NASA’s Human Space Flight Program seeks to open the space frontier by exploring,
using and enabling its development, and to expand the human experience into the far
reaches of space through the attainment of safe, reliable, low-cost transportation. NASA
seeks technologies to support the development of sensors and instrumentation systems,
including ecological, environmental, and weather measurement technologies, for use in
ground processing, launch, and landing of space vehicles and payloads. NASA seeks
innovative technologies to prevent, detect, and retard corrosion of ground processing
equipment and facilities. NASA also seeks innovative industrial engineering concepts,
methodologies, and processes that will enable a more cost-effective and efficient hardware
processing schedule.
10.01 Advanced Corrosion Technology
Lead Center: KSC
Advanced technologies are solicited to prevent, detect, retard, or control corrosion on
systems such as ground support equipment or facility infrastructure to improve the safety,
reliability, and reduce maintenance costs associated with the exposure to the extremely
corrosive launch environment at the Kennedy Space Center. New and innovative techniques
derived from technologies such as electrochemistry, protective coatings, cathodic
protection, chemical treatments, and inhibitors could be used to enhance the corrosion
control effort for all affected systems. The launch environment at KSC significantly
contributes to the degradation of hazardous fluid and high pressure gas systems, potable
water distribution piping, steel reinforced concrete structures, steel and aluminum access
structures, and all types of ground support equipment. Technologies developed in this area
are easily transferred to the commercial community and are considered excellent dual use
candidates. Corrosion technology is an area of great potential growth based on the
magnitude of problems in the transportation and infrastructure industry. Specific areas of
interest include:
- Real time salt and rainwater pH sensors for seacoast environment monitoring
- Techniques to arrest corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel in concrete
- Production of seamless tubing from corrosion resistant alloys
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10.02 Environmental and Ecological Technologies
Lead Center: KSC
Proposals are solicited for innovative and commercially viable technologies in
environmental management, environmental and ecological monitoring, life sciences flight
payloads and laboratory functions. Innovative technologies are needed that will improve
the capability to collect and analyze environmental and ecological data. Of particular
emphasis are the development of systems to monitor ecological parameters, biological
organisms and environmental conditions remotely over long periods of time under field and
controlled chamber conditions. Improved sensors for surface and ground water, ambient air,
plant growth chambers, animal holding rooms, bioreactors, and incubators are needed. For
sensors, miniaturization and automation should be emphasized along with reliability and
minimal calibration requirements. Techniques to significantly improve and automate data
management capabilities are required, especially those that incorporate geographical
information system technologies for environmental and ecological monitoring and selected
growth chamber data which lend themselves to spatial dependent manipulations. Innovative
remediation technologies are also important, particularly methods that minimize the impact
to surrounding lands and facilities. Methodologies to minimize or prevent the generation
of pollution during operations are also emphasized. Specific areas of emphasis are:
- Expert data and information management systems for improving environmental management
and control including those with GIS capabilities.
- Laboratory and field measurement devices including miniaturization of devices used in
environmental monitoring, control and remediation.
- Sensors for environmental parameters and microbial organisms, including remote sensors.
- Remediation of chemical and petroleum soil and ground water contamination including
in-situ methods and portable systems.
- Expert control systems for environmental chambers.
- Tools to identify the soil characteristics of a contaminated site, e.g., conductivity,
transmissivity, and electrical differential.
- Pollution preventing refrigerants, coatings, and non-ozone depleting cleaning
substitutes.
- Control technologies for volatile organic compounds (including those generated during
painting operations and operation of power generators) and toxic and hazardous air
pollutants (including nitrogen tetroxide, hydrazine and monomethylhydrazine).
- Control technologies for cost effective waste minimization and/or reuse of industrial
wastewater and hypergol waste.
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10.03 Launch and Landing Site Instrumentation and Meterological
Technologies
Lead Center: KSC
This subtopic focuses on the development of sensors, transducers, instrumentation
systems and meteorological technologies uniquely suited to and used for ground processing,
launch, and landing of space vehicles and payloads. This includes detection of hazardous
gases, hydrogen leaks, fires, and toxic vapors; transducers for cryogenic and hypergolic
servicing systems, data acquisition, and controls; optical and acoustic sensors and
systems; field inspection and testing; contamination monitoring for payload processing;
landing aids; weather and environmental sensors for ground processing, launch, and landing
operations; and advanced sensors for automated ground operations including automated
surface and structural inspection, remote sensing, and real-time vision systems for
automated control and monitoring of ground processing. Areas in which innovations are
sought include:
- Advanced Hazardous Gas Detection Technology. Planned usage is realtime multigas
detection around space vehicle propellant systems during propellant loading, ground test
firings, prelaunch checkout, launch and ascent (up to approximately 18 g rms shock and
vibration).
