NASA 2006 STTR Phase 1 and 2 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Scientific Monitoring Inc
8777 E. Via de Ventura Dr., Suite 120
Scottsdale , AZ 85258-3345

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University Space Research Association
10211 Wincopin Circle, Suite 500
Columbia, MD 21044-3405

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Asif Khalak
asif.khalak@scientificmonitoring.com
8777 E. Via de Ventura Dr., Suite 120
Scottsdale ,  AZ 85258-3345

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The team proposes to develop an onboard, real-time health management capability that monitors a flight control system (for spacecraft, fixed or rotary wing aircraft) in a highly dynamic environment and responds to anomalies with suggested recovery or mitigation actions. The goal of the proposed capability is to take system/component level health status information and aggregate this information across all channels and subsystems to the flight control system for anomaly mitigation, failure accommodation, and control re-configuration, based on mission objectives. In Phase I, the research will be focused on a preliminary design of the component-to-system health capability correlation and the anomaly mitigation strategy. In Phase II, the team will conduct a prototype demonstration for a relevant space vehicle as the target application.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The most important NASA application of these technologies lies in the myriad of systems that encompass the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which will be reused for multiple missions. The potential for degradation and wear for linear actuators of the sort being discussed here is real and must be accounted for in the controls design.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The underlying integrated systems health management technology is applicable to a truly wide range of potential civil applications. SMI has been aggressive in pursuing applications of Health Management technologies, including potential applications for reconfigurable control techniques described in this proposal. Our preliminary analysis of the relevant market segments includes the following: Fleet dispatch reliability, Shipping vehicles, Construction vehicles, Power plants, Wind turbines, Solar energy equipment, Oil rigs, Refineries, Semi-conductors, Precision tooling.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Autonomous Reasoning/Artificial Intelligence

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Qualtech Systems, Inc.
100 Great Meadow Rd., Suite 603
Wethersfield, CT 06109-2355

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Vanderbilt University
Division of Sponsored Research, 110 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203-2641

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Dr. Sudipto Ghoshal
sudipto@teamqsi.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In order to meet the challenges of long-duration space exploration (e.g., missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond), onboard real-time health management of spacecraft that responds rapidly to system and subsystem events is essential. In response to this need, Qualtech Systems, Inc. (QSI), in cooperation with Vanderbilt University, proposes to develop a distributed multi-agent fault diagnosis and reconfiguration control (FDR) approach for addressing the health management problem. The proposed solution uses "intelligent" schemes to coordinate local health assessments of multiple interconnected subsystems ("local diagnosers") to a convergent and correct global system health assessment. In addition, the solution recommends relevant system recovery functions based on fault isolation information and fault severity estimates. Design of local diagnosers for subsystem health assessment utilizes a combination of both model-based and data-driven diagnostic methods in an integrated development environment for accurate root cause isolation.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed solution offers distributed multi-agent fault diagnosis and reconfiguration control capabilities for mission critical systems. The advantage of this technology is that it utilizes both model-based and data-driven techniques, hence drawing on the best of both approaches. The solution will help NASA diagnostic system designers to experiment different fault diagnostic techniques and evaluate the system diagnostic performance, such as computational complexity and efficiency, online/offline and fault isolation rate. It also allows the reconfiguration controller design after the fault diagnosis. This integrated development environment will facilitate the diagnostic system design to meet the challenge of long-duration space exploration. Important systems such as spacecraft, space stations, lunar and planetary bases, etc. will benefit from the proposed technology with increased reliability and safety.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed technology will have wide applications beyond NASA. Such complex systems as commercial and military aircraft, ground transportation, communications systems, power generation systems, etc., could all benefit tremendously from the proposed technology. The proposed solution offers a distributed fault diagnosis and reconfiguration control and an integrated develop environment that can provide designing and evaluating diagnostic systems for these distributed networked systems. The integrated solution will also significantly shorten the proto-type design cycle for commercial diagnostic systems.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Pilot Support Systems
Autonomous Reasoning/Artificial Intelligence
Computer System Architectures
Expert Systems
Energy Storage
Power Management and Distribution

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville, AL 35805-1944

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Temple University
1947 North 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6018

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Shankar Sundaram
sxh@cfdrc.com
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville,  AL 35805-1944

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
There is a clear and well-identified need for rapid, efficient, non-destructive detection and isolation of radiation damaged cells. Available commercial technologies are expensive, require core facilities and use destructive methods. We propose to develop and demonstrate a novel fully automated, microfluidics-based device for identification and sorting of radiation damaged cells. The final product will be simple, small, inexpensive and fieldable in research environments as well as space. We will identify novel cell surface markers indicating radiation damage using a microarray (gene expression) experiments and verify downselected markers (protein upregulation) using fluorescent antibody tagged microparticles. CFDRC's proprietary dielectrophoretic cell sorter technology will be adapted for automated separation of the tagged damaged cells from overall population of cells. Proof-of-concept will be demonstrated by separation of damaged cells from an irradiated cell sample. Phase II efforts will focus along two primary lines. Surface biomarkers discovery will be further extended and validated. An integrated microfluidic cartridge and instrumentation capable of all operations (storage, mixing, sorting) will be developed. The prototype instrument will be demonstrated with both terrestrial and space radiation (in collaboration with NASA researchers/facilities). A multi-disciplinary team consisting of experts in microfluidics engineers (CFDRC) and radiation biologists (Temple University) has been assembled.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The end product of the proposed SBIR effort will be a first-of-its-kind, commercially available, compact, low-cost, integrated device for sorting of radiation damaged cells. This device will greatly aid in NASA's efforts to minimize radiation hazard, and develop countermeasures, enabled by fundamental understanding of radiation biological effects at the molecular and cellular level. The device will be of direct use to NASA's ground-based research facilities and amenable for space deployment as well (in-situ gene expression studies in space). In addition, the technology can easily be modified to benefit research efforts focused on other space-induced biological phenomena such as bone loss, immune modulation, oxidative stress among others.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
It is also expected that the developed technology will find ready applications in the following civilian markets: - Pharmaceutical and Drug Discovery Companies - Pre-clinical and Clinical Researchers (in particular stem cell and oncology researchers) - Hospital & Health Site Monitoring (for nuclear medicine, immune ex-vivo treatments)

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Particle and Fields
Biomedical and Life Support
Biomolecular Sensors
Biochemical
Optical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
2020 Company, LLC
3110 Fairview Park Dr., Suite 950
Falls Church, VA 22030-4548

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
North Carolina Agricultureal and Technical State University
1601 E. market St. Fort IRC Building
Greensboro, NC 27411-0001

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Dr. C. Lawson
Clawson@2020llc.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal effort is concerned with the development of a novel multidisciplinary optimization scheme and computer software for the effective design of advanced aerospace vehicles. Such vehicles are characterized by unprecedented levels of aero-structural-controls-propulsion interactions, a multidisciplinary simulation is essential for their effective design, vehicle can be accomplished by employing the common finite element method for the structures and also FE/FV fluids and propulsion simulations. A typical multidisciplinary optimization scheme will involve structural design for minimum weight with aerodynamic data such as drag and wing platform as design variable, subject to constraints like flutter and structural strength. Much emphasis is placed on the choice and calculation of suitable gradient of objective function as well as the contraints to guarantee global optimal solution. A number of novel numerical scheme will also be developed for efficient, cost effective solution of large complex 3-D practical problems such as current and future flight vehicles. In Phase I, the basic numerical schemes for the optimum design will be established along with a pilot code to verify these techniques. Based on our finding in Phase I, a complete software will be developed and checked out for the simulation of complex practical problems in Phase II.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The development of a software for effective multidisciplinary modeling and simulation of flight vehicles will prove to be of much benefit to NASA. This will enable optimized design of aerospace vehicles at a much reduced cost taking into consideration aerodynamic shape optimization. Such a procedure will also ensure flight stability and safety.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Much application of this product is expected in the economical design of aerospace vehicles, machineries, buildings, boats and turbines.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI)
Launch and Flight Vehicle
Structural Modeling and Tools

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Brimrose Corporation of America
#19 Loveton Circle, Hunt Valley Loveton Center
Sparks, MD 21152-9201

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Rutgers University
98 Brett Road, D-103 Engineering Building
Piscataway, NJ 08854-0504

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Dr. Pranay Sinha
psinha@brimrose.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose to develop a compact, robust, optically-based sensor for making temperature and multi-species concentration measurements in aircraft system ground and flight test environments. This system will utilize a widely tunable near infrared light source to make absorption measurements of gas constituents in the propulsion system (combustion reactant and products in the combustion zone, with accuracy from 100-1000 ppm), aircraft cabin air, and fuel tank/on-board gas generator systems. The light source will be able to continuously tune from 0.4 to 2.3 microns while maintaining a narrow bandwidth of 0.01 cm-1 using a novel combination of acousto- and electro-optically controlled devices. The rapid tunability of this light source will obviate the need for dense multiplexing of multiple wavelengths as signals can be multiplexed in time while maintaining fast temporal response. Furthermore, the wide spectral bandwidth allows for the selection of the optimum absorption transitions, without regard for the commercial availability of narrow bandwidth diode lasers. The proposed instrumentation will be environmentally rugged, with the ability to withstand extreme ranges of temperature, humidity, vibration and shock conditions. Further, the system will possess auto-calibration capabilities, fast response time (few microseconds) and can be battery operated.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
There are many commercial and military applications for an accurate and rugged laser absorption system capable of acting as a temperature and/or concentration sensor. The sensor could be used in both new and retrofit commercial aircraft as a control sensor for propulsion systems, as its capabilities easily extend to a very wide-range pressure environment. The reliable and precise instrument can be used to control gas turbine combustors, afterburners, and turbine optimization. The system could also be used in aircraft fuel tanks to measure fuel vapor flammability and oxygen concentration in OBIGGS systems. Furthermore, due to the widely tunable light source, this sensor could be used to replace TDLAS sensors in any application, as there is a demonstrable advantage in system cost, complexity, and operation.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This type of sensor can also be used to monitor the combustion efficiency in terrestrial gas turbine and high-pressure combustion systems where a rugged sensor with long operating life characteristics is needed. Also it is possible to use this sensor for real-time biological measurements as the system can also be used as a Fraunhofer Line Discriminator Spectrometer for sub-angstrom remote sensing of fluorescence emission in the Fraunhofer line wavelengths. Finally, large and complex molecules that have extremely broad absorption signatures could be fully resolved with this sensor, with application to national security sensing of weapons and explosives.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Optical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Aerotonomy, Incorporated
117 Herron Street
Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742-3127

