NASA SBIR 2014 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Planetary Resources Development Corporation
1331 118th Avenue South East, Suite 100
Bellevue, WA 98005 - 3876
(425) 336-2448

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Matthew Beasley
beasley@planetaryresources.com
1331 118th Avenue South East Suite 100
Bellevue, WA 98005 - 3876
(425) 336-2448

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Chris Lewicki
chris@planetaryresources.com
1331 118th Avenue South East Suite 100
Bellevue, WA 98005 - 3876
(425) 336-2442

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 4

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
In Situ Sensors and Sensor Systems for Lunar and Planetary Science is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
In-situ analysis of solar system bodies plays a crucial role in understanding the evolution of our planet, setting the stage for life's origins. As has been demonstrated by several NASA interplanetary missions, there is no replacement for in-situ observations, like spectral imaging, that prove critical for understanding the context of solar system bodies. There is, however, a conflict between more capability at the target and the desire for minimizing mission cost. Minimizing the mass and power of an instrument reduce the size, complexity and therefore the mission cost. To enable more capable missions without high cost we propose to develop a hyperspectral/multispectral imager designed for a microsatellite platform that will function in a reduced light environment while minimizing the mass and power consumption. This type of instrument is crucial to the study of small bodies such as near earth asteroids and for missions further afield by maximizing capability while minimizing the instrumental cost and complexity. The Compact Hyperspectral Aberration-corrected Platform (CHAP) is proposed as a new, innovative instrument using an aberration-correcting holographic grating to make maximal use of two optical components, allowing for functionality over an optical bandpass (400-800 nm) with <100 microradian spatial resolution and 1.44 nm spectral resolution. The optical design of CHAP produces a white light zeroth order image from undiffracted light to be formed at the telescope focus, enabling the co-registration of spatial and spectral information, providing unprecedented context never before seen in an instrument for planetary and lunar science low-light observation. The CHAP spectrograph will be demonstrated in a 3U CubeSat-compatible form factor. Phase I activities will produce a proof-of-concept demonstration on an optical bench-top to a TRL 4 level. Follow on Phase II efforts will produce a CHAP with full capabilities for space environment qualification.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
CHAP can benefit NASA's objectives in these specific implementations: - A low-cost next-generation mission within NASA's EOS program, such as follow-on to the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi NPP mission. - A space-based complement to NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) mission - Follow-ons to in-situ deep-space science missions including: OSIRIS-REx, Cassini, and DAWN, and Curiosity - Integration into robotic precursor and manned science and exploration missions to small-bodies, Europa, and other highly mass-constrained opportunities. As CHAP has the capability to be used in the visible, near-infrared, and infrared, the US Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security would find interest in utilization of its low-cost ability to support the following applications: - Agricultural crop health and moisture content monitoring, particularly in drought-susceptible regions - Identification, measurement, and monitoring of oil spill rates and concentrations - Monitoring of pollutants and hazardous trace surface and atmospheric constituents

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The multi-Billion dollar mineral exploration and agricultural monitoring industries utilize remote sensing data derived from government and commercial platforms: - Government platforms: U.S. LANDSAT 7 and Japanese ASTER on board NASA's Terra - Commercial platforms: Worldview, GeoEye, RapidEye and adhoc airborne capability CHAP improves on the following limitations of currently available platforms: Government Platforms: Aging LANDSAT and ASTER platforms provide seven and fourteen spectral bands respectively within the near infrared, short wave infrared and visible spectrums. In comparison, CHAP can provide 400 discrete color bands at comparable spatial resolutions, enabling more refined observation Commercial Platforms: Utility of high spatial resolution commercial space platforms (Worldview, GeoEye) tends to be cost-limited with single imagery products costing upwards of USD $5,000. As a result, the ability to perform hyperspectral measurements with a simple, low-cost package will be a disruptive innovation of high interest to several large and mature industries. More specifically, CHAP's 3U form factor allows the instrument to be integrated onto standardized 27U, 12U, and potentially 6U cube-sat bus structures. This enables more sophisticated Earth observation missions within a small form factor and budget that were previously unreachable