NASA 2012 STTR Phase II Solicitation

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Launch vehicles experience extreme acoustic loads during liftoff driven by the interaction of rocket plumes and plume-generated acoustic waves with ground structures. Currently employed predictive capabilities are too dissipative to accurately resolve the propagation of waves throughout the launch environment. Higher fidelity non-dissipative analysis tools are critically needed to design mitigation measures (such as water deluge) and launch pad geometry for current and future NASA and commercial launch vehicles. This project will develop and deliver breakthrough technologies to drastically improve acoustic loads predictions. An innovative hybrid CFD and Computational Aeroacoustics (CFD/CAA) method will be developed where established RANS/LES modeling will be used for predicting the acoustic generation physics, and a high-order accurate unstructured discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method will be employed to propagate acoustic waves across large distances using ideally suited high-order accurate schemes. This new paradigm enables: (1) Improved fidelity over linear methods; (2) Greatly reduced numerical dissipation and dispersion; and (3) Improved acoustics modeling for attenuation, diffraction, and reflection from complex geometry. A proof-of-concept was developed and successfully demonstrated during Phase I for benchmark applications as well as SLS prototype model launch environments. Phase II will deliver production CFD/CAA predictive capabilities with 4th-order spatial and temporal accuracy for near lossless acoustic propagation throughout the launch environment, which will provide NASA engineers with more than a two-fold increase in the range of resolvable frequencies over current methods.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed innovation offers significant advantages over aeroacoustic prediction tools currently available in industry. The hybrid RANS/LES and high-order DG modeling will provide a unique combination of robust multi-physics modeling and high-fidelity acoustic propagation physics. The proposed approach will offer a great technology advantage through its improved accuracy for acoustic propagation and its integration within a single massively parallel unified production framework (Loci). The toolset will be invaluable to current and future commercial launch service providers such as United Launch Alliance, ATK, Boeing, Space-X, Orbital Sciences, and payload system and sensitive instrument developers, particularly for one-of-a-kind DoD, NRO, and NOAA satellites. At the end of the SBIR, this technology will be readily available for analysis of micro-jet and active/passive control systems, conventional and STOVL aircraft jet acoustics, airframe and landing noise, and rotorcraft acoustic loading.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The technology developed under this project will contribute to technology areas identified in multiple NASA Space Technology Area Roadmaps, notably, TA01 Launch Propulsion Systems, and TA13 Ground and Launch Systems Processing. This hybrid CFD/CAA tool will uniquely fill the technology gap at NASA centers in defining lift-off environments for on-going and new launch vehicle designs, and for the analysis of noise suppression techniques. The developed tool will provide greater confidence to NASA acoustics engineers offering accurate, quantitative acoustic loading predictions from first principle CFD/CAA simulations for specific launch vehicle configurations. The tool will also be invaluable to payload system and instrument developers, particularly for one-of-a-kind and experimental optics and telescope systems that are susceptible to acoustic effects during liftoff.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Analytical Methods
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Launch Engine/Booster
Simulation & Modeling

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 2
End: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovative methodologies proposed in this STTR Phase 2 project will enhance Loci-STREAM which is a high performance, high fidelity simulation tool already being used at NASA/MSFC for a variety of CFD applications. This project will address critical needs in order to enable fast and accurate simulations of liquid space propulsion systems of relevance to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) program (LOX/RP-1 engines such as F-1 or potential replacement of RD-180, and LOX/LH2 engines such as RS-25, RS-25D/E, RL10, J-2X). The key methodologies which will be integrated into a production version of the Loci-STREAM code are the following:
(a) Primary atomization modeling using Level Set methodology to model the liquid (core) jet,
(b) Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) for the droplets resulting from primary atomization,
(c) Evaporation models for the droplets,
(d) Flamelet models for turbulent combustion,
(e) Adaptive tabulation for flamelet models, and
(f) Hybrid RANS-LES (HRLES) methodology.
Integration of the above methodologies into Loci-STREAM will result in a state-of-the-art multiphase combustion modeling tool which will enable fast and accurate design and analysis of liquid rocket engine flow environments, combustion stability analysis, etc. which constitute critical components of space propulsion engines that are part of NASA's SLS.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The enhanced version of the computational tool Loci-STREAM resulting from this project will have wide-ranging commercial applications. The Hybrid RANS-LES (HRLES) methodology can be used for a wide variety of engineering applications involving unsteady turbulent flows. The high-fidelity turbulent combustion simulation capability will lead to improved analysis of unsteady turbulent reacting flow fields in gas turbine engines, diesel engines, etc. leading to design improvements. The real-fluids methodology can be used in a large number of industrial flow situations involving both chemically inert and reacting flows. With additions of multi-phase combustion modeling capability, the applicability of this tool can be further broadened.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The outcome of the proposed Phase 2 research and development activities will be an advanced version of a CFD-based multiphase combustion code called Loci-STREAM for spray combustion simulations in liquid propulsion engines of relevance to NASA. Loci-STREAM code is already being used at NASA/MSFC and the capabilities added into the code as a results of this project will make Loci-STEAM a powerful design and analysis tool for propulsion devices including full rocket engine simulations, injector design, etc. This tool will have a direct impact on development of propulsion systems relevant to the SLS by enabling design improvements of injectors involving liquid propellants such as LOX, LH2, LCH4, RP1, etc. Specific applications at NASA of this capability will include:
(a) Fast and accurate simulation of turbulent combustion in existing or new/modified liquid space propulsion engines (LOX/RP-1 engines such as F-1 or potential replacement of RD-180, and LOX/LH2 engines such as RS-25, RS-25D/E, RL10, J-2X)
(b) Fast and accurate 3D unsteady simulations of multi-element injectors coupled with fuel and oxidizer feed lines and manifolds which will yield high-fidelity information for combustion instability models,
(c) Prediction of stability and stability margins,
(d) Design of acoustic cavities for combustion stability, etc.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Software Tools (Analysis, Design)
Launch Engine/Booster
Spacecraft Main Engine
Simulation & Modeling

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 5
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
As a result of significant technical effort, the Phase I was successful in delivering a solar simulator prototype that not only proved the initial concept but will significantly reduce future risk and increase our ability to deliver a fully-functional solar simulator in Phase II. The proposed innovation is an LED-based, laboratory-scale, solar simulator. The proposed innovation simulates AM0 response of single, dual, 3, 4, 5 and 6 junction solar cells by using an array of different wavelength LEDs in close proximity to the cell under test. The simulator is adjustable in spectral matching for selected wavelengths and Class A, the highest standard, for spatial uniformity and temporal stability. The solar simulator illuminates a square area 10 inches by 10 inches and includes optical sensors so that all metrics can be calibrated and validated automatically as needed.

