NASA 2000 SBIR Phase 2 SOLICITATION

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aircraft icing is a severe aviation weather hazard as the formation of ice on aircraft surfaces can lead to degradation in aerodynamic performance due to increase in drag and weight, and decrease in lift and stall speed. Today, there are limited ice detection systems available that warn pilots of icing due to their high acquisition and certification costs. During the Phase I program, IDI developed a proof of concept windshield mount infrared icing advisory system for detecting both icing conditions ahead of the aircraft as well as ice buildup on the windshield surface. Technical feasibility of the forward-looking system concept was established using a dual wavelength infrared (IR) laser source and detection approach. A low cost visible wavelength was demonstrated for local icing condition and windshield ice detection. The proposed Phase II program will develop a multi wavelength IR system with ranging and cloud property assessment capability, to provide the pilot critical distance and icing severity of the approaching weather front. The Phase II prototype system performance will be demonstrated in the near and far field using various ground, flight, and icing tunnel environments. Sensitivity of the proposed IR system for the detection of dangerous freezing rain and Super-cooled Liquid Droplets (SLD) will also be evaluated. Successful development of a low cost icing advisory system will provide GA pilots a level of flight safety currently unavailable.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Applications for the proposed ICIRIS icing advisory system include OEM business jets, small general aviation aircraft, as well as commuter airline fleets. A battery operated retrofit version of this technology would be ideal for the existing GA fleet owners who operate in IMC, and currently use visual cues to determine icing conditions. More importantly, the proposed system will demonstrate the capability to detect real time IFR conditions ahead of the aircraft, thus preventing VFR pilots from entering dangerous IMC conditions, currently one of the largest source of in-flight aviation accident fatalities

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jack Edmonds
Innovative Dynamics, Inc.
2560 North Triphammer Road
Ithaca , NY   14850 - 9726

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Innovative Dynamics, Inc.
2560 North Triphammer Road
Ithaca , NY   14850 - 9726

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal describes the development of a multi-frequency airborne radar system for in-flight icing potential detection. Range profiles of cloud reflectivity from multiple radar frequencies can be used to derive estimates of cloud liquid water content and particle sizing parameters, based on differential attenuation as a function of frequency. During Phase II, we plan to build a prototype radar, using high power transmitters at 9.4 and 35 GHz and a solid-state transmitter at 95 GHz. The entire prototype system will be built in a wing-mountable pod for deployment on the NASA Twin Otter icing research aircraft. Up to 30 hours of flight tests are planned, with a goal of demonstrating the feasibility of icing potential detection under a variety of weather conditions. For Phase III, we plan to develop a multi-function weather radar (MFWR) providing conventional weather radar products as well as an icing potential detection capability and updraft/downdraft detection, that will be affordable within the commercial aviation marketplace. A key enabling technology, microwave integrated circuits (MIC), will be used to implement radar receivers at 9.4 and 35 GHz and a receiver/transmitter at 95 GHz that are compact, inexpensive, and easy to service.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications of the proposed development include

-Enhanced weather radar for aircraft, providing maps of icing potential in addition to conventional weather radar data products.
-Affordable solid-state millimeter-wave cloud radars, using field-replaceable MIC receivers and MIC transmit/receive modules.
-Compact, high resolution imaging radars for runway imaging from aircraft
-Custom radars for government and university research

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ivan PopStefanija
ProSensing Inc.
107 Sunderland Road
Amherst , MA   01002 - 1098

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ProSensing Inc.
107 Sunderland Road
Amherst , MA   01002 - 1098

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Mide is proposing to develop enhanced energy absorbing aircraft seats using superelastic Nickel Titanium alloy. The goals are to enhance crashworthiness while reducing weight in a cost-effective program. The proposed work will follow a two pronged approach to develop the material technology while identifying and developing seat products in parallel. In Phase I, the advantages of the material were demonstrated, and preliminary concepts were explored. Phase II will advance the material technology and will continue to qualify the material for the operational environment. Qualification tests will be performed. Crash simulations and sled impact testing will be performed on selected seat systems to demonstrate performance.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The technology developed will lead to aircraft seat products that can have a direct impact on the performance and weight of crashworthy seating systems. Markets include military and commercial aircraft, including rotorcraft, and general aviation aircraft. Additional opportunities will be pursued in other industries, including automotive crash safety.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Marthinus van Schoor
Mide Technology Corporation
2000 Boston Avenue Suite 2500
Medford , MA   02155 - 4243

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mide Technology Corporation
2000 Boston Avenue Suite 2500
Medford , MA   02155 - 4243

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The ultimate objective of the proposed project is the development of a practical onboard, inert-gas generation system for fuel tank inerting on commercial aircraft. The system would also have the potential to produce: (1) inert gas (and/or liquid) for fire suppression, and/or (2) liquid oxygen for the emergency breathing supply system. The system is based on compact cryogenic air separation technology originally developed for the Air Force's C-17 aircraft. However, since the requirements for commercial aircraft are vastly different from military aircraft, significant adaptation is required. As compared with other approaches to onboard gas generation for large transport aircraft applications (e.g., molecular sieves or semi-permeable membranes), cryogenic air separation requires less bleed air and less power, and has similar system weight and size. During the successful Phase I effort, we developed system specifications, produced a preliminary design, identified key technology elements that require further development, and produced a preliminary system design for a future flight test. In Phase II, we will demonstrate the core air separation technology components at full scale for full-time inerting of a 747 center wing tank. We will also define the palletized system flight test to be conducted during Phase III.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A commercial aircraft fuel tank inerting system has significant business potential. Rules potentially forthcoming from the FAA may require that fuel tank ullage be inerted on commercial aircraft during a significant portion of the operational envelope. This would create an immediate, large and ongoing market for this technology. For large to medium sized aircraft, the technology proposed here is more attractive than alternative approaches such as molecular sieves and semi-permeable membranes. The primary advantages are lower bleed air and electrical power requirements. In addition, the proposed technology offers the potential to produce liquid nitrogen for fire suppression and liquid oxygen for emergency breathing supplies. Other approaches do not offer these potential benefits.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Martin A. Shimko
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This SBIR will develop a design decision support tool that will assist designers in providing a powerful, supportive work environment for aviation crews that support the maintenance of a high level of situation awareness in the flight environment. DeSAT will be developed as a design decision support system providing the capability to (1) analyze the situation awareness requirements associated with operational requirements (which could include ground based or flight based crew members), (2) compare situation awareness information requirements to system design features to identify potential situation awareness problems and deficiencies early in the design process, and (3) evaluate the degree to which design concepts support SA via the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT). DeSAT will be developed for analysis of SA for both individual crew stations and for distributed teams operating across flight and time. DeSAT will allow designers to modify design concepts early in the design process to ensure that they provide the needed situation awareness to system users.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

DeSAT's most immediate commercialization potential would be among aviation system design firms. This would include both commercial flight deck and military cockpit designers. This market would be both U.S. and international in scope. In addition, DeSAT could be shown to applicable to a much wider variety of systems, including ground transportation, space operations, distributed monitoring systems, power station control, maintenance and medical systems. This expansion would create an even larger market for DeSAT, as designers in these fields have traditionally had less background in human factors and cognitive engineering. DeSAT would provide a very important resource for these designers as it would allow them to assess the impact of combined and integrated systems on operator SA.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mica Endsley
SA Technologies, Inc.
4731 East Forest Peak
Marietta , GA   30066 - 1763

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SA Technologies, Inc.
4731 East Forest Peak
Marietta , GA   30066 - 1763

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Realtime Oscillation VERifier (ROVER) uses several tests to identify the conditions consistent with PIO, based on commonly available input and response data. In real-time evaluations on a fixed-base simulator in Phase I, ROVER was effective at detecting PIO, with minimal occurrence of false trips. Visual indication of the detection of PIO on a Head-Up Display (HUD) provided useful information to the pilot. ROVER has several other strong uses, including post-processing of time history data to detect oscillatory responses, analysis of past PIO (and non-PIO) events, and rapid determination of the effects of intentional oscillatory-looking control inputs, such as frequency sweeps. In example applications, ROVER verified the characteristics of the PIO experienced by the prototype YF-22 and suggested that a crash involving an MD-11 was not the result of a classical PIO. Some practical issues identified for ROVER are noisy and low-sample-rate data, and requirements to tailor the detection flags to extend the monitor to all possible flight conditions, vehicle configurations, and tasks. ROVER will benefit NASA in future aerospace research programs by minimizing the risk of loss of aircraft due to PIO.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Reports of PIO on commercial aircraft are becoming more common, with recent events leading to loss of property and lives. ROVER will minimize the risk of catastrophic PIO by warning the unsuspecting pilot, much like stall or overspeed warnings on current airplanes. Potentially every civil transport airplane in use today, and under development for the future, could be equipped with ROVER. It is equally amenable to use in high-performance military airplanes. A non-real-time version of ROVER can be used to post-process data as an analytical tool. It can provide insights into pilot behavior and aircraft response in PIOs, and can reduce the engineer's workload in searching for evidence of PIO. ROVER can also discern between normal oscillatory responses and real out-of-control PIOs. Both the non-real-time and the real-time versions of ROVER have strong market potential.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
David Mitchell
Hoh Aeronautics, Inc.
2075 Palos Verdes Dr N #217
Lomita , CA   90717 - 3726

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hoh Aeronautics, Inc.
2075 Palos Verdes Dr N #217
Lomita , CA   90717 - 3726

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ASRI proposes to develop an advanced and commercially viable CPLE Health Monitoring System (CPLE-HMS) utilizing a novel spectral enhancement method to provide incipient fault-detection capabilities for rotating machinery. Based on a new spectral analysis technique called Coherent Phase Line Enhancer (CPLE), CPLE-HMS will significantly enhance all speed-related signatures in vibration measurements thus providing early detection of critical vibration signatures. Unlike the conventional Power Spectral Density (PSD) function method, the CPLE technique incorporates phase information into the spectral estimation process by detecting a unique coherent phase relationship associated with all speed-related signal components in the wave-number domain. Accordingly, the CPLE spectrum detects well-hidden fault-mechanism signatures (bearing, gear, rotor instability, etc.) that are often unnoticed by conventional PSD. The significance of the proposed innovation is attributed to its enhanced capability to cope with severe operational environments where health-monitoring measurements are heavily corrupted by background noise. The Phase I study has successfully demonstrated the feasibility and unique capability of CPLE-HMS as a reliable HMS. Phase II study will expand on Phase I to complete the design, development, and test of the prototype CPLE-HMS hardware/software system. Phase III objective is to build a fully integrated CPLE-HMS product for other commercial aircraft and manufacturing applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A portable low-cost Engine Health Monitoring System has strong commercial application. The commercial transportation and power generation industries will benefit from its availability as will the manufacturing sector where production lines frequently rely on critical, active machinery. Implementing an effective health monitoring system in these commercial arenas will reduce the risks of catastrophic hardware losses and plant downtime. The commercial potential for an effective CPLE-HMS in the market place has been recognized by several of ASRI's customers.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jen-Yi Jong
AI Signal Research Inc
3411 Triana Blvd. SW
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4641

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AI Signal Research Inc
3411 Triana Blvd. SW
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4641

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The objective for Phase II is to develop a compact, fiber-optic analyzer and method for real-time monitoring of turbine engine oil condition. Although a combination of existing physical, chemical, and spectroscopic methods is capable of providing a detailed profile of oil quality, there is a need for methods compatible with real-time measurements to rapidly assess oil condition without requiring removal of samples for laboratory analysis. Results obtained during Phase I demonstrated that Raman spectrometry could be used to achieve this goal by monitoring spectral changes resulting from degradation of the base ester and antioxidant additives in common synthetic turbine oil compositions. The feasibility of the approach was demonstrated using a portable Raman spectrometer coupled with a fiber optic probe. During Phase II, multivariate analysis will be used to refine the methodology by identifying the most appropriate spectra preprocessing techniques, and generating a calibrated model relating the Raman spectra to the extent of degradation. Parameters extracted from the model will be used to construct an artificial neural network that will translate the data into an index of oil condition. The spectrometer, preprocessing methods, and neural network will be compiled into a prototype device, and demonstrated using a small-scale turbine engine.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed analyzer and analysis method focuses on real-time monitoring of synthetic turbine engine oil condition. This technology could be used as aircraft or other turbine engine oil health sensors in many departments of the U.S. Government, including NASA and the Department of Defense. The exact same technology could be used by the commercial airline industry, as well as the energy industry where turbine engines are used to generate electricity from coal, natural gas, or fossil fuels. Furthermore, with minor modifications in the methodology, the proposed technique could be applied to the lubricant industry as an online spectroscopic analyzer for rapid quality control analysis.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Shane E. Roark
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The main objective of this project is to design and implement efficient on-line Failure Detection,
Identification and Reconfiguration (FDIR) algorithms for an advanced military aircraft in the
presence of flight-critical control actuator failures. The proposed FDIR system will combine
an advanced decentralized on-line FDI scheme with efficient adaptive reconfigurable control
algorithms to assure effective failure compensation and flight safety improvement despite
severe subsystem and component failures. In order to achieve these objectives, we propose
to carry out the following tasks: (i) Formulate the FDIR problem; (ii) Determine Sensitivity
-To-Failures (STF) of the aircraft dynamic model; (iii) Design an efficient FDIR scheme;
(iv) Evaluation, Verification and Validation (EVV); and (v) Software Tool Development and
Commercialization. It is envisioned that the design will be developed to meet the
specifications arising from the new Intelligent Vehicle Program led by NASA DFRC.
Boeing Phantom Works will provide technical and commercialization support.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Increasingly complex equipment has substantially increased the costs and complexity of maintenance
of modern aircraft and other engineering systems. Hence Health Monitoring, Failure Detection and
Identification (HM-FDI), and Adaptive Reconfigurable Control (ARC) techniques and related software
tools are becoming increasingly important and commercially attractive. A commercial product that
will result from the proposed research is a comprehensive software toolbox for the design of
HM-FDI/ARC systems. Potential applications of the software tool exist in civilian and defense
areas including aircraft, helicopters, jet engines and chemical and process control.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jovan D. Boskovic
Scientific Systems Company Inc
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn , MA   01801 - 6580

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scientific Systems Company Inc
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn , MA   01801 - 6580

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Suppression of jet engine noise by inlet and exhaust duct liners continues to be an important part of obtaining environmentally acceptable aircraft. To facilitate the design and analysis of both current perforate and mesh liners, as well as future active, smart, or nonlinearly responding liners, Nielsen Engineering and Research has developed a time-domain acoustic liner characterization scheme based on novel application of Volterra (integral) series methods. Rigorously equivalent to the conventional frequency-domain impedance concept for linearly behaving liners, the new method both generalizes and supersedes the impedance concept when faced with describing nonlinearly responding, and nonlocally reacting, liners. It also provides a compact, differential equation description of liner dynamics that may be employed as a boundary condition in time-domain Computational Aeroacoustics calculations used to analyze performance of existing liners or design new ones. In the Phase II Nielsen Engineering and Research will demonstrate this technique on nonlinear liners. This will include the design and testing, in collaboration with NASA, of new experimental techniques to provide the information-rich data needed for proper nonlinear characterization of liner dynamics. Numerical validations of the method are also included, beginning with end-to-end demonstrations of the method's ability to repredict the time-domain data upon which a liner's nonlinear description is based, and closing with realistic, full-Euler calculations of such liners installed in a representative engine inlet duct.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
>From this work NEAR envisions production of a software system that can be fed either time history or impedance data from liner measurements and then generates the particular differential equation that characterizes that liner's velocity response to pressure. This technique enables off-line liner design, optimization, and testing, with consequent savings to jet engine manufacturers. Use of this characterization technology outside acoustics could revive the use of simple, lumped-element, engineering models by eliminating the often restrictive assumptions associated with them. The ability to generate an approximate differential equation description of complex systems from data is a substantial accomplishment in that direction. Thus NEAR envisions a broader market for this characterization software in the simulation arena.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Patrick H. Reisenthel
Nielsen Engineering & Research, Inc.
526 Clyde Avenue
Mountain View , CA   94043 - 2212

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Nielsen Engineering & Research, Inc.
526 Clyde Avenue
Mountain View , CA   94043 - 2212

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Practical jet noise prediction for realistic geometries requires accurate RANS-based inputs regarding mean and turbulent flow quantities. Such information is currently unavailable; our proposed innovation seeks to remedy this issue. Phase I results yielded a preliminary turbulence model (EASM/J) extensively tested against fundamental shear flow data and detailed 3D-PIV measurements for a cold jet. Highlights included demonstrating that jet turbulent anisotropy, which affects noise, has unexpected complex variations, particularly for separate flow nozzles with passive mixing. One task in Phase II will upgrade MGBK to account for these observations given advanced CFD inputs. Phase II work will also extend the baseline EASM/J to more accurately account for the effects of compressibility and hot jets on mean and turbulent flow structures (and hence noise). A unique aspect to our development approach is direct support from both PIV and LES for providing critical modeling details. Laser speckling will also be performed to resolve differences between time-averaged (measured) and Favre-averaged (modeled) quantities. This effort will also include investigating complex jets, including shocks and chevrons. The final product is an advanced CFD tool capable of supporting noise reduction studies, evaluating complex plume flowfields, and providing noise prediction information to an improved version of MGBK.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications entail direct extension to existing work supporting DoD contractors for plume IR applications via: (1) software licensing of a specialized and validated propulsive code with increased accuracy; (2) consulting support; and (3) direct performance of very challenging plume-related problems. IR applications for conventional aircraft and missiles require accurate representation of only the mean flow structure. Via the advanced turbulence development proposed during Phase II, our scope of current commercial applications can be greatly expanded to include supporting:

(1) commercial and military aircraft noise reduction problems, which require details of the turbulent anisotropy;
(2) EM propagations (for target tracking and countermeasure scenarios) through hot plumes, which require details of the temperature variance;
(3) rotorcraft/VSTOL plumes, which have strong vortical interactions and require non-linear EASM, and plume impingement problems that current turbulence models cannot accurately represent.

All these additional applications can be addressed by implementing the new turbulence framework into our present, specialized jet/plume commercial code.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Donald C. Kenzakowski, Jr.
Combustion Research and Flow Technology, Inc.
174 North Main Street, P.O. Box 1150
Dublin , PA   18917 - 2108

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Combustion Research and Flow Tech., Inc.
174 North Main Street, P.O. Box 1150
Dublin , PA   18917 - 2108

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Integrating cost- and time-effective analysis of turbopump steady state and transient thermo-mechanical effects into the preliminary and final design process is the overall goal. Automating the thermo-mechanical analysis process is the proposed innovation. Integrating the new methodology within an existing multi-disciplinary turbopump design system (owned by NASA and select turbopump manufacturers) is the primary commercialization path. The subtopic calls for advancements with integrated multi-disciplinary design and analysis systems for important vehicle subsystems such as turbopumps. The offered approach meets the topic goal of lowering design, development, and production costs by developing advanced and innovative technology. The integrated thermo-mechanical analysis capability is required by turbopump designers to support low-cost turbopump development for RLVs and other applications. Turbopump requirements include better performance and reliability, lower product cost, reduced size and weight, and improvements in development cycle time. More efficiently and effectively analyzing turbopump system thermal and transient response may be the most challenging aspect of turbopump design and integration into the propulsion system. The proposed work has tremendous dual-use potential for designers of industrial turbomachinery products. The results from the Phase I work show the feasibility of significant and achievable goals for the next generation of dual use turbopump design tools.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to turbopump applications, integrated thermo-mechanical analysis is important to the proposer?s design software users in the marine, locomotive, and automotive turbocharger market who deal with severe temperature differentials between the low temperature compressor and the high temperature turbine. Small gas turbine engines also experience thermal transients when the compressor and turbine are mounted on a common shaft. This rotor configuration is common in auxiliary power unit, turboalternator and helicopter applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael J. Platt
Concepts ETI, Inc.
217 Billings Farm Road
White River Jct , VT   05001 - 9486

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Concepts ETI, Inc.
217 Billings Farm Road
White River Jct , VT   05001 - 9486

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
On-line, real-time control and guidance law reconfiguration is a challenging task for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). Due to the often minimal set of control effectors on RLVs, full recovery of nominal performance will not always be possible, and the outer-loop guidance system must adapt. Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) has developed a guidance approach that can reconfigure in real time to increase the reliability and safety of RLVs. The novel, modular approach autonomously identifies the inner-closed-loop dynamics and adapts the guidance for off-nominal performance. A more formal optimization technique developed and matured by BAI is employed to reshape trajectory commands on-line. The proposed effort will seek to extensively mature the designs to be robust against a significant set of all possible contingencies that the vehicle might encounter in flight. BAI?s approach does not require a priori knowledge of the failure, but can adapt the guidance system to unforeseen contingencies. BAI has teamed with the Boeing Corporation and proposes to bring these technologies to near flight ready status. A main strength of the proposal is that BAI will leverage the effort with a significant supporting Air Force-funded program, as well as proposed near-term flight tests of BAI?s algorithms on Boeing?s X-40A RLV.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This Phase II effort will help to mature BAI?s reconfigurable guidance designs to near flight-ready status. The related Air Force commitments and NASA?s Space Launch Initiative program provide the vehicle test-beds for cultivating these technologies. Commercialization will consist of (a) providing expertise and consulting to the industry in the area of reconfigurable launch vehicle guidance and control, (b) developing software toolkits that aid design of autonomous reconfigurable control and guidance systems that directly benefit RLV and other aerospace programs, and (c) transitioning the technology to existing customers and new control application areas. Design and development of reconfigurable or adaptive guidance systems has become a significant portion of BAI?s business, and the techniques developed in this program will help BAI continue a leadership role in this field.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John D. Schierman
Barron Associates, Inc.
1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 300
Charlottesville , VA   22901 - 0807

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Barron Associates, Inc.
1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 300
Charlottesville , VA   22901 - 0807

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ORBITEC proposes to develop an innovative, cool-wall rocket engine combustion chamber that confines propellant mixing and burning to the inner region of a coaxial vortex flow field. The outer region of the flow field prevents the hot combustion products from contacting the wall. Though the chamber walls are subject to radiant heat transfer, one of the propellants provides effective wall cooling to prevent thermal degradation of the chamber. The Cool-Wall Vortex Combustion Chamber (CWVCC) offers several advantages over conventional liquid rocket engine designs. Avoiding severe thermal cycling of the chamber will extend chamber lifetime and allow for simple, lightweight, low-cost chamber designs. The vortex acts as an effective flame holder and may prevent combustion instability. The spinning vortices also provide an extended flow path much longer than the geometric length of the chamber. The chamber length may thus be reduced for a significant weight savings. The enhanced shear mixing should produce high combustion efficiencies. Engines featuring this technology should offer high reusability, high performance, long life, and low cost. Phase I will include numerical flow field analysis, lab-scale engine design, fabrication, parametric hot-fire testing using oxygen and hydrogen, data analysis, and large-scale engine designs for Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ultimate goal of this technology is aimed at improving liquid rocket and RBCC engine heat transfer capability, lifetime, reusability, and thrust-to-weight ratio. Simplifying engine manufacture and lowering operational costs represent further benefits. Second and third generation launch vehicles will benefit from these improvements. The end product of the overall research and development program will have application to sounding rockets, single-stage-to-orbit vehicles, and other reusable and expendable launch vehicles and upper stages. The advantages of the CWVCC may also make it an attractive technology for combined-cycle vehicles, hypersonic space planes, and airbreathing engines such as ramjets and rocket ejectors. Near-term military applications include: high-speed and/or high altitude target drones, cruise missile propulsion, interceptors, and forward observation craft propulsion. In addition to these applications, this new type of vortex combustion may have significant industrial benefits. For example, many classes of air-fired combustors can use the CWVCC technology for improved combustion efficiency, extended lifetime, and potentially reduced emissions.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Martin Chiaverini
Orbital Technologies Corporation
Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Orbital Technologies Corporation
Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Acoustic Prediction/Measurement Tool (APMT) is an innovative approach to integrate both analytical and experimental techniques when performing a rocket-plume investigation. APMT provides an acoustician access to both experimental data and analytical predictions that are derived from empirical models and a database that includes pertinent extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) data. Before, during or after measurements are recorded, the APMT generates additional acoustic spectra at locations that are not part of the experimental setup. Because the prediction solutions are obtained from a detailed, refined computational model and empirical analysis, the predicted values are very accurate. This accuracy leads to improved quality of the experimental data by disclosing measurement anomalies during data acquisition. Thus, an engineer can intervene immediately to improve results. The analytical prediction model, once calibrated, can predict acoustic spectra during a static test or launch at various locations on and around the spacecraft, ground support equipment, or support facilities. These predictions can then be used for structural dynamic analysis to evaluate effects of the plume acoustical environment. APMT includes several input parameters that can be varied to simulate or eliminate perturbations in the experiment. This flexibility helps determine the sensitivity of the measured results to various parameters.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Once APMT is developed, coded, and tested, it has immediate commercial potential in aeronautical and space industries. The tool?s commercial appeal arises because it provides both spacecraft and aircraft designers the ability to obtain acoustic spectra quickly and to use these loads for structural analysis early in the design phase for a new vehicle. Not only can APMT be marketed both as a stand-alone product but the software can be distributed as a functional accessory module to an existing data-analysis product that evolved from earlier NASA SBIR work. This product, PC-SIGNAL?, has just become available for users. The commercial version of the new module will feature an extensive graphic user interface to enable users to apply it with minimum training to obtain results. The proposed software fills a long-standing spacecraft/aircraft engineering void. Heretofore, surface acoustic forcing functions were hard to synthesize because no combination of analysis techniques and test data integration was available for this purpose.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Wade Dorland
AI Signal Research Inc
3411 Triana Blvd. SW
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4641

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AI Signal Research Inc
3411 Triana Blvd. SW
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4641

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A proton collimator would convert fusion products emitted isotropically from an IEC fusion core into a directional beam of high-energy particles. This collimated beam could then be introduced to direct energy converters, direct proton thrusters, or evaporative thrusters for space propulsion. Another important characteristic of the collimator is that it separates leaking low-energy fuel components from the energetic fusion protons. This fuel could then be pumped out and recycled, avoiding losses of valuable fusion fuels into space.
The physical and engineering feasibility of a simulation experiment with a small-scale electron collimator was successfully demonstrated in the Phase I project. Accordingly, simulation experiments are recommended prior to a full-scale proton collimator experiment as a next step to save costs and to obtain basic performance results quickly. The proposed Phase II electron collimator could employ a unique spherical filament emitter to produce an isotropic 600-eV electron beam, simulating 15-MeV fusion proton effects in the unit. The collimator performance would be studied and the sensitivity of the unit determined with respect to space potential, off-axis position of electron sources, while other auxiliary parameters would be clarified. Separation and recycle of fuel icons would also be studies. Phase II results, including the physics database and benchmark computer codes, would be utilized in designing Phase III experiments on the proton collimator at a larger facility.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The primary commercial application for this invention would be for advanced spacecraft propulsion. Both operation modes considered are useful: the evaporating target thruster provides a ultra-high thrust propulsion unit while the direct energy converter version can be used for generation of electricity for use with am electrical thruster or for spacecraft electrical systems. Direct exhaust of the protons can also be considered as a hybrid ultra-high impulse propulsion unit.
Combined with the IEC fusion unit, the proton collimator also has the near-term potential of providing a large commercial market in intense proton-beam technology. It provides an inexpensive and intense proton beam in the important energy range of a few MeV through 15-MeV. Non-electrostatic accelerators such as linear accelerators or proton cyclotrons presently provide MeV proton beams, but their beam intensities are weak and irradiation costs are expensive. Once a multi- kW IEC fusion unit is achieved, several mA's of 15-MeV proton beam could be delivered at relatively low cost with a collimator. This simultaneously provides an important step towards scale-up of the IEC to power plant level. Thus, commercialization of the proton collimator is anticipated in an early stage of IEC fusion core development.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hiromu Momota
NPL Associates
912 W. Armory Ave
Champaign , IL   61821 - 4537

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
NPL Associates
912 W. Armory Ave
Champaign , IL   61821 - 4537

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Human exploration and commercial exploitation of space is bogged down because of the lack of safe, low cost access to LEO. Opening the ?Final Frontier? requires a rocketplane with a "breakthrough" propulsion system and capable of airplane-like safety and reliability. In Phase I of this SBIR, the Alchemist Air Collection and Enrichment System (ACES) was shown through analysis to provide the promised ?breakthrough? performance and safety advantages. In Phase II, we propose to take a key element of ACES, the air separator, and experimentally demonstrate that this technology is ready and available for use. The goal during this SBIR is to: 1) generate a two-phase thermodynamic model of the proposed single stage vortex tube air separator, and 2) demonstrate experimentally a 90 percent oxygen yield at 90 percent purity from a single stage vortex tube. This technology has many applications besides saving weight and improving the reliability of RLVs. It can be used on the ground for in situ generation of emergency oxygen at hospitals and for safeing fuel tanks and grain silos. We propose to use it to enable a Suborbital Business Jet as the first step to space.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Business Jet market is predicted to be worth $115 B over the next decade. This market now exceeds the market for high performance fighter planes, and Teal Group has forecast a 50% chance that someone will launch a supersonic business jet (SSBJ) in the next fifteen years. This market is driven by productivity in that the executives can work while in the air and depart when it?s convenient for them, not for the airlines. A step beyond the SSBJ is the Suborbital Business Jet (SOBJ), which could reduce an all-day flight to three hours, allowing both travel and business to be conducted within an executive?s sixteen-hour day. The SOBJ would takeoff from existing airports, cruise for two hours to generate LOX using Alchemist ACES, rocket boost to a suborbital trajectory, and then skip-glide to the vicinity of its destination. It would arrive under jet power with passengers who are now official astronauts. We think a market penetration of ten to fifteen percent is not unreasonable for the Suborbital Business Jet, which is roughly one to one-and-a-half billion dollars per year in the time frame of interest. Another subsidiary market, Overnight International Package Delivery, is just as lucrative.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steven White
Andrews Space & Technology
911 Western Ave, Suite 506
Seattle , CA   98104 - 1047

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Andrews Space & Technology
911 Western Ave, Suite 506
Seattle , CA   98104 - 1047

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ORBITEC proposes to use ultra-fine aluminum powder (UFAL) to develop a gelled LH2 fuel and LOX propellant system. This innovation will increase the performance and density of LH2/LOX and the combustion efficiency of LH2/Al/LOX for use in rockets and combined-cycle vehicles. Lighter, higher-performing vehicles will result. Project objectives included development of a subscale rocket engine with which to test LH2/UFAL/LOX over a range of operating conditions, analysis and correlation of experimental data, and preliminary designs of larger rocket and ramjet engines for Phase II and III. In Phase I, a prototype rocket and sophisticated gel formation test apparatus was developed. In Phase II, the rocket engine will be parametrically tested to characterize the combustion performance of LH2/UFAL. It is anticipated that the test results will show high specific impulse, high combustion efficiency, and improved propellant density. NASA applications include planetary propulsion, sounding rockets, various types of launch vehicles, space engines for near-Earth and interplanetary missions, and combined-cycle vehicle engines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The use of UFAL (ultra-fine aluminum powder) in gelled LH2 can have a significant impact on launch vehicle technology, orbit transfer vehicles, planetary missions, military interceptor applications, and combined-cycle engine performance. UFAL will increase both performance and propellant density, allow reductions in tank size, and construction of lighter, high-performance vehicles. The ultimate goal of this technology is aimed at single-stage-to-orbit vehicles and reusable launch vehicles that use combined-cycle propulsion. The LH2/UFAL/LOX propellant is ideally suited for this application due to its high-energy density and high combustion efficiency. LH2/UFAL/LOX could potentially service a combined-cycle vehicle during all stages of flight. Other near-term uses include planetary propulsion, sounding rockets, and small, ramjet powered aerial vehicles, such as RPV?s for observation and communication applications. Military applications include: high-speed and/or high-altitude target drones, cruise missile propulsion, interceptors, and forward observation craft propulsion. Civilian uses include the increased storage capabilities of gelled LH2 for use as an alternative fuel sourcein ground and air transport vehilces.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Martin Chiaverini
Orbital Technologies Corporation
Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Orbital Technologies Corporation
Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Successful Phase I work resulted in an optimized C-SiC technology and the fabrication of 8?x8?x2? composites and a deliverable of 15? O.D and 2.5? thick disc composites.

