing methods to produce affordable, high performance rocket engine components. The components are showing the ability to operate in highly oxidative and corrosive environments to temperatures above 4000oF for significant periods of time. This is occurring without the use of expensive coatings. Through the utilization of low cost ISO 9001 controlled manufacturing methods, affordable, high performance components can rapidly be transitioned for commercial use. In addition, NCC successfully utilized 3D reinforcements of the fiber preforms to significantly increase (3X) interlaminar strength properties with only a mild decrease in in- plane properties.
The high strength, light weight and high temperature capabilities of these structures will significantly increase the performance of space vehicles by increasing the thrust to weight, operational temperatures, and pay-load capabilities.
In parallel to the Phase II program, our industrial partner will be performing significant rocket exhaust testing of UHT-CMC components. They, however, will not be generating thermal-mechanical material properties. As a result, NCC’s overall Phase II objective is generate material properties over the temperature range from room temperature to at least 4200oF. These properties can then be used in finite element models to optimize the design of CMC component designs. Because this work is completed as an SBIR, the properties will be available to the community at large.
Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) would benefit by utilizing the technology in spacecraft and launch vehicles to provide improved performance and to enable advanced missions with reusability, increased damage tolerance and durability. Potential NASA users of this technology exist for a variety of propulsion systems, including:
The CMC technology would be enhancing to systems already in use or under development and enabling for missions that necessitate improved high temperature composite technology. The Air Force is interested in such technology for its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, ballistic missile, and hypersonic vehicle programs. Other non-NASA users include Navy, Army, and the Missile Defense Agency.
Ultrasonic Technology Solutions (UTS) is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and formed as a spin-off start-up from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is proposing to develop an ultra-fast ultrasonic washing and dryer combination for space applications.
NASA’s Life Support and Habitation Systems Focus Area seeks key capabilities and technology solutions that enable extended human presence in deep space and on planetary surfaces such as the moon and Mars, including Orion, ISS, Gateway, Artemis and Human Landing Systems. One of the critical technological gaps listed includes a clothing washer/dryer combination for use on the moon (1/6g) or Mars (1/3g) that can clean up to 4.5kg of cotton, polyester, and wool clothing in less than 7 hours using <50kg machine mass, <0.3m3 external machine volume and <300W electrical power (Note: 101.3kPa habitat pressure may be assumed for prototype development).
Through multiple publications, our team demonstrated five times higher drying energy efficiency for clothing (1/5th of the energy input) and two times faster drying rates than state-of-the-art residential clothes dryers. This innovative drying technology was highlighted on over 350 websites, including CNN, BBC, DOE, and the prestigious Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) calendar. The technology also showed strong promise for removing water from liquids and semi-liquid materials such as human feces. The UTS team successfully demonstrated effective fecal drying technology, and NASA is currently in the process of infusion/investment in the technology demonstration in the relevant environment.
Under SBIR Phase I, we successfully collected critical data supporting the feasibility and superiority of the proposed clothes combo washer/dryer technology. Under SBIR Phase II, we propose developing a transformative combo washing and drying machine for space applications where the ultrasonic components are the backbone of the technology.
Crew clothing currently accounts for ~1/4 of crew supplies for ISS. Significant mission mass and volume reductions can be realized with an integrated crew clothing washing/drying system approach. UTS efforts to wash and dry clothes with very little energy and water can help achieve this goal by making clothing reusable.
One of the direct markets for the proposed tabletop-size ultra-fast clothes washing/dryer product will be student housing, dorms, rental properties, hotels, and hospitals. Also, the system may be used for hotels, beaches, and recreational vehicles. A lot of people who are taking vacations do not have access to in-house clothes washing and dryer.
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A robust relative navigation software capability is a key enabler of all RPOD missions, and therefore an essential technology to unlock ISAM capabilities. There are two areas of development that are needed to advance relative navigation towards onboard autonomous viability: 1) Improvement of machine vision and image processing performance in spaceflight applications and 2) Development of a navigation filter architecture that can fuse machine vision measurements with a combination of sensor types to enable flight software and hardware modularity. Starfish Space is continuing development of CETACEAN, a relative navigation software package designed to autonomously and reliably determine the relative state between two spacecraft given customizable combinations of onboard sensors. Specifically, CETACEAN will offer the ability to estimate accurate position, velocity, attitude, and rotation rate information. In this Phase II, Starfish Space proposes to mature CETACEAN’s image processing algorithms using actual imagery gathered from an in-space mission. This imagery will be used to create a Vision-in-the Loop (VIL) system for continued CETACEAN development. The initial purpose of this VIL system is to provide a controlled environment for CETACEAN to ingest this imagery and conduct full end-to-end testing of the relative navigation hardware and software Training on the authentic in-space imagery represents a significant step forward, as the machine vision techniques used in CETACEAN have not yet been applied in space at scale.
Starfish Space has held discussions with NASA regarding application of CETACEAN to the following missions: On-orbit inspection of the ISS or crewed spacecraft; Approach and positioning for assembly of elements, delivery, repair, and inspection for Gateway logistics/assembly; Enabling safe approach for station keeping, repairing, upgrading, or refueling of NASA science satellites; Relative navigation for Hubble for boost or end-of-life. Further applications are detailed in Table 1 of the technical volume.
Autonomous relative navigation enables commercial missions: inspection, servicing and life extension, logistics, assembly, manufacturing, and space debris removal , and has potential to unlock a new layer of the in-space economy. Commercial satellite operators are interested in life extension in GEO and end-of-life disposal in LEO, provided by CETACEAN-enabled Otter satellite servicer.
On-board autonomy will be critical to the success of manned deep-space missions. Deep space missions will not have the same level of contact with ground-based mission control, and so the astronauts themselves will have to deal with novel situations that were impossible to anticipate and prepare for prior to launch. This fact requires a successful autonomy solution to be able to improvise and synthesize novel solutions to novel problems from pre-existing procedures and available resources in absence of ground-based support. SoarTech, teamed with Tietronix, are developing the Virtual Explanation Reasoning Agent (VERA), an AI-based software system that provides automated procedure identification and generation to address novel situations for which no procedures have been written ahead of time. VERA captures expert knowledge of spacecraft systems and diagnostic procedures from detailed SysML spacecraft models to identify situation-specific diagnostic requirements and identify or author appropriate and viable diagnostic procedures. To improve procedure generation, VERA can learn from interactions with astronauts.
