NASA 2001 STTR Phase 1 Solicitation

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project develops a display for visually representing physiologic data, to enhance a non-physician astronaut's ability to assess, comprehend and rapidly stabilize an injured crewmember's vital signs. With longer duration missions further from earth involving more dangerous activities, the need for more autonomous emergency medical care becomes acute
Our prior research has shown that graphic displays improve a caregiver's ability to detect, to identify and to treat critical events. For example, subjects that used graphic displays saw critical events faster than those observing traditional medical displays. Erroneous decisions were significantly reduced, and response times to correct the problem were 33% faster.
The plan is to develop an intuitive physiologic display that shortens the time a non-expert needs to stabilize a patient's vital signs following a medical event. Our display will provide a comprehensive view of the injured patient's physiologic state and guide the caregiver in restoring vital signs
The iterative design of the graphic display will be evaluated in a patient simulator. We will identify the type of display which best helps astronauts rapidly stabilize vital signs and efficiently treat the emergency. The final design will enhance recovery from medical emergency in space as well as in numerous ground-based environments.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Our display technology will be placed in bedside patient physiologic monitors that are used in the operating rooms, intensive care units and simulation centers. The US market size is 80,000 ICU beds, 20,000 OR beds and 100 simulation Centers.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
RosettaMed, Inc. (RMI) proposes to develop and test (1) an optimized, intelligent and cost effective medical system that supports current medical operations concepts performed by non-physician astronauts (or civilian paramedical support personnel) with minimal medical experience who are supported by extensive communications with Earth-based (or medical center based) medical personnel; (2) an embedded real-time, expert system in the medical system that allows capture of expert knowledge and direction and real time distribution of that knowledge and direction from the computer system as well as knowledge and direction from an on-line medical expert such as a medical doctor; (3) a compact, radio frequency linked personal computer device that allows rapid, one-handed text and numeral data entry as well as fully functional keyboard-based data management operations, as opposed to pointer-based menu selections; and (4) an embedded real-time, training system within the medical system that allows on-the spot training of various medical problem case scenarios based on medical diagnostic input, injuries, and illnesses.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Funding and execution of this proposal will result in two products. The first is an intelligent medical system with expert training system (IMS/ETS) that will help improve the effectiveness and timeliness of health care services. There are at least three very large classes of clients for an IMS/ETS: (a) the professional health care service providers who need clinical decision support tools at the point-of-care, be that in the clinic exam room, at the hospital bedside, or at the scene of an accident; (b) the public consumer who needs to make family or personal health decisions such as whether to buy an over-the-counter antihistamine versus decongestant, or whether to go to the emergency room at night versus wait to go to their doctor?s office the next day; and (c) the public or occupational health intermediary who needs an efficient way to deploy population health policies, procedures or protocols to staff and employees for use in the field or factory. The second is a compact, radio frequency linked computer with rapid, one-hand data entry capability that will support a variety of software applications on a standard operating system platform. The commercial applications for this type of computer, beyond supporting an IMS/ETS, are nearly infinite.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Manned space operations present severe dangers to crew health. Conversely, space operations present severe impediments to delivery of emergency medical care. In order to establish an effective space-based medical care capability, procedures that facilitate the execution of complex medical procedures by non-medical personnel in emergency situations and under difficult operational conditions must be developed. Physiologically based medical patient simulation will be an essential tool for development and Test and Evaluation of such processes. METI proposes to evaluate and demonstrate the ability of the Human Patient Simulator (HPS), the world?s leading physiology-based medical patient simulator, in this application. In Phase I, METI will:

1) Research potential medical emergencies of manned space operational environments;
2) Assess the ability of the HPS to simulate such emergencies;
3) Analyze one selected emergency in detail;
4) Simulate that emergency using the HPS;
5) Develop and refine a prototype procedure supporting medical care in such an emergency;
6) Evaluate the efficacy of the HPS as a tool in this overall process;
7) Analyze potential enhancements to the HPS to improve procedure development and, subsequently, train space crews

In Phase II, METI will implement said enhancements, execute additional procedures and investigate simulation-based crew training.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Many operational environments on Earth present challenges similar, while perhaps less severe, to those of manned space operations. Such challenges include restricted communications, limited resources, limited care provider qualifications, limited access to evacuation, etc. Operational environments presenting similar challenges include conventional military medical operations, military Special Operations, naval and maritime operations, offshore oil exploration, scientific exploration of remote areas (e.g. Antarctica), wilderness medicine and medical operations in under developed third world nations.