Mechanical properties such as tensile strength (RT, 2500 F), and shear strength were determined. These results were found to be equal or greater than the state?of?the art CVI produced composites.

Phase II addresses the issues of process development to further increase the UTS, higher toughness, and improved environmental durabilities for these novel composites.

This Phase II proposed program will extend the accomplishments of Phase I to the fabrication of 40? O.D, and 2.5? thick C-SiC discs.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications include furnace fixture and engine components.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Witold Kowbel
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA has identified a need to reduce weight and cost of rocket thrust
chambers, nozzles, and ramps. A lightweight actively cooled ceramic matrix
composite (CMC) system would be lighter than metallic designs and would
require significantly less cooling. Composite Factory proposes a
zirconium-silicate or Zr-Si-O glass CMC with integral ceramic tubes
reinforced with a low cost discontinuous ceramic fiber preform. Integral
ceramic composite mounting structure offers potential for a 1.2 to 2.0
lb/ft2 structurally integrated exhaust ramp, thrust chamber, or nozzle.
The Phase-I project demonstrated the feasibility of adding Zr and tubes
including nearly a two-fold improvement in flex strength. During Phase-II
a more detailed material evaluation will be performed to determine the
concentration of Zr required to improve the thermal stability of the CMC.
Testing will include basic mechanical, cooled and un-cooled flat plates and
cylinders in the Air Force LHMEL facility and thrust chamber and ramp
testing at NASA Glenn. The development of a low cost zirconium-silicate
matrix would also be applicable to military and commercial turbine engine
components. Efforts related to helicopter turbine exit nozzles are being
proposed to the Army in a related Phase I SBIR Topic (A01-079).

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The efforts performed under the Phase I SBIR are complimentary to current
in-house research activities to expand the usage of Composite Factory's
Shuttle Gate Preform Machine and to increase Composite Factory's CMC
manufacturing capability.
Currently under development is a second generation of motion controls and
programming control for the Shuttle Gate Preform Machine with the goal to
achieve more precise control with less operator intervention and higher
outputs to handle the higher cost ceramic fibers with more precision and
ever lower scrap rates. The use of the preform machine in CMC applications
will reduce the cost of preforming and fabrication of most CMC's. The
Preform machine is already a key part of Composite Factory's business plan
and additional markets (CMC's) will continue to drive the costs of preform
machines and preforms lower.
Currently Composite Factory focuses on Blackglas? based CMC components.
Applications currently being produced for sale are the CMC brakes for
motorcycle racing and aftermarket street use. We are currently working
with multiple automotive OEM's to introduce the CMC brakes into automotive
applications. The ability to offer a higher temperature polymer derived
CMC system based on similar chemistry would increase the potential markets
Composite Factory could pursue. Immediate markets for exhaust liners in
diesel engines and combustor liners in turbine engines appear promising.
The application of a higher thermal conductivity phase in the CMC may also
improve the performance of the CMC as a friction material in aircraft brake
applications where higher thermal conductivity is critical to maintaining
acceptable surface temperatures.
It is Composite Factory's business to produce polymer and ceramic
matrix composites for commercial applications and any technology that opens
additional markets w

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steve Atmur
Composite Factory, Inc.
31 Northern Avenue
Plattsburgh , NY   12903 - 3947

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Composite Factory, Inc.
31 Northern Avenue
Plattsburgh , NY   12903 - 3947

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This work will focus on evaluating lower cost PIP processing of C-SiC composites for thick-section and large volume components such as blisk turbomachinery, nozzles, ramps, thrust chambers, ducting and other hot structures. A significant barrier to using composites in these applications involves processing limitations with respect to part size and volume. Processing routes utilizing chemical vapor deposition/infiltration (CVD/CVI) require high-temperature pressure reactors and rely on time/temperature dependent diffusion. As a result, CVD/CVI facility reactor dimensions limits the maximum part size while process physics limit the practical thickness/volume of parts to be infiltrated. Polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) processing may overcome such limitations. Although significant development has been done in the PIP processing of SiC/SiC systems, little work has been done with PIP C/SiC CMCs. Insufficient data and material properties exist for PIP processed thick cross section parts, which has hindered acceptance and application of this process. The work proposed here provides a baseline mechanical property database for PIP processed C-SiC CMCs, and provides the initial evaluation of thick section composites processed using the PIP approach and incorporating the latest advancements in process cost and schedule reductions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The materials developed in this program will apply directly to the NASA Space Launch Initiative (SLI). Both the 2nd Generation of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) and 3rd Generation programs (Hypersonics) require advancements in CMCs, which are recognized as a critical material system that can improve safety and reduce cost. CMCs will allow increased operating temperatures while reducing the weight of propulsion systems. Cf/SiC CMCs are expected to find additional applications in turbomachinery, thermal protection systems, hot structures, control surfaces, and other components. The results of this program will be immediately applicable to on-going work of Boeing Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power for advanced high-temperature propulsion systems for the second generation of RLVs. An increased understanding of PIP processed materials, and demonstration of thick section PIP processing will extend the application of this material system. This work also sets the stage for potential use of PIP processed CMC materials for 3rd generation spacecraft propulsion systems including RBCC and solar thermal propulsion systems. Other potential non-space related applications include next generation aircraft brakes and industrial furnace components. COIC is a full service organization capable of developing markets and transitioning advanced composite technologies to production.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Timothy E. Easler
COI Ceramics, Inc.
9617 Distribution Ave
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2393

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
COI Ceramics, Inc.
9617 Distribution Ave
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2393

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Proposed herein is a collaborative environment based on an object-oriented, web-enabled, multidisciplinary, distributed framework supporting the design and analysis of hypersonic air-breathing vehicles (CoHAVE). CoHAVE provides a customizable graphical user interface supporting a feature-based design environment integrating a suite of domain-specific analysis tools and geometry enabling the rapid prototyping of hypersonic air-breathing vehicles (HAVs). It supports a unified geometric part model, providing various levels of modeling fidelity to capture conceptual and preliminary design processes. CoHAVE links multiple users in a collaborative process, automating and managing data transfer and interaction among users, designs, analyses, and tools. It provides multidisciplinary optimization capabilities to enhance vehicle analysis, reducing engineering time and cost while expanding the design space explored. A common computational model seamlessly integrates geometry and analysis to support closure of the process through iterative control allowing forward and inverse design. CoHAVE is platform independent and enables multiple users to collaborate across geographically-distributed, heterogeneous workstations. CoHAVE provides a comprehensive environment that facilitates the performance of concurrent engineering of HAVs at a level not currently available.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
TechnoSoft, Inc. plans to transition the Collaborative Hypersonic Air-breathing Vehicle Environment (CoHAVE) into the development, marketing, and support of a product for hypersonic air-breathing vehicle design and analysis. This framework will support a collaborative design and analysis environment for seamlessly integrating various tools and engineering processes from the different disciplines. Additional modules and tools will be developed to address needs of other programs and disciplines within NASA that could greatly benefit from the framework. Furthermore Lockheed Martin, one of TechnoSoft's present customers, has expressed strong interest in the proposed system architecture.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mr. Hilmi Al-Kamhawi
TechnoSoft Inc.
4434 Carver Woods Drive
Cincinnati , OH   45242 - 5545

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TechnoSoft Inc.
4434 Carver Woods Drive
Cincinnati , OH   45242 - 5545

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This NASA Phase II SBIR program will develop a lightweight titanium foam material to replace aluminum isogrid structures on future launch vehicles. Phase I results demonstrated that these titanium foams have the proper strength and thermal conductivity to reduce the weight of aluminum tank structures by 20-40%, while having nearly 100X lower thermal conductivity and higher operating capabilities. The Phase II program is designed to develop manufacturing procedures for large (meter-sized) titanium foam structures, and to generate detailed property design date for use in vehicle design studies. through a teaming arrangement with Boeing, design trade studies will be carried out on tank and thermal protection structures to determine potential weight savings from both material substitution and reduction of insulation/TPS. The program is designed to reduce technology risk for these novel lightweight thermally insulating structural materials resulting in the availability of a high strength, closed cell titanium foam material and panel structure suitable for fabricating propellant tank structures. The titanium foams produced have crush strengths ranging from 35-300 MPa at densitied of 1.4-2.6g/cc, while having thermal conductivities of <2 W/m-C, compared to 19 w/m-C for titanium and 233 W/m-C for aluminum materials. these closed cell foams are also expected to provide a more robust, relIable solution compared to honeycomb structures, and offer much greater design flexibility than either composite or honeycomb alternatives.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The titanium foams to be developed in this program have commercial applications in sporting goods, commercial transports, industrial processing equipment, marine structures and submersibles, and commercial spacecraft and launch vehicles. The titanium foams to be developed in this program have a unique blend of strength and density not available in any other material form. Fuirthermore, the scaleable manufacturing processes to be developed in the Phase II effort can be readily adapted to the production of other metal foams, inlcuding aluminum, steel, and magnesium for a wide range of lightweight high stiffness applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Asit Biswas
Powdermet Inc.
9960 Glenaoks blvd, Unit A
Sun Valley , CA   91352 - 1064

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Powdermet Inc.
9960 Glenaoks blvd, Unit A
Sun Valley , CA   91352 - 1064

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Triton Systems, Inc. is teaming with an air-framer to develop a new class of highly efficient load bearing thermal protection materials (TPM) which will serve as the vehicle structure while at the same time withstanding the extreme environments encountered by reusable launch and space vehicles. This enabling technology will be used as lightweight, high performance primary structure components composing large acreage areas of the vehicle. Triton?s proposed SBIR program will demonstrate an integrated composite approach, utilizing hybrid metal-ceramic matrix composite (MCMC). The MCMC will be the basis of unitized structural component designs where the ceramic surface resists aerothermal loads while sharing and transferring thermo-mechanical loads with the integrated high specific strength metal composite. Triton?s structurally efficient hybrid TPS will significantly reduce reusable vehicle cost and weight by eliminating design, acquisition, and assembly of the two separate systems, structural air frame and thermal protection, required by current parasitic TPM. Furthermore, not only can the MCMC be welded, but it can be fabricated with complex features such as hat-bands, bushings, and threaded attachment points so existing joining technologies will be used to assemble the hybrid composite hot structural members.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Our team member has identified a number of potential vehicle components subjected to environments in which a MCMC hybrid hot structure is expected to perform well and its use would result in significant weight and cost savings in reusable launch and space vehicles such as, 2nd Generation RLV or the AF SOV, and the next generation of hypersonic vehicles. In the broadest sense, the hybrid composite will serve as a means of bonding together ceramic components, opening a plethora of product applications in the chemical processing and energy production industries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Fred Lauten
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4000

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Achieving the NASA goal to dramatically increase rocket powerhead capabilities is critically dependent on the development of high performance materials and affordable processing technologies. Turbopump housings are the single heaviest component in liquid fuel rocket engines, accounting for up to 25 percent of the engine weight. Composite materials with an adequate environmental resistance, and the affordable process to produce the large and complex components are the enabling path towards the high specific strength turbopump housings.

In the Phase I program, Foster-Miller developed innovative isotropic aluminum and copper alloy matrix composites to produce lightweight turbopump housings to satisfy the key rocket engines materials requirements: excellent mechanical properties within a relevant service temperature range, relatively low density, low cost and net shape fabrication. Foster-Miller demonstrated the feasibility of producing ceramic reinforced composites with Al and Cu matrixes using a Foster-Miller proprietary process - Net Shape Pressure Casting/Infiltration.

During Phase II, these materials concept and fabrication technique will be used to demonstrate their potential towards large and complex turbopump housing components fabrication. Materials composition will be optimized, properties repeatability will be confirmed, processing versatility and scalability will be demonstrated. Turbopump demonstration components will be fabricated and non-destructively characterized. (P010775)

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proprietary materials concept and fabrication process developed under this Phase II contract provides a low cost route to high specific strength, inexpensive, net shape Al and Cu-matrix alloy composite components. The primary application being investigated is rocket engine turbopump housings. This technology is an enabling one for Reusable Launch Vehicle rocket engines. Other rocket applications exist as lightweight alternative for nickel and ferrous superalloy components. Many applications also exist in gas turbine engines, diesel engines, automotive brake systems, and industrial equipment such as power generation, mining, and oil drilling.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Uday Kashalikar
Foster-Miller, Inc.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham , MA   02451 - 1196

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Foster-Miller, Inc.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham , MA   02451 - 1196

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
AJT proposes to fabricate and test a low-cost, engine test stand system for small thrust engines using gaseous, liquid or cryogenic propellants. This test stand incorporates automated propellant transfer, leak test and system purge. The rocket engines will be mounted onto an instrumented plate, providing thrust measurement, then attached to a cart. The cart incorporates four propellant QDs. An engine manufacturer will plumb the engine to the appropriate QD. The cart will then be placed on alignment rails, attached to a ground side frame, with four QDs matching the cart. The cart is manually pushed into place, then latched. This concept eliminates the requirement for any reconfiguration of the ground side propellant system. A PLC based controller allows the operator to monitor, control and program operational sequences for the propellant system. This concept will reduce the time and costs typically associated with testing different engines on the same test stand. Phase I resulted in complete assembly level drawings of the test stand using a solid 3-D CAD model. Schematics and isometric drawings were also completed for the propellant system. This concept is scalable for other and much larger engine test facilities.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are two particular commercial applications for this technology: rocket engine and aspirated jet engine test stands. There are numerous US and foreign rocket engine manufacturers which regularly fabricate and test small rocket engines. These companies (including TRW Space & Electronics, Kaiser Marquardt, Rocket Research Company, Thiokol, Aerojet, NIIMash, Isayev, Melnikov, Stechkin, Glushko, Kosberg, Korolev) all have needs for small rocket engine testing. Because this technology is scalable, other manufacturers of larger thrust engines are also potential customers. In the US, there are several premier government testing facilities (Marshall Space Flight Center and Stennis Space Center) which have direct and immediate applications for this innovative technology. Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin and Boeing would also benefit from this technology for both small and large rocket engines.

Jet engine manufacturers, aircraft maintenance facilities, and major airlines all conduct jet engine testing. This test stand concept can be easily modified to accommodate jet engines. Multiple carts could be used, allowing numerous engines to be tested quickly on the same test stand. During Phase II, AJT will contact these various potential commercial customers.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Dan Wegerif
AJT and Associates, Inc
8910 Astronaut Blvd.
Cape Canaveral , FL   32920 - 4225

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AJT and Associates, Inc
8910 Astronaut Blvd.
Cape Canaveral , FL   32920 - 4225

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The new class of General Aviation (GA) aircraft, expected to be developed under the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) concept, will: (1) be highly automated, (2) require much less skill to train and fly than current day aircraft, and (3) enable a trip to be made with a very high degree of safety in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) a high percentage of the time.
WaveBand Corporation (WaveBand), in collaboration with Research Triangle Institute (RTI), has proposed to combine an active Millimeter Wave (MMW) sensor with a database-derived SVS. This innovative approach will support and enable the SATS cornerstone concepts of self-separation for free flight, high-density operations and virtual terminal procedures (TERPS) during the transition period where the SATS aircraft must co-exist with conventionally equipped aircraft.
Accordingly, we used the actual and current MMW radar image to reference the database-derived synthetic image (SI), i.e., to find the closest match between the two renditions and to present the pilot with the SI that reliably represents the real world and contains indicators of all real-time object insertions.
The Phase II project objective is to demonstrate real time operation of the SISVS through its integration with WaveBand's autonomous landing and obstacle avoidance radar.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercialization and product development of the SISVS system for GA will be based on a similar development now underway for commercial aviation.
The proposed SISVS system offers a dramatic improvement in the low-visibility landing, taxiing and take-off operations by reducing the likelihood of accidents, delays and diversions. As distinct from other enhanced vision systems (EVS), the SISVS system will provide actual view of the landing strip in zero visibility without relying on any ground equipment.
The GA community is huge in terms of numbers of aircraft and unlike the other market segments, the operators are very diverse in terms of their objectives and business standing. These range from the sport flyer or weekend operator to the small company aircraft or sophisticated corporate jet. The ability to be able to take off from one location, to complete the flight without incident and to land in any weather offers a tremendous benefit. This can be estimated in terms of fuel savings, convenience and safety, although there are no specific financial models for safety. This benefit can be measured more in terms of damage and loss of life.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lev Sadovnik
WaveBand Corporation
375 Van Ness Ave, Suite #1105
Torrance , CA   90501 - 7204

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
WaveBand Corporation
375 Van Ness Ave, Suite #1105
Torrance , CA   90501 - 7204

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Mod Works Engineering Inc. proposes to apply AGATE developed technology to create a Fully Integrated small Aircraft Cockpit that will enable retrofitted and newly constructed aircraft to operate within the envisioned Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) environment. Emerging flat plate display Primary Flight Displays (PFD), Multi-function Displays, Graphic Display Unit, Digitally Integrated Stabilization and Control devices, switches, panel hardware and controls will be integrated in an automotive type lean manufacturing design process. The goal is to develop technology to reduce the cost of designing, constructing, integrating, simulator testing, and airborne testing of fully integrated aircraft cockpits.

The technological challenges are to apply virtual reality based development tools to conventional cockpits in a manner that reduces direct costs, development cycles, and the certification process. We must prove the concept of scenario base evaluation to optimize the operational characteristics of aircraft cockpits. Success of this concept expand the opportunity to develop highly functional and effective systems to reduce work load and increase safety of aircraft operation. This technology application supports the mission and goals of the SATS program.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial products are the justification for the technology development. Product goals are VAV, an aircraft stability and control system that provides full time-on pitch and roll stability. GDU, a Graphic operational depicter that provides information to the pilot in a logical sequential manor creating a virtual flight instructor in the cockpit. An Integrated Instrument Panel will be manufactured for new aircraft and retrofit markets. Flight Training Devices are being designed as a spin-off of the technological development. Manufacturing of a low cost FTD level III simulator is a specific goal of this program.

Demand for the products under development has already been established during public displays throughout the phase I effort. Our proven track record of quality high tech products will be continued with the technical success of this project.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tim Coons
Mod Works Engineering, Inc.
8249 Skylane Way
Punta Gorda , FL   33982 - 2438

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mod Works Engineering, Inc.
8249 Skylane Way
Punta Gorda , FL   33982 - 2438

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal presents an innovative design for a traffic information and collision avoidance system for general aviation aircraft. While there are many ongoing programs to improve situational awareness, the majority of the research is aimed at commercial aviation and high end users, and will require expensive technological solutions. General aviation has the same needs -- to improve situational awareness and therefore improve safety, but most general aviation aircraft owners cannot afford the types of solutions that are being evaluated for commercial aviation. There is a need to provide GA pilots with traffic information, cost-effectively, at the nation's 5,134 public use airports. In this proposal we present a low-cost solution that can provide the vast majority of GA users with the ability to identify and locate other traffic in the terminal area. Depending on whether the aircraft is equipped with a moving map display or only a VHF radio, the service will either show the location of proximate transponder equipped aircraft on the map display or will provide aural alerting only. This proposal combines Rannoch's pioneering work in aircraft tracking technology with Potomac Airfield's pioneering work with VHF pilot alerting to provide a complete solution with two levels of service.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
An automated traffic information system for terminal areas, including airport surface operations at more than 5000 public use airports. A system that provides enhanced situational awareness to airport operations vehicles and airline support vehicles to help eliminate the growing problem of runway incursions. A system that provides enhanced radar coverage at low altitudes to fill in gaps in ARTCC radar coverage. A surveillance system that is forward and backward compatible with ADS-B equipped aircraft, and therefore capable of providing traffic information about all aircraft during the transition to ADS-B.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bennett Cohen
Rannoch Corporation
1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 430
Alexandria , VA   22314 - 2840

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Rannoch Corporation
1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 430
Alexandria , VA   22314 - 2840

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Improvements in performance and safety will require improvements in control and health monitoring systems and the sensors required for these systems. Large numbers of sensors are required and must be reduced in size and weight, perform over extended temperature ranges, and provide multiplexing capabilities. In addition, with the industry moving toward a more electric aircraft, electromagnetic interference (EMI) becomes more of a concern with existing aircraft sensors. Fiber optic sensor technology developed in this program can improve measurements by providing small size, light-weight, highly reliable and multiplexed devices that are immune to EMI. In the Phase I program, the Luna research team successfully demonstrated the feasibility of producing nanotube/fiber-optic sensors smaller than ever before possible that will accurately measure wall properties, such as skin friction and temperature. With Phase II support, the ultra-small fiber-optic sensors will provide point measurements of aerodynamic flow parameters previously unobtainable, with increased sensitivity As a result of this project, Luna anticipates introducing the world?s smallest skin-friction/temperature sensor, which will find ready markets in advanced aeronautic systems and machine design. These measurements provide invaluable insight into validating new aircraft design and evaluating performance shortfalls on existing aircraft.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The development of an ultra-minaturized relatively non-invasive sensor, which has an enhanced temperature application range and is small enough to provide ease of manipulation, installation, and replacement will be beneficial in the flight testing of existing aircraft and other industries which require accurate flow measurements under demanding conditions. This sensor will also find use in the research and development of future aircraft and the on-going monitoring of current aircraft.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Paige Stevenson
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6657

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Based on the success of the Phase-I program, Brimrose Corp. of America proposes to pursue the versatility of the photo-EMF sensors and to further develop self-adaptive laser velocimeters as well as high precision optical path length measurement apparatus and their wide-reaching applications in the commercial markets. During the Phase-II stage of this program, Brimrose and its consultants will develop and validate the auto-calibration technique which allows the photo-EMF sensors to unambiguously determine the Doppler frequency shifts and eliminate the signal power dependence of the sensor response. We will investigate the sources of errors and noises to improve the measurement signal-to-noise ratios. The Doppler shift measurement sensitivity and dynamic range will be optimized based on the specific application requirements. Multi-element sensor arrays will be investigated to allow scanner-less wide area monitoring of high-speed objects. Techniques offering ultra-high precision optical distance measurement using photo-EMF sensors will be demonstrated to NASA. Sensors and sensor apparatus will be provided to NASA for testing and evaluation purposes on a continuous basis during the Phase-II program. Commercial applications originating from the success of this program will include Laser Radars, Laser Ultrasonic Inspection Systems, Optical Metrology/High Precision Manufacturing, and high speed Optical Communication Networks.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Potential commercial applications stemming from the success of this program will include Laser Radars, Laser Ultrasonic Inspection Systems, Optical Metrology/High Precision Manufacturing, and high speed Optical Communication Networks. The ultra-high Doppler shift detection bandwidth allows photo-EMF sensor-based laser radars to monitor objects traveling with supersonic speeds. They can also be used to monitor the presence of air turbulence and cross winds. Photo-EMF laser ultrasonic inspection system will allow remote interrogation of specimen structural integrity. These applications will have profound impacts on the safety of aviation industries. Photo-EMF sensors can also be adopted to measure with high accuracy target distances and topographical features. With sufficient spatial resolution to be developed in the Phase II program, photo-EMF sensors can be used to monitor the thickness of semiconductor thin films during the growth process and determine the flatness of magnetic disks. Photo-EMF sensor-based apparatus can be used to characterize the dispersion characteristics of optical fibers with unprecedented precision, determine the integrity of optical fiber cables, and measure the timing jitter between high bit rate optical pulses. All these will lead to next generation ultra-high bit rate optical communication networks capable of simultaneously sharing information among remotely located facilities.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Chen Chia Wang
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 4968

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 4968

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed research is intended to develop a new analysis for stresses and displacements in aerospace structures based on the combined conventional Displacement (Stiffness) Method and on a new formulation of the Force Method developed by the principal investigator. Since some of the elements used currently in the Displacement Method violate equations of stress equilibrium, an additional analysis by the Force Method in which element stresses do not violate the equations of equilibrium will provide bracketing on the solution (i.e. upper and lower bounds on stresses and displacements) thereby ensuring greater confidence in numerical results. Since the Force Method stresses are derived directly from internal forces they are more accurate than the stresses in the Displacement Method which requires differentiation of the displacement field within the element. The method will be illustrated on a typical multispar wing structure. The current project at this time will address only the overall concept of modifying existing computer codes; however, the actual modification of a specific commercial code or codes and subsequent commercialization will be addressed as a follow-on project after the completion of Phase I.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The unique feature of the new finite element software program for obtaining the upper and lower bounds solutions for structural computations should generate a great potential for commercial applications particularly in aerospace industry where high accuracy is needed because of the small factors of safety on the design loads. Also other industries where plate (panel) or hexahedral elements are used will be interested in using this new software. In particular, the shipbulding industry will welcome the new concept of analysis since the ship structures are usually modeled by panel elements. The main advantage of the new software will be that it will provide a new structural design tool with improved accuracy of the computed stresses and displacements.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Janusz Przemieniecki
Astra Technologies, Inc
510 Pennyroyal Place
Venice , FL   34293 - 7233

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Astra Technologies, Inc
510 Pennyroyal Place
Venice , FL   34293 - 7233

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Fixed vane vortex generators (VGs) have been in existence for over 50 years and as yet no other flow control device or technique has proven to be as cost effective. This is perhaps surprising since studies using flow control by blowing and suction, use of synthetic jets to energize a boundary layer, etc. have been going on for some time. Fixed VGs are still being fitted to commercial jetliners currently manufactured due to their simplicity and the fact that VGs can be surface mounted. For these reasons, VGs are preferred over leading competing concepts that require modification and /or plumbing beneath the aircraft skin. However, once the VG has been configured to improve performance in one flight regime,there is an off design penalty. This proposal details a program to improve upon the fixed VG by making them deployable ?on demand? and thereby eliminating any penalty when the generators are stowed. The enabling technology to accomplish this is to use Shape Memory Alloy materials to deploy the generators. Because of their unique force/stroke characteristics it is possible to design surface mounted vortex generators so that they have no aerodynamic penalty when not deployed and require no surface cut-out.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
On demand vortex generators can replace all fixed vane generators currently
in use as well as allow designers to find additional applications where
fixed vane generators would give unacceptable off-design penalties.
Control of separated flow about a helicopter rotor hub and fuselage, since
a helicopter operates in a dual mode, is a new use for an on demand device.
General aviation applications may reduce landing speed and mitigate stall.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Alan J. Bilanin
Continuum Dynamics, Inc.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing , NJ   08618 - 2302

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Continuum Dynamics, Inc.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing , NJ   08618 - 2302

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In their Phase I SBIR program, Technology in Blacksburg (Techsburg) demonstrated the feasibility of flow control for providing added stall margin to the UEET compressor. This was shown computationally on an isolated row of stators. Phase II intends to expand on Phase I results by demonstrating the capabilities of flow control in a state-of-the-art, multi-stage, transonic turbomachinery environment. To achieve this goal, Techsburg has teamed with AP Solutions, who will provide CFD support, and Roll-Royce Corporation in Indianapolis who will be providing mechanical design and analysis of the flow control stators to be rig tested.

By preventing separation on the suction surface of stators, ejector pump flow control prevents stall of the stator during off-design flow conditions. As a result, the exit flow angle and pressure rise across the stator more closely resemble design conditions even when the inlet flow angle is as much as 10 degrees beyond design. Consequently, the inlet conditions for the downstream stages remains close to design and overall operability of the compressor is improved.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The product of this research program will be a technology that will be incorporated into future designs of gas turbine engines. To achieve this goal, Techsburg is developing this technology with aid from NASA Glenn and the UEET program. NASA Glenn and the UEET represent the forefront of technology development for future commercial gas turbine engines. The stated goal of the UEET program is ?to develop and hand off revolutionary turbine engine propulsion technologies that will enable future generation vehicles over a wide range of flight speeds.? Through participation with NASA Glenn, Techsburg is better positioning its technology for future implementation in commercial gas turbine engines.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Stephen Guillot
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc
1861 Pratt Drive; Suite 2040
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6371

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc
1861 Pratt Drive; Suite 2040
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6371

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This innovation relates to the development of a stitched composite hollow core fan blade that would be used in the first stage of a turbofan jet engine. It is a novel design concept that incorporates the recent advancements made in stitched composites under NASA Contract NAS1-20546 (Technology Verification of Composite Primary Wing Structures for Commercial Transport Aircraft) and further advances the state-of-the-art by employing a unique fabrication method that results in a hollow-core part that is lightweight, damage tolerant, and inexpensive to manufacture. The significant improvement in structural efficiency is made possible by: 1) the superior damage tolerance of stitched composites, and 2) the ability to produce a hollow-core geometry. The combination of these two features enables the design of a revolutionary blade structure that is capable of meeting the most stringent bird-strike-loading requirements.