For NASA, VERA would help astronauts in deep space missions when contact with Mission Command is infeasible or too slow (e.g., 40-minute round trip communication from Mars). Additionally, any fully autonomous probes or stations (e.g., Gateway when no one is on board) could benefit from VERA.
For the DoD, similar situations arise, such as repairing components on a submarine or repairing vehicles while in combat when there is no time to call an expert. Commercially, we would pursue the austere environment repair and maintenance market, initially in defense, and then later in commercial spaces such as manufacturing and automotive.
In this Phase II SBIR, XploSafe will build on its Phase I work to advance the development and evaluation of sorbents identified during the Phase I. Phase I results demonstrated the feasibility of sorbent candidates as viable replacement for the current carbon dioxide and humidity control solution. The developed materials exhibit significant advantages including higher CO2 capacity and easier regeneration under vacuum. For Phase II, XploSafe will further investigate physical properties as it is related to specific NASA requirements, expand experimental measurements of the capacity and kinetics for the sorption of carbon dioxide and humidity and vacuum regeneration, and develop and verify sorbent performance integration into the xEMU RCA unit. The researchers will focus on developing sorbents with long operational life and reduced or ideally eliminated outgassing of undesired contaminates such as ammonia. A targeted goal will be to use regeneration and potentially a larger CO2 capacity per gram to reduce the required sorbent mass, with respect to SA9T, while also maintaining the CO2 and humidity control under operating conditions. A fully regenerable sorbent with no irreversible binding site and little outgassing, could also reduce both the RCA and TCC total mass by allowing smaller units with less sorbent mass. In Phase II, XploSafe will construct several testing apparatuses to simulate conditions that match the requirements of the xEMU in relation to the RCA unit. The testing apparatuses will enable evaluation of the sorbent media prior to being provided to NASA for possible on-site evaluations. Samples of the developed sorbent prototypes will be provided for formal review by NASA starting after month 12 followed by updated sorbent prototypes that will be available for periodic reviews, and the final sorbent material will be delivered at the end of the project.
Successful development of the proposed technology will advance the state of the art in CO2 and humidity removal via a pressure swing adsorption system. As a part of the Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS) and the Exploration Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) units, the platform technology will advance the viability of NASA's crewed deep space exploration objectives.
Long service life CO2 scrubbers are desired in hospitals, clean rooms as well as industrial applications including mining and firefighting. Commercial demand arises from applications such as CO2 scrubbers in high altitude aerospace applications, recreational diving, submarines and rescue capsules.
The subtopic described the need for a multi-gas sensor that is power efficient, consistent with a wearable form factor, and can reliably operate under a wide range of temperature, humidity, and pressure conditions. We propose an integrated carbon dioxide and ammonia gas sensor that can reach the required dynamic range, accuracy, and sensitivity even under significant environmental variation. We employ distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) to perform intrapulse spectroscopy in the mid-infrared, which allows us to reach targeted sensitivities with ultra-low duty cycle measurements to dramatically reduces power consumption and system complexity. Pendar’s expertise in monolithic quantum cascade laser integration will enable integration of multiple quantum cascade lasers to incorporate detection of several gases, all within a system footprint compatible with spacesuit sensing applications.
The proposed system is directly relevant to the design of the new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU). The intended goal of the proposed gas measurements is to ensure that the spacesuit maintains a safe environment without drawing significant power.
The proposed CO2 sensor can be adopted for capnography (CO2 detection in breath), and for indoor/outdoor air quality control by measuring CO2 in ambient air. The miniaturized sensing platform can also be easily adapted to target chemical threats for Department of Homeland Security, and natural gas leaks for Department of Energy and the oil and gas industry.
Inflatable structures are being pursued as candidates for long-term habitats in space. The ability to monitor and assess the structural health of an inflatable module is an important factor in determining the feasibility of using inflatable technologies for habitat requirements, especially in the presence of micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) threats. There is therefore a need for Structural Health Monitoring methods to perform impact detection and localization to the inflatable structures throughout the structure’s mission. This capability must be accomplished within real constraints for sensor volume, mass, and crew resources, including being able to perform effective damage monitoring of the inflatable habitat layers automatically during a mission either on a routine basis or as a quick- response basis. Acellent has extensive experience in developing space and field-ready Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) diagnostic systems. This program will focus on development, maturation, assembly and automation of “Flexible multifunctional Structural Health Monitoring systems for inflatable space habitat structures”. The program will enable the low-cost manufacturing of integrated sensing capabilities in inflatable softgoods material systems that are needed to monitor impact detection in situ and measure load/strain on softgoods components. The Phase II effort will focus on developing a complete system for SHM for inflatable habitats and testing on a sub scale inflatable habitats. Integration of sensors into the inflatable materails will be a key development conducted during the Pkhase II. The work will be done in close co-ordination with NASA and subcontractors that will provide Vectran materails, manufacture the sub scale inflatable and perform testing.
NASA is currently looking for SHM technologies that are small and lightweight to provide onboard monitoring capabilities and are easy to install. The proposed system has several critical future exploration applications including support of technologies for self-assembly, in-space assembly, in-space maintenance & servicing, and highly reliable autonomous deep-space systems. These technologies have the potential of significantly increasing safety, reliability, affordability, and effectiveness of NASA missions.
The proposed SHM system can be used in several different platforms including Commercial and Military fixed wing, rotorcraft and unmanned Aircraft, Commercial and Military space structures, Mining, Bridges, Buildings and other platforms.