Solar simulation is critical for all solar cell testing, and current simulators will not work for coming 4, 5 and 6 junction technologies. Because the vast majority of NASA missions rely on solar cells, this is critical, enabling test technology for future solar cells. While accurate solar simulation is critical to all solar cell missions, it is particularly important to missions requiring large amounts of power, such as solar electric propulsion (SEP) missions. Beyond NASA's needs, other members of the aerospace community, including solar cell manufacturers, test labs and research institutions, have a critical need for this capability which presents excellent commercialization opportunities after the Phase II maturation of the technology.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
All of the potential NASA commercial applications also apply to non-NASA entities, including other government agencies, solar cell manufacturers, aerospace prime contractors, aerospace subcontractors and research institutions. Some of these applications include:
- 4" or 6" round illumination area LED-based solar simulators for measuring a single cell, or wafer
- 2" or 3" round illumination area LED-based solar simulator for measuring test cells and early research efforts into advanced photovoltaics
- Custom testing of advanced cells, including sensitivity studies to selectively current-starved junction testing, selectively current-flooded junction testing, reemission/ reabsorption of photons by neighboring junctions and many other tests as researchers see opportunity.
- AC modulation of LEDs enables standard AC modulation technique, such as noise reduction through AC modulation, cell capacitance measurements and non-contact I/V measurement of cells before frontside ohmic contacts are added.
- Terrestrial technologies, up to 6 junctions, could greatly benefit from the spectral control and flexibility of this instrument. All benefits listed above could apply to terrestrial cells as well, with the greatest benefit for multijunction cells.
- Some past partners in other projects have already expressed interest in investing in a potential Phase II-E for commercialization and scale-up into the market.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Solar simulation of advanced 4, 5 and 6 junction cells will benefit all NASA missions, particularly high power missions such as solar electric propulsion (SEP). Solar simulation of advanced cells will enable industry standard practices on near-future solar cells.
Additional applications include:
- Advanced solar cells not currently available, including SBT6J, IMM with greater than 6 junctions and cells with quantum dots
- Low intensity, low temperature (LILT) applications
- LED-based large area pulsed solar simulation (LAPSS)
- Class A AM0 spectral simulation using many more different LED wavelengths
- A true AM0 simulator via LED augmentation of lamp-based sources

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Circuits (including ICs; for specific applications, see e.g., Communications, Networking & Signal Transport; Control & Monitoring, Sensors)
Conversion
Generation
Sources (Renewable, Nonrenewable)
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
Lifetime Testing
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT)
Simulation & Modeling

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Systima in collaboration with University of Washington is developing a high performance injection system for advanced green monopropellant AF-M315E micropropulsion systems (0.1 – 1.0 N) for small- and micro-satellites and cubesats (100 kg-500 kg and <100 kg). The monopropellant has low-toxicity making it easy to store, integrate into modular designs and launch without added costs associated with handling toxic propellants such as hydrazine. The injector is a critical component that is designed to enhance combustion and optimize microthruster performance. In the Phase I program, Systima and UW completed proof-of-concept tests that demonstrated the injector technical concept and system advantages. In the Phase II program we will develop a prototype injector design, conduct injector performance testing and workhorse microthruster hot-fire tests with AF-M315E. This effort will result in a monopropellant injection system for modular microthruster system designs that meets the needs of current and future small- and micro-satellites for NASA missions, commercial and military customers.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Green monopropellants offer significant advantages in performance and reduced handling infrastructure for commercial and military small and micro satellites and payloads, and allow for modular designs for rapid response capabilities. Systima's injector technology is well suited for micropropulsion systems for orbital insertion or transfer, stationkeeping and drag compensation and attitude control.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Green monopropellant micropropulsion systems with Systima's high performance injector offer safer handling, reduced system complexity, decreased launch processing times and increased performance compared to conventional hydrazine micropropulsion systems, and are well suited for a wide range of NASA spacecraft missions. Spacecraft micropropulsion systems with Systima's high performance injector can be used for; orbit maintenance, fine attitude control, troubleshooting and maintenance, and potential needs for quick response at relatively high Isp.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Fuels/Propellants
Maneuvering/Stationkeeping/Attitude Control Devices

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Advances in structured heterogeneity together with nanomaterials tailoring has made it possible to create thermoelectrics using high temperature, polymer composites. While such thermoelectrics do not have the capability to approach the efficiency of top performing ceramic modules such as BiTe, they do provide two unique aspects of use in energy scavenging: the ability to conform to irregular large shaped areas easily, and the ability to integrate kinetic energy scavenging together with heat scavenging. During Phase I, the group at Wake Forest University demonstrated that the combination of thermal and vibrational power production is actually synergetic –the amount of power generated is greater than the sum of the individual components. This improvement in nanocomposite thermoelectric performance, coupled with effective kinetic energy scavenging makes the piezo-thermo-electric "PowerFelt™" applicable to a wide range of power collection scenarios. Although the goal of making a 1-m2 material was not completed, significant progress has been made and this capability will be available in Phase II. A sample of "PowerFelt™" was sent to the National Institute for Standards and Testing for independent testing. Their results confirmed that "PowerFelt™" was significantly better than other power producing films and competitive or better than ceramics that cannot conform to the shape of the heat and vibration source. The material was successfully field tested at the Stennis Space Center at their liquid nitrogen supply facility.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The generation of electrical power has numerous applications for DOD including minimizing the battery weight for ground troops; electronic gun controls; electronics; missile; guidance and control systems; nuclear, biological, and chemical defense systems; micro and full sized submarines; surface ships to; aircraft for electronics and life support; unmanned aerial vehicles; and aircraft for electronics and life support. It can also be used to many power communication devises, such as between the THAAD Active Leak Sensor System and the Driver when hypergolic leaks occur during transportation and operation. Applications to the civilian market are similar to those for NASA and DOD, that is to eliminate or reduce the need for batteries and incorporation of "PowerFelt™" into clothing; cell phone holsters; tents; backpacks; conventional and hybrid vehicles, including the passenger compartment electronics; and power generation during emergencies.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The generation of electrical power from thermal sources with and without vibration has wide direct applications for NASA. This technology can be exploited by NASA R&D Centers to power remote sensors around propellant storage areas and test stands, to supplement/eliminate batteries in experimental apparatus by harvesting energy from heat sources such as pump house engines; remove the passive heat load generated by the ambient environment and active devices in order to stabilize the temperature of sensitive components; and using thermoelectrics to drive component temperatures far lower than normal to the sensitivity of detectors, CCD, thermal imaging cameras, solid state lasers and other sensors. Launch and space applications include supplemental/backup power for instrument and life support on manned space vehicles; non-manned space vehicles to supplement main power and instrument batteries; main and supplemental power source for planetary exploration vehicles; main and supplemental power source for satellites; supplemental/backup power for instrument and life support on ISS; and supplemental/backup power for instrumentation on sounding rockets and balloons.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Conversion
Distribution/Management
Generation
Sources (Renewable, Nonrenewable)
Microfabrication (and smaller; see also Electronics; Mechanical Systems; Photonics)
Processing Methods
Resource Extraction
Nanomaterials
Organics/Biomaterials/Hybrids
Polymers

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of this proposal is to integrate three unique energy harvesting technologies utilizing our existing research strengths that will be of interest and utility to NASA applications and environmental conditions. By developing multiple technologies, NASA will be able to harvest energy from multiple waste energy sources, namely environmental vibrations, thermal energy, and solar flux. These devices were initially developed and demonstrated separately, but will be enhanced, matured, and integrated during Phase II. The prototype resulting from this effort will be capable of harvesting energy in a variety of environments which support NASA's broad mission.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This program has commercial applications in addition to those which benefit the current NASA mission. Energy and power are at the forefront of every discussion related to advancing microelectronics and systems. Additionally monitoring the health of electronic and mechanical systems has proven to be an emerging need across many military and commercial systems alike. Embedding sensors and systems which can provide this capability requires primary storage if the system is operated remotely. This causes problems when long term monitoring is needed and the system does not have access to recharging or battery replacement. Harvesting energy from the ambient environment would allow for less dependence on primary batteries and help decrease the weight and footprint of these systems. This would allow for broader use and application of these monitoring systems across a variety of platforms.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This program has significant application to the current NASA mission. This proposal targets many of the technical challenges outlined in the NASA Space Power and Energy Storage roadmap. All of the technologies which support the Outer Planetary and Inner Planetary missions as well as the Space Operations Mission directorate require new methods of power and energy storage. The technology proposed here would not only harvest energy from the ambient environment facilitating a reduction in dependence on primary power sources, but also provide storage capabilities. The small MEMS footprint of the device allows for further weight reduction and ease of integration into space systems where weight and size are at a premium. Multiple types of energy harvesting technologies integrated together provide a broader application base for the device once it is developed. These benefits are applicable to spacecraft, data collection, tools, computers, and anything which requires power and energy storage.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Condition Monitoring (see also Sensors)
Generation
Storage
Smart/Multifunctional Materials
Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and smaller
Materials & Structures (including Optoelectronics)
Acoustic/Vibration
Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics)
Thermal
Heat Exchange

