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NASA 2005 SBIR Phase 2 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville, MD 20855-2785

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Leonard Haynes
lhaynes@i-a-i.com
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville,  MD 20855-2785

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
IAI proposes an innovative collision avoidance radar and communication technology to detect and track both cooperative and non-cooperative targets. The system includes an L-band RF transceiver-sensor package, which continuously transmits Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) compatible beacons to alert other cooperative aircraft and ATC (Air Traffic Control) ground stations regarding the aircraft's position and intent. In addition, it uses the reflected beacon signal as a radar signal to detect and track any non-cooperative targets within its effective range. A multifunctional RF transceiver serves as both the primary radar and secondary surveillance radar (SSR). The phase I effort has successfully demonstrated the concept of this technology in three areas: (1) Adding phase modulation to the 1090 ES carrier and proving it still complies with ADS-B waveform standard, (2) Coherent pulse compression for ranging (3) 3D angular estimation using TCAS-like circular antenna array and using innovative digital beamforming and spatial spectrum processing. In the phase II effort, we will work with commercial partners to build a 'brassboard' system and perform a series of system evaluation tests.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed technology will directly serve NASA's Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck Technologies (IIFDT) program, especially for external hazard detection, as the proposed system provides see-and-avoid functionalities to handle non-cooperative air-traffic. Another NASA related application for this sensor system is UAV collision avoidance. The proposed research will add the ability to see and avoid both cooperative (transponding) and non-cooperative aircraft to UAVs. Such capability is crucial to providing military services and industry with sustainable, flexible UAV operations, sufficiently robust to safely deploy whenever and wherever needed.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed collision avoidance radar is a novel approach to achieve a low cost modification to existing aircraft avionics which will enhance safety and promote the JPDO NGATS initiative for adoption of ADS-B in the NAS. We estimate the commercial market for airborne collision avoidance radar to be potentially worth tens of millions of dollars as several manufacturers produce ADS-B avionics over the next 15 to 20 years. If the GA community and AOPA succeed in the removal of Mode C transponders after ADS-B implementation is mandated along with the installation of UAT avionics in GA aircraft, then it would be reasonable to expect that the FAA and commercial market will look to modify Mode S/TCAS equipped aircraft for collision avoidance radar capability such as we have proposed.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airport Infrastructure and Safety
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Pilot Support Systems
RF
Microwave/Submillimeter

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville, MD 20855-2785

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
George Zhao
xzhao@i-a-i.com
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville,  MD 20855-2785

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The structural integrity of jet engine turbine or fan rotor disks is vital for aviation safety. Cumulative cracks at critical loading and high stress areas, if not detected and repaired in time, may lead to catastrophic failure. Traditional methods such as Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection (FPI) and eddy current are limited to point-by-point measurement and are very time consuming. Disassembly of the engine is required for each inspection, which in turn may cause maintenance induced problems. We propose a wireless in-situ ultrasonic guided wave health monitoring approach. It applies light, thin, high temperature leave-in-place ultrasonic guided wave circumferential patch transducers around the root of the disk, and a pair of innovative tube antennae that wirelessly couple the transducers to the inspection instruments. Guided waves travel in the disk for crack inspection, and the inspection could be done even when the disk is rotating. Phase I results clearly demonstrate that the guided wave is very sensitive to tiny cracks on a rotating aluminum disk, and the tube antennae worked well. The envisioned system can inspect a relatively large area, has minimal effect on the rotor performance, instantaneously provides reliable and quantitative data such as crack location and severity level, and minimize and eventually eliminate the need for structural disassembly.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
It was reported that one-half to two-thirds of the maintenance costs of a turbine engine is attributable to the repair and replacement of the hot section high-value parts. The efficient and reliable in-situ DNI method addressed in this proposal will greatly facilitate fault detection and condition assessment of the turbine engine, and hence make possible condition-based maintenance instead of scheduled teardown inspection. The proposed system is applicable to gas turbine engines of both military and commercial aircraft, and other turbine engines. The technology is novel by itself and will have many practical applications in other structural diagnostics and prognostics applications. NASA applications The ability to detect and characterize defects in an early and accurate manner is always critical for reducing cost and improving safety for many NASA systems such as propulsion system, aircraft frames and wings, etc. At the end of Phase II, we will have a small, light weight, low cost, low power consumption and robust system with both hardware and software integrated together for various defect detection and localization. The success of such a system will enhance aviation safety while reducing the need for unnecessary scheduled maintenance.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In-situ health monitoring and fault diagnosis is equally important for many military and commercial systems such as aircraft, automobiles, trains, home appliances, nuclear reactors, etc. The system can either perform continuous monitoring for the critical high strength components or switch on-off when needed.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Autonomous Control and Monitoring
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Innovative Dynamics, Inc.
2560 North Triphammer Road
Ithaca, NY 14850-9726

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Jack Edmonds
jedmonds@idiny.com
2560 N. Triphammer Road
Ithaca,  NY 14850-9726

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Improvements in existing technologies for icing weather information systems are required to increase the level of safety for aircraft flying in the atmospheric icing environment. Icing forecasts cannot provide the needed accuracy at the present time. Under a NASA sponsored SBIR program, Innovative Dynamics, Inc. is developing a Radiosonde Cloud Assessment System (RCLASS) that measures liquid water content, drop size, and droplet phase using low-power infrared lasers. These parameters would be used to identify certain cloud conditions that pose airborne icing hazards to aircraft. The innovation is a new capability for measuring cloud properties that would consist of a small optical probe flown on an expendable weather balloon. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of the IR-based approach. A series of tests were conducted in an environmental test chamber to demonstrate the overall detection capability. The proposed Phase II will continue development and calibration of the sensor package and integrate it into a commercially available balloonsonde system for evaluation testing in the atmosphere.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed in-situ expendable sensor package will improve aircraft safety by predicting when and where icing hazards exist. This is particularly advantageous to general aviation and to commuter aircraft which are most susceptible to icing accidents. This research is in support of NASA's goals to improve safety of flight by developing instruments that provide advanced warning of icing conditions. NASA conducts atmospheric studies using instrumented balloons that fly from just a few hours to over 100 days. A light-weight sensor that measures cloud content would be a useful addition.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to deployment in a balloon launched radiosonde, this detector would be extremely valuable for light aircraft flying in clouds at low altitudes, which do not currently have weather radar. The cloud property information is also important to the atmospheric research community, NOAA and other weather services. Current icing forecasts cannot provide the needed accuracy at the present time. An infrared sensor package could also address air pollution research and monitoring communities. Other potential commercial applications include a low cost roadway fog and icing detector that monitors and reports visibility to drivers.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Optical

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Scientific Systems Company, Inc.
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn, MA 01801-6580

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Raman Mehra
rkm@ssci.com
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn,  MA 01801-6580

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
SSCI proposes to further develop, implement and test the damage-adaptive control algorithms developed in Phase I within the framework of an Integrated Damage Modeling & Adaptive Control (IDMAC) system. The proposed IDMAC system design will be based on the following: (i) Development of a coupled structural and aerodynamic model of aircraft dynamics under structural damage, (ii) Generation of a set of models describing different damage cases; (iii) Model set reduction to arrive at a reduced set of control design models; and (iv) Use of the reduced model set to design multiple-model stochastic damage estimators and corresponding reconfigurable controllers to stabilize the aircraft and achieve acceptable performance of the closed-loop flight control system. The proposed IDMAC system will be tested on transport aircraft models selected in consultation with NASA Langley.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Due to increasing terrorist threats, in the recent years there has been a lot of interest in the development of effective adaptive reconfigurable control systems that can compensate for the damage in commercial aircraft caused by man-portable air defense systems (ManPADS), and NASA added this aspect of the fault-tolerant control problem to the existing Aviation Safety program. The proposed IDMAC system will be an important contribution to addressing the goals of this program. Technology that will be developed in Phase II has direct applications in the NASA Space Exploration programs where higher level of autonomy, including autonomous damage accommodation, will be required due to limited ground support.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential non-NASA applications of the IDMAC system are in the area of commercial and military aircraft. Autonomous IDMAC will also find wide applications in other programs such as spacecraft control and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI)
Simulation Modeling Environment
Structural Modeling and Tools
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Pilot Support Systems
Autonomous Control and Monitoring
Autonomous Reasoning/Artificial Intelligence
Software Development Environments

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Valcor Engineering Corporation
2 Lawrence Road
Springfield, NJ 07081-3121

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Marcos Simon
marcossimon@electroid.com
45 Fadem Road
Springfield,  NJ 07081-3115

