National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research 1999 Program Solicitation

TOPIC 08 Explore and Settle the Solar System

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08.01 In-Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) of Planetary Materials
08.02 Human Health Maintenance/Countermeasures and Spacecraft Environmental Monitoring, Safety, and Protection
08.03 Spacecraft Life Support Infrastructure
08.04 Space Crew Accommodations and Performance Enhancements
08.05 Extravehicular Mobility/Activity
08.06 Robotic Manipulators, End-Effectors and Joints
08.07 Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology
08.08 Cryogenic Fluids, Handling, and Storage

The International Space Station Program and Mars Exploration studies have defined technology and research needs that are critical to their individual goals. These include: research on human adaptation to the space environment; regenerative and bioregenerative life support; telerobots and robot assistants; space and planet surface suits; utilization of indigenous resources for propellants, life support consumables, radiation protection, and construction materials; micro- and nano-technologies, manufacturing processes, and advanced materials. All are sought to enable humans to live and work in space or on a planet, to enhance performance, reduce cost, and maintain the health and well being of the crew.

08.01 In-Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) of Planetary Materials

Significant benefits for future human missions to the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies may be attained by making maximum use of local, indigenous materials as a source for propellants, life support consumables, radiation protection, and construction materials. By pursuing the philosophy of "make what you need at the planet instead of bringing it all the way from Earth", in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) can result in reduction of mass requirements for the exploration mission, reduction in risk, and reduction in cost of the mission. It can also enable industrial and commercial participation in planetary exploration and expand human presence on the planet surface. One example of in-situ propellant production employs the hydrogen reduction process for extracting oxygen from lunar minerals and glass. In addition, a number of techniques have been proposed for extracting and storing oxygen from the carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars. In general, these processes require a number of subsystems, each of which could benefit from innovative approaches and technology advances. It is also possible that water could be extracted from permafrost deposits located at shallow depths in some locations on Mars. Key goals are to minimize the mass which must be brought from the Earth (including the equipment required to move or process the material), minimize power consumption, be truly innovative, and use methods not already in the literature. Areas for investigation of specific methods and processes for in-situ resource utilization include the following:

Surface Resources

• Methods and systems for extracting, processing, and manufacturing in-situ materials that can be used for construction of habitable structures on the Moon or Mars. New methods for constructing buildings, radiation-shielding structures, and tunneling techniques are needed. Novel methods for underground development of habitable structures (perhaps using natural features such as caves or lava tubes) on the Moon or Mars are also needed. ·
• Methods for processing surface materials into useful equipment (e.g., solar panels, radio antennas, replacement parts, etc.) which require no further manufacturing or assembly.
• Methods and systems for digging, sorting, mineral separation, and transporting lunar regolith or other materials to a reactor. Such systems should be lightweight, efficient, and capable of operating with minimal human supervision.
• Methods for extracting oxygen from lunar regolith that are power efficient and require a minimum of Earth-supplied reagents and consumables. Alternatives and improvements to previously-studied methods, such as reactors that expose lunar regolith to hydrogen gas at elevated temperature, are of interest. However, emphasis should be placed on innovative designs that minimize power requirements.
• Microbial methods for extracting oxygen, decomposing water, and extracting solar wind hydrogen from soils (typically present on the Moon at 50 parts per million levels) from the Moon as an attractive alternate approach to propellant and consumable production.
• Methods for extraction, collection and transportation (if required) of water that may be present on the surface or subsurface of Mars, which minimize power requirements, and equipment mass which must be brought from Earth. Proposals in this area should recognize the uncertainty and potential variability of both the location and abundance of such water.

Atmospheric Resources

• Methods to condense water vapor from the Mars atmosphere that are low mass or can be constructed from local materials with a minimum of equipment that must be brought from Earth.
• Microbial methods for extracting oxygen from the Mars atmosphere, or for decomposing water.
• Innovative processes and alternative approaches for extracting propellants and/or consumables including oxygen from the Mars atmosphere which have low power requirements and minimize the amount of equipment that must be brought from Earth. Processes currently being investigated include Sabatier/water-electrolysis reactor, reverse water gas shift reactor, and solid-oxide electrolysis (zirconia) cells. Oxygen extracted from the Mars atmosphere may be used for: production of propellant for transportation systems, production of oxygen for life support system gases, and production of cryogenics for extravehicular activity suits. Systems should be capable of operating autonomously, independent from continual Earth-based control. Current scenarios for Mars exploration envision the following production needs for ascent oxygen propellant to support a single mission: 1 to 2 metric tons (for Mars robotic missions) and 30 to 40 metric tons (for Mars human missions).