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Robots need to know their location to map of their surroundings but without global positioning data they need a map to identify their surroundings and estimate their location. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solves these dual problems at once. SLAM does not depend on any kind of infrastructure and is thus a promising localization technology for NASA planetary missions and for many terrestrial applications as well. However, state-of-the-art SLAM depends on easily-recognizable landmarks in the robot's environment, which are lacking in barren planetary surfaces. Our work will develop a technology we call MeshSLAM, which constructs robust landmarks from associations of weak features extracted from terrain. Our test results will also show that MeshSLAM applies to all environments in which NASA's rovers could someday operate: dunes, rocky plains, overhangs, cliff faces, and underground structures such as lava tubes. Another limitation of SLAM for planetary missions is its significant data-association problems. As a robot travels it must infer its motion from the sensor data it collects, which invariably suffers from drift due to random error. To correct drift, SLAM recognize when the robot has returned to a previously-visited place, which requires searching over a great deal of previously-sensed data. Computation on such a large amount of memory may be infeasible on space-relevant hardware. MeshSLAM eases these requirements. It employs topology-based map segmentation, which limits the scope of a search. Furthermore, a faster, multi-resolution search is performed over the topological graph of observations. Mesh Robotics LLC and Carnegie Mellon University have formed a partnership to commercially develop MeshSLAM. MeshSLAM technology will be available via open source, to ease its adoption by NASA. In Phase 1 of our project we will show the feasibility of MeshSLAM for NASA and commercial applications through a series of focused technical demonstrations.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Even on Earth, accurate localization remains a challenge in frequent situations where GPS is unavailable, either temporarily (e.g., passing under bridges or operating near buildings) or permanently (e.g., indoors and underground, or when GPS is jammed). As a result, the mining, agriculture, defense, and automotive industries are investing heavily in localization technologies. Companies (e.g., Applanix, NovAtel) have seen healthy growth in the past decade by providing off-the-shelf inertial navigation systems (INSs) that fuse GPS readings with data from inertial measurement units. Unfortunately, the underlying drift of even high-quality inertial measurements is severe and thus, localization estimates diverge dramatically within minutes of a loss of GPS. MeshSLAM can complement these existing techniques and improve their accuracy in GPS-denied situations. In unmanned-vehicle applications, MeshSLAM uses data from sensors already integrated for perception, so no new equipment is required. Furthermore, MeshSLAM's efficiency makes it suitable for running on highly-integrated embedded platforms.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
For the foreseeable future, robots operating beyond Earth will have to rely on triangulating rover position on a map or tracking the sun or stars. These approaches have shortcomings including limited resolution of orbital data and required interaction with ground control. SLAM is a promising means of infrastructure-free localization using local information; but unfortunately, most state-of-the-art SLAM implementations are not yet suitable for planetary exploration. Their implementations depend upon easily-recognizable landmarks that planetary environments lack. SLAM's computational complexity grows quickly with map size making it difficult to maintain kilometer-scale maps, especially on space-relevant computing hardware. MeshSLAM is significant to NASA because it provides planetary-relevant rover localization and mapping without orbital information, ground communication, or excessive computation. Furthermore in barren terrain its results will be more accurate than current methods. The partnership between Carnegie Mellon and Mesh Robotics is committed to developing and maintaining MeshSLAM following an open-source philosophy. Our aim is to leverage our years of experience working with NASA research groups to mature and prepare MeshSLAM for missions of the future. MeshSLAM will add value to long-duration missions involving repeated travel, such as manned-mission pre-cursors, site preparation, and long-range mapping.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring)
Intelligence
Perception/Vision
Robotics (see also Control & Monitoring; Sensors)

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Strain sensor information is used in nature to achieve robust flight, good rejection of wind disturbances, and stable head motion. Similar man-made sensing devices will be used to demonstrate flight control using Fly-by-Feel, with the overall objective of achieving similarly good performance with piloted and autonomous vehicles. The Phase I work demonstrated the feasibility of using strain sensor arrays for flight control applications. This was done using hardware testing on a wing in a laboratory setting. An important part of showing feasibility was the use of novel frequency domain identification techniques, which were used to identify both modal frequencies and strain mode shapes. The proposed work will develop the ACES system: Attitude Control Enhancement using Strain sensors using both wind tunnel and flight test demonstrations. Acceleration feedback is known to improve the gust disturbance rejection, and the same will be demonstrated in an active control experiment using strain sensors in a wind tunnel. A second experiment will be conducted using a different and more flexible wing to demonstrate active control of shape. Modeling and simulation will be used to begin the transition of this technology to larger commercial vehicles.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The commercial application of this technology is the development of advanced sensor and control suite for current and future aircraft configurations with distributed strain sensing. Strain sensing for load measurements is routine, but use of multiple strain measurements for other control applications is a new product idea. This type of sensing will increase both the safety and performance of aircraft with flexible and lightweight structures. Many new Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) fall into this category. Vehicles of many different sizes can benefit from this technology, from micro air vehicles (less than 6 inch wing span) to small (less than 4 foot wing span) to large. Markets will include commercial and military UAVs, where its role will be to improve performance and disturbance rejection via wing load sensing. With the growth of the UAV market and the continued trend of aircraft manufacturers employing lighter, more flexible materials, understanding and utilizing dynamic servoelastic control (DSE) phenomena is of utmost importance.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This project supports the NASA FY14 Strategic Plan Objective 2.1, specifically: "assured autonomy for aviation transformation" and "safe, sustainable growth in the overall global aviation system." The ACES technology applies to both rigid body and dynamic servoelastic (DSE) flight control problems for small and large vehicles, including disturbance rejection, active shape control, load control, flutter suppression, precision flying task performance, and assessing and adapting to major damage.
The proposed work will help to transition NASA's support for stain sensor technology to flight control applications of this technology. The benefits are improved performance and safer operation in the shared national airspace.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Algorithms/Control Software & Systems (see also Autonomous Systems)
Attitude Determination & Control
Command & Control
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The liberation of particles induced by rocket plume flow from spacecraft landing on unprepared regolith of the Moon, Mars, and other destinations poses high mission risks for robotic and human exploration activities. This process occurs in a combination of "extreme environments" that combine low gravity, little or no atmosphere, rocket exhaust gas flow that is supersonic and partially rarefied, and unusual geological and mechanical properties of highly irregular surface regolith. CFDRC and the University of Florida will deliver unique plume driven erosion simulation software for such environments by combining novel granular physics simulation modules developed by UF with multi-phase gas-granular flow simulation software developed by CFDRC. Granular flow constitutive models, formulated through first-principle 3-D Discrete Element Method particle kinetics and implemented in an efficient Eulerian gas-granular flow solver are the foundation of this software. The fidelity of these simulations will be advanced towards simulating particle compositions with broad shape and size variations. Novel particle kinetics modeling concepts will be applied to formulate granular flow physics models for both, realistic irregular particle shapes and dispersed particle size distributions. Phase I demonstrated the successful implementation and validation of irregular granular shape physics modeling in CFDRC's gas-granular multi-phase flow solver. An approach for extension to poly-disperse particle mixture simulations was also developed. Full integration of these models in Phase II will enable the simulation of gas flow interaction with poly-disperse, irregular shaped particle materials. Extensive verification, validation, and application demonstrations will be performed. The proposed technology development will result in unprecedented computer modeling capability for predicting liberation and flow of realistic granular material compositions in extreme extra-terrestrial environments.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Many potential non-NASA commercial applications exist in civil and military industries. Multiphase flows occur in many applications in chemical, petro-chemical, energy conversion, mining and pharmaceutical industry. Industrial practitioners are well aware of the huge role particle shape plays in the flow behavior of real particulate systems. Understanding and accurately modeling such flows would lead to greatly improved designs of multiphase flow reactors. Dust, sand and snow stir-up during helicopter landing and take-off in a desert or arctic environment result in severe visibility impairment (brown-out) and danger of engine debris ingestion. Civil engineering and environmental engineering applications include wind-borne landscape erosion and dust transport to populated areas.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The debris simulation tool will offer a powerful simulation capability of first order importance to the Space Exploration Program for robotic and human mission architecture definition to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations. The highest risks occurring during propulsive landing and takeoff of spacecraft require gas-granular flow simulation capabilities for designing mitigation measures. The granular flow modeling capability will be equally important for modeling regolith material manipulation for In-situ Resource Utilization such as pneumatic transport, granular flow movement in excavators, resource extraction systems moving and conveying regolith, as well as processing of regolith in reactors for resource extraction.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Analytical Methods
Entry, Descent, & Landing (see also Planetary Navigation, Tracking, & Telemetry)
Characterization
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Software Tools (Analysis, Design)

