NASA SBIR 2005 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
MicroSat Systems, Inc.
8130 Shaffer Parkway
Littleton ,CO 80127 - 4107
(303) 285 - 5153

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jeff   Summers
jsummers@microsatsystems.com
8130 Shaffer Parkway
Littleton, CO  80127 -4107
(303) 285 - 5153

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In order to execute the President's Vision for Space Exploration, NASA must find ways to reduce spacecraft cost, complexity, and integration and test time while increasing mission. Modular, reconfigurable satellite technologies are being developed at Goddard Space Flight Center for increasingly ambitious missions involving humans and robots. Development is on-going at both GSFC and the Air Force Research Lab investigating high speed spacecraft data network architectures based on commercial Ethernet protocols. The advantages of an Ethernet network protocol include supporting FPGA implementation, broadcast capability, and most importantly extensive support by commercial standards and infrastructure. MicroSat Systems Inc. is proposing development of an Ethernet version of its modular, plug and play Intelligent Power/Data Ring avionics architecture. MSI's revolutionary architecture provides a modular, plug and play network of standardized attachment nodes distributing power and data management functions. Since the IPDR network implements a common set of standardized nodes for every interface versus customized cards, the system cost and integration time is reduced to 40-60% of comparable centralized systems. During the Phase 1 MSI proposes to develop a concept and analyze the benefits of Ethernet protocol in the IPDR architecture and quantify those benefits in a breadboard test environment.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
These efforts will lay the ground work enabling large quantity, rapid production of low cost satellites and satellite components. Successful completion of the Phase I will generate the impetus for more extensive inclusion of the Ethernet protocol into the emerging spacecraft standards effort within the DOD and NASA. In the near term MSI would consider demonstrating this technology on either the TacSat 3 or 4 flight experiments. Longer term, MSI currently plans to integrate the IPDR architecture as a standard feature in all its future small satellite products. For NASA applications, MSI is aggressively pursuing the "ST-X" series of experimental spacecraft and, following its first flight, plans for inclusion of its IPDR bus product in the RSDO database.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
These efforts will lay the ground work enabling large quantity, rapid production of low cost satellites and satellite components. Successful completion of the Phase I will generate the impetus for more extensive inclusion of the Ethernet protocol into the emerging spacecraft standards effort within the DOD and NASA. In the near term MSI would consider demonstrating this technology on either the TacSat 3 or 4 flight experiments. Longer term, MSI currently plans to integrate the IPDR architecture as a standard feature in all its future small satellite products. This would include potential application on all the TacSat series experiments and other responsive satellite procurements through the DOD.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Architectures and Networks Attitude Determination and Control Computer System Architectures Data Acquisition and End-to-End-Management Data Input/Output Devices Database Development and Interfacing Guidance, Navigation, and Control Highly-Reconfigurable Modular Interconnects On-Board Computing and Data Management Operations Concepts and Requirements Power Management and Distribution Software Development Environments Software Tools for Distributed Analysis and Simulation Testing Requirements and Architectures