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Valcor Engineering Corporation proposes to develop an advanced On Board Inert Gas Generation System, OBIGGS, for aircraft fuel tank inerting to prevent hazardous in-flight conditions and to mitigate their effect when they do occur. Aircraft fires represent a small number of actual accident causes, but the number of fatalities due to in-flight, post-crash, and on-ground fires is large. The novel OBIGGS system will inert aircraft fuel tanks with nitrogen generated by a hollow fiber membrane module. The system will provide a cost effective method for fuel tank inerting, will be robust and resistant to chemical contamination. An OBIGGS system that is based on nitrogen generation is environmentally friendly and does not require hazardous chemicals for fire suppression. In addition to improving aircraft safety by mitigating hazardous in-flight and on the ground conditions the OBIGGS systems will also contribute to aircraft security and will mitigate aircraft damage from hostile attacks.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential fuel tank inerting for NASA aircraft/aerospace vehicles.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Advanced OBIGGS systems will be used to inert center fuel tank on new commercial aircraft such as; Boeing 7E7, and to retrofit the existing commercial aircraft fleet including the Boeing 747, and 737, as well as for fuel tank inerting of military aircraft including C-17.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Operations Concepts and Requirements
Simulation Modeling Environment
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Metis Design Corporation
222 Third Street
Cambridge, MA 02142-1735

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Seth Kessler
skessler@metisdesign.com
222 Third Street
Cambridge,  MA 02142-1735

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Traditional instrumentation of an aircraft is a complex and time-consuming chore. Once the sensors are installed, long wires for power and data must be routed through to a central data collection location where several large off-the-shelf electronic components reside, adding weight, cost and increasing the probably of introducing noise or faults into the testing system. All of this necessary infrastructure leads to prohibit the use of some types of sensors and limit the total number of sensors used so save on time, cost, complexity and resources. During the course of this Phase II SBIR research, Metis Design Corporation (MDC) proposes to develop a standardized data acquisition hub for aircraft testing sensors dubbed a "sensor-logger". The sensor-logger would essentially serve as a durable sensor infrastructure node capable of autonomously facilitating local testing for multiple sensors of various types. Controlled wirelessly by PC or PDA, data could be displayed in real-time, or logged internally for up to 40 hours. The second half of the proposed research would then tie together the sensor-logger with the Phase I research, developing a power-replenishment device to attached to the sensor-logger to extend its operating capabilities. Finally both devices will be flight tested in true aircraft environments.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Key factors to the device marketability is its versatility; the ability not only to be integrated into new applications, but also retrofitted into existing system. There are several areas of potential NASA applicability. The first is for experimental aircraft programs. This device will give the ability to collect more data, with less complexity cost and risk to the testing program. Next, another important aerospace market would be for expendable launch vehicles (ELV) to help facilitate launch/no-launch decisions. Of probably greatest importance, this device could be a key technology for reusable launch vehicle (RLV) for quick turn around times, to avoid lengthy manual tear down inspections. Long duration spacecraft, such as satellites and deep space exploration vehicles, could also benefit from cheap, simple and light monitoring systems for launch or deployment. Lastly, these devices would also be useful for various components of the space station to help guide wear and maintenance.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Beyond NASA space applications, there exists a broad commercial market for a reliable sensor infrastructure system. MDC has had prior work with the NRO, who would use this technology for DoD ELV's. UAV's would also be good platforms since they may be stored for long periods of time before being deployed. Airlines that chose to use these systems would be able to reduce the number and time of required inspections, which would also give them the opportunity cost to capture profit due to more up-time. In this capacity, MDC has currently sold more than 400 prototype sensor systems to Boeing (commercial and military air), Honeywell and GE for aircraft application evaluation. Once SHM technologies have been proven in aerospace applications and have been around long enough to reduce their cost of implementation, systems such as these will likely be utilized in many naval, automotive and civil infrastructure applications soon thereafter.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Testing Facilities
Ultra-High Density/Low Power
Autonomous Control and Monitoring
Data Acquisition and End-to-End-Management
Data Input/Output Devices
Portable Data Acquisition or Analysis Tools
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors
Highly-Reconfigurable
Multifunctional/Smart Materials
Energy Storage
Power Management and Distribution

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Aerotech Research
11836 Fishing Point Drive, Suite 200
Newport News, VA 23606-4507

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Paul Robinson
paulrobinson@atr-usa.com
11836 Fishing Point Drive, Suite 200
Newport News,  VA 23606-4507

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Financial constraints, government recommendations, and the need for improved operational efficiency are requiring airlines to review their "on-condition" maintenance practices. Many of the specific conditions and events of interest to airline maintenance are not being monitored by automatic systems, and some events are being identified through a subjective determination by the aircrew. This subjective determination can result in both maintenance being performed unnecessarily and maintenance not being performed when needed. AeroTech will develop a multi-tier, Quantitative Condition Alerting and Analysis Support (QCAAS) system for aircraft that will in real-time, automatically downlink to maintenance personnel, reports on the occurrence of specific conditions and events (e.g. loads exceedance). The reports will be displayed on a web based, ground station network. The system will also track individual aircraft's exposure to particular in-flight conditions allowing airline personnel to tailor maintenance programs to individual aircraft. By providing quantifiable data in real-time, operational decisions can be made to minimize the impact and maximize the benefits of on-condition maintenance. The QCAAS system will be comprised only of software that can be implemented on most current fleet aircraft, keeping costs low, minimizing the time to market, and therefore maximizing the likelihood of industry adoption.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
This system will directly support the Aviation Safety Program's focus of protecting and preventing damage to aircraft due to abnormal operations and system failures, and can be directly applied to two research thrusts of this program: 1) Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), part of whose focus is development of computationally efficient tools for in-flight prognosis of aircraft health, self-awareness of airframe issues, mitigation of airframe failures, and the development of preventative and adaptive systems for in-flight operability and informed logistics and maintenance; 2) Aircraft Aging and Durability, whose focus is detection and mitigation/management of aging-related hazards of civilian and military aircraft. The fact that the system comprises software only, lends itself to straightforward integration into simulations, laboratory tests, and flight experiments on NASA research aircraft.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed QCAAS system will have numerous benefits to airlines (including regional jet operators) and business jet operators in their efforts to keep their aircraft in top working condition, to ensure safe operation of aircraft, to reduce maintenance costs, and to reduce operational delays (and therefore costs) due to unscheduled maintenance. The system also has applications within the Department of Defense, including UAVs. The real-time information provided by the system will enable maintenance personnel to make immediate decisions regarding the need for and the scheduling of the maintenance. Maintenance will then be able to collaborate with operations personnel to minimize the impact to overall operations. QCAAS will assist aircraft operators in meeting NSTB Safety Recommendations on high load inspections and will enable implementation and execution of the recommendations of an industry/FAA committee studying special inspection procedures. Delta has stated that QCAAS may help substantiate extending the operational limits/life of aircraft.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Data Acquisition and End-to-End-Management
Database Development and Interfacing
Human-Computer Interfaces
Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sentient Corporation
850 Energy Drive
Idaho Falls, ID 83401-1563

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sean Marble
smarble@sentientscience.com
380 Hurricane Lane
Williston,  VT 05495-2084

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of this research is to develop algorithms for online health monitoring and prognostics (prediction of the remaining life of a component or system) in aerospace applications. The specific areas of need addressed by this project relate to fusion of sensor-based diagnostics with degradation models, management and propagation of uncertainty, autonomous model updating, and practical considerations such as reducing data volume and storage requirements. The algorithms developed in this project represent the generalizable aspects of predictive prognosis; the only application-specific portions are the fault model and the diagnostic signal processing. The Phase I work successfully demonstrated the basic features of the prognosis algorithms using data for several bearing fault examples. In Phase II, Sentient will develop these algorithms into a complete, full-featured prognosis architecture. Application-specific fault models and diagnostics for a NASA relevant application will also be developed in Phase II, and these will be used to demonstrate the complete Phase II prognostic system. Sentient will leverage extensive test data available from other closely related projects to thoroughly evaluate the new prognostic algorithms. This data includes studies of bearing cage instability phenomena conducted in a unique space environment test rig. Combined with the new prognosis algorithms, this will be directly applicable to help understand and predict recent bearing anomalies observed in the CMGs of the International Space Station.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
During Phase I Sentient signed a separate contract to assist with analysis of telemetry data and ongoing CMG bearing anomalies for the ISS program. One of the ISS CMG bearings failed catastrophically after approximately 18 months of operation, and while there is some concern that the other CMGs might also fail unexpectedly, there are many aspects of bearing operation in this environment that are not understood. The ISS program is interested in algorithms, models, or test data that can provide insight into the cause of the anomalies, and information on how to best operate the CMGs in the future to maximize their useful life. Phase II of this NASA SBIR will provide the key link between the ISS CMG consulting effort and a separate MDA project which is focused on testing and experimentation on bearing cage instability phenomena. The ISS program would very likely be a customer for the algorithms and models developed.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed toolset will have extensive military and commercial applications. Any system that uses sensor-based diagnostics to indicate state and models to predict fault progression would benefit from the proposed toolset. Both the Joint Strike Fighter Program and the Army Blackhawk (UH-60) program have already expressed strong interest in applying the results of this project to predict remaining life in engine bearings and tail rotor Drivetrain bearings, respectively.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Telemetry, Tracking and Control
Attitude Determination and Control
Autonomous Control and Monitoring
Autonomous Reasoning/Artificial Intelligence
Data Acquisition and End-to-End-Management
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Comet Technology Corporation
3830 Packard, Suite 110
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-2051