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Automation improvements are needed to reduce the dependency on human reflexes and unreliable data links. Modern autopilots are capable of detecting loss-of-GPS and loss-of-communications. There is no mechanism for the aircraft to autonomously return to a safe landing zone under these conditions. Furthermore, experience has shown that existing controllers are not good at detecting bad position data caused by intermittent GPS. These conditions are known to cause flyaways. The only existing protection is the operator. There is currently no automation that can protect an SUAS when the flight controller is unable to recognize that the GPS and comm links are unreliable.

A unique feature of the invention is a dual onboard flight controller. One is a failsafe controller, and the other is experimental. The failsafe controller allows access to control outputs by the experimental controller. Meanwhile, it detects conditions such as lack of GPS reliability, imminent airspace violations, flight profile violations, imminent loss-of-control, and loss-of-stability by experimental software. If the failsafe controller detects one or more of these conditions, then it autonomously seizes control authority from the experimental flight controller and navigates the aircraft to a pre-determined recovery spot, using visual navigation if necessary. No comm link is required.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The benefits to NASA listed above are equally applicable to any organization that engages in any research and development involving SUAS. This includes both the SBC (Prioria Robotics) and the RI (University of Florida), but is not limited to them. Furthermore, the solution benefits groups involved in SUAS pilot training, because the extra failsafe autonomy is more frogiving to new pilots.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Once sufficiently matured, the technology developed in this proposed project will reduce cost and improve safety during SUAS flight operations conducted by NASA Langley in support of its own research objectives. The key component of this technology is an extensible flight controller with built-in autonomous failsafe functionality for a variety of hazards which plague flight operations involving experimental control code and experimental payloads. Examples of hazards which could be autonomously mitigated by the proposed solution include 1) flyaways induced by RF jamming, 2) flyaways induced by poor GPS reception, 3) airspace boundary proximity violation for any reason, 4) loss-of-control due to unsafe attitudes originating from experimental control code, 5) catastrophic loss-of-control due to embedded (experimental) software crash, and 6) flight profile violations due to successful GPS spoofing attacks. Finally, the hardware component of the concept will support development, bench testing, and flight operations with the same hardware, to reduce development costs associated with the porting of software from a development kit to the flight hardware.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Air Transportation & Safety
Avionics (see also Control and Monitoring)
Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring)
Robotics (see also Control & Monitoring; Sensors)
Algorithms/Control Software & Systems (see also Autonomous Systems)
Attitude Determination & Control
Image Processing
Vehicles (see also Autonomous Systems)
GPS/Radiometric (see also Sensors)
Optical

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aurora proposes to transition UMD methods for insect-inspired, lightweight vision- and optical sensor-based navigation methods for a combined air-ground system that leverages the unique capabilities of airborne systems to achieve a progressively refined map of the exploration region which can be accessed by agents within the autonomous team for localization, and by scientists and other ground observers.
Research during the Phase–I developed requirements, performed analyses and basic research that provided proof-of-concept demonstrations for navigational capabilities that will enhance the autonomous planetary and asteroid robotic exploration.

Techniques derived from recent research were explored to demonstrate a concept for autonomous bio-inspired vision aided navigation to achieve navigation in GPS and magnetometer denied environments, generate obstacle maps and a 3 dimensional map of the environment based on optical flow and navigating to the origin of a map only based on optical flow input. This innovative research is providing a demonstration of the possibility of developing low size, weight and power solutions for vision based navigation by leveraging research on bio-inspired methodologies.

During Phase-II further maturation of the algorithms, implementation on a higher fidelity simulation and prototypes and a conceptual design for a flight system will be pursued.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed system will be accepted by the community and implemented across many applications: micro and small UAVs, munitions, autonomous ground vehicles, underground mining operations and rescue, etc. The applications for DoD include urban navigation in GPS-denied scenarios and border patrol and intelligence gathering for navigation inside buildings and caves.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Higher return planetary exploration. The utility of a multi-vehicle air/ground system for planetary exploration is evident. The system has very broad reach, with the ability to visit and discover orders of magnitude more area than a rover. Objects of further interest can be explored by the rover, using information gathered by the air vehicles for navigation. In turn, the limited payload and endurance of the aerial exploration vehicle is mitigated by the ability to come back to the ground vehicle, refuel or recharge, download scientific information.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Navigation & Guidance
Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring)
Perception/Vision
Algorithms/Control Software & Systems (see also Autonomous Systems)
Command & Control
Image Processing
Positioning (Attitude Determination, Location X-Y-Z)

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Creare and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) propose to complete the design, development, and testing of an ultra compact star tracker specifically intended for small satellites such as the CubeSat platform. Our design is based on proprietary "folded optics" technology previously developed by ERAU for use in military and commercial optical applications that require a compact footprint and high performance. Furthermore, the design utilizes recent advances in high pixel count CMOS imaging sensor technology. The folded optics design is superior to conventional refractive optics in miniature star trackers because (1) the compact footprint is achieved without sacrificing accuracy; (2) the light-gathering aperture is much greater, leading to better sensitivity; (3) the aperture geometry makes the shielding baffles smaller; and (4) the imaging sensor can be shielded efficiently from cosmic radiation. During the Phase I project, we demonstrated a pointing accuracy of the order of 1 arc second testing a brassboard model of our design. We furthermore completed the design, performed analysis to determine the optimal design parameters, and confirmed the brassboard sensitivity and resolution. In Phase II, we will fabricate the optimized design, test the prototype in the laboratory and in the field, and deliver the prototype to NASA so that NASA can fly the prototype on a NASA high-altitude balloon mission.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Both the military and commercial ventures are looking to small satellites to provide a cost effective space mission platform. However, the majority of missions still require high attitude accuracy. There is therefore a need for compact high-accuracy star tracker technology. Furthermore, the military is looking at star trackers for high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attitude determination. These will typically need to provide arc-second accuracy in a small form factor with low power demands, which makes our proposed miniaturized star tracker ideally suited. Furthermore, our reflective optics can readily be adapted to act as a powerful telescope for imaging applications in both the visible band and in the near and far infrared spectrum. This opens up applications in reconnaissance, surveillance, and search and rescue operation.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Many NASA science missions are exploring the use of pico- and nano-satellites as alternatives to expensive, large satellites. In order to enable their mission profiles, these satellites need high accuracy attitude determination sensors. Our star tracker will enable highly precise attitude determination (i.e., 1 arc second or better) in a package that is significantly smaller, has much lower mass, and uses less power than any alternative star trackers on the market with comparable accuracy. As the market for and uses of small and nano satellites increases, the demand for our star tracker will increase to enable missions that are not possible with today's technology. Furthermore, the compact star tracker will enable high accuracy attitude determination on sounding rockets and high-altitude balloon missions, which will be useful for a variety of science payloads.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Navigation & Guidance
Inertial (see also Sensors)
Optical