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Georgia Tech Research Institute
505 Tenth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0420

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Chris Gibson
cgibson@aerotonomy.com
117 Herron Street
Fort Oglethorpe,  GA 30742-3127

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aerotonomy, Incorporated and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), will develop enabling technologies for an aircraft that is capable of Extreme Short Takeoff and Landing (ESTOL), while retaining efficient transonic cruise performance, by applying a comprehensive, systems-based design and analysis approach to innovative combinations of active flow control methodologies. The development of this technology directly supports the four strategic goals of NASA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS), namely 1) increased capacity, 2) improved safety and reliability, 3) increased efficiency and performance, and 4) reduced energy consumption and environmental impact. Individual circulation control technologies have been explored over the years, and have been demonstrated to provide highly effective force and moment augmentation and improved control capabilities. However, previous investigations generally did not focus on combining these CC systems into a cohesive and functional aircraft subsystem, nor did they examine CC impacts on other aircraft subsystems or overall integration issues. The primary innovation in the proposed project will be an optimal Combined Circulation Control (C3) system that maximizes net CC performance benefits over all flight phases, determined through a comprehensive set of systems-impact trades, including examinations of impacts on power requirements, propulsion system performance, noise characteristics, cost, reliability and aircraft weight.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The technology proposed herein directly supports all four of NASA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) strategic goals, namely: 1) increased capacity, 2) improved safety and reliability, 3) increased efficiency and performance, and 4) reduced energy consumption and environmental impact. Also, Panel B (Propulsion and Power) of the NASA funded National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey on Civil Aeronautics recommended ESTOL capability as a way of addressing the NGATS goals. The technology developed in this project will have application to ESTOL-capable small transport aircraft with efficient transonic cruise capabilities, thereby increasing capacity and efficiency of the air transportation system by creating opportunities to develop airports in areas where they would have previously been unfeasible, and by enabling use of existing shorter runways at airports that are now underutilized. Also, these technologies have application to planetary aircraft for atmospheric science/exploration on planets where density and dynamic pressure are very low, such as Mars, Io, Titan, and Venus. The super-circulation technologies developed in this project for ESTOL applications may enable these aircraft to operate efficiently with greater payload capacity at lower dynamic pressures.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This technology has potential applications in commercial airliners, business jets, and regional transports. In general, equipping these aircraft with cruise-efficient high-lift devices can enhance airport options, give the user more valid runway choices at existing airports, and help alleviate the noise problem near airports by allowing steeper climb-outs and approaches. Manufacturers of these aircraft include Boeing, Gulfstream, and Cessna, among others. There are many obvious military applications of the proposed technology. Some of these include ESTOL cargo and troop transport aircraft and shipboard aircraft, including the Navy UCAV. Super-circulation can be an enabling technology for launching and recovering medium and large UAVs from short and unprepared fields, without requiring specialized launch and recovery equipment and without incurring large cruise performance penalties due to conventional high lift systems.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Operations Concepts and Requirements
Airport Infrastructure and Safety
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Kopin Corporation
200 John Hancock Road
Taunton, MA 02780-7320

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
460 Turner Street, Suite 306
Blacksburg, VA 24060-3325

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Roger Welser
rwelser@kopin.com
200 John Hancock Road
Taunton,  MA 02780-7320

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The goal of this STTR program is to employ nanostructured materials in advanced device designs to enhance the tolerance of solar cells to extreme conditions while achieving high solar electric power conversion. By using InN-based quantum dots embedded within a higher band gap GaN barrier material, a larger fraction of the solar spectrum can be harnessed while minimizing the effects of high temperatures and high-energy radiation with this promising photovoltaic device. The wide range of energies accessible to InN-based materials provides a unique flexibility in designing quantum dot solar cell structures. The Phase I effort will focus on identifying, both theoretically and experimentally, the most promising device designs. Ultimately our approach provides a pathway for realizing solar cells with over 2,000 W/kg of specific power and power conversion efficiency approaching 60%.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Future space exploration missions will require photovoltaic power systems capable of operating in extreme environments with high temperature and tremendous radiation exposures. III-V nitrides are extraordinarily robust materials that are being vigorously developed for short optical wavelength and high RF power applications. The near term objective of this STTR program is to build a solar cell using III-V nitride materials that matches the conversion efficiency of conventional technologies while providing enhanced radiation resistance and high temperature operation capabilities. Thus the technology developed during this program is expected to have immediate market opportunities in the NASA and military spacecraft power markets.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The STTR project described here is part of a larger effort to address the terrestrial renewable energy market by realizing the ultimate objective of third generation photovoltaics, namely ultra-high conversion efficiency at low costs. InN-based quantum dot solar cells offer the potential of achieving conversion efficiencies approaching 60% with a single p-n junction device. Moreover, existing technologies reasonably suggest these ultra-high efficiency devices could be grown on silicon substrates to minimize material costs. Even lower manufacturing costs and improved performance can be accomplished by inserting these devices into a concentrator system. By combining high performance devices with a manufacturable plastic micro-concentrator module design, we are developing a solar electric technology that will enable unique spacecraft power generation capabilities and accelerate the adoption of photovoltaics into the renewable energy market.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Solar
Optical & Photonic Materials
Semi-Conductors/Solid State Device Materials
Photovoltaic Conversion
Renewable Energy

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
BOSTON APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
6F Gill Street
Woburn, MA 01801-1721

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Florida
339 Weil Hall, PO Box 116550
Gainesville, FL 32611-6500

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Hongzhi Zhao
hzhao@bostonati.com
6F Gill Street
Woburn,  MA 01801-1721

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The bone loss associated with extended space missions in astronaut represents a serious health threat, both over the flight period and upon returning to gravitational fields. Continuously monitoring bone qualities during prolonged space missions will lead to a better understanding of the progressive adaptation of bone loss in astronauts subject to both microgravity and aging, and the ensuing musculoskeletal complications such as osteoporosis. In this proposal, Boston Applied Technologies Incorporated (BATi), collaborated with University of Florida, proposes a portable and noninvasive ultrasound measurement apparatus for rapid assessment of human bone densities. With our unique approach and algorithm, the proposed device will have greater measurement accuracy and sensitivity than those of other noninvasive techniques. In addition, the self-calibration feature of the instrument will assure the diagnostic methodology to be accurate, fast, and simple.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Application of the proposed high performance device would find tremendous applications in NASA missions. The development effort of this program will directly result in a space applicable apparatus for noninvasively monitoring astronaut bone density that maximizes diagnostic capability during long-duration space flights or analog missions. Another potential application of the proposed technology will allow scientists to do research easier than ever on understanding and mitigating the adverse effects of space environment on astronaut health and performance by measuring bone density, because bone loss is the second highest risk factor (after radiation) of long-duration space flight.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The potential for this apparatus in commercial clinical practice is also enormous. It can be directly used to help diagnose osteoporosis. It can also be used in common families, emergency rooms in hospitals and health clinics as a quick and fast detection tool for bone assessment.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Biomedical and Life Support
Biomolecular Sensors
Biochemical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
H-Cubed, Inc.
8301 Trumpetor Way
Raleigh, NC 27613-4583

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195-0002

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Shuvo Roy
ROYS@ccf.org

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
For NASA exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, medical grade water generation is a necessity. Adsorption filter technology has shown some promise, but requires transport of disposable/replacement filter cartridges, which adds to the overall mass/volume of the system for medical grade water generation. Distillation and reverse osmosis are other techniques that are used to generate medical grade water. However, power requirements, processing rates, and microgravity affects render these techniques undesirable for NASA missions. Therefore, we propose to develop a compact, low-power nanofiltration system for the generation of medical grade water. The key nanofiltration component will be a soda can-sized package housing a stack of silicon nanoporous membranes to process onboard potable water. The system would generate ~2 liters/hour of purified water with <1 psi differential driving pressure. In Phase 1, we would complete fabrication of silicon nanoporous membranes, test them for nanofiltration of endotoxins, and develop an optimized design for the next generation of miniaturized nanoporous membranes. In Phase 2, we would fabricate the optimized design, manufacture a portable medical grade water generator based on the optimized design, and test the system for endotoxin filtration.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The new, high performance nanofiltration system would provide NASA with a reliable, low-power, and compact system for generation of medical grade water in microgravity environments. NASA missions to the Moon and Mars would benefit significantly by insuring astronaut health if treatment of an injury or medical condition were required. The medical grade water generator would enable production of sterile water for intravenous fluids and mixing of requisite pharmaceuticals.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Demineralization processes, treatment of wastewater, gas separation, and hemofiltration are among the other potential uses.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Biomedical and Life Support
Sterilization/Pathogen and Microbial Control

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
ICs
2600-A East Seltice Way #234
Post Falls, ID 83854-7941

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Idaho
URO/PO Box 443020
Moscow, Idaho, ID 83844-3020

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Gary Maki
maki@cambr.uidaho.edu

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed work seeks to drastically increase the capability of the lossless data compression technology embedded in the currently used flight part known as USES (Universal Source Encoder for Space). USES met the CCSDS 121-0-B 1 recommendation. New advances to the lossless data compression electronic technology which advances the current flight electronics device: • Increase quantization levels to 32 bits; the current device supports only 15 bits. • Support multi-frequency simultaneous inputs, at least three to represent color inputs. • Increase speed from 20 MSamples/sec to 200 M Samples/sec • Realize in a radiation tolerant 0.25 micron CMOS process