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
S. Raveendra
rraveendra@cometacoustics.com
3830 Packard, Suite 110
Ann Arbor,  MI 48108-2051

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Communities near airports are often exposed to high noise levels due to low flying aircraft in the takeoff and landing phases of flight. Propulsion source noise is the major contributor to the overall noise level. The noise generation mechanisms for a typical turbofan engine are complicated, which makes it a significant challenge to identify the noise sources. Each engine component, such as fan, compressor and turbine, can generate both broadband and narrowband noise. Particularly, the fan noise, more specifically the interaction of the rotor with the downstream stator, is important due to the trend towards the development of civil aircraft turbofan engines with higher and higher by pass ratios. Nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) refers to a process by which the noise sources and the resulting sound field can be reconstructed based on sound pressure measurements taken on a surface in the neighborhood of these sources. Thus, the development and application of appropriate generalized acoustical holography (GAH) system by extending NAH to handle arbitrary geometry and complex noise sources, novel measurement and data processing methods, and innovative inversion and regularization techniques will conceptually allow the identification and ranking of complex turbomachinery noise sources that are otherwise difficult to characterize. This system will also enable the use of more effective active and/or passive noise control measures by providing useful information that is impossible to obtain by direct measurements.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The source identification system developed at the end of the proposed Phase II project will enable the identification and ranking of tonal and broadband turbomachinery noise sources, and the visualization of three-dimensional sound field. The information generated can be subsequently used to reduce the radiated noise associated with turbofan engines, rotorcrafts and advanced propeller aerodynamic noise. The adaptation of the system will also enable source identification and subsequent noise reduction in applications such as aircraft and helicopter cabins.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed system can be adapted for the resolution of a wide range of problems such as internal combustion engine exhaust noise, low frequency radiated noise by industrial systems like vacuum pumps and forced air blowers, and automotive interior noise. There are many other situations in automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment and consumer product industries where the noise generation and interaction mechanisms are complex and as a result the applications of noise control procedures are not effectively performed. The proposed GAH system can be extended to identify these noise sources that are otherwise difficult to characterize.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
MetaHeuristics
209 W. Alamar Avenue, Suite A
Santa Barbara, CA 93105-3701

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Kannan Premnath
nandha@metah.com
209 W. Alamar Ave, Suite A
Santa Barbara,  CA 93105-3701

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The research proposed targets airframe noise (AFN) prediction and reduction. AFN originates from complex interactions of turbulent flow with airframe components that are extremely difficult to compute efficiently and accurately. In Phase I the feasibility of an innovative generalized lattice Boltzmann equation (GLBE) approach as a computational aeroacoustics (CAA) tool was evaluated. A subgrid scale (SGS) with wall damping was introduced into the GLBE to enable large eddy simulations. GLBE results on wall turbulence statistics compared well with direct numerical simulations and experiments. The GLBE approach, which uses multiple relaxation times, was significantly more stable than, and as computationally efficient as, the more common single-relaxation time LBE at high Reynolds numbers. It was also computationally competitive with finite-difference methods on single processors, but GLBE had the major advantage of scaling near-linearly on large parallel computers. GLBE computations also accurately reproduced the tonal frequencies for cross-flow over a single, and a pair of cylinders, and feedback-generated tonal frequencies for flow over cavities, which are CAA benchmarks for AFN. With feasibility demonstrated in Phase I, further developments of GLBE, including innovative use of wall-layer models, dynamic SGS models, improved boundary condition implementation and grid refinement strategies in Phase II would enable simulations of very high Reynolds number CAA problems of complex geometry with high fidelity. The GLBE approach developed will then be interfaced to an existing far-field acoustics prediction code to efficiently address AFN in configurations of interest, including high-lift systems and landing gear.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed GLBE approach for computational aeroacoustics will be applicable for high Reynolds number flows over structures with complex geometrical shapes. These include noise prediction from airframe structures such as landing gear, flaps and slats during take-off and landing. The approach is also well suited for acoustic analysis of aircraft internal systems. In addition to prediction of noise, the computational package would also be applicable to computational fluid dynamics of low Mach number flows in aircraft systems.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The potential applications include prediction of noise from a variety of transportation systems, e.g. automobiles and trains, and HVAC systems. For accurate prediction of noise generation in such systems due to turbulence-structure interactions, the same technology as that for AFN is required. Current commercial packages cannot adequately handle the unsteady turbulence field which requires a high degree of parallelizability and capability to represent turbulence by dynamic models in complex geometries. The extended GLBE approach would be developed to handle these issues and could penetrate this market rapidly.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Structural Modeling and Tools

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
NanoSonic, Inc.
1485 South Main Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060-0618

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Andrea Hill
ahill@nanosonic.com
1485 South Main Street
Blacksburg,  VA 24060-0618

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of this NASA Phase II program is to develop and increase the Technology Readiness Level of multifunctional Metal RubberTM (MR<SUP>TM</SUP>) materials that can be used as 1) large strain sensors, and 2) strain-insensitive electrical interconnects for aerospace systems and structures. The aerospace systems-level problem these materials would help solve is the inability of currently available metal-based sensors and wiring/interconnects to undergo the large strains and displacements associated with shape changes of inflatable, flexible and morphing structures. During Phase I, NanoSonic demonstrated the feasibility of the MRTM family of free-standing nanocomposite materials to serve as 1) electrically-conductive, low-modulus electrode wiring for a) large displacement mechanical actuators required to affect large shape changes, and b) embedded or attached electrical data buses that are not affected by strain, and 2) strain sensors capable of measuring very large strains to allow mapping of the deformation of adaptive structural components. During Phase I, NanoSonic also developed a first-principles physical model of electrical conductivity percolation in Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP>, and performed experimental analysis to validate model assumptions. During Phase II, NanoSonic would work cooperatively with a large aerospace contractor to optimize material properties, upscale material production, and evaluate material performance under simulated space environmental conditions.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA applications of Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> materials include 1) highly flexible electrical interconnects for mechanical actuators, robotics, flex circuits, and flexible displays, 2) strain sensors capable of measuring very large strains in multiple directions, 3) low-weight replacements for metal electromagnetic interference shielding materials and electrostatic discharge materials, 4) low-weight, flexible RF antenna and waveguide components, and 5) low mass-density replacements for metal wiring and cabling on spacecraft and exploration vehicles.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential non-aerospace applications for Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> include as 1) lead-free material to replace conventional and environmentally hazardous tin-lead solders for the mechanical, electrical and thermal interconnection of electronic and mechanical components, 2) high performance, highly flexible and mechanically robust electronic flex circuits, flexible displays and smart electronic fabrics, 3) as embedded flexible power bus and data bus interconnects in biomedical prostheses, and 4) ultralow mass density EMI shielding for consumer communication devices such as cell phones and portable electronics.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Inflatable
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics
Composites
Radiation Shielding Materials
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Rolling Hills Research Corporation
420 N. Nash Street
El Segundo, CA 90245-2822

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Michael Kerho
Mike.Kerho@RollingHillsResearch.com
420 N. Nash Street
El Segundo,  CA 90245-2822