The body of work proposed herein will evaluate and demonstrate the HPS?s applicability to Test and Evaluation (T & E) in challenging operational environments, enhance the ability of the HPS to execute T & E (in Phase II) and both demonstrate and expand (in Phase II) the HPS?s overall capability to train medical staff in challenging operational environments. These accomplishments will demonstrate, validate and/or improve the HPS?s commercial potential in numerous markets and institutions. These include the US military, foreign militaries, third world nations, the World Health Organization and other organizations delivering health care in third world nations, commercial shipping enterprises, and the oil industry, among others.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The practice of medicine is confounded by severe restrictions as the Human Race reaches farther out into space. A Mars mission will have communication delays of up to 40 minutes and make emergency support difficult. Intelligent medical systems will have to be devised to support these efforts. Current technologies have developed to where a combination of different artificial intelligent methodologies can be used together to fuse the data from multiple heterogeneous sources, and create a diagnosis and treatment path. This path will coach and/or assist a crewmember to complete emergency treatment. The system can be used in both in ?sickbay? and remote environments. It will be able to work with delayed Earth support as well as be able to stand alone in cases of emergencies and communication failure. Intellas has outlined a Phase 1 project for a proof of concept for the unique distributed artificial intelligence infrastructure that will be required to be the foundation of such a system. This system will be able to grow and adapt to new patient information gathering devices, diagnosis, and treatments as technology changes, thus allowing the system?s knowledgebase to continually develop and advance.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The initial adaptation of an Intelligent Medical System from NASA use would be for use by the United States Military. Forward deployed field medics and physician assistants will be able to provide rapid expert care to casualties beyond their current abilities. This can help relieve the scarcity of doctors on the battlefield. The use of such a system may also be used for United Nations missions to remote areas where health care does not exist. The system could be used either by the Team or used to provide disaster relief. The next adaptation would be to civilian use by paramedics to perform more extensive care. It will also be able to be used by clinics and emergency rooms to expand the capabilities of the staff. This can provide a great social benefit by providing low-cost health care to those who may not be able to afford health insurance. The final adaptation may even be its availability to most any individual similar to the recent approval of publicly available defibrillation devices. The programming and development techniques may also be adapted to manufacturing to assist in quality assurance by allowing multi-modal, non-destructive testing and inspection of assembled items.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The opportunity addressed in this proposal is to transfer a fuel-additive technology developed for NOx and particulate matter reduction in diesel fuels, to applications in ultra-efficient jet engine fuels, with no reduction in performance and power output of the engine. The innovation is based on a novel fuel additive, PuriNOx(TM), developed by Lubrizol Corporation. Unlike conventional fuel additives that reduce combustion efficiency and performance, this new chemical will lower the flame temperature to reduce NOx and particulate matter production, with no penalty to efficiency or performance. Transfer of this technology by the SEA, Inc./Kettering University team will have significant positive impact on national air quality concerns of commercial and military aircraft. During the Phase I program, our team will analytically quantify the impact of the fuel additive on NOx reduction for jet fuels and overall engine performance (specific impulse, thrust/weight, combustion efficiency). In addition, some limited, simple testing of the fuel additive will be performed. In the Phase II effort, full scale testing at NASA/GRC facilities is anticipated, and the results shared with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), jet engine manufacturers and commercial airlines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current commercial airline flight schedules have been impacted by Federal deregulation of the airline industry, which has led to large increases in passenger travel, a shortage of available runways, and other infrastructure issues. Resolution of these issues (e.g., constructing more runways, scheduling more flights) is often limited by air quality standards at the airport locations, and the current levels of engine emissions during flight takeoff and landing. The proposed technology is expected to have a significant impact on the reduction of NOx and particulate matter emissions, which will improve overall air quality at the airports, and allow for greater flexibility in commercial flight planning. Significant application by commercial jet engine manufacturers and airlines is anticipated, based on successful demonstration of the technology in diesel fuels (14% NOx reduction, 63% particulate matter reduction in commercial diesel-powered products), as certified in February 2001 by the California Air Resources Board.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Under this STTR Phase I, MiTi? proposes the development of low cost, low coefficient of friction, long life high temperature coatings capable of operating at temperatures up to 1500oF. The coatings are intended for use with compliant foil bearings and foil seals and are innovative because they may be applied using conventional air spray application. This technology is relevant to NASA?s Aerospace propulsion objectives and efforts towards increasing engine efficiencies and reduced pollution and noise as detailed in the UEET and Gap Plans. Specifically, the application of MiTi??s compliant foil seal technology to advanced gas turbine engines will improve engine specific fuel consumptions. Similarly, the use of compliant foil bearings, which can eliminate oil in the engine will have lower powerloss than existing high speed ball bearings, thus enhancing fuel efficiency. MiTi? will use state-of-the-art foil bearing / foil seal analysis tools to establish bearing design parameters for high temperature applications. To ensure consistent performance over the engine life, the lubricated coatings for both air bearings and film riding seals must be able to sustain large numbers of start/stop cycles. Due to the criticality of materials for this environment RPI will further identify the material system for Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The commercial potential for compliant foil seal/ foil bearings resulting from this program is significant, including both commercial and military applications. They are already being developed for a wide range of turbomachines. System applications for the developed bearing include gas turbine engines for helicopters, business jets, general aviation commuter jets, as well as gas pipeline compressors, auxiliary power units and remote power generation systems the employ magnetic bearings will also benefit. Other applications include smaller and lighter air cycle machines for aircraft cabin pressurization and cooling; oil-free turboexpanders for high purity cryogenic gas and liquid production; motor driven compressors; and hybrid thrust bearing configurations for large gas turbine engines. The key benefit to many of the systems is the elimination of the lubrication system with its high parts count, limited temperature capability, and need for gear driven generator system. Besides simplified designs, the new class of bearing is robust and permits expanded operating envelopes.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovations in turbomachinery is required to make improvements in performance and efficiency as well as minimizing global climate impact in systems for propulsion, power generation and energy conversion. Advanced high temperature materials that enable high-performance, ultra-high efficiency and environmentally compatible are required. State-of-the-art materials such as ceramic composites do not meet the properties required for dramatic improvements in performance and efficiencies, primarily due to the ceramic fiber reinforcement. Nanotubes are the strongest materials known and do not creep. Recent advancements in nanotubes suggest they can reinforce fibers to produce exemplary properties. Single wall nanotubes, which can be spun into fibers will be utilized to reinforce silicon carbide to produce a fiber without creep and expected strengths over 10GPa. Such high strength fibers without creep will permit composite components enabling advanced designs in turbomachinery for propulsion systems.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A nanotube reinforced SiC fiber with no creep and ultra high-strength will have applications in all turbomachinery for propulsion, power generation, energy conversion and all high temperature applications in defense and the commercial sector. Such a composite fiber will replace virtually all ceramic fibers for high strength and creep resistant applications.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Accurate CFD predictions of atomization/spray characteristics are vital to the successful design of gas turbine, rocket, and internal combustion engines. To achieve this capability, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive model for each spray sub-process. CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) will team in this STTR project to develop and validate an atomization/spray module easily adaptable to almost all CFD codes. The goal of this Phase I research project is to transfer the innovative pressure-swirl sheet and jet breakup models recently developed by UWM to a preliminary atomization/spray software module, and test it in CFDRC's commercial CFD code, CFD-ACE+, for gas turbine applications. The new models fully consider the effects of liquid viscosity, surface tension, and the surrounding gas on the wave growth process with both long and short wave breakup mechanisms. The predictions using the spray atomization module will be compared to benchmark spray data sets, such as ones from NIST and AFRL. In addition, UWM will develop a preliminary version of a cutting-edge supercritical drop vaporization model, which will be validated and implemented in the module in Phase II. In Phase II, models for airblast atomization, drop/drop collision and coalescence, drop drag with drop deformation, multi-component drop vaporization with consideration of fuel superheated and supercritical condition, and spray/wall impingement and wall film vaporization will be developed and included in the module. The module will be thoroughly validated and made ready for commercialization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An atomization/spray module for advanced CFD combustion codes is essential to accurately simulate combustion environments. Such CFD codes can be used in designing and characterizing advanced gas turbines, rocket and diesel engines to improve the performance, stability, durability, and pollutant emissions of their combustors. Other examples of applications where the module can be used include characterizing nonreacting sprays for ignition calculations, spray cooling, spray painting, nozzle design for power plants, and any other application where liquid sprays must be modeled. The module will be implemented into a commercial CFD code and will be easily adaptable to other spray combustion codes, such as the National Combustion Code.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Robust sensors that can survive the high-temperature environment of gas turbine engine hot sections are critically needed for test and validation of advanced engine designs. Sensors based on semiconductors, silicon carbide, or silica optical fibers are unlikely to satisfy those needs in the near future, due to high temperatures and corrosion in the engine environment. While sensors made of sapphire optical fibers can withstand the environmental extremes, difficulties in fabricating sapphire sensors have thus far limited demonstrations of sapphire sensors to laboratory environments. Prime Photonics, teaming with Virginia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, proposes to develop technology to enable manufacturing of microoptomechanical sensors (MOMS) using single-crystal sapphire materials. In particular, methods for micromachining, bonding, and writing planar waveguides in sapphire will be investigated and evaluated. Designs of pressure, temperature, strain, and flow that leverage the new technology will be derived, for fabrication and test in Phase II. Use of MOMS technology for construction of sapphire engine sensors is expected to lower manufacturing costs, improve sensor repeatability, and reduce calibration requirements.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed Phase I STTR program will demonstrate the feasibility of high-temperature high-bandwidth pressure transducers using optical methods in a self-calibrating configuration. Such high-temperature pressure sensors are required in the gas turbine engine industry for design validation and real-time diagnosis. Instrumentation for gas turbine engines will form the initial target market for commercialization of the proposed technology. Additional markets in electrical power production, automotive engines, and glass and metal manufacturing will be evaluated and pursued if the market size will support commercialization. During the Phase II program, which will bring the technology demonstrated in Phase I to a level where commercial products are viable, Prime Photonics will seek outside investment in order to put in place the corporate infrastructure necessary for product manufacture and marketing.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Technology in Blacksburg (Techsburg) and the Vibrations and Acoustics Laboratory at Virginia Tech (VAL) are proposing an innovative flow control scheme for fan rotors designed to simultaneously increase fan loading and efficiency while reducing fan radiated noise. The technology uses blade embedded ejector pumps to provide suction and blowing on the suction surface of the rotor to prevent flow separation and significantly reduce wake size.