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Image Data compression for future satellite missions.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Lossless data compression for medical Image data. Important that no data is compressed out of medical images.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Architectures and Networks
Data Acquisition and End-to-End-Management
Data Input/Output Devices
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
SIGMA SPACE CORP.
4801 Forbes Blvd
Lanham, MD 20706-4303

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250-0002

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Niels Eegholm
niels.eegholm@sigmaspace.com
4801 Forbes Blvd
Lanham,  MD 20706-4357

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose a compact two color, polarization sensitive instrument to measure cloud characteristics from high altitude UAV and can also be widely deployed as inexpensive ground based ceilometers and aerosol finders. The instrument will be modular, can operate with one or two wavelengths, and can measure depolarization or not depending on the need. The instrument is expected to be in two boxes, an optics box and an electronics box, each about half a cubic foot in size. If desired, the two boxes can be attached for a single box solution. Fiber optical technology will be used to minimize critical optical alignments and permit field replacement of the laser and detectors. Micro-optic fiber components will be used to separate the colors before detection.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Cloud Physics Lidar has demonstrated an ability to characterize clouds and atmospheric aerosols. However, the instrument is expensive to fly using manned flights and the laser is difficult to replace. The proposed instrument will take data similar to Cloud Physics Lidar, from a UAV, thus allowing extensive air coverage over environments generally considered unsafe for piloted operations (e.g. Antarctic regions) at a lower operating cost, which allows more coverage over regions of interest or over flights coordinated with ground based instruments. Sigma will draw from its vast experience in the commercial production of Micro Pulse Lidars (MPL) in streamlining a production process for the ultra compact cloud lidars described in this proposal. The MPL instruments are deployed in stations worldwide for autonomous aerosol/dust/cloud profiling in standalone and networked configurations. A similar network of UAV based instruments leveraging production and technologies from MPL can be envisioned to provide tens of units or more to NASA and its partner stations worldwide to provide cloud monitoring on a routine basis.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The design of the compact cloud lidar lends itself to ground based applications as well. Currently NOAA owns and/or operates approximately 900 ceilometers at various monitoring stations and airports. The ceilometers have been used for severe weather prediction and aviation assistance in and around airports. Recently, NOAA has started a phased replacement of ceilometers while recognizing its limitation to cloud base estimation. The ultra compact lidar proposed here provides a novel instrument when used as a compact lidar that provides aerosol/cloud profile information, but also particle size and cloud phase from the polarization sensitive measurement ability. The commercial potential for an instrument similar in size to the existing ceilometers but with advanced capability for agencies such as NOAA and FAA would be very significant, given the number of instruments used in their existing network. Sigma has already established a business relationship with NOAA, and is working with their team in cloud profile and cloud phase measurements in the DC area

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Optical
Photonics

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
OMEGA OPTICS, INC.
10435 Burnet Road, Suite 108
Austin, TX 78758-4450

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1206 West Green Street
Urbana , IL 61801-2906

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Wei Jiang
wei.jiang@omegaoptics.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Negative index materials (NIMs) offer tremendous potential for the formation of highly compact as well as large-area deployable thin-film optical components. Omega Optics and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) propose to design and prototype photonic crystal (PC) based NIM optical components for space telescope and beam scanner applications. "Coating" metallic gratings on the surfaces of a polymeric photonic crystal NIM device will enable the strong coupling of surface plasmons with the PC based NIM, which may significantly enhance the capability of NIMs in device applications. With such plasmon-enhanced photonic crystal NIMs, Omega Optics and UIUC are particularly interested in building optical components such as NIM coating for chromatic aberration correction and NIM based field-of-view expander. The proposed optical components promise deployable form, reduced system dimensions, and lightweight single element optical devices with performances comparable to high cost multi-element design. They may also provide excellent noise-filtering capabilities for some space applications. Overall, NIMs offer the potential for paper-thin, deployable, complex lens structures, thus promising a breakthrough in optical devices and structures. To prove the feasibility of the proposed idea, optical components will be designed and fabricated during Phase I for proof-of-concept demonstrations. A fully-packaged device prototype will be developed during Phase II.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed photonic crystal based NIM devices can be utilized in a broad range of telescopes, lidars, and/or laser beam scanners in space. For example, the NIM coating for chromatic aberration correction can be utilized to replace multi-element complex lens systems in some telescopes. The NIM based field-of-view expander can be utilized for mapping telescopes, target-tracking lidars, and wide-angle beam scanners for their capability to collect large solid angle of light.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The advantage offered by plasmon-enhanced photonic crystal NIMs will certainly impact a broad spectrum of space and commercial imaging and optical coating technologies. Plasmon-enhanced PC negative index materials and superlenses could be the foundation of a suite of precision optical component and assemblies, such as achromatic coatings, corner reflectors, and open cavity resonators in optical communication markets, and can be extended to applications such as remote sensing and night vision with light weight and ultracompact optics with low cost.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Large Antennas and Telescopes
Optical
Composites
Optical & Photonic Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Aspen Aerogels, Inc.
30 Forbes Road
Northborough, MA 01532-2501

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Man Vehicle Lab
Room 33-307, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139-4301

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Dr. JeKyun Lee
jekyun@aerogel.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aspen Aerogels Inc. (AAI) and the Man Vehicle Laboratory (MVL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology propose to develop nanostructured, lightweight, rubbery aerogel composites for multifunctional insulation materials which will significantly improve advanced extravehicular activity (EVA) systems and habitats. The proposed rubbery aerogel composite materials will exhibit excellent flexibility, toughness and durability, versatility, and hardness, along with the low density and superior thermal insulation properties associated with the nanopored structure of aerogels. The flexible rubbery behavior of the proposed materials will overcome the weak, brittle, and dusty nature of conventional inorganic and organic aerogels. The proposed high-performance, lightweight, rubbery aerogel composites will provide superior thermal insulation and inherent radiation protection suitable for NASA advanced extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and exploration habitat protection. Insulating aerogel composites are also applicable to NASA's space hardware and vehicles as well as many other aerospace, military, and commercial insulation applications.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The nanostructured lightweight rubbery aerogel composites will improve thermal and acoustic insulation and radiation shielding performances for exploration systems. Insulation layers in EVA suits, habitats, gloves, footwear, and helmets could also potentially utilize the new insulation materials. The rubbery aerogels are air, water and vacuum capable and thus could be incorporated into new single suit designs for a broad spectrum of astronaut mission. The excellent durability and toughness of the rubbery aerogel might facilitate use in cryogenic insulation applications in difficult vibration and acoustic environments.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Other potential applications include use as insulation in commercial and military aircraft, cryogenic tanks, liquefied gas transport, gloves, footwear, systems for warming, storing, and/or transporting food and medicine, sleeping bags and pads, military and recreational tents, etc. The new rubbery aerogels can be recycled for use as impact modifiers and/or filler materials for conventional plastics.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Thermal Insulating Materials
Suits
Radiation Shielding Materials
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-1917

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
James Nabity
nabity@tda.com
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge,  CO 80033-1917

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
At present, both the astronaut's metabolic heat and that produced by the Portable Life Support System are rejected to space by a sublimator that consumes up to 8 pounds of water per use; the single largest expendable during an eight-hour EVA. Unfortunately, this will not be acceptable for lunar and interplanetary missions where resupply is difficult. We can greatly reduce the water consumption by radiating most of the heat load to space. However, a radiator rejects heat at a relatively constant rate, whereas the heat generation rate depends on the workload. Without a way to match the heat removal rate, the astronaut could alternately suffer both heat exhaustion and frostbite. Therefore, TDA Research, Inc. proposes to regulate the heat rejection rate with a freezable heat exchanger. In Phase I we will conduct tests to show that the heat transfer rate can be self-regulated from high to low heat loads and vice-versa. Our research institute partner, Portland State University, will design zero-g loop heat pipes to transfer heat from the heat exchanger to the radiator. In Phase II we will design and build a full-scale freezable heat exchanger and lightweight radiator and evaluate its performance in an environmental vacuum chamber.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
A freezable radiator to accommodate the 9.1% expansion during freeze will provide thermal system control to space-based systems (both manned and un-manned). Our freezable radiator is lightweight and quickly responds to changing environments or metabolic loads; both freezing and thawing as needed. Further, the technology can be readily scaled to applications other than Portable Life Support, such as spacecraft, space-based stations and lunar / Mars stations.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The largest and nearest term commercial applications are the use of freeze tolerant tubing on earth. These earth-based applications include sprinkler systems and potable water supply in homes and commercial buildings. This market is potentially very large and virtually un-tapped because of the lack of a viable freeze tolerant tube. The Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction says frozen pipes have cost the insurance companies in the USA $4.2 billion in damage to insured homes and buildings over the past decade. The savings in insurance rates alone could more than offset the cost to the user, who would have the added benefit of not having valuables destroyed by water damage and their lives disturbed during repairs of the water damage.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Portable Life Support

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Invocon, Inc.
19221 IH 45 South - Suite 530
Conroe, TX 77385-8703

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Iowa State University
1138 Pearson Hall
Ames, IA 50011-2207

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Jonathan Sumners
sumners@invocon.com
19221 IH 45 South - Suite 530
Conroe,  TX 77385-8703