To improve size, weight, and power (SWaP) of spacecraft carbon dioxide (CO2) and water removal systems, Mainstream Engineering Corporation (Mainstream) developed the process to embed resistive wires directly into an additively manufactured (AM) sorbent bed for optimized regeneration. This process drastically reduces the thermal contact resistance compared to the current system of heating elements. In Phase I, Mainstream focused on developing the mechanism and process for embedding the resistive wire into the sorbent beds (three patents in progress). In Phase II, Mainstream will focus primarily on scaleup, testing, and optimization. We will optimize our paste and scale paste manufacturing to fabricate larger structures, and create separate paste formulations for CO2 and H2O adsorption. Additionally, we will improve our control system by adding additional optimization features (e.g., intra-layer wire spacing) and manufacturing improvements (e.g., refining wire lead location for wire management). We will also design an electrical control system capable of controlling current output and monitoring wire health. We will fabricate sub-scale and full-scale wire-embedded structures using these refined components for testing. We will use the sub-scale structures for accelerated life testing where we will perform accelerated adsorption cycles with standard desorption cycles to simulate long-term use. Finally, we will perform full-scale testing at representative flow rates and adsorbate concentrations to validate the integration's feasibility and expected service performance.
For NASA, the ability to 3D print adsorbent and catalysts beds that include embedded heating/cooling elements will immediately impact various applications. We see this technology making the most significant impact for NASA in space exploration where SWaP is at a premium. Given this Phase II is expected to run until mid-2025 if awarded, with an expected TRL at completion of 6, we foresee this technology making NASA debut on DRM 8a Crewed Mars Orbital (based on the technology need date of 2027 according the NASA Technology Roadmap rev. 2015)
One or all of the advantages of our technology are beneficial to a variety of critical and high-value markets, including industrial scrubbers, pharmaceutical production, fuel cells, breathing apparatuses, and deep-sea exploration. For example, we have already proposed this technology for use in a small military submarine concept where reducing power consumption and size are paramount.
Currently, oxygen in space is recovered through an advanced oxygen recovery system, which does not fully recover the oxygen. Future missions may use technologies such as the Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) or Bosch process, both of which recover oxygen, but generate large amounts of carbon particulate (0.2 – 50 µm) that must be removed for proper operation and crew safety. In Phase I, Mainstream developed and demonstrated a high-efficiency carbon removal system (CRS) to safely collect, remove, and dispose of sub-micron carbon particulates that consists of a 1st-stage cyclone separator that removes 85% of the particulate (focused towards larger particles), a 2nd-stage electrostatic precipitator that removes another 8% (focused towards small particles), and a final porous metal filter which removes the remaining ~7% for a total removal efficiency of 99.93% at 0.3 µm and 99.69% from 0.3 µm to 10 µm.
The CRS system was designed to operate in high-temperature steam (Bosch) or hydrogen (PPA) without issues. It is <0.1 ft3, 4 lb, and consumes <20 W of power with a pressure drop of <50 torr including all components and electronics. Phase I culminated in a final validation of operation independent of gravity (i.e., tested upside down), high loading (>10 g/min), and in high-temperature steam.
In Phase II, Mainstream will iterate on the CRS prototype with our optimized computation fluid dynamics models, focus on practical carbon removal from the subsystems, and experimentally evaluate long-term CRS performance, pressure drop, and regeneration at relevant carbon loadings and operation conditions (e.g., reduced pressure, gravity, PPA, Bosch). The verified CRS undergo PPA and Bosch relevant lifetime testing and mature hardware delivered to NASA for evaluation.
The developed technologies on this program are unique in that they provide HEPA-level filtration, with no consumable components and can reduce the need for consumables by 95%, all while requiring minimal increase in air pressure and a very low power consumption. This provides a direct and enabling technology for NASA for future moon and Mars missions where carbon particulate capture is necessary for full recovery of oxygen for long-term space flights and eventual bases.
Mainstream sees many other dual-use applications in the industrial sector. We see the largest areas for this application in the large-scale industrial solid separation for air particulate and pollution control as well as in the specialty chemical manufacturing area, where recovery of expensive precious metal catalysts is a necessity.
To meet NASA's goal of commercial in-space production of materials with the level of quality and performance superior to that on Earth, DSTAR Communications Inc. develops Space-Enhanced Crystals (SPECS). This customer-driven effort is based on initial sales of Minimal Valuable Products (MVPs). The technology uses the microgravity-driven enhancement of crystal formation in microgravity in combination with a set of novel process controls to establish commercially sustainable manufacturing on board of International Space Station (ISS). The program leverages a unique modular ISS manufacturing platform to maintain U.S. leadership in the area of commercial in-space production.
NASA applications include infrared sensors and probes for both ground facilities and flight instrumentation. The improved infrared materials and fibers could benefit Exoplanet research and exploration. The thermal imaging and situational awareness systems using the space-enhanced crystals offer enhanced performance for robotic platforms and space assets. The longer wavelength pigtailed quantum cascade lasers could be implemented in environmental sensing solutions.
The improved crystals and polycrystalline optical fibers provide a high power delivery option for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide laser systems. The materials offer improved performance for medical endoscopes and diagnostics equipment. The materials would enable advanced industrial and environmental sensing platforms.
NASA is interested in improving the method to control CO2 and water in the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) to meet the ambitious objectives of the Artemis program, which includes human presence on the surface of the Moon and Mars. The technology that is planned to be used is the RCA which utilizes two beds that are alternately used to remove CO2 and H2O and then are regenerated by exposure to space vacuum. The RCA utilizes an amine-based sorbent (SA9T), and although it has good reversible CO2 uptakes, higher capacities are desired to maintain lower CO2 levels and to reduce power consumption and O2 losses. In addition, this sorbent emits low levels of ammonia which must be removed from the suit using a separate technology.
In the SBIR Phase I project, Reaction Systems successfully developed new sorbents that outperformed SA9T and reduced ammonia emissions. Tests carried out on selected sorbents and SA9T over a wide range of CO2 partial pressures indicated that a new sorbent had cycle times that were over a factor of two greater than for SA9T at the higher CO2 pressures, which results in a 44% reduction in number of half cycles in the Standard EVA. Ammonia emissions are also over an order of magnitude lower for the new sorbent compared to SA9T.
In the Phase II project, Reaction Systems will continue developing the new sorbent to a TRL that will allow it to be incorporated into new space suits for advanced missions. Tasks include optimizing the composition and preparation, performing lifetime measurements, evaluating the effect that contaminants could have and finally testing at full scale. The full scale tests will be carried out in a custom CO2 control module similar in design to the RCA but will have more accessibility to the sorbent beds. In addition, the module will be installed in Reaction Systems’ full scale ventilation loop that can simulate pressures, flow rates, and humidity levels encountered in the suit during an EVA.