The amount of work produced by a single compression stage is limited by the amount of diffusion that can occur without large-scale flow separation. Viscous losses within the separated region not only result in an efficiency penalty but also create a large wake behind each of the rotor blades which interact with the downstream exit guide vanes and stators. Left untreated, fan exhaust noise from this interaction is the most dominant perceived noise at takeoff and landing. By using flow control to eliminate separation and remove the boundary layer, both efficiency gains and noise reduction can be achieved.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In reaction to the growing community noise problems that exist near many airports, FAR 36 Stage 3 noise requirements recently implemented will require that older low bypass ratio engines be retro fitted with hushkits or replaced with high bypass ratio engines. Beyond Stage 3 noise requirements, more stringent Stage 4 requirements will follow with an anticipated additional required reduction of 5-10 dB over Stage 3 levels. For high bypass ratio engines currently in use, fan noise dominates the total noise on approach and takeoff. Future ultra high bypass ratio turbofan engines will have an even greater fan tonal noise component at lower frequencies. The shorter inlet ducts relative to the size of the fan and the lower BPFs expected for these engines will make traditional passive liner technology less effective for attenuating the fan tones. Because of these difficulties, the proposed flow control system will be very attractive to industry looking for solutions to meet the increasingly strict noise regulations. If successful, the proposed technology will not only provide solutions for excessive fan noise but will also improve engine performance and reduce weight. Each of these benefits alone would make ejector pump flow control a viable technology for industry.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation proposed is the development and characterization of a family of engineered-materials applicable to NASA?s Space Launch Initiative (SLI) and hypersonic aircraft development. Nanostructure and microporous morphologies will be optimized to provide materials with the high specific strength and low thermal conductivity required for multifunctional integrated thermal structures. Phase I deliverables will include thermal/mechanical test data, analytical models to predict material performance, and proof-of-concept panel test results. Reducing dry weight supports NASA?s SLI goal of lowering launch costs by 1-to-2 orders of magnitude. Thermal-structure integration will result in a significant weight reduction of propellant tanks, structure and thermal protection system. The critical component required is a low-thermal conductivity material to join the hot external skin to the cool structure or tank. Our solution is to combine microporous and nanostructure technologies to develop new materials that have the low thermal conductivity of foams but with significantly higher strength and damage tolerance. Phase II will be directed at designing and testing an integrated thermal-structure panel for a typical space launch or hypersonic vehicle application. The analytical models developed in Phase I will also be used to identify design solutions for a variety of other applications such as jet and rocket engines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The initial STTR focus is on developing technology to meet NASA?s need for efficient, light-weight structures for future vehicles. If this new material exhibits the characteristics we expect, the range of applications goes considerably beyond aerospace structures. There will be broad applicability to propulsion systems, ground-based gas turbines, heat exchangers, and various process furnaces. BTI has had discussions with Aeroflex Laboratories, who were interested in investigating the use of this new material for an in-orbit space propulsion system contract they are currently working on.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective of this work is to deposit nanocrystalline stainless steel onto steel substrates (homometallic) for enhanced wear and corrosion resistance. Homometallic coatings provide superior adhesion, and it has been shown that ultrafine-grained materials exhibit the increased hardness and decreased permeability desired for protective coatings. Recently we have demonstrated, for the first time, that nanocrystalline (3-40 nm grains) Co-Cr deposited onto Co-Cr-Mo substrates possesses hardness close to that of some ceramics (18-26 GPa, 400% increase), without the associated problems with adhesion to metallic substrates. Our preliminary results also show fabrication of nanocrystalline (<40 nm crystals) Ti with hardness of 12-14 GPa, which is comparable with the hardness of zirconia. Nanocrystals have been achieved by controlling nucleation and growth and use of an ion beam-plasma during deposition by e-beam evaporation or sputtering.

