TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposal program will develop and demonstrate an affordable
manufacruring approach to fabricate the latest generation of damage
tolerant composite fan case designs. These designs embed a grid of
stiffener ribs within the composite laminate to limit damage propagation
that is initiated during the fan blade containment event. This grid blunts
the crack growth and restricts damage within a "safe zone" that permits
structural viability of the case after the blade is contained. The
proposed work package will demonstrate that advanced braiding concepts can
be used to fabricate these composite-toughening elements in a cost-
effective manner. This economically viable fabrication method will allow
widespread application of the toughened design concept and enable weight
efficient, safe containment system designs for high bypass turbofan
engines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Assuming that the technology is successfully demonstrated, this approach
can be applied to the design of all jet engine fan containment cases.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mike Braley
A & P Technology
4595 East Tech Drive
Cincinnati , OH   45245 -

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
A&P Technology
4595 East Tech Drive
Cincinnati , OH   45245 -

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An airborne fire is one of the most dreaded emergencies, as all pilots will acknowledge. Isolated at high altitudes, a fire-induced loss of systems can disable the airplane beyond control. The space shuttles and the International Space Station face a worse predicament. While an aircraft can land on a short notice, spacecrafts are totally vulnerable. Existing fire sensors detect smoke or flame, indicating that the fire is in a relatively advanced stage. These systems produce false alarms 499 times out of 500. The proposed fire onset monitoring system (FOMS) will: (a) detect fire at a very early stage, without false alarm, by performing trend analysis on key chemical markers and temperature, and (b) provide a continuous status update for intelligent decision making by the crew. In Phase I, Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) will establish the feasibility of FOMS by detecting 50 ppm of carbon monoxide with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 5. The project team, with fifty person-years of hardware and software know-how, will develop and test a compact prototype in Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Terrestrial spin-off markets for the FOMS system abound. Worldwide, over 100,000 commercial aircraft are operating without reliable fire detectors. The FOMS device will be used in aircraft ranging from large commercial jet liners to small commuter aircraft, private airplanes, helicopters, military fighters, and transport aircraft. With 3,000 new jetliners on order (900 scheduled for delivery this year), 500 business jets scheduled for delivery per year and 500 fighters being sold annually, demand for FOMS will be very strong.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kisholoy Goswami
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 ultimate objective of the proposed project is to develop a practical onboard, inert-gas generation system for fuel tank inerting on small transport aircraft (e.g. Boeing 737). The system would operate autonomously and provide inert gas to the fuel tank ullage, maintaining an inert environment in the fuel tanks during all phases of aircraft operation, including descent and ground operation. The proposed system would be based upon a novel system comprising semi-permeable membrane air separation modules; a unique two-impeller, one-expander, electrically-assisted turbocompressor operating in foil bearings; and lightweight heat exchangers. The system will address the key issues associated with small transport aircraft fuel tank inerting: minimal or no electrical power available on the ground, minimal or no bleed air available in most phases of flight, and the critical need for effective inerting during ground operations. The Phase I effort will focus on developing specifications for the system, producing a preliminary system design, identifying key technology elements that require further development, and producing a preliminary palletized system design for a future flight test. In Phase II, we will demonstrate key technology components and further define the palletized system test to be conducted during Phase III.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A small transport aircraft fuel tank inerting system has significant business potential. It is anticipated that forthcoming rules from the FAA will potentially require that fuel tank ullage be inerted on commercial transport aircraft during a significant portion of the operational envelope. If this airworthiness directive is issued, it will create an immediate, large and ongoing market for this technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Patrick J. Magari
Creare Inc
Etna Rd., P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An innovative approach for passenger aircraft seat and restraint system design for improved occupant protection is proposed. The innovation consists of using metal/honeycomb composites for the seat legs and a tailored stiffness characteristic for the seat back tilt. Using advanced dynamic finite element modeling for the seat/occupant system under crash impulse loads, the seat design will be optimized and a preliminary design will be developed for improved safety. The finite element model will be validated using existing seat test data from the manufacturer. (P-01566)

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The successful Phase I program will provide a solid foundation for a Phase II research and development effort. Prototype seat designs derived from this research will be manufactured with cooperation from subcontractors. Use of lightweight metal/composite materials, special seatback stiffness characteristics and inflatable lap belts to mitigate injuries during aircraft accidents will help the airline industry and seat manufacturers to promote better safety standards.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kash Kasturi
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)
In this proposal, Epoch Engineering, Inc. (EEI) and its subcontractor, Intelligent Automation, Inc. (IAI), propose a Fire Prevention Monitoring Capability (FPMC) for assessing the availability of pre-fire and hidden fire Acoustic Emission (AE) information for fire prevention. The first element of the FMPC is a non-contact and portable Robust Laser Interferometer (RLI) designed by EEI. RLI has large dynamic range (up to 180 dB in acceleration) and provides very wideband measurements (0 to 262 kHz or higher). Moreover, it has excellent linearity across the frequency range and its performance is independent of environmental temperature at the measuring poiont. A large dynamic range means the sensor can pick up small emissions buried in large vibrations. In other words, the sensor is much more sensitive than conventional contact type sensors. Wideband measurement capability means the sensor is very versatile for various diverse applications. The second element of FPMC is an automatic fault detection and isolation tool developed by IAI that consists of Fast Fourier Transform, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and a neural network classifier. We will use common aerospace materials to demonstrate the performance of FPMC. This proposal is relevant to this subtopic as it specifically asks for fire prevention.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Pre-fire detection in a flight vehicle is very important for flight safety. It also plays an important role in the overall maintenance approach. Since the sensor in our proposed FPMC system is very sensitive, we will be able to detect the acoustic emissions associated with "pre-fire" situations and hidden fire. Hence early diagnosis is possible now. At the end of Phase 2, we will have a tool that will be ready for real-time applications. We expect that the FPMC will be integrated into a more comprehensive total health monitoring capability that includes the demonstrated capability to also provide robust pro-active monitoring of rotating machinery, among other things.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Theodore C. Goodenow
Epoch Engineering, Inc.
814 West Diamond Avenue, Suite 325
Gaithersburg , MD   20878 - 1416

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Epoch Engineering, Inc.
814 West Diamond Avenue, Suite 325
Gaithersburg , MD   20878 - 1416

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
API proposes to develop a comprehensive toolkit for the construction of real-time diagnostics of aerospace systems. The toolkit includes modular ruggedized hardware components, based upon a COTS design, scalable from 400MFLOPS to 40 GFLOPS or more. Hermetically sealed, thermal managed processors in a small form factor will enable installation in hostile, confined spaces.

A software tool, based upon API?s system integration tool, will permit rapid specification of several aspects of diagnostics tasks, including signal extraction, analysis, statistical analysis, and diagnostics logic. Designs will be specified in a format compatible with diagnostics experts, requiring little knowledge of DSP or real-time systems. A library of software components will enable rapid assembly of diagnostics systems, with the tool synthesizing the required real-time code.

The concepts will be illustrated with several demonstration applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
We have first-hand experience with the target users of this technology, and have received direct requests for these capabilities. We have provided similar capabilities in the laboratory, and have fielded instrumentation and health monitoring systems at Rolls-Royce/Allison engines, General Electric Aircraft Engines, NASA MSFC and Stennis Flight Center, and USAF/AEDC. These systems are laboratory only use, with the exception of some of our work with NASA/MSFC which is part of the Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring program for SSME in-flight monitoring. A significant opportunity exists to make the systems flight-capable for testing of new systems. This is a niche market, with estimated potential sales of $2-3M over a period of 3 years.

A much greater potential exists for condition-based monitoring of aircraft engines. Significant unnecessary expenditures result from conservative maintenance schedules, handling worst case scenarios. Condition-based monitoring can continually compute the health and prognosis of an engine, provided that sufficient computational hardware is available. We estimate this market in excess of $40M per year. There is a compelling reason for the industry to invest in this technology, with individual airlines spending in excess of $2B per year for maintenance.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jason Scott
Active Parallel Instrumentation, Inc
2506 W. Linden Ave
Nashville , TN   37212 - 5226

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Active Parallel Instrumentation, Inc
2506 W. Linden Ave
Nashville , TN   37212 - 5226

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The key to producing reliable engine diagnostics and prognostics resides in the fusion of multisensor data. There are many different approaches to support the development of such systems. These can be generalized into three basic classes. First are physical models. Second are rule-of-thumb systems developed and refined by human engineering and maintenance experts. Third are statistical models that ?learn? from examination of real data that contain nominal and known fault conditions. Each of those techniques has unique strengths and weaknesses. Proposed here is the fusion of models from all three classes to produce a unique hybrid engine diagnostic and prognostic system. Fusion of sensors and techniques has been shown to improve detection and classification performance while simultaneously significantly reducing false alarms. The proposed development team is unique as well. IAC has proven statistical and hybrid system development expertise and has already developed a variety of statistical fusion techniques for engine diagnostics and prognostics. Pratt & Whitney, world leaders in the design and production of gas turbine engines, will be supplying expertise and C17/F117 engine data from on-going in-flight collections with NASA. Luppold & Associates has designed many of Pratt & Whitney?s advanced control systems and will supply physical model expertise.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The potential commercial applications for the technology, techniques, and systems to ultimately come out of this SBIR are significant. Pratt & Whitney, a partner on Phase I, is interested in applying the technology developed here to its engines. If Phase I is successful, Pratt & Whitney will also participate on Phase II and will be a potential Phase III transition / commercialization partner. The technology to be developed here can be applied to significantly improve automated monitoring and condition-based maintenance of all military and commercial aircraft gas turbine engines as well as all commercial / industrial gas turbine engines (such as those used in electrical generation plants).

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tom Brotherton
Intelligent Automation Corporation
13029 Danielson Street, Suite 200
Poway , CA   92064 - 8811

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Automation Corporation
13029 Danielson Street, Suite 200
Poway , CA   92064 - 8811

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
One of the most overlooked aspects of health management in aging aircraft is monitoring of the wiring and interconnection systems themselves. Brought to public attention by the crashes of TWA 800 and SwissAir 111, the problem of wiring faults and even fires on aircraft been the subject of investigation by numerous government and civilian agencies. Military needs are no less severe. Using a combined approach which can automatically diagnose problems on the ground as well as in flight, IPITEK's Smart Universal Sensor Interface (SUSI) can provide multi-faceted health monitoring as well as other value-added performance features such as piecewise upgrades, smart functions, reconfigurability, adaptability to a wide range of subsystems, network integration, and support for both copper and fiber interconnectivity.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
SUSI is not only designed for advanced diagnostics and other added features but also to reduce weight, wiring, component, and subsystem overhead, which can lead to further operational cost savings. Both military and commercial aircraft could benefit from advanced smart sensor systems capable of providing real-time data on subsystem health.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
David Schaafsma
IPITEK
2330 Faraday Avenue
Carlsbad , CA   92008 - 7216

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
IPITEK
2330 Faraday Avenue
Carlsbad , CA   92008 - 7216

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The safety and efficiency of transportation will be enhanced by systems that provide on-line health monitoring and management of vehicle subsystems and overall system information. The health management systems will require the ability to combine information and data from many sources over local/wide area networks and make the data and processing of the data transparent to the many users who have a need to view and monitor the information.

The specific aim of this project is to develop a suite of object-oriented software tools that will support design, analysis, implementation, and use of on-line aircraft subsystem health monitoring systems. We will achieve this aim by building on Creare's previously developed, patented, award-winning middleware software which enables processing, communication, and administration of real-time and on-line data. We will augment this enabling technology with an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for configuring health monitoring systems including smart sensors and sophisticated signal processing routines.

During Phase I of this project, we will demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by developing a bench-top prototype. During Phase II, we will optimize, implement, and test a full-scale health management system for an aerospace vehicle.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This system could be used to enhance the safety and effectiveness of any electronic control or health management system. As such, it is relevant to military and commercial vehicles of all types, and also to a broad range of other equipment and facilities, particularly in the process and control industry.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Anthony J. Dietz
Creare Inc
Etna Rd., P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This SBIR will result in a system for Automated Noninvasive Health Monitoring and Failure Detection in Aircraft Electrical Wiring Systems. A Smart Insert Connector (SIC) will be designed for one-time insertion into all wiring end-connectors in existing aircraft. Each SIC will be based on VLSI/MEMS technology and will incorporate several systems on a microchip: a wiring testing and inspection system, an on-line wire failure analysis and diagnosis system, and a switching system for testing large bundles of multiple wires. A VLSI/MEMS hand-held Interrogator Unit (IU) will be designed to allow a roaming human Maintenance Technician to communicate with the distributed network of SICs for noninvasive harvesting of the wire health status resident in the memory of each SIC. Additional decision-making software will allow the integration of the SIC inputs into an analysis of the overall health status of the complete aircraft wiring system. This system will avoid the removal for testing of 5,000 wires per year and drastically reduce the probability of aircraft malfunctions, which cause crash disasters such as TWA 800 and SwissAir 111. WPI, Inc. has 40 years of experience with aircraft connectors and wiring, numerous patents, and a successful product line of military and commercial electrical connectors.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Phase III commercial applications of this wiring testing and health monitoring system are already being explored. The first is refitting existing aircraft with Smart Insert Connectors for wire monitoring, an application being explored in partnership with Delta Air Lines, and the second is equipping new aircraft with Smart Connectors as they are built, which is being explored in connection with Boeing. Rob Lyon, Manager of Electromechanical Systems Engineering for Delta Air Lines, will provide consulting advice for this Phase I SBIR to give guidance on the airline industry?s wire testing needs, regulation procedures and requirements, and commercialization procedures. WPI has the experience to handle product development and commercialization, having obtained 36 patents and taken them on to develop a full product line of over 100 electrical connector products and numerous other military/commercial products. Our initial analysis shows that applying this technology to the aerospace industry alone could be a niche market of $1-2 billion. We will also explore markets in a large class of other systems, such as wiring fault detection in automobiles, power transmission lines, home/office wiring infrastructures, and more.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kartik Moorthy
Williams-Pyro, Inc. (WPI)
2721 White Settlement Road
Fort Worth , TX   76107 - 1331

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Williams-Pyro, Inc. (WPI)
2721 White Settlement Road
Fort Worth , TX   76107 - 1331

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aircraft icing severity depends on two key cloud parameters, liquid water content and droplet size. Proposed is a simple instrument using multiple hot wire elements to measure cloud droplet size (median volume diameter) and liquid water content.

The unit utilizes three hot wire sensor elements each of a different diameter, all exposed to the same airflow. By virtue of their different diameters, the elements have different collection efficiencies with respect to droplet diameter.

Liquid water content is determined by the total amount of water measured by all three elements. Droplet median volume diameter is determined by the response differences between the three elements. The range of droplet measurement includes super large droplets SLD).

The proposed instrument has no moving parts, no optics and emits no electromagnetic radiation. It is a first principles device capable of complete calibration. Its response time is under one second.

Total frontal area of the instrument is less than four square inches. Less than 500 watts of power are required for operation in continuous icing conditions. The operational airspeed range is compatible with operational jet and turboprop transport aircraft.

Applications include icing research and operational cockpit warning for icing and SLD conditions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The primary commercial application would be in general and commercial aviation safety. Development of the unit would lead to a simple operational system that would provide cockpit indication not only of the presence of icing conditions, but an indication of the severity, based on cloud liquid water content and droplet size. Also immediate warning could be provided for super large droplet (SLD) conditions that can lead to very rapid loss of aircraft performance.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lyle Lilie
Science Engineering Associates
114 C Mansfield Hollow Road, Box 605
Mansfield Center , CT   06250 - 0605

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Science Engineering Associates
114 C Mansfield Hollow Road, Box 605
Mansfield Center , CT   06250 - 0605

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed innovation is an efficient deicing system for aircraft leading
edges using polycrystalline piezo-electric-based active-fiber composites.
NASA and the entire aircraft industry need this technology to improve the
safety of aircraft operations under icing conditions while minimizing the
impact of ice removal on aircraft weight and fuel consumption. We propose
to use a composite structure consisting of a polymer matrix embedded with
piezoelectric fibers, driven by a highly efficient electronic controller.
Polycrystalline actuators can achieve substantial strain levels (that are
high enough) to break the ice, which are then carried away in the slip
stream. The controller actuates the composite to break ice films, then
recovers the unused actuation energy for very low net power consumption.
In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of using the actuator to
prevent ice buildup on aircraft leading edge surfaces by fabricating a
model deicing system, evaluating performance in a sophisticated icing
tunnel which simulates in-flight icing conditions, and designing a
prototype system for demonstration in Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This deicing system can be applied to a broad range of commercial and
military aircraft. It has the potential to drastically reduce power
requirements and can improve small aircraft deicing systems in particular,
since hot gases from turbines are not available. The system can easily be
retrofit to existing aircraft and can be applied to non-aircraft
applications, such as shipboard surfaces where ice buildup must also be
minimized.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bruce R. Pilvelait
Creare Inc.
Etna Rd., P.O. Box 71
Hanover , NH   03755 - 0071

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We will investigate the feasibility of thermographic inspection system that employs a small, handheld inspection head, which is swept over an area to be inspected, using IR transmitting fibers and a fiber coupled laser-heating system. The system, if successful, will allow more precise control of heating and data acquisition than current NDE systems allow, and as a result, provide NDE capabilities (in particular, for cracks oriented perpendicular to the sample surface) that significantly surpass the performance of current pulsed or scanned systems. The system will be suitable for either handheld, or robot-mounted operation. The system will utilize a novel signal processing scheme to allow signal to noise comparable to full scale system. The small size and absence of active heating or electronic components in the scanning head will allow inspection of limited access areas, such as radii or tanks, where access is available through a small port, or in environments where hazardous vapors pose an explosion risk.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This proposal was formulated based on input from current and prospective customers in Government and private aerospace manufacturing, service, and R&D, including NASA, commercial airline, and military NDE personnel. These customers indicated a high degree of interest in a small scanning system that would incorporate the advanced features of the pulsed systems that they were using on other applications, and also allow access to confined spaces and operation in hazardous vapor environments. Although the proposal has focused primarily on aerospace applications, significant market opportunities exist in the automotive and energy industries. The growing use of composites in automotive manufacturing is presenting new QA and NDE challenges to the industry. TWI has been a pioneer in applying Pulsed Thermographic solutions to automotive applications, and has worked with Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan and numerous Tier 1 suppliers. The automotive market is distinctly different than the aerospace market, primarily because of the high volume requirements and the importance of autonomous, on-line systems. TWI has recognized and responded to these needs, will build on our experience in the automotive industry in marketing the handheld scanning system.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steven Shepard, Ph.D.
Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc.
845 Livernois Street
Ferndale , MI   48323 - 2308