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Manned spacecraft are vulnerable to air leaks caused by micrometeorite and space debris impact. The ability to detect and quickly locate and mitigate a pressure vessel breach is critical to the safety of any long duration spacecraft, such as the International Space Station or a proposed lunar base or mission to Mars. Current NASA protocol for finding a spacecraft leak uses a handheld ultrasonic directional microphone, similar to those widely deployed industrially, to detect the 40 kHz airborne ultrasonic hiss generated by the downstream leak turbulence. However, known limitations exist regarding the use of airborne ultrasonic emissions for locating leaks in the spacecraft environment because the downstream side of the leak occurs into the vacuum of space, creating reduced leak noise inside the pressure vessel. Blockages of the transmission of airborne ultrasonic energy by structural components, avionics, and equipment racks also limit the detection range of such systems. An alternative approach that we propose is to monitor the spacecraft structure itself---the pressure vessel skin---for leak-generated surface-borne ultrasound by means of a flexible and modular electronics package with fully integrated surface sensor arrays, data acquisition electronics, and radio frequency communication capabilities.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The NASA program with the most risk due to Micro-meteor / Orbital Debris (MMOD) is currently the International Space Station, due to the prolonged exposure on-orbit and the large surface area of the orbiting habitat. For this reason, it is particularly important that the system be able to be installed easily in a retrofit manner behind closeout blankets in easily accessible areas. Additionally, it must be fully self-contained, requiring only minimal data interfaces to the ISS for data transfer to the crew and ground controllers. Although the risk to the Shuttle from MMOD is largely considered to be due to the RCC panels of the Wing Leading Edge and Nose Cone, significant risk is still present in the pressurized portions of the vehicle. Additionally, such a system could be used to monitor for leaks in the airlocks and other sealed vacuum interfaces. As part of the Orion Program, NASA will attempt to increase safety by an order of magnitude over the current Shuttle vehicle. MMOD is a major source of risk for the Shuttle, and will continue to be a risk for the Orion, despite its improved MMOD shielding. The proposed system could likely be fully integrated with the Orion avionics systems, providing continuous monitoring of the entire structure while requiring only minimal vehicle resources and launch mass, as well as very little maintenance.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Beyond the direct application of the proposed technology for detecting leaks to vacuum in pressurized space vehicles, significant opportunities exist within the more broad application field of applying PZT sensor arrays to Nondestructive Evaluation. Opportunities for the proposed technology in the areas of Military Weapons Systems Monitoring, Industrial / Chemical Processing Facility Monitoring, and Commercial Aircraft Test and Evaluation will be pursued, among others.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Structural Modeling and Tools
RF
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS, INC.
5700 Flatiron Parkway, #5701A
Boulder, CO 80301-5733

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Colorado School of Mines
1500 Illinois Street
Golden, CO 80401-1800

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Rolf Baumgartner
rbaumga@techapps.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Spaceports of the future will utilize new granular materials in unique applications including insulation for cryogenic tanks and Lunar regolith processing for usable resources. New granular insulation materials such as microspheres provide the opportunity to construct and operate safe and energy-efficient cryogenic storage tanks in the future. These materials have been demonstrated in small-scale tanks; however, no basis for reliable extrapolation to larger scales currently exists. Technology Applications, Inc. and the Colorado School of Mines propose to develop Advanced Granular Systems Modeling (AGSM) software to provide for reliable predictions of detailed mechanical behavior in these applications. AGSM is an innovative approach in modeling the behavior of granular materials through modified distinct element modeling (DEM) combined with a unique experimental validation technique leading to predictions in larger (macroscale) systems currently unattainable. The Phase 1 work plan will focus on the case of microsphere-based cryogenic insulation and is expected to result in a clear correlation in predicted stress concentration trends with respect to system scale and experimental results. In Phase 2, AGSM will be developed to provide predictions of granular material behavior for other materials, containment geometries, and scales to meet the needs of NASA as well as other industrial applications.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Alternative granular insulation such as microspheres is being considered for retrofit of NASA's liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks at the Kennedy Space Center. However, there is currently insufficient information available to determine if the benefits demonstrated in small-scale tanks would be realized in NASA's cryogenic tanks repeatedly exposed to launch vibration. AGSM will allow the impacts of these factors to be assessed to allow reliable and long-lasting tank designs for energy-efficient cryogenic storage. Cryogenic storage facilities at other NASA centers will benefit as well such as at the Stennis Space Center (SSC). Cryogenic propellants are brought in by float barges and transferred to 460,000-gal LO2 and 600,000-gal LH2 storage spheres. Both the barges and the fixed storage tanks are priority candidates for refurbishment with microspheres. Lunar surface operations anticipated as part of NASA's plans to establish a permanent base on the moon will require the design and selection of excavation and processing equipment for regolith processing. AGSM will provide the designer the material properties and behavior predictions for Lunar regolith allowing effective equipment designs and operational plans.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Cryogenic tank manufacturers and refurbishment companies are very interested in using microspheres in place of perlite insulation in cryogenic tanks and cryogenic transport trailers. Perlite has caused great problems for cryogenic tanks and over-the-road trailers in its tendency to settle and compact causing reduced thermal performance and more seriously, it can place mechanical pressure under the inner tank resulting in support breakage in some cases. Stationary cryogenic tanks refurbished with microspheres will also provide benefits in thermal performance over the life of the tank. AGSM will allow the manufacturer or remanufacturer to assess the impact of unique geometries, operating conditions, and expected environments on planned tank projects.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Propellant Storage
Simulation Modeling Environment
Thermal Insulating Materials
Tankage
Fluid Storage and Handling
Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation
Earth-Supplied Resource Utilization
In-situ Resource Utilization

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
400 Business Park Drive
Tyngsboro, MA 01879-1077

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Clarkson University, Division of Research
8 Clarkson Avenue, Box 5630
Potsdam, NY 13699-5630

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Hayley Shen
hhshen@clarkson.edu

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The current state-of-the-art in DEM modeling has two major limitations which must be overcome to ensure that the technique can be useful to NASA engineers and the commercial sector: the computational intensive nature of the software, and the lack of an established methodology to determine the particle properties to best accurately model a given physical system. The proposed work will address both of these limitations. We will look at two approaches to overcome the particle count limitations of DEM: investigate the scaling up of particle size; and combine FEA and DEM to look at problems of densely packed solids. We will explore regimes where DEM and FEA are applicable and establish a coupling methodology that can be further developed during phase II. To address the lack of an established methodology to determine the particle properties to best accurately model a given physical system, we will investigate several small scale experiments that can be used to characterize DEM models. The proposed work will advance the state-of-the-art in DEM. At the end of phase I we will show the feasibility of developing modeling approaches to overcome the main limitations of DEM.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
A robust, accurate simulation capability for bulk granular materials can help NASA in the prediction of stress/strain shearing and compaction response of insulation materials inside the annular space of large cryogenic liquid fuel storage tanks. The current insulation material degrades over each mission requiring frequent, costly replacement. By properly characterizing small samples of the insulation material and then combining DEM and FEA, a model of the insulation in the large tank can be created, which can help NASA evaluate alternative insulation materials with fewer costly physical tests and reduced uncertainty and risk. A second application is to develop a computer model for the mechanical behavior of lunar soil during drilling and digging, construction and compaction (of berms), or during beneficiation and chemical processing of the soil (e.g., to remove water ice). It is impossible to reproduce the combination of lunar gravity and regolith in an earth-based experiment, so accurate computer models are critical. The success of future missions which involve construction and in-situ resource utilization on the moon or Mars will depend on the accuracy of the models.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Almost every industry handles one and often more bulk solids in production plants. In the chemical industry alone, an estimated 60% of products are manufactured as particulates, and another 20% use powders as ingredients to impart specific end-use properties. The US Department of Commerce has estimated the total economic impact of bulk solids products to be $1 trillion/year. Problems associated in plants that store, process or handle bulk solids are widespread and costly. Having a reliable predictive model to determine the behavior of bulk solids in industrial applications can avoid or fix many such problems. Some examples where a predictive model would be very beneficial to have are: seed storage and distribution, harvesting and spreaders in agriculture; cement mixing and earth moving equipment design in the construction industry; coal transport and catalytic cracking in the energy sector; powder mixing, tablet compaction and pill dispensing in the pharmaceutical industry; processing vessels, dryers, reactors in the chemical industry; and rock cutting, drag lines and conveying in the mining industry. Having an accurate computer model could save time and money in the design process and result in better products and lower risks.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Simulation Modeling Environment
Thermal Insulating Materials
Biomass Production and Storage
Waste Processing and Reclamation
Fluid Storage and Handling
Earth-Supplied Resource Utilization
In-situ Resource Utilization
Microgravity

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville, AL 35805-1944

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Florida
339 Weil Hall
Gainsville, FL 32611-6550

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Peter Liever
sxh@cfdrc.com
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville,  AL 35805-1944

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Rocket plume impingement may cause significant damage and contaminate co-landed spacecraft and surrounding habitat structures during Lunar landing operations. Under this proposed SBIR program, CFDRC and the University of Florida will develop an innovative high-fidelity simulation system for predicting surface erosion and debris transport caused by rocket plume impingement on lunar surface. This simulation system will combine 1) a unified continuum-rarefied flow solver capable of simulating plume impingement flow in lunar vacuum, 2) granular flow solid-fluid interaction technology for developing lunar soil grain erosion and debris particle release mechanism models, and 3) particle tracking tools to simulate debris kinetics, dispersion and contamination after liberation. In Phase I, the plume stagnation layer flow conditions at the soil surface will be modeled and computed. The solid-fluid interaction physics in the soil layer in response to this surface flow environment will be simulated and a generalized soil erosion model will be derived. The erosion model will then serve to prescribe debris mass and initial conditions for the debris-tracking module embedded in the flow solver. In Phase II, the individual modules will be combined into a single simulation system. The simulation system will be essential for predicting the severity and range of dust and debris transport and for designing lunar settlement layout, dust and debris impact mitigation measures. He will spend at least 35 % of his time on this project and his commitment to other projects is less than 50 %.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The debris simulation tool will be of first order importance to the Space Exploration program for lunar robotic and human mission architecture definition. The tool will be equally applicable to follow-on Mars robotic and human missions. The developed technology will also be applicable for analysis of solid propulsion systems with embedded solid particle

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Many potential non-NASA commercial applications exist in civil and military industries. Dust, sand and snow stir-up during helicopter landing and take-off in a desert or artic environment result in severe visibility impairment (brown-out), windshield abrasion and danger of debris ingestion. Civil engineering and environmental engineering applications include wind-borne landscape erosion and dust transport to populated areas.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Fundamental Propulsion Physics
Simulation Modeling Environment
Testing Requirements and Architectures
Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060-6657