In addition to its use in the space suit, this technology could be used for CO2 control in a space craft cabin. The current technology, the CDRA, uses pressure and temperature swing adsorption cycle to remove CO2 and the thermal cycling causes the molecular sieve sorbent to break down into dust particles, which clog filters or end up in the cabin air. A sorbent that does not require a temperature increase for regeneration could reduce power consumption and eliminate dust.
The technology could also be used for control of CO2 emissions from power plants. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 280 ppm to over 400 ppm over the last 50 years primarily due to CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. An effective method could be used to remove CO2 from the effluent and compress it into a concentrated liquid for sequestration, storage, or use.
NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)'s innovative autonomous operations technologies (AOT) for ground and launch systems require minimized or even eliminated human iteration/intervention, and presence due to hazardous operational environments. Towards this goal, American GNC Corporation (AGNC) and The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) are proposing the "Semiautonomous Anomaly Monitoring and Early Detection (SAMY)" System to advance NASA's operations and maintenance (O&M) infrastructure while increasing ground system availability to support mission operations. The SAMY system is to provide innovative Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) technology for planetary or lunar surface-based infrastructure that are related to the preparation of launch vehicles and payloads for flight. SAMY can also improve NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) test stand infrastructure by taking into account earth applications. The system builds upon: (i) automated anomaly detection, analysis, and characterization (ADAC) to identify incipient fault conditions and benign new operational conditions; (ii) generalized prognostic methodology based on optimized Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) discriminant; and (iii) suite of cutting edge algorithms operating collaboratively, including semiautomated incremental learning, selected deep learning paradigms, and inference methods for both Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) and guidance in maintenance operations.
Phase II design constraints include: (a) developing a sound framework that can handle with concept drift and structured data (e.g., multi-source, distributed, and heterogenous); (b) automated new knowledge assimilation once that change is detected and found a new condition; (c) developing a generalized prognostics scheme to provide Remaining Useful Life estimations; (d) blending strengths of advanced machine learning paradigms and achieving collaborative operation while for Prognostics and Health Management system; and (e) thorough V&V
The primary target is NASA ground and launch systems for planetary and lunar surface infrastructure. The applications are numerous since SAMY is a PHM software product that supports AOT and O&M infrastructure, being examples: Advanced Ground Systems Maintenance (AGSM) and Integrated Health Management (IHM) Architecture at the Kennedy Space Center; NASA Ames autonomous systems, space habitats, and spacecrafts; and NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) space launch systems (SLS) such as vacuum jacketed pipelines, and liquid nitrogen high-pressure pump.
SAMY focus to anomaly detection, prognostics, & FDI based on cognitive systems ensemble, puts it apart from current commercial products. Potential markets include Condition Based Maintenance, Smart Sensors, Internet of Things, & Autonomous Systems. Specific applications are avionic systems, manufacturing, structural health monitoring, fluid distribution systems, chemical processing plants.
The objective of this work is to develop highly Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) efficient neuromorphic processors that can train deep learning algorithms. The training phase for deep learning is very compute and data intensive. Being able to train a network on the satellite eliminates the need to send large volumes of data to earth for training a new network. However, this requires an extremely energy efficient deep learning training processor. We will develop resistive crossbar neuromorphic processors, with the primary target being to train deep learning algorithms. We will look at multiple type of networks, including for cognitive communication applications, anomaly detection, and imaging. We will also look at processing networks for other data sets. The key outcomes of the work will be the processor design, processor performance metrics on various applications, prototype system, and software for the processor.
Potential NASA applications include various deep learning training and inference tasks on satellites. These include cognitive communications, processing sensor outputs, and scientific experiments. Additionally, the developed system could be used for UAVs.
The non-NASA market would be primarily for edge processing, where power is highly limited. The market includes both the DoD and the commercial market. DoD applications include cognitive communications, sensor processing, cognitive decision making, and federated learning. Commercial applications include communications systems, automobiles, consumer electronics, and robots.
Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) proposes to continue to development of a highly compact Multi-Parameter Astronaut Life Support Sensor (M-PALSS) for use in the portable life support system (PLSS) for the new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU). M-PALSS will consist of an array of low power chemical microsensors for oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and pressure to monitor the major constituents in the gas stream circulated by the PLSS and/or exhaled from the astronaut in the rebreather loop. In Phase I, highly miniaturized chemical microsensors were packaged with electronics in a compact physical envelope and low power consumption. Phase II will develop and test prototypes ready for PLSS integration and will coordinate design and requirements with NASA, Collins Aerospace, and Axiom Space. Additional sensing capability for ammonia, carbon monoxide, and other chemical sensing gaps will be evaluated for integration. In Phase II, two generation of prototypes will be developed and tested to mature the technology to TRL 6 by the end of the program.
The primary NASA application for the technology is to support human exploration activities by providing enhanced sensing capability to new generation of space suit life support systems including xEMU and the PLSS module. The technology is also applicable to ISS, Gateway, and future lunar outpost life support systems.
Non-NASA Applications include commercial and military diving rebreathing systems which have similar sensing requirements. Medical applications for the technology are portable oxygen generators and respirators.
Dynovas’ Motorless Expandable Solar Array (MESA) system provides a novel solution that specifically addresses NASA’s call for technologies enabling structural and mechanical innovations for a 50-kW-class solar array that can be relocated and deployed at least 5 times. The system is designed for an efficiency of > 75 W/kg and a volume efficiency >22 kW/m3. This solution was developed based on previous technologies that have proven track record such as inflatables and bistable composites and new technologies for deployment and packaging that specifically address the unique mission requirements for large deployable solar arrays. The MESA system will be demonstrated at TRL 6 in Phase II via sub/full scale operation of key elements of the system, including array deployment, tower erection and retraction, and solar tracking. All systems are designed for the lunar environment (-80 °C to + 130 °C, under vacuum), including lunar dust. The Phase I successfully fabricated a scale model of the MESA system, with demonstrations of several key technologies, such as, bistable booms, inflatables, tensioned guy wires and a collapsible tower.