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08.02 Human Health Maintenance/Countermeasures and Spacecraft Environmental Monitoring, Safety, and Protection

Human presence in space requires an understanding of the effects of microgravity and other components of the space environment on the physiological systems of the body and on the psychology of the crew. A variety of environmental monitoring and biomedical activities to protect crew health and to counter the effects of space on human physiology is required. Countermeasures must be developed to oppose the deleterious changes that occur in space or upon return to Earth. Health care and medical intervention also must be provided over extended-duration missions. As launch costs are extremely sensitive to mass and volume, sensors and instruments must be small and light with an emphasis on multi-functional aspects. Low power consumption is a major consideration, as are design enhancements to improve the operation, design reliability, and maintainability of these instruments in microgravity. As the efficient utilization of time is extremely important, innovative instrumentation setup, ease of usage, improved astronaut (patient) comfort, non-invasive sensors, and easy-to-read information displays are all-important considerations.

Major research disciplines include: endocrinology, immunology, hematology, microbiology, muscle physiology, drug delivery systems, radiation biology, toxicology, and air quality and water quality monitoring.

Human Health Monitoring and Countermeasures

• Methods and equipment to maintain and assess levels of aerobic and anaerobic physical capability.
• Methods to monitor physical activity and loads placed on different segments of the human body.
• Exercise equipment able to load the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems and monitor, record, and provide feedback about performance.
• Approaches for sustaining, maximizing, assessing, and modeling individual as well as team performance.
• Countermeasures against deleterious changes in body systems in flight or upon returning to the ground. Changes include space adaptation syndrome effects such as space motion sickness, in-flight loss of muscle and bone mass, post-flight orthostatic intolerance, and post-flight reduction in neuromuscular coordination.
• Assessment of gas bubble formation or growth in the body after in-flight or ground-based decompression, and to prevent or minimize associated decompression sickness.
• Means to apply artificial gravity and reduce deleterious effects associated with short-arm centrifuges.
• Approaches to achieve health care and intervention within the operational constraints of space flight, including pharmaceuticals having extended shelf-life, diagnostic methods and procedures, medical monitoring, dental care and surgery, and blood replacement technology.
• In-flight procedures and techniques for assessing the human metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals.
• In-flight specimen collection and analysis to evaluate physiological and metabolic and pharmacological responses of astronauts. Non-invasive methods to measure crew performance and related factors.
• Novel software methods for documentation, storage, retrieval, analysis, and diagnosis of crew health.

Reliable means are required for assessing emotional state and operational efficiency of crewmembers during long duration spaceflight:

• Converging indicators of autonomic reactivity, psychomotor skill and cognitive function should be used to evaluate crewmember's functional state.
• These measures should also allow determination of whether or not to modify crewmember's workload (for example) and can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures.

Human Sensors and Instrumentation

• Instrumentation to be used for in-flight and ground-based studies for reliable and accurate non-invasive monitoring of human physiological functions, such as the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, immuno-hematological, and hematological systems.
• Improve non-invasive methods to evaluate the functioning of the cardiovascular, neurological, musculoskeletal, and pulmonary systems.
• Non-invasive instruments to provide quantitative data to establish the effectiveness of an exercise regimen in ground-based research.
• Smart sensors capable of sensor data processing and sensor reconfiguration.
• Ultrasonic doppler systems for blood flow analysis.
• Virtual medical instrumentation.
• Automated biomedical analysis.
• Microgravity blood, urine, and respiratory gas analyzers.
• Microgravity refrigeration systems for the storage of biological samples and incorporating refrigerants acceptable for use in a spacecraft environment.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine, the integration of telecommunications, computer, and medical technologies, permits NASA medical doctors and researchers on Earth to monitor the health and physiology of astronauts in space. Innovative technologies are being sought to support the current flight programs (Space Shuttle and the International Space Station), and future Space exploration programs.

Innovations in the following areas of telemedicine technology are being sought:

• Biomedical monitoring and sensing involves the acquisition, processing, communication, and display of electrical, physical, or chemical aspects of a human's health or physiologic state. This mode of telemedicine may be used for real time monitoring or for store-and-forward applications.
• Interactive telecommunication, with parties at both ends communicating via voice and video in real time (e.g., patient-physician consultations), and store-and-forward, with video and audio clips transmitted for review at a later time (e.g., physician-physician consultations that are not dependent on immediate review).
• Static imaging-single-frame visual images, typically of much higher resolution than is required for interactive consultations (which are generally of a resolution similar to a commercial TV picture). Examples include teleradiology, telepathology, and teledermatology. Although configured as a store-and-forward technology, static imaging may also be done in real time.
• Autonomous systems for support of medical care and training, where the experience of experts on the ground is programmed into a computer system to provide that expertise to flight personnel in space.