The primary goal of the Phase I research was to demonstrate the manufacturing feasibility this novel approach. This was accomplished by validating the operational characteristics of a thin-gauge bladder system, and then ultimately, by fabricating a prototype component to demonstrate the critical structural design features of the hollow-core body. The Phase II work would focus on fabricating a full-scale complex-curvature fan blade component.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial and military jet engines where weight and fabrication cost savings are critical. Since the potential for large fabrication cost savings exists, the market for this application is broader than just performance-driven aircraft; it also includes smaller, more price-sensitive, jet aircraft.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael Louderback
V System Composites
5550 Oberlin Drive
San Diego , CA   92121 - 1000

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
V System Composites
5550 Oberlin Drive
San Diego , CA   92121 - 1000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Recently, NASA has increased its emphasis on reducing the cost of reaching low Earth orbit. A key technology requirement is a single stage to orbit (SSTO) using a rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) engine. In the third stage, an air-breathing vehicle will travel at speeds from Mach 5 to Mach 10. Under these conditions, the vehicle requires cooling in excess of that provided by sensible fuel heating. Additional heat sink can be extracted from the fuel if it undergoes endothermic cracking reactions. However cracking requires high temperatures, which increase the heat exchanger weight. In Phase I TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) demonstrated that chemical initiators, which accelerate the rate of the thermal cracking reactions, significantly increase the fuel heat sink capacity at temperatures between 400 and 575?C. With normal heptane at 575?C, we found that the initiator increased the heat sink capacity between 400 and 575?C from 282 Btu/lb to 420 Btu/lb, an increase of 49%. We also found that the initiator increased the heat sink capacity of JP-7 between 400 and 550?C, from 333 to 411Btu/lb, an improvement of 23%. Finally, a kinetic analysis suggests that temperature required for 50% cracking with initiator would be 100?C lower than that required without initiator.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to the immediate application, cooling reusable launch vehicles, TDA?s initiator technology could also find use in the chemical refining industry. Ethylene, which is the largest volume building block for the petrochemical industry (U.S. production is worth $17 billion per year) is also produced by thermal cracking of heavier hydrocarbons. TDA?s initiator technology may allow the process to be carried out at significantly lower temperatures, which would lower costs and increase profit margin. The Olefins Technology Development Manager at Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) a major supplier of ethylene production technology has expressed interest in our initiator technology and has included a letter of support in the proposal.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. David T. Wickham
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Physical sensors for acquiring transient point measurements of temperature, pressure, skin friction and acceleration in extreme temperature gas turbine environments are currently unavailable. Current state-of-the-art sensors require researchers and turbine manufacturers to sacrifice frequency response for increased accuracy, forcing them to make assumptions about the transient nature of the environment being monitored. Clearly, there is a need for a suite of sensors capable of acquiring transient measurements in high-temperature, gas turbine environments at discrete points. Luna Innovations proposes to develop a fiber optic temperature, pressure and accelerometer suite capable of acquiring transient point measurements in high temperature, propulsive environments. The operating principle of the probe will be based on proven Extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) techniques. Luna will use its extensive experience developing and commercializing fiber optic sensors technology, including the previous development of lower temperature versions of such sensors, to design, develop, and construct the proposed advanced sensor transducers for combustion environments. The data obtained by these sensors will be invaluable for validation and development of CFD codes for combusting flows. This instrumentation is crucial to the development and operation of affordable and efficient 21st century gas turbine engines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Research in the high temperature instrumentation area will provide transducers with commercial uses that will include 1) aerospace turbines, 2) high temperature monitoring in gas turbine power generation facilities, 3) high temperature industrial process monitoring, and 4) automotive sensing for engine health monitoring and control. The aerospace and power gas turbine markets are each multi-billion dollar industries. Luna Innovations reasonably expects to capture at least a fraction of this market with the proposed extreme temperature sensors, resulting in a conservative estimate of annual revenues at $10 million. As target operating temperatures increase, the market size decreases, as does the number of competitors. Our target market is the extreme temperature conditions found in gas turbines for the aerospace and power generation industries. In these applications, SiC and sapphire-based sensors produced by Luna will dominate the high temperature sensor market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Robert S. Fielder
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6657

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Luna Innovations Incorporated
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The development of a commercially viable photogrammetric system is proposed for measurement of motion and deformation of flight control surfaces. The Phase II effort will build upon the accomplishments of Phase I, and develop a fast response, high resolution system that can track targets even after temporary loss. The dynamic capabilities of the system will be achieved by employing multi-thread/multi-processing technologies as well as high-speed, high resolution cameras. An integrated software package will be developed to produce a fully capable, user friendly graphical interface for controlling all operations of the photogrammetry system including, but not limited to, camera calibration, data acquisition, processing and display. The significance of such a system is that it provides real time, accurate, non-contact measurements of motion, as well as deformation of a flight control surface using digital photogrammetry.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed photogrammetric system for deformation measurement will first be used as a research tool for aircraft design and evaluation. The fast response, high resolution measurement system will also find application in aircraft morphing studies. After the hardware and software are both ruggedized, the system can be used routinely to measure motion and deformation of flight control surfaces in various aircrafts, in manufacturing environments for quality inspection and process control. In addition to applications in aerospace industry, a large market exists for remote optical profiling measurements of complex objects and parts in general manufacturing industries. Other industrial applications include machine vision, architectural and terrestrial surveying, and forensic reconstruction. In the medical field, the potential applications include the diagnosis of muscular and skeletal problems, studies of anatomy, and reconstructive surgery.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Fei Li
High Technology Corporation
28 Research Drive
Hampton , VA   23666 - 1364

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
High Technology Corporation
28 Research Drive
Hampton , VA   23666 - 1364

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The development of a modeling and analysis software environment for studying air traffic flow requirements and operations (MAESTRO) is proposed. The software package is based on the algorithms and techniques developed and demonstrated during the Phase I research. MAESTRO will provide a systematic approach for synthesizing traffic flow models using airspace geometric data. The software will incorporate methods from automatic control theory to help analyze the controllability of the air traffic environment with respect to specified flow control locations in the airspace, traffic latency between pairs of departure-arrival locations, observability of the traffic flow with respect to measurements, and the stability and robustness of specific traffic flow control schemes. Algorithms for employing the flow models to determine the stochastic properties of the air traffic environment will be included. Finally, the synthesis techniques will be provided for developing stable and robust decision aids for use in air traffic flow control.
The software package will be commercialized at the end of Phase II work. Phase III work demonstrated the benefits of using this software in real-time flow control operations.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Modeling and analysis methodologies developed in the present research are useful in any problem involving the movement of discrete objects through specified pathways. Thus, these analysis approaches can be used to develop reliable algorithms for routing of Internet protocol packets, IP-server load balancing and for developing strategies to combat IP-server intrusions. The techniques developed under this research can also be used to develop strategies for controlling discrete manufacturing processes, and for the development of intelligent highway-vehicle systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. P. K. Menon
Optimal Synthesis Inc.
4966 El Camino Real, Suite 108
Los Altos , CA   94022 - 1406

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Optimal Synthesis Inc.
4966 El Camino Real, Suite 108
Los Altos , CA   94022 - 1406

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this SBIR effort we propose an innovative approach for the integration of Decision Support Tools (DSTs) for increased situational awareness, improved cooperative scheduling and collaborative decision-making in all parts of the air space. We propose to investigate two types of integration models based on the extent and feasibility of the level of integration and use appropriate game theoretic approaches to analyze these models. The proposed models are: (i) Data-sharing DST integration model: In this model, DSTs will primarily share data that is required for each DST to take a decision before an event happens. Based on the shared data each DST acts independently (ii) Interacting DST integration model: In this model, DSTs not only share data but also advise each other to act in such a way to reduce the level of conflict. Tools based on repeated strategic games and cooperative bargaining games will be used. We primarily focus on integrating Traffic Management Advisories (TMAs) across multiple centers as the application domain for the Phase I effort.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The successful development of a DST for Traffic Flow management based on increased situational awareness, improved cooperative scheduling and collaborative decision-making between sectors, centers and regions can position IAI as a key player in the ATM market. Currently there does not exist any DST for sector metering based on time-based collaborative metering. The proposed DST will result in significant increase in NAS-wide capacity and reduction in delays, resulting in cost savings to the NAS stakeholders that include the passengers, airlines, military and ATSPs. Our Phase II effort will result in the development of game-theoretic tools that can easily be tailored to meet the needs of integrating other decision support tools as required by NASA's the Distributed Air Ground (DAG-TM) initiative. This is a fairly untapped market, still in its infancy, but with an extremely high commercialization potential. IAI is already developing agent-based software for NAS-wide simulations of ATM operations under free flight/ DAG-TM scenarios. The DST will be integrated into the simulation toolbox providing users the ability to evaluate new ATM concepts and assess the impact of the DST. Participation of Raytheon and Booz Allen & Hamilton in our Phase II effort to help IAI commercialize our technology gives us unique competitive advantage.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Vikram Manikonda
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 6205

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 6205

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA is developing new concepts for Air Traffic Management (ATM) that redistribute flight planning authority across decision-makers (pilots, controllers, and dispatchers) in the National Air Space (NAS). To explore these concepts, new modeling and simulation (M&S) initiatives focus on developing models of the NAS components (vehicles, radars, communications, etc), but it is clear that equal emphasis must be given to modeling the distributed decision-making, via high-fidelity Human Behavior Representations (HBRs). In Phase I, we explored approaches to this, concluding that HBRs need to: 1) represent human capabilities, limitations, and rules of behavior for decision-makers within the NAS; 2) be agent-based and extensible within larger scale simulations; and 3) provide ?hooks? that support exploration of alternative decision-making protocols that drive ATM safety and performance. We developed a concept demonstration that showed how agent-based HBRs, embedded in a medium-fidelity simulator, could be used to optimize ATM performance, via a Genetic Algorithm (GA) procedure that ?evolves? well-formed conflict resolution procedures within the agents. In Phase II, we will extend this prototype, expanding the scope of decision-making and negotiation behaviors, enhancing the ?fitness functions? the GA used for assessing and optimizing performance, and validating the approach in high-fidelity ATM simulations of future NAS operations.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed technology will directly support simulation of the developed agents in the advanced ATM system. These simulations will support the design and specification of rules for negotiation for pilots, air traffic controller and airline dispatchers in the advanced ATM environment of the future. The underlying models of information processing, situation assessment, and distributed decision-making will also support requirements in other domains (e.g. intelligent vehicle highway systems, strategic warfare gaming industry, etc.). We also plan to extract the decision-making and communications components to embed in a generalized Intelligent Agent Toolkit (IAT) configurable to any domain requiring intelligent agent interaction.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Karen Harper
Charles River Analytics Inc.
725 Concord Ave
Cambridge , MA   02138 - 1040

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Charles River Analytics Inc.
725 Concord Ave
Cambridge , MA   02138 - 1040

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project will result in a low-cost, lightweight, attitude-command-attitude-hold (ACAH) stabilization system for civil helicopters. The results of the Phase I SBIR, as well as the results of past and ongoing U.S. Army and NASA research, will be used as a starting point to develop an ACAH stability augmentation system (SAS) that can be used to enhance the dynamics of civil helicopters in a way that is economically viable to the user. The proposed ACAH SAS will provide a low-cost solution to achieve improved helicopter dynamics, and hence enhanced safety, in two critical flight regimes, the degraded visual environment (DVE) for low speed and hover, and for IFR operations in forward flight. The primary advantage of the SAS is that it will allow the pilot to remove his hands from the controls, and to accomplish divided attention tasks. The initial development of the ACAH-SAS will be accomplished using a hardware-in-the-loop piloted simulation. The system will be designed around low-cost, lightweight servo-motors/actuators that have been developed for other applications. A main and monitor processor will be employed to detect failures. Once the control laws and hardware have been selected, flight-testing will be accomplished using a Robinson R44 test aircraft.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
An informal survey of manufacturers and users, as well as editorial comments in trade journals (e.g., Rotor and Wing) indicate that there is a substantial need for a low cost SAS for helicopters that would provide handling qualities that result in reasonable assurance of IFR certification, as well as increased safety for divided attention tasks. Current solutions are too expensive and/or too heavy, as evidenced by the fact that only 4% of US registered helicopters are IFR capable. The ACAH stability augmentation system would be marketed to manufacturers for installation in new helicopters, and as an aftermarket installation. The target market would consist primarily of helicopters that exist at the lower end of the cost spectrum (starting at a new cost of $300,000). This would include mostly piston helicopters such as the Robinson R-44, the Enstrom 280FX, and Schweizer 300C. It is estimated that there is also a potential market for low-end turbine helicopters. Essentially none of these helicopters are currently certified for IFR.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Roger Hoh
Hoh Aeronautics, Inc.
2075 Palos Verdes Dr N #217
Lomita , CA   90717 - 3726

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hoh Aeronautics, Inc.
2075 Palos Verdes Dr N #217
Lomita , CA   90717 - 3726

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Recent developments have illustrated the tremendous potential of Micro
Rotorcraft (MRCs) for new missions such as remote sensing, surveillance,
and autonomous exploration. To date, little effort has been directed
toward addressing the severe aerodynamic limitations inherent in operating
at low Reynolds number that have greatly constrained MRC performance.
Phase I of this effort saw the development of novel blade configurations
tailored to a range of MRC missions via a combination of advanced
optimization methods for low Re airfoils and application of established
rotor analysis tools. These validated analyses demonstrated the potential
of new configurations to provide double the payload or endurance of current
generation MRCs. Phase II will build on this to yield new, comprehensive
design analysis software to support development of next generation MRC
rotor systems, forming the foundation of a suite of tools enabling
multi-disciplinary optimization of the full range of rotorcraft from MRCs
to full scale vehicles. This will enable a formal design capability for
MRCs, bypassing the prevalent cut-and-try approach. The design analysis
will then be used to perform a complete design of an MRC rotor system for a
free flight vehicle.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The recent rapid expansion of MRC missions in defense applications is being
mirrored by growth in possible civil roles for MRC concepts, including
aerial imaging, inspection, and specialized payload delivery. Important
Phase III goals of this effort would include producing and marketing a
family of rotor systems for next generation MRCs, as well as providing
software for design of autonomous rotorcraft for future missions, including
possible exploration of planetary atmospheres. In addition, through a
collaboration with established industry partners during Phase II, the low
Re design technology to be developed here will be applied both to the
development of improved autonomous helicopters as well as to the design of
high efficiency cooling fans for air treatment applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Todd R. Quackenbush
Continuum Dynamics, Inc.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing , NJ   08618 - 2302

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Continuum Dynamics, Inc.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing , NJ   08618 - 2302

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Methane to Aromatics on Mars (METAMARS) project will design and build a machine for converting methane produced by the Sabatier reaction into a low hydrogen content, low vapor pressure, high density, aromatic fuel. Its primary advantage is a factor of four reduction of hydrogen feedstock importation requirements for production of rocket fuel compared to the standard S/E process for an equivalent mass of fuel. In addition, since all oxygen produced by the Sabatier system comes from the carbon dioxide feed, by reducing the hydrogen in the fuel the METAMARS process will simultaneously improve the stoichiometry of the fuel/oxidizer combination and will reduce the power required by the process. The benzene fuel is also considerably denser than methane fuel. A final advantage of the METAMARS process is that it operates at low pressure, in contrast to synthesis reactions for other higher hydrocarbons. These advantages make the METAMARS process a prime technology to improve the applicability of the Sabatier process for small scale unmanned Mars missions, such as the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, as well as a key technology for manned Mars missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The METAMARS process concept has three markets that will be addressed during the commercialization portion of the Phase II program. First, the integrated METAMARS/Sabatier production system has an important application on Mars to generate a high-quality, storable fuel (benzene) as well as oxygen from in-situ resources with very high leverage of the hydrogen delivered from Earth. Second, the METAMARS natural gas-to-benzene concept has a strong potential for recovering the enormous energy value associated with remote natural gas resources that are currently unrecoverable or wasted due to the inability to economically store and transport natural gas to market. Conversion of natural gas to benzene will facilitate the utilization of this currently unutilized or wasted resource. Third, significant potential improvements in terrestrial benzene production methods and economics will result from the catalyst and process improvements generated from the Phase II program. The hydrogen byproduct generated from the latter two concepts provides significant additional economic support to the commercialization effort.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tony Muscatello
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A
Lakewood , CO   80215 - 5516

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A
Lakewood , CO   80215 - 5516

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project is to develop miniature, solid-state, chemical reactors using advanced Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and microchannel technology to support in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) of Mars and lunar missions. Successful ISRU will require component technologies which provide optimal size, weight, volume, and power efficiency. This project is adapting fundamental MEMS and microchannel fabrication technologies to key chemical reaction processes common to most proposed ISRU schemes, namely, the conversion of water to hydrogen and oxygen and the reduction of carbon oxides. This project also seeks to use microchannel and MEMS technologies as means of achieving integration of system components, such as filters, valves and instrumentation, with key chemical processing steps, such as reaction bed, product separation and thermal management systems. The goal of the program is to develop technology which addresses NASA's needs for missions, such as the Mars Sample Return Mission and propellant production for the Mars Accent Vehicle. This Phase II program will develop a prototype integrated miniature ISRU system for the production of methane, oxygen, and other useful chemicals from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
MEMs and microchannel technology is an emerging field with applications in most industrial processes due excellent mixing, controlled reaction environment, and energy efficiency. This technology offers improvements in existing processes and will enable new processes to become cost effective. Of particular interest is the reformation of hydrocarbons to hydrogen for fuel cell applications, the upgrading of natural gas to high value liquids, and the conversion of carbon dioxide to useful products which do not contribute to global warming.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Darby Makel
Makel Engineering,Inc.
275 Fairchild Ave, Suite 106
Chico , CA   95973 - 8833

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Makel Engineering,Inc.
275 Fairchild Ave, Suite 106
Chico , CA   95973 - 8833

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The goal of the proposed Phase II program is to further develop a family of novel synthetic muscle systems with robotic sensing and actuation capabilities for a wide spectrum of NASA space robotics and EVA applications. In particular, configurations of interest are in the form of contractile fiber-like linear actuators. The fact that the proposed synthetic fibrous muscles function well in the cold harsh environment of space and yet are biomimetic and noiseless is of significance to NASA related space missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The synthetic muscle systems with robotic sensing and soft actuation capabilities can be also utilized for terrestrial actuators, sensors, and transducers applications due to their unique performance.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mohsen Shahinpoor
Environmental Robots, Inc.
P.O. Box 20940
Albuquerque , NM   87154 - 0940

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Environmental Robots, Inc.
P.O. Box 20940
Albuquerque , NM   87154 - 0940

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Barrett?s proposed innovation is a high-performance actuator and drive system for life-size haptic devices. The novel actuator will provide redundant safety while at the same time improving responsiveness. The actuator is no larger than high-performance brushless actuators used in haptics devices today and is easily adapted to existing designs.

Phase-I proved feasibility of this concept with a series of successful proof-of-concept prototypes and supporting data. Phase II will refine the design, integrate the actuators into a new life-size haptic device, and develop the controls required to exploit the extra capability.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Z-KAT, Inc. licenses Barrett?s present life-size haptic device, the WAM? for surgical uses. The company has made significant investments in this product. The market need for orthopedic surgical systems alone is 10,000 systems at $100,000 per system. Other applications include short-wavelength laser cutting and welding, metrology, and rehabilitation therapy. For NASA, the benefits include ground-based zero-G simulator training. Shuttle and Station based practice training for Shuttle landings, and exercise/rehabilitation during extended periods in microgravity.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
William Townsend
Barrett Technology
139 Main St
Cambridge , MA   02142 - 1528

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Barrett Technology
139 Main St
Cambridge , MA   02142 - 1528

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Dynamic microscopy in the physical and biological sciences usually depends on specialized, investigator-built chambers. There are no standard instruments for the microscopic imaging of moving objects. The proposed innovation is a versatile slide for the observation of fluid phenomena using conventional light microscopes. The slide consists of a hollow glass chamber and a robust holder. The chamber is a commercially available part (4 x 0.5 x 100 mm hollow slide with a 0.17 mm wall), and the robust holder can be manufactured by the hundreds. Research is proposed that leads to a holder-chamber assembly ("Dynascope") that can be activated by electric fields, magnetic fields, thermal gradients, pumped fluids and optical trap(s). The Dynascope will be usable in low-gravity research on the ISS Light Microscopy Module and on other light microscopes for observing electrically, magnetically and capillary-induced movements in fluids, including electrophoresis, ferrofluidics, Marangoni flow, colloid assembly and stabilization, and cell locomotion using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Algorithms will analyze velocity data unique to magnetic and electrokinetic motion. The Phase II research deliverable is a final report describing the research and the Dynascope and a prototype Dynascope suitable for attaching to the LMM laboratory module and for laboratory experiments.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Apart from the potential uses of the Dynascope observation platform and software by microgravity researchers on the International Space Station, the different modules of Dynascope have several applications in earth-bound laboratories. There will be a magnetic module that will be sold into laboratories wanting to characterize magnetic particle dispersions, such as are used in life sciences research, controlled delivery of therapeutics, biological cell separation and identification, ferrofluid physics and scientific and industrial magnetorheology. There will be an automated electrokinetic module for which the largest market is expected to consist of industrial and research laboratories measuring or studying the stability of colloids. Measurements of colloidal stability by electrokinetics are performed in water quality analysis laboratories, the paints and coatings industries, industrial fine particles, emulsion research, blood research and the study of living biological cells. Without the application of force fields the Dynascope observation platform and software packages are useful in the study of microscopic flows by Particle Image Velocimetry, capillary-induced convection in phase-changing systems, particle-particle interactions and the automated determination of motility distributions in populations of living biological cells. SHOT is considering entering several of these marketplaces.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Paul Todd
Space Hardware Optimization Technology
7200 Highway 150
Greenville , IN   47124 - 9515

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Space Hardware Optimization Technology
7200 Highway 150
Greenville , IN   47124 - 9515

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Space Station Biological Research Program at NASA is developing advanced facilities, including cell culture systems to conduct microgravity research in cell biology onboard the Space Station. These systems will provide basic and essential infrastructure for space-based cell biology research. However, full utilization of the Space Station biological research facilities will require additional instrumentation with specialized capabilities for quantitative cell analysis. The development of highly automated and miniaturized instrumentation and advanced methodologies has been singled out as a high research priority in Space Biology; the present proposal addresses this NASA need. A fundamental biological process in which gravity is known to play a role is gene expression. We propose development of a novel surface plasmon resonance imaging spectrometer system for label-free protein expression profiling in space. The system will consist of a rugged, compact instrument with low mass and low power consumption, and a proteomics biosensor chip array integrated into a microfluidics cartridge. The label-free nature of the system makes it ideally suited for space-based application as it will permit direct seamless coupling between cell culture samples and the biosensor to make it possible and convenient to perform complex cellular analyses in real time within the resource limitations and triple containment constraints extant in the Space Station.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
High throughput screening in the field of proteomics and drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Salvador M. Fernandez
Ciencia, Inc.
111 Roberts Street, Suite K
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3653

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ciencia, Inc.
111 Roberts Street, Suite K
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3653

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In the Phase II program, Agave BioSystems will complete the development of this innovative device by assembling and integrating all components for a self-contained, easy to use instrument. To assist in this development effort, Dr. James L. Leary of University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston and Prof. George Malliaras of Cornell University will act as consultants. Having proven the principals of operation, the focus will be on development of microfluidic interconnects for complete systems integration; optimization of fabrication techniques for reliable, high-performance characteristics; miniaturization of auxiliary components such as air supplies and electro-optics; and engineering of electronic controls and user interface. At the completion of the program, Agave BioSystems will deliver a working prototype instrument to the NASA sponsor ready for testing and evaluation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Since the nanoSort will be independent of droplet formation, versatility of this instrument will be enhanced over existing systems, whether for space or earth-based cytometric sorting. The nanoSort will be significantly easier and cheaper to operate than conventional fluorescence-activated cell sorters, will achieve a small footprint per unit separation, and will require much smaller input populations. Because the microfluidic component of the nanoSort flow cytometer will be small and inexpensive to fabricate, it will be readily disposable, eliminating cross contamination between samples, and making it especially attractive for use in space and in the field. In addition, the miniaturization of the flow chambers will allow configurations for parallel processing which will make these systems highly scalable. Inexpensive devices that rapidly sort live cells, particles and even single molecules would greatly facilitate screening of combinatorial chemical, biochemical or biological libraries taking advantage of the enormous power of in vitro evolution. Such devices would have wide applications in clinical medicine and basic research.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Joel Tabb
Agave BioSystems, Inc.
PO Box 80010
Austin , TX   78708 - 0010

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Agave BioSystems, Inc.
PO Box 80010
Austin , TX   78708 - 0010

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The cultivation of cells in horizontally rotating vessels under low shear stress has become extremely popular in recent years, and its non-rotating counterpart, low-gravity cell culture in space flight is also gaining popularity. Very significant effects of diminished inertial acceleration on cultured cells have been reported but with rather disappointing substantiation by repetition or physical explanations. The proposed innovation, "Dynacult" will provide the necessary facilities for multiple cell bioreactor experiments on orbit on the International Space Station and for multiple, independently controlled bioreactor experiments in laboratories. The proposed research will lead to a completely sealed, completely externally controlled bioreactor system consisting of a 50 mL (or less) reactor vessel with options for rotation, perfusion and oxygenation, fresh medium reservoir and spent medium waste, up to 6 automatic sample collections of cells or cell-free reactor medium at user-specified times, robust in-line sensors of oxygen and pH, and a video microscope for observing or counting cells in an external sampling loop. The deliverables at the end of this Phase II research project are a final report summarizing the research, a description of a flight-worthy Dynacult unit, and a ground-based prototype for laboratory operation, including the cultivation of a test mammalian cell line.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial product anticipated from this proposed research program is innovative cell culturing and transplantable tissue growth equipment. The primary product is the complete teleoperated, perfused cell culture system, which has applications in both terrestrial and space laboratories. Secondary products include the ancillary subsystems of our innovative cell culturing system. These include the video cell culturing subsystem (which will automate cell counting at any time), sampling system that captures supernatant medium or cells for subculturing or fixation, miniature in-line sensors for monitoring and controlling the pH and oxygen concentrations of the culture, and telescience capability for monitoring and control. The commercial venture for SHOT is the manufacture and marketing of the cell culturing system and subsystems. Our DYNACULT cell culturing system has unique advantages over competing technology, which provides the potential for introducing it outright in the ground-based commercial market. The innovative nature of the subsystems, such as miniature sensors and automated sampling, provides an even greater opportunity for our commercial venture, since they can be marketed through other cell culturing suppliers if we chose not to compete with them. There is currently no equipment on the market that does exactly what the DYNACULT unit can do.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Paul Todd
Space Hardware Optimization Technology
7200 Highway 150
Greenville , IN   47124 - 9515

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Space Hardware Optimization Technology
7200 Highway 150
Greenville , IN   47124 - 9515

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The overall goal of this program is to develop a feedback-controlled directional solidification system capable of maintaining a separation gap between the solidifying charge and its containment, the so-called detached Bridgman growth.

The Phase I work focused on development and testing of an eddy-current sensor for detecting the presence as well as measuring the magnitude of the charge/crucible separation gap. Based on these results, we believe that eddy-current sensors have the necessary sensitivity to detect gap thicknesses expected to be present during detached growth, and can provide the necessary signal for achieving feedback control of detached growth. In Phase II of this program, we propose to develop a feedback-controlled detached growth process based on eddy current sensors, and to grow a number of different materials with and different diameters with this technique.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Reduction of defects generated by the interaction of the charge with the crucible will significantly increase the yield of commercial production of electronic materials as well as their properties. The commercial materials producers are expected to embrace a system that can achieve detached or partially detached growth of semiconductor crystals.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Shariar Motakef
Cape Simulations, Inc.
One Bridge Street
Newton , MA   02458 - 1132

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Cape Simulations, Inc.
One Bridge Street
Newton , MA   02458 - 1132

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose the application of sublimation purification technology to the recovery of water from solid wastes which originate from functions of the spacecraft life support system. Our technology recovers the maximum amount of water because it reduces the wastes to a solid dry material as opposed to a concentrated solution. We will examined the feasibility of applying sublimation waste processing (SWP) to solids and have developed a prototype conceptual design. Accordingly, the overall objective of the Phase II work is to deliver a SWP prototype device to NASA Ames that embodies all of the critical functional features of a system needed for space flight. We will also acquire process data from waste samples and integrate these results into the design of the prototype.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The major commercial market for the SWP is in the area of the processing of highly concentrated hazardous and radioactive evaporator bottom sludge. These bottoms are typically stabilized with grout, greatly increasing the volume, and stored indefinitely at great cost; they are incinerated which is meeting greater resistance from the public and government. Increased pressures from federal, state and local agencies are forcing generators to look for other means of processing or storing this waste. SWP can process these bottoms thus reducing their volumes 20 to 30 times. Accordingly, the cost of post processing or storage is reduced proportionally. The NanoMaterials Company plans to produce or license the production of process equipment to dry these bottoms in a fully automated processing plant using technology which will be developed during the Phase II effort. The estimated annual market value for this technology is >$500M.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Nicholas V. Coppa
NanoMaterials Company
7 Line Road
Malvern , PA   19355 - 2829

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
NanoMaterials Company
7 Line Road
Malvern , PA   19355 - 2829

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Current space water reclamation systems require resupply and expendable use that are too large for long duration remote applications such as Mars expeditions and lunar bases and expensive for long duration earth orbit missions. We propose development of a novel jet-induced cavitation process for water reclamation that would be lightweight, low maintenance, low energy, reliable, and require little or no expendables. The proposed technology would accomplish four water reclamation functions: total organic carbon (TOC) reduction, oxygenation, oxidation of specific compounds that are problematic for current systems, and microorganism reduction.