In Phase II, Dynovas will demonstrate the prototype MESA major sub-systems at TRL 6. The Phase II technical objectives will bridge the gap between the proven concept and readiness for flight testing opportunities. The Phase II objectives include:
The TRL 6 MESA System, delivered at the completion of Phase II, provides NASA and others a complete power generation system for use from 50 kW-300kW power stations.
The MESA system builds on near term NASA initiatives: Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) project, Watts on the Moon Challenge, and Artemis Lunar Landings. The increased scale of MESA to 50 kW enables application to large power stations (300 kW+), habitats, recharging stations, and power substations. The overall scalability and redeployability also enables MESA to support smaller exploratory missions. The robust inflatable boom can also apply to surface conforming arrays for the moon and Mars exploration and habitation.
The NASA specific lunar missions will also have parallel commercial efforts to which MESA applies. In addition to lunar exploration other dual use applications exist, including: refueling stations; orbiting debris removal; and terrestrial pop-up power and communications towers.
For deep space optical communications (OC) at astronomical distances (AU) such as Mars and beyond, a multi-kW average power laser that can be coded to send data is needed. OC will revolutionize space-based science and exploration capabilities by supplying data rates up to 100 times faster than the currently used radio frequency (RF) based systems. In response to that, PSI proposed to develop a laser to use as a ground beacon and uplink laser transmitter. The innovation is to develop a simple tapered fiber design that can produce high energy pulses at low pulse repetition rate (PRF) and also low energy pulses at high PRF. The versatility of the design fills the gap between these two types of lasers. In Phase I the laser was operated at 1 MHz with 150 uJ of pulse energy and also operated at 30 MHz with 5 uJ of energy. Former is suitable for long link distance to Mars and the latter is suitable for high data rate at 60 Mb/s. The proposed technology can also be applied to Er doped fiber to produce near 1.5 micron wavelength suitable for downlink laser.
The proposed technology is applicable to NASA for communicating between satellites, space crafts or to the ground. The LCRD mission will demonstrate the first two-way rely optical communication. Future Psyche mission, which is a journey to Psyche-16 between Mars and Jupiter, will test this new technology that encodes data in photons to communicate between a probe in deep space and Earth. In this mission, deep-space optical communications technology using lasers will demonstrate link length extending from 0.1 to farther than 2 AU.
High power and narrow-linewidth fiber lasers are necessary tools for the applications in gravitational wave detection, coherent LIDAR. A low-cost and high-data-rate optical communication terminals such as proposed here are required by SpaceX, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Airbus who are pursuing High Altitude Platforms and very large LEO satellite constellations for global internet deployment.
Space habitat inflatable structures require complex material configurations and manufacturing processes. There is a need to develop a standardized accelerated creep test methodology with analysis capability to compute the master creep curves for high strength Vectran webbing to ensure long-term habitat structural stability. Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. (TRI Austin) proposes to develop a modified Step-Isothermal Method (SIM) and alternative Accelerated Life Testing methods that can be used for Vectran webbing and yarn based on our Phase I efforts. In Phase II of the program TRI Austin is teaming with Dr. Brown of Clemson’s Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films to characterize the tensile properties of Vectran fibers, as well as using techniques to identify the effect of fiber microstructure, molecular architecture, and intermolecular interactions on Vectran long-term creep behavior. Bally Ribbon Mills will provide expertise in webbing design and manufacturing processes used in its construction and currently manufactures the 24K 2-inch webbing for ILC Dover's prototype space habitat. OTEX, who manufactured the 12.5K 1-inch Vectran used in Phase I, will assist by supplying new webbing and yarn with QA/QC lot testing data. The Phase II program has 14 technical objectives based on our discoveries and theories from the Phase I evaluations that will be addressed in Phase II. In Phase II we can test and address the impact of manufacturing defects, long-term storage, packaging (folding), transportation to space, and final deployment in space with accelerated aging protocols. These test articles will then be assessed with the developed testing protocols to determine mission profile-based reliability performance calculated based on probability and confidence level to estimate field use life.
The primary NASA application is inflatable Softgoods for Next Generation Habitation Systems. This research development effort will develop and document creep test methodology and analysis capability to compute master creep curves for Vectran webbing generating relevant lifetime material performance predictions. The developed testing methodologies should be included in Vectran webbing qualification testing and certification plan for human-rated inflatable space structures.
It is anticipated that with a variety of corporations including Bigelow Aerospace LLC, ILC Dover, Maxar Technologies, Inc., The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corp., Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic, among others, entering the area of space travel, that demand for evaluating the creep behavior of inflatable structures will increase in the coming years.
The proposed innovation is a monitoring and advisory system for health management of solenoid operated valves (SOV) used in industrial applications. The proposed software application would assist maintenance personnel and equipment owners to optimize system operation and maintenance activities by providing up-to-date information of key health metrics. The relevance and significance of the proposed innovation lies in the possibility to improve the capabilities to predict and model the behavior of SOV's. More generally, this proposal seeks to develop technology for health determination and fault management, prediction, prognosis, and anomaly detection. The proposed innovation addresses a gap between academic research and actual available commercial applications for monitoring the health status of real, field-deployed, industrial systems. The few options commercially available require the incorporation of additional hardware (sensors, signal conditioning modules, etc.) with obvious impacts to system cost and complexity. In relation to this, the proposed approach will make use of non-intrusive, low-cost techniques for measuring a coil’s resistance or impedance, which in combination with calibrated models that correlate resistance and temperature, will allow to 1) determine if the coil’s insulation has been subjected to operating temperatures higher than its rated class, 2) estimate cumulative damage based on total operating hours, and remaining useful life, 3) detect shorted coils, 4) assess internal leakage of the valve by detecting deviations in measured impedance (ac valves) from nominal values, and 5) provide confirmation of a valve operation in case of limit switch failures (ac valves). Furthermore, the proposed system would allow processing of historical usage data to estimate and maintain reliability curves, thus providing operators with additional insight to better understand and expose risk.