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A novel and robust flow control technique for the virtual shaping of extended run Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) sections has been developed. The virtual shaping and separation control technology can be used to control the size and extent of extremely large separation bubbles to virtually shape the aft recovery region of the airfoil. The system uses a novel pressure porting technique that requires no external air source to produce a pulsed tangential jet in the separated region capable of partially or fully eliminating the presence of the separation bubble. The novel pulsed jet system was shown to produce equivalent results to continuous blowing using approximately a 42% lower jet velocity and 87% lower momentum coefficient. The virtual shaping of an extended run NLF section could offer radical performance enhancement in the form of increased lift-to-drag and maximum lift. Additionally, the system will produce a wing design enabling a hinge-less, full-span virtual shaping capability, which can be used for pilot reactive roll control, span load tailoring, and gust load alleviation. The system will provide significantly enhanced performance for the air vehicle throughout the entire flight envelope.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed virtual shaping and separation control technology has significant potential application in several NASA programs. The virtual shaping and flow control system could be fielded in several NASA unmanned aircraft systems, including m-UAVs, high-altitude long-endurance remotely operated aircraft (HALE-ROA) for reconnaissance, and Mars exploratory aircraft. NASA designers will be eager to exploit the advantages of the current virtual shaping technology in airfoil designs and flow control systems. The technology will deliver significantly enhanced performance as compared to traditional designs in a robust package. The system will be applicable throughout NASA's high altitude unmanned and m-UAV aviation community.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The commercialization potential is excellent for a robust and reliable low Reynolds number transition control system. Potential customers include the U.S. Military and UAV manufacturers. The U.S. military has begun to dramatically increase its use of unmanned aircraft. With electronic payloads becoming larger and the requirement for longer endurance sensor platforms, the opportunity for the application of virtually shaped extended NLF sections will increase. The aero performance and flight dynamics benefits of the novel technology will make the system appealing for current and future platforms. Much like the U.S. Military, private UAV aircraft manufacturers will also find the technology very appealing. With the number of manufacturers and the market for UAVs growing rapidly, UAV airframers will be eager to incorporate enhanced performance into their current and future designs in order to provide a competitive edge and make their product more appealing.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Launch and Flight Vehicle
Testing Facilities
Highly-Reconfigurable

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Los Gatos Research proposes to develop a new automated vehicle health monitoring sensor system capable of measuring loads and detecting crack, corrosion, and disbonding in advanced aerospace structures using a novel lock-in laser interrogation technique combined with a Bragg grating array (BGA) technology for strain and guided Lamb wave (GLW) sensing. Los Gatos Research's novel sensor instrumentation offers a number of advantages including sensor compactness (0.2mm x 0.2mm x 10mm), lightweight (few grams), remote data acquisition capability, low-cost, and low power consumption. The inherently reliable lock-in laser demodulation technique permit simultaneous measurements of strain, temperature, and acoustic fields with high resolution and high sensitivity. In Phase I, we have demonstrated feasibility by building a prototype instrument capable of measuring static and dynamic strain, temperature, and ultrasonic waves using a lock-in laser demodulation technique and a fiber Bragg grating array sensor network. In Phase II, LGR will deliver to NASA a rugged, compact, multi-channel instrument optimized for vehicle health monitoring studies including strain, temperature, and crack monitoring with high precision, high resolution, and high sensitivity. This dedicated prototype will include an integrated microcontroller, operate unattended, and address the power and stability requirements unique to in-flight studies.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Optical fiber technology provides significant advantages for advanced aerospace platforms because they are lightweight, immune to electromagnetic wave interference, rugged, and do not produce short circuits or ground loops. Therefore the development of high sensitivity fiber optic sensors has the potential to increase reliability, enable lower cost, and facilitate more effective health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation of NASA's advanced aircraft and spacecraft components and systems. The Bragg grating array sensor device LGR has demonstrated and proposed to further develop for Phase II will greatly enhance NASA efforts to develop state-of-the-art, compact, low-cost, waveform-based, quantitative strain and ultrasonic wave sensing technology for load, temperature, corrosion, and crack monitoring of advanced structures.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Advances in high-resolution, high sensitivity, and large dynamic range load and ultrasonic wave sensing technology has immediate applications in civil engineering for monitoring cracks, corrosion, and fatigue in steel and concrete structures such as bridges, freeways, and buildings. High frequency ultrasonic signal detection method development can be utilized in ultrasonic testing, medical imaging, and other non-destructive testing technology. LGR's BGA technology development can be readily incorporated into current fiber optics and optical cross-connect technology for next-generation telecommunication applications.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Optical
Photonics
Optical & Photonic Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Tao of Systems Integration, Inc.
144 Research Drive
Hampton, VA 23666-1325

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Siva Mangalam
siva@taosystem.com
144 Research Drive
Hampton,  VA 23666-1325

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Micron-thin surface hot-film gages are used to develop flow-angle and airspeed sensor system (FASS). Unlike Pitot-static and other pressure-based devices, which experience serious limitations in accuracy, pneumatic lags, and frequency response in thin upper atmospheres and at low speeds, FASS will measure airspeed all the way to zero knots and flow angularity to a fraction of a degree with practically zero-lag. It will perform equally well at sea level as well at high altitudes and even in the thin Martian atmosphere with relative immunity to EMI and RFI. Calibrated hot-film gages could also be used to simultaneously obtain total temperature. FASS addresses important flight-operation and flight research problems that have crucial impact on vehicle performance, stability & control, structural loads, and pilot action. FASS will permit direct integration with aircraft avionics systems including conventional instruments used for pressure, temperature, and density measurements. Hot-film gages are coated to withstand harsh environment and for protection from rain and ice. FASS is developed both as a stand-alone probe and as an embedded, non-intrusive system. Applications include aerospace and ground vehicles, submarines, ships, and measurements in the atmosphere, ocean, and in internal flows.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
All NASA flight-testing R&D applications, from low speeds to supersonic speeds. FASS can also used for flight in Martian environment. The hardware and software methodologies developed in the project will also allow NASA to use the technology to determine the leading-edge stagnation point location at a number of span stations of rigid and flexible wings. Such an approach could be used for in-flight determination of unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments generated by lifting surfaces, to develop advanced methods for the determination of stability and control parameters, and to develop advanced closed-loop active flow control systems for improved vehicle performance, safety, and ride quality.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
FASS has many military in aerospace applications similar to NASA. In addition, FASS could be incorporated in missiles and weapons to monitor and control their trajectory. Ground vehicles like tanks require real-time data on local flow conditions (speed and angularity) to apply proper corrections before the release of ammunition. FASS could be extended to underwater applications for submarines, ships, and boats using waterproofed hot-film gages. The underlying technology could be used to develop mass flow meters for fluid transport, semi-conductor, and food processing industries.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Control Instrumentation
Testing Facilities
Telemetry, Tracking and Control
Attitude Determination and Control
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Pilot Support Systems
Air Revitalization and Conditioning
Fluid Storage and Handling
Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors
Renewable Energy
Aircraft Engines

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville, MD 20855-2785

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Vikram Manikonda
vikram@i-a-i.com
15400 Calhoun Drive, Suite 400
Rockville,  MD 20855-2785

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Large-scale agent systems have become a key part of in modeling and simulation tools such as NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation System (ACES), an agent-based simulation of the National Airspace System (NAS). As distributed real-world systems comprised of many autonomous decision-making entities become more complex, so do their corresponding individual models and simulation systems. However, existing tools for low-level single host debugging, data and event collection and local analysis do not adequately address the problem of understanding large distributed systems consisting of thousands of autonomously executing agents. In this Phase II effort, we propose to create a comprehensive semantic debugging and knowledge discovery and analysis system for agent-based simulations called IntelliTrace. The key innovation behind semantic and model driven system analysis is that it will bridge the gap between the semantics of model execution and the resultant implementation behavior realized within a software system. We will use theses tools and capabilities to develop and demonstrate a methodology and approach for application-level analysis, knowledge and discovery and data mining and analysis.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Ongoing ACES development, ACES concept development, and the related Aces with Communications Navigation and Surveillance (AwCNS) project and follow on will both immediate benefit from the IntelliTrace tool. The proposed capability and tools have immediate usefulness to the ACES and AwCNS development teams. It can be deployed concept developers within NASA, the ACES development team headed by Raytheon, and concept developers outside NASA.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
IAI is actively and currently using agent-based applications on development efforts in the following areas: • Modeling and simulation for ad-hoc mobile networks (Army) • Teams of underwater autonomous vehicles(Navy) • Scheduling and planning for logistics and space operations (Air Force) • Cognitive architectures simulation and modeling framework (DARPA) and ACIP Program A generalized debugging and visualization approach is considered to be of key interest of all of these Cybele agent infrastructure users as agent-based development and software engineering becomes integrated into their deployed and/or modeling and simulation efforts.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Operations Concepts and Requirements
Simulation Modeling Environment
Human-Computer Interfaces
Software Development Environments
Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Mosaic ATM, Inc.
1190 Hawling Place
Leesburg, VA 20175-5084

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Steve Atkins
atkins@mosaicatm.com
3 Primrose Lane
Westford,  MA 01886-3312