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc.
845 Livernois Street
Ferndale , MI   48323 - 2308

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
New materials, manufacturing processes, structural designs, and damage mechanisms pose continual challenges to the state-of-the-art in nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Thick sections and complex multi-layered structures create difficult to inspect areas in which corrosion or other damage can propagate undetected. Although X-ray and ultrasonics are used for inspection of thick sections for buried flaws and hidden corrosion, they provide little information on absolute material properties. There is a need for higher speed, wide area scanning capabilities to image not only flaws, voids, porosity, corrosion, and geometric features in complex structures, but also metallurgical properties and stresses. This Phase I effort will demonstrate high-resolution sensor arrays that combine giant magnetoresistive sensing elements with shaped field, distributed drive windings. The goal of this Phase I is to lay a broad foundation on which numerous new applications can be addressed. Specifically, absolute conductivity and permeability mapping using magnetoresistive sensor arrays will be developed and demonstrated. Phase I will include demonstrations both of absolute property measurement and geometric feature or defect mapping. Phase II will demonstrate commercially viable solutions for selected applications for imaging of welds, subsurface features, heat treatment quality, residual and applied stresses (for ferrous alloys), or in-situ sensors for health monitoring.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
JENTEK?s current customer base of Fortune 500 companies (including ALCOA, Siemens, 3M, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Rolls Royce, etc.) and government agencies (including FAA, Air Force, Navy, Army, NASA, etc.) have all purchased commercial electromagnetic sensors and systems from JENTEK, and each have identified specific needs for deeper penetration imaging. These include (1) hidden corrosion mapping in aircraft, (2) in-situ health monitoring, extending the current capability of surface mountable JENTEK MWM eddy current sensors to support deep penetration damage monitoring, (3) imaging and defect mapping for cooling holes in turbine blades, (4) detection of buried inclusions in titanium castings, (5) dwell-time fatigue detection in engine disks to prevent uncontained disk failures, (6) residual and applied stress mapping in landing gear, train rail and wheels, pipelines, welds, and other alloy steel applications, (7) thick metallic coating porosity measurement, (8) 2nd and 3rd layer crack detection for aircraft lap joints, (9) thick composite characterization for impact damage, manufacturing quality, geometric features and porosity, (10) thick plate heat treat characterization, (11) burnishing assessment for ferrous and nonferrous alloys, extending the use of JENTEK sensors for the C-130/P-3 propeller population, and (12) applications in subsurface geometric feature mapping using both contact and noncontact sensors.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Neil Goldfine
JENTEK Sensors, Inc.
110-1 Clematis Avenue
Waltham , MA   02453 - 7013

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
JENTEK Sensors, Inc.
110-1 Clematis Avenue
Waltham , MA   02453 - 7013

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA has initiated several programs in recent years that will require distributed/embedded sensors to achieve vehicle safety and efficiency goals. The number of sensors needed implies use of optical fiber sensors for their small size and low mass. Only the technique offered has demonstrated the ability to obtain 1000's of high spatial resolution measurements on a single fiber. The Phase I effort, utilizing both testing and analysis of key technology, will produce a prototype design for a flight capable demodulation system. In Phase II, the prototype will be fabricated, tested, and the design modified to produce demodulation systems NASA can depend on to meet its program goals.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial applications include health monitoring in civil, aviation, and marine structures. The push to smart materials and structures requires monitoring of all phases of the construction process and will create a large demand for grating arrays and dependable demodulation systems. The technology also competes with traditional foil strain gage and thermocouple technology which is well established in all areas of industry. As demodulation systems are introduced to solve measurement problems not addressed by traditional sensors, the technology will gain acceptance by the engineering community and encroach on the traditional sensors market share.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Brooks Childers
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)
DACCO SCI, INC., (DSI) proposes a Phase I SBIR program to use an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)-based corrosion sensor to monitor the integrity of an adhesive bondline and correlate sensor measurements with mechanical properties. Using this sensor approach to detect moisture intrusion into a bondline will give advance warning of potential environmentally induced bondline deterioration. Corrective action can then be taken prior to permanent disruption of the bondline. Delaminations and kissing unbonds may also be detectable. This monitoring technology could eventually be used as a standard tool in the suite of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for evaluating the integrity of adhesive bond. Because embedded sensors are not required, both existing and future structures could be inspected and monitored. Increased confidence and reliability of bonded structures would accrue.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Reliability of bonded structures will increase as a result of this health monitoring. Readiness and safety are also benefits to improved health monitoring. Extending the technology to composite materials is anticipated to be very feasible. Adhesively bonded repair patches (metal or compos-ite) on aging aircraft are one important application. Composite-reinforced infrastructure (e.g., bridge supports) is another application of interest. Other potential applications include storage tanks, pipelines, and weapon systems and components.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Guy Davis, Ph.D.
DACCO SCI, INC.
10260 Old Columbia Road
Columbia , MD   21046 - 1794

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
DACCO SCI, INC.
10260 Old Columbia Road
Columbia , MD   21046 - 1794

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) embodies a new philosophy for managing air traffic. The initial implementation of CDM has been aimed at Ground Delay Program (GDPs). It has become increasingly evident that very significant delays and throughput degradations have arisen from en-route airspace problems and limitations, particularly from convective weather activity and demand surges. Work is currently underway within the aviation community to apply CDM technology and concepts to the management of en-route traffic (Collaborative Routing). An essential component in the successful application of CDM to GDPs was the development of consensus around a fair allocation scheme for landing time slot assignment (ration by schedule, using the Official Airline Guide (OAG) schedule as a baseline). No such fixed baseline exists for the enroute airspace. Although there are several concepts for resource allocation before the CDM community, the feasible implementation of these concepts has yet to be demonstrated. We propose to construct a collaborative routing rationing algorithm (CRRA) to assign use of en route resources to individual flights. It will be shown that such an algorithm is both feasible and that it can be made consistent with traffic management goals and with the CDM paradigm.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A collaborative routing rationing algorithm (CRRA) has commercial application in several areas. Air Traffic Management (ATM) is confronted with demand-capacity imbalances in the en route environment on a daily basis. They require a systematic means for distributing scarce en route resources that is equitable across the air carriers. Conversely, the Airline Operations Centers (AOCs) require a means of inputting preferences to ATM when rationing is performed and a means of manipulating the resources they are allotted to maximize efficiency in their operations. CRRA would provide the receptacle for their preferences and refinements. Lastly, there are several en route management tools developed commercially or by R&D funds: the Post Operations Evaluation Tool (POET) and Collaborative En-Route Flow Management (C-Flow) developed by Metron, Inc. the Collaborative Routing Coordination Tool (CRCT) developed by MITRE, and the Future Automation Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET) developed by NASA. Each of these would benefit from a core algorithm to perform rationing of scarce en route resources.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Robert Hoffman
Metron, Inc.
131 Elden Street, Suite 200
Herndon , VA   20170 - 4835

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Metron, Inc.
11911 Freedom Drive, Suite 800
Reston , VA   20190 - 5602

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Metron, Inc. builds a data mining tool for fleet management that allows the user, in real time, to identify cost benefit opportunities within large quantities of operational data. Designed for Airlines Operations Control (AOC) personnel, we build a tool that manages large quantities of current time and archived air traffic, crew, passenger, hub, weather, and National Airspace System (NAS) data. Our tool exploits standard data mining techniques, electronically encoded playbooks for weather events, a predictor for reasoning about weather and how it affects the future of flights, and an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI). The user receives personalized reports that identify cost savings due to weather conflicts, hub priority changes, avoidance of traffic congestion, and other factors. Our data mining tool allows AOCs to make real-time decisions that anticipate future events and save the airlines money, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the overall NAS efficiency.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A data mining tool that focuses on National Airspace System (NAS) level data and Traffic Flow Management (TFM) constraints has commercial application for both the airlines and government Air Traffic Control (ATC) applications. For the airlines, the data mining tool is designed primarily for airline dispatchers. Metron works closely with airlines on several TFM projects including the Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) program and with the deployment of the Flight Schedule Monitor (FSM) and the Post Operations Evaluation Tool (POET). These systems, as well as the proposed data mining tool, provide cost benefits to the airlines by providing them access to valuable ATM system and NAS data. In a collaborative framework, these systems also provide benefit to Air Traffic Service Providers (ATSPs). The proposed data mining tool may be incorporated into the ATSP side of the CDM program or into specific TFM facilities, and can assist in strategic traffic flow management decision making.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark Klopfenstein
Metron, Inc.
131 Elden Street, Suite 200
Herndon , VA   20170 - 4835

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Metron, Inc.
131 Elden Street, Suite 200
Herndon , VA   20170 - 4835

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposals describes a new approach to implementing computer simulations of NAS using software autonomous agents. Each software agent is implemented as an independent entity with its own thread of control. This approach provides the ability to host the simulation on many computers, allows greater code reuse, is physically and logically scalable, and provides efficient and effective simulation of complex collaborative decision making. Another important benefit is that the agent paradigm for simulation allows the simulation to be gracefully enhanced, adding greater resolution to particular aspects of the simulation without affecting the remainder of the simulation. Future NAS simulations will need to be able to model a wide range of requests and decision processes which will be made by pilots, AOCs, and Air Traffic Controllers as NAS evolves toward the greater flexibility of Free Flight. Many important characteristics of the flow of aircraft will be emergent properties of the interaction of many flights, many companies, and many ATSPs. Attempting to simulate complex situations without this realistic diversity will lose much of the structure which is essential to understand. The work herein proposed will lead to NAS simulations which can meet this objective.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
IAI has already achieved success in commercializing its work with software autonomous agents, and is nearing the release of its Diva product which will greatly simplify the use of this technology by others. Software agents are also key to enterprise integration, which is becoming a cornerstone of e-commerce.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Leonard Haynes
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 2785

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 2785

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Metron proposes to develop a parallel-processing discrete event simulation of the entire National Air Space that can be used to assess courses of action in response to disturbances that impact Air Traffic Management. The innovative thrust is to use the NASA-patented SPEEDES parallel-processing engine. The ability of SPEEDES to efficiently distribute processing over large numbers of processors will allow the entire National Airspace (NAS) traffic (>50,000 flights) to be simulated quickly enough to support Air Traffic Management decisions in near-real-time. The resulting simulation would allow visualization/analysis of the propagation of delays across the air traffic system and rapid assessment of the probable downstream effects of decisions. Metron has already built a ?Pre-prototype? NAS simulation on SPEEDES, which has simplified models of schedules, flights, and airports and has been run with a small subset of a day?s flights between a handful of airports. Metron proposes that during Phase I, the Pre-prototype be demonstrated and benchmarked using a typical full day?s traffic, and that a full design for a Prototype with higher fidelity models and a link to live data be completed. The Phase II objective is to complete and demonstrate the Prototype.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Metron has a good track record of transitioning simulation products developed for the government to commercial application. Metron?s Flight Schedule Monitor (FSM) decision aid was developed for and is currently used by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and is also in use at several airlines. The NASim will also be a valuable near-real-time ?what-if?? tool for commercial airlines. There is also a possibility that Air Traffic Control in the United States may be privatized, and major firms, such as GE-Honeywell and Boeing, have organized and are equipping to potentially take on that role. NASim would be a valuable asset to such companies.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gary Blank
Metron, Inc.
514 Via de la Valle, Suite 310
Solana Beach , CA   92075 - 2718

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Metron, Inc.
514 Via de la Valle, Suite 310
Solana Beach , CA   92075 - 2718

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Extended operations and sleep loss can lead to fatigue, decrements in decision making, and other challenges to performance, productivity, and safety. The NASA Ames Research Center's Fatigue Countermeasures Group has conducted an extended program of research to develop and evaluate operationally useful countermeasures to mitigate the adverse effects of fatigue. This proposal describes an effort to conduct a meta-analytic integration of the evidence on the effectiveness of fatigue countermeasures such as naps, exercise, bright lights, and other interventions. The specific objectives of the Phase I research are to: (a) summarize and integrate existing research on naps as a fatigue countermeasure using a meta-analytic statistical technique, (b) identify the strength and significance of the effects of naps on performance, fatigue, and other relevant outcome measures, and (c) identify factors (such as length of the nap and the post nap interval) that may moderate the effects of naps as a fatigue countermeasure.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The integration of existing research and the identification of new and effective fatigue countermeasures should have a considerable impact on Federal as well as commercial users in aviation, transportation, medicine, equipment operation, manufacturing and other operational environments that involve 24-hour demands. This research will result in precise, empirically-based guidelines for implementing fatigue countermeasures in civilian and military operational environments. The integration and summarization of research results in this area will result in specific recommendations for research, policy and application.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James Driskell
Florida Maxima Corporation
507 N. New York Avenue, R-1
Winter Park , FL   32789 - 3186

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Florida Maxima Corporation
507 N. New York Avenue, R-1
Winter Park , FL   32789 - 3186

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Rotary-wing vehicles proposed for improved system capacity must meet civil global aviation requirements for safety, efficiency, and affordability. To achieve the needed advances, greatly improved modeling is required. Many advances have been made in measuring dynamic characteristics of rotary-wing vehicles, for example by Tischler et al. However, innovative advances are needed in methods to capture the dynamic and cross-coupling effects that are still a challenge and impediment to rapid design cycles. A very recent advance in test techniques utilizes water as a test medium for dynamic testing. This method circumvents many of the problems presented by air as a medium, by allowing testing in slow motion, by separating model and test support frequencies, by greatly improving signal-to-noise ratios, and by allowing the traditional advantages of the familiar water tunnel or channel, with its unparalleled flow visualization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ability to predict maneuvering aerodynamics and stability parameters early in the development cycle will reduce the time, risk, and cost of new rotorcraft. The methods described herein also apply to high performance aircraft development.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Brooke Smith
AeroArts LLC
PO Box 2909
Palos Verdes Peninsula , CA   90274 - 2909

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AeroArts LLC
PO Box 2909
Palos Verdes Peninsula , CA   90274 - 2909

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An integral element of meeting NASA's objective of tripling airport
throughput over the next decade is the utilization of helicopters and
tiltrotors to provide feeder service to major airports. Among the key
challenges in ensuring safe, high-volume terminal area rotorcraft
operations are identifying and mitigating potential hazards posed by
complex aeromechanical interactions ranging from wake vortex encounters to
powered flight in steep descent. To address these challenges, it is
imperative to develop fast yet high-fidelity rotorcraft vortex wake
modeling methods and simulation models in these flight regimes. To meet
this need, a physics-based analysis will be developed that captures key
aspects of rotorcraft wake aeromechanics in the complex terminal area
flight environment, including both interactions with wakes of nearby
aircraft and "self-interactions", such as vortex ring state. The enabling
technical innovation will be novel fast viscous/turbulent wake decay and
vorticity transport methodologies tailored to rotorcraft and coupled with
the state-of-the-art real time free wake simulation capabilities of the
CHARM rotorcraft model. The resulting product will be a hierarchy of
models enabling both detailed off-line assessment and on-line real-time flight simulation of potentially hazardous flight conditions including rotorcraft wake encounters and vortex ring state.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed simulation could be used to determine safe operation
procedures for tiltrotors and rotorcraft used as shuttle service between
local airports and major airport hubs. Assessment results from this code
could be implemented within or used in support of NASA's AVOSS system for
reducing IFR spacing requirements between tiltrotors and aircraft.
Rotorcraft manufacturers could use this tool to enhance "design for safety"
of future rotorcraft. In addition, a capability for predicting rotorcraft
flight dynamics in terminal area operations would directly support flight
training activities by simulation manufacturers and rotorcraft operators,
as well as the military services.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Daniel A. Wachspress
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)
This proposal puts forward a novel training methodology that takes advantage of automation?s potential as a high-speed decision aid and the strengths of human pattern recognition and conditioning. The methodology applies optimal control theory to solve for a vehicle?s trajectory and the required control inputs. A preview of the commanded input suite is displayed to the pilot, which will dynamically update as the vehicle state changes in time. Using this and other innovative training displays, the pilot should be able to execute numerous maneuvers previously considered outside the operational envelope, in addition to performing ?standard? emergencies with a high degree of control consistency and accuracy. The preview display?s function can be extended to serve as an on-board pilot cueing aid. This methodology can be incorporated in flight simulators to train pilots across a range of platforms. The initial target application will be for rotorcraft autorotation, a particularly challenging and accident-prone multi-axis maneuver. Phase I will focus on the development of the pertinent optimal algorithms and displays, as well as demonstration of the concept?s feasibility in the rotorcraft autorotation domain. Phase II will focus on practical application of the concept to rotorcraft autorotation training and expansion to other flight vehicles.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The pilot training software developed under this project can be used to train helicopter pilots to perform safe autorotation maneuvers. The core technology may also be adapted for use in training human operators of other vehicles (flight, ground, and underwater) where multi-axis control in time-critical situations is required.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bimal Aponso
Systems Technology, Inc.
13766 S. Hawthorne Blvd.
Hawthorne , CA   90250 - 7083

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Systems Technology, Inc.
13766 S. Hawthorne Blvd.
Hawthorne , CA   90250 - 7083