Phase I work will deposit nanocrystalline stainless steel onto stainless steel substrates. It is expected that these coatings will exhibit hardnesses comparable to those normally obtained for ceramic coatings, and possess the superior adhesion of seamless, homometallic coatings. Hardening the surface with a similar material will also enhance adhesion, by avoiding problems associated with thermal and lattice mismatch.

The aim of Phase I is to fabricate nanocrystalline stainless steel coatings with a significant improvement in hardness and wear resistance, and to demonstrate the advantage of nanocrystalline protective coatings. Phase II will extend the work to the deposition of other nanocrystalline homometallic coatings, such as Ti-6Al-4V.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Superhard, ductile, adherent nanocrystalline stainless steel coatings, as a replacement for ceramic hard coatings, would significantly extend the lifetime of critical components in aircraft, boats, and ground vehicles. These areas alone represent enormous commercial opportunities.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed STTR program would develop nanocomposite structural materials with negative mechanical constitutive properties and extreme mechanical damping. Such negative stiffness materials would have direct applications in the low-cost passive damping of unwanted vibrations in aircraft and space structures, as well as in novel actuator and sensor devices. During the Phase I STTR program, NanoSonic would work with the Center for Intelligent Materials, Systems and Structures at Virginia Tech to design, synthesize and evaluate the constitutive properties of thin and thick film nanocomposite test materials with anticipated negative stiffness behavior. These materials would be formed through electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) processing, which involves the sequential adsorption of multiple molecular precursors from aqueous colloidal suspensions. This offers the unique ability to control short and long-range structural order in such composites at the molecular level. Specifically, by combining negative-stiffness and positive-stiffness nanoclusters into nanocomposite test articles, where the relative volume percentage ratios of the clusters in the material are controlled through variations in the ESA process, parametric structure-property relationships versus temperature will be established. This information would be used during Phase II to design, fabricate and evaluate bulk structural components having desired negative stiffness properties.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Bulk structural materials with negative stiffness properties would have direct application in the passive damping of unwanted vibrations in aerospace, terrestrial transportation vehicle, precision manufacturing, biomedical imaging, optical alignment and other systems. Potential spacecraft uses specifically include critical tracking, pointing and station-keeping operations that are made difficult by structural vibration effects. Composite materials that effectively incorporate negative stiffness inclusions into a positive stiffness material matrix would allow exploitation of these effects, through the realization of graded negative stiffness properties through composite constituent design. Such a range of mechanical properties would allow structural designers with an expanded design space, and a broader range of resulting structural system options. Additional commercial applications exist in sensor and actuator devices that are designed to depend upon

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current and developmental thermal protection system (TPS) materials severely limit the flight path and thus the mission flexibility of existing and future space transportation vehicles (STV), including reusable launch vehicles (RLV). TPS are essential, but also add parasitic weight rather than providing both structural functionality and thermal protection. Multifunctional TPS with structural capability would be highly desirable. TPS are also subject to severely limited life due to rapid failure or need for replacement if the outer surface or coating suffers damage. As a result, self-healing TPS would be substantially beneficial or could even be essential if self-repair is needed for mission survivability. Multifunctional and self-healing TPS must also be fabricable as large-scale and cost-effective panels if they are to be more widely used for "acreage" type applications. The objective of the proposed project is to overcome the known limitations of current insulating materials (e.g. AETB, FRCI, SIRCA) and to further enhance capabilities over TPS that are currently under development by demonstrating the feasibility of an innovative, multifunctional and self-healing TPS suited for varied STV and related applications. The unique TPS proposed in this project will provide an unequaled combination of structural and thermal performance, large cross-section fabricability and low fabrication cost. The proposed approach builds on developments already initiated and demonstrated in complementary efforts but adds multiple innovative features. Specifically, the new TPS will combine a carbon aerogel-filled, carbon foam core structure with an innovative, lower cost and larger scale aerogel infiltration method and self-healing carbon/carbon facesheets to produce a highly enhanced and more cost-effective TPS. Previous work has shown that the carbon aerogel-filled, carbon foam core structure provides low thermal conductivity and high temperature capability.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Next-generation systems applications for the proposed advanced TPS include future space transportation vehicles (STV), including reusable launch vehicles (RLV), the Military Space Plane (MSP) and Space Maneuvering Vehicle (SMV), reentry vehicles, and hypersonic missiles. The proposed TPS could also benefit existing applications, such as the leading edges and windward surfaces of the space shuttle orbiter. The proposed system has potential for dramatic weight reduction and higher operating temperature compared to state-of-the-art TPS designs, as well as improved durability, enhanced fabricability, and lower cost.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The goal of the proposed research is to develop an advanced technology for producing lightweight, robust multifunctional spacecraft coatings with both sensing and surface protection capabilities in a single technological process. This research addresses the critical need for innovative technologies that enable the nanoscale structure control in advanced materials for space applications. The state-of-the-art technologies to produce high-quality aerospace materials are predominantly based on top-down approaches and offer a very limited structure control when characteristic microstructure dimensions approach 100nm. This proposal seeks to explore a novel approach for the synthesis of advanced materials with the atomic-scale control over the size of periodic features on the sub-30 nm scale. The key innovative aspect of this research is the development of a technique for the confined growth of spatially separated nanostructures in a porous host template. This template, an array of cylindrical pores, will be fabricated via biologically inspired hierarchical self-assembly of organic surfactant molecules in the presence of inorganic charged species. Layers of nanostructured functional materials will be sequentially grown inside the pores to form a periodic sensor array on the bottom and nanostructured protective coatings on the top of the coating. The proposed technique is general and can be applied to various types of aerospace structures from nanoelectronics to selective frame reinforcement.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This technology will have an impact on a vast array of services extending from global connectivity to local terrestrial systems. The proposed multifunctional coating is expected to have a wide range of applications in both government and industrial sectors. It will be of a great interest to Air Force, Navy, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, and other DoD organizations actively involved in aircraft development. Potential customers may include large airframe manufacturing entities such as Boeing, Northrup-Grumman, and Lockheed-Martin, as well as space-related manufacturers such as Hughes, Rockwell International and Thiokol. It should be of interest to a number of commercial structures for wireless communications such as public radio and TV stations, and land mobile communication providers. The technology will also find its application in the Earth observation systems such as meteorology, soil moisture radiation measurement, and others.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
OKSI is joining with Wisconsin Center for Space Automation & Robotics (WCSAR), a NASA co-sponsored Commercial Space Center, to develop and demonstrate a technology for the automation of plant health monitoring for the creation of bio-mass and regenerative environments in space and for future greenhouses in space, on moon or Mars. In the short range this technology will support ongoing space and Earth bound (i) plant growth research by enabling automated monitoring of plant health and the detection and identification of stress causes, and (ii)automated transgenic crop development research. The technology will allow commercial screening of gene transfer events. The instrumentation developed under this program is based on OKSI's experience in imaging spectroscopy, and WCSAR's expertise in plant growth research and gene transfer technology both in space and on Earth.