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This effort undertakes the creation of an Airport Ground Resource Planning (AGRP) tool. Little or no automation is currently available to support airport ground resource allocation decisions. The AGRP tool provides visualization both of the resource assignments as well as other information relevant to making resource assignment decision. In addition, AGRP automates or advises resource assignments, improving efficiency while reducing workload. In Phase 2, we propose to continue development of the AGRP tool through four work areas. First, we will complete the map and Resource Allocation displays. We will also complete the algorithm to automate resource allocation decisions and integrate it with the displays. The resulting AGRP prototype will be evaluated operationally. We will also extend the Phase 1 work to develop a block out time predictor, which would have tremendous application and benefit in other traffic management systems. In Phase 1, we proposed an architecture in which applications such as AGRP can subscribe to receive SMS data via a standardized interface. In Phase 2 we will complete the specifications for and implementation of this interface, which will replace the existing SMS client-server communication.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The outcome of this project may be divided into two parts – enabling infrastructure and the AGRP tool. These two outcomes have different potential applications. The enabling infrastructure consists of a documented and published interface standard for receiving data from and providing data to an SMS server, along with the modifications to the SMS server to support this service. This outcome is applicable to the FAA's vision for SMS in the NAS and includes research into predicting aircraft block out times. This aspect of the AGRP work would be an outcome that NASA could sucessfully complete a technology transfer to the FAA. NASA may be interested in the research to develop robust and efficient planning algorithms as well as the human factors research of designing the AGRP user interface.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The AGRP tool consists of the displays, methods for manual entry, and algorithms for automated advisories to help manage airport ground resources. Non-NASA applications include use of AGRP outcomes by the FAA, air carriers, airport authorities, and airport ground service providers. The principal FAA application of the AGRP work will be to adopt the re-designed interface between the SMS server and SMS client as a standard. In doing so, the FAA will facilitate receiving air carrier information which benefit the FAA's goal of providing safe and efficient traffic flow. Several air carriers currently use information from the Surface Management System (SMS) to improve the efficiency of their ground operations without any automation explicitly designed for this purpose. The AGRP tool directly addresses this need. Airport authorities or ground service providers may also use AGRP where they are responsible for managing particular ground resources.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Architectures and Networks
Expert Systems
Human-Computer Interfaces

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
AeroAstro Corporation
20145 Ashbrook Place
Ashburn, VA 20147-3373

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Frank LaRosa
frank.larosa@aeroastro.com
12672 112th St. N.
Largo,  FL 33778-1953

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Modern electronic systems tolerate only as many point failures as there are redundant system copies, using mere macro-scale redundancy. Fault Tolerant Electronics Supporting Space Exploration (FTESSE) creates an electronic design paradigm using reprogrammable FPGAs to create swappable Circuit Object Blocks (COBs) – analogous to software objects – for the first time enabling redundancy on a micro-scale. The result is an increased tolerance of point failures by several orders of magnitude over traditional approaches. In the FTESSE approach, FPGAs are partitioned into COBs (groups of gates), each performing a specific function. Bad areas can be mapped like the bad sector data on a disk drive, enabling COBs to be placed in areas of working gates to recover system performance. Hardware tested during Phase I verified point failures could be introduced into an example circuit and corrected. As in the Phase I model, circuits to be monitored reside on a Slave FPGA, and a Master FPGA monitors outputs of all COBs, sensing faults and mapping non-working gates on the Slave FPGA. The Master is a rad-hard, triple mode redundancy (TMR) FPGA, but the Slaves need not be, opening the doors to higher performance applications while maintaining high levels of fault tolerance.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Reconfigurability will benefit all missions by providing orders of magnitude more tolerance of point failures in electronic systems, including graceful degradation of electronic systems upon further unexpected damage (e.g., that incurred at launch, those from micrometeorite impacts or high-radiation environments, etc). Examples of electronic systems benefiting from this design approach are radios, flight computers, and other systems demanding the highest reliability. The requirements of moon-base missions and interplanetary travel – beginning with the Mars exploration missions – are daunting. Not only are these much longer in duration, thus increasing the likelihood of failure because of operational time alone, there will also be powerful contention over the allocation of resources and inevitable compromises that reduce the availability of spare parts. A self-diagnosing, self-repairing system will go far in insuring the success of these bold ventures.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Current Military systems use various devices to destroy or damage sensitive or valuable equipment if capture is imminent. Another approach would be to use stealth via reconfigurability, effectively cloaking the hardware by reconfiguring it to perform an entirely different function than its military application. Imagine a military radio that, if captured, would simply generate random tones! Other systems benefiting include today's aircraft, which depend on high-reliability fly-by-wire systems. Critical infrastructure systems such as power plants, electrical transmission and distribution systems, financial networks and homeland security-related systems depend on 100% availability of electronic systems. Life support electronics systems are vital in our hospitals' operating rooms. Inaccessible systems, difficult to reach to perform service, may have financial motives to adopt a reliable system; and in case of failures, they can report so that repairs to a diminished but still functional system can be scheduled for repair at the most convenient time.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Attitude Determination and Control
Guidance, Navigation, and Control
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Suits
Highly-Reconfigurable
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Advanced Science and Novel Technology
27 Via Porto Grande
Rancho Palos Verdes , CA 90275-2049

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Vladimir Katzman
traffic405@cox.net
27 Via Porto Grande
Rancho Palos Verdes ,  CA 90275-2049

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current and future programs of near-Earth and deep space exploration require the development of faster and more reliable electronics with open system architectures that are reconfigurable, fault-tolerant, and can operate effectively for long periods of time in harsh environments. Existing data transfer systems based on passive backplanes are slow, power hungry, hardly reconfigurable, and feature high latency, limited expandability, and low radiation tolerance. During Phase I, our company has proven in computer simulations the basic concept of a radiation tolerant switching fabric backplane with reconfigurable serial interfaces. During Phase II, the company proposes to develop a functional prototype of a novel, radiation-tolerant, switching fabric with user-programmable interfaces that support either Space Wire or the company's proprietary multi-level interconnect solution. The patent-pending multi-level interconnect technique provides improved serial point-to-point link functionality including lower latency, higher speed and lower power consumption. It eliminates the requirement of the second information channel utilized in Space Wire's data-strobe encoding scheme, which can be instead used as a redundant channel to improve the system's fault tolerance. The unprecedented reliability of the developed system-on-chip is guaranteed by utilization of inherently radiation-tolerant SiGe hetero-junction bipolar transistors in proprietary circuit structures that are specifically hardened to single-event effects.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The successful accomplishment of this project will result in the development of a compact radiation tolerant ASIC or MCM, which will revolutionize intra-spacecraft system development for near-Earth and deep space exploration. Only a high bandwidth, radiation-hardened, Space Wire protocol utilizing switching fabrics allows for high performance computing in space vehicles. The switching fabric's software-reconfigurable interfaces will not only speed-up the system's design and assembly process, but will open the way for the implementation of a true Plug-and-Play architecture and in-situ hardware adaptation. This is extremely important for the realization of future innovative concepts for space exploration over the next decade. The immediate application areas in NASA of the developed technology include: CEV, CLV, Lunar Lender and Lunar Outposts.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The developed technology will be critical to all space programs under the US Air Force and will have a great impact on TacSat's development. Our solution provides a scaled-down simple design that can be used and reused, which will save DOD the project development time and resources while giving system engineers plenty of flexibility in spacecraft development. The commercial version of the switching fabric will be a critical component in the upgrading of private/enterprise networks by reducing latency while transferring data from memory storage to individual users in such applications as production of motion pictures, intra-hospital networks, inventory management, the last-mile fiber-to-home concept, the oil industry, and others.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Highly-Reconfigurable

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc.
535 W. Research Blvd., Suite 209
Fayetteville, AR 72701-7174

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Roberto Schupbach
marcelo@apei.net
535 W. Research Center Blvd., Suite 209
Fayetteville,  AR 72701-7174