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed innovation is divided into three parts. The first conducts basic measurements to assess the accuracy of the two-microphone scheme, developed by P. Dean, to measure the impedance of Helmholtz resonators in grazing flow. Dean?s method is the benchmark standard used to measure the effects of grazing flow and SPL on the impedance of cavity-backed liners. Implicit in its derivation is the assumption (1) that the incident sound pressure can be accurately measured with a single microphone located on the resonator face-plate and (2) that a single microphone located in the center of the cavity back wall can accurately describe the response of the cavity to the incident sound field. Unpublished in-house impedance measurements suggest that the use of a single microphone to measure cavity pressure may be subject to errors as large as 20%. The research program will determine the minimum number of microphones required to accurately measure Helmholtz resonator impedance. The second systematically investigates the effects of orifice spacing and orientation on resonator impedance as a function of SPL and grazing flow. The third develops accurate 1-DOF and 2-DOF models of the impedance of resonators as a function of SPL, grazing flow and boundary-layer thickness.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
1. One of the primary commercial applications of the technology would be to license it to a commercial providers of duct propagation codes and/or to airframe and engine manufacturers. The control of engine noise in the community surrounding commercial airports is known to be a difficult problem to solve given the cost and weight constraints of the aircraft industry. It is envisioned that the duct propagation software could be licensed/sold capable of selecting resonator geometry that can be both economically constructed and achieve efficient sound absorption for a specified input noise signature.
2. A secondary application of the technology would to incorporate the impedance code into a as low frequency sound propagation and attenuation code to license/sell it to manufactures of electrical generating turbines and HVAC fans.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Alan Hersh
Hersh Acoustical Engineering, Inc.
780 lakefield Road, Unit G
Westlake Village , CA   91361 - 2657

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hersh Acoustical Engineering, Inc.
780 lakefield Road, Unit G
Westlake Village , CA   91361 - 2657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA?s current aircraft noise reduction research focuses on reducing the perceived noise levels of future aircraft by a factor of two. This Phase I effort will generate fast accurate finite difference algorithms for use in active noise design of inlet nacelles. This includes an analytical correlation of the geometrical parameters necessary to quickly maximize the attenuation of an active noise system. The secondary noise actuator size and number, position in relation to the primary noise source, angular orientation as well as other geometrical and acoustical properties will be evaluated in the optimization process to determine the maximum possible attenuation. Using this correlation as a starting point, the full numerical solution can be used to fine-tune the parameters for the particular complex engine geometry under consideration. The new algorithm will lead to more efficient use of active control and provide NASA and industry a revolutionary tool for planning and accessing future noise attenuation goals.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
KJB Consultants? acoustic nacelle design code will be enhanced for aircraft engine manufactures to optimize aircraft nacelles to reduce noise emitted toward the ground and the aircraft fuselage. The code will have the capability to optimize both passive and active noise reduction. The code could also be used in the acoustic design of automobiles, mufflers and complex industrial systems. The codes will be constructed with enough geometric flexibility to model mufflers, automobile interiors, and other business applications besides an aircraft nacelle.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kenneth Baumeister
KJB Consultants
7380 Baldwin Creek Drive
Middleburg Hts. , OH   44130 - 5544

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
KJB Consultants
7380 Baldwin Creek Drive
Middleburg Hts. , OH   44130 - 5544

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovative materials and processing capabilities are needed for the fabrication of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components for efficient engine systems. NASA has identified CMCs as the only materials that will meet the combination of increased safety, reduced cost, and reduced weight as operational temperatures climb to higher levels (per AeroMat 2000 Annual Conference, June 2000). The current UEET (Ultra Efficient Engine Technology) initiative at NASA is looking at components such as combustor liners and vanes in particular. In light of these needs, this Phase I SBIR proposal addresses lightweight, high temperature, and low cost CMCs for engine and propulsion applications, particularly in the temperature range of 1200-1400?C. The work will specifically address the development of a hybrid PIP/MI SiC fiber-reinforced SiC-matrix composite (SiCf/SiC). Effort will focus on using SiC-yielding preceramic polymers and a combination of PIP and melt-infiltration processing routes that will reduce the cost and time for producing SiCf/SiC composites compared to traditional CVI/MI processing. The intent of this work is to carry out PIP/MI process development, generate a preliminary database of thermal and mechanical properties, and select a process to use for component development and demonstration in a Phase II effort.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The results of this program will be immediately applicable to the on-going work of a number of companies for programs such as Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) and other initiatives. For example, Boeing-Rocketdyne is interested in evaluating the use of CMCs for transpiration cooled injector faceplates or rocket engine thrust chamber liners for use on the IHPRPT initiative and other advanced engine programs requiring lightweight high temperature CMC materials. Understanding the thermal and mechanical performance of PIP processed CMC materials will improve the timeline and extent of insertion of CMC materials into a variety of lightweight, high temperature applications.

Rockwell Science Center has also expressed interest in C/SiC and SiC/SiC CMCs to use as the exhaust ramp material for the Aerospike Engine concept.

General Electric Power Systems and Solar Turbines, Inc., are investigating SiC/SiC CMC materials for turbine engine applications and are very interested in opportunities for reductions in cost and processing time.

NASA has identified CMCs as the only materials that will meet the combination of increased safety, reduced cost, and reduced weight as operational temperatures climb to higher levels (per AeroMat 2000 Annual Conference, June 2000). The need for high-temperature CMC materials is evident in applications such as turbomachinery, thrust chambers, seals, bladed-disks (blisks), and various structural panels that may have a requirement for integrated cooling channels. The NASA UEET program in particular has identified applications such as combustor liners and vanes that will require CMC components.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Timothy E. Easler
COI Ceramics, Inc.
9617 Distribution Ave
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2392

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
COI Ceramics, Inc.
9617 Distribution Ave
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2392

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc. (ISSI) proposes the development of a high-framing rate quantitative flow imaging system, with potential application to a wide variety of optical diagnostic techniques for reacting and nonreacting flows. The system is based around a novel "burst-mode" laser, which has been recently developed by our Ohio State University (OSU) collaborators, a version of which is currently in place at NASA Glenn Research Center. The particular emphasis of the proposed Phase I program is to 1) demonstrate high-framing-rate velocity-field imaging using a 2D laser diagnostic technique known as Planar Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) in a reacting flow and to 2) extend the flexibility of the burst mode laser by building a prototype optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to be pumped by the burst-mode laser, enabling Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) measurements of combustion intermediate species. The Phase II program would build upon this demonstration and design novel ways of attaining high-framing rate measurements of the 2D velocity field and minor species concentration (e.g., OH).

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Products from this program may include new research tools for the laser diagnostics community, in particular, high-speed imaging and Planar Laser-Induced fluorescence (PLIF) tools. Although this market is relatively small (scientific market vs. broad commercial market), its impact on the understanding of high-speed combustion (and therefore on mobile and airborne power generation) could very large. Furthermore, advances in diagnostics tools such as that proposed would likewise spur the development of advanced computational tools such as Large-Eddy Simulation (LES).

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Campbell Carter
Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc.
2766 Indian Ripple Road
Dayton , OH   45440 - 3638

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc.
2766 Indian Ripple Road
Dayton , OH   45440 - 3638

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed innovation is the design of an active control system to reduce aircraft turbofan engine rotor-lock inlet noise generated when rotor tip speeds become transonic. The system design for this program would be tailored to the requirements of the NASA GRC 22-inch diameter Source Diagnostic Fan. The proposed Phase I research program consists of (1) a conceptual design of a prototype active control sound source and (2) a MatLab based design of an active control system. The concept is an innovation because it uses an active/passive segmented liner noise cancellation concept, developed at Hersh Acoustical Engineering, Inc. (HAE) to cancel rotor-lock noise. A successful Phase I research program will establish the feasibility of developing an active control system capable of efficiently suppressing rotor-lock noise.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
1. One of the primary commercial applications of the technology would be to license it to airframe and engine manufacturers. The control of engine noise in the community surrounding commercial airports is known to be a difficult problem to solve given the cost and weight constraints of the aircraft industry. It is envisioned that the rotor-alone active noise control software/hardware elements could ultimately be an integral part of a hybrid active/passive liner that efficiently suppresses multiple BPF harmonic tones as well as broadband noise.
2. HAE intends to seek patent protection of its intellectual property and license the technology to manufacturers of modern large commercial jet aircraft such as Boeing, manufacturers of large aircraft engines such as General Electric Aircraft Engine Division, Pratt & Whitney and Allied Signal Corporation as well as manufacturers of engine nacelles such as Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.
3. HAE intends to seek Phase III funding and partnership with Boeing, GEAE and/or P&W to further develop the technology and commercial potential of the active broadband noise control concept.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bruce Walker
Hersh Acoustical Engineering, Inc.
780 lakefield Road, Unit G
Westlake Village , CA   91361 - 2657

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hersh Acoustical Engineering, Inc.
780 Lakefield Road, Unit G
Westlake Village , CA   91361 - 2657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
New and innovative ways to apply many of the newly developed, advanced materials are needed. The proposed technology addresses this need by enabling an innovative thermal spray process for use with newly emerging ultraviolet (UV) and/or visible light-curable polyimides. The technology combines a moderate amount UV/visible light radiation with other processing modes into a novel technology to spray polyimide powders without the use of solvents as neat polyimide films and coatings and as near-net-shape products.
The solventless spray, lay-up aspects of the proposed powder spray technology addresses the mandate that NASA has for producing Advanced Materials with Reduced Emissions. The advanced materials that can be processed with this technology, UV/visible light-curable polyimides, have application in gas turbines, rocket and turbine based combined cycle engines. The technology enables a process for economical and reliable application of these advanced materials to fabricate light-weight jet engine components.
The Phase II project will result in a prototype system for application of UV/visible light curable polyimides and other polymers.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The technology is suitable for use in applying a broad range of commercially available thermoplastic and thermoset polymer powder materials as neat materials and as ?designer?, composites, nanocomposites, including functionally graded coatings and composites. Commercial applications that include adhesives, scratch resistant coatings, protective coatings, high elongation coatings, self-extinguishing coatings, circuit board coatings, electrically conductive coatings and electrical component potting applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lawrence Farrar
Montec Research
1901 South Franklin
Butte , MT   59701 - 4167

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Montec Research
1901 South Franklin
Butte , MT   59701 - 4167

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
SATS is NASA's efficient personal air transportation vision. SATS airplanes must strive for higher levels of safety, speed, and comfort than small airplanes currently offer. BRS therefore proposes to develop an advanced parachute recovery system for high performance GA aircraft capable of 300-knot cruise speeds. BRS has already received FAA certification for its Cirrus Design SR-20 parachute recovery system which evolved from the BRS sport aviation products. However, heavier and faster GA aircraft will require the development of new and innovative technologies to enhance the performance, safety, reliability, and successful commercialization of an advanced parachute recovery system. First, these systems must be capable of reliable deployment in catastrophic emergencies from stall speeds to "loss of control" speeds approaching 350 knots. Secondly, the weight and volume of the systems and components is more critical to the performance and utility of GA aircraft than for recreational type aircraft and must be minimized. Finally, a steering capability for obstacle avoidance in hazardous landing areas will be investigated. These enhancements to aircraft recovery systems will be a significant step toward improving the safety of GA travel, and so have definite commercial potential.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
BRS is continuing to work with Cirrus Design in Duluth, Minnesota to develop recovery systems for their aircraft. The BRS CAPS is already standard equipment on the Cirrus SR20 aircraft. and is being adapted to the SR22 aircraft, a upgraded version of the SR20. Future Cirrus aircraft include retractable landing gear versions of the SR22 and eventually larger, faster composite aircraft that will incorporate a variety of new technologies, including more efficient propulsion systems such as cost effective jet engines for GA aircraft. The Cirrus Design aircraft designs are a prime example of next generation of GA aircraft and are therefore, the ideal platform for the development of the advanced recovery system. A key component of BRS's strategic plan is to aggressively pursue relationships with as many of the currently existing and future aircraft manufacturers as possible to expand the recovery system product line for the general aviation and larger experimental aircraft markets. These markets can be a significant revenue source for BRS with the average recovery system price ranging from as low as $5,000 and up to $30,000.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Anthony D. Kasher
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.
300 Airport Road
South St. Paul , MN   55075 - 3551

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.
300 Airport Road
South St. Paul , MN   55075 - 3551

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A critical barrier for GA to serve as viable and volume personal transportation is the lack of a cost-effective, yet open-growth, Lean DesignO and manufacturing methodology for installing emergent technologies in existing airplanes as well as for producing new small airplanes. Munro & Associate?s (Munro?s) vision is to create an innovative , Lean DesignO integration system to select, source, adapt and install 21st century automotive industry consumer comfort technologies - SATS-LDATT, this will serve as a vital enabler for turning NASA's SATS Lab Vision into reality. Munro will use its automotive industry technology transfer expertise to first create an automotive technology evaluation process in conjunction with its design team

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications include full cockpit and cabin installations in new as well as the 100,000 plus travel active existing small airplanes in the country. Spin offs include software applications for custom designs.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
DAVID Grieco
Munro and Associates
900 Wilshire Drive, Suite 301
Troy , MI   48084 - 1634

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Munro and Associates
900 Wilshire Drive, Suite 301
Troy , MI   48084 - 1600

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
DSI will develop an integrated backplane/server solution for the SATS cockpit. The GAAINS (General Aviation Aircraft Information Network Server) solution will provide the foundation for tomorrows SATS cockpit. DSI believes in the spirit of SATS, and through the integration of COTS technologies combined with current open architecture standards, a new enabling platform will be developed which increases cockpit functionality, while decreasing pilot workload at a fraction of the cost of today?s systems. DSI?s GAAINS architecture is based on current communication industry standards for redundancy and fail over scenarios. Ruggedized COTS hardware coupled with proven smart software suites will provide new heights of modularity, cost savings, and ease of access, operation and growth. This backplane/server platform will ultimately increase the chance of success for NASA?s SATS vision.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications include the GAAINS installations in the existing 100,000 travel active airplanes, as well as new GA aircraft. This product will also be designed for integration with the ground and satellite based GA extranet (SATS-Net). Outside of this, there is almost no limit to expansion and opportunities in terms of providing information to the GA aircraft. The implications of this are vast. As the Internet has matured and brought forth a host of viable information services, the potential for radically improving the availability of information services to the GA aircraft is enormous. This also has strong potential for the commercial airline industry. As concepts were borrowed from the automotive industry, the likelihood that advances in the GA market could be applied back to the automotive industry are very high.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gregg Schneider
Dynamic Systems Integration
529 Central Drive
Virginia Beach , VA   23454 - 5277

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dynamic Systems Integration
529 Central Drive
Virginia Beach , VA   23454 - 5277

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Aircraft turbine engines continue to evolve to meet demands for smaller, lighter power plants while improving fuel efficiency and increasing power output. As a result, turbine engines must endure ever increasing operating temperatures. Turbine blades in the hot-gas path are coated with a thermal barrier coating (TBC) that reduces thermal stress and extends their service life. Thermal and centrifugal stresses can initiate and propagate cracks that cannot be seen through the TBC. A method for in-plant inspection of new blades, blades removed from service, and refurbished blades is needed. IDI proposes an NDE technique employing a novel microwave resonant stripline probe that detects changes in the dielectric thickness of the TBC, any oxide formation, as well as surface defects in the Inconel substrate. The NDE system output is a two-dimensional color image detailing the overall health of the component. Phase I will design, build and test a prototype microwave probe. Phase II will further develop the NDE microwave system for demonstration in a production line environment.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed microwave system can be used by blade and engine manufacturers and repair facilities to inspect coated blades for damage. The method will reduce inspection/rework costs and assure reliability of the blades. Other applications include inspection of aircraft parts such as landing gears that have complex geometries.