Early space flight tests may be possible in conjunction with the WCSAR plant growth chambers and Commercial Plant Biotechnology Facility.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Efficient food production for domestic use and export is a major pillar of the US economy. Economic strength and environmental safety considerations require continuous development of new varieties of crops. The number of transgenic crops already approved and those awaiting approval steadily increase. Efficient gene transfer processes require maximum automation. The instrumentation technology to be developed under this program contributes to this end. Moreover, the plant health monitoring techniques will allow the implementation of spatial crop management based on vehicle mounted sensors, which is a key requirement for precision farming techniques. Spatial crop management techniques, just as genetically improved crops, optimize the use of irrigation water in regions where water is costly (e.g., California), reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, thus protecting ground waters, wild life, and humans, and improves overall production efficiency. OKSI has a number of commercial customers interested in these technologies and ready to support the commercialization stage.

Finally, the instrumentation technology will allow the development of regenerative environments in space for recycling water, carbon dioxide, and food production.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This effort focuses on the development tool, which evaluates the safety-critical requirements of future HEDS program requirements. The software will enhance the design and analysis of space systems with the objective of enhancing their safety-critical success. Results from this software will provide the needed evidence to quantify the level of risk in software intensive systems. This tool uses failure mode effects analysis (FEMA), critical items list (CIL) and other intelligent and adaptive techniques to link undesired system events to their mitigating requirements, ultimately tracing to design and implementation. Undesired system events are described in the form of linguistic inference flow charts, such as fault trees and Petri-nets. Strategies to automatically translate linguistic inference flow charts into extended logic equations, and methods for verifying software systems safety-critical or mission-critical requirements are implemented. Also, where appropriate, subsystems are designed with the use of adaptive models, with the objective of enforcing safety or mission-critical requirements at subsystem interfaces. Also, the input of data or the transfer of output data to other software tools is automated. Interfaces for interchange of data, in software and hardware modes are carefully integrated, so the possibility of sharing of capabilities between models can be readily executed.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current market research indicates that systems engineers are lacking a serious tool that is required for safety and risk analysis. Systems engineers are investing large resources and time to learn and reinvent systems, with the single objective of validating or verifying their design. These efforts are time consuming and totally unnecessary, especially when their major goal is the use of the system as a black box. The commercial potential of this tool lies in its ability to fill this market gap, while providing a niche for the small and disadvantage company, Software Safety-Critical Systems, Inc (S3Inc). Phase I funds will be used to demonstrate the proof of concept of the software technology developed at S3Inc over the last five years. The software engineering concepts to be implemented in Phase I are generic, and are applicable to a vast number of software intensive systems, especially to the US military and other safety-critical and mission critical systems. S3Inc intends to corner this market niche and build a profitable business.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this first phase of technical development, this proposal for research and development seeks to design an architecture that will enable MIL-STD-1553B digital data bus monitoring through an isochronous channel of an IEEE-1394A High Performance Serial Bus.

The traits of this design will give I&T (integration and test) and launch operations teams full access to the spacecraft avionics bus, including the ability to monitor both IEEE-1394 traffic as well as MIL-STD-1553 traffic. This development will allow operators to more reliably detect and analyze anomalous conditions from a remote location through a retractable umbilicus.

The second objective of the first phase of this development is the design of a bridge, which will enable two-way data communications between the IEEE-1394A and MIL-STD-1553B buses. The design will implement the fault-tolerant architecture developed at the JPL Center for Integrated Space Microsystems.

Technical challenges include maintaining the redundant nature of the MIL-STD-1553B digital data bus, maintaining signal timing requirements of MIL-STD-1553B, and encapsulating MIL-STD-1553B signals on an IEEE-1394A bus.

If Phase I proves feasibility, Phase II will be proposed to develop a commercially viable system around this architecture and test its capabilities in a laboratory environment.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
SEAKR Engineering, Inc. is a preeminent provider of spacecraft and military memory systems. This technology transfer proposal, in Phase I alone, will bring SEAKR Engineering the technical expertise in IEEE-1394A. This will create an availability of IEEE-1394A-compliant memory systems for spacecraft development by government agencies and private companies.

In Phase II of this proposal, a commercial computer system will be developed that has the capability to support IEEE-1394A components and MIL-STD-1553B components. This will have the effect of accelerating the state of spacecraft, and other vehicle, technology. It will create a demand for IEEE-1394A avoinic components, science instruments, and so forth as it becomes more common.

