National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research & Technology Transfer 2006 Program Solicitations
TOPIC: T5 Johnson Space Center
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T5.01 Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA)
T5.02 Impact Detection and Evaluation for Man-Rated Space Vehicles
Innovative technologies and approaches are needed to support human surface exploration on the Lunar/Martian surfaces, and means to better understand and reduce the risk to manned missions from ascent, orbital and interplanetary debris sources. The new technologies being solicited include means to improve operational capabilities; increase human productivity; develop advanced extravehicular activity hardware; provide better debris impact structural modeling and damage prediction; new techniques or solutions for detecting, locating and quantifying potential for damage; better and improved repair techniques; and abilities to enhance the success of future human exploration missions. The anticipated proposed technologies shall have a dramatic impact on achieving the agency goals of the Space Exploration Vision.
T5.01 Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA)
Center: JSC
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, operating lifetime, and increased human comfort. Specific areas of interest are as follows:
- Lightweight Structural and Protective Materials: proposals are sought for development of lightweight structural and protective materials for use in space suits to provide integral shell structure strength, impact, and puncture protection from shape edges, micrometeoroids and orbital debris, radiation protection, and prevention of abrasion, adhesion, and mitigation from Lunar and Martian dust;
- Protective Suits for Hazardous Environments: proposals are sought for development of a protective suit based on EVA technologies and concepts for Homeland Security and hazmat applications including hazardous materials handling and minimizing exposures to chemical and biological agents;
- Airlocks with minimum gas loss and volume: proposals are sought for development of both in-space and surface vehicle airlocks that minimize gas loss during depressurization and repressurization operations and also require minimum volume for airlock hatch and EVA crewmembers.
- Nanomaterials Applications: proposals are also solicited for development of technologies for Advanced Extravehicular Activity that utilize unique properties of nanomaterials that are not possible with conventional materials with special emphasis on applications using single wall carbon nanotubes; and
- Direct Energy Conversion and Storage: proposals are sought on advanced concepts that can provide significant increases in specific energy and energy density (Wh/kg and Wh/L), in operating temperature range, in specific power and power density (W/kg and W/L), and in calendar life while improving or maintaining safety commensurate with in-cabin and exterior applications in crewed vehicles.
- Space suit mounted monocular displays for use inside a space suit with a small screen of view similar to that of a mobile computer screen and a binocular display with a panoramic field of view similar to that of immersive VR display systems. The monocular must display text, graphics, imagery and video with multiple windows and overlays as well as support all mission profiles with a multi-function display that enables situational awareness. The binocular must display wide field imagery with overlays, enable 3D or stereoscopic visualization, and provide vision enhancement as a low light navigational aid when combined with image intensification sensors.
- Dust and abrasion mitigating materials, seals, bearings, techniques, and mechanisms for space suits and EVA equipment are solicited. This includes materials and systems that prevent lunar dust from adhering to the outer layer of the suit or removes the dust prior to entry into an airlock. Seals, bearings, and mechanisms that preclude the migration of dust particles into bearings and the space suit life support system and pressure garment are also sought.
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T5.02 Impact Detection and Evaluation for Man-Rated Space Vehicles
Center: JSC
There is significant risk to manned missions from ascent, orbital and interplanetary debris sources. Various NASA programs have chosen to treat the ascent debris and Micro-meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) impact risk with different intensity and concern. Since the STS-107 accident, NASA has become more concerned about understanding and compensating for this threat. This requires (1) predicting and correlating impacts with structural damage levels; (2) predicting and correlating impact damage levels with structural-dynamic/shock wave responses; (3) efficient systems for detecting, locating and quantifying impacts; (4) inspecting, repairing and performing Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) on damaged areas; and (5) efficient systems for detecting, locating and quantifying leaks to vacuum. The scope includes direct application of technology and techniques to Space Shuttle, International Space Station Modules, Inflatable-rigidizable habitats and structures, and Constellation Program man-rated vehicles. Critical areas, such as thermal protection systems and pressurized modules are of primary concern. Awareness of current, state-of-the-art methods and technologies available to and/or applied by NASA is important. Technology development areas are as follows:
Debris impact structural modeling and damage prediction: The developer will use impact test data and design/materials properties to develop models that predict under what conditions impacts will cause damage and what is the extent of the damage. Certain existing flight and ground test data and current analytical techniques can be made available.