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In Phase I, the research team formed by APEI, Inc. and University of Arkansas proved the feasibility of developing ultra-wide temperature (-230 <SUP>o</SUP>C to +130 <SUP>o</SUP>C) motor drives utilizing silicon-germanium (SiGe) asynchronous logic digital control electronics by the successful design, simulation and layout of an insensitive-delay asynchronous microcontroller. The microcontroller incorporates asynchronous-to-synchronous and synchronous-to-asynchronous interfaces (wrappers) using an IBM SiGe 5AM process. The complete asynchronous microcontroller was successfully simulated using temperature calibrated models to -230 ºC. Electronic components needed in the development of the DC-motor power stage were first characterized down to -184 ºC and then a complete 20W DC-motor drive power stage was successfully demonstrated while operating at cryogenic temperatures and driving a Maxon RE 25 permanent magnet DC-motor at full power (This motor is currently used on the Mars Spirit and Opportunity rovers). Ultra-wide temperature power electronics system will have a profound impact on deep space exploration craft enabling greater mobility and mission lifetime. The use of ultra-wide temperature power electronics will allow increased payload capacity of Lunar and Mars exploratory craft, while improving reliability through reduced system level complexity. The goal of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to deliver, to NASA JPL, a complete DC-motor drive that is fully functional over the entire temperature range required for lunar and Martian extreme environment exploratory robotic missions (-230 ºC to +130 ºC). This cryogenic DC-motor drive will encompass a SiGe-based 8051-compatible delay-insensitive asynchronous microcontroller with significantly enhanced capabilities for the advanced control of the DC-motor drive.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The first market for this technology will be in the power electronics systems of NASA Lunar and Martian science missions and deep space exploration vehicles, including spacecraft, balloons, rockets, and aircraft. APEI, Inc. plans to develop the technology throughout Phases I, II, and III with this purpose and goal in mind. There are a wide range of NASA applications in which this technology could significantly improve performance and/or reduce launch costs. Ultra-wide temperature electronics will eliminate (or reduce) the need for thermal control reducing size, weight, and power usage. This will enable greater mobility and lifetime for surface exploration craft. This technology can be also used on space-based observatories, such as the Next-Generation Space Telescope that need actuators and drives to operate at deep cryogenic temperatures. Deep space missions would greatly benefit from high density light-weight power management and electronics systems. There are, however, a number of other applications beyond NASA that would find this technology extremely valuable.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential new applications for this technology are found in the commercial avionics, medical, and defense sectors. The avionics industry is actively pursuing the development of extreme temperature electronics for sensors, radio-frequency power amplifiers, and actuators/motor drive application. This technology has the potential of simplifying the design of the next generation of crafts and commercial satellites, expanding their current capabilities. The medical fields and the defense sectors have particular interest in extreme temperature electronics since it has the potential of impacting several areas such as magnetic resonance imaging, particle accelerators, etc. This technology can also foster other research fields such as superconducting (i.e., cryogenic) power transmission and distribution, superconducting motors and generators, etc. It should be reemphasized that APEI, Inc. is in discussion with British Aerospace regarding technology transfer for both NASA and non-NASA applications, and as such, BAE has provided a letter of support indicating their view that this is a critical technology need in the industry.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Integrated Robotic Concepts and Systems
Ultra-High Density/Low Power
On-Board Computing and Data Management
Instrumentation
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Ultramet
12173 Montague Street
Pacoima, CA 91331-2210

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Gautham Ramachandran
gautham.ramachandran@ultramet.com
Ultramet
Pacoima,  CA 91331-2210

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA and DoD are seeking high-performance, lightweight liquid rocket combustion chambers with future performance goals that cannot be achieved using state-of-the-art actively cooled metallic liners, silicided C103, or even carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Ultramet has previously developed and successfully demonstrated carbon fiber-reinforced zirconium carbide (C/ZrC) and zirconium-silicon carbide (C/Zr-Si-C) matrix CMCs for use in liquid propellant applications up to 4200<SUP>o</SUP>F. In Phase I, Ultramet demonstrated the feasibility of combining the light weight of C/C with the oxidation resistance of ZrC and Zr-Si-C matrix composites in a unique system composed of a C/C primary structure with an integral CMC liner. The system effectively bridges the gap in weight and performance between coated C/C and bulk CMCs. Rapid fabrication was demonstrated through an innovative variant of Ultramet's melt infiltration refractory composite processing technology. In Phase II, Ultramet will team with ATK-GASL for process optimization, component fabrication, and comprehensive testing of lightweight, high-strength, elevated temperature oxidation-resistant liquid rocket combustion chambers. The fully developed system will have strength that is comparable to that of C/C, low density comparable to that of C/SiC, and ultrahigh temperature (>4000<SUP>o</SUP>F) oxidation stability.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed project directly targets future launch and exploration vehicle propulsion systems as potential end-use applications. More generally, the versatility of this concept makes it relevant to a variety of hot structures exposed to oxidizing environments including combustion chambers, leading edge, thermal protection system, airframe, and other propulsion components.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed refractory composite material would be directly applicable to a wide rage of aerospace and defense applications that require low-cost material possessing, ultrahigh temperature oxidation stability, high strength, and low mass. These applications include propulsion components such as combustion chambers, rocket nozzles, hot gas generators, and hot gas valves, using both liquid and solid propellants. Defense applications include the high temperature combustion environment of advanced gun barrels, where the use of C/C is desirable if survivability issues can be solved. Non-defense related uses may include components related to energy generation in which use temperature, environmental reactivity, and economy are increasingly demanding.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Chemical
Ceramics
Composites

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
NEI Corporation
201 Circle Drive N., Suite 102/103
Piscataway, NJ 08854-3723

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Stein Lee
slee@neicorporation.com
201 Circle Drive N., Suite 102/103
Piscataway,  NJ 08854-3908

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Silicone coatings are the system of choice for inflatable fabrics used in several space, military, and consumer applications, including airbags, parachutes, rafts, boat sails, and inflatable shelters. Commercial silicone coatings with improved mechanical, thermal and physical gas barrier properties are needed for a broad range of space, military, and commercial applications. The phase I program has demonstrated that addition of small amounts of nanostructured additives enhances tear strength, tensile strength, and hardness without significantly degrading other important properties, thermal stability, puncture resistance and air permeability of commercial silicone coatings. It was also shown that properties of coatings are strongly correlated with the chemistry and composition of nanostructured additives. The significance of the Phase I innovation is that commercially used coating formulations were utilized as the starting material, making it easier to be adopted in practice. Success in Phase I has enabled us to put together a strong Phase II team, composed of commercial silicone coating applicators, an airbag assembly developer, and a large supplier of silicone coating formulation. The focus of the Phase II program will be to develop nanostructured additives for several different types of commercial silicone coatings to meet their specific application needs. Additionally, nanostructured additive technology will be scaled up, and prototype airbags will be fabricated.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
While silicone coatings are used in a variety of space applications, we have focused on the Airbag application because of the impending need for new airbags for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The airbags will be made of coated fabrics, and NEI's nanostructured additive will enable a stronger and more tear resistant coating on the fabrics, thereby allowing the use of lighter and thinner fabrics and coatings. In addition to airbag applications, inflatable fabrics for escape ramps, habitats, and lightweight structural components would benefit from NEI's nanostructured additive.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
By the addition of small amounts of NEI's engineered nanostructured additives, improvements in relevant mechanical properties of commercial silicone coatings can be substantially improved. This technology being developed specifically for Airbags, has several commercial implications as well. These include automotive airbags, parachutes, paragliders, boat sails, cold air inflatables, hot air balloons, and coatings for enhancing the brightness of LEDs. In each case, NEI's product is an additive that our customer will easily add to their own silicone formulation.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Inflatable
Portable Life Support
Composites

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Folded Structures Company, LLC
1142A Old York Road
Ringoes, NJ 08551-1045

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Daniel Kling
kling@netcarrier.com
1142A Old York Road
Ringoes,  NJ 08551-1045

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A recently developed mathematical folding theory has great value for deployable space structures and in situ manufacture of large beams, panels and cylinders. The new technology offers diverse capacity to design, manufacture, and self-assemble periodically folded sheet material. The range of materials includes many customized core materials for laminated panels, cellular habitat walls, structural beams, parabolic reflectors, and efficient truss systems that can be packaged ideally as a roll of sheet material and deployed in space by inflation or passive radiation. The algebraic linkage conditions on the deployment of a folded structure forms an over-constrained system of equations. The deployment kinetics are only possible due to engineered relationships between the neighboring facet geometry, and globally requires a uniform angular change in fold extension across the pattern. This implies that fixing an individual fold angle fixes all of the fold angles in its neighboring region. If the fold angles are all made rigid, then the entire structure is highly over-constrained and forms a very robust truss system. The goal is to introduce the technology by demonstrating the diversity of folding architectures that can be directly applied to deployable space structures, and by developing the associated design and simulation software to transfer this know-how to the engineering community.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed research will explore a comprehensive list of potential applications for this innovative materials technology including deployable structures, habitats and in situ manufacturing. This technique will permit the merger of the deployable structure with the surface covering that has been folded to reduce its storage volume. Essentially, the structural frame and the skin become one and the same. Folded materials can be integrated into space structures as rigid panels, box beams, I-beams, large rings, large cylinders, and large tori. The key logistical advantages include structures that transport in a compact, low volume configuration; assemblies that self-deploy; and elements that can be easily manufactured in space. Deployment strategies can be designed and controlled through the manipulations of the mathematical algorithms that describe the folding patterns. Other applications include stretchable fabrics, self-assembling nano-devices, self-correcting parabolic dishes, and self-healing multi-laminate flexible cloth for space suits.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Kraft paper cores based on these folding techniques could yield a superior product to corrugated cardboard. Multi-layer paper blocks could replace Styrofoam for use in space-filling and shock absorbing. For aerospace, the folded materials could improve upon existing honeycomb cores which are used throughout any aircraft in the floors and airframe. In the civil infrastructure, doubly periodic folded steel sheets are stronger than comparable corrugated structures, and will significantly improve concrete floors. For aging bridges, the deteriorating concrete decks will be replaced by lightweight composite structures. For the transportation industry, aluminum or steel folded tessellations in flat laminated panels could be used for high strength but lightweight truck beds or automobile floors, to give resilient strength to the frame while also serving to dampen the overall vehicle vibrations. The lightweight strength and energy absorbing properties are also suited for bumpers, hoods and crash protection. The configurations can also be designed to absorb or reflect electro-magnetic waves.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Solar
Airframe
Erectable
Inflatable
Kinematic-Deployable
Launch and Flight Vehicle
Large Antennas and Telescopes
Structural Modeling and Tools
Suits
Ceramics
Composites
Computational Materials
Metallics
Optical & Photonic Materials
Organics/Bio-Materials
Radiation Shielding Materials
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Microwave Power Technology
1280 Theresa Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008-6833