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This program will develop an ultra-high performance infrared detector manufacturing technology with improved performance and cost effectiveness, and reduced cooling requirements when compared to the best commercially available HgCdTe and InGaAs detectors. This will be accomplished using a two-pronged approach addressing both device design and materials. First, the conventional pn photodiode device is replaced with a new device structure, the nBn detector, which inherently suppresses performance-limiting dark currents, such as those produced by surface leakage. Second, highly manufacturable III-V materials are used, which are further enhanced with Amethyst's proprietary UV hydrogenation defect mitigation process. The result is a low cost, high performance detectors operating in the 2 – 5 micron wavelength region. There is a pressing need for ultra-high sensitivity detectors operating in this region for the detection of trace gases and chemicals.
In Phase I Amethyst produced a 2.8 micron cutoff detector. The program met all objectives, demonstrating considerable improvements in performance over conventional pn diodes using the nBn and hydrogenation approach. In Phase II, Amethyst will design, fabricate and test high performance detectors individually optimized with cutoff wavelengths throughout 2–5 micron wavelength range. These detectors will have improved detectivity, and significantly reduced cooling requirements compared to currently available commercial detectors. In addition, Amethyst will deliver a thermoelectrically cooled 3.3 micron wavelength cutoff detector to JPL's Microdevices Laboratory for comparative testing and to assist in development of methane detector systems. The overall objective of the Phase II is to establish performance metrics, manufacturing process, characterize and life test single element devices. These efforts will help establish a US based manufacturing source of these ultra-high performance detectors.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The high performance IR detector can be used in a variety of high sensitivity gas sensors and spectroscopic applications, and hence addresses multiple markets. The detector's selectivity, sensitivity and rapid response time make this an ideal detector for instruments sensing a wide variety of trace gases, for land-based, space based, and airborne measurements. Examples of trace gas sensing applications include vapors from solvents used in manufacturing, emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, and the release of chemical weapons. The important areas of public application include homeland security, detection of chemical and biological weapons, industrial process control, and medical diagnostics through breath testing. Another potential market for this technology is environmental pollution monitoring of methane and carbon dioxide.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
For planetary sciences there is a pressing need for more sensitive infrared detectors that operate in the 2 – 5 micron wavelength band. These detectors can be used with cavity enhanced laser and Raman spectrometers for trace gas detection and chemical analysis. Currently NASA is having to purchase detectors from foreign sources. This program will establish a US source of high performance detectors. In addition, the detectors operate at temperatures that can be reached using only thermo-electric coolers, greatly expanding the platform types, and portability of where these detectors can be utilized. Examples of NASA programs that could take advantage of this detector technology include PICASSO and MatISSE.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Analytical Instruments (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, Energy; see also Sensors)
Spacecraft Instrumentation & Astrionics (see also Communications; Control & Monitoring; Information Systems)
Manufacturing Methods
Thermal Imaging (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Microfabrication (and smaller; see also Electronics; Mechanical Systems; Photonics)
Nanomaterials
Detectors (see also Sensors)
Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics)
Infrared

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Development of the CESI focal plane and optics technology will lead to miniaturized hyperspectral and SWIR-band spectral imaging instrumentation compatible with CubeSat and other nanosat platforms. The project will implement the technology by developing a CubeSat-compatible SEMM instrument for global mapping of atmospheric methane concentrations.
Specific Phase I technical objectives include:
- Perform a trade study comparing the performance potential of alternate concepts for a miniaturized spectrometer with respect to the methane mapping mission.
- Demonstrate that the image of a scene collected through an interferometer is a product of the scene radiance pattern with the interferogram.
- Build a laboratory prototype and demonstrate enhanced detection of a multi-line molecular absorption band.
- Test novel detector devises suitable for high-gain, low-noise SWIR imaging in a nanosat setting.
- Develop the instrument architecture for SEMM and validate the concept analytically by a radiometric model.
- Design the high sensitivity, low-noise SWIR focal plane for SEMM.
The CESI project is undertaken by Wavefront LLC with the Space Dynamics Lab (SDL) collaborating as the research institution. The key personnel are the Project Manager and the Principle Investigator (from Wavefront) and the scientists (from SDL). The duration of Phase I is 12 months.

During Phase II, SDL will prototype the complete CESI instrument incorporating Wavefront's novel high-sensitivity focal plane and readout over 24-month duration.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Commercial applications for the CESI technology include:
- hyperspectral earth imaging for applications in minerology, agriculture, environmental management, etc;
- night-vision, laser protection, miniature cameras, and other low-light applications;
- high-sensitivity focal planes for flash lidar and free-space optical communications; and
- prosthetic vision aids for low-vision patients.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA Applications for the CESI technology include:
- hyperspectral imaging of terrestrial and planetary surfaces;
- remote atmospheric analysis, e.g. sounding and solar occultation;
- sensitive, high-gain SWIR detectors and focal planes;
- photon-counting focal planes and miniaturized spectrometers for planetary missions;
- global methane mapping of the Earth in support of the Earth System mission.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Infrared

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A hybrid electric aircraft simulation system and test bed is proposed to provide a dedicated development environment for the rigorous study and advancement of hybrid electric powered aircraft. The new test bed and simulation system will provide a dedicated platform and set of analysis tools to study, design, and test hybrid electric powered propulsion components and systems for use in commercial, general aviation, military, and UAV systems. The test bed will allow various hybrid electric propulsion system technologies to be tested to determine performance, reliability, safety, and cost. These include various motors, motor controllers,gas turbines, batteries, fuel cells, super capacitors, propeller, and fan technologies. Additionally, the platform could be used to investigate performance characteristics unique to hybrid electric propulsion, determine the most accurate methods for measuring energy used and remaining, and research redundancy possibilities unique to hybrid electric aircraft. Studies performed during Phase I demonstrated that pure electric aircraft are limited in range and endurance by the specific energy of current battery technology. Although there is a great deal of effort being put into advanced batteries, the most practical solution in the near term is to utilize a hybrid electric system. The proposed Phase II program builds upon the Phase I results by developing a detailed propulsion system simulator model for hybrid electric propulsion systems, with the ultimate goal of a bench test model of the propulsion system. Using a detailed multi-platform/mission trade study, a coupled parallel, uncoupled series, and split series-parallel hybrid system architecture will be compared to determine the most advantageous and efficient. The propulsion system simulator will also be used to perform a sensitivity analysis of each architecture to determine critical performance aspects for individual components.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The commercialization potential for an efficient, viable hybrid electric aircraft propulsion system is quite promising. The commercialization potential for a hybrid electric, multi-architecture propulsion system simulator is also quite good. The development of a tool for both detailed and preliminary design for hybrid electric propulsion systems will be highly sought after as hybrid electric propulsion systems become increasingly attractive and more prevalent. The development of a research test bed for studying all aspects of hybrid electric aircraft propulsion will act as a technical enabler. The propulsion system simulator will enable component optimization and a variety of operational studies to be performed, all of which will help define the important aspects and characteristics for a successful hybrid electric aircraft propulsion system. With the knowledge gained from this project, and the likely follow-on research, RHRC will be well positioned to team with aircraft manufacturers interested in producing hybrid electric aircraft propulsion systems. The propulsion system simulator coupled with a working testbed will be a key technology demonstration package with the capability to evaluate new components or concepts as they are developed. RHRC can also use the knowledge and experience gained during the program to develop hybrid electric propulsion systems for existing aircraft.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The NASA commercialization potential for an efficient, viable hybrid electric aircraft propulsion system is quite promising. The NASA Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) project has identified ambitious goals for the next three generations of aircraft, N+1, N+2, and N+3. For the N+3 generation (2025 timeframe), these include a -52 dB noise reduction relative to stage 4 noise limit, an -80% reduction in NOx emissions, and a -60% reduction in total mission energy consumption. Various forms of electric and hybrid electric propulsion hold a great deal of potential to make significant contributions towards these goals. NASA is currently investigating various technologies, ranging from advanced aerodynamics, superconducting electronics and electromechanical devices to advanced structures, under a program called Large Electric Aircraft Propulsion Technology (LEAP Tech). The proposed hybrid electric test bed will be an important tool in developing appropriate hybrid aircraft technologies to address these problems. The aircraft hybrid electric architecture simulation system, trade study results, and test bed will significantly enhance NASA's ability to meet the SFW N+3 goals, advancing the state-of-the-art to make hybrid electric systems efficient, competitive, safe, reliable, and cost effective.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Aerodynamics
Distribution/Management
Generation
Storage
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Data Modeling (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Vehicles (see also Autonomous Systems)
Atmospheric Propulsion
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
Simulation & Modeling