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 - 1252

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Innovative Dynamics, Inc.
2560 North Triphammer Road
Ithaca , NY   14850 - 1252

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The regenerated barrel cam engine addresses the needs of the GAA engine subtopic by providing very large reductions in life cycle cost (40-50% fuel use reduction, reduced aircraft and engine size and weight, less maintenance & overhaul), substantial performance improvements (smaller, lighter, aircraft and more powerful engines, greater range), increased safety and reliability (diesel-like engine features, safer fuel, ease of operation), improved environmental compatibility (reduced noise and emissions, use of alternative fuels). Regeneration has been under development at Caterpillar, ReJen, and elsewhere, under NASA, Navy, and Caterpillar funding. The objective of this program is to combine two engine technologies: in-cylinder regeneration and the axial cylinder, barrel-cam engine design. The successful merging of these two, highly synergistic, technologies will result in a new type of engine with outstanding applicability to GAA propulsion. The barrel cam engine circumvents several of the more severe problems confronting regenerated engine development, and the regenerated cycle reduces the peak cylinder pressure loads on the barrel cams. Basic feasibility of the regenerated barrel cam engine appears promising based upon completed analyses and component tests. In Phase I, detailed design of a Technology Demonstrator version of this engine will be completed. This engine will be built and tested in Phase 2. Caterpillar will match Phase 1 and 2 NASA funding.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In-Cylinder regeneration can have a huge impact throughout the power generation, earthmoving, and transportation industries. Ultimately, this new engine technology could find its way into nearly all reciprocating engines with dramatic effects on world-wide fuel usage, the national economy and employment, and US technological leadership. This is why Caterpillar has been so interested in regeneration technology and is supporting this project. It is most especially applicable to aircraft, where its compact size, exceptional fuel economy, and other features will result in a substantial reduction in aircraft life-cycle cost, increased performance, and improved reliability and safety. This new approach of a barrel-cam regenerated engine offers a means to bring this technology to market sooner and to further improve its performance and applicability to aircraft. It offers a means to most dramatically improve GAA propulsion technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Allan Ferrenberg
The ReJen Co.
255 Rimrock Dr., Swall Meadows
Bishop , CA   93514 - 7133

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
The ReJen Co.
255 Rimrock Dr., Swall Meadows
Bishop , CA   93514 - 7133

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
It is proposed to develop a hybrid piezoelectric/fiber optic (HyPFO) monitoring system for aerospace vehicles and structures for the purpose of quick non-destructive evaluation and long-term health monitoring. The development of the monitoring system will be based on Acellent Technologies' patented SMART Layer concept of integrating a network of miniature actuators and sensors in the form of a flexible layer onto structures. Currently, Acellent's SMART Layer product hosts only piezoelectric elements; however, there has been substantial interest in incorporating other types of sensors. Due to the popularity of fiber optic sensors for health monitoring in recent year, it is proposed to incorporate fiber optics sensors onto the current SMART Layer product to create a hybrid piezoelectric/fiber optic monitoring layer. The proposed hybrid piezoelectric/fiber optic system will use the piezoelectric actuators to input a controlled excitation to the structure and the fiber optic sensors to capture the corresponding structural response. The objective of the Phase I study will be to develop a hybrid piezoelectric/fiber optic monitoring layer prototype along with validation and proof testing. The end product will be a hybrid piezoelectric/fiber optic monitoring layer that can be easily integrated onto structures to perform various NDE and health monitoring tasks.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Upon completion of the HyPFO structural health monitoring system, the U.S. government and the aerospace industry would receive substantial benefits from the developed technology. The proposed development would bring to market a commercially viable product that will increase the reliability, improve the safety, and reduce the maintenance cost of aerospace vehicles and structures. Potential structural applications include real-time detection of structural defects (fatigue, cracks, corrosion, disbonds), long-term monitoring of vehicle health, characterization of load environment, and life prediction. Other uses include in-situ monitoring of material processing, identification of manufacturing defects (porosity, inclusions), and material property characterization. The technology developed here for critical space structures could be further distilled down to other commercial applications in industries such as aviation, automotive, naval/off-shore, and civil infrastructures.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Peter Qing
Acellent Technologies, Inc.
562 Weddell Drive, Suite 4
Sunnyvale , CA   94089 - 2108

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Acellent Technologies, Inc.
562 Weddell Drive, Suite 4
Sunnyvale , CA   94089 - 2108

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An innovative software tool is proposed to provide shared access to all pertinent information involved in the dynamic testing process. The dynamic testing process is collaborative and requires the sharing of many forms of data. By leveraging standard Internet technologies and customizing them for the dynamic testing application, all requirements, schedules, procedures, photographs, measurement data, and analysis data can be accessed in a hierarchical fashion using a standard web browser. The Project Site would serve as a ?virtual meeting room? where all test team members could share data and collaborate for the duration of the test program. The proposed research focuses primarily on determining the best architecture for implementing such an application. Application prototypes will be developed based on the candidate architectures. The best architecture will be determined from a comparison and evaluation of the application prototypes in the areas of robustness, performance, scalability, reliability, and security. In addition, open communication standards and open source frameworks will be investigated to ensure that the target application is state-of-the-art. By customizing and extending Internet technologies, a practical software tool can be developed which will shorten test cycles and improve the overall quality of the dynamic testing process.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
ComFrame believes that there is a strong need within the environmental testing community for a software tool which will allow distributed data access and collaboration between project team members. Basing the tool upon leading industry standards will facilitate industry adoption of such a platform by allowing easy integration with existing test tools and processes. Once the application is proven, relationships and partnerships can be established with system vendors in the dynamic/vibration testing industry in order to broaden marketing opportunities. Finally, the basic software framework can be extended into other areas of environmental testing such as thermal, wind tunnel testing, and machinery monitoring. Given the cutting edge nature of the product and the broad market scope, ComFrame believes that the collaborative platform proposed herein has significant potential as a commercial offering.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Blaine Anderson
ComFrame Software Corporation
110 12th Street North, Suite A114
Birmingham , AL   35203 - 1537

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ComFrame Software Corporation
110 12th Street North, Suite A114
Birmingham , AL   35203 - 1537

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Advanced high performance cryogenic propulsion systems will be developed for second and third generation reusable launch vehicles. These systems will require higher thrust to weight ratios, demanding lighter pumps, higher operating speeds, and increased pressures. For reusable engines, cryogenic turbopump load support bearings have historically been life limiting components. New software is required to improve the design of rolling element and fluid film bearings to expand the operating envelope while improving life and reliability relative to today's hardware. An innovative bearing design tool is proposed that will facilitate improved design early in the initial pump development program. The tool will enable detailed thermomechanical design in the initial design phase. Traditionally this level of analysis has only been used to address problems that are discovered during hardware testing. The reason for this is that developing the required high fidelity models is currently complicated and expensive. A new software tool is proposed that will use a modern Graphical User Interface and model development tools to simplify the process. Thus more robust design will be accomplished in the initial design phase.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are currently no modern Windows-based software analysis models available that support a multi-bearing system, rotating shaft load support bearing design, that has the level of sophistication required for cryogenic pump bearings. In fact, the most frequently used bearing design codes are DOS based and lack many of the routines required to address rocket engine component design. A modern Windows based bearing code will appeal to the users of the current generation codes, which includes the aerospace, automotive, and precision instrument industries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James D. Moore
SRS Technologies
500 Discovery Drive
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 9999

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SRS Technologies
500 Discovery Drive
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 9999

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An innovative method for integrating experimental design with computational flowfield methodology for developing advanced liquid rocket combustors is proposed. Despite dramatic advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and diagnostic instrumentation, rocket engine designers still rely on antiquated experimental data bases. The gap between on-going experiments and real design issues is not yielding sufficient validation data. The proposed research will identify critical physical combustion problems, hypothesize experiments to elucidate the problem, simulate the experiment with CFD to locate necessary validation measurements, specify an appropriate instrumentation system, oversee the experiment, and synthesize the results. The utility of this new methodology will be demonstrated by critiquing existing experiments and planning new research projects.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The current practice of conducting liquid rocket engine research with large programs at numerous universities and at many different government laboratories demand that an experimental design methodology procedure be established to insure that these are productive in providing deeper insight into high pressure combustion. These investigators expect to benefit commercially and professionally by consulting on the coordination, planning, and integration of the multitude of on-going federally funded research activities.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Richard Farmer
SECA, Inc.
3313 Bob Wallace Ave., Suite 201
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4063

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SECA, Inc.
3313 Bob Wallace Ave., Suite 201
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 4063

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed innovation is the development of a compressible gas/liquid framework to simulate cavitation in cryogenic liquid rocket pumps. The generalized compressible framework will allow for the specification of variable thermodynamic properties and physical equations-of-state appropriate to cryogenic working fluids. Furthermore, the acoustics within a multi-phase gas/liquid mixture will be modeled rigorously, allowing for the simulation of interactions between pressure fluctuations and the cavitation process at different frequencies. The model will be implemented within an unstructured numerical framework that will effectively deal with complex geometries and resolve flowfield features using local grid adaption features. In particular, the proposed CFD tool is expected to improve modeling capabilities for inducers that operate at low pressures and high rotational speeds. These flow conditions make inducers susceptible to cavitation instabilities, which have the potential to generate large unsteady forces and reduce engine durability. Most current CFD tools for simulating cavitating flows have originated from incompressible formulations and have difficulty in modeling unsteady phenomena in multi-phase mixtures. With the inclusion of appropriate physical sub-models, the proposed innovation has the potential to be an important and useful tool in the analysis and design of liquid rocket turbopumps.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Empirical correlations and 1-D analyses currently used for turbomachine design are remarkably successful at design conditions but are less reliable at off-design conditions, when unsteady flow, coupled with cavitation, can generate potentially damaging pressure fluctuations and vibrations. Most current CFD tools for pump analyses have been derived from incompressible formulations and are inadequate for these complex flows. To address these deficiencies, the commercial CFD tool resulting from the proposed Phase I and subsequent Phase II efforts will have a generalized compressible formulation with temperature effects. The cavitation model will be implemented within our commercial code CRUNCH, which has an unstructured framework and is ideal for complex turbomachine geometries. This tool may be used with current design procedures to either refine preliminary designs or correct potentially anomalous behavior in existing designs. A broad market exists for this commercial product, including companies that are currently involved in designing space propulsion systems, as well as designers of high-energy industrial pump systems. Such pumps must perform at off-design conditions over extended periods, making it critical that cavitation effects be eliminated or mitigated.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ashvin Hosangadi
Combustion Research and Flow Technology,
174 North Main Street, POB 1150
Dublin , PA   18917 - 2108

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Combustion Research and Flow Technology,
174 North Main Street, POB 1150
Dublin , PA   18917 - 2108

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A vehicle for access to space with the ability to successfully takeoff from and land on a land- based runway would have a great potential for reducing the cost and enhancing the safety of space access involving a reusable launch vehicle. A significant difficulty in attaining such an ability is the need to have acceptable low-speed handling and flight characteristics. In addition, a stable and robust control system for the low-velocity (as well as for the usual high-velocity) flight regimes is required. NASA is developing the X43A hypersonic vehicle with such a vision, and is currently exploring the vehicle's high-speed characteristics in another of its programs. This Phase I proposal is to explore the vehicle's low-speed flight envelope and handling characteristics, by performing flight tests on the X43A-LS, a low speed version of the X43A already developed by AAC. This work will lay groundwork for a Phase II effort to test adaptive controller designs for the X43A, to develop a supersonic version of the vehicle, to develop an integrated health monitoring system for the vehicle's small-scale turbine engine, and to explore application of AAC's high-compression video recording technology.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The vehicle design and telemetry system will be a key part of hypersonic as well as commercial aircraft in the future. Therefore, the technology from the X-43A-LS will have a commercial use. Accurate Automation designed and supplied the X-43A data collection subsystem. The IVHS would be used on all space vehicles and for commercial aircraft in FOOQA systems. Accurate Automation is working with Rolls Royce and is talking with American and United Airlines for non engine related areas.
The area of hypersonics will be a Billion Dollar industry within 20 years. The X43ALS is a key componen for the development of reusable hypersonic systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Christopher S. Gibson
Accurate Automation Corporation
7001 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga , TN   37421 - 1716

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Accurate Automation Corporation
7001 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga , TN   37421 - 1716

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Light alloy composites are required for components for reusable launch vehicle airframes due to their improved strength to weight ratios. This document proposes development of magnesium composites with advanced anodized coatings for improved corrosion and wear resistance. These coatings will be produced by electrochemical treatment of magnesium composite components for use in aerospace, military, automotive and recreational applications. Both the method of coating production and the properties obtained by the composites will be significant improvements over previous surface treatments for magnesium in terms of performance, economics, and environmental safety. Magnesium components exposed to the environment are prone to corrosion. This proposal concerns adaptation of a recently developed magnesium anodization process for composites which are exposed to corrosive environments. This process builds a thick, dense coating on magnesium that has both excellent corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Composites with the proposed coating system would be less expensive and demonstrate improved performance with a process has been proven environmentally sound. Testing of the coatings will include wear resistance and salt spray testing. Application of the anodization process will be tested on several magnesium alloys as well as representative magnesium composites of AZ91 and Mg12Li with carbon fiber and alumina non-metallic second phases.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Benefits of the new coating system will be improved wear and corrosion resistance for magnesium alloys and composites. Commercial applications include use of anodization on magnesium automotive components, recreational equipment, power tools, and industrial equipment exposed to harsh environments.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thomas F. Barton
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)
Triton Systems responds to the NASA need to produce new and unique lightweight high use temperature polymer materials with inherently high gas barrier, strength, and thermal stability. These multifunctional materials will enable the use of composite materials to replace metallic cryogenic fuel tanks for the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). We will combine our extensive background in layered silicate nanocomposite technology with that of high use temperature polymers based on phenyl ethynyl imide (PEI) as well as Triton proprietary chemistries to achieve this goal. The incorporation of nanostructured silicate platelets into these polymer matrices will result in materials that will have superior gas barrier (i.e. hydrogen, oxygen). Further, the use of nanocomposites will achieve increased strength and decreased coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), which will result in the elimination of microcracking observed during thermal cycling of conventional composite materials. The use of minute quantities of our patented nanosilicates will ensure that these polymers can be processed by standard molding techniques (RTM). During Phase I we will synthesize and evaluate the physical properties of several polyimide-based nanocomposite materials. For Phase II we will optimize these properties, and scale up the synthesis to fabricate a prototype composite prepared by RTM.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The polyimide nanotechnology developed by Triton Systems on this program will open the opportunity for applications in many areas where lightweight high temperature composites are required. For example, this enabling technology could be used for weight savings in high temperature environments such as those seen in the automotive, aerospace, and electronic industries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bryan Koene
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4053

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4053

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composites are being considered for reusable launch vehicle airframe components. There is a need for these composites to be joined to make complex and large shapes. TDA proposes to address this problem by using welding equipment to join SiC/SiC composites. In Phase I, we will determine the thermal processing parameters required to use welding equipment to prepare the joins. Microscopy and mechanical testing will be used to evaluate the quality of the joins.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Completion of the project will result in a method for joining and repairing SiC/SiC composites and monolithic silicon carbide in the manner of advanced metal alloys. This project will allow large and/or complex shapes to be joined for reusable launch vehicle airframe components as well as for advanced turbine engines, radiant tube heaters, heat exchangers, and erosion and corrosion components.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mr. Jack D. Sibold
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)
Solidica is proposing a filament based rapid prototyping machine for the production of net shape metal and functional gradient components. Net shape fully dense metallic parts have been the holy grail of rapid prototyping since its inception. Solidica, Inc. has patented an innovative ultrasonic approach for rapid prototyping of net shape metallic parts using a ribbon feedstock. By combining the use of ultrasonics for layer-by-layer material build up of metallic ribbons with a simple machining head Solidica achieves net shape fully dense metallic components in a fraction of the time and at a lower cost than traditional machining or casting. Extending this proprietary technology to use filament based feedstock rather than ribbon, will enable a complexity of geometry that is currently only achievable for fully dense metal components through investment casting. This innovation has enormous cost saving advantages for production of both complex metallic and bimetallic functional gradient test hardware. There is currently no technology that is readily capable of forming functionally gradient structures for complex geometric shapes.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The market for rapid prototyping is an already proven market. Currently competitive machines in this area differentiate themselves through speed, accuracy, and cost. This technology is capable of leapfrogging all of the current technologies by providing the first truly functional metallic parts at a speed, accuracy and cost comparable with systems which by the nature of their material solidification or layer bonding processes are limited to plastics and powder processed materials.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dawn White
Solidica
3941 Research Park Drive, Suite C
Ann Arbor , MI   48108 - 2219

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Solidica
3941 Research Park Drive, Suite C
Ann Arbor , MI   48108 - 2219

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
No timely and cost-effective methods now exist for the fabrication of thick-section (>=2"), continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Application of such CMCs can potentially enhance the efficiency and performance, reduce the weight, improve the durability, and lower the cost of aerospace propulsion systems, particularly those used in high temperature, high-stress environments. Achieving these benefits requires development of matrix infiltration techniques capable of efficiently producing thick parts. The quality of such parts will also depend on implementation of improved fiber/matrix interfaces and interface deposition techniques. For many projected applications, carbon fibers are of particular interest as CMC reinforcements because they are relatively inexpensive, have higher strength and stiffness and lower density than oxide or non-oxide ceramic fibers, and retain their mechanical properties at very high temperatures. The main drawback of carbon fibers, however, is their low oxidation resistance, which has prevented their extensive use in high temperature oxidizing environments. Oxide interfaces can potentially impart sufficient protection, as well as provide other essential interface functions. In previous work, Ultramet demonstrated a unique and innovative process for depositing oxide interfaces, specifically ultraviolet-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (UVCVD). Ultramet has also successfully achieved rapid infiltration of carbide matrices within thin-section (<0.125") fiber preforms using an innovative melt infiltration process. In this project, Ultramet will combine UVCVD of oxide interface coatings with a modified, innovative variation of the melt infiltration process to demonstrate the feasibility of rapidly and cost-effectively producing thick-section (>=2"), highly refractory carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites suited for selected aerospace applications such as rocket engine turbomachinery components.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The composite materials to be developed in this project combine innovative interface materials, novel interface deposition, and rapid infiltration of refractory matrices into thick-section components. These components will have broad commercial applicability to a range of products, including rocket and aircraft engine turbomachinery components, recuperators, ducts, and other hot gas path components, process industry parts requiring high temperature capability and corrosive environment resistance (e.g. hot gas and liquid handling equipment) for extended periods, furnace structures, and high temperature filter elements.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jason R. Babcock, Ph.D.
Ultramet
12173 Montague Street
Pacoima , CA   91331 - 2210

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ultramet
12173 Montague Street
Pacoima , CA   91331 - 2210

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Laser-Engineered-Net-Shaping (LENSTM) process uses a laser to create a molten pool on the surface of a substrate in which metal powder is then injected to increase the volume of the pool. The laser spot is selectively scanned to additively build up the required material in the desired shape. In a sequential fashion, each cross-sectional layer of the object is taken from a 3-D CAD file and deposited until an entire object is created. Many materials have been deposited using this technique, including steels and titanium alloys. Metal-matrix composites (MMCs) have been produced by the simple method of using coated particulate composite particles. The deposition of aluminum and its alloys is challenging because aluminum absorbs little incident laser energy. The ability to produce these materials may significantly impact NASA?s ability to fabricate or repair various components for advanced rocket engines. This proposal aims to develop the methodology to deposit high aluminum alloys during Phase I, and also show the feasibility of producing aluminum MMCs. Phase 2 will further optimize the aluminum alloy deposition and develop the process for aluminum MMC deposition, and demonstrate component manufacture with suitable testing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Laser-Engineered-Net-Shaping (LENSTM) process was first commercialized in 1997, and since then systems have been sold to various government, university and industrial organizations, including NASA MSFC. The process conditions to deposit a wide variety of materials have been developed. The deposition of aluminum and its alloys is challenging due to the fact that aluminum absorbs little incident laser energy. The ability to deposit near-net-shape aluminum components will enable the manufacture or repair a wide variety of components. Al-MMCs are finding many applications in rocket engines, including thrust-chamber jackets, support structures, and cryogenic pump components. The ability to repair Al-MMCs may be an enabling technology to reduce the life-cycle cost of these materials by allowing repairs to be made.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Richard Grylls
Optomec Inc.
3911 Singer NE
Albuquerque , NM   87109 - 5841