Without this innovation, the demand for modern components will be stalled. Without the ability to use proven components in a spacecraft design, government and industry will be slow to migrate to this new architecture being considered by the international community. Insufficient demand for modern components will cause costs to escalate for those programs that require them. This proposal will create a greater demand for IEEE-1394A spacecraft components, which will stimulate the commercial sector with new business and reduce costs for end users.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This research will investigate a new technique for analyzing operation characteristics of future space transportation systems using a variation of activity based cost modeling. The unique element of the new technique is its focus on simulation modeling to translate vehicle design parameters into a set of activities and a related process map in a domain (operations characteristics of future space vehicle concepts) where there is limited knowledge. This approach is innovative because it will, for the first time, combine activity-based cost modeling (which is known to work well in well-defined environments) with expert knowledge to estimate the activities, cost, and time characterizations associated with proposed space transportation concepts. With this approach, ground processing assessments of future launch vehicles could be substantially improved.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Preliminary assessments of the need for the modeling technology proposed above indicate a strong desire in several sectors of the space industry. CCT?s involvement in the Vision Spaceport partnership has included extensive market research and commercialization planning for a space operations modeling tool. In addition, the basic concepts of modeling in this manner have direct relationship to modeling similar systems such as airports, seaports, and over the road traffic.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
High-speed, real-time diagnostic and advisory systems are part of ICS?s heritage. Unstructured and labor-intensive knowledge capture systems have been the downfall of many monitor and control systems. We believe that an adaptive learning system can greatly aid in the population and refinement of automated reasoning systems. Our proven, man-rated expert system must be populated with the fault monitoring rules for a given domain. Exhaustive path analysis for complex systems has proven to be labor-intensive and error prone without a structured methodology or an automated approach.

ICS and FIT believe that an automated learning system can define relationships between sensors and effectors and automatically generate rules for the Expert System to aid the operator in real-time monitor and control. This new tool would be a leap forward in extending the capabilities of the system to perform system validation procedures and offer advisories to operators and other web-based users in real-time. FIT?s research into adaptive learning and data mining systems holds great promise for non-invasive applications to mine knowledge from data streams. Using ICS and FIT?s research, we believe a derivative architecture can correlate data measurands and auto-generate rules for an expert system for monitor and control.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
With our background as an Aerospace subcontractor, there are consistent requests for new and structured methodologies for automating the monitoring of real-time systems for Testsets, Simulators, Control Centers and Flight software systems. ICS is a subcontractor on Lockheed Martin?s SBIRS-High ground system and the Advanced EHF satellite. Both systems have autonomy and fault management requirements which could be serviced by this proposed technology. ICS is currently under contract with the NRL for the FAME program which also has a requirement for a sophisticated level of onboard autonomy.

ICS has also fielded systems for e-Business applications. Business Rules, work flow automation and other business practices require a structured methodology for population of automation tools. Several commercial (transportation, robotics, etc) and government customers have expressed a strong interest in these technologies to aid in the automation of their missions. Network monitor and control is another use of this technology for root-cause analysis.

The proposed system provides a cost effective solution to a wide range of control system problems and market segments. Market penetration is accelerated by ICS?s Open-Source Model. ICS offers documented and supported open source software solutions as COTS -- a first in our industry. Our software is available at http://www.opencontrol.org.

NASA STTR Phase 2 Solicitation

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We plan to develop and refine a device (Basic Life Support System, BLSS) and a just-in-time training procedure for a flight crewmember who must administer cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In Phase I, we developed a computerized graphical display for CPR procedures. Volunteers using the display removed an airway obstruction and stabilized the patient in 10.9 minutes compared to 13.8 minutes for those who used the current NASA paper protocol. The number of errors was reduced by 42%. These differences significantly increase the survival rates for the patient. The goal of Phase II is to develop and refine the BLSS with an animated graphical display of instructions so that an individual without medical training can effectively resuscitate a patient. The BLSS will include an automatic external defibrillator, a CPR mask, and an oxygen supply. Sensors will provide feedback to inform the user of potential problems. The treatment protocol will automatically guide the user through the CPR algorithm and provide just-in-time training. Phase II studies will assess whether novice responders benefit from using the BLSS and evaluate if novices using the system will be as effective at resuscitating a patient, as are responders with basic life support and AED training.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Applications for Axon?s CPR technology are in the rapidly growing first responder and public access market. Axon?s display and CPR technology will be placed inside an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and will be marketed in conjunction with the AED. The AED market in 2001 was $173 million dollars, with expected growth to $600 million in 2006 from the sale of over 300,000 units. The AED market is expected to grow rapidly because of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) endorsement of defibrillator placement in the workplace, the Community Access to Early Defibrillation Act funding for the purchase of defibrillators, and the enactment of the 1999 Cardiac Arrest Survival Act mandating placement of defibrillators in all Federal buildings.
Phase II efforts are directed towards providing a Basic Life Support System to the crew medical officers who has received no more than 40 hours of medical training. Based on our pilot study (i.e., Phase I), the treatment of a patient in a cardiac arrest would take too long to be successful following the current NASA protocol because the text-based instructions are difficult to understand in high-stress situations. The technology that we will develop in Phase II of this STTR has applications throughout NASA?s missions.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
As The Center of Excellence for Human Operations in Space seeks to expand the possibilities of space exploration, they have recognized the limitations when it comes to medical care. Small crews have mission critical skills, but receive little training and practice in emergency medical response. If a medical emergency were to occur, these crewmembers will have to handle the diagnosis and treatment under extremely stressful conditions. NASA has recognized that the use of physiological simulation models can aid in protocol and procedure development for emergency medical response.

