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Hybrid High-Fidelity Auscultation Scope Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:08:32.000ZTo address the NASA Johnson Space Center's need for a space auscultation capability, Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop a Hybrid High-Fidelity Auscultation Scope (AUSCU-SCOPE) based on a unique combination of multiple auscultation mechanisms with a novel sensor-fusion algorithm. This system incorporates a hybridized sensor configuration and novel signal processing algorithm that will separate low-intensity body sounds (<25 dBA) from a noisy background (>70 dBA) experienced in spaceflights with a 20-dB signal-to-noise ratio. The non-invasive and space-qualified AUSCU-SCOPE is safe, easy-to-use for a non-expert crew member and does not require extra training of clinicians to Doppler sounds. Additionally, the system easily connects with space telemetry systems via Ethernet, firewire, USB, and wireless 802.11 for transmitting sound data for distance diagnosis. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate feasibility of AUSCU-SCOPE through system design, simulation, assembly, and testing of a benchtop prototype, which will reach TRL-level 4 by the end of Phase I. In Phase II, POC will develop a fully functional prototype at TRL-6 and demonstrate high-fidelity spaceflight auscultation capability in the presence of a 70-dBA noise. The results will enable NASA to perform spaceflight auscultation even against significant background noise.
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>1,000 W/kg Rad-Hard, High-Voltage PV Blanket at < $50/W IMM Cell Cost Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:31:36.000ZThe innovation is a new type of Stretched Lens Array (SLA) with a much thinner, lighter and more robust Fresnel lens than prior versions. The new lens enables a full blanket-level specific power > 1,000 W/kg, including lenses, the complete PV cell circuit (including cells, encapsulation, high-voltage insulation, and heavy radiation shielding), and waste heat rejection radiator. The new SLA array is cost-effective, with the most expensive array cost element, the IMM solar cell, contributing less than $50/W to the array cost. The new lens is novel in configuration, enabling single-axis tracking for the array even in the presence of large beta angles (e.g., 50 degrees) between the array and the sun. For future high-power arrays (e.g., > 100 kW), including Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) missions, the new SLA will offer a unique combination of high efficiency (e.g., >35%), ultra-low mass, high-operating voltage (e.g., >300 V), and low cost. SLA technology is a direct descendant of the SCARLET array used to power NASA's Deep Space 1 SEP mission in 1998-2001. SLA recently completed a flight test on TacSat 4 in a very high radiation orbit, and the lessons learned from TacSat 4 led to the new SLA, the subject of this proposal. The new SLA is scalable to multi-hundred-kW array sizes using blanket deployment and support platforms such as DSS's Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) or ATK's SquareRigger. The new SLA will typically operate at 4-8X concentration, saving substantially on solar cell area, cost, radiation shielding mass, and dielectric isolation mass. The new SLA will enable the early use of state-of-the-art cells, such as inverted metamorphic (IMM) cells with 4 or 6 junctions, and will enhance the production capacity of cell vendors (e.g., 100 kW per year of 1 sun cells = 700 kW per year of 7X cells). The feasibility of the new SLA will be firmly established in Phase I, and functional prototype new SLA hardware will be fully developed and tested in Phase II.
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Lightweight Materials and Structures (LMS): Minimalistic Advanced SoftGoods Hatch (MASH) Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:35:38.000Z<p>MASH project will collaborate with NASA and industry stakeholders to facilitate design, identify materials, novel fabrication processes, and conduct validation testing and analysis of a lightweight airlock hatch system test article.&nbsp; MASH project will meet its objective through a combination of concept designs and trades, system and conop requirements definition, component development, and system design, fabrication, and testing in conjunction with mission architecture and operations studies.&nbsp; The project will address mission needs, technical challenges, risks related to the use of soft goods materials and structures.</p><p>The MASH project has 2 elements.&nbsp; The first element is a series of trade studies and evaluations that will 1) establish basic requirements and figure of merits (FOM) for the hatch system, 2) evaluate hatch concepts against requirements and FOMs, 3) survey candidate materials for hatch design, and 4) support mission impact studies that will inform the hatch design requirements. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The second element (WBS 2.2), hatch technology development, uses a building block approach to systematically develop and demonstrate a soft goods hatch system.&nbsp; The approach includes design, analysis, fabrication and testing of first, hatch components and then, an integrated hatch system.</p><p>In FY14, the requirements and FOMs were determined from existing NASA standards for soft good structures and hatch design as well as customer needs. An initial trade evaluation informed the design of the hatch system at the beginning of the project and down selected a minimal set of design options.&nbsp;&nbsp; This minimal set of concept options will be matured with analysis and design details in the first quarter of FY15.&nbsp; A final trade evaluation with updated requirements and FOMS will be conducted to select a primary hatch design for maturation, fabrication and demonstration.&nbsp;&nbsp; In addition, a materials survey will be conducted to inform the current state of the art (SOA) and advance material options for the hatch system design.&nbsp;</p><p>In FY15, the MASH project will work with a HAT vehicle analysis team to define a reference airlock.&nbsp; The reference airlock will be used to inform and evaluate the performance of the hatch system against the key performance parameters, mass and volume.</p><p>In FY15 MASH will also futher the technology development of a soft goods hatch system design.&nbsp; Material candidate(s) from the materials survey and performance evaluations will be selected for implementation into the hatch design.