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Legacy refractory materials that have origins dating to the original Saturn program are commonly used in current launch facilities. Although they fail to meet the target requirements, they are the only approved material. Our research team has demonstrated a baseline system during the Phase I effort that combines a non-cement binder, a high temperature macro aggregate, and reactive nano aggregates to produce an Ultra High Temperature Refractory (UHTR). Our UHTR system has sustained short term exposures to 3000C in a laboratory test and excellent resistance to environmental aging. The Phase II effort will optimize the mechanical and thermal behavior based on rocket plume exposure testing.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Rocket Launch/Test Facilities
-Flame deflector/wall liners, bricks, mortar
-Protective layers over secondary launch pad structures that see indirect plume exposure

Spacecraft launch vehicles/ Missiles
-Low cost liners for propulsion

Furnace/Kiln refractories

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Rocket Launch/Test Facilities
-Flame deflector/wall liners, bricks, mortar
-Protective layers over secondary launch pad structures that see indirect plume exposure

Spacecraft launch vehicles
-Low cost liners for propulsion systems

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Air Transportation & Safety
Support
Ceramics
Composites
Nanomaterials
Ablative Propulsion
Launch Engine/Booster
Spacecraft Main Engine
Surface Propulsion

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this Phase II STTR project, RNET and its subcontractors are proposing to fully develop an empirical performance optimization tool called OrFPGA that efficiently explores the "user tunable" parameter space of an FPGA design and assists in deducing the near optimal design in terms of timing score, device utilization, and power consumption. The tunable parameter space will include IPCore parameters, HDL and HLS code constructs, and parameter settings for the vendor's design tools. Special automation tools will be developed to facilitate annotation of HDL/HLS code and design tool scripts. The computational magnitude of empirical performance tuning of FPGA designs will be addressed by novel machine learning based search algorithms requiring minimal empirical evaluations, computational steering, leveraging intermediate performance analysis results, and parallelization techniques. The tool will support specification of prioritized performance metrics, easy-to-use interfaces for defining the parameter space, and intuitive visualization of performance models. The user will be able to automatically deduce the best environment settings the chip and also accurately identify the optimal power consumption through optional real-time power monitoring. The benefits of the tool to NASA will be demonstrated in terms of performance metrics and cost benefits (user productivity) using real NASA designs that are used in space missions.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Other potential markets could include DoD and its Prime Contractors, DOE, and DHS on the government side as well as medical, communication, and banking industries on the industry side. Example applications include military satellites, portable medical devices, and high frequency trading systems.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The OrFPGA tool can be used by hardware engineers at NASA and its Prime Contractors to get the incremental performance optimizations required for closing critical FPGA designs in space applications. Potential NASA applications include FPGA implementations on SpaceCube platforms, LCRD algorithms, Pinpoint landing vision components and stereo disparity implementation. The tool will improve both FPGA design performance and developer productivity. The tool will be available as a standalone alone as well as an add-on feature in the existing FPGA design tools.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Prototyping
Development Environments
Verification/Validation Tools

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Assimilation Dynamic Network (ADN) is a dynamic inter-processor communication network that spans heterogeneous processor architectures, unifying components, significantly improving flexibility, efficiency, and overall usability. ADN has the following main features:
- A uniform programming model for intra-platform communication among heterogeneous processing resources that creates a homogeneous programming environment.
- A novel networking layer encapsulates and abstracts hardware resources (e.g. a mixture of multicore CPUs, FPGAs, ASICs) with a uniform communication method & format across the physical resources.
- Extends memory resources and network connectivity to facilitate flexible, efficient partitioning and placement of functionality across the heterogeneous physical resources.
- Enables gradual optimization during development and beyond, e.g. functions that initially ran on CPUs are moved to FPGA cores for optimization while still remaining in the same application software framework.
Technical Objectives and Milestones for the Phase II project:
- Establishing an ADN specification
- Developing ADN libraries for HDL and C designs
- Expanding hardware support for multicore CPU, FPGA and ASIC platforms
- Developing tools to facilitate ADN designs
- Demonstrating and evaluating ADN use in an example application
- Releasing ADN libraries and tools

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential Non-NASA applications utilizing the ADN concept:
- Surveillance and Reconnaissance (SR), utilizing HD video and other high capacity sensors in airborne platforms (UAVs). As the importance UAVs has emerged for situational awareness and target recognition and tracking, the demand for processing has increased significantly, putting great pressure on processing resources. The branches of DoD together with US Customs & Border Protection and local law enforcements are likely customers SR applications.
- Medical imaging is a field of vast expansion, demanding high performance, power efficient computing platforms with small footprint.
- Data Center Acceleration: The ADN supports a unique way to reuse functions on both FPGAs and on ASICs that provide economy of scale for a data center provider, while still allowing uniquely customized processing solutions for their customers. Data centers are today targeting particular compute intense applications such as in the biotechnology, engineering and finance fields.
- Helmet Vehicle Interface (HVI): This falls under the combat and trainer avionics market, with a projected strong growth rate. US Air Force and Navy are the main customers this field.
- Software Defined Radar: ADN enables lower cost and increased scalability for software defined radar systems. The MDA has programs such as FBX-T (Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable) that are seeking advanced radar solutions.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential NASA applications utilizing the ADN concept:
- Software Defined Radio: ADN provides unmatched flexibility and performance in high-performance platforms for software defined radio with the ability to perform computations on the processor that handles them best. This could enable development of radios for space deployment or for terrestrial deployment with COTS parts.
- ALHAT: Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) requires advanced processing platforms for automated real-time control.
- ISS Video Distribution System: Video processors on this platform could be used to upgrade the video distribution system on the ISS. They could be on board the distributed cameras, and they could also sit centrally within the station or on the ground as a decoder and post-processing system.
- Hyperspectral Data Compression: An emerging need for NASA (and DoD), this compression not only reduces data volume in order to meet limited downlink capabilities, but also can improve signature extraction, object recognition and feature classification capabilities by providing exact reconstructed data on constrained downlink resources.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Circuits (including ICs; for specific applications, see e.g., Communications, Networking & Signal Transport; Control & Monitoring, Sensors)
Software Tools (Analysis, Design)
Computer System Architectures
Development Environments