During PH 1, we showed that traditional medical treatment used on Earth may not always be transferable to a space environment. A number of physiological changes take place in space flight and these changes may have important effects on response to treatment. During PH 2, we will model these changes in human physiology using the Emergency Care Simulator. This will aid in both the teaching and learning of appropriate medical management of the most likely medical emergencies that may arise. The simulator will be modified to provide additional visual and audible cues to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, will allow for interaction with commonly used defibrillators and function in rugged environments.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The enhanced simulator will facilitate the teaching and evaluation of non-medical personnel on medical procedures by providing visual and audible cues to aid in the diagnosis of conditions. The enhanced simulator will allow for interaction with commonly used defibrillators and function in rugged environments. Besides medical education institutions and the military, other environments that require medically trained professionals and can use the enhanced simulator are disaster relief organizations, fire organizations, integrated emergency management system organizations, offshore oil explorations, scientific explorations of remote areas, major industrial factories and shipyards, Native Indian tribe reservations, wilderness medicine, and recreational facilities such as golf courses.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Under this STTR Phase II, MiTi? will further characterize and validate the high temperature foil coatings and materials identified under Phase I for use in compliant foil bearings and seals. Methods of applying the identified coatings to achieve the desired surface finish will be optimized. High temperature friction and wear tests to 1500oF will be completed using both journal bearings and thrust bearing pads to evaluate and characterize the candidate coatings and foil materials. The use of sacrificial coatings as identified in Phase I will also be investigated. High temperature foil material manufacturing processes specifically designed for foil bearings and seals will be conducted. Final validation of selected materials and manufacturing methods will be conducted under dynamic bearing testing at elevated temperatures. The test results will be used to refine the bearing/sealing/coating system designs for incorporation into a candidate General Aviation gas turbine engine.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The commercial potential for the proposed coating system resulting from this program is significant, including both commercial and military applications that will use compliant foil bearings/seals. System applications for the developed bearing/coating system include gas turbine engines for helicopters, business jets, general aviation commuter jets, gas pipeline compressors, auxiliary power units and remote power generation systems. Other applications include smaller and lighter air cycle machines for aircraft cabin pressurization and cooling; oil-free turboexpanders for high purity cryogenic gas/liquid production; motor driven compressors; and hybrid thrust bearing configurations for large gas turbine engines. The key benefit to these applications is the elimination of the lubrication system. Other coating applications include high temperature thermocouples and wires for high temperature magnetic bearings and electrical actuators.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) have teamed in this STTR project to develop and validate an atomization/spray module that more accurately models many of the complex physical processes involved in spray combustion. Accurate predictions of atomization/spray characteristics are vital to successful analyses of combustion systems for gas turbine, rocket, and internal combustion engines. In Phase I, a cutting-edge pressure-swirl atomization model, a plain jet atomization model, and a drop secondary breakup model were successfully developed, implemented, and validated in an unstructured and parallel CFD code environment. A preliminary spray/atomization module was transferred to NASA for implementation in the National Combustion Code (NCC). In addition, UWM successfully developed and validated a comprehensive supercritical drop vaporization model that will be fully implemented in Phase II. The Phase II work will focus on the development and validation of additional submodels including airblast atomization, turbulence-spray interaction, spray-wall interaction, deformed drop drag, and multicomponent spray. Each submodel will be developed in a highly modular fashion, and the atomization/spray module will be transferred to NASA for easy implementation into NCC.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An atomization/spray module for advanced CFD spray-combustion codes is essential for accurate combustion simulations. Such CFD codes can be used in designing and characterizing advanced gas turbines, rocket and diesel engines to improve the combustor performance, stability, durability, and pollutant emissions. Other examples of applications include characterizing nonreacting sprays for ignition calculations, spray cooling, spray painting, nozzle design for power plants, and any other application where liquid sprays are involved in industrial processes. The module will enable a range of commercial opportunities including software license sales and consulting services.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Techsburg, Inc. and the Vibrations and Acoustics Laboratory at Virginia Tech (VAL) are proposing an innovative flow control scheme for fan rotors designed to simultaneously increase fan loading and efficiency while reducing fan radiated noise. The technology uses optimized blowing to prevent flow separation and significantly reduce the downstream wake size. A Phase I STTR proved the feasibility of using suction surface blowing jets to produce a sound power reduction on the order of 7dB and a reduction in losses of 60%. This research will combine an optimized flow control design with alternating blowing concepts. Using alternating blowing with an acoustic liner to attenuate the broadband noise will allow us to maximize the noise reduction and minimize the required mass flow.
The amount of work produced by a single compression stage is limited by the amount of diffusion that can occur without large-scale flow separation. Viscous losses within the separated region not only result in an efficiency penalty but also create a large wake behind each of the rotor blades that interact with the downstream exit guide vanes and stators. Left untreated, fan exhaust noise from this interaction is the most dominant perceived noise at takeoff and landing. By using flow control to eliminate separation and the rotor wake, both efficiency gains and noise reduction can be achieved.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In reaction to the growing community noise problems that exist near many airports, FAR 36 Stage 3 noise requirements recently implemented will require that older low bypass ratio engines be retro fitted with hushkits or replaced with high bypass ratio engines. Beyond Stage 3 noise requirements, more stringent Stage 4 requirements will follow with an anticipated additional required reduction of 5-10 dB over Stage 3 levels. For high bypass ratio engines currently in use, fan noise dominates the total noise on approach and takeoff. Future ultra high bypass ratio turbofan engines will have an even greater fan tonal noise component at lower frequencies. The shorter inlet ducts relative to the size of the fan and the lower BPFs expected for these engines will make traditional passive liner technology less effective for attenuating the fan tones. Because of these difficulties, the proposed flow control system will be very attractive to industry looking for solutions to meet the increasingly strict noise regulations. If successful, the proposed technology will not only provide solutions for excessive fan noise but will also improve engine performance and reduce weight. Each of these benefits alone would make improved flow control methods a viable technology for industry.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation proposed is the development and characterization of a family of engineered-materials with initial application to NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) and hypersonic aircraft development. Nanostructured and microporous morphologies will be optimized to provide materials with high specific strength and low thermal conductivity required for multifunctional integrated thermal structures. Based on Phase I results, key research and development areas were identified for emphasis in Phase II. These include; the improvement of material processing techniques to achieve complete densification and compaction, expansion of the experimental test database to high temperatures, measurement of thermal shock resistance, determination of oxidation resistance, further variation of material parameters to improve mechanical properties, incorporation of other types of reinforcements such as platelets, fibers and cloth, and finally detailed mathematical modeling. NASA mission requirements will be used to define typical applications for these engineered ceramics. Prototypes will be built and tested. The developed material database will be used to evaluate application in a variety of industries that utilize high temperature processes. Industrial firms will be identified and contacted to establish appropriate business relationships for subsequent commercial production. Clear technical and business plans will be developed for Phase III, leading to a smooth transition to commercial production.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
There are wide spread applications in industries requiring high temperature ceramic material for insulation, filters, mirrors and structure. This is enabled by the ability to polish the material to high reflectivity, to control the porosity from highly porous to helium tight, to vary the thermal conductivity by material selection and porosity and to optimize structural properties with fiber and nanomaterial reinforcements. Applications with these requirements include aircraft (structure and propulsion), power generation (heat exchangers and combustion liners), heat recovery (air preheaters and recuperators), waste incineration (burners and scrubbers), filtration (centrifuges and membranes), chemical processes (reformers) and optics (lasers and mirrors). Products suitable for NASA applications are high temperature thermal/structural subassemblies for Reusable Launch Vehicles, Planetary Entry Spacecraft, Hypersonic Vehicles and advanced ram, scram and rocket propulsion systems.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current thermal protection systems (TPS) severely limit the flight path and the mission flexibility of space transportation vehicles, including reusable launch vehicles. TPS are essential, but add parasitic weight rather than providing both structural functionality and thermal protection. Multifunctional TPS with combined thermal-structural capability would be highly desirable. TPS are also subject to limited life due to rapid failure or need for replacement if the outer surface suffers damage. The overall objective of this project is to overcome the limitations of current TPS and enhance capabilities over developmental systems by demonstrating an innovative, multifunctional and self-healing TPS. This unique new system provides an unequaled combination of performance, large cross-section fabricability and low fabrication cost. Phase I emphasized baseline application definition and process development for the innovative carbon aerogel-filled, carbon foam core structure. A new lower-cost, larger-scale aerogel infiltration method was developed and demonstrated. This reduces processing time by >50% and no longer requires equipment-intensive, costly and scaleup-inhibiting supercritical drying of the aerogel. In a parallel, but secondary, effort, development was started of enhanced and potentially self-healing carbon/carbon facesheets. In Phase II, the technology will be scaled up and demonstrated for a selected application.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Next-generation systems applications for the proposed advanced TPS include future space transportation vehicles, including reusable launch vehicles, the Military Space Plane and Space Maneuvering Vehicle or Space Operations Vehicle, reentry vehicles, and hypersonic missiles. The proposed TPS could also benefit existing applications, such as the leading edges and windward surfaces of the space shuttle orbiter. The proposed system has potential for dramatic weight reduction and higher operating temperature compared to state-of-the-art TPS designs, as well as improved durability, enhanced fabricability, and lower cost. Broader derivatives of the technology are also foreseeable. For example, using lower temperature variants of the aerogel filler (e.g. polymeric aerogels rather than pyrolyzed carbon aerogels within a rigid open-cell foam structure) could lead to structural, low temperature insulation systems. These systems could be used with low temperature aerospace tank structures or could be considered for low temperature commercial applications.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The MIL-STD-1553B Bus is a widely supported data bus for avionics applications and compatible with most of the avionics equipment. However, its low data rate (1 Mbps) and command-response architecture are not suitable for many modern applications such as on-board autonomy. Therefore, the avionics industry recently has been interested in adopting the IEEE 1394A Bus as the next generation avionics bus. The IEEE 1394A Bus has a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps, which is two orders of magnitude faster than the 1553B Bus. In addition, its sophisticated protocol and multi-master capability can support distributed processing in advanced applications. One major obstacle in adopting the IEEE 1394A Bus is its compatibility with heritage equipment that is mostly compatible only with the 1553B Bus. It might take many years and large investments for the aerospace industry to convert all 1553B based equipment to the IEEE 1394A Bus.
The objective of this task is to solidify the IEEE-1394A standard in spacecraft engineering by providing backward compatibility with MIL-STD-1553B. This backward compatibility allows heterogeneous communications between the IEEE-1394A and MIL-STD-1553B buses, so that both heritage and modern components can share a common bus architecture. Hence, this backward compatibility would shorten the time to acceptance of the IEEE 1394A Bus.
In Phase I of this STTR, the functional requirements of the bridge and formats of the embedded commands have been defined. A software testbed has also been successfully implemented to demonstrate the read and write commands. In Phase II, a single board level implementation of the bridge will be designed, built and evaluated. This will provide the basis for further integration and miniaturization in a potential Phase III.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Many future NASA flight projects and commercial spacecraft, are considering the IEEE 1394 Bus as their baseline. These projects include the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the Europa Orbiter, and the next generation weather satellite program NPOESS. The science objectives of these missions require advanced application software such as on-board autonomy, real time hazard avoidance and precise landing. These advanced application software demand processing capability beyond current flight-qualified processors (e.g. the Rad 750). Therefore, distributed multiprocessor architectures have to be developed to support these applications.