&nbsp; Design analysis cycles will be conducted to inform fabrication of hatch components.&nbsp; Hatch components will be experimentally tested to validate performance.&nbsp; Specifically, sealing tests for required pressure loads and packaging evaluations will be peformed.&nbsp; The design, analysis, and component test validation along with customer needs will inform a final hatch design for a hatch system demonstration in FY16.&nbsp; The potential customers will be invited to participate in the design selection and evaluation to ensure the soft hatch design continues to be relevant to their needs.&nbsp; The technical review of the final hatch system design will be conducted prior to a continuation review of the project, and fabrication of a hatch system.&nbsp;</p><p>In FY16 MASH project activities will focus on the fabrication and experimental testing of the integrated hatch system. &nbsp;Design details for fabrication and the procurment statement of work (SOW) will be completed and ready for award the first quarter of FY16.&nbsp; An award kick-off and an intermin review for fabrication will be held during the fabrication process to ensure the fabrication of the hatch will meet requirements.&am
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Integrated Sublimator Driven Coldplate for use in Active Thermal Control System Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:13:00.000ZThe original Sublimator Driven Coldplate (SDC) design sought to provide significant mass savings over a traditional pumped fluid loop by combining the functions of a cold plate and a sublimator and eliminating the fluid loop (Leimkuehler, et. al., "Design of a Sublimator Driven Coldplate Development Unit," 2008-01-2169). The target application was to provide heat rejection for the ascent module of the Altair lunar lander vehicle during the lunar ascent mission phase. However, in order to provide heat rejection for the ascent module during the rest of the mission, it is desirable to keep the ascent module integrated with the fluid loop in the rest of the Altair vehicle. Therefore, we propose an Integrated Sublimator Driven Coldplate (ISDC) that can function as both a standard flow-through cold plate and a Sublimator Driven Coldplate. The ISDC builds on the original SDC concept by adding coolant layers so that it can be integrated with the pumped fluid loop on the rest of the vehicle. This approach provides mass savings by (1) combining multiple pieces of hardware into a single piece of hardware and (2) providing additional fault tolerance without the need for redundant hardware.
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In-Space Friction Stir Welding Machine Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:35:59.000ZLonghurst Engineering, PLC, and Vanderbilt University propose an in-space friction stir welding (FSW) machine for joining complex structural aluminum components. The proposed FSW machine is innovative because it can be deployed by 2 people and be used to weld complex surfaces that extend beyond linear welding applications. The in-space FSW machine is a 3 axis system that can be mounted to work pieces of varying geometry, position, and orientation through the use of a high performance vacuum system or mechanical clamps. The key enabler of the proposed FSW machine is a self adjusting and self aligning FSW (SAA-FSW) tool that eliminates the need for automated actuators. In addition, a collection of force reduction techniques will be included as part of the system. When combined together, it is theorized that the effect will be significant and will lead to the advancement of FSW by reducing structural rigidity requirements of FSW machines. Our work plan begins by determining the net effect of the combined force reduction techniques. Substantial effort is given to the development of a preliminary SAA-FSW tool which includes experimental welding. Lastly, a preliminary set of engineering plans will be delivered based upon the results from the development of the SAA-FSW tool and force reduction techniques.
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LBA-ECO LC-03 Hypsography, Rivers, Roads, and DEM, Four Areas across Brazilian Amazon
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-19T08:13:01.000ZABSTRACT: This data set provides four related spatial data products for four study areas across the Brazilian Amazon: Manaus, Amazonas; Tapajos National Forest, Para Western (Santarem); Rio Branco, Acre; and Rondonia, Rondonia. Products include vector data showing (1) roads, (2) rivers, and (3) hypsography and (4) digital elevation model (DEM) images that were encoded from the hypsography vectors. There are 15 data files with this data set which includes 12 compressed *.zip files containing ArcInfo shape files and 3 GeoTIFFS.This data set contains vector data showing roads, rivers, and hypsography for each study area in ESRI ArcGIS shapefile format. The vectors were hand-digitized by the Images Company in Brazil from paper maps produced by the Brazilian government. Depending on the scale of the original maps, the digitization errors vary. For some maps, some vectors are missing. Data were manually checked for duplicate or extra vectors. These data sets were derived from several map sheets produced from aerial coverages dating from 1974 to 1978.The DEM images were encoded from the hypsography vectors and are provided in GeoTIFF format. The attribute value associated with each line and point in the vector segment is encoded into the image channel; the image channel is then filled in by interpolating image data between encoded vector data. For each DEM: 1 image channel with pixel resolution = 25m x 25m. DEM images are provided for Manaus, Tapajos National Forest, and Rondonia. The files for Rio Branco were unusable due to a documentation error.DATA QUALITY STATEMENT: The Data Center has determined that there are questions about the quality of the data reported in this data set. The data set has missing or incomplete data, metadata, or other documentation that diminishes the usability of the products. KNOWN PROBLEMS:The data providers note that due to limited resources, these data have been neither validated nor quality-assured for general use. For that reason, extreme caution is advised when considering the use of these data. - Any use of the derived data is not recommended because the results have not been validated.- However, the DEM, vectors, and orthorectified SAR data (related data set) can be used if the user understands how these were produced and accepts the limitations.
