NASA SBIR 2008 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 Moores Mill Road
Huntsville, AL 35811 - 1558
(256) 851-7653

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Elizabeth Schofield
eschofield@plasmapros.com
4914 Moores Mill Road
Huntsville, AL 35811 - 1558
(256) 851-7653

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
A tailorable structural composite that will provide protection from the lunar radiation environment, including GCR and albedo neutrons will be developed. This composite will have increased structural strength combined with more efficient shielding of GCR and albedo neutrons when compared to previously developed composites, leading to increased TRL level. Boron coated fabric will be integrated precisely where it will have the most positive effect on shield characteristics (according to simulations and testing), providing an efficient and highly tailorable composite. A highly innovative processing method, Low Pressure Vacuum Plasma Spray (LPVPS), will be demonstrated during this effort to deposit a layer of boron containing natural abundance of 10B onto carbon fabric from the vapor phase. Benefits of this processing method include significantly higher deposition rates and through-put than PVD/CVD, significantly larger deposition footprint, and excellent quality control due to the exact nature of the deposition process. Composite strength will be increased by using carbon fabric as a carrier for the 10B, with bonding between the coated fabric and epoxy matrix enhanced through surface treatments. Thermal protection system incorporation for protection against temperature extremes and micrometeorite impact will be investigated during Phase 2.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Commercial potential for the technology being developed is very high. Potential NASA applications for this technology developed through Phase 2 include structural radiation shielding for the protection of humans and electronics in aerospace transportation vehicles, space transportation vehicles such as the Ares V launch vehicle, large space structures, such as space stations, orbiters, landing vehicles such as the Altair Lunar Lander, rovers, habitats, and nuclear propulsion. Potential customers include Boeing, ATK, Lockheed, and other NASA contractors.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Commercial applications include shielding for particle accelerators, nuclear reactors, radioactive waste containment, satellite hardware shielding, radiation protection for passengers/crew in high-altitude commercial and military airliners, and medical patient shielding.

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

Composites Erectable Launch and Flight Vehicle Multifunctional/Smart Materials Radiation Shielding Materials Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics Simulation Modeling Environment Suits