In contrast, many instruments such as the inertial measure units (IMU) and the Small Deep Space Transponder (SDST) that are being considered by these missions, are compatible only with the MIL-STD-1553B bus. In the avionics industry, as the next generation unmanned aircraft are developed with more sophisticated processing, they will require a more advanced bus architecture, but they still use many heritage sensors.

With this bridge, much heritage equipment can be made compatible with the IEEE 1394 Bus without redesign.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
With our background as an Aerospace subcontractor, there are consistent requests for new and structured methodologies for automating the monitoring of real-time systems for Testsets, Simulators, Control Centers and Flight software systems. ICS is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin who has autonomy and fault management requirements for both the SBIRS-High ground system and the Advanced EHF satellite.

Commercial Satellite operators could mine past performance data and feed the results into the manufacturing process to influence component designs and change the day-to-day operational constraints to lengthen the service life of the satellite.

NASA Life Science Growth Chambers, KSC testsets, and industrial control systems can benefit from this capability to automatically generate control laws from the mining of historical archives to infer the optimum control system settings for the desired experiment or industrial control application.

The proposed system provides a cost effective solution to a wide range of control system problems and market segments. ICS?s Open-Source Model accelerates market penetration. ICS offers the SCL toolkit as a documented and supported COTS product -- a first in our industry. Our software is available at http://www.opencontrol.org.