The data rate and interactivity of the telemedicine modalities are quite different. The hardware, software, and communications requirements for these modalities are likewise very different. Information indexing and retrieval, and the management of large databases are also essential components of telemedicine.

The following telemedicine enhancing technologies are of particular interest:

• Small, portable, medical diagnostic equipment (digital X-ray and ultrasound imaging systems) capable of being deployed and used in space, with provision for downlinking the data to physicians on the ground.
• Non-invasive, in-vivo, biosensors for monitoring blood chemistry, gases, calcium ions, electrolytes, cellular components, proteins, lipids, and hormones.
• Real time, in-vitro, urine chemistry sensors for automated urine chemistry analysis in a smart toilet.
• Small, low power, wireless communication systems, for bidirectional data/ command communication between instrumented astronauts and spacecraft subsystems.
• Advanced human/computer interface systems for improved immersion in virtual and augmented realities in support of medical operations.
• Expert systems to support medical diagnosis and treatment.
• Virtual reality medical training system to support in-flight training on medical diagnosis and procedures.
• Augmented reality supervisory system to support medical treatment and minor surgery.
• Improved data mining technology for on-orbit access to medical and training databases.
• Data compression technology that permits accurate medical diagnosis after decompression.

Proposals must support telemedical applications and provide innovation beyond current commercial technology. Telemedicine air/ground communications are supported through existing spacecraft communication channels for voice, video, and data.

Environmental Monitoring Technologies

• Real-time, quantitative, compound-specific analyzers for trace contaminants in spacecraft atmospheres and/or recycled water. Of particular interest are the quantitative measurement and removal of organic contaminants. These sensors are used for support of control functions or safety precautionary measures including providing outputs for caution and warning displays.
• Maintenance of microbial quality of the atmosphere, water and surfaces during space flight and means of assessing their effectiveness, including new, clinical microbiological methods for rapid identification of pathogens, methods for measuring biofilms, and novel systems for sterilization.
• In-flight monitoring of non-ionizing, neutron and charged particle radiation for determining interior and exterior environment of manned spacecraft, organ doses and the cytogenic and carcinogenic effects of protons and heavy ions, especially at low doses; measurement of effectiveness of radio-protectants and development of new radio-protectants against acute and late cellular effects of particulate and high energy cosmic radiation; development of biomarkers and amplified assays for measuring radiosensitivity and genetic damages by charged particle radiation in human cells; development of computer biophysical models for organ dose calculation and for extrapolation of radiation data from cells to humans.

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08.03 Spacecraft Life Support Infrastructure

Advanced life support systems are essential for the success of future human planetary exploration. Striving for self-sufficiency and autonomous operation, future life support systems will integrate physical, chemical, and biological processes. These hybrid systems, which include plant growth systems for the production of food and oxygen and utilization of recovered wastes, represent an additional closure of regenerative life support systems to further reduce mass and to promote self-sufficiency. Requirements include safe operability in micro-and partial-gravity, high reliability, minimal use of expendables, ease of maintenance, and low system volume, weight and power. Innovative, efficient, practical concepts are desired in all areas of regenerative physicochemical and biological processes for the basic life-support functions of air revitalization, water reclamation, waste management, plant food production, and sensors and controls. Also innovative, cost-effective concepts are desired to assess, predict, control and enhance the effect of microgravity and partial-gravity on the operation and performance of physicochemical and biological life support technologies including approaches to safely integrate flight experiments into the International Space Station. In addition to these space exploration related applications, innovative regenerative life support approaches that could have terrestrial application are encouraged. Proposals should strive to conduct Phase-II experimental development that could be integrated into a functional life support system. Areas in which innovations are solicited include the following:

Air Revitalization: Oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace gas contaminant concentration, separation, and control techniques.

• Separation of carbon dioxide from a mixture primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor to maintain carbon dioxide concentrations below 0.3 % by volume.
• Separation of nitrogen and oxygen from carbon dioxide to reduce concentrations of nitrogen and oxygen to less than 0.2 % by volume.
• Removal of trace contaminant gases from cabin air with advanced regenerable sorbent materials, improved oxidation techniques or other methods.
• Compression of a high humidity 0.167 kg/hr (0.367 lb/hr) carbon dioxide stream from a very low pressure level of 0.7-1.4 kPa (0.1-0.2 psia) up to moderate storage pressure level of 345-517 kPa (50-75 psia).