Ultrasonic cavitation is known to produce reactions in water resulting in organic compound oxidation. We have demonstrated that jet-induced cavitation can accomplish this with two orders of magnitude greater energy efficiency. In Phase I we demonstrated the feasibility of DYNAJET? cavitating jets to accomplish multiple water reclamation functions.

In Phase II we propose to perform a detailed investigation of microorganism destruction, expand the parameter range investigated and optimize the system for individual and simultaneous water reclamation functions, and develop predictive models and scaling laws. A design study for specific NASA applications including assessment of microgravity effects will be conducted. A laboratory prototype will be delivered to NASA for evaluation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Successful completion of the proposed effort will produce a new state of the art technology for the treatment and disinfection of wastewater resulting in a high efficiency advanced life support water reclamation system for long duration space applications. It could be directly utilized in all manned space applications. Its potential non-NASA commercial applications are vast. It could be used for treatment of drinking water, groundwater, wastewater, and industrial process water, as a stand-alone process or as a part of a treatment train. It would provide a simple economical means of organic wastewater treatment and drinking water disinfection without the potential hazards of chlorination by-products. There is a growing need for such technology throughout the world as the demand for potable water supplies increases and the available supply decreases. It is anticipated that both small and large-scale systems based on this technology could be designed to achieve a high degree of cost-effectiveness. Such a technology will immediately find a wide demand with potentially huge benefits to both national and international markets.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Kenneth M. Kalumuck
Dynaflow, Inc.
10621-J Iron Bridge Road
Jessup , MD   20794 - 9721

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dynaflow, Inc.
10621-J Iron Bridge Road
Jessup , MD   20794 - 9721

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Phase I program conclusively demonstrated the feasibility of removing sub-micron catalyst particles suspended in a gas-water mixture using electrostatic attraction between the suspended particles and the surface of Particle Removal Media (PRM) without appreciable pressure drops. This program proposed to solve degasser degradation problems downstream of the Volatile Removal Assembly (VRA) in the Water Recovery System (WRS) at MSFC. Degradation was traced to sub-micron catalyst particles emanating from the VRA. PRM were selected to exhibit the opposite surface charge of this catalyst. The best PRM bed removed sub-micron simulated catalyst particles from a simulated VRA gas-water mixture for over 8350 bed volumes without an appreciable pressure drop. This is equivalent to 61 days for a 1-liter bed at the nominal WRS flow. The Phase II effort will optimize PRM, improve the bed packing efficiency, and determine temperature capabilities. Acombination of electrofiltration with PRM combination will also be evaluated. Attention will be given to insure accurate particle characterization. A full-scale system capable of treating the nominal WRS flow of 114 mL/min will be assembled, and its performance fully characterized, including life tests and effluent particle characterization. A full-scale unit will be delivered to NASA-MSFC for independent performance validation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
It is anticipated that a particle removal system based on the electrostatic interaction of very fine particles in water with removal media will have numerous commercial applications. Foremost among these will be as Flight Hardware purchased by NASA, or by an aerospace contracting firm on behalf of NASA, to provide enhanced capability in support of the WRS aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Earth-based applications include replacement of conventional filtration techniques for particulate control in water systems. The removal of extremely fine particles without large pressure drops associated with fine filtration is a leading candidate. High value products that are susceptible to adsorption on conventional filter elements are another area of potential application. Many commercial processes require the addition of flocculating agents to remove products or wastes from the process stream. Extensive washing of flocked aggregates is required to complete the process, adding expense and time to the overall process. The utilization of electrostatic flocculation methods can greatly simplify this requirement and improve profitability. It is anticipated that as a result of the Phase II effort, UMPQUA Research Company (URC) will have a process demonstrator to market this process.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James R. Akse, Ph.D.
Umpqua Research Company
PO Box 609
Myrtle Creek , OR   97457 - 0102

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Umpqua Research Company
PO Box 609
Myrtle Creek , OR   97457 - 0102

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project concerns the development of a sensor intended to remotely monitor plant stress using active stimulation of plant chlorophyll fluorescence. The intensity and spectral band shape of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence in green plants has been linked to the physiological status of the plants and thus provides a good indicator of plant health. The proposed sensor will measure the relative intensity of plant fluorescence in two wavelength bands corresponding to emission from two fluorescence emission bands. The compact size (1000 cm3), light weight (3 kg) and low power consumption (15 watts) of the sensor make this instrument ideal for robotic operation in confined spaces such as might be found on manned space missions. Use of a novel active fluorescence stimulation source and compact detector enables the device to remotely sense plant fluorescence (at the single leaf, whole plant, or canopy level) from a distance of at least several meters without using a large, high power laser and large focusing optics. With the use of a synchronous detection scheme, the sensor can also efficiently detect the fluorescence in the presence of either solar or artificial lighting. The Phase II program will focus primarily on field trials to which will involve a number of collaborators in academia, government, and private industry. Another task will involve development of a version of the sensor suitable for remote location monitoring which will utilize solar cell powered batteries and communicate with a receiving station via remote telephone service.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed sensor has applications in agriculture, forestry and horticulture as an early warning device to alert growers to the presence of
stress. Immediate applications include use as a monitor in greenhouse and hydroponics environments, oversight of forestry-related seedling plots, and utilization in biological research. Eventually, it will be used in monitoring high value-added crops and perhaps even in commodity crop applications if the costs can be sufficiently lowered.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Andrew Freedman
Aerodyne Research, Inc.
45 Manning Road
Billerica , MA   01821 - 3976

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Aerodyne Research, Inc.
45 Manning Road
Billerica , MA   01821 - 3976

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The offerer, using a proven design methodology in Phase I, demonstrated the feasibility of an innovative hygiene aid for use in the International Space Station and on other long-term manned missions. The device is of multiple configuration (provides a cleansing function for skin, hair, and housekeeping functions) and operates independently of ISS systems, save for minimal power. Using a proprietary gel formulation applied through the Astroclean unit, the user washes then the waste gel, body oils, exfoliated skin, and soil are immediately vacuumed into a holding container for later removal. The gel formulation is entirely organic and water soluble, yet adheres to the surface in micro-gravity until collected. Phase II enables further design and engineering development for the unit and will result in delivery of prototype devices for incremental and iterative NASA testing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Astroclean has significant terrestrial applications for medical/nursing care, the military, and numerous recreational activities. The ability to nearly 'dry-clean' a patient while at the same time applying skin lotion, antibiotics, or other emollients will be very attractive. The military has long battled the issue of cleansing on the battlefield and a portable, battery operated, ruggedized version of the Astroclean device appears poised to answer those needs. Recreational users may enjoy a commercial version of Astroclean to provide an alternative to the 'bird bath' in a cold mountain stream! Finally, the technology offers an alternative cleaning mechanism for use in areas where water is interrupted, unavailable, or contaminated and can satisfy the hygiene needs of the populace or relief community.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark W. Wheeler
Tri-Cycle Product Design, Inc.
34 B Tower Street
Hudson , MA   01749 - 6625

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tri-Cycle Product Design, Inc.
34 B Tower Street
Hudson , MA   01749 - 6625

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
With the completion of the International Space Station the level of extravehicular activity (EVA) is set to dramatically expand. Space suits worn by astronauts during EVA are pressurized to 4-5psi, significantly less than the pressure of the space station. These conditions have lead to a concern by NASA regarding decompression sickness (DCS).

In this project we propose to provide NASA with a greatly improved capability to image extravascular gas concentrations hypothesized to be the cause of DCS. It is has been difficult to confirm this hypothesis because to date there is no capability to detect and image extravascular gas bubbles in vivo. This is an important need. Existing Doppler ultrasound systems are adequate for the detection of intravascular gas concentrations but insensitive to gas formations in tissue where the motion of gas is limited.

The proposed capability is embodied in a transmission ultrasound camera design that improves on the camera used by Imperium in its NASA SBIR Phase I effort. The new camera will have improved spatial resolution, sensitivity, dynamic range and the capability to study subjects while being exposed to hyperbaric or hypobaric conditions. Experiments on animals and human subjects will be performed using the improved camera.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Imperium is focused on the development of next-generation ultrasound imaging systems. We have identified four areas of commercial application for these systems. These are non-destructive testing, industrial imaging, medical imaging, and undersea imaging. Imperium is pursuing the deployment of commercial systems in these areas and the research proposed for an imaging system to support DCS research is directly applicable to these applications. We have twelve commercial installations for medical, industrial, and nondestructive testing uses.

The potentially large market impact for Imperium's ultrasound technology has attracted interest and funding from the non-government investment community. This cash investment is in exchange for equity in Imperium. Thus the investor's return on investment will begin only upon commercial release of the Imperium imager and is based solely on volume sales of the ultrasound system. This investment is based on their confidence in the Imperium team as well as the large market potential.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Marvin Lasser
Imperium, Inc.
9700 Great Seneca Highway
Rockville , MD   20850 - 3308

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Imperium, Inc.
1738 Elton Rd., # 218
Silver Spring , MD   20903 - 0000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Great strides have been made in developing diagnostic systems for detecting and identifying specific pathogens and their toxins. However, these systems may be too specific and unable to detect newly emerging pathogens whose immunological or genetic profile is different than the normal complement of pathogens. The ideal system in an isolated environment such as a spacecraft would be one that provided a warning if any pathogen is present.

Having proven the components of a powerful mast cell biodetection technology in the Phase I, we will focus in the Phase II on developing an integrated prototype system suitable for both ultra low-gravity and earth-based applications. The major objectives of the Phase II will include: developing microfabricated biochips for use with the mast cell system; engineering novel receptors for new pathogenic targets, including viruses; developing mast cell biochip storage and packaging for use in extended space missions; constructing a prototype fluorometric instrument for use in low gravity environments; and characterizing and demonstrating the use of this novel immunosensor for detecting microbial contamination for space and commercial applications. At the conclusion of the Phase II, Agave BioSystems will deliver the prototype instrument to the sponsor for field-testing and continue with Phase III commercialization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
As our knowledge of newly emerging pathogens expands, assay methods must not only be sensitive and accurate but also predictive in terms of recognizing pathogens beyond our current definitions. The recent emergence of E. coli O157:H7 demonstrates that in nature there are potential threats that may not be fully recognized. Diagnostic devices based upon virulence and pathogenesis rather than upon a genus or species label will be an important advance in accurately defining the risk. Therefore this technology will find utility in a number of applications that extend beyond space flight and relate to testing of foodborne, waterborne, or airborne contaminants and allergens.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Joel Tabb
Agave BioSystems, Inc.
PO Box 80010
Austin , TX   78708 - 0010

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Agave BioSystems, Inc.
PO Box 80010
Austin , TX   78708 - 0010

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A need exists for continuous monitoring of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in spacecraft/habitat air. HCN, a highly toxic gas generated by burning or smoldering plastics, can provide early warning of spacecraft fires. NASA has established a Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentration (SMAC) of 1 ppm for manned missions exceeding one week. Useful space-borne instruments must satisfy stringent requirements unique to manned missions in space: low power draw, low weight, fully automated operation, self-calibrating, self-checking, and long term, maintenance free operation. The sensors also require an exceptional combination of sensitivity and selectivity: a 1 ppm alarm point requires a detection sensitivity of ~100 parts per billion, yet the system must be free of false alarms despite by large concentrations of other species. Southwest Sciences proposes the development of a sensor for hydrogen cyanide based on optical absorption spectroscopy using diode lasers. This approach will meet all of the requirements identified above for space-borne sensors. Two types of diode lasers could be used. Each has a different set of advantages and disadvantages, and the Phase I effort will determine which of the two is best suited to NASA's needs.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications include early fire sensing on board aircraft and in high loss commercial buildings such as hotels, office buildings, hospitals and shopping malls. In addition, the near-infrared external cavity diode laser demonstrated for gas sensing in Phase I has significant market opportunities in telecommunications for wavelength division mutliplexing (WDM) applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. David Bomse
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco Street, Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3937

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco Street, Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3937

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA needs a lightweight system that does not vent water to cool astronauts on EVA missions. The Portable Life Support System (PLSS) on current spacesuits and systems planned for future spacesuits are heavy and use evaporation or sublimation of water to cool the astronaut. We propose an innovative cooling device based on a regenerable heat absorption process that permits heat rejection from EVA suits using a lightweight system that vents zero water. In Phase I we proved the feasibility of our approach with bench-scale tests that demonstrated both the cooling and regeneration process, and by producing a conceptual design for a heat absorber system with a capacity of 1000 W-hr of refrigeration and a mass of less than 8 kg. In Phase II we will deliver a complete prototype system. We will perform small-scale experiments to optimize materials and thermal design parameters, design and fabricate all the components in a full-size prototype system, assemble the system and test in a simulated space environment.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The heat absorber has direct and indirect commercial applications. The direct application of the heat absorber is a lightweight, portable cooling unit to wear with sealed or heavy garments in hazardous environments. Potential users include firefighters, HAZMAT personnel, rescue workers, etc. The indirect application is to use the basic heat absorption process to provide portable, lightweight refrigeration and air-conditioning. Applications include recreation (camping, boating), transportation (shipping items that need refrigeration), and medical (distribution of medicine and vaccines to undeveloped areas where conventional refrigeration is unavailable).

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Michael G. Izenson
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The selection of technologies for an evolutionary Space Station Freedom or a planetary (lunar or Martian) extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) will be strongly driven by the system volume and weight as well as life cycle costs, reliability and safety.

TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a compact, lightweight emergency system that will provide 30 minute life-support in the case of system or component failures in the Portable Life Support System (PLSS). The proposed system uses a low ventilation rate to reduce the amount of stored oxygen, reducing the associated weight and volume penalty. Operation of the system requires an effective sorbent that would remove carbon dioxide and moisture from the suit. The development of the high capacity absorbent was the key research objective in Phase I. We have developed a regenerable sorbent that is suitable for the conceptual system. We also carried out a preliminary system analysis to show that the design saves significant weight.

In Phase II, we will build and test a full-scale prototype of the low-venting emergency system. The unit will generate life data under simulated operation conditions and will serve as a basis for future system developments.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The sorbents developed through the Phase II research have potential to be used in enhanced water-gas-shift reaction, a critical process in hydrogen manufacturing. There is a clear industrial need for cost-effective production of hydrogen, with the current market approaching $1 billion/year. The demand for hydrogen is expected to grow in the near future. Therefore, TDA?s sorbent-enhanced water-gas-shift reactor concept can find immediate application. We will work with a leading industrial partner to commercialize the technology for the industrial gas market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Gokhan Alptekin
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA's thermal and fluid analysts are consistently finding that their ability to analyze spacecraft is limited by current tools whose development begin four decades ago: over two generations! To eliminate this problem and to provide a path for growth into the future, NASA needs to start afresh and obtain a new generation of analysis tools that take advantage of modern software technologies and computational environments. A new analyzer would not have size limits, it would be extensible with custom thermal objects, and would provide analysis techniques such as adaptive nodalization that do not exist in present tools. A new analyzer would provide for distributed computation, concurrent engineering and easy integration with, or embedding into, other tools. It would accept input diverse sources and would provide multiple forms of output and results analysis. It would not require a third party compiler for a simple analysis and would easily communicate with widely used tools such as Microsoft's Excel and Word. A new analyzer would have built-in case management for handling sets of related models and tracking the dependencies between these models. A new analyzer would also provide for model sharing and review over the internet. Such innovations and renovations will pave the way for the next two generations.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Several thermal analysis programs exist as commercially viable products, but they are based on aging technologies. The advances proposed will be compelling in that marketplace. In addition, the innovative design of this tool will create a market for embedded analysis tools. Embedded tools are used by other analysis engines such as stress, CFD and pipe flow design tools. This development will also give us a number of small standalone analysis tools that can each be marketed as additions to such widely used tools as Excel and MATLAB.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steve Ring
Cullimore and Ring Technologies, Inc.
9 Red Fox Ln.
Littleton , CO   80127 - 5710

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Cullimore and Ring Technologies, Inc.
9 Red Fox Ln.
Littleton , CO   80127 - 5710

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project develops a Vaporizing Heat Sink (VHS) that is a lightweight,
passive, open-cycle heat sink based on the vaporization of water into
vacuum (or rarified atmosphere) at near ambient temperature. Water is
encapsulated in a lightweight package having an internal structural
carbon-fiber wick that provides good heat transfer between the working
fluid and the input heat transfer surface. A simple relief valve controls
the vaporization pressure and determines the heat sink operation
temperature.

The VHS offers ten-times higher specific capacity (~ 2.5 MJ/kg) than
competing melting-paraffin heat sinks and thus offers a weight-saving
alternative suited for single-cycle uses such as reentry applications.

Phase 2 will develop conductive carbon fiber structural wicks, reliable
pressure relieve valves, and acquire VHS performance data for model
validation. A Prototype VHS shall be tested in a thermal-vacuum environment
at all gravity orientations. A Prototype VHS, designed and tested for use
with existing spacecraft batteries, will be delivered.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Lightweight vaporizing heat sinks have application to reentry spacecraft
component thermal control. For example, the X-38/CRV batteries and power
converters require transient thermal control where this technology can be
applied with significant weight saving over existing baseline technology.
The technology also offers compact heat sinks for high flux electronics,
pulsed high energy laser systems, and precision temperature control of
laser diode systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Timothy Knowles
Energy Science Laboratories, Inc.
6888 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2232

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Energy Science Laboratories, Inc.
6888 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2232

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A technology pioneering solution to a NASA fluid valving problem is presented for funding. The solution will magnetically couple the linear motion of a globe plug with a novel motorized actuator that operates in ambient conditions. The proposed seal-less valve will eliminate potential leak paths existing in the cryogenic valves at the Kennedy Space Center. A continually expanding market for the proposed hermetically sealed control valve exists wherever the escape of fluid produces a hazardous environment or a large maintenance cost. The solution involves a magnetic coupler consists of only three parts and is based upon permanent magnets acting through a non-magnetic medium. The coupler utilizes an outer and inner set of many flat, washer-shaped permanent magnets. The electro-mechanical actuator consists of only seven parts and is based on the principal of a nut and screw. The noval actuator utilizes multiple axial gap motors connected by a common, non-rotating screw shaft for redundancy. The 'nut' of the nut-n-screw is part of the armature. The revolutionary compact, low-speed, high-torque, axial gap motor is a key element of the solution.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A Permanent Magnet Linear Shaft Coupler is immediately required in the hazardous chemical, cryogenic, and nuclear industry as a leak proof coupling between the actautor (operating in ambient conditions) and the linear mechanical movement of a control valve. The proposed coupler will eliminate all maintenance and hazardous emissions (and their clean air purges) associated with dynamic "stem packing" seals. The proposed coupler will permit actuator R&R while the valve is loaded with hazardous chemicals, which is not possible with competing solenoid valve technology that seals the actuator inside the hazardous environment. And of couse, the proposed coupler offers immediate value by providing a maintenance free "leak proofing" of all hypergolic and cryogenic valves at the Kennedy Space Center.
Other commercial applications are promising: An engineer with the local Trane, Inc. manufacturing facility stated that a well proven, leak-proof coupler could have a valuable applications in the millions of air conditioner's manufacturered in the HVAC industry each year.
Finally, a robust, low speed, high torque electric motor would have immediate applications in the Machine Shop Manufacturing Industry as an all inclusive variable speed motor that accepts single or three phase electricity.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Douglas Thorpe
Thortek
10015 Winchester Road
Irvine , KY   40336 - 9008

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thortek
10015 Winchester Road
Irvine , KY   40336 - 9008

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation proposed is an axially operated, high efficiency, low mass cryogenic valve. This innovation, using Venturi Off-Set Technology (VOSTtm), addresses four critical needs for effective storage, transfer and use of cryogens in aerospace. These are: thermal isolation, low pressure drop to accommodate high flows, reduced cavitation, minimal mass and space requirement due to low profile and potential electromechanical actuation. Existing cryogenic valves are characterized by: high pressure drop at high flows, large mass to envelope ratio, and high actuation torques. VOSTtm valves eliminate actuator contact with internal wetted parts, potentially improving thermal and fluid containment characteristics necessary for densified propellants while maintaining high flow. VOSTtm valves are suited for electromechanical actuation due to low torque requirements. These features combine to improve valve reliability necessary for use of cryogens in Earth, space, and extra-terrestrial environments.
Phase II will specify, prototype, test, evaluate and deliver a 1 inch cryogenic valve for system testing and integration.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial valve applications include cryogenic fluid users in aerospace, medical, food preservation, fuels, and and other industrial applications. US based market for cryogenic valves is growing and constitutes an annual US market in excess of $1 billion. VOSTtm is focused on applications that demand high flow performance, minimal leak, and precise control.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jay Stender
Big Horn Valve Inc
110 South Gould, Suite A
Sheridan , WY   82801 - 5501

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Big Horn Valve Inc
110 South Gould, Suite A
Sheridan , WY   82801 - 5501

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Technology Applications, Inc. is proposing to develop a unique evacuated Microsphere Insulation Panel (MIP) that is over twice as effective as polyurethane foam insulation in a one-atmosphere environment and approaches multilayer insulation performance in a vacuum environment. The MIP is rugged, easily applied to cryogenic transfer lines, and not subject to degradation from environmental exposure or thermal cycling. This insulation system will enable the effective distribution and transfer of cryogens over long distances; it is a promising candidate for reusable launch vehicles, space applications, and low-pressure atmospheric applications, such as cryogenic storage and transfer for Mars missions.

The MIP consists of microsphere filled panels that are vacuum-tight and can be configured to fit any symmetrical shape. The microspheres provide structural support for the vacuum shell while reducing radiation heat transfer by reflection and scattering. Gaseous conduction is greatly reduced by evacuating to <10-2 torr, and solid conduction is minimized because the glass microspheres make only point contact with each other. The Phase I study will demonstrate the feasibility of the MIP through design, analysis, and the fabrication and testing of candidate panels. During the Phase II development program, representative MIPs will be fabricated and rigorously tested under operational conditions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
TAI is developing new vacuum insulation technology to provide the government with the capability to more efficiently and reliably insulate cryogenic supply and vent lines in existing and future facilities. NASA Stennis Space Center (NASA/SSC) is the agency's lead center for rocket propulsion, each year consuming 12 M lbs of LH2 and 3 M lbs of LOX in support of propulsion system development and testing. The Propulsion Test Directorate (PTD) has identified insulation or replacement insulation of currently non-insulated and degraded insulation on cryogenic lines as a priority for improved durability, performance and safety. With TAIs Microsphere Insulation Panel (MIP) technology there is the potential to replace tens-of-thousands of feet of cryogenic line at NASA/SSC alone. Other NASA centers, such as Kennedy Space Center, are looking for economic insulation solutions for future spaceport, cryogenic loading, and long-term cryogenic propellant storage systems that will support future NASA missions.

TAI has also been pursuing commercial relevance of the MIP for applications including high-end consumer refrigerator/freezers, scientific freezers, and specialized shipping containers. Through a partnering agreement with a flexible vacuum barrier insulation manufacturer, the MIP technology holds great promise in capturing a significant market share of the specialized commercial insulation products segment.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark Allen
Technology Applications, Inc.
5445 Conestoga Court, #2A
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2724

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Technology Applications, Inc.
5445 Conestoga Court, #2A
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2724

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In Phase I of this project, Tietronix Inc. developed a high-level architecture of the complete workflow system and working prototypes of the system?s core components: the workflow engine and process designer. These prototypes prove the feasibility of the proposed concept and provide the backbone of the complete workflow system toolkit to be developed in the SBIR Phase II. The two-fold goal of Phase II is to develop a commercially viable workflow system that will benefit NASA in its internal process improvement efforts. TieFlow will provide powerful process development tools and enable users to rapidly design new, improved processes without programming. TieFlow?s generic design will support the creation and execution of processes dealing with any subject matter at any level of complexity.

It will use XML as the data exchange and communication mechanism, following the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) standards to provide interoperability with other workflow systems.

In addition, TieFlow will easily support distributed organizations by using standard web browsers as its client interface. With its superior features and innovative delivery methods, TieFlow will have a competitive advantage and help both commercial and NASA users to reap tangible and measurable benefits with higher work efficiency and productivity.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The TieFlow product represents an innovative approach to workflow technology as a part of groupware solutions for its strategic business objectives, the complexity of the underlying business process and IT architecture. This tool will enable any type of business or organization to rapidly and easily design and implement new work processes and reap significant return on investment in the form of cost savings, higher productivity and work efficiency.

In Phase II, Tietronix will concentrate on the impact of TieFlow in answering the question of how effectively it delivers workflow functionality to the business environment. The product developed in Phase II will ultimately generate the commonly associated benefits of process improvement: higher productivity, cost savings, cycle time reduction, product enhancements, improved customer service, improved quality, strategic impact to the organization?s mission, enabling culture change, and?most importantly?improving the target company?s competitive position in the market

The target market for TieFlow is any organization (government, commercial or academic) recognizing the need for continuous business process improvements in key areas such as product development, customer satisfaction, production and operations, hiring, billing and legal.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michel Izygon
Tietronix Software, Inc.
1335 Regents Park Drive Suite 260
Houston , TX   77058 - 2541

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tietronix Software, Inc.
1335 Regents Park Drive Suite 260
Houston , TX   77058 - 2541

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The overall goal of this SBIR project is to develop a new in vitro assay
model for monitoring the adverse effects of microgravity on human
cell/tissue growth and function. This also satisfies NASA?s program to
study inducible physiological changes in humans during spaceflights.
Previous work has shown that microgravity can modify host cell-matrix
interactions, and thereby exert potentially deleterious effects on human
vascular, immune and bone functions and regeneration processes.
Unfortunately, defined functional models to study discrete adaptations in
target tissues are not yet known. In Phase I, we successfully created a
novel human biomatrix coculture system, for growth and activation of
endothelial cells. The practical feasibility of 3D Amgel microbeads was
demonstrated for cell proliferation and differentiation (angiogenesis).
Major advantages of Amgel model include it?s physiologic milieu and defined
biologic activity. We now propose to develop and commercialize Amgel-based
3D coculture systems for human tissue growth and functional studies. Three
extended tasks will be undertaken: 1. To institute efficient protocols for
Amgel production and formulation with coherent biological properties; 2. To
further develop and establish 3D human biomatrix configurations using
advanced automated technologies; and 3. To validate the functional
properties of new coculture systems using NASA?s rotary bioreactors.
Morphologic, mitogenic and angiogenic events during the organotypic
bioassays will be monitored using our time-lapsed bioimaging system
(CytoScan). We predict these defined Amgel biomatrix & coculture kits will
be the first marketable human bioassay systems. This R&D proposal will
significantly impact both basic and biomedical arenas including tissue
engineering, wound healing, drug discovery and space biology. Thus, 3D
human cell-matrix te

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
No acceptable commercial 3D bioassay system for tissue growth and
development currently exists which utilizes a defined human biomatrix. We
will develop, optimize and evaluate different cell-matrix coculture systems
(Amgel microbeads, bilayered discs). Sale of proprietary Amgel and
pre-packed culture kits will have a world-wide market, both as a research
tool and a diagnostic tool. The multiple applications and commercialization
of our bioengineering products will significantly impact both research and
biomedical institutions.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Raj Singh, Ph.D.
Diversified Scientific Inc.
1601 12th Ave. South
Birmingham , AL   35205 - 4709

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Diversified Scientific Inc.
1601 12th Ave. South
Birmingham , AL   35205 - 4709

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal is to develop a portable fluorescence-based detection system
for capture and identification of biological pathogens including fungi and
bacteria. Peptide biosensors designed with phage display will be used to
detect targeted organisms in a rapid, non-invasive manner. To accomplish
this, we propose three tasks: 1.) Develop peptide-based, micro-array ligand
systems for the detection of 5-15 pathogenic fungi/bacterial targets via
phage display; 2. Establish optimal sampling/capture procedures for the
spore-specific biosensor module (ligand-coated microchip); and 3. Design an
automated spore detection and analysis system using computer-aided
fluorescent microscopy. Pathogen-specific peptide ligands will be developed
and cross linked to fluorescent tags and then covalently affixed to a micro
slide/chip, which will be inserted into the detection system. Assessment of
airborne fungal contaminants will involve a multi-parameter analysis of
ligand-spore affinity, specificity and quantity using a ?wind-tunnel?
model. This detection system will identify the individual strain of
airborne agents/spores with high sensitivity and reproducibility and will
provide an important bio-sensing tool for monitoring human health in
industrial and hospital environments as well as during space missions. This
novel biosensor technology satisfies the NASA SBIR program ?Commercial
Microgravity Research-?Portable Biological Sensors?.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
As set forth in the attached Exhibit 1, the total market size for the
proposed product is enormous with an estimated total market value of over
$11M in year one assuming a market penetration in year one of only one-half
of one percent. According to estimates from the 1999 Commercial Building
Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), there are over 4.7 million commercial
buildings in the U.S., comprising 67.3 billion square feet of floor space.
Over half of this space was built prior to 1964. Statistics for U.S.
Government buildings versus non-Government buildings was not located
although it is expected that the government would typically contract out
spore detection efforts in all but very secured buildings.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Raj Singh, Ph.D.
Diversified Scientific Inc.
1601 12th Ave. South
Birmingham , AL   35205 - 4709

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Diversified Scientific Inc.
1601 12th Ave. South
Birmingham , AL   35205 - 4709