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Optomec Inc.
3911 Singer NE
Albuquerque , NM   87109 - 5841

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Innovative technologies are needed to increase performance and reduce life-cycle cost of rocket engine components. Fabrication of lightweight engine components such as injector faceplates and nozzle ramps offer great potential for increasing thrust to weight ratios and reducing costs. Current research is being conducted on high temperature ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Although these materials offer high temperature capability, major challenges exist for improving impact and fatigue resistance. Robust materials are needed to replace existing hardware for the Space Launch Initiative and long term 3rd generation RLV technologies. Plasma Processes, Inc. proposes to fabricate lightweight, high conductivity metal matrix composites (MMC). The composites will be formed to near net shape with a B4C or Al2O3 reinforced copper-based matrix. Diamond and carbon reinforcements will also be investigated to provide enhanced thermal conductivity. The new composites will offer as much as 50% reduced weight and higher temperature capability as compared to existing hardware and provide better fatigue resistance than monolithic ceramic or CMC materials. Additionally, the unique process will allow a HfC or ZrO2 functional gradient protective surface to be formed into the hot side of the composite, which increases the operating temperature capability, protects the composite from oxidation, and significantly increases life.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The results of the Phase I effort will clearly demonstrate the ability to fabricate lightweight high conductivity MMC components. Advanced rocket propulsion technologies will transition to higher performance and lower cost U.S. space, military and commercial rocket engines. Potential clients for MMC components are rocket engine producers and users such as NASA, DOD, Rocketdyne, Aerojet, Pratt & Whitney, Orbital Sciences, Lockheed/Martin, and Boeing. PPI will develop and transfer the technology for other commercial applications such as: Ballistic and tactical missiles, Arc-jet thrusters, heat exchangers, Welding electrodes, Plasma facing components for nuclear reactors, Integral oxidation protective coatings, Coatings for composite parts and structures, Thermal barrier coatings, Structural jackets on tubular combustors and nozzles, and Storage vessels

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Timothy McKechnie
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 D Moores Mill Road
Huntsville , AL   35811 - 1558

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 D Moores Mill Road
Huntsville , AL   35811 - 1558

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Hyper-Therm recently demonstrated producing the world?s first actively-cooled, ceramic-matrix composite thrust chambers for liquid rocket propulsion systems. Using a near-net shape manufacturing technique, these monocoque components were fabricated with an annular array of internal cooling channel passages and are perhaps the most geometrically complex and enabling propulsion devices ever produced from continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic composites. To evaluate their performance, a non-flight-weight liquid hydrogen coolant manifold assembly was designed and fabricated to interface the composite thrust chambers to a test stand NASA GRC for ground-test firing. These devices are currently on the stand undergoing hot-fire testing using an energetic mixture ratio of liquid oxygen/ hydrogen (LOX/LH) propellants. In order to exploit the significant potential of these actively-cooled propulsion devices, it is recognized that flight-weight manifolding is key to the success and future utilization of this technology. The objective of this Phase I program is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a flight-weight regenerative coolant manifold system for the actively-cooled ceramic composite thrust chamber. Following the experimental development of a reactive ceramic-to-metal braze-joining method, a prototype axisymmetric composite heat exchanger with integrated metallic toroidal manifolds will be fabricated and delivered to NASA MSFC for evaluation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are a number of DoD, NASA and DoE programs in progress or being planned that are targeting fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites as viable high-temperature material candidates. The development of practical methods for joining ceramic composites to metallics could directly support and possibly impact future programs. Recent developments in actively-cooled ceramic composite thrust chambers offer promise to significantly increase performance while decreasing cost over currently available superalloy and refractory metal propulsion components. Next generation reusable launch vehicle propulsion systems, both rocket and airbreathing, could greatly benefit from the actively-cooled ceramic composites technology. The successful implementation of braze-bonding light-weight metallic coolant manifolds to actively-cooled ceramic composite thrust chambers would be recognized as a world class achievement in the area of structures and materials. Near-term applications for ceramic composites include expendable rocket thrusters for orbital insertion, attitude control system and/or divert thrust chamber components for commercial and military communication spacecraft and/or various ballistic missile defense KE intercept weapons. Opportunities for retrofit application in turbine engine augmentors (e.g., converging/diverging exhaust nozzle flaps and seals) for military aero-propulsion systems also exist, however the issues of long-term durability and damage tolerance are key barriers against insertion. Applications for ceramic composites in advanced airbreathing and rocket propulsion systems and control surfaces for reusable hypervelocity and exo/transatmospheric aerospace vehicles are currently being addressed.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Wayne S. Steffier
Hyper-Therm High-Temperature Composites
18411 Gothard Street, Units B & C
Huntington Beach , CA   92648 - 1208

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hyper-Therm High-Temperature Composites
18411 Gothard Street, Units B & C
Huntington Beach , CA   92648 - 1208

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
HyPerComp Engineering, Inc. proposes to evaluate the potential for superior low velocity impact resistance in hybrid high strength carbon/Zylon? filament wound pressure vessels.

High performance pressure vessels utilizing carbon fibers have historically been prone to impact damage. High tensile strength fibers typically result in light pressure vessels having thin walls; these characteristics combined with carbon fiber's sensitivity to ?bruising' can result in significant impact damage risk. Even relatively light and difficult to detect impacts can potentially degrade the capability of the pressure vessel.

The recent introduction of the Toyobo Zylon? fiber (also know as PBO) provides the potential for significantly improving the impact resistance of light weight pressure vessels. While sharing the toughness typical of Kevlar?, Zylon? is noteworthy because of its dramatically increased fiber strength and fiber modulus. These characteristics make it a very good match to high strength carbon fiber for pressure vessel applications. In the proposed study filament wound pressure vessel impact resistance as affected by the percent of hybridization, sequencing of hybridization, etc., will be characterized.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
HyPerComp Engineering specializes in the design, development, testing, and certification of commercial filament wound composite pressure vessels for applications ranging from self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to compressed natural gas. While not a commercial manufacturer of pressure vessels HyPerComp Engineering has and continues to work with most of the major manufacturers throughout the United States and in many parts of the world, these include Pressure Technology, Pressed Steel Tank, Structural Composites Inc., and many others.

Improvements in filament wound composite pressure vessels are constantly being sought after. Any advance in technology that can make these products lighter, safer, or more cost effective to fabricate is readily incorporated into their design and fabrication. HyPerComp Engineering intends to incorporate information obtained through this SBIR into the ?next generation' of composite pressure vessels developed for the industry.

A particular focus for technology obtained from the proposed study would be the high performance pressure vessels used in aerospace and defense applications. As mentioned previously the thin walled nature of these pressure vessels makes them susceptible to damage and prime candidates for any technology that might improve their damage tolerance.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James Patterson
HyPerComp Engineering, Inc.
1080 North Main Suite #2
Brigham City , UT   84302 - 1470

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
HyPerComp Engineering, Inc.
1080 North Main Suite #2
Brigham City , UT   84302 - 1470

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The QoS IP network is widely discussed currently but discussions mainly focus on the level of IP or IPv6. In this proposal, the QoS network is implemented in a different way. An OPC based network is constructed independent of the network hardware layer. The QoS is implemented above the Transport Layer (Referring to the ISO OSI model) in the OPC scheme, rather than the Network Layer in a general way. The proposed scheme can be applied to LAN as well as WAN and it can be based on various kinds of network media, such as Ethernet, RS485, Token Ring, cellular net, etc., as long as it supports the OPC standard. Based on COM (Component Object Model) techniques, OPC was designed to meet some key requirements needed in this area for a long time. The key requirements include interface compatibility, hardware independency, Object Orientation and data exchange efficiency between different subsystems or equipment. Real-time and reliability are the two basic requirements for industry automation control. OPC also supplies some additional features that can support QoS, traffic congestion control and bandwidth adaptation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The results of this proposal offer a valuable software architecture that is based on the current industrial standard. Such a software network structure can also find wide applications in civilian and military practice

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ching-Fang Lin, Ph.D
American GNC Corporation
888 Easy Street
Simi Valley , CA   93065 - 1812

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
American GNC Corporation
888 Easy Street
Simi Valley , CA   93065 - 1812

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Simulation methodologies which describe complex, Multiphase, flow phenomena including cavitation, cryogenic fluid management, coolant spray and impinging jets will be developed. Accurately described real fluid properties will be employed in an integrated simulation tool, that involves thermodynamics and fluid dynamics models, to describe local vaporization phenomena in liquid rocket engine propellant delivery systems, propellant tanks and the test facilities. Bubbly flows will be simulated with a homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture model, which emphasizes the computational efficiency and modeling effectiveness. Cavitating venturi meter and pump flows, cryogenic propellant tank filling processes and evaporating cooling jets can be analyzed with this methodology. More accurate propellant metering, oscillatory inlet flow characterization and accurate description of the thermodynamics environment of cryogenic fluid systems will be the result of this project. Other complex flows in propellant delivery systems or coolant flows in test facilities will also be amenable to analysis with the produced methodology.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Advanced propulsion systems of the reusable launch vehicle designs require heavy testing in the liquid propellant supply systems. Cryogenic propellants are usually stored near the saturation conditions. This means that system optimization would involve a lot of analyses trying to identify the possible onset of cavitation anywhere in the supply systems. Also, analyses to predict the phase change due to thermal flushing is also important in cryogenic fluid management. This requirement is shared across the Government agencies and the private industry, which organizations are involved in aerospace research and development.

Cross industry application may also include marine propulsor designs for cavitation diagnostics, water pumps design, valve operation design in industrial liquid flow circuits and artificial heart design, etc. The fundamental multiphase flow physics involved in these applications are similar to what are proposed in this research. There may be some application specific variations in fluid properties that required further tailoring to have good representation of the type of flow under investigation. With these issue resolved in the Phase II and Phase III research, the present multiphase flow analyzer will become widely accepted in the industry.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Yen-Sen Chen
Engineering Sciences, Inc.
1900 Golf Road, Suite D
Huntsville , AL   35802 - 4319

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Engineering Sciences, Inc.
1900 Golf Road, Suite D
Huntsville , AL   35802 - 4319

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA seeks innovative concepts for propulsion test operations to reduce costs, improve reliability, and increase performance. One area is network protocol implementation for fast data communication and transfer among intelligent devices, such as sensors, controllers, etc. In NASA's system test and monitoring scenarios, sensors and controllers are often dispersed to remote locations causing the deterministic timing relationship among sensor data to become very important. Furthermore, mechanical and human decision making data processing must be included in the data communication process to enhance overall system performance. This requires advanced TCP/IP based packet data network protocols to replace conventional control network protocols such as RS-232/422/485, fieldbus, etc. Unfortunately, due to jitter and delay, TCP/IP packet data communication standards and their protocols are not robust in the timing relationship of sensor data remotely transferred in the network. To address this need, Broadata Communications, Inc. (BCI) proposes a unique, elastically-controlled data network (ECDN) technology to support high performance, remote testing applications. The ECDN will allow deterministic control of multiple, diverse sensor data stream characteristics, each with different clock speed, data bandwidth, jitter requirement, and delay variation. In other words, ECDN will compensate for network uncertainties encountered by individual sensor data streams.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to the NASA's remote testing applications, the ECDN can also be used for many applications in mission-critical entrepreneurial networks, business-to-business transactions, wireless IP, and entertainment broadcasting.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Freddie Lin, Ph.D.
Broadata Communications, Inc.
2545 W. 237th St., Suite K
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5229

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Broadata Communications, Inc.
2545 W. 237th St., Suite K
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5229

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The key innovation of this proposal is the design of a small intelligent sensor interface system for remote sensing based on Time Modulated Ultra-wideband (TM-UWB) Radio. With TM-UWB, radio communication is no longer by radio waves, but instead by impulses. 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. Impulses in the time domain generate very wide bandwidth signals in the frequency domain. In order to make this wireless sensor interface architecture independent of any particular sensors, we will adopt IEEE 1451 standard for smart networked sensors. The first objective of Phase I is to design a TM-UWB module for transmitting sensor data to a control network. The size and configuration of the proposed transceiver will be appropriate for propulsion system testing. The second objective is to evaluate overall system issues. TM-UWB will support multiple non-interfering channels, which may be quite useful for collecting data from multiple sensors simultaneously. The third object is to make this wireless sensor transceiver an IEEE 1451 compatible Network Capable Application Processor (NCAP) device.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The primary application of TM-UWB is for use in a wireless local area net. TM-UWB will not be affected by multipath signals, will require minimal power, will allow high data rates, and the low frequency content of TM-UWB signals allows propagation through walls. TM-UWB also has very important applications in radar and position tracking. TM-UWB radar is low-cost, compact-size, low power-consumption compared to conventional radar. The position and tracking capability of TM-UWB devices make them perfect complement to the global positioning system. The US Army is already trying to use TM-UWB radio for live fire training, and NASA Johnson Space Center is also trying to use TM-UWB to track the location and posture of astronauts.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Chujen Lin
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 2785

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville , MD   20855 - 2785

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The grid stack used on ion engines is a critical component largely influencing engine performance and weight The grids currently used on ion thrusters (and laboratory ion sources) use heavy ceramic mounting posts and assembly of several parts is required.

This project investigates a novel grid materials and architecture in which the grids are joined in a sandwich structural configuration, using low-density oriented glass fiber core to maintain the spacing and precise alignment of the grids. The benefits of this architecture are (1) reduced weight, (2) simplified assembly of fewer parts, and (3) the opportunity to scale the grids to large area for high-thrust engines. Glassy carbon grids will be investigated because it offers low sputter-yield, low-CTE, and potentially low machining costs.

Phase 1 shall investigate materials and processing of sandwich grid stacks made with carbon facings. Methods for mounting sandwich grids into composite ion engine bodies and for tiling large area grids shall be assessed. A small prototype grid stack shall be fabricated for testing in an existing ion engine. Phase 2 would further develop the materials and processing leading to fabrication of larger sandwich grid stacks for use in lightweight composite ion engines.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Lightweight sandwich grid stacks will have application in ion thrusters used in space propulsion for deep space missions and for spacecraft attitude control, including communication satellites. There is a larger consumption of grids in the commercial ion sources used for materials processing, and low cost grid stacks could benefit these applications. The methods developed may be useful for other electron sources in microwave tubes, lasers, accelerators, and electronics display technology.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Y Robert Yamaki
Energy Science Laboratory, Inc.
6888 Nancy Ridge Dr.
San Diego , CA   92121 - 2232

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ORBITEC proposes to develop a new class of fuels consisting of solid hydrogen particles in a liquid helium carrier fluid. These particles would be ideal carriers for various High-Energy Density Materials (HEDM?s), including high-energy metals or atomic free radicals. To demonstrate and test the new fuels, ORBITEC also proposes to develop a new bi-propellant engine. HEDM fuels using these metal and atomic hydrogen additives have theoretical specific impulse values that can significantly exceed those of conventional propellants. Development of clean burning, high Isp fuels will enable SSTO vehicles and advanced, low-cost launch vehicle systems in the 21st century. Phase I work will experimentally demonstrate the particle formation techniques, and produce LHe/H2 slurries. In addition, a preliminary design of a 20 lbf thrust bi-propellant engine for use with slurry fuels will be developed. Phase II work will continue this development, fabricating and firing a 20 lbf thrust LHe/SH2 slurry - GOX engine, as we evaluate techniques to add HEDM?s to the SH2/LHe slurry.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Development of particle hydrogen technology will play a vital role in the development of environmentally clean, high energy density propellants of the future. The particle hydrogen propellants proposed here provide an extremely effective vehicle for development of HEDMs. The application of this technology can significantly increase the payload to orbit capability of all launch systems, especially in SSTO applications. The proposed project could lead to revolutionary high-performance, low-cost, advanced cryogenic engines of various sizes that could significantly enhance a wide variety of military and civil space missions. These engines could be used for efficient orbit transfer, launch boost, intercept, etc. The storage aspects could lead to developments in on-orbit, Lunar, or Mars-based cryogenic fluid storage applications. Specifically, potential applications include: (1) high-performance rocket engine or propulsion systems, (2) on-orbit, high-performance, high-thrust interceptor, (3) advanced stages and engines that could be used for orbit transfer and launch vehicle boost, (4) extremely high-performing fuels for air-breathing engines, (5) use of solid cryogens for in-orbit, Lunar base and Mars mission cryogenic fluid storage applications, and space-based cryocoolers, and (6) Earth-based cryogenic storage systems - new gas shipping and handling approaches using the solid state could become very attractive in the future hydrogen economy.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Christopher St. Clair
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)
Use of an orbiting power station to beam microwave energy to spacecraft to assist propulsion is under study by NASA. One idea is that this station could beam intense power to a Mars vehicle in LEO to rapidly accelerate it for boost to planetary trajectory. The vehicle would not be burdened with fuel load enabling higher acceleration and terminal velocity thus reducing mission times.

This SBIR explores use of an MHD Chemical Rocket Motor (MCRM) for the interplanetary vehicle. The rocket motor fires and its products stream passes through an MHD accelerator prior to nozzle exhausting. The stream is seeded with alkali metal to produce a plasma. The MHD accelerator electrical drives/augments the rocket stream through action of Lorentz forces with the input electric power being supplied by beamed energy (microwaves, laser) through rectennas. The MCRM can dramatically enhance Isp ( 2,000 to 3,000 sec range achievable in a small accelerator). These Isp levels can yield ?g? level accelerations making the orbit-boost-to-escape mission plausible.