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Pennsylvania State University
110 Technology Center, 200 Innovation Blvd.
University Park, PA 16802-7000

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Mark McKenna
submissions@lunainnovations.com
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg,  VA 24060-6657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this work Luna Innovations in partnership with Pennsylvania State University proposes to develop a new thermo-ultrasonic technology for the real-time in-situ monitoring of critical metallic, composite and bonded structural health parameters during space exploration missions. The potential applications of the proposed technique include characterization of component response to loading, monitoring load distribution, and identifying stresses exceeding design in a variety of structural materials and geometries. Another important usage area is assessment of the effects of structural defects on the system's performance, early detection of damage, and prediction of the remaining service life of critical components. The technology will utilize sparse networks of built-in or surface-mounted miniature lightweight ultrasonic sensors with low power consumption levels suitable for space deployment. A combination of specially designed sensor excitation mechanism and accurate velocimetry yields very high sensitivity to critical structural performance parameters. In Phase I we will demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach on laboratory specimens subjected to load, and verify the results against mathematical models and FEM simulation. In Phase II we will develop a full-featured prototype unit and demonstrate all the benefits of the new technology on a representative flight component.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential direct NASA applications include monitoring of structural stiffness of large-area telescopes, integrity evaluation of crew return vehicles for recycling purposes, load distribution mapping over the skin of spacecraft, bond assessment for in-flight damage management, in-flight assessment of impact damage, monitoring of fatigue and UV degradation. In addition to their intended mission, embedded ultrasonic elements may also serve as regular acoustic emission sensors and be used for air and fuel leak detection from spacecraft and metal/composite pressure vessels, as well as for triangulation of impact damage and delamination in composites. If placed in critical areas around fasteners, these sensors can be used to detect early onset and development of fatigue cracks.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
These include but are not limited to monitoring of load-carrying capacity, structural stiffness, and structural performance of bridges, cranes, masts, radio transmission towers, airplanes, pressure vessels, composite radomes, and other critical structures. The system can have direct application to assessing the condition of bonded structures as to effects of defects on performance. A scanning implementation of the proposed technique can be used for non-contact residual stress and load mapping of small parts, materials characterization including evaluation of structural anisotropy and elastic moduli.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Bossa Nova Technologies LLC
606 B Venice Blvd
Venice, CA 90291-4863

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
UCLA - MICROWAVE ELECTRONICS LAB
Room63-129, Engineering IV University of California, Los A
LOS ANGELES, CA 90095-8362

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sebastien Breugnot
sbreugnot@bossanovatech.com
606 B Venice Blvd
Venice,  CA 90291-4863

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this proposal, we describe a program to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a high-performance, cost-effective and robust microwave receiver for the detection of laser-generated ultrasound for NDE. Our innovative receiver is based on the integration of a microwave interferometer coupled with a pulsed laser to generate the ultrasound. By using a microwave interferometer design we will be able to overcome the limitation generally associated with classical optical receiver: 1) Inability to work in harsh environment where thermal and mechanical perturbations are present; 2) Reduction in sensitivity caused by the speckle nature of the light reflected from rough surfaces; 3) High system cost due the price of the different lasers, optics and engineering to develop an optical system working in a harsh environment and 4) high maintenance cost (Lasers and optics need to be checked, maintained and re-aligned frequently).

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed system will be designed to satisfy the size, weight and power requirements for NDE systems to be embarked during space mission. The primarily target is the NDE during space flight, but it will also be applicable to on-the-ground NDE. Potential NASA applications covers a variety of NDE inspection needs, including the detection of subsurface inclusions and surface breaking cracks, the inspection of wiring and detection of cracks in the insulation, characterization of coating materials and bonding properties.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The nondestructive testing market is large and complex, with many available techniques serving a large number of industries. According to recent market surveys, the 1997 world NDT market is on the order of $1B. Laser/microwave ultrasonic testing fits an important niche in the metal forming, paper, glass and semiconductor manufacture, aerospace, automotive, chemical and power generation industries. Laser/microwave ultrasonic is an asset for process control, in-service inspection and post-processing in-line inspection. In process wall-thickness measurement of seamless tubing, approximately 910,000 tons of seamless tube was produced in US in year 2000. Recent study shows that if all the companies in US adopt online laser ultrasonic measurement system for process control, this would result in a saving of $234 million annually, equivalent to 26% savings and an annual energy saving of 5%.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Testing Facilities
Testing Requirements and Architectures
Spaceport Infrastructure and Safety
Structural Modeling and Tools
Airport Infrastructure and Safety
Laser
RF
Portable Data Acquisition or Analysis Tools
Microwave/Submillimeter
Optical
Photonics
Ceramics
Composites
Optical & Photonic Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Fibertek Inc
510 Herndon Pkwy
Herndon, VA 20170-5225

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218-2683

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
William Torruellas
wtorruellas@fibertek.com
510 Herndon Pkwy
Herndon,  VA 20170-5225

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The systems developed at fibertek for Obstacle-Avoidance has so far all been operated at 1560nm. Such an operation is required due to the required eye-safety constraint. This wavelength range has so far shown reduced efficiency to a 30% optical-optical efficiency in the last stage of optical amplification in the fiber based transmitter we have developed. For space applications, we believe a highly efficient transmitter will be required with associated optical receiver technology. We propose here to develop a highly efficient, very versatile transmitter based on Ytterbium-doped fiber amplifiers. Associated with this transmitter we will demonstrate a coherent detection system allowing for both range and velocity measurements during space vehicle landing. The technology required for the transmitter/receiver and scanning is at TRL 5. A successful Phase II STTR should allow for field testing bringing this TRL to 6.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Obstacle Avoidance is required for NASA missions requiring unmanned vehicles or missions were the operator has limited visibility of its surroundings. In particular, early unmanned missions to the Moon and to Mars will require such systems. In order to perform safe landing resolutions of the order of a few centimeters will be required. In addition, velocity and wind profiles will also be required in the case of a Mars landing.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The US military plans to invest heavily in next generation unmanned vehicles. These robots will require a complex sensor system that is compact, efficient and very affordable. The proposed multifunctional and modular Lidar system allowing 3D range mapping & velocimetry is ideally suited for these applications. It is also conceivable that a short range version of the proposed instrument could be affordable and of interest to the automobile industry.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Laser
Optical
Photonics
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics
Optical & Photonic Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060-6657

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Alabama, Huntsville
300 Sparkman Drive, VBRH E12
Huntsville, AL 35899-0001

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Mark McKenna
submissions@lunainnovations.com
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg,  VA 24060-6657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Long duration missions to the Moon and Mars will place new demands upon components and systems leading to increasingly stringent requirements for safety, quality, maintainability and repair. In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) of components is a key exploration initiative technology element managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In this Phase 1 STTR project, Luna Innovations Incorporated (Luna) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) propose to extend technology development of a high-resolution acoustic spectrometer to materials characterization for components manufactured in space. Luna and UAH will demonstrate the utility of ultrasonic phase-sensitive measurements with a laboratory Nondestructive Checkout Center (NCC) using Luna's PHLITETM technology to characterize the engineering performance of space manufactured components and to complement traditional NDE methods. The high resolution measurements have been shown in previous NCC development work to be direct indicators of stress, strain, structural stiffness and other material properties critical to aerospace applications. The current project seeks to extend the application of the technique to materials systems and manufacturing processes currently identified in the ISFR program element.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The Luna NCC system has direct applicability to the In-Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) of space structures and components critical to supporting NASA's manned planetary exploration initiatives. The NCC technology will provide substantial risk mitigation in the use of components and structures that may have to be fabricated away from Earth.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Luna's NCC system has potentially broad application in a host of DOD-related missions, where the need to reduce spare parts inventory requirements while simultaneously increasing system availability and component reliability are paramount. An increasingly diverse array of rapid prototyping and direct metal deposition manufacturing techniques drive the requirement for state-of-the-art NDE techniques such as NCC for quality assurance of the manufactured parts.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
In-situ Resource Utilization
Ceramics
Composites
Metallics

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Science and Technology Applications, LLC
530 New Los Angeles Ave, Suite 115, #122
Moorpark, CA 93021-2013

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
505 Tenth Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Tedi Ohanian
tedi.ohanian@sci-tech-apps.com
530 New Los Angeles Ave, Suite 115, #122
Moorpark,  CA 93021-2013

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Science and Technology Applications, LLC's (STA) vision for a versatile space propulsion system is a highly throttleable, high performance, and cost effective Liquid Oxygen/Hydrogen engine utilizing innovative design and manufacturing processes to simultaneously meet NASA's Space Exploration requirements. To that end, an innovative injector element concept is proposed consisting of axial flow coaxial injectors with pintle center post. This element concept is expected to provide deep throttle capability while maintaining performance over the entire range. Cold flow tests will be performed to characterize mixing and atomization distribution.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA's Space Exploration program requires deep throttleable and high performance space propulsion system for moon and space station missions. Such technology can used for automated rendezvous and docking infrastructure to support commercial space development. Also, it can protect docking of commercial SATs and/or payloads to the space station. Additionally, deep throttle engines may be used for descend applications either in space (e.g. landing on the moon) or on earth.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Deep throttle engines are very attractive to reusable systems. The Affordable Responsive Spacelift (ARES) program at SMC is considering fly-back technologies for the first stage. At this time, no technologies exist for a slow, low Q return path back to the launch site. Jet engines are viable options however, add operational complexity and maintenance to the system. A high performance, deep throttle propulsion system will be a very attractive alternative for the ARES vehicle. If particular interest will be duel use of the propulsion system; boost and return to base.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Chemical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Streamline Numerics, Inc.
3221 NW 13th Street, Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32609-2189

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Auburn University
310 Samford Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849-5131

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Siddharth Thakur
st@snumerics.com
3221 NW 13th Street, Suite A
Gainesville,  FL 32609-2189