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed Phase II R&D plan focuses on the development of an innovative Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) process for the production of unagglomerated nanopowders of uniform size, crystallinity and composition. The project is designed primarily to exploit reduced buoyancy in a microgravity environment to accelerate the development and commercialization of ground-based technology for production of advanced materials for use in electronics and electro-optics. Candidate materials are cerium oxide, doped and undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) (for displays), barium-strontium-titanate (for advanced dielectrics), and metal nanoparticles (for catalysis). A related goal of this effort is to use the knowledge about microgravity-grown material behavior to improve ground-based thin-film production capabilities. The powders will be collected during experiments in KC-135 and characterized for microstructure, stoichiometry and physical properties as a function of process variables. Results from the microgravity experiments will be used to develop model of the CCVD process and to optimize conditions for ground-based pilot-scale production. Potential industrial partners have been identified and recruited for the proposed effort. Successful completion of Phases II and III will result in a cost effective, commercially viable process for production of advanced nanopowder materials for catalysis, electronics, pigments, and structural industry.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Nanotechnology has attained both nation and market significance. Nanopowders constitute an important embodiment of nanotechnology in multiple industries including catalysts, electronics, health care, energy storage, and power generation. Nanopowders represent a huge commercial opportunity with the market size reaching $2 billion by the end of the decade. Although the proposed experimental study will be conducted using ground and drop-tower based experiments, the ultimate goal is to develop a commercially viable system for mass production of nanoparticles for advanced applications. Specifically, success in this effort would benefit electronics, catalysis, pigments, and polishing industry. Several industrial partners have been recruited.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Miodrag Oljaca
MicroCoating Technologies, Inc.
5315 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Atlanta , GA   30341 - 2107

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MicroCoating Technologies, Inc.
5315 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Atlanta , GA   30341 - 2107

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Due to limited crew availability to support science and the large number of experiments to be operated simultaneously, telescience is key to a successful ISS science program. NASA has just scratched the surface of potential with the initial International Space Station Internet Voice Distribution System implementation. The proposed CONTACT system will take full advantage of the digital world - the PC and the Internet - to qualitatively enhance communications among ISS operations personnel.
Our Phase I objective was to identify and test those technologies that will dramatically increase the effectiveness of performing telescience. Four collaboration areas were identified: audio; video; network/security architecture; and application sharing. Our results indicate that both network/security architecture and application sharing are keys to a more effective collaboration system. Major obstacles to deployment of CONTACT were identified: Internet bandwidth capacity, network configuration, and strict security requirements. Techniques to reduce and overcome these obstacles were tested.
In Phase II a CONTACT prototype server, client, and network architecture will be developed that incorporate the techniques tested and proven in Phase I. The CONTACT prototype will be made available for virtual planning meetings supporting distributed experimenter groups, evaluated, and delivered at the conclusion of Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The immediate commercialization will be deployment of CONTACT to supplement or replace IVoDS for ISS telescience support. Additional commercialization plans include both collaboration products and services for this emerging market now being cultivated by major vendors like Microsoft and IBM. Collaboration systems will grow in popularity in the next 5 years as extensions to existing e-mail/calendar systems such as Outlook and Notes. AZTek plans to develop software "add-on" products for expected market-leader conference servers. AZTek will partner with leading collaboration system vendors to resell and integrate their products to provide complete solutions to mid- to large-size government and commercial customers.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Terri Speir
AZ Technology, Inc.
7047 Old Madison Pike, Suite 300
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 2107

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AZ Technology, Inc.
7047 Old Madison Pike, Suite 300
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 2107

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Platform Digital proposes to develop and market the Remote Experience and Learning Tool (REAL Tool) that will allow educators, scientists and researchers to quickly and easily create interactive 3D models from NASA data sets for the study, evaluation, and presentation of science in an engaging and fun way. REAL will enable the public to actively explore NASA remote sites via 3D computer game style representations derived from 3D sensor data from past, current and future NASA missions such as Pathfinder, Odyssey, and 2003 Mars rover missions. Platform Digital?s experienced team of software engineers and designers is completing a Phase I feasibility study and alpha prototype of the REAL tool, which will allow educators and scientists to create remote experiences based on NASA exploration missions. PI Coppin has led similar projects with successful outcomes that often surpass initial program goals. The commercial application of the REAL Tool is viable in the education services industry in the functional areas of Earth and space sciences, with possible extension to life sciences, medical, and real estate.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Remote Experience and Learning Tool (REAL Tool) that Platform Digital proposes to design, develop and market will have a number of viable commercial applications for consumers in diverse segments. The first application that REAL will address is the $70 billion education services industry, with three major niche markets: (1) Earth and space science classrooms in domestic and foreign middle schools, (2) NASA education outreach programs, and (3) Science centers. Platform Digital also intends to develop REAL with capabilities to make live NASA missions available to the public in time for the 2003 Mars Rover Missions. Teachers, students, scientists, researchers, and the general public will benefit from this commercial application as they prepare classroom lessons, conduct research, prepare presentations, and explore the newest data from a remote planet on their desktop computers. Platform Digital?s five-year plan includes expanding the commercial applications to the fields of medicine, real estate, and distance learning, incorporating multimedia into the REAL technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Peter Coppin
Platform Digital, LLC
414 S. Craig St, # 283
Pittsburgh , PA   15213 - 3709

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Platform Digital, LLC
414 S. Craig St, # 283
Pittsburgh , PA   15213 - 3709

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Management of the earth's delicate marine environment is becoming a critical aspect in maintaining a healthy planet. While mankind's presence and activities have a continuing impact on all of our oceans, nowhere is the interaction more delicate than at the complex interface between land and water in our coastal ecosystems. The objective of the proposed effort is the development of a tool specifically designed to provide effective characterization and monitoring of these environments. The proposed sensor will provide five bands of spectral imagery at wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to near infrared along with a thermal band. Imagery will be acquired with a compact-portable sensor that provides direct acquisition of pixel-registered, geo-referenced imagery at resolutions of 1900x1080 or 1600x1200 per band. The system will be configured in a compact, portable package that can be implemented on a variety of platforms. Several features will be incorporated to provide high sensitivity and a large dynamic range. The sensor will be calibrated and characterized to enable conversion of acquired digital numbers to true reflectance data. Interfaces to the front-end and back-end software tools that are the heart of the practical applications of remotely sensed data will be developed.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed technology has a large commercial potential in the remote sensing market along with several other healthy markets. The products resulting from this program will deliver outstanding image and data quality at a price point that creates an entirely new segment of the rapidly expanding remote sensing market. The portable configuration, performance, and cost effectiveness are key strategic factors that will cause the technology to be adopted for applications ranging from precision agriculture to emergency response and municipal planning. In addition to the remote sensing market, this high-resolution color and spectral imaging technology is one of the major growth segments of the machine vision and medical imaging markets. Additional opportunities exist for products targeted at microscopy and entertainment/special effects applications. There is a high confidence for successful commercialization of the proposed imaging technology illustrated by the growing presence of the offering company, Duncan Technologies, in the imaging market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
David Duncan
Duncan Technologies, Inc.
11824 Kemper Rd.
Auburn , CA   95603 - 9500

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Duncan Technologies, Inc.
11824 Kemper Rd.
Auburn , CA   95603 - 9500

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The described DOLPHIN (Diving OpticaL Profiler and High-speed Integration Network) is a compact, towed body, integrated sensor system designed for rapid optical surveying and real-time realization of advanced data products. The key DOLPHIN system components are a towed optical and hydrographic instrumentation package, a real-time, automated data integration, processing, and visualization network, and a discrete sampling system designed to continuously pump water from the towed package to the boat for analysis. The goal of the system is to provide optical data sets ideally suited for fulfilling calibration and validation needs for NASA remote sensing applications, including aircraft-based and future space-based lidar technologies. Phase-I research has focused on determining the optimal sensor package configuration needed to achieve this goal, laying out specifications and designs for each component of the DOLPHIN system, and evaluating the technical, commercial, and scientific feasibility of the proposed system. Work addressing these overall objectives coupled with a successful field test of a prototypic DOLPHIN system have demonstrated that the development of the proposed DOLPHIN system is feasible. With design work complete and feasibility demonstrated on several levels, we are now poised to develop and test the DOLPHIN in Phase-II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The DOLPHIN will have immediate commercial applications in remote sensing validation research in oceanography and limnology. We expect it to be particularly applicable to important up-and-coming NASA lidar technologies. Although the need for synoptic remote sensing validation systems has existed for over 30 years at NASA, technological advances have only recently made the development of a complete, integrated validation system feasible. Since WET Labs has been the unparalleled leader in developing and commercializing this technology in the form of high-end in-situ optical instrumentation and networking architecture, we believe we are uniquely capable of addressing this need and filling the market vacuum. Because no comparable system currently exists and the required sensing technology can only be found at WET Labs, we believe we are well ahead of the competition in this pursuit.

Synoptic surveying capabilities for in-situ optical and biogeochemical properties also harbors enormous market potential beyond immediate remote sensing needs, particularly in environment assessment (detecting and mapping red tides, sewage plumes, oil spills, etc.). WET Labs has committed a focused marketing effort in Phase-III and beyond to expand the market for the DOLPHIN into these areas because of the substantial potential return.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael Twardowski
WET Labs
P.O. Box 518
Philomath , OR   97370 - 0518

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
WET Labs
P.O. Box 518
Philomath , OR   97370 - 0518

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The measurement of ozone is one of the most critical atmospheric chemistry measurements made in the study of the Earth?s atmosphere. The depletion of stratospheric ozone and the photochemical production of tropospheric ozone from pollutants are two major areas of study which demand accurate, high-resolution ozone data. The Phase I goal was to develop and demonstrate key technologies for a next-generation ultraviolet absorption ozonesonde for mounting on small aerial platforms. In Phase I, a prototype ozonesonde for use on small aerial vehicles and sounding balloons was successfully demonstrated. The new sonde is a fraction of the size of existing benchtop ultraviolet absorption instruments and consumes very little power. The new ozonesonde is very similar in size to existing electrochemical concentration cell ozonesondes, proving that the new instrument can be flown on very small platforms. The proven Phase I ozonesonde design will be refined in Phase II; improvements will focus on performance enhancement and weight reduction. Design changes will be made with consideration given to simplifying the Phase III production of ozonesondes. Several prototypes will be produced in Phase II. These prototypes will undergo extensive field tests to refine the design and to prove their ability to operate in the field.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ozonesonde will be a valuable new tool for researchers interested in studying both tropospheric and stratospheric ozone. The ozonesonde?s performance is far superior to the only commercially available existing alternative for ozone measurement from small aerial platforms, specifically electrochemical concentration cell ozonesondes. The ozonesonde will be suitable for a wide range of airborne applications, including flight on small Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and balloon sondes. The instrument will also be offered as an inexpensive replacement for current double-beam instruments in many surface-based applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. John Bognar
QEI Technologies, Inc.
6870 N. Broadway Unit E
Denver , CO   80221 - 2844

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
QEI Technologies, Inc.
6870 N. Broadway Unit E
Denver , CO   80221 - 2844

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In the NASA funded Phase I effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) demonstrated a new sensitive and robust optical means for rapidly making mid-infrared absorption measurements of trace species concentrations in the atmosphere. LGR has developed and demonstrated an innovative new optical technique that increases the sensitivity of such determinations by orders of magnitude while keeping the engineering complexity to a minimum. LGR has designed and tested, on NASA funded flight tests with our collaborators at Harvard University, this new instrumentation. The successful test results are presented in this proposal, along with a detailed plan to further develop this technology for the analysis of an atmospheric species selected in the Phase I program by NASA. This Phase II proposal presents a plan for the development and testing of a prototype instrument that will be tested and used in Phase II, and delivered to NASA in the final quarter of the program for flight outfitting and tests. LGR will continue to work with NASA scientists to integrate this new instrument into available flight platforms.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
LGR is currently working with Harvard University in a program funded by NASA that is benefiting from the innovative new technology under development in this proposed program. The first flight-tests for NASA have already been made during the Phase I program discussed in this proposal. In addition to these clear NASA Phase III contributions, LGR is working with Dow Chemical, Chevron Corp., and a commercial medical partner to develop this innovative new technology for use in process control applications and in a new medical diagnostic for more than a half dozen medical conditions. LGR has filed patents for the commercial application of this new technology developed under this NASA support. The commercial (non-medical) markets are in excess of $10 million per year in projected sales, and the medical market is projected to be four times larger. LGR is working to close a Phase II/Phase III funding agreement with a medical partner to develop the first clinical prototype in the coming 18 months.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Anthony O'Keefe
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View , CA   94041 - 1518

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View , CA   94041 - 1518

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposal is to develop a lightning mapping system (LMS) camera based on a solid state array of "smart-pixels" that can detect, locate and quantify lightning transient events in the focal plane pixels without reading out the array. This concept is applicable to lightning mapping systems operating from synchronous orbit as well as low Earth orbit. In Phase II the lightning detector smart-pixel focal plane will be designed, fabricated, and evaluated. Phase II also includes designing, building and evaluating a prototype LMS for synchronous orbit applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to weather satellite monitoring of lightning such smart pixel arrays, with the ability to detect, locate and measure unpredictable events, have application in other scientific research such as cosmic ray shower detection and in military weapon systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John Lowrance
Princeton Scientific Instruments, Inc.
7 Deer Park Drive
Monmouth Junction , NJ   08852 - 1921

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Princeton Scientific Instruments, Inc.
7 Deer Park Drive
Monmouth Junction , NJ   08852 - 1921

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In SAR and radar interferometric altimeter instruments, the transmit / receiving antennas are separated as far apart as possible to increase resolution in the signal. This requires a stiff and dimensionally stable deployable mast to provide the necessary length between the two radar antennas. Deployable mast length is constrained by available stowage volume, spacecraft platform attitude control constraints (such as deployed frequency) and the requirement for high stability under on-orbit thermal environments and accelerations. AEC-ABLE has developed the "Stiff-Soft" ADAM (ABLE Deployable Articulated Mast) as an innovative solution for providing this deployable and extremely stable structure that uses stiff rods as one set of diagonals in the face of each bay of the mast. These stiff rods have the benefit of greatly increasing shear and torsional stiffness of the mast as well as having low CTE relative to metallic cables, which are the conventional "soft" diagonals used for the ADAM. The Phase I effort demonstrated the deployment kinematics of the stiff-soft ADAM design, the Phase II effort will build a working prototype to demonstrate deployment kinematics and validate the deployed stiffness and strength of the unit.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial applications of an optimally performing synthetic aperture radar(SAR)or interferometric ocean altimeter are numerous and growing. Current and potential end data users are numerous and vary greatly in their imagery needs and desires for data a SAR/interferometric altimeter can provide. The future trend will be for these users to require higher fidelity/resolution data, necessitating the space-based SAR/radar altimeter hardware be built to achieve the highest stability and reliability, the topic addressed by this proposal. The commercial applications of SAR remote sensing of land/water areas are abundant. In addition to domestic and foreign governments, commercial users in telecommunications, nonrenewable extraction and forestry are all showing interest. An active imaging system, SAR sends and receives a scattered signal from the earth's surface, enabling the signal to "see through" clouds and some vegetation. Given the important advantages of SAR and the wide range of possible applications, the greatest challenge for this industry will be to keep up with demand from of end users. Environmental, natural resource management, disaster management, industrial planning, and surveying/mapping are some of the applications that will utilize high-resolution SAR data made available by the hardware to be addressed in this proposal. The benefits of higher resolution, all-weather remote sensing of mesoscale phenomena on the surface of the oceans (as will be obtained from the Wide Swath Ocean Altimeter instrument)include better tracking of currents and their relationship to weather patterns, wavelength and direction of wave systems and sea surface topography for determination of faster shipping lanes, environmental studies and management, and control of ocean natural resources.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Stephen F. White
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
IAI and its partner company, Time Domain Corporation (TDC), are developing and applying a new type of radio called Time-Modulated Ultra-Wideband radio. Within the last few years, low cost ultra-high precision time delays have become available, and these now make it possible to build UWB communication systems, which have no carrier frequency. The only signals transmitted are pulses. With current hardware, the pulses are ? nanosecond, and a typical duty cycle is 1/500. The Fourier transform of a perfect impulse is constant at all frequencies. For the pulses we are currently using, the energy extends approximately from .5 to 4 Gigahertz. Because only pulses are transmitted, and because there is no carrier frequency, there is no up conversion and no down conversion required, and the output stage is a single transistor, which creates a binary pulse, all resulting in decreased radio size and complexity. TM-UWB radios have already been built which reliably transmit 25 megabits per second from a single channel, and many channels can be hosted simultaneously at a single site. TM-UWB can be very low power, and is largely unaffected by multipath. For electronically steerable arrays, true time delay is trivial to achieve. There are also many advantages for SAR.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
IAI is currently working on 12 niche applications of TM-UWB and TDC has raised nearly $100 million in private funds to implement a set of ASIC chips that reduce almost all the electronics down to three chips, each approximately 2 cm square. Early commercial products will be through the wall imaging radar, and short range wireless LANs which are higher bandwidth and more robust to multipath than competing approaches.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Leonard Haynes
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 6205

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 6205

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Development of an Ultra-Stable Radiometer Receiver (UMRR) operating in the 1400-1426 MHz frequency band with a measurement precision of 0.05-0.10 K is proposed. Recent developments in MEMS (Micro Electromechanical Machine Systems) and MIC (microwave integrated circuit) technology are utilized to achieve small size, lightweight and low power consumption. Risk reduction experiments and mathematical simulations have been performed to support the predicted performance of the UMRR. Automatic calibration circuitry for has been designed and partially tested. A novel total-system calibrator that is inexpensive, easy to use, portable and adjustable throughout the 50-250 Kelvin range of radiometric brightness temperatures will be constructed and tested in conjunction with the UMRR. Flight tests of a single beam soil moisture radiometer are proposed to verify system performance. Deliverables for Phase II include 35 L-band receiver channels that will be used to upgrade the two-dimensional electronically steered thinned array radiometer (2D-ESTAR) system currently under development at NASA GSFC. Phase III commercialization of this technology will result in low cost radiometers from soil moisture monitoring, forest fire management, and salinity mapping applications

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
- airborne measurement of ocean salinity for marine, water quality, and weather applications
- airborne measurement of soil moisture for agriculture
- airborne determination of forest health and forest fire danger levels
- airborne location of forest and ground fires through heavy smoke and fog

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark Goodberlet
ProSensing Inc.
107 Sunderland Road
Amherst , MA   01002 - 1098

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ProSensing Inc.
107 Sunderland Road
Amherst , MA   01002 - 1098

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Multichannel Scaler (MCS) electronics are used in lidar-based photon counting applications. Phase-I resulted in a highly integrated, low power, USB-based MCS hardware prototype and Windows-based software. Phase-II will focus on creating a flexible lidar data acquisition system using the Phase-I MCS as a basis. This complete system will meet the needs of multiple programs due to the array of functionality provided. For example, one program might require a single channel with high resolution and little memory space, while another program might require many channels, moderate resolution, and large memory space. In addition to the primary objective of building a complete system, ASRC Aerospace intends to develop several "stand-alone" MCS cards which can each be used in a customer's own data acquisition system. These cards may offer: higher resolution, multiple user-selectable bin size settings, more memory per channel, or more channels. Additionally, card-level changes may result in the inclusion of a higher throughput bus implementation. The developed system may use all or some of these cards, thereby providing maximum flexibility for the end-user.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Multichannel Scaler (MCS) electronics are used in ground-based, airborne, and space-based lidar photon counting applications such as:

Atmospheric studies
Sub-surface carbon studies
Portable analysis of toxic plumes
Time-of-flight ion mass spectroscopy
Time-correlated single-photon counting
Phosphorescence lifetime measurements

Due to the programmable nature of the proposed lidar data system, the Phase-II developments will be applicable across many different programs in both commerical and government institutions.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Edward Leventhal
ASRC Aerospace Corporation
6301 Ivy Lane, Suite 300
Greenbelt , MD   20770 - 6356

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ASRC Aerospace Corporation
6301 Ivy Lane, Suite 300
Greenbelt , MD   20770 - 6356

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Q-Peak, Inc. proposes to develop an efficient, single-frequency, diffraction-limited, 349-nm laser source for use as a Doppler Lidar transmitter for direct-detection measurements of winds. The laser source proposed will be based on a quasi-cw diode-pumped, ring-cavity, near-diffraction-limited, Q-switched Nd:YLF laser. The laser will be injection-seeded and frequency-locked using a single-frequency, cw diode-pumped, 20-mW Nd:YLF laser developed by Q-Peak. The system will feature intracavity tripling to convert the near-IR output of the Q-switched Nd:YLF laser into the UV. A prototype system suitable for application as an airborne Doppler Lidar Transmitter will be built and delivered to NASA GSFC at the end of the Phase II program. This system is expected to be a single-frequency, 349-nm source of 6-mJ pulses at a 1-kHz repetition-rate. Phase II development will emphasize technology that is ultimately field-suitable and efficient in terms of laser performance, prime-power use, and cooling requirements. We will also develop a preliminary design for a high-energy, hybrid Nd:YLF/Yb:S-FAP system that would be an excellent candidate for a space-based, wind-sensing lidar system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed technology is of particular use to NASA for lidar transmitters. The pulsed UV source can be used for wind measurements or Raman probing of the atmosphere based on direct detection of Rayleigh or aerosol-scattered light. In the commercial sector, the applications include process control and material processing, in particular, the laser would be a low cost pulsed UV source for via drilling and precision micro-machining applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Yelena Isyanova
Q-Peak, Inc.
135 South Road
Bedford , MA   01730 - 2307

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Q-Peak, Inc.
135 South Road
Bedford , MA   01730 - 2307

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Space based lidar systems for the remote sensing of Ozone require high-power, high-efficiency lasers operating in the ultraviolet. Diode-pumped solid-state lasers are the primary candidates for this application. A promising material for use in lasers for the remote sensing of Ozone is Nd:Y2O3 operating at 914 nm and 948 nm using the 4F3/2 to 4I9/2 transition of the Nd3+ ion. This material offers several advantages over other crystals, including a lower threshold for oscillation of this transition, high thermal conductivity, and a broad transmission range from 0.23 microns to 8 microns. Recent studies indicate that Nd:Y2O3 is well suited to Ozone lidar applications provided that crystals of sufficient size and quality are available. The primary difficulty in producing crystals of this material is its very high melting point (2410 C) that has previously prevented the use of apparatus and techniques typically employed to grow high melting point oxide crystals. This Phase II SBIR project is aimed at developing commercial growth systems to produce Y2O3 using existing production crystal growth equipment currently employed for growth of Nd3+:YAG crystals and at scaling these systems to produce laser rods of sufficient size for use in systems that meet NASA?s requirements for Ozone sensing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Nd doped yttria would have direct application in diode pumped laser oscillators and amplifiers where the replacement of Nd:YAG with a material of higher thermal conductivity would enable improved performance. A second application is for use in 4 to 8 micron optics because of the broad transmission of yttria in this region of the spectrum. A third application is for high temperature optics. This material can be inserted directly into a hot gas stream for thermal studies above 2000 degrees C.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Randy W. Equall
Scientific Materials Corporation
310 Icepond Road
Bozeman , MT   59715 - 5380

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scientific Materials Corporation
310 Icepond Road
Bozeman , MT   59715 - 5380

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA is actively pursuing the development of technologies that enable satellite-based laser wind sounding. Of particular interest are technologies that enable tropospheric wind profiling at low cost and high efficiency. Traditional laser-based wind sensors utilize coherent-mode detection, which depends on high aerosol concentrations to measure wind fields, and are therefore not suited for tropospheric wind profiling where the aerosol concentration is low. Direct-detection lidars do not suffer from this restriction because they can sense backscattered radiation from moving molecules as well as aerosols. Recent advances in direct-detection lidar techniques for wind sensing may enable space-borne, wind-sensing instruments. A key component required for the success of these missions is a high-power, single-frequency, efficient, conduction-cooled, UV laser transmitter. Lite Cycles, Inc. has developed a state-of-the-art, all-solid-state, scalable, conduction-cooled, diode-pumped slab laser technology that addresses these needs. The conclusions of the Phase-I effort show the feasibility of a design for a high-power (>30 W), efficient, single-frequency (< 5 MHz), UV (355-nm) laser transmitter. This design will be further refined in Phase-II, and a laser transmitter will be built and delivered to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for integration into an airborne lidar system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Lite Cycles intends to commercialize this technology, both within the DoD and in the private sector. Three significant markets have been identified: Clear-air turbulence (CAT); Laser machining and materials processing; and Rayleigh and sodium beacon sources for adaptive optics. The CAT requirement is a result of passenger and crew injuries on commercial flights when encountering CAT during a flight. Airlines are interested in an affordable solution to early warning instruments that will allow either flight course changes or a seat belt buckle advisory for passengers. Incoherent Doppler lidar is less complex than coherent systems and will be more robust, compact, and less expensive. CAT instruments could potentially be installed on most commercial aircraft worldwide. Laser machining and materials processing is the single largest market for high-power, diode-pumped, solid-state lasers. The conduction-cooled, diode-pumped laser architecture under development at LCI constitutes a significant improvement over the current state-of-the-art systems in power scaling, beam quality, average power, pulse energy, and system efficiency. Currently, Adaptive Optics (AO) systems are being installed on nearly all 8-meter class telescopes and Laser Guide Star (LGS) systems are being incorporated to compensate for the lack of bright starts near the science object being studied. The estimated market potential for LGS systems is greater than $100 million over the next five to ten years.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James T. Murray
Lite Cycles, Inc.
2301 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite 111
Tucson , AZ   85745 - 1445

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lite Cycles, Inc.
2301 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite 111
Tucson , AZ   85745 - 1445

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An autonomous differential absorption lidar mounted on a piloted or an unpiloted airborne vehicle (UAV) provides a powerful low cost capability for measurement of ozone distributions in the lower stratosphere and troposphere with good spatial resolution over a large region. Ce:LiCAF tunable UV laser is a strong candidate for building a compact laser transmitter that conforms with the size, weight, and power constraints of the UAV/aircraft. A compact Ce:LiCAF laser with ~1mJ/pulse energy at 1kHz, tunable over 280-315nm, can provide ozone measurements with good spatial resolution and accuracy (5-10%) from 12 or 20 km altitude. In Phase I a breadboard Ce:LiCAF pumped by a diode-pumped Nd:YLF frequency quadrupled laser demonstrated excellent slope efficiency (45%) and generated ~ 0.68mJ at 290nm for 1.89mJ of 262nm pumping at 1kHz. Tuning over 280 to 315 nm, and rapid switching between on- and off-line wavelengths were demonstrated. Long term testing of Ce:LiCAF (5 x 108 shots) has resulted in development of a simple technique for achieving long term operation (> 20 hrs) of the laser with nearly constant output energy. In Phase II an optimized autonomous Ce:LiCAF laser will be built and will be packaged into a rugged modular transmitter for easy operation on a UAV.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to the applications for airborne measurements of ozone many other UAV and terrestrial applications are envisaged. Lidar systems for environmental monitoring, and for measurements of pollutants are some of the anticipated applications. 290 nm is well suited for fluorescence excitation of biological matter and lidars for biological agent detection constitute a very important application.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Coorg Prasad
Science & Engineering Services, Inc
4032 Blackburn Lane
Burtonsville , MD   20866 - 1168

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Science & Engineering Services, Inc
4032 Blackburn Lane
Burtonsville , MD   20866 - 1168

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)

Conical scanning LIDAR systems and laser ranging systems that measure atmospheric backscatter, clouds, aerosols, winds, trace species, and sub-surface ocean layers require ruggedized construction and easy alignment. We are proposing to reduce the complexity and alignment chores by building five telescope objectives into one large shared aperture using holographic volume multiplexing techniques similar to those used in some holographic data storage systems. The holographic objectives will then be stationary with five simultaneous look angles that may be turned on and off with a smaller coaxial out going beam scanner or a separate laser in each channel. This simple scheme can eliminate all moving parts which simplifies alignment while providing a more rugged and transportable system.

The addition of a holographic aberration correction plate is now possible in a static position near the detector. This small HOE gets illuminated by incoming LIDAR signals and outputs a collimated wave which is easily focused by a simple doublet to a near diffraction limited spot. The benefit is that the field of view can be greatly reduced, thereby reducing background noise levels. The additional diffractive surface squares the wavelength dependant filtering function provided by diffractive optics, thereby further reducing out of band noise.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial LIDAR applications such as terrain mapping, the same design and fabrication methods work for big photon buckets for laser communications, medical imaging optics, fast spectro-photometers, solar collection and dispersion, solar laser pumping and architectural lighting.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Richard Rallison
Ralcon Dev Lab
8501 S 400 W
Paradise , UT   84328 - 0142

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ralcon Dev Lab
8501 S 400 W
Paradise , UT   84328 - 0142

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
During Phase II we will develop a miniaturized acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) based spectro-polarimetric radiometer that operates over the wavelength range from 0.36 to 2.6 um. A radiometer is one of the most fundamental optical sensors for a number of scientific applications. Several studies have been reported concerning the accuracy of the numerical methods used to determine the downwelling solar irradiance, and it is believed that much of the uncertainty regarding the source of the cloud absorption can be attributed to a lack of spectrally resolved measurements. As such, there is a considerable need for improved spectral resolution and performance in the sensors that measure radiative flux. Furthermore, for applications involving atmospheric remote sensing, the polarization of the light (i.e., the measurement of both the orthogonal polarization components at the same time) provides very useful information. Thus, the radiometer that we will develop in Phase II will be capable of (1) hyperspectral resolution, (2) wavelength tunability and (3) spectro-polarimetry. Also, our device will be compact and light weight, able to collect radiation through either fiber optics or free space, capable of low temperature operation, capable of operating in conditions where radiation hardening is required, and able to withstand high g forces.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Potential applications for a NIR spectro-polarimetric radiometer are numerous. The proposed device is well suited for applications involving the study of solar radiometry and related issues such as the remote sensing of contrails, the radiative effect of aircraft exhaust, the discrepancy between the measured and modeled downwelling solar irradiance at the ground, and the remote sensing of aerosol measurements in the atmosphere, to name a few. This device can also be a valuable tool in a number of industrial areas including: Chemical- for the identification of materials, blending / batching verification and reaction monitoring; Pharmaceutical - for inspection of capsules and tablets, chemical verification and purity testing; Food & Dairy - for monitoring of moisture, fat and protein content; Pulp & Paper - for monitoring of moisture, cellulose, and lignin prior to harvesting; and Mining - for the examination of mineralogy parameters, mineral mapping and soil sampling.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Jolanta Rosemeier
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 4968

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 4968

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
To meet the challenges of spectral remote sensing from NASA manned and unmanned airborne platforms and next-generation space platforms, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes a miniature Stacked Waveguide Imaging Spectrometer (SWIS), a hyperspectral imaging system. The monolithic design of the SWIS keeps it small, lightweight, and low-cost, with high throughput and inherent environmental stability. Because of their compactness, many SWIS modules can easily be combined, expanding spectral sensing capability to cover the UV, visible, and IR bands. In Phase I, POC conducted a preliminary SWIS system design and analysis, and demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed concept by developing the components and integrating a laboratory proof-of-concept SWIS module. This Phase II effort will optimize the system design, improving the spatial and spectral resolution, out-of-band rejection, and throughput of the system, leading to SWIS prototype development. The prototype system will be tested for its high resolution hyperspectral imaging performance over a wide band, as well as environmental stability and suitability for airborne/spaceborne applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The direct applications of this technology will be in multispectral and hyperspectral imaging systems for remote sensing, including Earth observation, environmental monitoring, coastal research, pollution control, and agricultural surveillance. The system will also find a wide range of applications in medical devices, manufacturing, scientific research, biological and chemical spectroscopic imaging, optical communications, and a broad range of portable low-cost instrumentation.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Shui Lin Chao, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, EOH Division
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Physical Optics Corporation
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
UAVs are receiving increasing attention for a variety of missions. Fuel cells offer an efficient means to convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity. Current developments in solar-electric aircraft indicate that operating at 60,000 feet requires 1,512 kWh/week from 66 - 84 kg of hydrogen.