Water Reclamation: Efficient, direct treatment of waste water (e.g., urine, wash water, and condensates) without requiring expendables to produce potable and hygiene water including stabilization of waste water and purge gases prior to storage, processing, or overboard-venting. In particular, processes are required that reduce impurities in composite waste streams from greater than 1000 ppm total organic carbon (TOC) content to less than 0.25 ppm TOC and inorganic salts from greater than 1000 ppm dissolved solids to less than 50 ppm.

• Removal of ammonium ion from bioreactor process effluent streams from 1000 ppm to less than 0.25 ppm.
• Post-treatment of processed water by in-situ organic removal from 100 ppm TOC to less than 0.25 ppm TOC and removal of microorganisms from >ten million CFU per ml to one CFU per ml.
• Methods to optimize two-phase fluid movement, measurement and phase separation of waste water in a microgravity environment.
• Development of nitrifying bioreactors capable of at least 75% nitrification of a 1000 ppm ammonium feedstream.
• Methods to enhance oxygenation of water in a microgravity environment, specifically to levels above 25 ppm dissolved oxygen.
• Methods of cold sterilization, including filtration, ultraviolet radiation and in-situ-generated hydrogen peroxide.
• Non-expendable methods to control urine solids formation (e.g., calcium phosphate), compatable with a bioprocessing system (i.e., no acid).
• Methods to minimize or limit biofilm formation on fluid handling components (such as electromechanical flowmeters, regulators, checkvalves, etc).
• Methods to enhance biofilm formation on polymeric and/or ceramic substrates in metal housings.

Waste Management: Biological and physicochemical technologies for recovering resources (e.g., carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, hydrogen, etc.) from wastes (trash, plant biomass, human fecal wastes, etc.). Existing technology examples follow for which significant improvements may be proposed, but new technology approaches are encouraged.

• Waste stabilization and pretreatment, including microbial control techniques.
• Waste processing techniques such as, but not limited to, incineration, aerobic biodigestion, anaerobic biodigestion, wet oxidation, supercritical oxidation, steam reforming, electrochemical oxidation and catalytic oxidation. Any effective waste treatment technology can be considered.
• Product and by-product post-treatment technologies that eliminate undesirable by-products such as nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide and stabilize the product for storage.

Plant Growth and Food Production

• Crop Lighting: 1) sources for plant lighting such as, but not limited to, high-efficiency lamps or solar collectors; 2) transmission and distribution systems for plant lighting including, but not limited to, luminaires, light pipes and fiber optics; and 3) heat removal techniques for the plant growth lighting such as, but not limited to, water-jackets, water barriers, and wavelength-specific filters and reflectors.
• Water and nutrient delivery systems, including 1) technologies for production of crops using hydroponics or solid substrates; 2) water and nutrient management systems; 3) sanitation methods to prevent excessive build-up of microorganisms within nutrient delivery systems; 4) regenerable media for seed germination plant support; 5) separation and recovery of usable minerals from wastewater and solid waste products for use as a source of mineral nutrients for plant growth.
• Mechanization and automation of propagation, seeding, and plant biomass processing. Plant biomass processing includes harvesting, separation of inedibles from edibles, cleaning and storage of edibles (seed, vegetable, and tubers) and removal of inedibles for resource recovery processing.
• Facility or system sanitation methods to prevent excessive build-up of microorganisms within nutrient delivery systems.
• Health measurement of plant growth systems from parameters such as rate of photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, nutrient uptake. Data acquisition should be non-invasive or remotely sensed using spectral, spatial, and image analysis. System modeling and decision-making algorithms may be included.

Sensors: Significant improvements in accuracy, operational reliability, real-time multiple measurement functions, in-line operation, self-calibration, and low energy consumption for monitoring and control of the life support processes. Species of interest include nutrient composition of plant growth hydroponic delivery systems, dissolved gases and ions in water reclamation processes, and major atmospheric gaseous constituents in air revitalization processes. Both invasive and non-invasive techniques will be considered.

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08.04 Space Crew Accommodations and Performance Enhancements

The goal of this subtopic is to improve crew and ground operations performance and productivity in a system context, documenting the cost-effectiveness of the improvements; and to develop innovative concepts in crew accommodations, equipment, and computer-based support which will enable complex, future human space missions including missions of 5 years without resupply.