It is expected that the proposed application would be of interest to most of NASA’s research centers, testing centers, and launch sites, given the fact that solenoid valves (SOV) are basic components of most fluid systems. At SSC, there are currently more than 600 SOV's in operation, with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 75 days. The Gateway Refueling System is another candidate for the deployment of technologies like the ones introduced in this proposal, since SOV’s are one of the basic components of its present design.
Given their nature and function, solenoid-operated valves are ubiquitous in industrial applications. In this sense, it is expected that a monitoring and advisory application like the one proposed here could find widespread application throughout a diverse range of industries, as for example oil & gas, nuclear, manufacturing, power generation, chemical, food, and pharmaceutical among others.
The accelerator developed by Niobium Microsystems, Inc. (Niobium) is scalable in terms of parallelism and memory capacity, so that it can be targeted towards a variety of platforms, from small battery operated devices to large high-performance compute systems. It also has the ability to perform online learning when operating on neuromorphic workloads, drawing inspiration from the Hebbian learning paradigm. Additionally, the accelerator is designed as a memory-mapped peripheral of a larger heterogeneous System-on-Chip (SoC) and as such it can utilize external memory and implement arbitrarily sized Neural Networks (NNs) and even multiple NNs at the same time.
Niobium is also prototyping several different approaches for incorporating radiation-tolerant features in the core by leveraging Niobium’s novel digital circuit design flow, and incorporating magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) where appropriate to harden the memory. As part of the Phase II effort, Niobium proposes to proceed with the implementation of the accelerator core with two additional innovations that are crucial to the NASA mission, but also have broader market potential in commercial and defense applications. Specifically, we plan to utilize Niobium’s asynchronous circuit design techniques to (1) enable broad Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) for enhanced protection against long-term radiation effects as well as potential improvements in energy efficiency, and (2) incorporate low-overhead radiation-tolerant circuits that protect against transient radiation effects, commonly referred to as Single-Event Transients (SETs), while minimizing the overhead in terms of power, performance and area. Lastly, as part of the implementation effort, Niobium intends to perform a quantitative tradeoff analysis between MRAM and conventional ECC-protected static random access memory (SRAM) with redundancy for the system-level cache of the accelerator.
NASA’s missions will establish a permanent presence on the moon this decade (Artemis), followed by similar efforts on Mars. The remote deployment, with long communication latency and limited bandwidth, requires more autonomous systems that can sense their environment, react accordingly and adapt over time. The Niobium chip will enable such capabilities AND allow for withstanding the radiation effects present in space.
These demonstrable capabilities are directly transferable to space systems, autonomous vehicles, and other sensor platforms. Niobium is engaging with DoD customers regarding this effort: AFRL/RV, AFRL/RYA, AFRL/RI. Additionally the growing commercial space market is seeking to establish a permanent presence in space which will require rad-tolerant features, not COTS hardware used by LEO solutions.
Single-event burnout (SEB) and gate rupture occur when high-energy ions strike SiC MOSFET devices in the OFF state. Heavy ion radiation caused irreversible damage (possibly owing to SEGR) at biases below 10% and catastrophic failure at biases below 40% of their nominal blocking voltage in commercial SiC power devices. Commercial SiC MOSFETs degrade for latent gate leakage even at 50V drain-to-source voltage (VDS). Heavy ion collisions produce high-concentration electron-hole pairs that cause gate damage. In an n-channel MOSFET, electric field produced by the positive drain bias causes the generated holes and electrons to flow in opposite directions. The gate oxide interface "accumulates" and "leaks" holes toward the source contact. When the oxide's electric field surpasses a threshold, it breaks down.
SCDevice has designed a SiC MOSFET device with a P+ shield layer that prevents SEB by maintaining temperatures well below the sublimation point of SiC (2973°K) and by diverting the holes away from the gate oxide. Remarkably, our simulations show that 600V SEB performance can be achieved with only a P+ shield layer. Simulations reveal that when subjected to an ion strike with a LET of 40 MeV-cm2/mg, our devices biased at VDS=600V show temperature rise under 750°K and electric field of less than 4.0MV/cm in the gate oxide. Our findings demonstrate more than sixfold increase in the device bias before gate degradation may occur, potentially enabling the use of SiC MOSFET in space applications. We intend to manufacture and market SiC MOSFET for space applications. Our innovation can be applied to Si MOSFET devices to enhance the radiation performance. During phase-II, SCDevice will design and fabricate the MOSFET, radiation test, use the data to calibrate simulation models, re-design and fabricate lot-2 and complete radiation testing to verify performance. During technology development and validation, SCDevice will identify and address customer needs and pain points.
Use of SiC devices allows increasing the power supply voltage on satellites, hence increase power for higher throughput, broader coverage and faster orbital positioning. SiC devices would reduce the satellite’s volume and weight, a real asset given the high price per kilo launch. The result is either: smaller and lighter satellites for a given mission, or a higher performance payload for a given satellite. SiC devices’ vulnerability to radiation damage hinders its usage in space. NASA space mission could directly benefit from our SiC MOSFET.
Power management represents 40% of the rad-hard electronics market. Radiation-resistant high-voltage SiC components will benefit the cost-competitive satellite sector. Lighter satellites should lower rocket launch greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
Transfer of gaseous propellant in space is a critical technology for space exploration and for extending the useful life of satellites. A key component needed for in-space refueling is a compressor that can efficiently move gas from a resupply vehicle to the propellant storage vessel on board the receiver vehicle. High efficiency requires a very high pressure ratio, and operation on orbit requires that the compressor be compact, lightweight, and space worthy. We propose to develop a compact, high-pressure ratio compressor that meets these requirements. Our technology can efficiently transfer gas from a low-pressure supply vessel to a high-pressure receiver vessel using a highly reliable compression mechanism. In Phase I, we proved feasibility through demonstration testing of key components and materials, analysis and assessment of key design trade-offs, detailed conceptual design, and predictions of performance. In Phase II, we will build a prototype compressor and demonstrate operation under conditions that simulate propellant transfer in space.