Utilizing oxygen from the atmosphere requires a special low-pressure fuel cell. In Phase I we demonstrated power densities of 105 mW/cm_ at 2 psia. Producing sufficient power from a stack of reasonable weight requires novel bipolar plate structures and gas diffusion structures with conductive cores. This produces flow fields with large open fractions, promoting gas flow at low back pressures and reducing mass. The most effective flow field-electrode combination consisted of polymer cell frames with titanium gas barriers and thin carbon rods passing through the barriers. The rods are in direct contact with metal conductive elements within each electrode. This single conductor connecting a pair of electrodes minimizes resistance. Phase II will lead to further improvements in low-pressure air cathodes and the fabrication, demonstration under simulated high altitude conditions, and delivery of a kilowatt-sized stack. This stack is projected to have a repeating unit power density of 240 W/kg when operating at 50,000 feet.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
UAVs for use as telecommunication relay systems are potentially a multibillion dollar market within ten years. The work proposed here develops an enabling technology for deploying these aircraft at lower cost. The same technology can also be applied to reduce the weight of fuel cell stacks intended for terestrial applications as well, and this is a potentially larger market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Alan Cisar
Lynntech, Inc.
7610 Eastmark Drive
College Station , TX   77840 - 4024

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lynntech, Inc.
7610 Eastmark Drive
College Station , TX   77840 - 4024

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This project will lay the foundation for a new generation of traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifiers for high data rate space communications. The proposed helical TWT for NASA's deep space and earth science missions will be 50% more power efficient than the amplifier on the Cassini mission currently on its way to the environment of Saturn. In addition, the capacity and linearity for digital signal amplification and the reliability of the TWT will be enhanced, while its size, weight, and cooling requirements will be significantly reduced. These dramatic improvements in performance will be achieved by the introduction of four innovations. First, a novel taper will be incorporated that reduces power carried in parasitic waves and increases the main signal. Second, the sever will be eliminated or substantially reduced. Third, a new dielectric support structure is introduced, which reduces the helix temperature by a factor of two. Fourth, a new wire cross-section and advanced materials will further reduce losses. The proposed technology development promises to provide the biggest contribution to efficiency enhancement in helical TWTs since the introduction of velocity tapers some 35 years ago and will enable high frequency digital broadband communications with multi-gigabit-per-second data rates.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Helical traveling wave tubes are the power amplifiers of choice in satellites for communications, data transmission, broadcasting, and radar mapping. Our advanced technology is expected to have a tremendous impact on the operational cost efficiencies of commercial satellites and the development of broadband, high data rate wireless communications. Additional high volume applications are in satellite ground stations, phased array antennas, microwave power modules, radar for air traffic control and weather forecasting, and medical as well as scientific areas. Military applications include data links, electronic countermeasures, and missile seekers. The successful implementation of the proposed innovations would greatly increase the global competitiveness of the U.S. power tube industry. With the long-standing and extremely successful track record of advanced communications technology pioneered by NASA, this project can be expected to once again lead the way toward record-setting technology with subsequent transfer to and adoption by the commercial communications industry.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Wolfgang Mueller
AmpWaveTech, LLC
30047 Persimmon Drive
Cleveland , OH   44145 - 5151

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AmpWaveTech, LLC
30047 Persimmon Drive
Cleveland , OH   44145 - 5151

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NovaSol proposes the Compact Airborne Stabilization System (COMPASS), providing the remote sensing community with a unique stabilization and navigation system adaptable to various sensors, platforms, and requirements. COMPASS offers a solution that currently does not exist: Namely high bandwidth optical path correction in real-time while simultaneously recording attitude and position data. The architecture chosen for COMPASS provides a maximum amount of flexibility, allowing for tailored solutions for specific sensors and budgets without employing custom designs. The system?s compactness, in combination with its ability to correct for disturbances of relatively high frequencies, make it an ideal candidate system for small aircraft and UAVs. Finally, the end-to-end-solution, incorporating a user interface for flight planning and execution, alleviates the difficulty of integrating and employing several subsystems.

As a result of the successful completion of the Phase I work, NovaSol proposes the development and test of a COMPASS prototype. The preliminary design developed for Phase I will first be finalized, followed by the assembly and test of all subsystems. After successful integration of all subsystems, COMPASS will be flight tested with a selected spectral sensor system and its performance evaluated. The completed and tested COMPASS prototype will then be delivered to NASA.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
COMPASS will provide great utility to the remote sensing community by adding value to spectral sensor systems currently flown and in development: With COMPASS, the end product (a geo-registered data set) can be produced at a higher quality, higher reliability, and in a shorter amount of time. Currently available stabilization systems either lack performance, are too large/heavy, or are specifically designed for a particular system. In addition, these systems typically do not offer a user interface for mission planning and execution. COMPASS? performance and features make it a unique system in the market, occupying a currently vacant niche.

The COMPASS system can be used in any of the areas where spectral imaging systems are flown. Examples include agriculture, fisheries, environmental monitoring, oil exploration and insurance/disaster industries. NovaSol plans to expand the prototype development into a commercial COMPASS product. The State of Hawaii has approved a grant to study the market potential for COMPASS, and develop a plan for commercialization. Scientists at NASA and private industry have shown strong interest in the system, and expressed their support for a continuation of the program.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Detlev Even
Innovative Technical Solutions
2800 Woodlawn Dr. #192
Honolulu , HI   96822 - 1863

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Innovative Technical Solutions
2800 Woodlawn Dr. #192
Honolulu , HI   96822 - 1863

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The low mass, stowage volumes, and cost of inflatably deployed rigidizable space structures have generated much interest as an enabling technology. Missions that were too heavy, complex, or expensive, may now be feasible using inflatable deployable rigidizable technology. A large portion of these structures fall into the planar class consisting of a flat tensioned membrane forming an antenna or reflector supported by a frame-like structure. This Phase I study increased our understanding of the structural issues dominating this class of structure, and further developed the conical deployment and sub Tg rigidization technologies needed to complete the technology. A continuation of this effort under a Phase II program will bring the technology close to a flight prototype through the development, fabrication, and test of a ground test unit.

The technical objectives of the proposed phase II study are to refine and validate the inflatable rigidizable support structure concept through development, deployment, and rigidization tests of component and scaled system test articles. Ground tests will culminate in system deployment and rigidization tests in a thermal vacuum chamber simulating the space environment. A successful outcome to this proposed effort will offer much credibility to the concept and pave the way to a flight experiment.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The most immediate use for the inflatable rigidizable planar antenna support structure concept, coupled to the Waveguide array currently in development under other programs, is for Earth mapping soil moisture measurements. Quantitative observations of surface moisture content are needed because soil moisture impacts a range of biogeochemical and hydrological processes and have implications to agriculture, forestry, transportation, and weather prediction. Regional process measurements are also needed to validate climate model predictions of changes in the distribution of surface moisture induced by global warming. This space borne capability could be attained efficiently though the use of inflatable rigidization technology and the Waveguide array concept to achieve a high spatial resolution of (<10 km) to enhance remote sensing capability for soil moisture measurements as well as for applications such as sea surface temperature, salinity, and measurements of the polar ice caps.

Other commercial applications of the concept are also immense. The lightweight and simplicity of the concept, coupled with the geometric precision of the planar array, will find many applications in the fields of space based radar, communications, and with continued development, even optics, and terrestrial structural systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Leo Lichodziejewski
L'Garde, Inc.
15181 Woodlawn Avenue
Tustin , CA   92780 - 6487

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
L'Garde, Inc.
15181 Woodlawn Avenue
Tustin , CA   92780 - 6487

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In response to NASA?s need to, ?enhance human and machine interface in support of scientific, commercial, and educational applications of remote sensing data,? Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has preliminarily developed and demonstrated an advanced new technique of 3-D visualization. In Phase II we will complete the development of a novel Dynamic Time Multiplexed Holographic (DTMH) system. The DTMH technology is based on new 3-D screens with dynamic time multiplexing and unique playback geometry, uniquely integrated with new multi-channel illuminators. POC?s proprietary holographic screen recording geometry is optimized for off-axis image projection, so that the display can be in any geometry from vertical to horizontal. DTMH offers full look-around, with visual channels spatially distributed around the viewer, and high image quality (up to 1600 x 1200 pixels for each visual channel). POC had earlier developed display technology for either horizontal or vertical screen geometry, and is now developing a flexible dynamic screen geometry with the preferred position near 45 degrees to visualize objects below the line of sight as well as between screen and viewer. As a result, high quality 3-D objects float over the screen surface or in front of the viewer (between screen and viewer in vertical geometry).

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This technology has many potential applications in visualization, virtual reality, medical, and related fields. In addition to advanced 3-D visualization tools, it will bring new capabilities to computer training and simulation, entertainment (video games), air traffic control, environmental monitoring, and automatic satellite orbit control. High resolution in both cross section and volume will make this an excellent tool not only for scientific data visualization but also for real-time visualization of medical procedures such as tumor irradiation, telemedicine, avionics, training, and simulation. The proposed system can be used in 3-D modeling, simulation, and structural optimization, and can be used on a nationwide scale to significantly improve medical diagnostics.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Andrew Kostrzewski, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, IT Division
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Physical Optics Corporation
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The heterogeneous, distributive, and voluminous nature of NASA?s Earth science data archives imposes severe constraints on meeting diverse user requirements. This is compounded by the need to observe communication bandwidth limitations, time constraints, and a wide variety of database protocols unique to each site. To address these issues, while ensuring the autonomy of individual data sources, our Phase I effort focused on the design of an Agent-based Complex QUerying and Information Retrieval Engine (ACQUIRE). Feasibility was demonstrated with a Java-based ACQUIRE, which retrieved data using mobile agents from distributed networked machines.
For Phase II, we propose a full-scope operational web-enabled ACQUIRE to retrieve data from NASA?s Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs). A COTS-based query interface will be developed to understand the semantics of incomplete and unstructured user queries and translate them to an unambiguous intermediate representation for further processing. More formal planning and traditional database query optimization techniques based on pre-defined templates will be deployed to translate intermediate queries to sub-queries for individual data sources. We will enhance data retrieval efficiency by allowing cooperation among spawned mobile agents satisfying sub-queries. We are specifically targeting our effort to integrate ACQUIRE with NASA?s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
We see several potential commercial applications of the developed mobile agent based technology for distributed query processing and information retrieval. The technology can be directly applied to other domains, in particular, automated information gathering from distributed Internet sites, distributed corporate database environments, and shopping over the Internet. The dual use of the developed core technology complements various ongoing projects including a current effort sponsored by NASA to build a distributed environment for spacecraft onboard planning and scheduling.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Subrata K. Das
Charles River Analytics Inc.
725 Concord Ave
Cambridge , MA   02138 - 1040

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Charles River Analytics Inc.
725 Concord Ave
Cambridge , MA   02138 - 1040

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Sigma Research and Engineering holds a provisional patent for a holography based sunsensor, and proposes to build a prototype based on the succesfull proof of concept research carried out in Phase I. A novel concept for high-resolution attitude determination sun sensor, which reduces mass and power of current commercial technology sensors by orders of magnitude, while at the same time providing high resolution and a very wide field of view has been conceived. The sensor is based on a few basic principles and state of the art technology. The wide FOV, high resolution, and compact size are achieved by overlapping fields-of-view onto a single high-resolution detector using holographic technology. Overlapping the fields of small angular sectors in the field of view of a fine sensor permits sharing a single high-resolution focal plane array of a moderate size among sectors. For a given array size it allows to spread the signal in the elevation direction over N times the number of pixels that a sensor with a single sector and the same system field of view would have used. thus creating a system that overcomes the inherent problems of wide field of view systems, namely, low resolution.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Miniature sun sensors for aerospace applications. Customers will include NASA, aerospace commercial companies, and other government agencies. A sensor of this characteristics shall have a market potential in the thousands of units given its applicability to nanosatellites. In fact it is one of the only options for a sun-sensor in a nanosatellite-class ship. The combination of orders of magnitude higher resolution, a tenth of the mass and power, and comparable cost to current sensors give this device a tremendous competitive advantage even for large satellites. The holographic technology developed under this SBIR may have significant impacts in fabrication and performance of next generation filters and multiplexers for WDM systems. Customers will be OEM companies for the telecommunications industry. Sigma has currently market ties to this industry, and given successful development of the components, commercialization would be immediate.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Marzouk Marzouk
Sigma Research and Engineering Corp.
9801 Greenbelt Road, Suite 103
Lanham , MD   20706 - 6204

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Sigma Research and Engineering Corp.
9801 Greenbelt Road, Suite 103
Lanham , MD   20706 - 6204

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Future NASA missions and nanosat applications demand the highest performance microelectronics and this generally leads to use of commercial products. These microelectronics must also operate in the natural radiation environment of space. The goal of this work is to reduce the threat of single event latchup (SEL) to commercial microelectronics processed by standard foundry methods and thereby enable their use in space systems. The constraint is that no circuit redesign or process change to the foundry should be required. The technical concept being investigated is aggressive thinning the Si substrate below the active region of the surface CMOS circuitry. The thinned substrate generates less charge when an ion penetrates and this raises the effective LET threshold for SEL. Because of the rapidly decreasing flux of energetic ions in space as LET is increased, a small increase in effective LET threshold provides a large decrease in SEL-causing flux, leveraging the SEL rate reduction. In addition, the reduced charge collection volume reduces the probability that an ion will penetrate the sensitive volume, further reducing the SEL probability. Availability of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) microelectronics that are immune to SEL will enable NASA system designers to achieve the advanced space missions that are planned.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
All commercial and government implementation of space systems is faced with the challenge of using unhardened commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) microelectronics in the radiation environments of space. This project will be performed with United States Semiconductor, Inc. (US Semi) as subcontractor, which provides a clear path for commercialization of the SEL mitigation approach. US Semi serves the space community by re-selling COTS microelectronics after making them more radiation-tolerant through various post-processing methods. US Semi?s proprietary, patented process thinning process, designated RHI-NO? (Radiation Hardened Integrated circuit-NO redesign) is based on two exclusive licenses from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The thinning process instills improvements in chip tolerance of radiation effects, independent of the fabrication process. It enables satellite and military system designers to use commercial parts that may not have been available in the past because of radiation performance problems. RHI-NO? will also be deployed in the development of proprietary families of chips and multi-chip modules, directed at high volume customer requirements. The results of this project will feed directly into the commercialization plans of US Semi and will become available to commercial and government spacecraft designers.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James C. Pickel
PR&T Inc.
1997 Katie Court
Fallbrook , CA   92028 - 8117

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
PR&T Inc.
1997 Katie Court
Fallbrook , CA   92028 - 8117

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An ultra lightweight deployable boom that demonstrates repeated performance reliably is desired for gossamer missions such as solar sails. Composite Optics, Inc. (COI) is currently investigating these types of structures with advanced furlable composite materials and design methodology. During Phase I, a proof-of-concept solar sail boom called X-Spring was successfully designed, optimized, fabricated and tested. The results from Phase I strongly encourage a Phase II, which will focus primarily on Performance, Reliability and Repeatability (PRR) of this technology. We will investigate the limits of this technology to achieve lighter, longer, higher performing, lower cost booms for not only gossamer structures but also for other NASA and commercial applications. During Phase II we will investigate PRR of the Phase I proof-of-concept boom. We will then examine if changes to the design, materials and processing are needed to increase PRR. We will then design, optimize, and fabricate a second proof-of-concept that incorporates all changes and lessons learned identified. Following the fabrication of the second proof-of-concept, we will test the boom and evaluate its PRR. Finally, we will design and fabricate four 7m booms to be used on a solar sail model.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The success of this project will provide the military, scientific and commercial market a new technology with unique characteristics specifically intended but not limited to gossamer missions. A demand for ultra large, lightweight, deployable boom and truss structures will exist for many future space missions. Many of these future missions will have a higher degree of requirements, such as mass and natural frequency, due to their larger size. COI has identified several new materials, design concepts, and manufacturing approaches that offer unique opportunities to improve on future space structures. It is our goal to commercialize this technology not only for space, but also for terrestrial applications such as portable masts for communication devices, surveying equipment, cameras, shelters and other applications that require a long, lightweight deployable members that can be setup within minutes. To ensure successful product commercialization in a timely manner, we plan to communicate our progress to technical community via publications and marketing at the appropriate conferences.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark Pryor
Composite Optics, Incorporated
9617 Distribution Avenue
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2393

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Composite Optics, Incorporated
9617 Distribution Avenue
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2393

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This SBIR Phase II Project proposes to use the semiconducting material AlxGa1-xN to develop a photocathode for highly sensitive, solar-blind photomultipliers. The band gap of AlxGa1-xN has a long wavelength cutoff that can be varied from 365 to 200 nm as the Al molar fraction increases from zero to one. Further, this compound can show a negative electron affinity (NEA) and can be used in high temperature and high power applications. In the phase I effort, NanoSciences successfully engineered working AlxGa1-xN photocathodes on (0001) sapphire substrates. The Phase II AlxGa1-xN photocathode program will involve the following tasks: 1) surface treatment to remove contaminants and improve Ga deficiencies, 2) making good Ohmic electrical contacts, 3) refining the cesium and oxygen termination treatments, 4) characterizing the material, optical, and photoelectric properties, and 5) the photocathode will be coupled to micromachined silicon microchannel plate (MCP) and miniature photomultiplier tube (MPMT) technologies to produce high gain (>1,000) detectors that operate at low power, high speed, and over a large dynamic range. Sensitive in the short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV), l < 290 nm, region of the spectrum, these detectors respond to relevant emission bands for UV astronomy, atmospheric ozone monitoring, optical data storage, and remote sensing of earth resources.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
UV sensitive photomultipliers would be beneficial to NASA for the remote sensing of earths resources, atmospheric ozone level monitoring, UV astronomy, astronomical survey instrumentation, and satellite and spacecraft communication systems. The military would have use for this device as in-flight aircraft sensors, biological agent detection, and missile plume signature sensors. Commercial applications include: medical diagnostic instruments, chemical analysis, fiber-optic communications, UVR monitoring for agricultural and personnel exposure, combustion monitoring of gases in the presence of a hot background, UV spectroscopy, furnace control systems, integrated optical systems, very high speed machine vision and robotic vision sensors, and next generation optical data storage.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Youssef Habib
NanoSciences Corporation
1014 New Holland Ave
Lancaster , PA   17601 - 5606

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
NanoSciences Corporation
1014 New Holland Ave
Lancaster , PA   17601 - 5606

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The results of the SBIR Phase I verified the performance of Xinetics? Integrated Large Scale Zonal Meniscus Mirror concept and an in-depth manufacturing study confirmed the feasibility of producing it. Intended for use as the primary mirror for beam directors and imaging telescopes, the ultralightweight, active mirror combines the desirable material properties of a silicon carbide substrate with electroactive ceramic actuators embedded in it to control the figure of the mirror. The proposed project will build a 1.3 meter, f/4 spherical mirror with a 0.030mm rms surface figure after correction and a micro-roughness less than 20 Angstroms rms. Its areal density, including actuators, will be 11 Kg/m2, with a goal of 8 Kg/m2. Using Xinetics? CERAFORM silicon carbide process we will produce a lightweight rib-stiffened meniscus substrate to near-net shape and, after polishing, embed in it our PMN actuators. Three sets of bipods will then be attached to mount the mirror to a test fixture. We will use our XiMUX electronics to drive the actuators during interferometric testing to verify performance, which will be demonstrated by correcting 1g deflections and by producing surface shapes corresponding to Zernike terms 4 through 21.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
CERAFORM SiC is well-positioned to penetrate the non-specialty mirror market as well. Laser mirrors for commercial welding systems are typically several thousand dollars each in small sizes. Xinetics recently delivered 2 inch optics for $2,000 and 6 inch optics for $6,000. These mirrors were polished to l/10 peak-to-valley at 0.63-mm with a surface finish of better than 20-?-rms. Xinetics recently funded Kodak to polish a 20-inch diameter sphere at a cost of $45,000 and has received a recent quote for a 1-meter diameter sphere at a cost of $100,000. In 1998,we stated that polishing cost must be reduced by an order of magnitude to enable SiC to be cost competitive with metal based laser mirrors. These costs presented here represent an order of magnitude cost reduction over the past 3 years and effectively enables SiC to compete directly with glass and metal based mirrors. The proposed program combines near net shape forming and agile polishing to greatly mitigate the cost of making precision aspheric optics and high quality laser mirrors. It is our intent to reduce the cost of making aspheric specialty optics by an order of magnitude to facilitate programs such as NGST and TPF. Silicon carbide provides superior performance and delivery schedule to conventional metal mirrors and provides a much more cost and schedule effective solution.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Roland Plante
Xinetics Inc
37 MacArthur Ave
Devens , MA   01432 - 4443

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Xinetics Inc
37 MacArthur Ave
Devens , MA   01432 - 4443

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The throughput on missions such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory has been increased significantly through the use of metalized polyimide filters. Future missions such as Constellation-X require higher transmittance across a large range of energies. Phase I proposed to determine the feasibility of improving the overall transmittance and strength of thin foil filters through the use of innovative new film supports made from Kevlar or similarly strong advanced fibers. At low x-ray energies, the reinforcing fiber structure will have higher transmittance than the often-required metal mesh that it will replace. At energies above about 3 keV, the reinforcement will become nearly invisible, and improvements in mission throughput will be even more significant. Feasibility was clearly demonstrated during Phase I in that thin polyimide films, (1400? thick), reinforced with orthogonal, 72 line-per-inch, 12 ?m Kevlar fiber support, were shown by test to be more than 200% stronger relative to standard nickel mesh supported films. This same Kevlar mesh, metalized for opacity, was shown to increase transmittance by 12 to 15% over nickel mesh of similar pitch. Thus, when developed, this innovation will provide substantially greater scientific throughput for future NASA missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Filters for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL)
Detector windows for scanning electron microscopy utilizing Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Heidi C.H. de Lopez
Luxel Corporation
P.O. Box 1879
Friday Harbor , WA   98250 - 1879

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Luxel Corporation
P.O. Box 1879
Friday Harbor , WA   98250 - 1879

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA is interested in large, coherent, primary mirrors with good optical figure. An approach now followed by all major observatories is to make the large mirror of smaller segments that are phased together. Hexagons ~1 meter in diameter are a possible segment size. Over one hundred one meter segments are required even for a 10 meter diameter primary. Segments will have a long focal length, f/20 or more, even if the resultant large mirror is f/2 or less. Means for making and measuring high quality, low scatter, long focal length, large adaptive optic deformable mirrors economically is thus greatly needed, as stated in the subtopic. This proposal presents one solution for measuring mirror quality. Effects of turbulence and air layering are largely eliminated by making the most of the long focal length path virtual. A technique for economically superpolishing large mirrors for low scatter is presented and will be domonstrated. A precision fiber optic interferometer capable of increasing the measuring precision of commercial interferometers by a factor of five or more has been evaluated in Phase I. Its use on large, long focal length superpolished mirrors measured using virtual path length techiques will be demonstrated in the Phase II program.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Many very large telescopes made up of segmented mirror building blocks are now being planned. There is currently no other commercial company in the United States that is addressing the supply of large, well figured, superpolished building block mirrors for astronomical use. We are interested in providing such a product.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Harold Bennett
Bennett Optical Research, Inc.
201 N. Sanders Street
Ridgecrest , CA   93555 - 3867

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bennett Optical Research, Inc.
201 N. Sanders Street
Ridgecrest , CA   93555 - 3867

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Fabricating collimators for imaging x-rays and gamma-rays, with the precision required for sub-arc second imaging, is a significant problem in solar and non-solar astrophysics. Fine collimators, made from dense materials, are enabling components in high-resolution imaging instruments. Commercial collimator fabrication techniques are limited to producing structures with coarse cell sizes that require long structural lengths to achieve required resolution. The ability to produce collimators with finer pitch (<50 microns) will significantly impact the performance and cost of space-based imaging instruments. For modulation imaging schemes utilizing co-aligned collimators, producing finer grid patterns allows reductions in the distance between grid pairs, thus reducing instrument size and mass, while increasing spatial resolution. Recent efforts have produced single collimators with pitch <50 microns using photochemical etching and stack lamination. However, assembling multi-grid arrays from single collimators requires complex assembly and alignment schemes. In Phase I, Mikro Systems, Inc. (MSI) developed an innovative technique for fabricating tungsten multi-grid arrays. Phase II will extend this innovation and produce two flight quality arrays, each having 64 sub-collimators with pitch ranging from 35 microns to 2.0 millimeters. MSI?s collimator technology will further the development of compact, cost effective instruments for space based x-ray and gamma-ray imaging.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The technologies being developed under this SBIR have direct application for commercial medical imaging and bio-medical products and devices. The ability to fabricate high-aspect ratio, three dimensional devices has significant value for medical radiology systems and the development of BioMEMS devices. The MSI technological advances made in Phases I and II, will lead to smaller, better, and cheaper space-based instruments for NASA, and will be transferred to the medical and biomedical commercial markets, resulting in cost reduction and performance gains.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael P. Appleby
Mikro Systems, Inc.
770 Harris Street, Suite 104
Charlottesville , VA   22903 - 6260

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mikro Systems, Inc.
770 Harris Street, Suite 104
Charlottesville , VA   22903 - 6260

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) program, as well as other NASA programs, DoD efforts such as SBIRS Low, and space based commercial Earth resource imaging service providers, require passive cryogenic heat transport devices that can effectively couple (thermally) remote cryocoolers to sensor / instrument payloads of interest. This capability will have profound, positive impacts in terms of payload vibration / jitter isolation, enabling implementation of redundant coolers, coupling of multiple sensors to a common heat sink, weight, and other benefits to payload and spacecraft. In addition, NGST requires the transport device to operate at 20-30K, which has never been demonstrated prior to this Phase 1 SBIR project. The proof-of-concept Hydrogen Advanced Loop Heat Pipe (H2-ALHP) that was developed, built, and tested during this Phase 1 program, successfully demonstrated up to 5 W of heat transport over 2.5 m length at 20 to 30K. The key to its success is a TTH Research developed secondary pump concept, which accommodates unwanted parasitic heat leaks into the loop. The proposed Phase 2 effort will reduce the H2-ALHP weight to a viable level, and will characterize / quantify life issues related to the use of hydrogen as the working fluid.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The H2-ALHP developed by TTH Research and Thermacore under the NASA/GSFC Phase 2 effort is the first-ever Hydrogen capillary pumped system. The Phase 2 H2-ALHP will be optimized for performance and weight to produce a desirable product with the following applications in mind: NASA?s Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), identifiable military applications (such as SBIRS Low), and commercial hyperspectral and panchromatic imaging for natural resource mapping / knowledge, which all require cryogenic cooling of IR sensor payloads. Earth imaging for commercial applications is a multi-billion dollar emerging industry. Publicly traded companies, such as Earth Search Sciences, Inc., are investing into partnerships to build and launch satellites to meet their imaging needs, beyond aircraft platform based capabilities. In all cases, the advantage of the Phase 2 H2-ALHP is its ability to accommodate orders of magnitude greater heat than existing heat transport devices, with the ability to control temperatures (not available in any other equivalent technology), and sufficiently small to find application in severely envelope restricted systems. TTH Research will work closely with Thermacore, Inc. (its proposed subcontractor), which has a very successful history of commercializing SBIR technologies, to assure a viable end product for NGST and the other cited applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Triem Hoang
TTH Research, Inc.
505 Hampton Park Blvd., Suite J
Capitol Heights , MD   20743 - 3827

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TTH Research, Inc.
505 Hampton Park Blvd., Suite J
Capitol Heights , MD   20743 - 3827

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This Phase II SBIR proposal will fabricate and deliver (for the ST-5 satellite) 4 space-qualified variable emissivity devices based on the ESR approach. This approach promises very low cost and high performance over competing technologies along with a very significant reduction in weight (~500 gm/sq. meter) In addition, during the Phase II, process improvement should result in a device with an electrically switchable emissivity range of .8.
The approach works as a thermal switch, changing the mode of heat transfer from conduction (high heat loss) to radiation (low heat low). During the Phase I, heat loss measurements in a vacuum produced changes in effective emissivity as high as .74. The units to be fabricated for the Phase II will have more moderate performance to ensure high repeatability., but will still have changes in emissivity of .5.
The ESR has low power consumption with very simple control electronics. Applying a high (200-500) volts turns it on producing a high e state; shorting it produces a low e state, with the device performing as a high quality capacitor (~ 400 pfd/cm2). The device is basically an off-on switch, but segmenting the area gives digital control on the emissivity to control temperature.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ESR is a new and novel product. The only market for its application is for spacecraft that require switchable radiation for temperature control in applications where power and weight conservation are important. Technologies currently utilized for these applications (primarily mechanical louvers), are complex, cumbersome and expensive. Thus, the characteristic light weight and simple active control required of the ESR will be a significant advantage for space applications with tight requirements on temperature control.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
William Biter
Sensortex, Inc.
515 Schoolhouse Road
Kennett Square , PA   19348 - 1741

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Sensortex, Inc.
515 Schoolhouse Road
Kennett Square , PA   19348 - 1741

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Sunpower proposes to build and test a compact three-stage pulse tube cryocooler designed for simultaneous cooling loads on all three stages, with third-stage temperature in the range of 4-10 K. A linear compressor with less than 500 W electrical input will drive the cold head with frequency on the order of 30 Hz, charge pressure on the order of 20 bar and a pressure amplitude on the order of 15% of the charge pressure. Such a cryocooler will mark a significant advancement from low frequency high pressure-amplitude Gifford-McMahon technology, which is the only closed-cycle cryocooler technology available today in this temperature range.

