NASA SBIR 2008 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Creare, Inc.
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 - 0071
(603) 643-3800

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Robert Kline-Schoder
rjk@creare.com
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 - 0071
(603) 640-2468

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract: 5 to 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
The overall goal of this project is to design, develop, demonstrate, and deliver a miniature, variable speed control moment gyroscope (MVS CMG) for use on small satellites. Creare's MVS CMG has the potential to revolutionize the design and operation of small satellites (i.e., mass from less than 1 kg up to 500 kg). Currently available CMGs are too large and heavy, and miniature CMGs do not provide sufficient control authority for use on small satellites. This primarily results from the need to greatly increase the speed of rotation of the flywheel in order to reduce the flywheel size and mass. We will achieve this goal by making use of our unique, proprietary, space-qualified, high-speed (>100,000 RPM) motor technology to spin the flywheel at a speed 10 times faster than the only other known miniature CMG under development with comparable control authority. This will enable the fabrication of an MVS CMG with greatly improved performance and smaller size. Creare is particularly well qualified to lead this effort given our considerable and unique past experience in miniaturizing devices for use in important space missions, our firm's longevity, and the space-qualified fabrication facilities that we maintain.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
NASA is interested in reducing the mass and cost while maximizing the scientific return for future NASA missions. Small satellites are an excellent alternative for achieving these goals. However, many technologies that have been developed for larger spacecraft are not applicable to small and nano satellites. To bridge this gap, NASA plans to support innovations in propulsion, power, and guidance, and navigation systems for low-cost small spacecraft. One of the key enabling technologies is attitude control mechanisms. Our miniature variable speed control moment gyroscope promises to meet the needs of small and nano satellites for a high torque, continuous, low mass, low cost, satellite attitude control.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Past technical advances in small satellites have opened up new markets for small satellites beyond their initial technology demonstration platforms. These markets include: military science and technology; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; remote site communications; polling of unattended sensors; high-resolution Earth observations; and Landsat-class environmental monitoring and are estimated to potentially result in a $500 million annual market. Our miniature variable speed control moment gyroscope will enable higher performance for many of these future applications.

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

Guidance, Navigation, and Control