NASA’s primary application is propellant transfer for space exploration. Resupply of xenon propellant for the Gateway space station will ultimately be developed by the Gateway Program and the Gateway Logistics Program Office. Transfer of helium pressurant gas for management of cryogenic propellant can support the recent Tipping Point programs awarded for cryogenic fluid management and managed through NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Kennedy Space Center.
The main commercial application is refueling with gaseous propellant or recharging helium pressurant to extend satellite life, reduce costs, and enhance capabilities. Customers will be companies that build and operate spacecraft for in-space servicing, assembly, and maintenance of orbiting spacecraft. These companies include new commercial ventures as well as established aerospace primes.
Astrobotic will design, manufacture, and test a series of flight-like rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) injectors using its patent-pending PermiAM technology. In addition to the further development and test of these injectors, Astrobotic will also design an annular RDRE chamber that will be compatible with the injectors.
Injectors manufactured using PermiAM provide numerous benefits to NASA, including PermiAM's ability to evenly inject propellants across the detonation wave path, which helps to maintain the stability of the detonation wave in an RDRE. These injectors and compatible thrust chambers may be able to improve Isp by as much as 15%. Such RDREs could be used on spacecraft or launch vehicles for NASA missions and may be useful for developing new space and aviation propulsion systems.
Customers for the injectors proposed for this effort include commercial companies working to develop functional RDREs or seeking to improve the efficiency of their propulsion systems. The injectors, as part of a functional RDRE, could be sold as an efficient commercial propulsion system to private spacecraft and launch providers. RDRE technology is also a key research area for the Air Force.
Blueshift, LLC d/b/a Outward Technologies proposes to continue development of the Feed and Removal of Regolith for Oxygen Extraction (FaRROE) system. FaRROE enables the transfer of regolith from excavators to within a lunar oxygen extraction reactor, and the transfer of processed regolith from the reduction reactor to a holding hopper or the lunar surface. The system incorporates noncontact temperature measurements of the regolith within the reactor using a 2-color pyrometer to monitor regolith phase change and temperatures up to and exceeding 2,000 C. The innovative design of the FaRROE system incorporates non-mechanical valves at the reactor inlet and outlet to enable the continuous feed of regolith into and out of an enclosed reactor at high processing rates (>25 kg/hr) with no moving parts coming into contact with the regolith. Sealing of the reactor inlet is produced through a vertical tube hopper packed with unprocessed regolith, creating a tortuous path for product gases and preventing their escape from the reactor chamber. An extrusion nozzle at the reactor outlet enables the controlled removal of processed regolith and formation of a liquid seal preventing the escape of product gases. Utilizing unprocessed and processed regolith as the sealing mechanisms reduces mass, complexity, and likelihood of mechanical failure of the system. The extraction of oxygen is monitored through two redundant systems to measure oxygen production rate, system efficiency, and leak rate. Mineral-oxide content is measured continuously at the unprocessed inlet feed and processed outlet feed. The oxygen and/or other product gases generated within the reactor are monitored through in-line gas analysis. FaRROE may be integrated with every known high-temperature oxygen extraction method for regolith to enable continuous processing at high feed rates through a lightweight, durable design to ensure long-term continuous operation in the harsh lunar environment
FaRROE addresses the limitations of current designs of lunar oxygen extraction reactors which lack a means to move regolith into and out of the oxygen extraction zone. These enabling capabilities address the needs of NASA TX07.1 In-Situ Resource Utilization through the improved production of oxygen from lunar regolith and TX07.2 Mission Infrastructure, Sustainability, and Supportability through the utilization of molten slag in a host of secondary processes including 3D printing and casting of structural members on the Moon.
Potential non-NASA applications include the commercial production of oxygen and glass-ceramic regolith parts and structures on the Moon. Other non-NASA applications include the improved design of non-mechanical valves for high-temperature industrial processes on Earth incorporating a pressure differential between the reactor and the inlet and outlet feeds.
NASA modeling and simulation activities are mandated to provide uncertainty characterization, quantification (UQ), and propagation for all of their simulation tools and results. In the Phase I of this project, CFD Research addressed this need by implementing two approaches for sensitivity analysis into the Gas Granular Flow Solver, Loci/GGFS, used by NASA for prediction of Lunar and Martian Plume-Surface Interaction (PSI) effects such as dust lofting, obscuration, debris transport, and surface cratering. The first method, the intrusive methodology Forward Automatic Differentiation (FAD), enables run-time sensitivity analysis and propagation of the underlying sub-model uncertainties through a simulation in a minimal number of runs. The second method was the nonintrusive Sensitivity Quantification for Uncertainty Analysis Toolkit (SQUAT). Both approaches quantified sensitivities in a PSI validation problem. In Phase II, CFD Research will mature both methodologies. The efficiency and applicability of FAD will be improved for a broad class of problems in Loci/GGFS and other Loci solvers including Loci/CHEM, which is used for a variety of applications by NASA. SQUAT will be extended to work with all Loci-based solvers. Both uncertainty analysis methods can also be adapted for implementation or integration with other CFD solvers to enable critically needed UQ and sensitivity analysis for a wide range of NASA and non-NASA applications. At the end of this project, a full suite of UQ tools will be available to the analyst for sensitivity analysis, allowing identification of dominant sub-model contributors of uncertainty, guide improvements, and provide a rapid propagation of critical uncertainties to the simulation output metrics. The resulting tools will be delivered to NASA for ready application to analysis of Lunar and Martian landers, including the Human Lander System, to aid in quantifying and propagating uncertainties in current simulations.
Immediate NASA applications include the improvements across the Loci-based solver family for a broad range of numerical simulations, especially in determining uncertainties present in models used therein. This work can be extended to other solvers with similar benefits. Identification and understanding of model uncertainties will have a direct impact on missions requiring propulsive landing and take-off, such as the Commercial Lunar Payload Services landers, for the Human Lander System, and future Martian robotic and human landers.
Uncertainties persist in a wide range of non-NASA sand and dust related military and civilian applications such as rotorcraft brownout, engine dust ingestion, and obscuring the warfighter. In addition, multiphase flows occur in many applications in chemical, and fossil-energy conversion industries where accurate physics modeling plays a huge role in the flow behavior of real particulate systems.