It is likely that the cryocooler we develop would be directly useful to the NASA Goddard ADR (adiabatic demagetication refrigerator) project, as well as to other NASA missions requiring cooling in the range of 4-10 K.

The cryocooler also has potential applications in radio astronomy, such as 4K cooling for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope.

This project will employ the Sage pulse-tube design software (Gedeon Associates) for the multi-stage cryocooler modeling as well as the overall cryo-package optimization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
We believe that at least two potentially large emerging commercial markets would be well served by the cryocooler we propose to develop. The first is the wireless (and optical) communications hardware infrastructure market, which requires cooling at 4.5 K for LTS (low temperature superconducting) digital circuits. The second is the MRI (magnetic-resonance imaging) medical-imaging market, which requires cooling at 4.2 K for superconducting magnets. These technologies currently employ niobium as the LTS material and work best at temperatures no higher than about 4.5 K. Future developments using other materials (notably magnesium diboride) promise operating temperatures approaching 20 K, where our cryocooler technology would operate much more efficiently.

There are also a limited number of commercial ADR systems used in laboratory industrial applications for such applications as cooling X-ray detectors.

In the temperature range of 10-15 K, there is the established vacuum cryopumping market. Today, Gifford-McMahon cooling technology has a firm grip on this market. But we feel our proposed cryocooler could eventually compete, on the basis of lower cost, smaller size, increased efficiency and equal, or better, reliability.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kyle Wilson
Sunpower, Inc.
182 Mill Street
Athens , OH   45701 - 2627

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Sunpower, Inc.
182 Mill Street
Athens , OH   45701 - 2627

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In the Low Temperature Cryocooler (LTCC) Phase I study, Technology Applications, Inc. (TAI) has performed the research, design, and analysis that demonstrates the feasibility for producing a 6 K cryocooler that is reliable, has high efficiency and low vibration, is lightweight and compact, and has variable load capability. In Phase II, TAI is proposing to design, fabricate, and test a protoflight system that will meet specific criteria to qualify it for a space flight experiment under the DoD Space Test Program (STP). Through the STP, the LTCC performance can be characterized during space flight to provide government agencies and the commercial sector with a space qualified cryocooler that offers far superior performance to current technology.

The highly efficient performance of the LTCC is achieved through the incorporation of a mirco-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) technology expansion device. The design and development of the expander will be mature by the time the LTCC protoflight system is fabricated, resulting from a leading development through DARPA funding of a 70 K cryocooler that incorporates the same device. The Phase II program will focus on developing flight-like control electronics and designing and testing the protoflight system to meet STP experiment specifications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
TAI is developing new cryocooler technology to provide the government with capability to efficiently cool military and science sensors/instruments down to 4.5 K. The Pentagon?s Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) requires cooling of low temperature superconductor (LTS) analog-to-digital converters and digital signal processors to 4.5 K. There is a huge commercial market for LTS wireless base stations, which could occur concurrently with the military deliveries of the JTRS if the technology can be demonstrated. The U.S. Navy has LTS magnetic gradiometer using superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID) that need 4.5 K cryocoolers with minimum interference from EMI and vibration; the medical industry is investigating SQUID detection of cardiac disease.

NASA has a need for cryocoolers for several space science programs for 6 K cooling of detectors and instruments. These programs include Constellation X, Next Generation Space Telescope, and Terrestrial Planet Finder. NASA also requires precoolers in order to obtain lower temperature cooling using adiabatic demagnetization and dilution refrigerators.

The cryocooler is an enabling technology for many commercial applications requiring cooling to liquid helium temperature. These include LTS digital electronics for wireless/optical network products, low-temperature Josephson voltage standards, and rectification power plants for the telecommunications industry.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steve Nieczkoski
Technology Applications, Inc.
5445 Conestoga Court, #2A
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2724

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Technology Applications, Inc.
5445 Conestoga Court, #2A
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2724

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovative materials are key to buoyant vehicles for terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications in NASA's Space and Earth Science Enterprises. Thin film membranes which have resistance to UV degradation, temperature operation up to 750K, low helium permeability with good handling and folding characteristics at an areal density <40g/m2 and down to <12g/m2 are required. Metallized composites of nanotube reinforcement in a carbon matrix are an innovative material that has the potential to meet these material requirements. The Phase I program demonstrated that nanotube reinforced carbon matrix membrane with an areal density of 12 g/m2 could be produced, which had low helium permeability. The Phase II program will optimize the processing to produce the fully stable nanotube reinforced membranes and scale-up to deliver meter size membranes.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications will be for NASA ultra-lightweight, highly stable thin film requirements, weather and communication balloons, solar sails, sun shields as well as membranes/thin films in a variety of industrial applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. J.C. (Jim) Withers
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Platforms for scientific instruments increasingly require attitude knowledge and optical instrument pointing at sub-arcsecond accuracy. No low-cost commercial system exists to provide this level of accuracy for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) and precision instrument pointing. ATA proposes to introduce a small inexpensive inertial attitude reference system based upon magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) angular rate sensor technology and a 'virtual star' inertial reference concept. The proposed MHD Stable Reference (MSTAR) will integrate technologies of low-noise sensors, actuators, electronics, and software into a miniature system with capability to function as a sub-arcsecond-level reference in payload pointing and attitude control. Our innovation resides in two areas: (1) fusing GNC and optical instrument pointing functions in order to achieve unprecedented accuracy, and (2) applying novel high-bandwidth, low-cost, low-power, rugged MHD sensor technology to meet this goal and enable commercialization. Unlike current approaches, this system can measure and cancel coupled interactions between instrument and platform at high frequency. The melding of low-frequency and high-frequency data and the use of a novel sensor will enable low-cost, low-weight, low-power, precision pointing for NASA's terrestrial and extra-terrestrial balloons and aerobots.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
MSTAR would enable sub-arcsecond pointing control and sub-arcsecond attitude knowledge determination for balloon-borne stratospheric science payloads. ATA's ultimate goal is a small, inexpensive unit for commercial and government customers. The initial MSTAR is aimed at a high-end market including DoD, DoE, NASA, and other agencies responsible for deploying optical instruments with precise pointing requirements. JPL has already communicated to us a need for comparable precision pointing for optical communication links to planetary probes. The satellite laser communication market is an example of a related industrial high-end customer. Commercial applications in the mid-range include stabilization for balloon-borne surveillance, helicopter-mounted news cameras, air-, ship-, and ground vehicle-based optical instruments and antennas. The MSTAR's unique competitive advantage derives from the accuracy and ruggedness of the underlying MHD sensor technology and the ease of manufacture for these sensor components. This combination enables a much lower cost, even in small volume, than previous high precision pointing and stabilization references.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Henry R. Sebesta
Applied Technology Associates
1900 Randolph Rd., SE, Suite G
Albuquerque , NM   87106 - 4266

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Applied Technology Associates
1900 Randolph Rd., SE, Suite G
Albuquerque , NM   87106 - 4266

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)

The Phase I results provided the technology basis for membrane mirror manufacturing without high-cost, high-precision molds or mandrels. The potential for the manufacturing technology to produce optical quality membrane mirrors for space applications was established and the art for producing improved performance low-cost membrane solar collectors and antennas was significantly advanced. Doubly-curved membrane mirror substrates were produced that had improved surface smoothness using various film materials including polyimides with low coefficients of thermal expansion. The capability to numerically simulate the manufacturing processes was demonstrated.
The Phase II effort will refine the membrane mirror manufacturing technology through expanded process simulation, tooling design enhancement, and additional process parameter control. The numerical simulations will be used to correlate process parameter values with high shape accuracy and surface finish smoothness. These parameter values will guide the process tooling design modifications. The result will be higher quality membrane mirrors that could enable new generations of large space-based telescopes that meet the agency's goal of 0.1 kg/m2 area density.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The manufacturing technology will produce high-performance solar collectors for solar thermal orbit transfer vehicles for placement of satellites in geosynchronous and other high earth orbits and for high temperature materials processing in space. The technology can be applied to large commercial communications satellites to provide lightweight, inflatable, self-rigidizing antenna support structures.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Rodney Bradford
United Applied Technologies, Inc.
11506 Gilleland Drive
Huntsville , AL   35803 - 4327

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
United Applied Technologies, Inc.
11506 Gilleland Drive
Huntsville , AL   35803 - 4327

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASAs Origin Program strategic plans call for direct imaging optical telescopes to evolve from 8 to 30 to 100 meter apertures by 2025. Indirect measurements using long baseline interferometers require Angstrom level precision for long durations. High data rate communications for spatial acquisition and tracking systems require active mirrors and up-down transmission compensation. Fundamental to NASAs vision of the future is high-density deformable mirrors which enable highly corrected optical systems and structures in space. These high-channel count deformable mirrors use very high-density actuator arrays and new 3D ceramic fabrication techniques to allow contrast enhancement for planetary imaging and correct system-wide optical errors within the telescope. The large, lightweight structures envisioned demand ultra high-density deformable mirrors. These will perform the necessary correction without sacrificing size or weight. Xinetics Photonex mirror modules have demonstrated 1 mm actuator spacing with array size of 21 x 21. Larger modules with arrays up to 128 x 128 will greatly simplify the optical systems and provide even greater capabilities. Xinetics has developed a 32 x 32 array of actuators with 0.5 mm spacing under Phase I and will continue this exciting evolution in deformable mirror technology under Phase II

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Several commercial applications are viable with the high actuator count, compact, highly reliable modular approach to deformable mirrors and active devices. Dynamic Gain Equalization Filters (DGEFs) used in the telecommunications industry are the focus of the commercial development in Phase II. DGEFs are inserted in the optical path within an optical amplifier, and the output of the amplifier measured with a channel ID/power monitor to provide control feedback. Increasing the actuator density within a given aperture allows more precise control of channel equalization in the optical path of the system. Ultra high density modules will provide a cost competitive, highly reliable solution to DGEF demands with actuator counts in the thousands in a compact device. In addition, silicon wafer processing and opthalmic imaging equipment manufacturers have expressed interest in Ultra High Density Module technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Roger B. Bagwell
Xinetics Inc
37 MacArthur Ave
Devens , MA   01432 - 4443

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Xinetics Inc
37 MacArthur Ave
Devens , MA   01432 - 4443

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Deep sea exploration and retrieval of biological and geological samples is an expensive undertaking. Operation of submersibles or ROVs is only within reach of a few governmental and large private organizations. The objective of Phase-I was to design and test a new generation of deep sea craft that, if successful, would substantially reduce costs of deep sea exploration and sample collection. Phase-I investigations were highly successful and strongly support the feasibility of the proposed new vehicle concepts. In Phase-II we will design and build a vehicle based on the new technology and use it to sample cold methane seeps for the presence of novel microorganisms. The application of this design for deep sea exploration and the discovery of new thermal vent fields in search of undiscovered microorganisms will reduce costs and permit small organizations and businesses to participate in the development of deep sea natural resources. This technology supports NASA programs in Astrobiology and could be adapted to the search for extant and extinct life forms below frozen water on the surface of Europa (or other planetary bodies) or to the study of Archaea to help understand the origin-of-life.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The deep sea is largely unexplored, but evidence suggests that there are large numbers of, as yet, undescribed microorganisms that thrive under extreme conditions of high and low temperature, high pressure, and high concentrations of salt and toxic metals. Technology that enables exploration and retrieval of new microorganisms capable of growing in these environments will be beneficial in biotechnology applications and other industries. Characterization of newly discovered Archaea by NASA scientists will also benefit Origin-of-Life studies. Extremophiles are an important source of industrial enzymes, including those used to generate ethanol from biomass, a potentially important source of renewable energy whose development would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. New industrial products and drugs could be developed from genomic information of extremophiles or extracted directly by culturing the organisms. Exploration and sampling technology can also be applied to the identification and location of important minerals that will hasten the development of deep sea mining.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thomas Meehan
Deep Sea DNA
1230 Brickyard Cove RD., unit 104
Richmond , CA   94801 - 4111

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Deep Sea DNA
1230 Brickyard Cove RD., unit 104
Richmond , CA   94801 - 4111

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Phase II research comprises constructing and testing the core components required for an integrated microfluidic manifold system. These microfluidic systems will enable analyte samples to be prepared, processed, and analyzed in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) type instrumentation . Specifically, micropump and microvalve components for such a system will be built, tested, and refined for use in Micro Laboratory applications. The micropump and microvalve devices will be engineered for integration with established LOC chemical analysis systems, with emphasis on of sample injection and high pressure pumping in LOC systems. The Phase II Research will address issues related to the performance of as well as production methods that can be used for the technology. Commercial devices based on the Phase II prototype will be constructed and subsequently refined and commercialized during Phase III.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial devices based upon the proposed technology include self-contained chemical analysis systems, point-of care analysis instrumentation for medical diagnostics, pollution monitoring devices, and environmental monitors for biological/chemical agent detection.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. James Scherer
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View , CA   94041 - 1518

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Los Gatos Research
67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3
Mountain View , CA   94041 - 1518

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Scientists have used laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) over the past decade to perform elemental analysis of soil, water and gases. The formation of laser-induced plasma, which produces a localized blackbody source for atomic emissions, enables this technology. Collection of the plasma's spectral signature by a lens or optical fiber allows examination for elemental components of numerous materials. Recently, it has been shown that the stand-off measurement capabilities and ablative nature of the LIBS instrument would provide an extremely useful tool for space and planetary exploration. Geological features can be examined from a distance, reducing the time required to position a rover, and expanding the area investigated during each mission. To further the usefulness of the LIBS instrument for space flight conditions, compact, lightweight, low power and robust systems are required. To meet this end, Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. (RMD) will develop a highly sensitive, echelle spectrometer and an array of Geiger photodiodes (GPD) coupled to an echelle spectrometer. Matching the GPD array format with the output from an echelle spectrometer will provide simultaneous monitoring of the major and minor elements of greatest interest, while eliminating the need for a scanning or multiple grating system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The development of a compact, low-cost monitoring system would reduce the need for time consuming, sampling techniques and provide a valuable tool for both, space and Earth-based applications. LIBS has the capability to provided stand-off and point detection in environmentally hazardous areas. An improvement in the ease of use, power consumption, and portability would greatly enhance the ability to perform initial screening or continuous monitoring. The unique photo-counting properties of the GPD array will provide the sensitivity necessary for stand-off detection, particularly in low-pressure environments. The high sensitivity of the photodiodes would reduce the required size and concomitant weight of other components, such as the optical elements used for collecting the return light from the plasma.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Arieh Karger, M.Sci.
Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc.
44 Hunt Street
Watertown , MA   02472 - 4699

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc.
44 Hunt Street
Watertown , MA   02472 - 4699

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Thorleaf Research, Inc. has demonstrated feasibility in Phase I and now proposes a Phase II effort to develop a miniaturized, low power micro-sampling probe and programmable thermal desorption/pyrolysis inlet system to collect and prepare samples for in situ chemical analysis by GC/MS or other techniques. The proposed innovation addresses an important NASA technology gap for in situ Solar System measurements, mainly how to acquire and pre-process complex ice, soil and rock samples for chemical analysis while remaining within challenging mass, volume and power constraints. Although miniaturized GC/MS and other low power instrumentation is currently under development by NASA for in situ measurements, the great potential of such instrumentation for the identification and characterization of biomarkers or early pre-biotic chemistry in the Solar System will not be realized without complementary developments in technology for the collection and pre-processing of relevant types of samples. Since we intend to follow a modular design approach in our Phase II development, this core instrumentation can also be adapted for other NASA needs, such as monitoring for microbial contaminates in space habitats and process monitoring for the extraction of planetary resources.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Analysis of commercial instrumentation markets shows that two of the three major growth areas for analytical instrumentation are real-time analysis and environmental monitoring, with projected annual growth rates of more than 15%. There is a significant technology gap for low power instrumentation that can be miniaturized for field use while retaining the analytical capability of larger laboratory instruments. The proposed SBIR effort to develop a miniaturized, low power micro-sampling probe and programmable thermal desorption/pyrolysis inlet system for GC/MS or other techniques addresses this need in an innovative way, and thus technical developments in the proposed program could have a significant market impact.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Paul Holland
Thorleaf Research, Inc.
5552 Cathedral Oaks Road
Santa Barbara , CA   93111 - 1406

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thorleaf Research, Inc.
5552 Cathedral Oaks Road
Santa Barbara , CA   93111 - 1406

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We proposed for Phase I a new broadband electromagnetic (EM) sensor, tentatively called GEM-5, to measure the electrical conductivity of the first 5-10 m of Martian in-situ geology. During Phase I, we evaluated the performance of the proposed sensor through numerically modeling several Mars-like geologic formations, which included highly resistive layers (denoting ice layers) sandwiched between conductive layers (denoting soil layers). The model also included a highly resistive basement to simulate deep permafrost. Based on both the mathematical modeling and preliminary field data presented in our two bimonthly reports during Phase I, we have established that the proposed sensor should be able to probe the first 30-40m in depth to map the vertical conductivity of the Martian subsurface.

We built and tested two GEM-5 prototypes during Phase I and proved that their behavior agrees with theoretical predictions. We also conducted two field experiments using a similar broadband EM sensor. Based on the successful completion of Phase I involving both numerical simulations and prototype hardware, we now propose to complete and deliver the proposed sensor system through the following activities proposed for Phase II:

? Design, fabricate, and package a final prototype sensor
? Develop software for system control and data acquisition (data acquisition and depth sounding)
? Finalize the interpretation software that can realistically model ice and/or permafrost layers, in cooperation with the JPL or other NASA scientists who are familiar with Martian geologic and ice/water models
? Demonstrate the sensor package in laboratory and outdoor sites
? Cooperate with the NASA personnel to integrate the proposed sensor to a candidate rover platform for potential deployment on Mars

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The sensor to be developed for Martian exploration has immediate applications to the commercial sectors listed below.

? The sensor system can be used for exploring mineral deposits, studying groundwater resources, and investigating geotechnical foundation problems.
? The sensor can be used for finding and classifying buried landmines and unexploded ordnance for clearing former military lands before they are turned over for public use.
? With further development, this sensor can also be used for checking weapons at security checkpoints such as airports and military bases.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
I.J. Won
Geophex, Ltd.
605 Mercury St
Raleigh , NC   27603 - 2343

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Geophex, Ltd.
605 Mercury St
Raleigh , NC   27603 - 2343

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA and commercial industry have pressing needs for miniaturized high vacuum systems. Recent advances in sensor technology have led to the development of very small mass spectrometers and other analytical instruments, but the vacuum systems required to support these sensors remain relatively large, heavy, and power-hungry. In particular, high vacuum systems of adequate performance continue to be too large for man-portable systems or for deployment on interplanetary probes, UAVs, balloons, and spacecraft.

To meet these needs, Creare proposes to build two extremely miniaturized vacuum systems: one optimized for use on Mars, and the other designed for Earth applications. Both systems will utilize a very small turbomolecular pump, in some applications combined with an integral molecular drag pump, that is approximately the size of a C-cell battery. All of the key components of this pump were successfully demonstrated during Phase I. During Phase II, special emphasis will be placed on developing vacuum systems that can be manufactured at reasonable cost and that will withstand harsh environmental challenges. The work plan heavily leverages analytical tools, fabrication techniques, and facilities developed on a previous NASA-funded project, which resulted in the development of what was until now the world's smallest turbomolecular pump.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The extremely miniaturized vacuum pump technology developed in this project will find a number of applications in portable gas analysis equipment, especially mass spectrometers. Such systems are a powerful tool for pollution monitoring, process control, and trace element determination. A particularly attractive commercial product would be truly hand-held residual gas analyzers and helium leak detectors. The military also has a great interest in deploying highly portable mass spectrometers for the detection of chemical and biological warfare agents.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Marc A. Kenton
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Creare Inc.
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Subsurface Coring Sampler System (SCSS) is multi-depth sample acquisition and handling tool that can be used for the exploration of Mars, Moon, comets and asteroids. This Phase II proposal looks to build upon the successful results obtained from the SCSS Phase I objectives. As stated in the Phase I proposal, this invention allows for a low power coring drill capable of penetrating weak or strong samples at cryogenic or elevated temperatures.
The goals of the Phase II effort will be to develop a fully integrated SCSS design to TRL 6 status; i.e. fabricate and test a demonstration unit in a Mars-type environment. By combining drilling, coring (large/small volume, surface/subsurface) and precision sample handling in one fully automated unit, the SCSS provides maximum functionality for minimum power and mass.
This new and multi-functional prototype sampler development is a continuation of the SCSS Phase I effort. Enhancements to SCSS in Phase II shall include the development of an automated sample transfer mechanism, improved shearing tip performance, higher volume sample chamber and a smart drill controller. Finally the Phase II effort will terminate with the fabrication and testing of the SCSS in the various automated modes of operations with a near term goal of having the technology ready for a Mars 07 time frame.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The USGS has initiated contact with Honeybee regarding the use of SCSS technology for terrestrial sampling. Currently, the USGS uses cumbersome rigs designed for oil-related drilling to take core samples. These rigs require 3-person teams for operation, and are designed for depths much greater than those necessary for USGS purposes. The large expense and lack of portability of current methods are major concerns for the USGS, and they have shown interest in purchasing operational SCSS units when they become available.

Similarly, these advantages of the SCSS will make it an attractive option for the Department of Transportation in their surveying needs, as well as agencies concerned with hazardous waste monitoring.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kin Yuen Kong
Honeybee Robotics Ltd.
204 Elizabeth St.
New York , NY   10012 - 4236

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Honeybee Robotics Ltd.
204 Elizabeth St.
New York , NY   10012 - 4236

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Ethylene Oxide has been widely used as a low-temperature sterilant since the 1950s. EO sterilizers were combined with a chlorofluorocarbon stabilizing agent, but these agents were phased out because they were linked to destruction ozone layer.
This phase out has created a need for new technologies to fill the void for non thermal sterilizing techniques. One approach is the use of non-thermal plasmas. Current commercial sterilization units that use plasma, primarily rely upon the hydrogen peroxide to perform the sterilization, require the use of vacuum chambers in order to generate plasma, and are costly to operate. PlasmaSol has developed a means to maintain stable non-thermal plasma at atmospheric pressure and direct the plasma at a surface for decontamination purposes. Non-Thermal Plasmas (NTP) are ionized gases which are far from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and are characterized by having electron mean energies much higher than those of the ambient gas molecules. PlasmaSol Corp. has demonstrated in this Phase I effort the ability to sterilize microorganisms effectively at ambient pressure with no carrier gases. It is the intention of this project to develop the systems created in Phase I to a more useable platform for NASA?s use and Phase III commercialization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are a variety of commercial applications for this technology in the sterilization market. The following markets and applications could potentially benefit from this technology:
? Medical sterilization
? Food Processing/packaging
? Surface cleaning of industrial processes such as circuit cards

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Edward Houston
PlasmaSol LLC
612 River Street
Hoboken , NJ   07030 - 5915

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
PlasmaSol LLC
612 River Street
Hoboken , NJ   07030 - 5915

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Flexible thin film photovoltaics (PV) solar array systems offer significant mass and cost saving benefits for current and future space-flight missions. Promising progress has been made in the development of thin film CIGS and amorphous silicon PV devices, however their integration into a solar array system is very immature. As thin film PV devices have evolved, ABLE has spent a significant amount of effort in developing many ultra-lightweight solar array systems and flexible blanket subsystems that can take advantage of the emerging lightweight PV devices. One of these systems is an advanced configuration of ABLE's UltraFlex solar array populated/integrated with thin film PV. Results of the Phase 1 effort concluded that an advanced thin film PV UltraFlex solar array system represents a feasible solution that can demonstrate state-of-the-art performance in terms of array mass (>300 w/kg BOL with 10% efficient thin film PV, >600 w/kg BOL with 20% efficient thin film PV), reduced cost (potential of an order of magnitude reduction), and compact stowage volume (<20% of a traditional planar array). The proposed Phase 2 effort will mature the advanced thin film PV UltraFlex technology by furthering detail design and producing/testing Engineering Model hardware, in an effort to validate and this enabling technology for space flight and commercialize for future applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The specific commercial product resulting from the proposed program will be a high performance thin film PV solar array system. This system will have many discriminating performance advantages that will leapfrog the competition. These major discriminating features will include extremely low cost, extremely light weight, and extremely compact stowage volume. In our view, this technology will become mission enabling for weight and cost sensitive missions when compared to its competition. These exceptional performance attributes provide a clear indication of the thin film PV UltraFlex?s market potential. The intrinsic performance and operational benefits of the thin film PV UltraFlex make it suitable for a variety of current and future government and commercial orbital and interplanetary missions. The importance of the thin film PV UltraFlex array allows ABLE to enhance its strategic position as a solar array systems supplier leader. Currently, the traditional solar array market is projected between $300M to $500M. Once the thin film PV UltraFlex is completely qualified, it will capture a very large portion of the available solar array market. The proposed Phase 2 program has been structured to accelerate the commercialization of this technology and ready it for space-flight in approximately three years. ABLE is committed to commercializing the developed system as an ABLE solar array systems product for all military and commercial applications. ABLE has a demonstrated history in commercializing enabling solar array system and structural system technologies to market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steve White
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed innovation is germanium (Ge) power semiconductor devices (diodes and transistors) developed specifically for power-management and actuator-control circuits operating at cryogenic temperatures. In Phase I we demonstrated that all types of Ge devices, diodes, bipolar junction transistors and field-effect transistors, can operate down to 20 K, and that GPD has the capability to design, fabricate and characterize these devices at these low temperatures. Si-based devices, by contrast, cannot match the performance of germanium devices at 80 K and lower. In Phase II, we will continue development of Ge-based devices designed specifically for cryogenic power electronics with the aim of improved efficiency and reduced size beyond the current state-of-the-art. Through collaboration with potential users, we will establish target performance criteria for Ge diodes and transistors (junction field-effect, MOS, as well as insulated gate bipolar devices). We will design, fabricate, test, and distribute these devices to get feedback, leading to the release of these devices as a commercial product line.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are applications for cryogenic power electronics in the Space, Medical, Utilities, Communications, Defense and Scientific areas. NASA and other agencies have upcoming and envisioned projects involving cryogenic temperatures, which require power management and many will require drive electronics for actuators and motors (to aim space telescope mirrors for example). Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment uses superconducting magnets and could benefit from increased performance using cryogenic power electronics. Cryogenic power transmission and distribution systems will require compatible electronics. The U.S. Navy is developing superconducting motors in its pursuit of the "all electric" ship, which will need sub-77 K electronics. High-frequency, high-power amplifiers such as those used for cell-phone base stations already use some cryogenic components and would benefit from the proposed power electronics technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Rufus Ward
GPD Optoelectronics Corp.
7 Manor Parkway
Salem , NH   03079 - 2842

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
GPD Optoelectronics Corp.
7 Manor Parkway
Salem , NH   03079 - 2842

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Rechargeable Li-ion batteries are projected to become a $3.5 billion/year industry within the next three years. In state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries, the major constituent of the cathode is lithium cobalt oxide powder, which amounts to an estimated $700 million/year in terms of powder market. In Phase I, using our newly developed chemical synthesis process, we developed non-toxic and low cost nanostructured lithium manganese oxide powders with a layered structure. The powders were stable over a wide range of voltage (4.2-2.0V). Cathodes made of these powders did not exhibit significant capacity loss during an electrochemical cycling. The energy density of these powders was comparable to state-of-the-art lithium cobalt oxide powders. Capitalizing on Phase I innovation, in Phase II we propose to develop cathode materials that will lead to Li-ion polymer batteries with an exceptional energy density (> 225 Wh/kg) and long cycle life (~ 500) at high enough discharge rates. The objective of the Phase II program is to prepare our technology for commercialization. This entails producing kilogram quantities of nanopowders at a competitive cost and fabricating prototype Li-ion polymer batteries with cathodes utilizing high performance nanostructured materials. A successful Phase II program will lead to partnerships with powder producers and battery manufacturers, facilitating rapid commercialization of our technology. Phase III will constitute production of tonnage quantities of this new class of nanostructured powders, and implementing them in space and commercial Li-ion polymer batteries.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Rechargeable Li-ion polymer batteries that require high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities and long cycle life, are becoming crucial for a number of space and commercial applications. The electrochemical properties of the cathode materials limit the overall performance of the battery, and so there is an impetus to increase the energy density and simultaneously reduce the toxicity and lower the cost. Our program is aimed at providing a solution to this particular need of rechargeable Li-ion polymer batteries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Amit Singhal
Nanopowder Enterprises Inc.
Suite 106, 120 Centennial Ave.,
Piscataway , NJ   08854 - 3908

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Nanopowder Enterprises Inc.
Suite 106, 120 Centennial Ave.,
Piscataway , NJ   08854 - 3908

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovation in key technology areas will provide the dramatic advances needed for small- to mid-sized space-based flywheel energy storage systems. Our vision for this work is based on our understanding of high-speed machinery and our background in similarly sized flywheel systems. Based on this experience, we have focused this SBIR program the main bearing system. A reliable main bearing system is key to the success of any flywheel system. The magnetic-bearing-based system we are developing is simple yet robust with high reliability. Its unique combination of passive and actively controlled elements will become the standard against which future designs are judged. Work in Phase I proved several key aspects of the system, specifically that passive radial bearings utilizing high-strength permanent magnets have stiffness and damping capabilities that are practical for flywheels. Phase II will concentrate on developing the remaining elements of a complete suspension system, including a double acting electromagnetic thrust bearing, an auxiliary bearing system for launch ride-through, and an active shaft damper to provide additional dynamic stability to specific flywheel applications that may need it. We believe that the technology we are developing will solve one of the most challenging aspects of flywheel energy storage systems for spacecraft.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to direct application to NASA, military and future commercial space platforms, the main bearing system we are developing has broad and important potential commercial application, both as an integrated energy storage system, and as separate entities that can be implemented in many types of high-speed rotating machinery. In general, flywheels have the potential for future terrestrial uses in applications that range from uninterruptible power supplies and power quality uses to vehicular transportation. Future military uses of flywheels include possible applications that range from electromagnetic weapons to aircraft launch and arrest. As individual technologies, the advanced magnetic bearing suspension system we are developing will have niche application in any rotating machine that requires high speeds, low losses, and lubrication-free operation.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. H. Ming Chen
Foster-Miller Technologies, Inc.
431 New Karner Road
Albany , NY   12205 - 3868

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Foster-Miller Technologies, Inc.
431 New Karner Road
Albany , NY   12205 - 3868

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The increased capabilities and decreasing size of satellites will continue to push the requirements of onboard thermal control systems. The capillary pressure limit for current passive thermal systems such as heat pipes and Capillary Pumped Loops (CPL) serves as a barrier beyond which such systems cannot be effectively employed.