As NASA develops new operational capabilities to support multiple manned missions, and long duration and long distance missions, dramatic improvements will be needed in crew and ground operations performance and productivity. The crew will be increasingly autonomous from the ground, with significant control and maintenance responsibilities. However, the crew will not have the time or expertise to function primarily as operators in an onboard control center or as maintenance personnel. Science activities and operations will produce large volumes of data that will influence decisions about subsequent science activities and operations. Responsibility for updating operations software and associated data and knowledge bases will shift from software specialists to engineers, operations personnel and crew. Communications constraints and increased autonomy will limit ground support. Budgetary constraints and mission complexity will drive innovations in system design, crew accommodations and equipment to make ground support, mission preparation and training more productive.

Specific areas of interest for innovations in space crew accommodations and performance enhancements include:

Human Factors

Methods to better predict and analyze crew performance and environmental variables will facilitate effective mission planning and task/function allocation. Better equipment for crew support will enable enhanced performance. Specific areas of interest for innovations in human factors areas include:

• Advanced methods for collecting and analyzing human performance with minimal human operator involvement. For example, methods for automatically identifying categories of performance from videotaped records, such as time spent at a given task, time spent in translation, and time spent in interaction with other crew members.
• New technology in the area of passive human posture, position tracking, and kinematics in 3D capable of accuracy better than 5 mm, with sample rates greater than 50 Hz for the whole body, all the major limbs, and head.
• Technologies or tools to evaluate, measure or enhance habitability including spacecraft interior layout, illumination and material reflectivity, and lightweight acoustic control methods. An area of special interest would be in techniques for reconfiguring spacecraft habitable areas including stowage, galley, sleep compartments, waste management systems, etc., for optimal use in both micro-g during transit to a planetary surface, and in partial-g on the planetary surface.
• New calculation and mapping techniques for acoustics and vibration, with emphasis on potential impact to habitable environments.
• New technology in illumination, particularly solid state (LED) technology. Luminaires with life times greater than 50,000 hours, with selectable color temperatures ranging between 3000 and 6000 deg Kelvin. Efficiencies of 40 to 50 lumens per watt are desired.
• New technology for illumination modeling, evaluation, and design with particular attention to real-time displays of shadowing, glare, bloom, and energy distribution.

Onboard Crew Support Systems

Extended human exploration missions, including Earth-orbit and planetary transit and surface missions, require new and improved food processing and storage systems, personal hygiene systems, crew equipment, housekeeping techniques, and in-flight maintenance tools, techniques, and software to ensure optimum crew performance and productivity. Specific areas of interest include the following:

Food Systems

• Extended duration missions require food with 3 to 5 years of shelf life. This shelf life extension may be accomplished through packaging and preservation technologies which minimize waste, and improve acceptability and food safety.
• Long shelf life palatable dairy products are needed.
• Food packaging waste is a problem for all missions and methods for reducing food waste are desired. Food waste on Shuttle is currently returned to Earth for disposal.
• Advanced food preparation equipment and processes for heating, chilling, rehydration, ease of handling in micro-gravity, and food service onboard space vehicles are also needed. Current capabilities include a forced air convection oven for Shuttle and a microwave/forced air convection oven is being developed for the International Space Station. Shuttle has no freezers or refrigerators, but these are planned for the International Space Station.
• Processing and preparation of chamber-grown wheat, rice, soybeans, sweet potatoes and potatoes into edible foods in partial gravity (1/6 - 1/3 g) is a high priority for planetary based missions. Methods for converting these crops to edible ingredients and/or foods in a closed environment, while optimizing crew time, volume, power, water usage, and generated waste are needed. Products of interest include oil, sugar, and meat and dairy analogs.

Crew Equipment

• Personal hygiene systems in a zero-gravity environment. Examples: total body cleaning, hair grooming, cleansing agents compatible with closed-loop life support systems.
• Personal crew equipment: flame and soil resistant clothing, portable lighting, safety and emergency equipment, and body and equipment restraints.
• Housekeeping for zero-gravity including: habitat cleaning, trash management, apparel cleaning, particulate reduction and control, and cleansing agents compatible with closed-loop life support systems.
• Tools, techniques, and software for an in-flight maintenance system to maintain a complex system, including expert diagnostics, in-flight manufacturing tools/techniques.