Phase I feasibility study will be concluded to qualify the MCRM for this mission. Design trade-offs will be accomplished to optimize its configuration. Phase I will outline an experimental program for MCRM development in Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The MCRM has as an advanced propulsion concept has direct application NASA?s initiatives in Advanced Space Transportation for achieving performance rockets and boosting deep space probes from orbit. The concept when coupled with rapid advances technologies such as beamed energy, superconducting magnets and high strength, light weight structural materials presents the potential for a revolutionary space propulsion system that has application to both small and large scale devices. In addition, other sub-topics of the SBIR MCRM development provide opportunity for new products and process that are of interest to government and industry. These include plasma and MHD process applicable to hypersonics and earth-to-orbit vehicles for reduction of drag, control of flows, power manipulation. The methodologies developed and technical expertise gained under this SBIR activity will also be viable technologies that can be explored as future business initiatives.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
JOHN LINEBERRY
LYTEC LLC
1940 ELK RIVER DAM ROAD, P.O. BOX 1581
TULLAHOMA , TN   37388 - 1581

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
LYTEC LLC
1940 ELK RIVER DAM ROAD, P.O. BOX 1581
TULLAHOMA , TN   37388 - 1581

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A new fission powered space power and propulsion system based on using a non-moving fissile gas is proposed. The main innovation in the proposed fission based propulsion system is the use of well-established fusion plasma confinement and compression method to achieve supercritical condition in a highly subcritical fissile gas. In particular, electromagnetic induced shock wave compaction and gas dynamic trap techniques are merged to bring a relatively small volume (~ 1 m3) of a fissile (235U, 233U, or 239Pu) compound gas to prompt supercriticality condition, thereby, releasing an intense pulse fission power. A magnetic field compaction scheme is designed to directly convert the fission energy to electricity. The specific energy of the proposed nuclear electric system for megawatt level power operation is well above 1 KWe/Kg. An alternative direct propulsion system is designed based on using a merger between Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) and hydrodynamic confinement techniques to achieve long duration (~ 100 to 1000 ms) criticality and ultrahigh burnup in a fissile gas. The MTF technique induces large pressure ratio (~ 10) adiabatic compaction of fissile gas by rapid collapsing of a cylindrical layer of a low neutron absorbing metal (Al or Zr). Hydrodynamic confinement in a leaky reversed mirror configuration is used to contain and direct the fission plasma through a nozzle, thereby, generating intense thrust (~ 100?s of Klb) at specific impulse levels in excess of 2000 seconds.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
An open magnetic configuration scheme to drive fission power system utilizes fissile materials in highly subcritical condition. The low nuclear material inventory combined with the active nature of the criticality inducing process is a unique feature of the proposed space nuclear power and propulsion system. The exceptional simplicity and safety of the proposed concept provides an unlimited potential for a wide range of space power and propulsion applications. Furthermore, the success of the proposed project will potentially lead to terrestrial applications including commercial nuclear power generation at a very competitive cost with improved safety features.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gary Chen
New Era Technology Inc.
2435 NW 36 Terrace
Gainesville , FL   32605 - 2633

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
New Era Technology Inc.
2435 NW 36 Terrace
Gainesville , FL   32605 - 2633

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this work, we will build and demonstrate a Spiral-line Vector Inversion Generator that can take electrostatically stored energy and convert it to high power, high frequency electromagnetic energy in essentially a one-component, one-step process. We will develop a theoretical description of the Vector Inversion Generator, extract design guidelines from the theory, and establish a relevant switch and materials data base for applications. Further, we will demonstrate that this device can operate, depending on the initial operating voltage, at power levels ranging from one kilowatt to gigawatts. This device will greatly simplify power conditioning in high energy pulsed electric thrusters since it effectively combines energy storage with power conditioning in one dynamic element. It allows a well defined and repeatable impulse bit to be delivered at high repetition rates. It may, in fact, enable some electric propulsion concepts for spacecraft applications ranging from simple station keeping to deep space propulsion. It is directly related to Sub-topic A6.01, High Energy Propulsion Technologies.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A low cost reliable high power pulser offers a wide array of commercial product potential. Commercial markets exist, to varying degrees, from laboratory impulse generators to commercial airport X-ray facilities for security purposes. There is a market for this technology in propulsion systems for advanced civil, military, and NASA spacecraft. The same pulser technology that can power electric thrusters in space can also be applied to many civil and commercial interests. There is a market for civil law enforcement in the field of portable high power X-ray facilities critical to the examination and evaluation of a potential bomb or other terriorist devices. Similarly, impulse radar is a standard military technique to "look several feet below the surface of the ground" in order to find subterranean tunnels, etc. There is an emerging market for impulse radar capable of "imaging through the walls" making it possible to see inside structures with surprising resolution. Impulse radar is being considered for automotive applications to both "look behind and forward" for collision advoidance. The inherent simplicity and low cost of Vector Inversion Generators make them ideal for these markets.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Franklin Rose
Radiance Technologies, Inc.
500 Wynn Dr. Suite 504
Huntsville , AL   35816 - 3430

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Radiance Technologies, Inc.
500 Wynn Dr. Suite 504
Huntsville , AL   35816 - 3430

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A high power RF plasma thruster is proposed. A point design is presented capable of ten megawatts with only
a thirty centimeter diameter plasma diameter and less than five meters long. Subscale tests are planned to verify
plasma separation from field lines, necessary for thruster feasibility. Plasma density versus magnetic field,
RF power, and other parameters will also be compared with the model of operation, allowing extrapolation of plasma
parameters to the ten megawatt level. The RF plasma thruster offers very high thrust density, no grids or electrodes
to limit lifetime or create contamination problems, variable specific impulse, and a simple design with no close
tolerances which can be cheaply manufactured.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Electric thrusters are much more efficient in use of propellant than chemical thrusters. They are gradually entering
service. The newest proposed commercial geosynchronous communications satellites use electric, with a
propellant savings of perhaps a factor of ten. It will be some time before there will be a commercial application for a
ten megawatt thruster, but we expect it will eventually happen. In the meantime, the RF plasma thruster can be
used in lower power thrusters, where it may have advantages in terms of cost, compactness, long life, and lack of
contamination.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lynn Olson
New England Space Works, Inc.
24 Swift Road
Framingham , MA   01702 - 5750

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
New England Space Works, Inc.
24 Swift Road
Framingham , MA   01702 - 5750

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Electrodynamic (ED) tethers offer the potential of propellant-less propulsion with infinite specific impulse (Isp). To achieve it, an efficient electron source that contacts the space plasma without using propellant must be coupled with the ED tether. At present, the electrons are supplied by a hollow cathode (HC) plasma contactor with complex propellant management and storage and power-processing unit that typically dominate the ED tether system mass. Busek therefore proposes the development of a field emission electron source that uses no propellant, and is less massive and less complex than the HC system.

In Phase I we will design, build, and test a field emission array cathode (FEAC) using Busek-grown carbon nanotubes as the emitters. The FEAC will consist of four paralleled emitter cells that will be tested individually and as a combined FEAC panel. The cell technology was already demonstrated as a neutralizer on a laboratory colloid thruster. Scaling up this technology while maintaining adequate current density is the major Phase I challenge.

In Phase II, a complete FEAC panel system consisting of many cells will be developed per typical ED tether requirements. The system will include the FEAC power-processing unit and emission control circuitry for autonomous tether current matching.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ED tether equipped with a FEAC space plasma contactor is likely to find commercial applications primarily as a deorbitting device for spent upper stages, failed spacecraft, and spacecraft at the end of their useful life. Deorbitting is now mandated by recently established NASA policy. A FEAC with significant total current would also greatly enhance the performance of low power Hall and ion thrusters as well as colloid and FEEP thrusters.

Terrestrial applications of FEACs cover all areas of vacuum electronics. A large FEAC panel with many cells would be ideal for programmable billboard displays and stadium scoreboards. Additional applications include e-beam guns, microwave tubes, scientific instruments, x-ray sources, etc.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Vlad Hruby
Busek Co. Inc.
11 Tech Circle
Natick , MA   01760 - 1023

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Busek Co. Inc.
11 Tech Circle
Natick , MA   01760 - 1023

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose to develop a new generation of electromagnetic simulation codes with mixed resolution modeling capabilities. The need for such codes arises in many fields but our initial focus will be on modeling efforts for electromagnetic-based propellantless propulsion systems. These new codes are based on three major innovations: Multi-zone simulations with variable time-step; multi-physics simulations enabling coordination of different modeling paradigms in a single code; and the first-ever discrete-event electromagnetic simulations. No existing simulation code offers these capabilities. We will initially develop the multi-zone and multi-physics features for time-stepped simulations and apply them to the design and building of prototypes for the Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion (M2P2). We also plan to recast a simpler version of our code into a discrete-event simulation framework. This has never been attempted but has the potential to completely change the way plasma simulations are performed, with major implications for many industries. We expect Phase II research to include further development and testing of these innovations with the aim of developing a mature product. Given their potential to alter the way future simulations will be performed, we need to thoroughly test the numerical properties of the codes before moving into full software development.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The successful completion of the proposed R&D will bring into existence a new generation of plasma simulation codes that are expected to have major impact in a variety of industries including spacecraft-environment interactions and propellantless propulsion modeling, defense-related R&D, fusion, semi-conductor physics, and space weather. We will leverage this unique capability in Phase II by using sound software development methodologies to build the product into commercial-grade simulation software. In that regard, we will continue our partnership with RAM Laboratories that has expertise in software development and documentation. In addition to the licensing of the software, we will also offer related consulting services and provide customized solutions. Our business model will be similar to a number of companies that offer specialized commercial modeling tools such as OPNET, SES, and Workbench, except our modeling tools will be tailored for electromagnetic modeling.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Homa Karimabadi
SciberNet, Inc.
13270 Russett Leaf Lane
San Diego , CA   92129 - 2369

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SciberNet, Inc.
13270 Russett Leaf Lane
San Diego , CA   92129 - 2369

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Solid Expellant Plasma Source/Contactor (SOLEX-PSC) will provide an efficient, robust and low-mass capability for making electrical contact with the environmental plasma of an electrodynamic tether system, or providing an efficient source of plasma for plasma sails such as M2P2. The device will operate directly off of the tether-generated high-voltage (requiring no conditioned power or control electronics) and its current capacity can range from a few milli-amps to several amps. Moreover, the SOLEX-PSC will eliminate the need for high-pressure gas containers, pressure regulators, plumbing and valves required by present state-of-the-art Hollow Cathode devices. By nature of its design, the SOLEX-PSC should not be sensitive to contamination and should have essentially unlimited restart capability; both are issues with state-of-the-art contactors. Moreover, the simplicity of the design concept suggests that flight devices will be relatively inexpensive.
Phase I will investigate various expellant materials and electrode geometries, determine the effects of the space plasma environment on operations, and carry out proof-of-concept testing on a bread-board model. The purpose of Phase II would be to design and develop a flight-ready system and to carry out life testing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The simplicity, robustness and efficiency of the SOLEX-PSC should make it an attractive alternative to present devices in any application where a plasma is required. This includes such in-space applications as electrodynamic tethers, plasma sails such as M2P2 and spacecraft charge neutralization, but also could include ground-based commercial applications such as plasma sputtering or coating. The SOLEX-PSC is particularly needed in the application of electrodynamic tether devices to end-of-life deorbit of satellites where system mass, simplicity and robustness are critical concerns. As space debris becomes a growing concern to NASA and the DOD, this application will become increasingly important.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Nobie H. Stone
SRS Technologies
500 Discovery Drive
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 9999

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SRS Technologies
500 Discovery Drive
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 9999

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The magnetic sail, or "magsail" is a concept which propels spacecraft by using the magnetic field generated by a loop of superconducting cable to deflect interplanetary or interstellar plasma winds. Assuming high temperature superconductors with the same current/mass ratio as existing low temperature superconductors, a magsail sailing on the solar wind at a radius of one AU can attain accelerations on the order of 0.01 m/s2, much greater than that available from a conventional solar lightsail. A net tangential force, or "lift" can also be generated. Using these forces, a magsail can transfer payloads to and from any two circular orbits in the solar system in a flight time slightly larger than the Hohmann ballistic transfer time without the expenditure of propellant. A magsail operating within the magnetosphere could interact with the Earth's magnetic poles to generate a series of perigee kicks to drive a payload of several times the magsail's e mass to interplanetary space in times scales of a few months. Magsails can also be made to interact with planetary ionospheres to lower orbits. Magsails could be used to create drag against the interstellar medium to decelerate ultrafast interstellar spacecraft, thereby enabling flights to the stars.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Magsails have important potential commercial applications. Many satellites need to be transported from Low Earth orbit (LEO) to higher orbits such as geosynchronous orbit (GEO), and the fact that the magsail can be used to enable such transfers without requiring the expenditure of propellant offers the prospect of extraordinary cost savings. Current launch systems can transport at least four times as much to LEO as to GEO. Thus, if a magnetic sail with a mass less than or equal to the payload it is boosting can be used to move a payload from LEO to GEO, a considerable saving in launch requirement can be realized. Magsails could also be used to deliver NASA space probes to interplanetary destinations. Magsails could also be used to create friction against the Earth?s ionosphere, thereby allowing reusable orbit transfer vehicles to return to LEO without requiring either the expenditure of propellant or putting the system through the trauma of the thermal and gravitational loads associated with aerobraking. By creating drag against the interstellar medium, magsails could be used to decelerate very fast interstellar spacecraft without the expenditure of propellant, thereby making a substantial contribution towards enabling interstellar missions. Finally, magsails can provide shielding for interplanetary spacecraft against solar flares. The multitude of potential applications of magsail technology make it a very promising commercial development.

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Magnetospheric plasma propulsion is a novel propulsion scheme that makes use of the ambient energy of the solar wind by coupling to the solar wind through a large-scale (~ 10 km) magnetic bubble or mini-magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is produced by the injection of plasma on to the magnetic field of a small (< 1 m) dipole coil tethered to the spacecraft. By intercepting the solar wind, it is possible for a spacecraft to attain unprecedented speeds for minimal energy and mass requirements. The challenge is having a plasma source that can supply the necessary high energy density to rapidly inflate the small dipole field. A much more powerful and efficient method for plasma generation and magnetic inflation has been developed. The source plasma, as well as dipole magnetic field, are simultaneously generated by Hall currents driven by a rotating magnetic dipole field (RMF). The RMF source generates plasmas with plasma beta > 1, so that field expansion is immediate. The RMF assures inflation by driving currents throughout the magnetosphere, and is virtually propellantless as it sweeps in the intercepted solar wind to build and sustain the magnetosphere. Under phase I, a prototype source would be built and tested.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There is clearly a significant potential for any device that can generate megawatts of thrust power with minimal, kilowatt level, on-board power, and minimal fuel requirements. Not only does it enable fast interplanetary scientific payload missions, the rotating magnetic field plasma source (RMF) has the potential to make manned interplanetary travel possible. There is also the much less spectacular, but important role for a large field magnetosphere, that is as a shield that protects spacecraft (and passengers) from solar storms and high energy particles much as the earth?s magnetosphere does. The use of an RMF source for inflating magnetospheres inside the earth?s magnetosphere could be used for orbit raising and lowering depending on the direction and coupling to the Van Allen belts, and could thus be important for commercial satellite applications as well

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John Slough
MSNW
16436 SE 39th Place
Bellevue , WA   98008 - 5858

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MSNW
16436 SE 39th Place
Bellevue , WA   98008 - 5858

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this proposal closed loop control design tools will be developed using three key ingredients. These methods are (i) neural network based control methods, (ii) boundary vorticity based flow control strategies, and (iii) a reduced order numerical scheme that solves an asymptotic high Reynolds number approximation to the Navier-Stokes equations on coarse Euler type grids.

Neural networks are chosen since they are universal approximators as well as being inherently non-linear. Further, neural networks lend themselves naturally to implementation in multiple input/multiple output control environments. The neural network will be used to control a combination of traditional actuation methods such as blowing/suction in conjunction with novel boundary vorticity flux methods based on tangential wall jets to optimally achieve the desired flow control. The reduced order numerical scheme will be used to make the effort computationally tractable. In Phase-I separation flow control will be demonstrated for a NACA 0012 airfoil undergoing dynamic stall. This effort will be collaboration between CFDRC and Dr. J.Z. Wu of the University of Tennessee.