- Small, inexpensive, lightweight, rugged mass spectrometer capable of reliably measuring
at least from 1 ppm to 100,000 ppm hydrogen, helium, oxygen and argon in a nitrogen
background, and from 1 ppm to 100,000 ppm hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and argon in a
helium background, during test firings, prelaunch checkout, launch and ascent (up to
approximately 18 g rms shock and vibration).
- Small, lightweight, rugged high vacuum pump for mass spectrometer system, capable of 60
liter/second or greater throughput, requiring no cryogenic fluids or inputs other than
electrical power, and capable of operation without external roughing or backing pumps,
during test firings, prelaunch checkout, launch and ascent (up to approximately 18 g rms
shock and vibration).
- Small, lightweight, rugged sample delivery system capable of delivering samples at
ambient pressures ranging from 1 atmosphere down to approximately 100 Torr from multiple
points within a space vehicle through sample tubing to a mass spectrometer analyzer at
regulated inlet pressure. Gases are as specified above. System attributes include rapid
sample transport, low swept volume upstream of the analyzer inlet and sufficient health
checks to verify proper operation, during test firings, prelaunch checkout, launch and
ascent (up to approximately 18 g rms shock and vibration).
- The threat of adverse weather is a major cause of delay to launch, landing and ground
operations. Lightning triggered by launch vehicles as they ascend is of special concern
because current technology is inadequate to observe the conditions conducive to triggered
lightning. An operationally viable real-time method is required to measure the spatial
distribution of the intensity of electric fields in and around clouds in the vicinity of
the launch site near the time of launch. Techniques such as rocket probes or non-eyesafe
LIDARs which pose potential risks to personnel or equipment are not operationally viable.
Remote sensing techniques are strongly preferred. High reliability, high probability of
detection and low false alarm rate are essential. Cost is a significant consideration.
Techniques relying exclusively on surface field mill or conventional radar observations
are known to be inadequate. Techniques such as dual-polarization radar which rely on the
presence of ice in the clouds are of severely limited value since electric fields in warm
clouds and in clear air near clouds are also sought, but a reliable method of assuring
that a detached thunderstorm anvil is charge-free would be of significant benefit.
- Portable, direct-reading sensors and area monitors for hydrazine and monomethyl
hydrazine capable of measuring at least 1 to 1000 ppb in air with normal ambient humidity
range, with 15-30 seconds to achieve 90% of final reading, 15 minute or less warmup,
accurate to the greater error of +/- 2 ppb or 10% of reading, and operating 3-6 months
without calibration and maintenance.
- Small rugged O2 sensor for leak detection on rocket engines. Range of at least 250 ppm
to 250,000 ppm with accuracy equal or greater than plus or minus 5% of reading. The sensor
must be capable of operation from approximately 32 to 130 degrees F and survive
approximately -224 to +175 degrees F. Response time should be 10 seconds or less to
indicate 90% of a change in concentration. The sensor should not be capable of causing a
hazard, contamination, or corrosion when used on or around rocket engines during ground or
flight testing.
- Benchtop size pressure transducer dynamic calibration system capable of exciting
pressure transducers with either shock or sinusoidal pressure variations from at least 0.1
to 1.0 psi, selectable (170 dB), and from at least 1 to 5000 Hz frequency range.
Traceability to NIST primary standards is required via combination of reference
transducers, basic physical measurements, and calculation with supporting engineering
error analysis.
- Small, inexpensive camera or sensor capable of imaging and uniquely identifying hydrogen
and hydrazine fires. Resolution should be at least 160 x 120 pixels or equivalent, higher
resolution is preferred. The camera or sensor should be capable of seeing a six inch or
smaller hydrogen flame at least 50 feet against a blue sky background, and must be rugged
to withstand shock and vibrations induced by nearby liftoff of Space Shuttle or similar
launch vehicle.