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation proposed here is a computational framework for high performance, high fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to enable accurate, fast and robust simulation of unsteady turbulent, reacting or non-reacting flows involving real or ideal fluids. This framework will provide a state-of-the-art unsteady turbulent flow simulation capability by laying the foundation for the incorporation of Hybrid RANS-LES (HRLES) methods which are a blend of Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approaches. This design and analysis tool will be built on a currently existing solver called Loci-STREAM which has been developed by the proposing firm under funding from NASA over the last four years. The work proposed here will result in a state-of-the-art design and analysis tool to enable the accurate modeling of small valves, turbopumps, combustion devices, etc. which constitute critical components of versatile space propulsion engines with deep throttling capability as part of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration Mission. Of particular relevance to NASA, this design and analysis tool will provide improved understanding and quantification of the time-varying, reacting flow environments in the thrust chamber assembly of space propulsion engines.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The outcome of Phase I and Phase II research activities will be a powerful CFD-based design and analysis tool (called LOCI-STREAM-HRLES) for propulsion engines. At NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Loci-STREAM is envisioned to be a powerful design and analysis tool for propulsion devices including full rocket engine simulations, injector design, turbopump and valve design, etc. At NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) Loci-STREAM will be very useful for the Rocket Propulsion Testing program with applications in rocket engine exhaust plumes, discharge and/or combustion of hot O2 or H2 from rocket engine components being tested, flow of liquids and supercritical fluids through piping system components such as valves and run tanks.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The computational tool resulting from this project will have wide-ranging commercial applications. The Hybrid RANS-LES methodology can be used for a wide variety of engineering applications involving unsteady turbulent flows. The reacting flow capability can be used for simulating combusting flows in various industrial applications, such as gas turbine engines, diesel engines, etc. The real-fluids methodology can be used in a large number of industrial flow situations involving both chemically inert and reacting flows. With future additions of other combustion and multi-phase models, the applicability of Loci-STREAM can be further broadened.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Chemical
Fundamental Propulsion Physics
Simulation Modeling Environment
Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Zolo Technologies, Inc.
4946 N.63rd Street
Boulder, CO 80301-3215

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Stanford University
Bldg. 530 440 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3030

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Andy Sappey
asappey@zolotech.com
4946 N.63rd Street
Boulder,  CO 80301-3215

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose here to develop tunable diode laser spectroscopy as a diagnostic for the Space Shuttle main engines during test stand operations. These engines represent the state-of-the-art in rocket engine propulsion systems, and as such, they stretch available technology to the limit. The engines must be test-fired through several cycles prior to incorporation into the shuttle for flight operations. Diagnostic tests for the engines are extremely limited due to the harsh nature of the environment. We propose to develop diode laser instrumentation in order to measure temperature, velocity, surface erosion, and possibly efficiency in real time with an update rate of up to 1 kHz. The system technology will be based on wavelength multiplexed tunable diode laser spectroscopy which Zolo and Stanford have jointly developed to diagnose many types of aeropropulsion systems including SCRAMJETs, augmentors, and pulsed detonation engines. This project represents the first time that the wavelength-multiplexed technology will be tested on full-scale rocket engines.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to the specific application targeted in this proposal (SSME test stand diagnotics), the proposed system will be useful for monitoring temperature, flow velocity, and species concentrations in a number of flow facilties that NASA maintains and can be used for other engine tests as well. Examples of facilities that can use the type of diagnostic capabilities proposed include arcjet driven wind tunnels (NASA Ames and NASA JSC), and hypersonic wind tunnels (NASA Langley, ATK/GASL and AEDC). Other applications include aeroengine test facilties at NASA Glenn and low gravity combustion facilties at NASA Glenn.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed research activity involves the development of a ground test measurement system that can be used to monitor and diagnose aeropropulsion-related combustion phenomena. Similar systems have been used to monitor combustion-driven, high-speed flow facilities, SCRAMJET engines, jet angine augmentors, gas turbine and pulsed detonation engines. We are also working to miniaturize the equipment for embedded flight applications. The ultimate goal of our aeropropulsion efforts is to develop TDLAS-based in-flight sensors for feedback control of engines in order to maximize efficiency, minimize pollution, and increase engine on-wing availability by functioning as an engine health monitor. The market for such sensors will be extremely large, and the proposed program is one step along the way to this ultimate goal.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Fundamental Propulsion Physics
Testing Facilities
Testing Requirements and Architectures
Optical
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View, CA 94041-1518

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
750 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1494

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Douglas Baer
d.baer@lgrinc.com
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View,  CA 94041-1518

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of the proposed SBIR Phase I program is to develop novel laser-based instruments that provide rapid, in situ, simultaneous measurements of gas temperature, velocity and mole fractions of several important species in rocket plume exhaust flows at NASA Stennis Space Center. Based on laser absorption spectroscopy techniques, the instrument will employ room temperature near-IR and mid-IR lasers to determine the concentrations of several combustion products, pollutants and unburned hydrocarbons with high sensitivity. The Phase I instrument will be demonstrated in combustion flows at University of Wisconsin-Madison Engine Laboratory, at LGR and at a NASA test facility. The fast response of the instrument will enable engineers and scientists to record precise measurements gasdynamic parameters in rocket engine flows to identify temperature and species nonuniformities, combustion instabilities and to refine and improve computational models.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Instrumentation for measurements in rocket engine and gas turbine engine flows that will enable NASA scientists and engineers to monitor gas concentrations, temperatures and velocities under realistic engine operating conditions.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Non-NASA Commercial Applications include: Instrumentation for measurements, control and thus optimization of combustion engine flows (gas turbines, waste incinerators) based on measurements of gas concentrations, temperatures and velocities.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Testing Facilities
Optical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
US SEMICONDUCTOR
12401 E 43rd Street, #109
Independence, MO 64055-5945

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Nuclear Engineering University of Missouri-Columbia Nuclear Scien
E2433 Engineering Building East
Columbia, MO 65211-0001

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Robert Tompson, Jr.
TompsonR@missouri.edu

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Coastal environments vital to our nation are strongly impacted by natural and human factors and are also sensitive to global climate change. A need exists for innovative new field measurement technologies to support NASA's remote sensing efforts in coastal regions. Two specific subjects of interest include the air quality in coastal regions and algal blooms. We proposed to develop for commercialization a Quantum Fingerprint<SUP>TM</SUP> sensor based on a sapphire substrate that can be used for both even though they are not closely related. For air quality measurement in the coastal environment we will use the flexible QF<SUP>TM</SUP> technology to simultaneously detect, discriminate, and quantify levels of SOx and NOx. This flexibility, which arises from the unique set of energy levels created by the interaction of each species with the sensor, will also allow the same sensor to detect and monitor algal blooms by keying on their characteristic gaseous emissions. Thus, arrays of QF<SUP>TM</SUP> sensors, both on and off shore, could simultaneously monitor coastal air quality and track algal blooms. Our goal is to assess how well two relatively different applications might be served by a single type of QF<SUP>TM</SUP> sensor when they occur in the same geographic area.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The potential NASA and non-NASA commercial applications of the Quantum Fingerprint<SUP>TM</SUP> technology overlap significantly. In general, the QF<SUP>TM</SUP> concept is potentially useful for the detection, discrimination, identification, and quantitative measurement of trace species concentrations in a wide variety of complex and/or difficult environments. More specific NASA application areas might include use as a general research tool, spacecraft environmental and limit monitoring, terrestrial and non-terrestrial atmospheric analysis in extremes of temperature and/or pressure, combustion analysis, hazmat monitoring, and health monitoring of mission personnel among others. Key to this wide range of possible applications is the compact, highly flexible and readily adaptable, solid-state nature of the QF<SUP>TM</SUP> technology.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The potential NASA and non-NASA commercial applications of the Quantum Fingerprint<SUP>TM</SUP> technology overlap significantly. In general, the QF<SUP>TM</SUP> concept is potentially useful for the detection, discrimination, identification, and quantitative measurement of trace species concentrations in a wide variety of complex and/or difficult environments. More specific non-NASA application areas might include automotive exhaust monitoring, urban air quality monitoring, manufacturing process analysis, environmental/weather monitoring, water quality monitoring and assessment, healthcare monitoring and analysis, food supply monitoring, system performance evaluations based on emissions, defense, homeland security, and many others. Key to this wide range of non-NASA applications is the compact, highly flexible and readily adaptable, solid-state nature of the QF<SUP>TM</SUP> technology.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Testing Facilities
Database Development and Interfacing
Portable Data Acquisition or Analysis Tools
Biochemical
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors
Semi-Conductors/Solid State Device Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Qualtech Systems, Inc.
100 Great Meadow Road, Suite 603
Wethersfield, CT 06109-2355
(860) 257-8014

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Vanderbilt University
Division of Sponsored Research, 110 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203-2641
(615) 322-2641

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Marta Olenick
marta@teamqsi.com
100 Great Meadow Rd., Suite 603
Wethersfield,  CT 06109-2355
(860) 257-8014