- Space Shuttle and International Space Station - develop modeling improvements to critical areas of Orbiter thermal protection system which can more accurately predict failure modes and levels of damage for various ascent debris and MMOD in low Earth orbit.(Orbiter - ascent and on-orbit, ISS on-orbit only).
- Inflatable-rigidizable habitats and structures - develop methods to model potential damage from ascent vibration, earth orbit MMOD and/or lunar surface applications for various candidate inflatable structural material configurations and suggest improvements which reduce risk of damage, more observable damage signatures, incorporate weight savings or other benefits, such as thermal insulation, radiation protection, or longer life. Impact modeling for lunar surface applications will include analysis of free-standing, shielded (separately deployed "umbrella") and covered (layers of regolith for protection).
- Constellation Program vehicles - develop and evaluate structural models of various candidate and actual vehicle concepts as they evolve for their susceptibility to damage from ascent and Earth orbit MMOD impacts as well as trans-lunar, lunar surface, and trans-Martian impacts.
Debris impact structural-dynamic/shock wave modeling for detection, location and quantification potential for damage: Analytical routines and techniques to optimize prediction accuracy and decrease uncertainties using impact test data, actual flight data, existing and proposed sensor systems and modeling will be developed. Each type of structure in item is a candidate for either improvements in existing structural-dynamic and shock wave prediction models (Space Shuttle Orbiter and International Space Station) or development of these models (inflatable habitats/structures and Constellation vehicles).Limited ground test and flight data can be made available for some structures, but proposals that include instrumented impact testing are encouraged which validate proposed modeling techniques.
Debris impact sensors/sensing systems for critical areas: The developer will recommend practical sensor system solutions for future installations to not only provide impact detection, location and quantification of damage, but also to validate structural models. The sensor/system solutions must account for optimizing the typical factors for space missions: system cost, weight, performance, power, integration, operations time, complexity/reliability, reconfigurability/maintainability, autonomy from Earth-based support, etc.Sensing systems should reduce the vehicle and communication architecture overhead needed for functional redundancy and reliability by considering methods to store and process impact data such that answers are the primary information needed to be transferred within the vehicle but raw data is available on request. No-power Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-like sensors, very low power standalone sensor systems with scavenge or very long-life power sources, remote sensors and various embedded sensors with a minimum of wired interfaces are examples of what is desired. Other non-contact systems, such as visible or IR flash detection or higher frequency radio frequency (RF) pulse detection may be investigated.
Debris impact structural damage NDE evaluation away from Earth (internal or external environments): Systems and techniques will be developed and tested that can be readily used by astronauts or mobile/robotic systems to evaluate impact-damaged areas and subsequent repairs. Tools and equipment that can provide adequate inspection in hard-to-access areas internally and externally will be especially helpful if it can provide position-awareness of the sensor with respect to the vehicle.Simple human operator interfaces and remote access to data should be considered. NDE systems such as high frequency 3-d imaging, infra-red imagers, eddy current and ultrasound systems will need to evaluated for their effectiveness on new structural composites, inflatable and rigidizable structures - practically applied in both internal and external evaluations. Certain structural health monitoring needs may require remotely operated NDE systems for periods when the vehicles listed above are not man-tended.
Debris impact structural leaks to vacuum detection, location, quantification and repair: The systems must monitor the pressurized vehicle integrity such that catastrophic leaks can be immediately dealt with to provide crew safety and, for smaller leaks, be sensitive enough to avoid loss of precious air resources to vacuum. Low weight, self-sealing structural concepts will be developed that minimize the air lost, but still are able to be located after the sealing has been accomplished for NDE evaluation.Test-validated models of both structural and airborne ultrasonic propagation of sound in the above pressurized modules, as well as sensing above typical background levels will be important to resolving these issues. Systems should be responsive to some or all levels of impact and leak indications through the rate of pressure loss detected requiring:
- Immediate location and isolation with limited access to the evacuated module afterward;
- Limited time to locate and plug the leak; and
- Extended period to locate, inspect, plan and effect repair and perform NDE afterward.
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