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) is developing passive and active enhancements to heritage electrodynamic tether smallsat deorbit systems. Passive coatings based on flexible materials with negative electron affinity-enhanced triple-point electron emitters will enable deorbit propellantless deorbit from altitudes up to at least 1100 km by increasing the passively generated current through electrodynamic tethers. The active component of PSI’s system, embodied by a robust, self-powered and self-regulated cold cathode electron gun, will further increase deorbit rate and altitude while also giving a host satellite control over deorbit parameters. This active deorbit system is entirely electric and requires no propellant, dramatically reducing their size, weight and power requirements versus traditional active deorbit systems and services. Both the active and passive deorbit components leverage past work PSI has performed for the US Space Force and for NASA. PSI is also partnering with Tethers Unlimited Inc. (TUI) to adapt the passive and active electrodynamic tether enhancement to their existing, heritage terminator tape (TT) deorbit systems. In Phase I, PSI demonstrated proof of concept for the new tether enhancement technologies. In Phase II, PSI will apply the new technologies to TUI’s TT system, producing flight-ready prototypes available to NASA for deployment on demonstration missions following the Phase II program.
The innovation is applicable to smallsats, and possibly larger objects such as spent rocket stages having terminal altitudes up to at least 1100-1200 km. The application is controlled, rapid, propellantless deorbit of payloads in order to minimize further pollution of low Earth orbit (LEO) and mitigate the risk of spacecraft collisions. Further development may allow propellantless station keeping in LEO, as well as propellantless maneuver of spacecraft around other planets with natural magnetic fields such as Jupiter and Saturn.
The innovation is applicable to all smallsats, and possibly larger payloads such as spent rocket stages. The application is controlled, rapid, propellantless deorbit of payloads, minimizing further pollution of LEO and mitigating risk of spacecraft collisions. This innovation will also enable cost-effective compliance with regulations designed to mitigate space pollution.
Electrical power management designed for use in space requires electronics capable of operating without damage in the galactic cosmic ray space radiation environment. Unfortunately, the adoption of SiC and GaN technology into space applications is hindered by their susceptibility to permanent degradation and catastrophic failure from single-event effect heavy-ion exposure. This degradation occurs at <50% of the rated operating voltage, requiring the operation of SiC/GaN devices at de-rated voltages.
Diamond is one of the candidate materials for the next-generation WBG semiconductor devices capable of overcoming the current limitations of SiC/GaN technology. In addition to having the highest breakdown field, it has the highest p-type conductivity, making it a unique p-channel material for power electronics. It also holds a solid hope to be hardened against single-event burnout (SEB) due to its superior thermal conductivity and ability to maintain excellent crystallinity under heavy ion exposure.
Euclid Beamlabs, in collaboration with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will develop a new quasi-lateral diamond power MOSFET (QLDT) that will overcome current limitations by combining the inherent advantages of diamond material, SEB hardened transistor design with advanced 3D femtosecond laser writing capabilities of micrometer-scale conductive structure fabrication inside the diamond. The project's primary focus is developing a SEB-tolerant diamond transistor design with a 2D Hole Gas conductive channel and graphitized embedded connections. The targeted specifications are a 1,200+ V voltage rating with 1.0 mOhm-cm2 specific on-resistance.
In Phase II, we will focus on the 3D simulations of QLDTs at supercomputer facilities. Then we evaluate the SEB performance of QLDTs under varying conditions. We will also fabricate a QLDT prototype following the fabrication process flow outlined in Phase 1. The prototype will be tested at the heavy-ion terrestrial facility.
The technology has immediate application for radiation-hardened power electronics circuits in exploring atmospheric planets, Moon to Mars, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions. It has a strong potential to advance current state-of-the-art electronics on revolutionary spacecraft design with reduced size, weight, and power while increasing overall system efficiency, longevity, and performance.
The developed technology has the potential to be commercialized for a wide set of goals with hostile environments and high-temperature operation regimes. It will overcome the limitations of current state-of-the-art high-temperature, cost-effective power electronics technology. The all-carbon technology will find its applications in military electronics, high-energy physics, and medical radiology.
NASA is working toward missions involving crewed habitats for extended stays within orbital platforms. Environmental control of these habitats is enabled by use of thermal control systems to maintain conditions within a tight temperature band. These thermal control systems must be highly reliable, lightweight, and able to effectively control cabin and equipment temperatures to within several degrees under varying heat loads in conditions of low gravity. For existing spaceborne habitats and survival of payloads, thermal control is established by pumped liquid coolant loops, often employing low-surface-tension fluids. Ensuring reliable operation of the coolant pump is paramount; methods to reduce operational risk to the pump are needed to enable long-term human presence. To address this need, Creare has developed a compact, gravity-insensitive gas trap capable of passively sequestering, then venting non-condensable gas buildup in liquid coolant loops with low surface tension fluids. In Phase I, we proved the feasibility of this approach by developing a preliminary gas trap design, demonstrating key processes involved in fabrication of the gas trap including development of novel microporous materials. We assembled a subscale dual-membrane gas trap and characterized its performance through laboratory testing. This allowed us to demonstrate that the gas trap accumulates gas, can passively vent to a coolant loop accumulator gas manifold, and ultimately to the cabin. In Phase II, we will further develop the gas trap technology through expanded trials, we will fabricate a full-scale gas trap capable of serving a multi-kW spaceborne thermal coolant loop, demonstrate its steady state and transient performance in a laboratory coolant loop. We will then conduct microgravity flight tests of the gas trap within an aerated coolant loop, using our anticipated concept of operations. Finally, we will deliver the prototype to NASA for further performance evaluation.
Gas traps are needed for enhanced reliability in thermal control for NASA missions including on-board the ISS. The current proposed effort would enable high reliability coolant loops for use in future lunar habitats or extreme environments circulating low-surface-tension fluids. Other governmental applications (e.g., DoD) are similar to NASA uses, specifically high reliability coolant loops operating in extreme environments for aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles.
The superhydrophobic membrane development has commercial applications for various chemical industries including steam separation and chemical processing with two-phase caustic chemical flows. The gas trap itself has application in high reliability coolant with minimal available maintenance such as in nuclear power plants or in other remote power stations.