- Small, rugged hydrogen leak detection sensors capable of measuring at least 100-100,000
ppm in air, nitrogen, or helium backgrounds. The sensor must respond to 90% of a change in
concentration in 15-30 seconds. The sensor must also be impervious to changes in oxygen
concentration, ambient temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors.
- Portable, reliable, and easily operated innovative field inspection sensors or systems
capable of detecting and measuring flaws on flight hardware including debonds of
insulation, structural cracks, surface defects, and corrosion.
- Portable, reliable, and easily operated innovative field instruments to test aerospace
fastener functionality, such as bolt preload, cracks under rivet heads, and weld seam
integrity, without requiring hazardous field operations.
- Point sensors for hydrazine, monomethyl hydrazine, and nitrogen dioxide capable of
measuring at least from 1 to 100 ppm in 15 seconds or less with small size (0.007 cubic
meters or less) at the leak or sample location and operating 3-6 months without
calibration and maintenance, during test firings, prelaunch checkout, launch and ascent
(up to approximately 18 g rms shock and vibration).
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10.04 Operations Industrial Engineering
Lead Center: KSC
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) operations have many unique aspects which require
development of innovative industrial engineering (IE) technologies in order to obtain the
substantial benefits derived from applying IE principles in other organizations.
Operations IE is a technical discipline devoted to the science of process improvement and
optimization of operational phases of complex systems. The Space Shuttle is NASA’s
first major program with a long-term operational phase. All major current and potential
future human space flight programs (the International Space Station, X-vehicles, and Mars
missions) are also projected to have lengthy operational phases. Payload processing
activities are also emphasizing repeatable processes and improved customer satisfaction.
Therefore, operations IE technologies are becoming even more strategically important to
NASA. Operations IE proposals should address the generic challenges of "doing more
with less" and delivering safer, better, faster, and cheaper products. Advanced tools
for improving/managing processes and performance measurement systems are needed for
spacecraft processing at KSC. Proposals should also identify potential applications for
enhancing the operational phases of new NASA programs. Proposals may address the
development of new concepts, methodologies, processes, and/or software support systems
which advance the state-of-the-art in one or any combination of the following general
areas of interest: operations research, process simulation modeling, statistical process
control, experimental design, planning and scheduling systems, project management risk
analysis, cost-benefit analysis, methods analysis, work measurement, human factors,
ergonomics, facility layout/design, incident analysis, performance metrics, management
information systems, and benchmarking. Specific interests for the 1998 solicitation
include (but are not limited to) those listed below:
- Advanced decision analysis, human factors, and operations research tools for optimizing
utilization of scarce resources and minimizing the potential for human error during human
missions to Mars and aircraft/reusable spacecraft (Shuttle and X-33) maintenance
activities.
- Advanced statistical quality control techniques for ensuring high quality, affordable
manufacturing and processing of unique space hardware supporting human exploration and
development of space.
- Tools to facilitate a project management approach to large-scale transition and change
in technical organizations. The tools should incorporate a set of best practices for
successfully designing, implementing, and managing desired changes. The tools should also
support strategic planning efforts through development, deployment, and refinement of
goals, objectives, and organizational alignment measures.
- Structured approaches for relating process-level and organization-level metrics.
- A system that assists organizations in assessing risks associated with different
proposed organizational approaches as they organize to most effectively meet changing
needs. The changes may include personnel levels, roles, responsibilities, relationships,
products, and skills.
- A tool for rapidly assessing cost, schedule, and technical risks of proposed Shuttle
hardware and software upgrades.
- A tool for optimizing facility layouts for flight hardware, ground support equipment,
and support functions. The tool should include an expert system capability to assist in
multi-flow assessment planning and account for random unplanned activities and varying
requirements.
- Advanced data analysis, mining, and warehousing tools to assist in the development and
maintenance of metrics supporting performance-based contracting and process improvement
activities.
- Innovative methods for human factors training and evaluation of training effectiveness.
- Advanced task/methods analysis and procedure design techniques to enable effective
implementation of advanced software and hardware systems in spacecraft test and checkout
operations. Techniques should maximize work place safety and minimize the potential for
human errors.
- Advanced tools to measure and improve human-computer interaction with consoles and
portable data collection devices.
- Advanced technology to facilitate group work and distributed decision-making.