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In order to meet the challenges of high probability of mission success for space exploration, ground support system for various launch operations that responds rapidly to system events and anomalies is essential. In addition, the vast amount monitored parameters (around 50,000) for ground support system requires systematically supportablity analysis and trade-off studies for sensor optimization. Qualtech Systems, Inc. (QSI), in cooperation with Vanderbilt University, proposes to develop an integrated ground support system for addressing the ground support health management problem. The proposed solution provides supportability analysis for LOX system and real-time monitoring for select target system (e.g. hydraulic system). The supportability analysis uses QSI's TEAMS modeling of a candidate Liquid Oxygen (LOX) system which covers ground fueling facilities, mobile launcher and launch pad. An efficient sensor optimization schemes is developed to evaluate current available sensors and proposed upgrade sensor groups. Real-time monitoring collect sensor data from candidate system to the integrated test layer (wherein advanced tests are designed) and passed to the real-time diagnostic reasoner.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed solution offers integrated ground support system for launch operations. The advantage of this technology is that it covers a significant part of life cycle of the ground support system, from the design (supportability analysis and sensor optimization) to the deployment (real-time monitoring). The solution will help NASA diagnostic system designers to evaluate the current system for fault coverage, fault detection and isolation and its impact on ability to launch within the window. It also allows the optimized sensor upgrade options and quantifies their benefits. It releases the burden for launch operators by real-time monitoring multiple parameters across system boundaries with optional guide troubleshooting to detect and isolate failures. This integrated development environment will facilitate the diagnostic system design to meet the challenge of high probability of mission success. Important systems such as spacecraft, space stations, mobile launch platform, launch pad, etc. will benefit from the proposed technology with increased reliability and safety.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The most promising non-NASA application is the ground support system for commercial aircraft and rockets. The proposed integrated ground support system can be applied since commercial aircraft and rockets share many similar components, such as valves, pumps, pipes. Significant potential exists as well with semiconductor manufacturing and industrial automation equipment makers who need effective, real-time health monitoring with rapid fault detection and isolation for ensuring their high-value assets' near 100% uptime.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Brimrose Corporation of America
19 Loveton Circle, Hunt Valley Loveton Center
Sparks, MD 21152-9201
(410) 931-7200

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Rutgers University
98 Brett Road, D-103 Engineering Building
Piscataway, NJ 08854-0504
(732) 445-0504

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Dr. Pranay Sinha
psinha@brimrose.com

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose to design, build and evaluate a prototype of a compact, robust, optically-based sensor for making temperature and multi-species concentration measurements in propulsion system ground and flight test environments. This system will utilize a widely tunable near infrared light source to make absorption measurements of combustion reactant and products in the combustion zone (with accuracy from 100-1000 ppm). Although possible to tune over a very wide wavelength range, during phase-II we propose to develop the light source which will be able to continuously tune from 1.4 to 1.8 microns while maintaining a narrow bandwidth of 0.01 cm-1 using a novel combination of acousto- and electro-optically controlled devices. The rapid tunability of this light source will obviate the need for dense multiplexing of multiple wavelengths as signals can be multiplexed in time while maintaining fast temporal response. Furthermore, the wide spectral bandwidth allows for the selection of the optimum absorption transitions, without regard for the commercial availability of narrow bandwidth diode lasers. The proposed instrumentation will be environmentally rugged, with the ability to withstand extreme ranges of temperature, humidity, vibration and shock conditions. Further, the system will possess auto-calibration capabilities, fast response time (few microseconds) and can be battery operated.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
There are many commercial and military applications for an accurate and rugged laser absorption system capable of acting as a temperature and/or concentration sensor. The sensor could be used in both new and retrofit commercial aircraft as a control sensor for propulsion systems, as its capabilities easily extend to a very wide-range pressure environment. The reliable and precise instrument can be used to control gas turbine combustors, afterburners, and turbine optimization. The system could also be used in aircraft fuel tanks to measure fuel vapor flammability and oxygen concentration in OBIGGS systems. Furthermore, due to the widely tunable light source, this sensor could be used to replace TDLAS sensors in any application, as there is a demonstrable advantage in system cost, complexity, and operation.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This type of sensor can also be used to monitor the combustion efficiency in terrestrial gas turbine and high-pressure combustion systems where a rugged sensor with long operating life characteristics is needed. Also it is possible to use this sensor for real-time biological measurements as the system can also be used as a Fraunhofer Line Discriminator Spectrometer for sub-angstrom remote sensing of fluorescence emission in the Fraunhofer line wavelengths. Finally, large and complex molecules that have extremely broad absorption signatures could be fully resolved with this sensor, with application to national security sensing of weapons and explosives.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Kopin Corporation
200 John Hancock Road
Taunton, MA 02780-7320
(508) 824-6696

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
1880 Pratt Drive, Suite 2006
Blacksburg, VA 24060-3325
(540) 231-5281

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Roger Welser
rwelser@kopin.com
200 John Hancock Road
Taunton,  MA 02780-7320
(508) 824-6696

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The goal of this STTR program is to employ nanostructured materials in an advanced device design to enhance the tolerance of solar cells to extreme environments while maintaining high solar electric power conversion efficiency. By using InN-based quantum dots embedded within a higher band gap GaN barrier material, a larger fraction of the solar spectrum can be harnessed while minimizing the effects of high temperatures and high-energy radiation with this promising photovoltaic device. The wide range of energies accessible to InN-based materials provides unique flexibility in designing quantum dot solar cell structures. Phase I work demonstrated the feasibility of synthesizing device quality InN-based quantum dots. InN quantum dot assemblies were grown on GaN templates via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and exhibited well defined x-ray diffraction peaks with dot densities up to 1E10 cm-2. More importantly, strong room temperature photoluminescence has been observed, with peak emission energies ranging from the infrared to the ultraviolet. These promising optical properties suggest it will be possible to build structures incorporating InN quantum dots within a GaN p-n junction to test the basic concepts of quantum dot solar cells during the Phase II effort. The principal Phase II objective is to develop an InN-based quantum dot solar cell capable of high performance in near-sun and extreme radiation environments. Ultimately our approach provides a pathway for realizing solar cells with over 2,000 W/kg of specific power and power conversion efficiency approaching 60%.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Future space exploration missions will require photovoltaic power systems capable of operating in harsh environments with high temperature and extreme radiation exposures. III-V nitrides are extraordinarily robust materials that are being vigorously developed for short optical wavelength and high RF power applications. The objective of this STTR program is to build a solar cell using III-V nitride materials that matches the conversion efficiency of conventional technologies while providing enhanced radiation resistance and high temperature operation capabilities. The technology developed during this program is expected to have immediate market opportunities for NASA exploratory spacecraft power, particularly for near-sun missions.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The STTR project described here is part of a larger effort to address the terrestrial renewable energy market by realizing the ultimate objective of third generation photovoltaics, namely ultra-high conversion efficiency at low costs. InN-based quantum dot solar cells offer the potential of achieving conversion efficiencies approaching 60% with a single p-n junction device. Moreover, existing technologies reasonably suggest these ultra-high efficiency devices could be grown on silicon substrates to minimize material costs. Even lower manufacturing costs and improved performance can be accomplished by inserting these devices into a concentrator system. By combining high performance devices with a manufacturable plastic micro-concentrator module design, we are developing a solar electric technology that will enable unique spacecraft power generation capabilities and accelerate the adoption of photovoltaics into the renewable energy market.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sigma Research and Engineering Corp.
4801 Forbes Blvd.
Lanham, MD 20706-4303
(301) 552-6300

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250-0002
(410) 455-3140

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Christopher Field
christopher.field@sigmaspace.com
4801 Forbes Blvd
Lanham,  MD 20706-6204
(301) 552-6300

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We have designed a compact two-color, polarization-sensitive instrument to measure cloud characteristics from a high altitude UAV and can also be widely deployed as inexpensive ground-based ceilometers and aerosol finders. The instrument is modular, can operate with one or two wavelengths, and can measure depolarization or not depending on the need. The instrument is in two pressurized boxes, an optics box and an electronics box, each about half a cubic foot in size. If desired, the two boxes can be attached for a single box solution. Fiber optical technology is used to minimize critical optical alignments and permit field replacement of the laser and detectors. Micro-optic fiber components are used to separate the colors before detection. We propose to build, test, and calibrate the instrument in the Phase 2 effort.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Cloud Physics Lidar has demonstrated an ability to characterize clouds and atmospheric aerosols. However, the instrument is expensive to fly using manned flights and the laser is difficult to replace. The proposed instrument will take data similar to Cloud Physics Lidar, from a UAV, thus allowing extensive air coverage over environments generally considered unsafe for piloted operations (e.g. Antarctic regions) at a lower operating cost, which allows more coverage over regions of interest or over flights coordinated with ground based instruments. Sigma will draw from its vast experience in the commercial production of Micro Pulse Lidars (MPL) in streamlining a production process for the ultra compact cloud lidars described in this proposal. The MPL instruments are deployed in stations worldwide for autonomous aerosol/dust/cloud profiling in standalone and networked configurations. A similar network of UAV based instruments leveraging production and technologies from MPL can be envisioned to provide tens of units or more to NASA and its partner stations worldwide to provide cloud monitoring on a routine basis.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The design of the compact cloud lidar lends itself to ground based applications as well. Currently NOAA owns and/or operates approximately 900 ceilometers at various monitoring stations and airports. The ceilometers have been used for severe weather prediction and aviation assistance in and around airports. Recently, NOAA has started a phased replacement of ceilometers while recognizing its limitation to cloud base estimation. The ultra compact lidar proposed here provides a novel instrument when used as a compact lidar that provides aerosol/cloud profile information, but also particle size and cloud phase from the polarization sensitive measurement ability. The commercial potential for an instrument similar in size to the existing ceilometers but with advanced capability for agencies such as NOAA and FAA would be very significant, given the number of instruments used in their existing network. Sigma has already established a business relationship with NOAA, and is working with their team in cloud profile and cloud phase measurements in the DC area.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Invocon, Inc.
19221 IH 45 South, Suite 530
Conroe, TX 77385-8703
(281) 292-9903

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Iowa State University
1138 Pearson Hall
Ames, IA 50011-2207
(515) 294-5225

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Jonathan Sumners
sumners@invocon.com
19221 I-45 South, Suite 530
Conroe,  TX 77385-8703
(281) 292-9903