Crew Training and Space and Ground Operations

Dramatic improvements will be needed in crew and ground operations performance and productivity as NASA develops new operational capabilities to support multiple manned missions, and long duration and long distance missions. Robotic, vehicle and support systems will be required to be more robust, autonomous and intelligent, and more maintainable. These capabilities will allow operators to "buy time" by increasing system mean time between failures, predicting when intervention will be needed, managing degraded operations, and using functional redundancy. Advanced capabilities for information and data analysis and presentation, onboard planning, execution and fault management will be needed to assist the crew. Sophisticated training and maintenance support systems and a robust knowledge base will be needed onboard, and will need to be well integrated with increasingly advanced control and maintenance systems. Ground support operations will need to be redesigned to support the increasing autonomy of space systems and onboard crew. There will need to be advanced support for distributed and adjustable command responsibility, and distributed and flexible training. Significantly more productive and intuitive approaches are needed to updating, adapting, testing and certifying advanced distributed operations software and knowledge bases during missions. Specific areas of interest in the areas of crew training, and in flight and ground operations, include:

Crew Training and Maintenance Support Systems

• Flexible training and tutoring systems for mission operations support, including distributed cooperative training, virtual reality training, intelligent computer-based training, and authoring tools.
• Integration of training with advanced control and maintenance systems.
• Tools to collect/capture and tailor design-time information for use in developing training materials.
• Procedures or technology for evaluating effectiveness of innovative training methods.

Data Management, Data Analysis, and Presentation and Human Interaction

• Methods for selecting and summarizing vehicle systems and payload data relating to status and events, to support crew and ground awareness, operational decision-making, and management by exception and opportunity rather than by continuous or scheduled monitoring.
• Human interaction methods for collaboration, cooperation and supervision of intelligent semi-autonomous systems.
• Goal-driven collaborative data analysis systems capable of adaptation and learning.
• Simple systems for notification and coordination, including natural language interfaces.
• Immersive environments: real-time environments to enhance a human operator's ability to interact with large quantities of complex data, especially at distant locations.
• Intelligent data analysis techniques: capabilities to interpret, explain, explore, and classify large quantities of heterogeneous data.

Robust Planning, Operations, Fault Detection, and Recovery with Distributed Adjustable Command Responsibility

• Onboard planning, sequencing, monitoring, and re-planning of activities, including systems and crew activities.
• Flexible management of the actions of subsystems within the larger context of system flight rules and constraints.
• Flexible and robust fault management approaches that use system models, "buy time" for human intervention and maintenance, and learn from human operators during and after the interventions.
• Approaches to distributed and adjustable command responsibilities among systems, crew and ground.
• Model-based continuous estimation of the likelihood of critical events, including human errors, to provide warnings of potential events and their consequences, and to suggest appropriate countermeasures.
• Integration of systems for fault management, maintenance and training.

Operations Knowledge Management and Software Updating

• Systems and processes for crew and ground operators to quickly and effectively define, update, test and certify operational knowledge and rule bases before and during missions, designed for reuse in autonomous systems and in training.
• Tools for incorporating and using engineering data and specifications (about equipment and its operating modes and failures and about operations procedures) into operations knowledge and model-based autonomous systems.
• Tools and environments to support modification and validation of knowledge bases (models of activities, equipment and environment) in intelligent autonomous software by operators, to capture methods and knowledge used by operators during interventions and to collaboratively adapt to unanticipated circumstances.
• Simulation environments and tools for use in designing and testing intelligent semi-autonomous systems.

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08.05 Extravehicular Mobility/Activity

Advanced extravehicular activity (EVA) systems are necessary for the successful support of future human space missions. Complex missions require innovative approaches for maximizing human productivity and for providing the capability to perform useful work tasks. Requirements include reduction of system hardware weight and volume; increased hardware reliability, durability, and operating lifetime (before resupply, recharge and maintenance, or replacement is necessary); reduced hardware and software costs; increased human comfort; and less-restrictive work performance capability in the space environment, in hazardous ground-level contaminated atmospheres, or in extreme ambient thermal environments. All proposals must lead to specific Phase-II experimental development that could be integrated into a functional EVA system. Additional design information on advanced EVA systems can be found in the EVA Technology Roadmap of the EVA Project Plan.

Areas in which innovations are solicited include the following:

Environmental Protection

• Radiation protection technologies that protect the suited crewmember from radiation particles.
• Puncture protection technologies that provide self-sealing capabilities when a puncture occurs and minimizes punctures and cuts from sharp objects.
• Dust and abrasion protection materials to exclude dust and withstand abrasion.
• Thermal insulation suitable for use in low ambient pressure, but not vacuum, environment.

EVA Mobility

• Space suit gloves, produced with size-reproducible manufacturing processes, that provide highly dexterous hand, fingers, and thumb mobility and tactile sensitivity, and that incorporate active thermal control capability for removing and/or adding heat, depending upon external ambient thermal conditions and hand-grasp surface temperature.
• Space suit soft joints that provide dual-axis capability and low torque in rotational components and that also minimize stowage volume, and that are lightweight, low cost, and large range.
• Space suit shoulder that can accommodate large range of suit pressures from 3.5 to 8.3 psi, and is low torque, lightweight, and low cost.
• Space suit low profile waist-bearing that maximizes torso rotation that is necessary for partial gravity mobility requirements and is also lightweight and low cost.