In Phase-II, the closed-loop control methodology will be tested on a three dimensional wing in a series of wind tunnel tests conducted at Virginia Tech University in collaboration with Prof. Demetri Telionis.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The development of efficient and effective closed loop control systems will provide tremendous benefits to the U.S. aerospace industry. These benefits range from shorter take-offs and landings of aircraft to increased operating ranges due to lower fuel consumption rates to enhanced maneuverability at higher angles of attack. The proposed development will be an invaluable tool for all the Armed services. Other commercial applications include wind-turbine and ship-building industries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Robert W. Tramel
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 1944

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
CFD Research Corporation
215 Wynn Dr., 5th Floor
Huntsville , AL   35805 - 1944

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Laser based flow diagnostic methods have been used for many years in aerodynamics, aero-optics, aeroballistics, and combustion research. Some of the whole field diagnostics methods have gradually evolved into using electronic array recording methods, while others still use photographic recording materials to provide the required resolution, speed, and format. The latter methods, (e.g. holographic interferometry) suffer the inconvenience and logistics of required development, processing, and data extraction, but until recently, electronic media have not proven adequate for many applications. With new developments in video technology and image processing, this state of affairs is changing. This proposal includes two unique, complementary methods to digitize, automate, and digitally record flow diagnostics information. Because of the recent emphasis on hypersonic flow, these methods should be extremely beneficial to NASA Langley test facilities. This proposal is an expanded version of a similar proposal submitted last year that received an outstanding technical rating from all reviewers. Anticipating that the increase in interest in hypersonic flow testing will raise the priority of the proposed technology improvement, we are submitting the proposal again with improvements in the concept.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed real-time, digital, differential interferometer will enable the recording of large numbers of quantitative interferograms that capture changes over a broad range of time periods. The system will be compatible with existing flow imaging and laser hardware, making it attractive for any flow facility and applicable ultimately in flight systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James Trolinger, Ph.D.
MetroLaser, Inc.
18010 Skypark Circle, Suite 100
Irvine , CA   92614 - 6428

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MetroLaser, Inc.
18010 Skypark Circle, Suite 100
Irvine , CA   92614 - 6428

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Recent research in active control technologies have demonstrated that the introduction of unsteady vortex structures into boundary layers can produce tremendous improvements in the delay of separation of the boundary layers and enhanced mixing in free shear layers. It is clear from a simple scaling analysis that frequency and force requirements of current active control technologies make development of a mechanical actuator extremely difficult for flight conditions of interest. What is needed is a self-actuated device which harnesses the energy available in the free stream. Continuum Dynamics, Inc. (CDI) in collaboration with Professor Earl Dowell of Duke University proposes the development of Flow Driven Oscillating Vortex Generators (FDOVG) which offer the benefits of active control technologies without the system integration penalties associated with existing concepts. The FDOVG device introduces oscillatory longitudinal vortex structures to enhance mixing within the boundary layer through self-excited aeroelastic actuation, eliminating the need for drive motors and power delivery requirements.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
FDOVGs offer the potential for increases in maximum lift and controllability of both new and existing commercial and military aircraft with minimal cruise drag performance penalties. In addition to separation control, FDOVGs have application to control of free shear layer dynamics, cavity noise reduction, flow induced noise reduction, and enhance mixing and heat transfer in a wide range of chemical and combustion processes.

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 this proposal an anisotropic solution based three-dimensional mesh adaptation procedure is described. The algorithm described in the code can very effectively refine the mesh in regions of interest by stretching pulling, splitting and node refinement and coarsen them in regions of unchanging flow field, in effect reducing the total mesh number and thereby computational effort required for accurate prediction of steady and unsteady pressure and thermal load distributions on aerospace surfaces. The code is integrated with an incompressible and a compressible flow solver through a user friendly GUI which requires little user interaction other than setting certain flow field quantities and parameters. Other solvers may be integrated and connected to the GUI. Benchmarks on the Onera Wing and the Ahmed body using the 2 codes show excellent results and correlation with experimental data. Further correlation continues on the Boeing 747 wing, re-entry vehicles and internal flows such as fuel systems and propulsion applications NASA is involved in. Enhancement of the code is required to accept prismatic and pyramidal element types, for unsteady flows, inclusion of species, reaction and other scalar functions and for including inhouse or NASA proprietary solvers for which funds are sought. These enhancements can be incorporated within 5-6 months.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial applications of this code are varied and many since the anisotropic adaptation procedure may practically be applied to almost any field or industry such as structures, acoustics, earthquake simulation, magnetic fields and so on. This is because the code accepts any parameter as a vector or scalar quantity and performs adaptation based on the error estimates obtained from the initial solution and variation of these variables. In fact customers from industries such as Boeing(Aerospace applications), SAIC(Magnetic fields), GE(Combustion) and other renowned industries in the USA, Japan(Automotive applications) and France(high speed jets and nozzles) have shown interest in this code and have called for stringent benchmark of problems of interest which we are presently actively involved in.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Philip Diwakar
Cascade Engineering Services, Inc.
2515 140th Ave N.E, Suite E100,
Bellevue , WA   98005 - 1885

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Cascade Engineering Services, Inc.
2515 140th Ave N.E, Suite E100,
Bellevue , WA   98005 - 1885

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ResearchSouth proposes to develop a powerful design optimization algorithm and software for advanced aerospace vehicles including the airframe aerodynamic shape and the integrated propulsion system. The innovation is to develop an algorithm using an adjoint-based methodology which formulates design optimization as a controls problem and yields all of the design parameters directly without iteration. This inverse design algorithm is currently being used for shape design of conventional aircraft. Our innovation is to develop this methodology for design of airframe-integrated configurations for application to airbreathing and combined cycle machines and other concepts. The significance is that this algorithm separates the geometric entities from the optimization process allowing an independent linkage with many CAD packages at much lower cost. The Phase I program will establish the methodology for an Euler equation adjoint, solve these adjoint equations with an existing adaptive-mesh finite element CFD code, research methodologies for including generalized constraints into the adjoint formulation, and compute a test case for an advanced aerospace vehicle. Phase II will develop the software into a production package to provide NASA with a powerful software tool to perform very efficient and rapid design assessment of evolving third generation space vehicles.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The software developed in this SBIR project will have a significant application in design of any commercial product which involves flow of a fluid or gas. Commercial airplanes can be designed with minimum drag for fuel efficiency with safety and noise reduction as constraints. Modern automobile designers are using wind tunnels and computer simulation of air flows to design aerodynamically stable bodies while maintaining safety and passenger comfort. The new optimization software can replace the heuristic methods currently in use. Watercraft design for small boats and large ships can use the tools to improve the design process. Additional applications include exhaust flow from automobiles, design of more efficient internal combustion engines, fuel economy studies for commercial airplanes, and design of air conditioning systems for large buildings.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Lawrence W. Spradley
ResearchSouth, Inc.
555 Sparkman Dr. Suite 1612
Huntsville , AL   35816 - 0000

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ResearchSouth, Inc.
555 Sparkman Dr. Suite 1612
Huntsville , AL   35816 - 0000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) propose to develop self contained, autonomous, hydrocarbon gas detection sensor modules for use on flight research vehicles. Flight testing of research vehicles such as the Hyper-X, and Future-X require the use of hazardous gas detection system to ensure flight safety. There is a need for compact, easily deployed gas detection for hydrocarbon fuels that can be used for both ground and flight testing. The proposed system is based on the use of advanced, micro-machined gas detection sensors capable of quantitative measurement of hydrocarbon based fuels. Solid-state sensors for hydrocarbon and oxygen detection have recently been demonstrated by MEI and CWRU. We propose to develop a miniature, autonomous sensor modules using these sensor elements and integrated low power microelectronics. The sensor modules will be capable of entirely self-contained operation with the option for battery power, on-board data storage, and wireless communications. These sensor modules will require minimal installation and will be suitable for flight safety applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A large commercial market exists for improved hydrocarbon gas sensors. Sensors are needed for emission measurements for reciprocating engines (spark ignited and compression ignition) as well as for monitoring industrial processes. Development of reformers to convert hydrocarbon fuels to hydrogen for use on fuel cells requires chemical sensors for process monitoring. The future wide spread use of electric vehicles using fuel cells and gasoline or diesel feed stock will require low cost onboard hydrocarbon gas sensors.

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Vibration is a critical indicator of the onset of failure within turbine engines. The ability to accurately detect and classify vibration can significantly improve the maintenance cycle by providing early warning of failure. Currently, it is difficult for vibration sensors to operate within the harsh, high temperature environments found in turbine engines. Radatec is proposing the development of a new type of non-intrusive vibration sensor, based on radar/microwave technology.

A radar-based sensor allows measurements to be made non-intrusively from several inches of standoff allowing the sensor to directly interrogate rotating parts where it is impossible to attach a contact sensor. Using microwaves also has several advantages over other means of engine monitoring?capacitive, optical, and eddy current?in both precision, cost, and ease of implementation.

Radatec is seeking $70,000 in Phase I SBIR funding to transition the technology from a laboratory prototype to a field-testable sensor. This sensor will be used for a wide variety of data collection and will serve as a technology demonstration of using radar waves as a non-intrusive, engine vibration sensor for measuring components inside a turbine engine.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Capital equipment maintenance costs represent a significant portion of industrial operating expenses across all production industries. An increasingly popular approach, known as condition-based maintenance (CBM), is emerging as an effective strategy to reduce overall maintenance costs. CBM employs systems that monitor equipment so that maintenance is performed on a ?just-in-time? basis?ensuring that maintenance is not performed earlier than necessary and that machines do not fail catastrophically.

Vibration sensors provide the most important information and are the ?eyes and ears? of these condition-based maintenance systems. Current sensors are unable to cost effectively monitor machinery in many situations that involve moving parts, debris, or harsh environments. The sensors based on this research will compete in the $850 million CBM market (Frost & Sullivan), of which vibration sensors represent 20-30%.

Radatec?s core radar sensing technology?based on sub-wavelength motion measurement using microwaves?is a fundamentally new means of cost effectively measuring vibration with wide applications. This technology has distinct advantages other competing sensors. These sensors will be especially useful in jet engines, turbine engines in power plants and factories, as well as monitoring of machines in the petroleum, electronics, chemical, and other industries with difficult environments where current sensors are inadequate.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scott Billington
Radatec
5453 Trumpet Vine Trail
Mableton , GA   30126 - 5648

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Radatec
5453 Trumpet Vine Trail
Mableton , GA   30126 - 5648

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
OPHIR Corporation is proposing to build an optical remote sensing system to replace traditional sensors used for measuring air data. The proposed system will collect light scattered from an ultraviolet laser beam by both air molecules and aerosols ahead of the aircraft in undisturbed air. The Rayleigh (air) and Mie (aerosol) scattering components will be separated by using their different frequency response characteristics. The aircraft's airspeed will be found from the Doppler shift of both the Rayleigh and Mie scattering, and will therefore not fail if the air becomes too clean due to a lack of aerosols. Measuring the airspeed on three perpendicular axes will allow the aircraft orientation relative to the air to be measured. Local atmospheric temperature and pressure are found by fitting the theoretical model of Rayleigh scattering to the measured Rayleigh lineshape.

Traditional air data sensors have significant limitations in performance and maintainability that impact safety and life cycle costs. This is true for both commercial and military jet aircraft. In addition, traditional sensors have proven difficult and expensive to integrate onto low-observable and high-performance aircraft. The Phase I effort will include trade studies to finalize the system design and analyses of system performance.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed system has commercial application in three Aerospace markets: Flight Test Groups, Military Aircraft, and Commercial Aircraft. The system has the potential to overcome limitations in traditional air data systems at considerable economic benefit. A successful system could one day become a new air data system standard for aircraft.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Loren D. Nelson
OPHIR Corporation
10184 West Belleview Avenue, Suite 200
Littleton , CO   80127 - 1762

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
OPHIR Corporation
10184 West Belleview Avenue, Suite 200
Littleton , CO   80127 - 1762

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
It is proposed to investigate the technical feasibility of using aligned nanotubes arrays coated with conformal coating of nanocrystalline diamond as efficient thermionic emitter. Carbon nanotubes and nanocrystalline diamond has recently attracted attention due to their promising electronic and structure properties. Due to the aligned structure and electrical properties of nanotubes and the negative electron affinity of the wide band gap of diamond it is expected that diamond coated aligned nanotubes could be ideal materials for highly efficient electron emitting sources. It is proposed to produce aligned nanotubes with varied growth density, develop and coat with conformal coating of nanocrystalline diamond, and to characterize these novel materials for electron emission behavior. These results will be compared to existing and developmental emitters. The proposed approach if successful can be applied to produce next generation thermionic energy converter.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Efficient electron emitting materials are becoming increasingly important in today's society for both energy conversion and for display applications. With the demand for portability in such applications as laptop computers, automobiles navigation system, cellular telephones, pagers, etc., the market for flat panel displays is growing rapidly. A low cost scaleable technology of efficient emitter urgently needed. Aligned nanotubes coated with diamond can the breakthrough needed to satisfy this large market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. R.O. Loutfy
Materials & Electrochemical Research Cor
7960 S. Kolb Road
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Materials & Electrochemical Research Cor
7960 S. Kolb Road
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Advanced Propulsion Inc. proposes a Revolutionary Concept (RevCon) integrated aircraft and propulsion system that provides aircraft drag reduction and propulsion system efficiency increase, thereby improving aircraft fuel efficiency by as much as a factor of two. The key feature is the ducting of a high fraction of the aircraft total boundary layer from distributed airframe inlets to turbofan engine(s) in the rear of the fuselage. This fully integrated, boundary layer pumping engine(s) will provide the sole propulsive thrust for the aircraft. API?s intent is twofold: First, to design the wing and fuselage configurations and boundary layer ingestion features for a very high fraction of laminar flow and greatly reduced parasitic drag. Second, to match the mass flow of the ingested boundary layer, the turbofan engine(s) and the aircraft cruise thrust requirement at the cruise design point to yield an extremely high level of propulsive efficiency.

With reduced fuel loads, aircraft can be smaller, and less costly. With less drag and greater efficiency, aircraft can have higher performance. This integrated aircraft/propulsion technology is applicable to all types and sizes of subsonic airplanes.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
API envisions a global general aviation and transport category airplane market for its revolutionary airplane design. Special sector airplanes are also feasible because the new economy era demands long-range personal transport that can fly an un-refuelled mission range of 8,000 nautical miles with reserves allows global coverage from the United States. The world air cargo market is also expanding at a greater rate than the passenger market and represents and has needs for long range capability that offers time savings.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gerald Merrill
Advanced Propulsion Inc.
254 West Baseline Road, Suite 104
Tempe , AZ   85282 - 1263

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Propulsion Inc.
254 West Baseline Road, Suite 104
Tempe , AZ   85282 - 1263

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)

Carbon fiber reinforced organic matrix composites can be used to fabricate very high specific strength and stiffness aerospace structures, but current manufacturing methods for organic matrix composites are limited by their extremely labor intensive nature. There exists a need for conformable high performance material forms to move away from the conventional approach of building structures from highly isotropic elastic laminae. To overcome these limitations, the proposed effort is aimed at exploiting more recent modeling and manufacturing techniques to produce simulated biological composites; products of the fabricator-par-excellence, i.e. Nature.

This work is aimed at modeling, manufacturing and testing a novel composite structure simulating insect cuticle. The new material would combine high strength and stiffness with greatly enhanced drapability, lower stress concentrations, and greater fracture toughness than existing materials. This combination of properties will allow the manufacture from the material of complex integral structures, surpassing anything that is possible with current materials technology. Foster-Miller will team with Hexcel to accomplish the goals of this program. (P-01665)

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This new material would have a broad range of applications, including both military and commercial high performance applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Margaret Roylance
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)
This innovation describes an economical approach to improve the fatigue life of aircraft components that are subjected to dynamic load environment. Prolonged exposures to buffeting causes sever fatigue damage resulting in catastrophic failure of vertical tails of combat aircraft such as F18, F15, F22 and JSF. Consequently, multi-million dollar aircraft must be grounded for untimely expensive repairs in a critical strategic situation. Such failures can be avoided by monitoring and providing means of alleviating the severity of the dynamic loads. One effective method is to employ an active control surface modal device that generates sufficient aerodynamic damping to reduce or eliminate vibrations caused by buffeting/gust environment. A lightweight smart actuation device together with an active control system will be imbedded into a flexible rudder or a control surface. This device can be installed on new as well as existing fleet of military or commercial aircraft. These are inexpensive and easy to replace. The phase I study establishes the proof of concept and scalability of the smart actuation device for full-scale aircraft, while the Phase II will demonstrate its adaptation in flight tests. rs.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Actively Deformable Control Device can be used for:
1. Buffet and gust load alleviation and fatigue life enhancement of F18, F15, F22 and JSF, and commercial aircraft,
2. Suppression of aeroelastic instability (flutter) of military and civilian aircraft
3. Reduction of transonic wave drag near trailing edges in transonic cruise
4. Deicing of aircraft lifting surfaces. These actuator device can be implemented to generate high frequency vibration to break the ice on the surface of the wing and other lifting surfaces.