In Phase I, TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) demonstrated a passive heat transport system that generates large driving pressures to circulate the working fluid. An analytical model of the system performance was developed and a large data set that validates the model was collected. A loop employing poor-performing R-134a was demonstrated to outperform a CPL employing high-performing ammonia. The high-pressure delivery of the loop allows greater heat rejection over significantly longer distances and against gravity. Experiment-limited transport up to 2330W, at 42W/cm2, over a 16m distance was demonstrated. Driving pressure differences over 1.8Mpa (262psid) were achieved. The performance of this passive loop may be best compared with mechanically pumped cycles.

In Phase II we will demonstrate turnkey operation of the loop for high power, high heat flux, long transport distance applications. We will also map the operational window of the loop and supply the analytic design tools necessary to build systems to meet customer needs.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The passive thermal transport loop generates high driving pressure gradients: it competes with mechanically pumped cycles but does not require a pump. It does not suffer from capillary flow or pool boiling limitations. Aerospace commercial applications will be in the thermal control of unmanned satellites (i.e., communication satellites) for the removal of heat from electronic components. Terrestrial applications include high-volume commercial electronics cooling and residential heating applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Mark M. Weislogel
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge , CO   80033 - 1917

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Phase I of this solar concentrator SBIR demonstrated the feasibility of forming and/or solvent casting accurate gores and seaming them together to construct a full F/D=0.68 concentrator. Surface measurements conducted using videogrammetry on the mandrel, the formed gores, and the seamed gores of the concentrator have proven the soundness of the fundamental concept. A major achievement of Phase I was refinement of the stereolithography technique to make accurate inexpensive nickel-coated mandrels. This method can be used to make large gore mandrels by integrating less expensive small sections together. Phase I and other related programs (e.g., LRA, HPALM, etc.) addressed the sub component items of the solar concentrator. There is a need to demonstrate the full size concentrator. The technical objectives of Phase II are to enhance the design, construct the deployable concentrator and conduct tests to validate the concept and the design. Phase II will utilize the latest space deployable technology known as a triangle-faceted net-membrane configuration for the construction of the full-size concentrator.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The primary commercial market is all the spacecraft manufacturers who will need a low cost alternative to Radio-isotope Thermal Generators (RTGs). Missions that may be enabled by the deployable solar concentrator include deep space missions using solar power rather than the controversial nuclear power modules, with an added benefit that the reflector may be useful as an antenna and also to provide heat to the spacecraft. Also, once this type of concetrator is accepted, the solar rocket orbital transfer vehicle may finally be finacially feasible. The application of these deployable concentrators may also make orbiting solar space power stations more attractive. A specific need for this class of concentrators is expressed in a letter of interest by General Atomics, which is attached at the end of this proposal. In general, the application of these relatively inexpensive collectors may bring solar dynamic power systems for spacecraft into direct competition with solar cells. Furthermore, there are several microwave applications where very large antennas are needed, that can be based on this proposed technology. These include interferometers (high-resolution studies of the universe) and radiometers (e.g., Earth-soil water-content measurements). These devices may also have terrestrial applications such as inexpensive and portable (back-pack type) systems for the military and civilians to provide solar thermal electric power, as well as telecommunications capabilities in not easily accessible areas.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Koorosh Guidanean
L'Garde, Inc.
15181 Woodlawn Avenue
Tustin , CA   92780 - 6487

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
L'Garde, Inc.
15181 Woodlawn Avenue
Tustin , CA   92780 - 6487

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A high energy density capacitor will be developed utilizing Chemical Vapor Deposited diamond as the dielectric. The energy density of diamond multi-layer stacked or comb structure capacitors can potentially exceed 20 J/g. Even more modest energy densities of 2 J/g significantly exceed the current state-of-the-art capacitors used for Pulsed Plasma Thrusters on spacecraft. The use of high energy density diamond capacitors in PPT systems could reduce the mass of the propulsion system by 30%. Previous measurements of diamond test capacitors indicate breakdown voltages in the 3 to 4 kV/micron range and a dielectric constant of 5.5. The high temperature capability of diamond and its non-dipole crystal structure will allow rapid charge/discharge cycles without damage. During Phase I, a single layer test capacitor 5 cm. in diameter will provide 35 nano-farads of capacitance and 0.16 Joules of energy with an energy density of 0.04 J/g. Phase II will develop a multi-layer capacitor in a stacked configuration to increase the energy density, capacitance, and total energy stored in the capacitor. The Phase II device is expected to have energy density greater than 0.5 J/g, provide 1 micro-farad capacitance, and store 4.5 Joules of energy and reduce PPT system mass by 30%.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The targeted commercial application of this technology is its use in pulsed plasma thrusters for spacecraft. This niche market requires high energy density, high temperature, radiation tolerance, and high reliability. Once the technology is developed, it will find applications in many commercial areas including high power and voltage applications such as RF and non-traditional applications such as non-lethal shocker technology for personnel control and pulsed power systems to disable automobiles in high speed chases. In addition, future electric automobiles which utilize dynamic braking to maximize efficiency could use high energy density low loss capacitor technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
T.G. Bo Henderson
Jaycor, Inc.
4970 Corporate Dr. St. 110
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 6230

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jaycor, Inc.
3394 Carmel Mountain Road
San Diego , AL   92121 - 1002

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposed SBIR Phase II will be addressed to the further development of thermally stable high temperature ignition catalysts, their optimization for mechanical strength and erosion resistance, and their employment in laboratory scale propulsion devices. Catalysts were found in Phase I to provide activity comparable to alumina supported iridium (Shell 405) but with preferable thermal stability characteristics. Preferred materials will be first compositionally and morphologically optimized and then incorporated into appropriate forms. Optimization will be assisted by the measurement of materials properties such as mechanical strength. An important target will be the elimination of pulverization of catalyst pellets or other forms of the materials. The forms will be tested for activity and longevity under operating conditions which will then be incorporated into laboratory scale devices such as microthrusters. Testing of catalysts under such conditions will result in the identification of preferred catalyst systems and specifications for the ignition of HAN-based monopropellants using these catalysts systems.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
If successful, the proposed program will result in the identification of thermally stable catalysts and catalyst operating and use specifications for the ignition of monopropellants. Additional applications would be found in combustion and incineration. Companies involved in the manufacture of catalysts and systems for propulsion as well as those entities concerned with catalytic combustion or incineration would find interest in the proposed catalysts.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James H. White
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Quantum dot (QD) infrared photodetectors offer promise to improve performance over current bulk material technology. Namely, QD devices can have higher detectivity and reduced needs for cryogenic cooling. Current QD technology has yet to achieve theoretical goals however, mostly due to non-uniformities in their size and distribution. For this Phase II study, we propose improve the density and uniformity of QDs using novel index and patterned substrates. The structure of the substrate surface will influence the QD formation and enhance their uniformity. In(x)Ga(1-x)As(y)Sb(1-y) quaternary will be used as the active material. Both structural and optical characterization will be performed. Multiple QD layer photodetector structure will be fabricated and evaluated for infrared imaging and array applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
High performance infrared photodetectors with response in the mid- and far-infrared range. These have potetial applications which include surveillance cameras, night sights, fire-fighting, search and rescue, industrial or building maintenance, process control, machine vision, medical imaging and astronomy.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Aaron Moy
SVT Associates
7620 Executive Drive
Eden Prairie , MN   55344 - 3677

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SVT Associates
7620 Executive Drive
Eden Prairie , MN   55344 - 3677

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Deep space optical communication requires a modulated laser with low power consumption, high data rate/accuracy, diffraction-limited beam quality, and minimal size/mass. Single mode optical fibers are compact and can efficiently amplify diode lasers, but do not provide sufficient peak power for detection over extended distances. Bulk diode-pumped solid-state lasers can produce the required pulse energies, but are not as efficient or robust as guided-wave lasers. CTI has an innovative waveguide laser technology that supports diffraction-limited high power operation. The waveguide transmitters are compact and lightweight with excellent thermal properties, and capable of as high conversion efficiency as is typically achieved in fiber lasers. When combined with a modulated diode laser and preamplifier, the transmitter is capable of MHz data rates from Mars and of high peak powers suitable for longer ranges. The modulated diode approach is preferred to Q-switching or cavity dumping due to simplicity, low jitter, and high data rate. Modeling supported by Phase 1 laboratory validation, points to a transmitter wallplug efficiency in excess of 19%. The Phase II program will deliver a breadboard communication system. CTI?s experience in severe environments and space-qualified designs provides leverage for the proposed program.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Significant commercial opportunity exists for both the component-level technology and the free-space communication architecture. Waveguide lasers power scale beyond the limit of fiber lasers and will outperform bulk lasers at high power continuous-wave and pulsed energy applications due to their compact size and high efficiency. Free-space optical communications is finding niche applications where fiber communications are not feasible.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Iain McKinnie
Coherent Technologies, Inc.
655 Aspen Ridge Drive
Lafayette , CO   80026 - 9341

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Coherent Technologies, Inc.
655 Aspen Ridge Drive
Lafayette , CO   80026 - 9341

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
EDAptive Computing, Inc. (EDAptive), the University of Kansas (KU), and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation (BATC) propose a unique and commercially viable solution to the problem of automated code synthesis by reusing existing components in an enterprise, starting with declarative specification of the desired system. Our proposed solution, namely the eCIS tool suite, automates reuse of existing software components through their retrieval, adaptation and integration by applying innovative automated reasoning techniques. Our proposed Enterprise Component Integration System (eCIS) project leverages the following:

(i) An emerging System-Level Design Language (SLDL), Rosetta, and KU?s leadership in development of the language,
(ii) EDAptive ?s ongoing R & D in formal specification-based retrieval to accurately match requirements with existing functionality,
(iii) KU?s expertise in formal methods, especially adaptation techniques,
(iv) BATC's Collaborative Enterprise Environment and EDAptive?s reseller status, and
(v) Partnership with The MathWorks (MathWorks).

Although the proposed eCIS tool suite is applicable to a variety of application areas; our Phase II effort will focus on enabling reuse by communication system designers, especially wireless designers, through integration of the core eCIS retrieval and adaptation engine with MathWorks Simulink.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The eCIS tool suite is applicable to a variety of application areas; however, eCIS enabled component reuse by communication system designers, especially wireless designers, holds high probability of commercialization success. Users of eCIS will specify their requirements for DSP components using Simulink (architecture) and Rosetta (component behavior). The architecture and component requirements will be translated into a system Rosetta specification for use by the core eCIS engine. The user will select from a specification library, Rosetta specifications of DSP and communication blocksets, including that for Texas Instruments and Motorola DSPs that are sold by MathWorks with Simulink. Given Rosetta specifications of blocksets, users will be able to generate and archive Rosetta specifications of pre-existing designs within an enterprise that employ MathWorks DSP and Communication libraries. Given a database of Rosetta specifications of previously created designs as well as a Rosetta specification of the desired system, eCIS core engine will retrieve matching components from the database, and adapt found components to create a solution to meet the user requirements.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Praveen Chawla
EDAptive Computing, Inc.
1107-C Lyons Road
Dayton , OH   45458 - 1856

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
EDAptive Computing, Inc.
1107-C Lyons Road
Dayton , OH   45458 - 1856

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ICS has developed and prototyped, as part of the Phase-I SBIR, a software architecture that demonstrates the feasibility of integrating sequence, rule, and model based autonomous reasoning components into a cohesive command and control, and fault monitoring and recovery system. In addition, ICS has laid the foundation to formalize a unified approach for modeling autonomous systems that is independent of any particular autonomy component, but which provides the foundation to auto-generate the run-time artifacts required by the autonomy components. ICS has also secured a flight demonstration of this integrated SCL/L2 architecture as part of the AFRL?s TechSat-21 Cluster Manager software experiment. The Cluster Manager experiment will perform autonomous operations and simulated fault monitoring and recovery for a small cluster of spacecrafts flying in close formation.

ICS, which provides SCL to the industry as an open-source software product, also plans to continue to work closely with Ames to make L2 a commercially available, open-source, software product. ICS believes that these two technologies are highly complementary and provide significant benefits towards the goal of achieving completely autonomous systems. The key to success is in the integration of these technologies into a flight proven architecture, supported by appropriate ground system tools.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Several commercial and government customers have expressed a strong interest in the aforementioned technologies to increase autonomy and automation of their missions.

ICS is working with Lockheed Martin and Aerojet on the SBIRS-High Ground System. The ground system, which uses SCL for fault detection, must support the payload flight software in providing system level anomaly detection and resolution. System-level state identification/estimation is essential and Livingstone?s capabilities in this area would greatly augment SCL?s sequence-based executive and rule-based inference engine. ICS is also currently under contract with the NRL to support the flight software for the FAME mission, and Honeywell to support the RLV2 IVHM system.

ICS is also seeing an increased demand for these technologies in non-aerospace areas such as transportation and robotics. The proposed integrated system provides a proven, cost effective solution to a wide range of control system problems and market segments. Market penetration is facilitated by the fact that ICS is following the Open-Source Model similar to Linux or GNU tools. Our software is available at http://www.opencontrol.org. We have had a considerable number of inquiries since our open source announcement. ICS offers documented and supported open software solutions as COTS -- a first in our industry.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dean Oswald
Interface and Control Systems Inc
PMB# 131, 1600 Pace Street, Unit 900
Longmont , CO   80501 - 2671

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Interface and Control Systems Inc
8945 Guilford Road, Suite 120
Columbia , MD   21046 - 2392

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A recently renewed interest in innovation and institutional agility has led to major investments in "knowledge management" tools. But, while these tools have often led to certain efficiencies, they have not made good on promises to make organizations more innovative. We propose to develop a new approach to facilitating innovation that draws on the synergy amongst multiple distinct technologies that have individually proven to be extremely valuable in knowledge creation. In particular, we propose to enliven the knowledge representation and assimilation technique called Concept Mapping with novel information retrieval and natural language processing technologies. More specifically, we will utilize recent advances in automated thesaurus development and novel query construction techniques to help fuel the concept mapping process. The resulting system, BrainAmplifier, will act as an integrated knowledge elicitation, assimilation, codification, and sharing device. BrainAmplifier will benefit NASA and other public and private organizations by enhancing the ability of their scientists and engineers (and those of their partners) to understand new and/or challenging concepts and push the scientific envelope. The prototype tool developed during Phase I proved extremely effective in our experiments and provides a solid basis for the Phase II user-centered development of a complete integrated knowledge amplification system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
BrainAmplifier will be extremely attractive to a wide variety of corporations that seek to improve their ability to do research and produce innovative new products. The market for this technology is extremely large and continues to grow as more corporations recognize the need to exploit their intellectual resources.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tamitha Carpenter
Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
1660 So. Amphlett Blvd. Ste. 350
San Mateo , CA   94402 - 2526

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
1660 So. Amphlett Blvd. Ste. 350
San Mateo , CA   94402 - 2526

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
RAME (Risk Assessment and Management Environment) is a supervisory
system that aims to ensure design integrity of IP-based ASICs and
mixed-signal ASICs by identifying and tracking possible failure modes,
and their causes, effects and criticalities. Our objective is to
develop model- and knowledge-based techniques to transform
design-for-safety (DFS) practice from an ad-hoc, inefficient,
error-prone approach to a stringent engineering process such that DFS
can keep up with the rapidly growing complexity of avionics systems.
In particular, RAME is built upon an information infrastructure that
maintains the fault models, knowledge base, and failure
reporting/tracking system. This infrastructure thus facilitates
learning from prior projects and enables the automation of failure
modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA). Through the
preliminary prototyping effort carried out in Phase I, we have
demonstrated the feasibility of FMECA automation and confirmed that
the automation will improve turn-around-time, completeness, and
accuracy of failure analysis. Moreover, RAME accommodates a FMECA
extension, namely, the hierarchical FMECA method, to support the
multi-layer approach to building fault-tolerant avionics systems. In
Phase II, the complete version of the RAME prototype will be delivered
to the Center for Integrated Space Microsystems (CISM) at JPL and
benchmarking will be conducted.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The results of this effort are anticipated to benefit a wide variety
of critical applications for which undiscovered or unmitigated effects
of faults in design, development, operation or maintenance may result
in severe consequence. In particular, the potential commercial market
of the resulting techniques and tools includes commercial aviation
industries, nuclear power plants, automobile manufacturing, and
medical industries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ann T. Tai
IA Tech, Inc.
10501 Kinnard Avenue
Los Angeles , CA   90024 - 6017

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
IA Tech, Inc.
10501 Kinnard Avenue
Los Angeles , CA   90024 - 6017

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Space shuttles, the international space station, spacecraft for planetary missions, and satellites require monitoring of their structural health to assure safe and successful operation. The need for a space-deployable structural stress sensor is a common goal across NASA enterprises. In Phase I, Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. (IOS) proved the feasibility of developing a detection system for temperature-compensated strain measurements with multiple sensor (fiber Bragg grating (FBG)) arrays. Although IOS employed FBGs to measure pressure changes of a few psi in a stainless steel pipe in Phase I, the ultimate application of FBGs is for structural stress monitoring.
In Phase II, IOS will engineer an FBG sensor prototype. It will provide readout capability for measuring structural stresses at 8 locations, in less than 0.5 sec, while compensating for temperature over a ?80? to +125?C temperature range. The FBG sensors are insensitive to electromagnetic interference, and can measure structural loads and stresses at multiple locations simultaneously. The system will be designed to interface with the main spacecraft for delivering vital information about structural integrity. The Phase II prototype will be delivered to NASA for evaluation. IOS has secured Phase II cofunding and Phase III follow-on funding to support commercialization of this technology.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Potential markets include monitoring stresses in composite structures, large buildings, bridges, and aerospace vehicles. The FBG-based system will have spin-off applications in the automotive market, and in industrial monitoring. Fiber strain sensors can be used for: (i) The assessment of material flaws, such as voids, inclusions, cracks, fiber misalignment, and delaminations; (ii) Structural health monitoring and smart materials applications, which include assuring the health of reusable launch vehicles, and the development of smart aerodynamic components; (iii) Nondestructive evaluation science research, which utilizes methodologies for relating NDE measurements to engineering properties (e.g., bond strengths, fatigue state, etc.); and (iv) Commercial monitoring applications including embedment in new bridges and other civil structures, and the retrofitting of older structures. In all these applications, IOS's system will reduce operating costs and reduce the probability of catastrophic structural failures.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Indu Saxena
Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc.
2520 W. 237th Street
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5217

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc.
2520 W. 237th Street
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5217

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The overall project goal is to develop high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT)-based materials for an important range of aerospace and commercial applications. This work directly supports NASA?s nanotechnology initiative to develop multifunctional, ultra-high-performance CNT-based materials/devices that push the state of the art in aerospace and commercial systems. CNT?s have demonstrated unsurpassed physical properties and promise to play a key role in NASA?s future, as evidenced by the agency?s $24MM nanotechnology investment in 2001 (with $46MM requested for 2002). Development of methods for cost-effective, large-scale CNT production, purification, and processing are the next key R&D issues.
ReyTech?s Phase I results clearly set the stage for a Phase II SBIR project focused on those issues. The key ReyTech innovation is the development of economically feasible and scalable methods of producing a variety of CNT?s with specific physical and chemical properties?an achievement based on novel methods for chemically functionalizing CNT surfaces. The Phase II project is focused on the optimization and demonstration tasks needed to ultimately produce covalent interfacial bonds between the CNT?s and a variety of materials, resulting in composites with improved and tailorable mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties. Phase II success will lead directly to Phase III commercialization with private-sector investors/collaborators.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
CNT-based technology exemplifies a revolutionary advance in strategic materials?and is currently akin to the early stages of polymer development and semiconductor-based electronics. Ultimately, the nanotechnology industry will demand large quantities of CNT?s having a broad rage of physical and chemical properties?similar to the present-day polymer industry. Envisioned applications include structural, electronic, thermal, magnetic, optical, chemical and biological uses. Nanotechnology appears to be emerging as the next major industrial force, and CNT?s are expected to be a key component?with potential applications for NASA that are critical. A significant market already exists for the specialty functionalized CNT?s being pursued here. Additional products based on composites of epoxies, polymers, and materials for chemical separations are also envisioned?and will lead to a multi-billion-dollar market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thomas A. Reynolds
ReyTech Corporation
742 SE Glenwood Dr.
Bend , OR   97702 - 1316

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ReyTech Corporation
742 SE Glenwood Dr.
Bend , OR   97702 - 1316

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
AEC-Able Engineering Co., Inc. (ABLE) has invented a method for inclusion of elastic memory composite (EMC) structural elements in a high-performance ultra-light deployable CoilABLE truss with ultra-low stowed volume. By integrating EMC materials within a heritage CoilABLE mast system, performance of can be increased 3X in bending stiffness and 3X in strength, for an equal mass per unit length! The CoilABLE EMC structural performance is superior to inflatable/rigidizable solutions while offering significantly reduced deployment risk. The proposed Phase 2 program will demonstrate the feasibility and deployment of a CoilABLE EMC Engineering Model structure designed for an ?SSP-type? space truss application. The successful validation of the proposed Phase 2 hardware demonstration will ready this unique technology for space flight.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The specific commercial product resulting from the proposed program will be a linearly deployable CoilABLE Elastic Memory Composite (EMC) structure suitable for extremely large space frame truss structures and/or stand-alone deployers for deploying instruments, payloads and/or solar array systems to replace traditional systems. This system will have discriminating performance advantages that will clearly separate it from the competition. These major discriminating features will include remarkably improved stiffness and strength per unit mass and low stowed volume. The proposed system will be strongly desired as enabling for current and future government and commercial missions currently relying on relatively mass inefficient traditional solutions, or risky inflatable/rigidizable concepts.

The proposed Phase 2 program has been structured to accelerate the commercialization of this technology and ready it for space flight in approximately three years. If the technology is proven worthy during the proposed program, then ABLE is committed to commercializing the developed system as an ABLE product. ABLE has a demonstrated history of strategic investment, commercializing numerous technologies such as the ADAM mast, FASTMast, and numerous solar array system products. ABLE is committed to commercializing the CoilABLE EMC structure in a similar manner for the benefit of future missions.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
David Murphy
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AEC-Able Engineering Company, Inc.
7200 Hollister Ave
Goleta , CA   93117 - 2807

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
During the Phase I effort, Eikos Inc demonstrated the use of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWnT) in LARC-developed polyimides as a novel transparent, electrostatic dissipation (ESD) films for spacecraft protection. In orbit, a satellite is exposed to solar radiation and to plasma, which has the effect of accumulation charge on the outer surface. On insulating surfaces in shadow, potentials of 18kV are measured, whereas the illuminated surfaces have potentials of zero. Such differences cause electrical discharge, resulting in; damage to the thermo-optical and mechanical properties of the satellite films, radio interference, and the onboard electrical equipment to fail. Our patented Nanoshield technology provides environmentally stable and durable ESD films while protecting the surface from atomic oxygen (AO), Ultraviolet (UV) light by exploiting space proven polyimides. Carbon nanotubes are added to the polyimide to form interpenetrated network or nanocomposite, which is conductive, tough, and lightweight. The use of carbon nanotubes within this matrix to impart ESD protection offers a cost effective approach to for a wide array of application and products. The applications include nanocomposite films and coatings for deployable structures, shielding, and concentrators. The work has lead to a US provisional patent filed with co-inventors at NASA and Eikos.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There has been enormous interest in products intended to minimize the effects of ESD in a variety of industries, ranging from satellites to the automotive industry. Catalog vendors list more than 1,000 types of ESD products, many could be supplanted by this technology. Most of the research and development associated with these products has been done domestically, and the U.S. remains the largest producer of ESD goods. Furthermore, this country still is the largest single market for ESD products. Estimates of the size of the ESD market well over $1 billion.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Paul Glatkowski
Eikos, Inc.
2 Master Drive
Franklin , MA   02038 - 3034

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Eikos, Inc.
2 Master Drive
Franklin , MA   02038 - 3034

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has demonstrated a novel method of producing thin film reflectors for solar sails based upon electrospinning nanofiber membranes. The nanofiber membranes have been made from space durable LaRC CP-1 and CP-2 polymer with high reflectivity (>90%), low areal density (<2.5 g/m2), and excellent tear resistance (>100% elongation). The Gossamer design format requires very large and thin solar sails that are very lightweight, and utilize photons for propulsion. The solar sail is envisioned to occur by terrestrial fabrication of ultra-thin polymer films, seaming the films together, launching the sail into orbit and deploying the sail without damaging these ultra-thin films. The current state of the art in polymer materials, and in polymer thin film processing technologies are challenged to permit tear and defect free solar sail launch and deployment. The electrospinning process will produce large area polymeric membranes that meet the mechanical, areal density, space durability, cost, and propulsion requirements of the NASA missions. The method will be advanced during the proposed Phase II effort, with assistance from Prof. Darrell Reneker and SRS Technologies, for the in space fabrication of solar sails from melt electrospun CP-1. Modeling, experimentation and end user feedback will be utilized to develop this technology.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The electrospun thin membrane technology is focused on the production of membranes for solar sail applications, with a very unique materials requirement. Terrestrial applications of this membrane fabrication process may include improved membranes for gas separation, chemical and biological barrier materials, improved multi-layer plastic barrier packaging, specialty bandages and other markets that could utilize thin polymer membranes.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John Lennhoff
Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Andover , MA   01810 - 1077

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Andover , MA   01810 - 1077

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA is seeking high-fidelity adaptive optical systems for aberration correction. To address this NASA need and strong commercial interest, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) demonstrated in Phase I the feasibility of an innovative liquid crystal adaptive wavefront corrector technology that will lead to near term development of integrated adaptive optical systems, capable of operating with high spatial resolution, high accuracy, wide dynamic range, and high speed. POC?s new wavefront correcting technology proposed for Phase II development is based on three innovations: 1) high-density liquid crystal microlens array tuned electronically; 2) temperature-compensated phase-only spatial light modulator technology; 3) wavefront sensing and phase unwrapping routine developed at POC. In Phase II we will develop a prototype system with high resolution (128 x 128 channels) for low-cost adaptive-optics wavefront control and aberration correction to meet NASA needs. POC?s financial commitment and third party investments in Phase II/Phase III will help transition Phase II results into variety of successful commercial products.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The liquid crystal adaptive wavefront corrector technology constitutes a low-cost means of fast and reliable adaptive wavefront correction, which will find many commercial applications. Applications include real-time image enhancement, individual adaptive optical instruments (such as binoculars and sniperscopes), military and industrial robots, microscopy, optical manufacturing, and optical shops testing.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Alexander Parfenov, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, EOH Division
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Physical Optics Corporation
20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100
Torrance , CA   90501 - 1821

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA has requested development of anti-static coatings for use on satellites and spacecraft in order to prevent electrostatic discharge which can destroy sensitive electronic components and cause malfunction and loss of spacecraft. With the 11 year solar maximum now in full force, satellite charging and damage by solar storms has become critical. To meet the need to prevent spacecraft charging, nano-crystallite coatings will be developed having over 1,000,000,000 sharp field emitting particles per square cm. The field emitters will silently discharge electrostatic build-up. Electron conducting ceramic oxides, La(0.8)Sr(0.2)CoO(3-x) and La(0.8)Sr(0.2)MnO(3-x), and other materials will be ground into particles with median diameter of approximately 300 nm using proven techniques of ceramic and colloid science. Sharp edges and corners of the nano-particles will produce local fields in excess of 10 million volts per meter, sufficient for field electron emission. These refractory ceramic oxides will not be degraded by atomic oxygen of the space environment. Electron conducting properties of the oxide films will neutralize differential charging of spacecraft. Slurries of suspended nano-particles will be developed which can simply be painted onto surfaces of materials requiring protection from electrostatic discharge.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Slurries of suspended nano-particles of electron conducting, field emitting, ceramic oxides, and other materials will be developed which can simply be painted onto objects requiring protection from electrostatic discharge. Paints for coatings will be sold to prevent electrostatic build-up on NASA and commercial satellites. The anti-static paints will be sold to the semiconductor and computer industries, which now lose annually over a billion dollars of sensitive electronic components to electrostatic discharge. The paints will find use in the chemical, oil, coal, and fuel handling industries needing to prevent electrostatic discharge which ignites flammable substances.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael V. Mundschau
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Eltron Research Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder , CO   80301 - 3241