Life Support System

• Long-life and high-capacity chemical oxygen storage systems for an emergency supply of oxygen for breathing, such as:
• Innovative alternatives to chlorate candles that provide reliable backup oxygen supply.
• Potassium superoxide/fullerine stowage of oxygen to reduce volume.
• Low-venting or non-venting regenerable individual life support subsystem(s) concepts for crewmember cooling, heat rejection, and removal of expired water vapor and carbon dioxide.
• Fuel cell technology that can provide power to a space suit.
• Convection and freezable radiators that will be low cost and weight for thermal control.
• Water membrane evaporator that can provide reliable cooling at Mars pressure.
• Microencapsulated wax and carbon brush garments that provide direct thermal control to crewmember.
• High reliability pumps and fans.
• CO2 and humidity control devices which, while minimizing expendables, function in a CO2 environment.

Sensors/Communications/Cameras

• Information displays and input and output interfaces for use by the EVA-suited individual, including displays for obtaining status information of and/or controlling systems performance or work-task related equipment.
• CO2, bio-med, and core temperature sensors with reduced size, lightweight, increased reliability, and packaging flexibility.
• IR camera that displays temperature of environment for safe handling of objects and are integratable into a spacesuit.
• Visual camera that provides excellent environment awareness for crewmember and public and are integratable into a spacesuit.
• Microphone on glove that detects flows and proper operation of equipment by glove sound sensors.
• Mini-mass spectrometer that detects N2, CO2, NH4, O2, and hydrazine partial pressures.
• Radio/laser communications that provides good communications among crew and base.

Integration

• Robotics interfaces that permit autonomous robot control by voice control via EVA.
• Minimum loss airlock providing quick exit and entry.
• Recharge and checkout systems that lower EVA overhead time for crew.
• Work tools that assist the EVA crewmember during movement in zero-gravity and at worksites. Specifically, devices that provide temporary attachments, that rigidly restrain equipment to other equipment and the EVA crewmember, and that contain provisions for tethering and storage of loose articles such as tool sockets and extensions.
• Surface mobility devices for EVA crewmembers.

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08.06 Robotic Manipulators, End-Effectors and Joints

Proposals are solicited for innovative concepts that will both increase robotic dexterity manipulation capabilities, and reachability, and also increase capabilities for humans to interact with and to control robotic systems to perform on-orbit operations while minimizing the workload to EVA and IVA astronauts, and ground operators.

Robotic Manipulators, End-Effectors, and Joints

Proposals are sought which include improvements to robotic joints, actuators, end-effectors, tools, and mechanisms. Proposals should address issues associated with space compatibility. Specific areas of interest include the following:

• Increased power-to-weight ratio and reduced scale actuators including magnetostrictive motors and synthetic muscles.
• Miniaturized actuator control and drive electronics.
• Miniaturized sensing systems for manipulator position, rate, acceleration, force and torque.
• Robotic grasping and handling systems that accommodate existing EVA tools, including human-sized multi-fingered dexterous end-effectors.
• Anthropomorphic systems.
• Sensor-guided tools providing higher precision or lower contact forces.
• Planetary robotic mobility systems and devices. Robots will be needed to work with and transport humans and equipment on a planetary surface. Examples include novel rover drive systems, suspension systems, and manipulators systems.
• Low-mass and low power devices for site setup, operation, and planetary surface exploration. Novel mechanisms are needed to enable human exploration and habitation of planetary bodies. Examples include site clearing and setup devices, equipment deployment devices, sample collection and manipulation devices, instrument placement devices, and the actuation components for these devices.
• An electrically-operated robotic arm suitable for handling moderately heavy payloads from a mobile vehicle in a hazardous environment. Unit should be suitable for use in a Class One, Division One, Group A environment.