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA's long range goals of reducing fuel consumption by 30% and increasing fuel efficiency by 35% can be partially accomplished through increasing the operation temperatures of gas turbine engines. The advent of advanced alloys, coatings, cooling technologies and ceramic components has created the potential for significant increases in the hot section of these engines; however, these advances will also lead to elevated temperatures in other regions of the engine. For example, the turbine disk section would also need to operate at increasingly higher temperatures that would subject it to oxidation and hot corrosion degradation mechanisms not currently experienced. One approach to enhance the temperature capability of these systems is through the incorporation of environmental protective coatings. Research is proposed here to employ advanced coating manufacturing techniques designed to enable the affordable application of environmental protective coatings having enhanced resistance to hot corrosion and oxidation. Advanced testing approaches will be used that simulate real-world conditions and demonstrate the performance advantages of the deposited coatings. The coating systems will be applied in this work onto coupons and components to demonstrate coating capability and allow simulated engine environment testing in follow-on programs.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The development of high temperature turbine disk coatings using DVTI's advanced coatings processing techniques will enable not only new environmentally-protective for use in future military and commercial aircraft platforms, but also new deposition processes to enable affordable coating application onto engines components. DVD coaters are envisioned to be small with low capital costs and tailorable volumes so that small volumes of parts can be deposited at low cost. The soft vacuum required and the high deposition rates also have the potential to facilitate low cost, assembly line like part coating for some geometries. The non-line-of-sight capabilities of this approach enable coatings to be applied onto complex components thus expanding their use. Other components which may require enhanced environmental protection, such as the below platform region of turbine blades, represent additional application areas for this technology.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This research is anticipated to result in advanced coatings for turbine disk components that provide higher temperature capability than is possible with uncoated alloys. These advancements will help turbine disk components survive the high temperature operation desired for enhanced thrust and fuel efficiency goals. These advances will potentially benefit all gas turbine engines requiring greater performance and efficiency. In addition, this research specifically supports the goals of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) which seeks to expand the boundaries of aeronautical knowledge for the benefit of the nation and the broad aeronautics community and in particular NASA ARMD's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project which has a goal of conducting long term research in technologies which promote, among other things, higher performance and higher efficiency gas turbine engines.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Processing Methods
Coatings/Surface Treatments
Metallics

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
As the power density of advanced engines increases, the need for new materials that are capable of higher operating temperatures, such as ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), is critical for turbine hot-section static and rotating components. Such advanced materials have demonstrated the promise to significantly increase the engine temperature capability relative to conventional super alloy metallic blades. They also show the potential to enable longer life, reduced emissions, growth margin, reduced weight and increased performance relative to super alloy blade materials.

MR&D is proposed a program focused on improving the impact resistance of CMCs using 3D woven reinforcement. This approach was shown in the Phase I program to hold promise for increased performance is of specific interest to Rolls Royce as a candidate material for vanes and blades in their turbine engines. MR&D will expand the capability of its analysis tool which was developed during the Phase I program by incorporating failure criteria tailored for 3D woven preforms as well as executing analyses to predict the exact locations of the fiber tows after weaving.

Along with impact testing, an expansive testing program to characterize multiple 3D fiber architectures will be executed. The impact testing and associated non-destructive evaluation will be conducted at the University of Akron using state-of-the-art techniques to record the damage caused by the projectile in real time as well as detailed post-test evaluation. Material characterization tests will be conducted at Southern Research Institute and The Ohio State University. All of the data resulting from this extensive test program will enhance the analytical tools accuracy and utility.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In the commercial sector, the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 and Trent XWB engines are being developed for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, respectively. There are currently 1031 Boeing 787s on order and 812 Airbus A350 XWBs on order. The Trent 1000 was the launch engine for the Boeing 787. These are large markets where the benefit of this technology will have a lasting impact on efficiency and cost.

By working closely with Rolls Royce during the early stages of this development program, MR&D has ensured that the resulting products will meet the requirements of future customers. Rolls Royce has expressed a serious interest in this technology and, as demonstrated above, have a sizable market for its application. A letter of support to this effect, from Rolls Royce is included with the proposal.

The aerospace industry is not the only potential beneficiary of this technology. The Department of Energy (DOE) is working hard to improve the efficiency of power generators. Just as with aircraft engines, power turbines' efficiency improves with higher operating temperatures. As an example, current turbines operate at 2600?F, which provided a large improvement in efficiency over earlier models operating at 2300?F. CMC turbine blades and vanes may allow even higher temperature operation and is a topic which the DOE is currently investigating.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA Glenn has been directly involved in the effort to bring these materials to turbine hot section components. The NASA Ultra Efficient Engine Technology program (UEET) is focused on driving the next generation of turbine engine technology. One of the major thrusts is the development and demonstration of advanced high-temperature materials which are capable of surviving the extreme environments of turbine combustion and exhaust.

NASA Glenn Research Center has been involved with in the development of SiC/SiC for aero-turbine vanes and blades for a significant period of time. Recent efforts include those aimed at investigating the advantages and disadvantages of SiC/SiC vanes and blades. As part of these efforts, NASA Glenn has also conducted research on 3D woven preform design tools. The research conducted as part of this Phase II program is directly applicable to the NASA Glenn efforts noted and can be used to complement those development efforts. Similarly, the results from the NASA work could help to improve the materials and tools being developed in this program.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Air Transportation & Safety
Analytical Methods
Generation
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Software Tools (Analysis, Design)
Ceramics
Composites
Atmospheric Propulsion
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT)
Simulation & Modeling

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Wrong decisions during the missions can lead to an unsafe condition or immediate failure, while correct decisions can help continue the missions even from faulty conditions. In view of the lessons learned from mishaps, i.e., failed space missions, it is imminent that reliability analysis and risk assessment are kept in sync with space system design as it evolves from the concept through preliminary design, detailed design, production, and operations. From the successful proof-of-concept demonstration for the proposal solution in Phase I, Qualtech Systems, Inc. (QSI) in collaboration with Dr. John Sheppard from Montana State University (MSU) proposes to architect the solution for continuous real-time health monitoring and diagnosis, automatically generating current risk assessment for Loss of Mission, Loss of Crew, Loss of Vehicle during vehicle operations while taking into account the current health of the vehicle and operational modes and phases in Phase II. The QSI-MSU team plans to emphasize advancement in the six following areas: (a) enhancement of the existing EPS model/modeling a new target system, (b) dynamic generation of fault-tree by TEAMS-RDS®, (c) expansion of risk modeling and learning, (d) expansion of risk assessment capabilities, (e) Automatic information exchange between TEAMS-RDS® reasoner and CTBN reasoner for both design-time and run-time, and (f) enhancement and incorporation of the risk visualization tool capability into web-based TEAMS-RDS® dashboard. The solution architecture will provide the ability for the crew to assess and select the "right" mitigation option for component failures and subsequently update the health diagnosis and risk assessment given the executed mitigation plan.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The industries benefitting from rapid and automated health assessment, diagnostic analysis and recovery would include the operators of such reconfigurable systems whose failures have serious consequences and where high availability and operational reliability under long periods of unmonitored conditions are required. The space system industries (e.g., satellite manufactures and operators), unmanned vehicles such as UAV, AUV, Ground Vehicle manufacturers are the industrial sectors of interest and will be targeted as part of the commercialization effort.
Among the non-NASA government agencies, DoD and Air-force and Navy are the most potential customer for the resulting technologies. Large scale military systems (systems of systems) such as NORAD, Space Command ground segments, the Joint Strike Fighter fleet, the Navy shipboard platforms, Submarine Commands and ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems can be potential areas to field the proposed technology. The product is also expected to be of commercial value to the manufacturers of DoD and military's remotely guided weapons and reconnaissance systems.
A key industry that can benefit from this technology is the Oil and Natural gas industry that has developed large off-shore drilling operations such as in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea. Commercial air transport, space-based systems, underwater, and maritime (both civil and military) sectors can also be the potential end user of the technologies developed from this effort.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The ultimate goal of all health determination and risk assessment, performed during design-time as well as during operations, is to ensure safety, reliability, mission fulfillment capability and cost-effective operation of a system. Complex space-related infrastructure systems, such as spacecraft, space station, lunar and planetary bases, etc. will benefit from the proposed technology with increased reliability and safety. The integrated solution can also significantly shorten the prototype design cycle for commercial space systems as well by performing failure analysis and risk assessment early in the design and mature the design with appropriate enhancements in order to develop a robust and reliable system with known failure modes and planned mitigation options.
NASA's current vision to enhance the level of autonomy for vehicle health management and mission planning and recovery makes the proposed effort worthy of funding from several branches within it. Clearly, establishing the technology and the software so that it readily operates as part of NASA's next generation missions especially those that require long-term operability and crew automation allows NASA to utilize the continuous health assessment and mission satisfiability information from QSI's tool for improved mission execution and reconfiguration while improving safety, mission success probability and reducing flight controller and crew workload.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring)
Intelligence
Man-Machine Interaction
Sequencing & Scheduling
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Diagnostics/Prognostics
Recovery (see also Autonomous Systems)