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Manned spacecraft are vulnerable to air leaks caused by micrometeoroid and space debris impact. The ability to detect and quickly locate and mitigate a pressure vessel breach is critical to the safety of any long duration spacecraft, such as the International Space Station or a proposed lunar base or mission to Mars. Current NASA protocol for finding a spacecraft leak uses a handheld ultrasonic directional microphone, similar to those widely deployed industrially, to detect the 40 kHz airborne ultrasonic hiss generated by the downstream leak turbulence. However, known limitations exist regarding the use of airborne ultrasonic emissions for locating leaks in the spacecraft environment because the downstream side of the leak occurs into the vacuum of space, creating reduced leak noise inside the pressure vessel. Blockages of the transmission of airborne ultrasonic energy by structural components, avionics, and equipment racks also limit the detection range of such systems. An alternative approach that we propose is to monitor the spacecraft structure itself---the pressure vessel skin---for leak-generated surface-borne ultrasound by means of a flexible and modular electronics package with fully integrated surface sensor arrays, data acquisition electronics, and radio frequency communication capabilities.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The NASA program with the most risk due to Micro-meteor / Orbital Debris (MMOD) is currently the International Space Station, due to the prolonged exposure on-orbit and the large surface area of the orbiting habitat. For this reason, it is particularly important that the system be able to be installed easily in a retrofit manner behind closeout blankets in easily accessible areas. Additionally, it must be fully self-contained, requiring only minimal data interfaces to the ISS for data transfer to the crew and ground controllers. Although the risk to the Shuttle from MMOD is largely considered to be due to the RCC panels of the Wing Leading Edge and Nose Cone, significant risk is still present in the pressurized portions of the vehicle. Additionally, such a system could be used to monitor for leaks in the airlocks and other sealed vacuum interfaces. As part of the Orion Program, NASA will attempt to increase safety by an order of magnitude over the current Shuttle vehicle. MMOD is a major source of risk for the Shuttle, and will continue to be a risk for the Orion specifically and all future Constellation Program habitats, despite improved MMOD shielding. The proposed system could likely be fully integrated with the Orion or habitat avionics systems, providing continuous monitoring of the entire structure while requiring only minimal vehicle resources and launch mass, as well as very little maintenance.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Beyond the direct application of the proposed technology for detecting leaks to vacuum in pressurized space vehicles, significant opportunities exist within the more broad application field of applying PZT sensor arrays to Nondestructive Evaluation. Opportunities for the proposed technology in the areas of Military Weapons Systems Monitoring, Industrial / Chemical Processing Facility Monitoring, and Commercial Aircraft Test and Evaluation will be pursued, among others.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Drive, 5th Floor
Huntsville, AL 35805-1944
(256) 726-4800

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Florida
P.O. Box 116550 (339 Weil Hall)
Gainesville, FL 32611-6550
(352) 392-9448

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Peter Liever
pal@cfdrc.com
215 Wynn Dr.
Huntsville,  AL 35805-1944
(256) 726-4858

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Rocket plume impingement can cause significant damage and contaminate co-landing spacecraft and surrounding habitat structures during lunar landing operations. CFDRC and the University of Florida will develop an innovative simulation system for predicting surface erosion and debris transport caused by lunar surface rocket plume impingement. This simulation system combines 1) a unified continuum-rarefied flow solver capable of simulating plume impingement flow in lunar vacuum, 2) granular solid-fluid interaction simulation models for developing databases for lunar soil erosion and debris particle release mechanism, and 3) particle tracking tools to simulate debris kinetics and dispersion after liberation. During Phase I, the Unified Flow Solver (UFS) capabilities in simulating hybrid rarefied-continuum plume flow, and the debris dispersion tracking capabilities were demonstrated. The fluid-solid simulation tools realistically simulated jet induced soil grain response characteristics, clearing the path towards establishing working models of erosion and particle release mechanisms. In Phase II, the individual modules will be refined, validated and integrated into a coherent simulation system. The solid-fluid interaction physics will be refined for the peculiar lunar soil layer characteristics and consequently soil erosion models will be derived. The erosion models will serve to prescribe debris initial conditions for a debris-tracking module developed and integrated with the flow solver. The simulation capability will be essential for predicting the severity and range of dust and debris transport and for designing lunar settlement layout, dust and debris impact mitigation measures.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The debris simulation tool will be of first order importance to the Space Exploration program for lunar robotic and human mission architecture definition. The tool will be equally applicable to follow-on Mars robotic and human missions. The developed technology will also be applicable for analysis of solid propulsion systems with embedded solid particle.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Many potential non-NASA commercial applications exist in civil and military industries. Dust, sand and snow stir-up during helicopter landing and take-off in a desert or artic environment result in severe visibility impairment (brown-out), windshield abrasion and danger of debris ingestion. Civil engineering and environmental engineering applications include wind-borne landscape erosion and dust transport to populated areas.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Bossa Nova Technologies LLC
606 B Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291-4863
(310) 577-8113

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of California, Los Angeles
405 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90095-9000
(310) 206-1024

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sebastien Breugnot
sbreugnot@bossanovatech.com
606 B Venice Blvd
Venice,  CA 90291-4863
(310) 577-8113

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this proposal, we describe a program to develop a high-performance, cost-effective and robust microwave receiver prototype for multi-purpose Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). Currently, NDE of space transportation vehicles is primarily carried out on the ground, between missions. For future space missions, as duration and frequency increases, more inspection will need to be performed in space in order to monitor the aging process of the structure and to insure its integrity. For this purpose, NDE equipment that is compact, lightweight, easily operated by human with limited mobility or robot, and that exhibits low power consumption is required. Furthermore, in order to minimize the quantity of embarked equipment, the inspection equipment must be able to perform as many different inspection tasks as possible. Our innovative receiver is based on the integration of a microwave interferometer coupled with a pulsed laser to generate the ultrasound. . Based on the results obtained during Phase 1, we strongly think that we will be able to overcome the limitation generally associated with classical optical receiver: 1) Inability to work in factory environment where thermal, mechanical and optical propagation (fumes, water drops,..) perturbations are present; 2) Reduction in sensitivity caused by the speckle nature of the light reflected from rough surfaces; 3) High system cost due the price of the probe lasers, optics and engineering to develop an optical system working in a harsh environment (fumes, water drops, strong mechanical vibration…) and 4) high maintenance cost (Lasers and optics need to be checked and re-aligned frequently). Our proposed approach will lead to a cost-effective prototype with good sensitivity and performances in industrial environment.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The primarily target is the NDE during space flight, but it will also be applicable to on-the-ground NDE. Potential NASA applications covers a variety of NDE inspection needs, including the detection of subsurface inclusions and surface breaking cracks, the inspection of wiring and detection of cracks in the insulation, characterization of coating materials and bonding properties. Moreover, there is some potential application for the detection of corrosion under the shuttle thermal protection system without removing the tile.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential non-NASA commercial applications include ground based aircraft and spacecraft inspection, the inspection and characterization of thin films and coatings, residual stress measurement, fatigue crack detection, and the inspection of metallic and composite plates. Remote non-destructive testing where the cost of the system is critical and therefore laser detection is too expensive is a strong potential market.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Luna Innovations Incorporated
1 Riverside Circle, Suite 400
Roanoke, VA 24016-4962
(540) 552-5128

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Alabama, Huntsville
300 Sparkman Drive, VBRH E12
Huntsville, AL 35899-0001
(256) 824-2657

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Mark McKenna
submissions340@lunainnovations.com

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Luna Innovations Incorporated proposes in this STTR Phase II project to continue development and validation of Luna's amplitude-dependent, nonlinear ultrasonic inspection technique applied to friction stir welded (FSW) components. The technique was successfully demonstrated in the Phase I project on samples made from aluminum-lithium alloy 2195. The proposed Phase II project will focus on refining the ultrasonic hardware and software needed to implement the technique on materials and weld geometries with near-term application in support of the Constellation launch vehicle development program. A multi-channel sensor implementation is planned. Luna's results will be compared to conventional NDE techniques currently used; this testing will be conducted primarily by collaborators at the University of Alabama – Huntsville (UAH). The project will also include a review of state-of-the-art NDE techniques applied to FSW joints and early planning for comprehensive probability of detection experiments needed to fully qualify the new technique.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The primary NASA application is post process, quality assurance inspection of friction stir welds of fuel tank and other structural components for the Constellation program vehicles.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Commercial applications of the technique include evaluation of FSW joints in aging aircraft, FSW bonds in nuclear waste storage containers, and FSW joints in marine and ferry structural applications. Friction stir welding is also increasingly being used to create suspension components and wheel rims for the automotive industry.

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View, CA 94041-1529
(650) 965-7780

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: (RI Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
750 University Avenue
Madison , WI 53706-1494
(608) 262-0252

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Douglas Baer
d.baer@lgrinc.com
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View,  CA 94041-1518
(650) 965-7772

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract:

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of the proposed SBIR Phase II program is to develop, deploy and deliver novel laser-based instruments that provide rapid, in situ, simultaneous measurements of gas temperature, velocity and mole fractions of several important species in rocket plume exhaust flows at NASA Stennis Space Center. Based on proven laser absorption spectroscopy techniques and successful demonstrations in Phase I, the instrument will employ novel room temperature near-IR and mid-IR lasers to determine the concentrations of several combustion products, pollutants and flowfield parameters (gas temperature and velocity) with high sensitivity. The Phase I instrument will be tested and refined in combustion flows at University of Wisconsin-Madison Engine Laboratory and at LGR and demonstrated in realistic flows at NASA Stennis Space Center. The fast response of the instrument will enable engineers and scientists to record precise measurements of several important gasdynamic parameters in rocket engine (including Space Shuttle Main Engine) flows to identify temperature and species nonuniformities, combustion instabilities and to refine and improve computational models.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed instrumentation will be used for reliable measurements of gas concentrations (several species), temperature and velocity in flowfields generated by rocket engines (Space Shuttle), gas turbine engines, arc jets, wind tunnels, engine augmentors and pulse detonation engines by NASA scientists and engineers (e.g., at SSC, Langley, ATK/GASL, AEDC, Ames) and thus enable design and testing of more efficient, less polluting engines and propulsion systems.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed program will lead to new instrumentation for reliable, non-intrusive measurements for control and thus optimization of (less polluting, more efficient) combustion-driven engines, power sources and incinerators based on measurements of multiple gas concentrations, temperatures and gas velocities.