Human/Robotic Interface

Proposals that improve operator efficiency via advanced displays, controls and telepresence interfaces, improve ground based robotic control technology, and improve the ability of humans and computers to seamlessly control robotic systems are sought. Specific technology requirements include the following:

• Tactile feedback devices that provide operator awareness of contact between work space objects and the robot structure. Key aspects of this technology are ergonomics and safety.
• Force feedback devices that provide operator awareness of manipulator and payload inertia, gripping force, and forces and moments due to contact with external objects. Key aspects of this technology are ergonomics and safety.
• Stereo graphic display systems that provide high-fidelity depth perception, field of view, and high resolution.
• Ground-based control technology which is able to compensate for time delays of several seconds.
• User interface that does not require the operator to wear exoskeletons to control the motions of the robot.
• Tracking position and orientation of user appendages, (i.e., head, arms, fingers, eyes) for the purpose of providing motion commands to the robot. Key aspects of this technology are to free the operator of any exoskeletons or devices attached to the body that impede or restrict operator movements.
• Adaptive fault tolerant software: Systems capable of dynamic reconfiguration and learning.
• Intelligent autonomous systems: Artificial intelligence based systems and architectures, with provision for crew oversight.

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08.07 Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology

Proposals are sought to establish and maintain state-of-the-art applications of nanotechnology, manufacturing, hardware production, and manufacturing processes, as they relate to future human spacecraft. Proposals in the following areas should be focused on hardware or software products.

Nanotechnology

Applications of nanotechnology should focus on long-duration space missions and habitats. Revolutionary designs and concepts are sought using the extraordinary properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes in areas such as high strength materials and composites, energy storage, nanoelectronics, and thermal protection, among others. Nanotube composites (polymer or metal matrix) are of particular interest because of the great possibilities of using these materials with ultra-high strength. Also of interest are innovative techniques for bulk production of single-wall nanotubes, and production of exceptionally long and/or aligned nanotubes, necessary for such applications as composites.

Manufacturing Technology

Rapid prototyping using the Stereolithography (SLA) and Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM) techniques to produce functional prototypes and working models, including use of single-wall nanotubes. Composites manufacturing using fiber placement, filament winding, laminations, pultrusion, and Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) techniques. Manufacture and precision of miniature mechanical components. Friction stir weld and laser weld processes.

Machine Tool Programming

Program and verify computer-numerical control (CNC) machinery using computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) programs. Machine tool operations of interest include multi-axis milling.

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08.08 Cryogenic Fluids, Handling, and Storage

Component or concept proposals are being solicited to improve the performance, operating efficiency safety and reliability of cryogenic fluid storage and handling in all gravity environments (10^-6 g to 1 g) and Martian surface environments (i.e., dust, CO2 atmosphere). Tanks of high-energy propellant fluids, stored in their most efficient state, as low-pressure subcritical cryogenic fluids are susceptible to fluid loss through environmental heating. Novel concepts are being solicited to significantly reduce the heat conduction through tank supports and penetrations and reduce solar radiation losses with insulating materials or by intercepting shields. The ability to transfer cryogenic liquids in nominal, reduced and low gravity conditions from storage vessels or production facilities to user tankage is also critical. Cryogenic fluids are used for life support, propulsion, and power systems. Innovations in the following areas are needed:

• Lightweight, low thermal conductivity cryogenic tank strut and support concepts.
• Low thermal conductivity cryogenic tank penetrations, i.e., instrumentation feed-throughs, feedlines, vent lines.
• Lightweight, insulating thermal protection schemes.
• Robust insulation concepts for multiple launch/landing and ambient/vacuum pressure cycles.
• Devices for vapor-free acquisition of cryogenic liquids.
• Small, low power, lightweight (2 liter/minute) liquid oxygen transfer pumps.
• Tank pressure control (e.g., thermodynamic vent) and/or integrated tank boiloff control and product liquefaction technologies.
• Lightweight mechanical fittings and flexhoses with low heat leak.
• Autonomous cryogenic disconnects and couplings.
• Flowmeters and densitometers for measurement of densified, multi-phase cryogens at flow rates of 1.4 to 5.6 liters per second.
• Instrumentation for monitoring cryogens in low gravity including mass quantity gauging, liquid-vapor sensing and free surface imaging.

Cryogenic Pumping Systems without cryogenic seals. As an example, magnetically coupled pumps that can handle Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Liquid Oxygen (LO2) or Liquid Hydrogen (LH2). Magnetically coupled pumps eliminate one of the significant leak potentials in today's ground systems.

Cryogenic Quick Disconnects are particulate sensitive. Mating these disconnects remotely raises concern of seal damage and subsequent leaks at cryogenic temperatures. QDs in all sizes (0.25 to 10.0 inch diameter) are needed for future exploration missions and future launch vehicles.

Cryogenic Couplings are also particulate and scratch sensitive. Development of robust sealing couplings that are compatible with cryogenic temperatures and Liquid Oxygen compatible are also needed for future exploration missions and future launch vehicles. Diameters of 0.25 to 10.0 inches.

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