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Robert Espinosa
micpwrt@aol.com
1280 Theresa Avenue
Campbell,  CA 95008-6833

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation proposed here focuses on cleansing air with high energy electrons. Bombardment by electrons has proven to be effective in removing a wide spectrum of chemical and biological pollutants. Electron beam systems have a significant advantage over conventional VOC and odor control technologies. The process requires less energy than other purification methods, generates no additional CO2, requires no additional reagents and does not produce any solid or hazardous waste. We propose to develop an e-beam source to meet the restrictive cost, weight and reliability requirements attendant to commercial passenger aircraft and manned space exploration. The key to this transition is to replace the thermionic cathode electron emitter with a carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission cathode. During Phase 1 we completed a design of an e-beam system suitable for maintaining air purity for an enclosed four men space station. The system is compact, light weight and will fit readily in line with an air conditioning duct. In Phase II, we will detail the design, and build a prototype of the e-beam system. That e-beam source can also be use for decontaminating small widely distributed pollution sources, such as small paint shops, gas stations, and restaurants.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
E-beam technology is highly effective in both purification and sterilization. A CNT cold cathode based electron beam system would be particular suitable for space applications because it is rugged, light weighted and compact in size, in comparison with a thermionic e-beam system. Direct NASA applications includes: a) purifying air in lunar and planetary exploration bases, orbiting space stations and long duration space missions; b) eliminating toxic products from, or, enhancing chemical reactions in space based manufacturing; and c) sterilization of material to be returned to earth or taken to space from earth. The e-beam requires only electricity that is available from either solar or nuclear batteries that are available power sources in space. In addition, it requires no expendable reagents to be transported with it and it does not generate large quantities of waste that cannot be released into the environment.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Thermionic e-beam technology is being used for non-burning destruction of chemical and biological pollutants, such as MPTB from unlead gasoline, gas fume from petroleum refineries, and odoriferous toxic compounds from hospital wastes. Replacing the thermionic cathode with a CNT cold cathode has the potential of significantly reducing the cost of the technology and simplifying the design of the system. A low cost and compact CNT cold cathode e-beam system also make it possible to apply the technology to smaller, but significant, and widely distributed pollution sources such as small paint shops, gas stations, restaurants, hospitals, small industrial boilers, emissions from dirt burners, and odors from drying manure and feedlots, et al.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
In-situ Resource Utilization

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Road
Tucson, AZ 85706-9237

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
James Withers
jcwithers@mercorp.com
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson,  AZ 85706-9237

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The completed Phase I work was directed at the application of nanotechnology to graphite/epoxy composites. A novel approach to the application of the nanotubes onto the carbon fiber surface was investigated. As a result, a very significant increase in compressive strength of 120% was attained, compared with 20% reported in the literature. The Phase II builds on the success of the Phase I. It will address the key issues of scale-up, reproducibility and component fabrication. The batch fiber coating process employed in the Phase I will be replaced with a continuous fiber coating process. Manual pre-pregging of the Phase I will be replaced with a continuous pre-pregging process. Specific CEV type composite applications will be identified. Subsequently, a cost/benefit ratio for CEV will be provided.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The key emphasis of this proposal is the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). In addition, all spacecraft systems can directly benefit from this work.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The non-NASA commercial applications include: commercial aircraft, racing cars, speed boats and sporting goods.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Airframe
Composites
Radiation Shielding Materials
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
NanoSonic, Inc.
1485 South Main Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060-5556

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Jennifer Lalli
jlalli@nanosonic.com
1485 South Main Street
Blacksburg,  VA 24060-5556

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NanoSonic has developed revolutionary nanostructured, yet macroscale, multifunctional Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> films. In support of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, low cost Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> freestanding or conformal skins are being optimized as protective coatings for human and robotic space exploration. Specifically, ultra-lightweight, nanostructured coatings with protection against electrostatic charging, abrasion and radiation over a wide range of mechanical and thermal fluctuations are offered. Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> is fabricated via layer-by-layer, molecular self-assembly, which enables thickness and placement control over multiple constituents for true nanostructured multifunctionality (nm scale), although advanced polymers have allowed scale-up to free-standing thick films (several mm thick, at less than 1 g/cc). Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> is not a conducting polymer or a sputter coated polymer film, rather a freestanding nanocomposite formed in situ, due to chemically reacting monolayers of nanosized components, eliminates residual stress between each component. Novel, ultra-low modulus Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> can be strained to > 1000% elongation while remaining electrically conductive; and returns to its original shape and nominal conductivity when released. Bulk resistivity (as low as 10-5 &#937;&#8729;cm), shielding (up to -70dB), and mechanical moduli (0.1 MPa to 500 MPa) have been demonstrated. Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> requires less than 1 vol% of metal, allowing the manufacturing a cost effective, advanced material.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA applications for Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> include ultra-lightweight protective coatings against electrostatic charging, EMI, radiation, and abrasion. Low modulus Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> can also function as conducting electrodes for high strain mechanical actuator and sensor devices, and as low-weight, electrically conductive and mechanically flexible coatings for systems requiring physically-robust electromagnetic shielding, ground planes or electrical interconnection.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Potential non-NASA specific applications for Metal Rubber<SUP>TM</SUP> include lead-free material to replace conventional tin-lead solders for the mechanical, electrical and thermal interconnection of electronic and mechanical components. Such materials may also be used in high performance, highly flexible and mechanically robust electronic flex circuits, flexible displays and smart electronic fabrics.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Inflatable
Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics
Composites
Radiation Shielding Materials
Multifunctional/Smart Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35805-1926

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Significant improvements in photovoltaic materials and systems are required to enable NASA future exploration missions. In this project, CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) with University of California Riverside (UCR), Rochester Institute of Technology, and International Photonics will: 1) develop and provide reliable, validated computational tools for assessment, design, and optimization of novel nanostructures based on Quantum Dots (QD) for future nano-devices for space applications; 2) investigate, design, and demonstrate new photovoltaic (PV) structures based on QD nanotechnology, with improved efficiency and radiation hardness. The inherently radiation tolerant quantum dots of variable sizes maximize absorption of different light wavelengths ("multicolor" cell), which dramatically improves photovoltaic efficiency and diminishes the radiation-induced degradation. Phase 1 included development of numerical tools for modeling electron-phonon transport in quantum-dot for photovoltaic applications, using experimental data from UCR Nano-Device Laboratory for validation and calibration of the models, computational and experimental proof-of-concept. In Phase 2, the new QD models will be integrated into CFDRC's advanced photonic-electronic device simulator and used for further optimization of QD superlattices. Novel QD photovoltaic nano-engineered materials and designs will be down-selected for further development to the point of testable prototypes. They will be fabricated and demonstrated by detailed electrical characterization and radiation testing.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA future exploration missions require improvements in solar cell efficiency and radiation hardness. Novel nano-engineered materials and multi-quantum-dot photovoltaic devices promise to deliver more efficient, lightweight solar cells and arrays which will be of extreme value to NASA space missions. The new modeling and simulation tools for quantum-dot-based nanostructures will help NASA to: - better understand and predict behavior of nano-devices and novel materials in space environment; - assess technologies, devices, and materials of new electronic systems; - better evaluate the performance and radiation response at early design stage; - set requirements for hardening and testing; reduce the amount of testing cost and time.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
All satellites, military and commercial, suffer from solar cell degradation due to the effects of radiation. The higher efficiency of the novel quantum-dot solar cells will increase capacity of the solar array at the beginning of life (BOL) to compensate for the degradation at the end of life (EOL), to maintain the minimal requirements of the spacecraft. Retarding the degradation will have substantive impact on the size and weight of the solar arrays for both military as well as civilian commercial space systems. The inherently radiation tolerant quantum dots will lead to more robust space defense systems. The new, more accurate modeling and simulation tools for Quantum-Dots based photonic devices will enable better understanding, analysis, and design of novel materials and nano-devices for aerospace systems and their radiation-response. The modeling and design tools will provide reduction in cost and time-to-market through significantly reduced experimental R&D, design cycle, and laboratory testing time and cost.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Semi-Conductors/Solid State Device Materials
Photovoltaic Conversion