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Space Micro has developed the architecture for a radiation hardened memory subsystem that targets DDR3-and-beyond generations of DRAM. The architecture combines server platform error correction and memory buffer-on-board schemes with Space Micro proprietary techniques for radiation hardening and size, weight, and power reduction. During the NASA Phase I effort, Space Micro demonstrated two key elements of the architecture: (1) a scalable error correction coding (ECC) scheme that optimizes the robustness vs. efficiency vs. chip count tradespace, and (2) a Rad Hard By Design (RHBD) timing circuit for advanced DRAM fly-by routing. Space Micro has developed a Phase II plan for developing a server platform-like bridge chip that integrates ECC, interface logic, and timing circuitry into a high performance, low size, weight, and power (SWaP) memory subsystem suitable for next generation spacecraft computing.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This cross cutting technology and evolving Space Micro memory products will also benefit many commercial space platforms, both LEO and GEO telecommunication satellites, including Intelsat, Direct TV, XM radio, Orbcomm, and Iridium Next telecom constellation replenishment, plus standard industry busses including Lockheed's A2100, and Boeing's HS-702. Civil earth sensing applications such as weather/metrology applications e.g. (NOAA GOES and Landsat) can also benefit.
The large DoD space industry, including USAF, MDA, NRO, and new Army nanosat programs at SMDC will directly benefit. Among these programs are AEHF upgrades, GPS follow-ons, MDA's STSS and PTSS, USAF TacSat family, Plug and Play (PnP) sats, Operationally Responsive Space (ORS), and Army SMDC nanosat family. The entire CubeSat initiative including NRO's Colony program would benefit.
Our memory product will also address emerging MDA radiation threats. These programs include CKV, AKV, THAAD, AEGIS, MKV, and GMD for Blocks 2017 and beyond. A specific example here is the Common Kill Vehicle (CKV) where the advanced interceptor needs dense SDRAM. With the new challenge of atmospheric neutrons to High Altitude Airship (HAA) programs and NASA or Air Force UAV programs, this memory product could be a timely solution.
Other military applications may include strategic missiles (Trident and Air Force Minuteman and MX upgrades), as well as many DoD tactical weapon programs with nuclear survival levels.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Virtually all NASA space programs have a demand for this proposed technology and memory product. NASA applications range from science missions, space station, earth sensing missions e.g. (EOS), and deep space missions. NASA programs/missions that will benefit include new lunar landers and orbiters, Mars missions (MAVEN), solar system exploration e.g. (Titan, Juno, Europa, comet nucleus return, New Discovery, and Living with a Star (LWS). NASA programs which may continue to be funded by Congress include the Next generation heavy launch vehicle being developed out of NASA MSFC called SLS, the Orion Multipurpose Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), Commercial Crew Development Vehicle (CCDev2) and Commercial Orbiter Transportation Service (COTS) would benefit. Memory IC products evolving from this SBIR , and marketed by Space Micro, would have been enabling for NASA programs such as RBSP, GRAIL, LADEE, IRIS, Dawn, SDO, Aquarius, Kepler, Ocean Vector Winds, and space interferometry (SIR). New missions which hopefully will be funded include BARREL, CLARREO, GEMS, solar orbiter, solar probe plus, and ILN.
Space Micro would be using these new memory devices in our next generation space communications SDR hardware such as that flown on the NASA GSFC IRIS program and the NASA Ames LADEE program, if the devices were qualified and available today.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Circuits (including ICs; for specific applications, see e.g., Communications, Networking & Signal Transport; Control & Monitoring, Sensors)
Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation)
Microfabrication (and smaller; see also Electronics; Mechanical Systems; Photonics)

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
SSCI and MIT propose to further develop, implement and test the Integrated Mission Planning & Autonomous Control Technology (IMPACT) system software for autonomous ISR missions employing collaborating UAVs. IMPACT system is based on real-time learning about dynamic and stochastic environments, and on a capability to autonomously react to contingencies while satisfying the mission objectives and the overall flight safety.
Phase II focus will be on real-time vehicle assignment & trajectory planning technologies for forest fire monitoring, overall system integration, and evaluation of its performance through computer and hardware-in-the-loop simulations and flight tests at Olin College or Great Dismal Swamp. Key technologies to be further developed & tested in Phase II include: (i) Vehicle assignment & real time trajectory generation for
collaborative ISR for fire boundary identification using the MOTOR system (Multi-objective Trajectory Optimization & Re-planning); (ii) Robust on-line learning for prediction of the fire spread using the
intelligent Cooperative Control Architecture (iCCA); (iii) Collaborative assignment for fire perimeter tracking with reactive trajectory planning based on predicted fire spread using MOTOR and iCCA; (iv) Contingency management, including the loss of vehicle, vehicle replacement & mitigation of lost communication link; and (v)
Predictive camera pointing control based on predicted fire spread. The project will leverage a number of technologies recently developed by SSCI and MIT, and integrate various system modules within a flexible and
user-friendly software product. Phase II deliverables will include the IMPACT software and accompanying documentation, while Phase III will be focused on commercialization of the IMPACT software.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
UAVs have a variety of applications for US Homeland Security. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol tested UAVs in its Arizona Border Patrol Initiative, aimed at minimizing illegal and dangerous
border crossings. According to the CBP, the advantages of UAVs include advanced image recognition systems in both day and night-time monitoring, longer dwell time (in comparison to manned Black Hawk helicopters)
resulting in more sustained coverage, decreased need for human resources and the ability to work in dangerous conditions, resulting in increased safety for ground agents. In addition to border patrol, UAVs have application in search and rescue; monitoring of hurricanes, floods and mud slides; maritime, harbor and littoral patrol and monitoring critical infrastructure such as dams and aqueducts; energy and water pipelines; and assets in the national power grid, which may span many miles and require long, tedious but essential monitoring. There is also a great potential for autonomous UAVs in a variety of agricultural and military applications.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Autonomous ISR & science missions employing collaborating UAVs offer great potential for improving the productivity of NASA airborne science research. The related autonomous missions will include high altitude atmospheric composition measurements of specific chemical or physical conditions that contribute to climate change. A mission in which the instrument measurements guide the flight path requires real-time analysis and a high degree of autonomy. Other relevant missions include detection and monitoring of hurricanes, oil spills and wildfires, and communication of the location and imagery to the control centers and crews on the ground.

In fire monitoring, the sensor system must be automated to search for fires in designated areas, revise plans when fire detection task takes longer than expected, track satellite passes to ensure transmission of data, and monitor fuel state to ensure safe return of the vehicle. Fully autonomous UAVs, capable of performing such missions, are envisioned as a part of future NASA's Sensorweb - a networked set of instruments in which information from one sensor is automatically used to redirect or reconfigure other components of the web.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)
Air Transportation & Safety
Avionics (see also Control and Monitoring)
Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring)
Intelligence
Algorithms/Control Software & Systems (see also Autonomous Systems)
Command & Control