NASA Space Tech Program Selects Technologies For Development And Demonstration On Suborbital Flights

July 02, 2012

David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1730
david.steitz@nasa.gov

Amy Johnson
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-7022
amy.johnson@nasa.gov




RELEASE: 12-221

NASA SPACE TECH PROGRAM SELECTS TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION ON SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS

WASHINGTON -- NASA'S Space Technology Program has selected 14
technologies for development and demonstration on commercial reusable
suborbital launch vehicles.

The selected proposals offer innovative cutting-edge ideas and
approaches for technology in areas including active thermal
management, advanced avionics, pinpoint landing and advanced in-space
propulsion. They also address many of the high-priority technology
needs identified in the recent National Research Council's Space
Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report. These payloads will help
NASA advance technology development needed to enable NASA's current
and future missions in exploration, science and space operations.

"These technology payloads will have the opportunity to be tested on
commercial suborbital flights, sponsored by NASA, that fly up to and
near the boundary of space," said Michael Gazarik, Director of NASA's
Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The
flights will ensure the technology fidelity before they're put to
work in operational systems in the harsh environment of space."

Proposals for this solicitation were received from NASA centers and
other government agencies, federally funded research and development
centers, educational institutions, industry, and non-profit
organizations. NASA's Flight Opportunities Program sponsored this
solicitation in collaboration with NASA's Game Changing Development
Program.

Following their development, selected technologies will be made
available to the Flight Opportunities Program for pairing with
appropriate suborbital reusable launch service provider flights. The
Flight Opportunities Program provides opportunities for technologies
to be demonstrated in relevant environments, while fostering the
development of commercial reusable transportation to near space.

Awards will range from $125,000 to $500,000 with a total NASA
investment of approximately $3.5 million. Payloads are expected to
fly in 2013 and 2014. Proposals selected for contract negotiations
are:
-- "Demonstration of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nano-tubes for Earth
Climate Remote Sensing," Howard Todd Smith, Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore
-- "Facility for Microgravity Research and Submicroradian
Stabilization using sRLVs," Scott Green, Controlled Dynamics, Inc.,
Huntington Beach, Calif.
-- "Enhanced Thermal Switch," Douglas Mehoke, Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
-- "Autonomous Flight Manager for Human-in-the-Loop Immersive
Simulation and Flight Test of Terrestrial Rockets," Kevin Duda,
Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
-- "Armadillo Launch Vehicle Attitude Knowledge Capability Enhancement
Using Advanced Micro Sun Sensor," Sohrab Mobasser, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.
-- "Demonstration of Variable Radiator," Richard Kurwitz, Texas A&M
University, College Station
-- "Dynamic Microscopy System," John Vellinger, Techshot Inc.,
Greenville, Indiana
-- "Design and Development of a Micro Satellite Attitude Control
System," Manoranjan Majji, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
-- "Suborbital Test of a Robotics-Based Method for In-Orbit
Identification of Spacecraft Inertia Properties," Ou Ma, New Mexico
State University, Las Cruces
-- "Fuel Optimal Large Divert Guidance for Planetary Pinpoint
Landing," Behcet Acikmese, JPL
-- "SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform," Craig DeForest,
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
-- "Saturated Fluid Pistonless Pump Technology Demonstrator," Ryan
Starkey, University of Colorado, Boulder
-- "Electric-hydrodynamic Control of Two-Phase Heat Transfer in
Microgravity," Boris Khusid, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
University Heights, N.J.
-- "An FPGA-based, Radiation Tolerant, Reconfigurable Computer System
with Real Time Fault Detection, Avoidance, and Repair," Brock
LaMeres, Montana State University, Bozeman

For information about NASA's Flight Opportunities Program, visit:

https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/

For information about Game Changing Development, visit:

http://go.usa.gov/RPS

For more information about NASA's Space Technology Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oct


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