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Sunpower, Inc.
182 Mill Street
Athens, OH 45701-2627

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Seon-Young Kim
kim@sunpower.com
6773 Beechwood Dr.
Athens,  OH 45701-3532

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed effort will result in a design of a 30 kWe dual opposed alpha free-piston Stirling engine power conversion system for space applications, and provide proof of concept by the operation of a practical alpha engine. The stepped piston three-cylinder alpha FPSE has shown the highest efficiency and excellent specific power among various engines studied in Phase I. In addition, the three phase electric output of a three-cylinder machine is naturally better in the system context. Thus a high efficiency 15 kWe stepped three-cylinder alpha FPSE will be designed for a 30 kWe dual opposed operation by having two engines connected for perfect balancing in all harmonics. The program minimizes the development risks by combining proven technologies of Sunpower and Global Cooling Manufacturing Inc. (GCM). GCM has achieved the successful operation of a four-cylinder alpha free-piston Stirling cooler.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The resulting convertor will give spacecraft designers the option of utilizing a 1) compact, low mass, and highly efficient power supply, 2) a power supply module that can be clustered together to provide higher power levels, 3) a power supply which can be adapted to both space and planetary atmospheres via simple changes to the gas management system with no impact on the operation of the critical dynamic components inside the convertor, and 4) a controller design philosophy that allows the system to be easily adapted to varying mission requirements. Such a system is extensible to several areas of NASA's power generation needs including electric propulsion, robotic rovers, and backup power supplies for human surface expeditions.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to the space applications which this proposal addresses directly, there is a significant potential market for commercial power generation, particularly in light of increasing attention to the environmental cost of fuel consumption and the new stringent fuel emissions regulations in some areas of the world. Sunpower licensee MicroGen, for example, has determined a substantial European and worldwide market for household cogeneration devices. Additionally there are numerous opportunities for remote and mobile power generation applications, including the marine market, auxiliary power markets, remote power generation, standby emergency power generation, peaking generation, truck-mounted power, power for oil and gas fields and other exploratory and off-grid sites.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Nuclear Conversion
Power Management and Distribution
Renewable Energy
Thermodynamic Conversion

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
ElectroChem, Inc.
400 West Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801-6519

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Michael Pien, Ph.D.
mpien@fuelcell.com
400 West Cummings Park
Woburn,  MA 01844-6519

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ElectroChem proposes a Phase II program to advance its very successful SBIR Phase I PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) program. In Phase I, the unique integrated-flow-field design (IFF) has been shown to provide highly superior passive water management that results in a H2/O2 PEMFC that is gravity independent, achieves higher voltage efficiencies than conventional PEMFC designs, can be operated safely at high pressure (with resulting higher efficiencies), will enable passive operation, and requires extremely low excess O2 to maintain stable operation. The Phase II Program will bring ElecroChem's IFF PEMFC concept to the threshold of commercialization. In Phase II, scale-up and IFF optimization will be carried out. For complete passive operation, stack systems will incorporate an ejector to produce the low reactant flows and for product water removal. High performance membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) will be developed. These Ph II efforts will produce a 250W IFF stack deliverable that will be integrated directly into NASA's Exploration Energy Storage Plan. The use of the IFF innovation will significantly simplify PEMFC operation and will result in higher and safer performance. Specifically, for space applications, the higher voltage efficiencies produced and the lower excess O2 required by the IFF will result in significantly lower fuel cell power plant weight.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The IFF innovation represents a substantial breakthrough in PEMFC technology that will be capable of meeting a very wide range of NASA applications for years to come. In the near term, the successful completion of Ph II will enable the IFF to meet NASA's critical need for Lunar-type-Rovers (approximately 50-500W) over the next ten years. When the time comes, the IFF will be ready to meet NASA's need for a replacement fuel cell power plant (approximately 15 kW) for the successor to the Shuttle. And after NASA returns to the Moon and establishes a permanent presence there, it will have a need for a power system (approximately 25kW) that can meet the Moon's 14 day-long and 14 night-long unique requirements. The IFF, with its superior characteristics has the potential of meeting this future critical NASA need via a Regenerative Fuel Cell based upon the IFF concept.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The fact that the IFF fuel cell innovation will significantly simplify PEMFC operation and result in both higher and safer performance makes the IFF very attractive for a wide variety of non-NASA Commercial applications. In the near-term, its unique passive operation and exceptional stability (outside the normal range of PEMFC operating conditions) makes the IFF ideal for powering remote applications like monitors and sensors, which require very high reliability. Following scale-up and optimization, the IFF concept, applied to the regenerative fuel cell, will be able to meet the growing needs for reliable, non-polluting, and very versatile Uninterruptible Power Systems (in the range of 4-8 kW). And, following further development, the IFF will be able to replace conventional PEMFC systems in satisfying the special requirements of transportation applications, including passenger cars (50 kW and up).

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Energy Storage
Power Management and Distribution
Renewable Energy
Wireless Distribution

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

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Roxana Trifu
rtrifu@aerogel.com
30 Forbes Road, Building B
Northborough,  MA 01532-2501

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Sprayable Thermal Insulation for Cryogenic Tanks (STICT) is a thermal management system applied by either an automated or manual spraying process with less sensitivity to process chemistry and environmental parameters than current spray-on foam insulations (SOFI) like BX-265, while providing better insulation performance. The sprayable insulation based on aerogel forms an aerodynamically smooth, uniform coating with better cohesion and lower thermal conductivity. Aerogel sprayed insulation has shown in Phase I better thermal performance than polyurethane spray-on foam insulation at similar or lower areal densities. Application of thinner layers of insulation combined with greater material resistance to cracking and debonding will eliminate the generation of in-flight debris. Minimization of volatile gas blowing agents and organic components will reduce gas expansion through intracellular pressures and reduces the risk posed by shedding events during ascent. The proposed sprayable insulation can render future space transportation systems safer and more reliable. Addressing lower temperature requirements of the thermal protection system, lightweight hybrid aerogel sprayable compositions will be developed. Hybrid aerogels with various dopants will be synthesized for better compatibility with the binders or organic foams. For the most stringent thermal and mechanical loads silica aerogel– silica foams will be developed as sprayable insulation.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
STICT would replace some of the spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) products used on launch vehicles employing cryogenic propellants. In this application, it would exhibit higher thermal performance and mechanical durability than competing systems. Most importantly, it would minimize in-flight debris shedding, thereby improving the safety and reliability of US space transportation. The sprayable insulation can also be sprayed onto cryogenic feeding pipelines, elbows or other systems necessitating thermal protection and are difficult to insulate otherwise.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to benefiting the NASA space flight program STICT will fill application needs in commercial markets. STICT will compete against polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams. Subsea oil and gas pipelines, fuel cell systems, and LNG transport ships will benefit from adopting STICT insulation. The foamed plastic industry is the fastest growth potential area for insulative materials. This market is carried by the non-residential construction market (nearly 50%), followed by miscellaneous applications, residential construction, and industrial and HVAC equipment. The industry is experiencing growth in advanced technology application, such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). Although these markets are relatively small, they are experiencing rapid growth from their small initial base.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING
Thermal Insulating Materials

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
HyPerComp Engineering, Inc.
1080 North Main, Suite #2
Brigham City, UT 84302-0505

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Ryan Noorda
ryann@hypercompeng.com
1080 North Main, Suite #2
Brigham City,  UT 84302-1470

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The intent of the proposed effort is to investigate the detailed composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) performance characteristics after being subject to irradiation, hypervelocity micro-meteor impact, and cryogenic environments. This will result in a safer, more reliable design for high performance COPVs. This intent will be achieved via empirical characterization of composite raw materials subsequent to exposure of the aforementioned environments. Phase I of this effort (NASA contract #NNM06AA56C) demonstrated a significant reduction in structural performance following exposure to various combinations of the aforementioned environments. This reduction in structural performance would seriously compromise the structural performance of any composite structure to be utilized in deep space applications. The data proposed in this effort would be extremely useful to NASA in what might be used in the upcoming CEV and CONSTELLATION missions. The aerospace and the commercial communities have shown significant interest in using filament wound COPVs for cryogenic applications. In addition there is serious consideration for using COPVs in deep space exploration which would sustain significant radiation exposure and possible impact damage. Constituent raw materials and existing COPV designs have not been characterized for the coupled effects of these applications and as such the safety margins for these applications are undefined. Therefore, the reliability of such usage is unknown.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
NASA applications for the research proposed herein would include the following: • Cost efficient cryogenic storage vessels. These vessels could be utilized as both earth-based and space-based cryogenic storage vessels. • Habitat structures. The research proposed herein is applicable to space-based habitat and other structures manufactured with fiber-reinforced composite material. • Volumetric efficient cryogenic storage vessels. HEI's high pressure storage systems a