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600 Volt Stretched Lens Array for Solar Electric Propulsion Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:44:03.000ZOver the past six years, ENTECH, Auburn, NASA, and other organizations have developed a new space photovoltaic array called the Stretched Lens Array (SLA), which offers unprecedented performance (e.g., >80 kW/cu.m. stowed power, >300 W/sq.m. areal power, and >300 W/kg specific power in the very near term) and cost-effectiveness (>75% savings in $/W compared to planar high-efficiency arrays). SLA achieves these outstanding attributes by employing flexible Fresnel lenses for optical concentration (e.g., 8X), thereby minimizing solar cell area, mass, and cost. SLA's small cell size (85% less cell area than planar high-efficiency arrays) also allows super-insulation and super-shielding of the solar cells to enable high-voltage operation and radiation hardness in the space environment. Recent studies show that SLA offers a 3-4X advantage over competing arrays in specific power for many NASA Exploration missions. ENTECH and Auburn, with Aerojet support, propose to develop and demonstrate a special version of SLA, specifically optimized for Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) missions. This SLA for SEP will operate at 600 V to direct-drive an Aerojet Hall-effect electric thruster. Such a combination of an ultra-light, high-voltage, radiation-hard SLA with a high-specific-impulse electric thruster will have widespread applicability to many NASA, DOD, and commercial missions.
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Machine Vision Automation for Ground Control Tele-Robotics Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:38:50.000Z<p>This project seeks to advance ground based tele-robotic capabilities with the development of natural feature target tracking technology with the use of machine vision. The machine vision technology will be applied to Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Ground Control on the ISS as a proof of concept for increasing efficiency and safety of operations.&nbsp; The current MSS Ground Control systems rely on operator interpretation of visual cues which are sometimes nothing more than comparing the payload with surrounding structure. This technology has the potential to automate much of this operator interpretation providing safer and more efficient Ground Control operations. This project is led by JSC civil servants and scope to one year in length.</p>
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Fabrication Technology for X-Ray Optics and Mandrels Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:11:40.000ZNASA has a cross-project need for large format aspheric x-ray optics, which, demonstrate exceptionally low periodic surface errors. Available technologies to both measure and fabricate such surfaces are limited and have not been demonstrated to the precision required. The special requirements contemplated by future x-ray observatory missions include far off-axis hyperbolic and parabolic mirror segments used in nested Wolter Type-1 x-ray telescopes. Such mirrors are to be produced by replication on convex mandrels to meet aggressive manufacturing cost goals, however doing so will require breakthroughs in process, manufacturing and testing technologies. In 2008-9, Aperture Optical Sciences Inc. designed and built a unique custom cylindrical grinding and polishing machine and delivered this machine to a customer for the automated production of cylinder optics. The machine embodied a fundamental technology that could be applied toward the low-cost production of x-ray optics mandrels including a fully scalable ? large tool computer controlled platform and an algorithmic approach to figure correction using programmable motion and pressure control. Our proposed work would model the adaptation of this machine design and would model the technology and parametric machine controls required to produce full-aperture mirrors having low amplitude periods across the full power spectrum of interest.
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Measuring Low Fluxes of Photons, Neutral Molecules and Ions with a New Generation of Detectors Project
nasa-test-0.demo.socrata.com | Last Updated 2015-07-20T05:36:55.000ZA new detector evaluation method (DEM) is proposed to determine the response of graphene detectors to low fluxes of photons, neutral atoms/molecules, and ions in the space environment of high to ultra-high vacuum. The method, aimed mainly at evaluation for space applications of new graphene detectors, is also applicable to other detectors operating in non-space environments. DEM will test graphene response to very low fluxes of atoms and molecules, ions, and photons; if sensitive to extremely low fluxes of a few 100/s, the timing of pulses produced by bunched events may open up an entirely new avenue to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Closely coordinating with the NASA GSFC Detector Systems Branch, DEM will characterize the detector response to enable low-cost demonstrations of ionosphere-thermosphere investigations in low-Earth-orbit in CubeSats and sounding rockets. Space-borne measurements require knowledge of the response to the three kinds of particles: photons, ions, and neutrals, to properly design experiments. DEM controls vacuum pressure at the detector and can validate the application of these new detectors to a new series of mass spectrometers that can operate over a broad range of vacuum pressures (0.1 milliTorr and lower) because of their small size &#150; DEM will add value to cost effective NASA balloon, sounding rocket, and satellite investigations.