Potential customers include aircraft manufacturers, FAA and department of defense.
ATI will license the technology to the airframe manufacture.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kari Appa
Appa Technology Initiatives
22242 Anthony drive
Lake Forest , CA   92630 - 2327

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Appa Technology Initiatives
22242 Anthony drive
Lake Forest , CA   92630 - 2327

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal describes an innovative, high-efficiency, compact combustor for lean-premixed, low-emissions gas turbine systems and responds directly to NASA?s request for ?Innovative technologies relating to combustion processes, including fuel injectors, piloting, flameholding techniques for increased and performance and decreased emissions? under SBIR topic A8.02. The concept is based on previously demonstrated means for creating high mixing rate regions using multiple discrete axial vortices in the flow. This injector-mixer-flameholder shows promise for emissions reduction by ensuring rapid and complete, well controlled mixing. Another goal is an axial-vorticity fuel injection, mixing, and flame stabilization design that passively controls combustion instability and flashback by making the combustion region insensitive to axial flow oscillations. During previous work APRI has demonstrated the ability to stabilize flames in a geometry designed to provide open three-dimensional separations. The objective of the proposed Phase I is to demonstrate high mixing rates achievable in a geometry directly suitable to gas turbine combustors and to use data collected to develop a preliminary design of a combustor to be tested in Phase II. The Phase II effort will take advantage of the axial vorticity mixers and flame stabilizers to complete the design and test of a lean-premixed fuel-injector/flame-holder for gas turbine systems.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The axial-vorticity fuel-injector/flame-holder system described in this proposal is applicable to a wide variety of combustion systems. Aircraft gas turbines, industrial gas turbines, gaseous waste incinerators, and other industrial burners can benefit from the high mixing rate and flame stability characteristics of this design.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Thomas H. Sobota
Advanced Projects Research, Inc.
1925 McKinley Avenue, Suite B
La Verne , CA   91750 - 5800

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Projects Research, Inc.
1925 McKinley Avenue, Suite B
La Verne , CA   91750 - 5800

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
MicroEnergy Technologies and Technology Assessment and Transfer propose to develop an E-field microinjector array for liquid fuel atomization. This development effort hinges upon the application of a novel system of ion-propelled and dielectrophoretically-controlled micro-injectors in parallel. Using an electric field, the spray process is controlled precisely to match the high response time required for most liquid fuel air-breathing engines. Using micro-injectors of smaller than 100 micron provides the fine mist desirable for optimal mixing and combustion. The proposed atomizer offers a number of advantages over the state-of-the-art technologies in liquid fuel atomization: (1) It requires little to no driving pressure (<10 psi) and significant weight savings, (2) System design requires simple engineering in that total mass flow rate is only a function of number of active injectors in operation, (3) It generates and maintains uniform and fine fuel droplets for more controllable and efficient combustion, (4) It can generate muti-mode droplets size distributions for specific applications, (5) It provides rapid control since there are no moving parts for flow control, and (6) It offers flexibility for control strategy. During Phase I, we will perform analytical and computational modeling for system design and analysis, experimentally demonstrate the significant advantages and improvements in atomizer performance, and evaluate the fabrication feasibility of the atomizer using a ceramic micro-fabrication technique known as stereo-photolithography (SPL) and developed at TA&T. The challenge in this project is in integration of the electrodes for implementing the electric force for control of the atomization process and droplet formation. Efforts during Phase I option will be focused on development and testing of an atomizer fabricated using SPL, which will be adopted for prototype and final product development.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The final product, Ion-Propelled Micro-Injector Array Fuel Atomizer, in addition to application in space technologies, will have a significant commercial value to a broader industry, including the aerospace and automotive manufacturers. Efficient atomization will reduce exhaust emission, increase system throughput, and reduce system downtime caused by equipment failure due to fouling and deposit formation. Fuel atomizers are utilized in almost all combustion systems used for energy production and heat recovery.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Reza Shekarriz, Ph.D.
MicroEnergy Technologies, Inc.
47 Eagle Crest Dr., #18
Lake Oswego , OR   97035 - 1082

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
MicroEnergy Technologies, Inc.
47 Eagle Crest Dr., #18
Lake Oswego , OR   97035 - 1082

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The operation of the low-pressure turbine at cruise conditions produces a Reynolds number significantly below the Reynolds number at takeoff due to both property and geometric effects. Reduced Reynolds number operation in addition to recent trends towards reduced stages and highly loaded blades increases viscous effects including boundary layer growth and separation. Consequently, the efficiency of the LP turbine at cruise is significantly below that at takeoff. Technology in Blacksburg is proposing the use of an innovative flow control technique designed to improve the LP turbine performance leading to a reduction in operating costs. Flow control is achieved with miniature ejector pumps integrally machined into the blade surface. Ejector pumps provide a simple and efficient way of producing blowing designed to reduce the wake. High-pressure supply air from the compressor is injected into the flow as a high momentum jet that provides a boundary layer along the wall that is resistant to separation. In addition, low momentum fluid in the boundary layer can be removed with suction upstream of the blowing and combined with the supply air to enhance the jet. Techsburg is proposing a comprehensive Phase I project to determine the feasibility and quantify the benefits that can be gained in efficiency and cost by implementing ejector pump flow control in the LP turbine.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed flow control system has significant potential for both military and commercial applications. Both the government and industry are currently spending significant amounts of time and funding to develop the next generation of gas turbine engines. These efforts have produced innovative technologies that will make tomorrow?s gas turbines smaller and lighter, yet better performing and more fuel-efficient. In order to take full advantage of these advances, the losses occurring in the low-pressure turbine at low Reynolds number operation must be reduced. This can be accomplished by designing a flow control system to effectively reduce separation without the addition of complex moving parts and added weight or the penalties associated with traditional bleed. The flow control system proposed by Techsburg will be designed to meet these specific needs.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Sarah Stitzel
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc.
1861 Pratt Drive, Suite 2040
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6144

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Technology in Blacksburg, Inc.
1861 Pratt Drive, Suite 2040
Blacksburg , VA   24060 - 6144

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Pulse detonation engines hold promise to increase performance of air-breathing propulsion systems by taking advantage of the increase in cycle efficiency due to the constant-volume heat addition characteristics of detonative combustion. A pulse detonation engine (PDE) produces thrust through the high pressure of detonation to achieve improved efficiency relative to other, more traditional propulsion devices. The innovation covered in this proposal is for a novel approach to pulse detonation engine technology, utilizing multiple combustion chambers on a rotating spool to improve inlet and nozzle performance. Some of the major challenges of PDE?s are in providing high inlet and nozzle performance due to the unsteady nature of the flow. This concept provides a significant advantage in that the inlet and exhaust nozzle are aligned with the appropriate chambers and flow at a steady rate, optimizing performance and minimizing base drag. The Phase I effort will include a preliminary design of the proposed rotating detonation chamber PDE concept and the associated analytical results that support and validate its feasibility. The Phase II program will focus on the enabling technologies and on executing a plan to develop them sufficiently to establish a detailed design.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Pulse Detonation Engine is a major contender in the next generation of propulsion devices for high speed flight. It is directly applicable to providing thrust for hypersonic vehicles and for rockets. As pulse detonation engines become reality, they will enable the further development of hypersonic vehicles, revolutionizing commercial aircraft much like the jet engine did at the end of WWII. Because of their high specific impulse, they are also well suited for reducing the payload cost to low earth orbit. The potential commercial market for this device is enormous, since the successful execution of this concept could revolutionize aviation and aerospace markets.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Rich DeFrancesco
SPIRITECH Advanced Products, Inc.
880 Jupiter Park Dr., Suite 8
Jupiter , FL   33458 - 8901

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SPIRITECH Advanced Products, Inc.
880 Jupiter Park Dr., Suite 8
Jupiter , FL   33458 - 8901

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Combustion instability in air breathing propulsion engines can lead to catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, as engines are operated at conditions to minimize pollutant emissions, the risk of crossing the boundary to unstable combustion increases. This Phase I project twill demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative sensing technique that will identify the onset of combustion instability in turboengines and ramjets. In addition to detecting incipient combustion instability the sensor will provide a means to monitor and diagnose the general operational health of the engine. The product that results from this project (Phases I and II) will provide direct benefit to three of NASA?s ten goals of the 25-year vision: 1) reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions; 2) reduction of accident rates; and 3) cut development cycle time of revolutionary technology.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The product of this project (Phase I and II) has commercial applications in the propulsion engine market and ground-based electric power generating turbine engine market. Both markets have identified combustion instability as a serious challenge to low NOx engine operation, with high potential damage costs. The number of turbine engines in service for propulsion and ground power generation in the U.S. is about 200,000 engines. Significant market growth is indicated since: 1) a NASA objective is to triple the capacity of the aviation system within 25 years in anticipation of commercial and general aviation growth (tens of thousands of new, advanced engines); 2) the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that the world?s annual consumption of electricity will almost double by 2020, and 70% of this increase will be accommodated by about 7,000 new gas turbine engines; and 3) the U.S. Department of Defense projects that about 3,000 advanced engines will be needed for new fleets of military aircraft, such as the Joint Strike fighter, over the next 15 years.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James R. Markham
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.
87 Church Street
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3728

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.
87 Church Street
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3728

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal describes a research study to define a high-speed inlet model for flight-testing on the F-15B at NASA Dryden. The objectives of the flight test program are to obtain off-design performance and shock wave signatures for a high-speed inlet designed for supersonic cruise. This proposal identifies a new design concept that not only provides very high inlet performance but also incorporates design features that minimize contribution to sonic boom. The proposed effort includes inlet aerodynamic design, subsystem designs for off-design airflow matching, a conceptual mechanical design, and a detailed plan for follow-on flight research. It is expected that this Phase I effort will identify an inlet in sufficient detail to allow quick model fabrication for flight-testing in a Phase II effort. This follow-on effort would result in verification of off-design inlet operation and airflow matching, and the near-elimination of inlet contribution to sonic boom. This proposal responds to the SBIR subtopic by proposing a study for flight research that will verify low sonic boom technology to help enable supersonic flight over land. Overland flight is critical for the success of a supersonic business jet, and will enhance the economic viability of a supersonic transport.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial benefit of the proposed new inlet concept is based on the expectation of achieving very high inlet performance while nearly eliminating inlet shock contribution to overall sonic boom. For supersonic cruise, this inlet design concept will provide inlet performance that meets or exceeds current status levels. The inlet has the potential to provide higher performance, high operability, reduced weight, and minimal sonic boom contribution. Low sonic boom will be necessary for a commercially viable supersonic passenger aircraft. The technology proposed herein may eliminate a significant portion of the boom signature of the aircraft. An additional benefit is that overland flight might be possible if overall boom levels can be sufficiently reduced. Overland flight is critical for the success of a supersonic business jet (SBJ), and would greatly enhance the economic viability of a commercial transport. The design options offered by the proposed new inlet concept will enable the development of propulsion systems for high-speed aircraft that offer increased range and payload/profit. Commercial applications include aircraft for transportation of people and packages throughout the world.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Bobby W. Sanders
TechLand Research, Inc.
28895 Lorain Road, Suite 201
North Olmsted , OH   44070 - 4042

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
TechLand Research, Inc.
28895 Lorain Road, Suite 201
North Olmsted , OH   44070 - 4042

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NanoSonic and a major U.S. aerospace company would work together during the Phase I NASA SBIR program to develop a ground-based experiment to evaluate the potential advantages of the nanoscale self-assembly of electro-optic materials in space. For use in low-voltage, high frequency electro-optic modulators, such materials require the internal nanoscale alignment of molecular dipoles. Conventional guest-host polymer-based electro-optic modulator materials achieve such alignment through the application of a large electric field at elevated temperatures, followed by cooling of the polymer to effectively freeze in the dipolar alignment. However, since the resulting material is in a nonequilibrium state, this alignment relaxes with time and temperature, and modulator performance decreases. Biologically-inspired liquid phase self-assembly processes have been demonstrated to yield improved molecular alignment, without the need for electric field poling. Additional improvements in alignment and resulting electro-optic properties may be possible by avoiding the influence of the gravitational field on intermolecular dynamics during the self-assembly process. During the Phase I program, a self-contained and simple terrestrial experiment will be developed to allow the evaluation of the effect of gravitational effects on the molecular alignment of electro-optic materials during self-assembly. Experimental evaluation will be performed in cooperation with NASA.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Electro-optic modulators are used to convert digital electronic signals into on-off keyed optical signals in optical fiber communication systems. The use of advanced polymers rather than inorganic crystals in such modulators leads to higher speed and improved fiber-to-modulator coupling. High-speed electro-optic modulators have immediate commercial applications in ultrawide bandwidth optical communication networks. The advantages of efficient dipolar ordering in such materials also leads to lower voltage device operation, which in turn simplifies electronic driver circuit requirements, and lowers system cost.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Kristie L. Cooper
NanoSonic, Inc.
P.O. Box 618
Christiansburg , VA   24068 - 0618

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
NanoSonic, Inc.
P.O. Box 618
Christiansburg , VA   24068 - 0618

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The prediction, identification and notification of spacecraft fires is critical in assuring the safety of manned space missions. Absent the effects of buoyancy in space, the chemical and fluid dynamic phenomena that govern the ignition, spread and extinction of fires are far different than those on Earth. Our understanding and predictive capabilities depend on detailed models that must be versatile, accurate and verifiable. In this work, we propose the development of a new, powerful computational technique that, when used in conjunction with as few as one quantitative species measurement, will predict all species concentrations and temperature in any diffusion flame, with possible extension to burning droplets and smoldering surfaces. This new innovation is named Iterative Temperature with Assumed Chemistry (ITAC). We believe that the diagnostic of choice in verification and use of this model is diode laser absorption. Not only can these lasers quantitatively measure virtually all major flame species and intermediates, but their minimal weight, size and power requirements make them suitable for in situ spacecraft fire sensors as well.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial potential for this approach extends beyond spacecraft fire safety. The efficiency and level of toxic emissions of airborne propulsion systems, automobiles, incinerators, and industrial burners for the generation of electrical power are highly dependent on the particular methods used for introduction of fuels, the types of fuels used and the burner configurations (e.g., staging, emission controls, etc.) employed. Feedback control systems are now widely used to minimize pollution and maximize efficiency. The ITAC method, in conjunction with quantitative diode laser-based absorption measurements, may provide a cheaper and simpler, but more powerful, method for these industrial burners to meet or exceed their specifications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Joel Silver
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Diversified Scientific, Inc. requests support for a phase I proposal to genetically engineer viral self-assembling capsid fusion proteins for the crystallization and structure determination of macromolecules. This system is novel in that the target molecules are displayed on the interior surface of a phage capsid with known crystallization conditions theoretically reducing protein crystal growth to a routine process. This system lends itself to automation and would make significant contributions to all proteomic and structure based drug design projects. In particular, the ability to grow crystals for any suitable target protein would provide substantial samples for NASA?s Biological and Physical Research Enterprise that utilizes micro-gravitational effects to improve crystallization conditions for molecules that have intellectual, therapeutic and commercial value. It is anticipated that successful construction of first generation systems will be the subject for a phase II proposal to automate and commercialize the Trojan phage crystallization system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
We anticipate two classes of clientele, academic institutions currently involved in structural biology or genetics and pharmaceutical industries using structure based drug design strategies. The current proposal is for the development of a potential tool directed at solving the crystallization of protein. This technology may be adopted for development of novel drug delivery systems that could replace or enhance particular biological activities; construction of nano sized laboratories and bio-probes useful for a variety of therapeutic and industrial applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Larry Cosenza
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 high cost and short supply of tantalum and niobium along with the desire for cartridges usable to 1500?C demonstrate the need for alternative cartridge materials. Two candidate materials are molybdenum and tungsten alloys. Both have high melting temperatures and cost an order of magnitude less than tantalum and niobium. Recently, thin-walled, closed-end tubes have been fabricated from elemental blends of molybdenum and tungsten powders. However high temperature heat treatments are necessary to alloy elemental blended powder. Problems with distortion and intermetallic formation can result. To overcome these problems, an innovative plasma alloying process will be developed to produce pre-alloyed molybdenum and tungsten powders. The use of pre-alloyed powders will allow fabrication of robust, high temperature containment cartridges that will have optimum properties for microgravity processing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Chemical processing, high temperature furnace and retort components, rocket motor throat inserts, radiation shields, heat pipes, power generation equipment, nuclear components, beam and sputter targets.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scott O'Dell
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 D Moores Mill Road
Huntsville , AL   35811 - 1558

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 D Moores Mill Road
Huntsville , AL   35811 - 1558

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Macromolecules are crystallized for crystallography in ?screens? consisting of numerous (30-200) small volumes (2 ? 50 muL) of combinations with several (2-10) other solutes. Each combination is frequently over days or weeks to evaluate growth, if any, of crystals, thereby creating of repetitious, labor-intensive tasks. This task could be assigned to an automated roving video microscope using a similar magnification to that used in crystallography (4X ? 70X). However, a roving videomicroscope, requires considerable volume, power, mass, autofocusing and moving mechanical parts. It can have a significant failure rate. These constitute undesirable features for spaceflight and inconvenience in the laboratory. A no-moving-parts Robotic Optical Monitor is proposed. Phase I research will consist of a trade study of the following embedded optoelectronic devices to be tested using a standardized crystal-growth chamber: a 1-dimensional lensless microscope, an area array lensless microscope, a square sensor array with lenslets, a multiangle light scatter sensor, and a two-angle light scatter sensor. The results comparing these methods' ability to provide digitized image or scattering data will be used to select the system(s) with the optimum combination of resolution/information content, power requirement, cost, accuracy and convenience. The selected system(s) will be the focus of Phase II research and market development.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The lack of moving parts, the easy production of image data in digital form and convenience of use in the laboratory and in space experiments will make the Robotic Optical Monitor popular in these environments. Provided costs can be maintained this product will be marketed to about 2,000 corporate, academic and government research laboratories and offered as commercial and/or Government equipment aboard the International Space Station. The Robotic Monitor can thus be a product for all three markets addressed by Space Hardware Optimization Technology, Inc. (SHOT, Inc.): research laboratories, space flight hardware construction, and space flight commercial services.

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 discovery of multiwalled (MWNT) and singlewall (SWNT) carbon nanotubes with their unique structure, electronic and mechanical properties has the potential of creating novel and advanced composite materials. The carbon nanotubes, which are, formed of seamless graphene layers, represent the ideal carbon fiber with Young's moduli that are orders of magnitude higher than other reinforcement materials. This nanoreinforcement can potentially provide the revolutionary advances in ultra-lightweight structures and materials technology required for the broad range of components required for future NASA missions. It proposed to develop nanoreinforcement based on hydrogenated SWNT. The SWNT reinforcement can potentially produce extremely strong ultra-lightweight thin film composites, and the hydrogen in the SWNT will impart unique radiation shielding properties to the composites.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Carbon nanotubes are now the fastest growing sub-field of nanostructured materials. Applications of carbon nanotubes include their use a probe tips in atomic force microscopes, electron field emitters, electrode materials in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, gas storage, gas purification, and as strengthening agents in polymer and metal matrix composites.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Raouf O. Loutfy
Materials & Electrochemical Research Cor
7960 S. Kolb Road
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Materials & Electrochemical Research Cor
7960 S. Kolb Road
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 9237

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This small business innovative research proposal seeks to develop an energy transfer technology based on the enhancement associated with a microsphere resonator. The technique discussed in this proposal would enhance the probability of detecting target molecules and amplifying signals by lifting the constraints associated with traditional fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The Microparticle Enhanced Energy Transfer system proposed offers the ability for long-range (over 200,000 Angstroms) transfer without any orientation restraints on the donor and acceptor molecules; i.e., the donor and acceptor molecules can still transfer efficiently regardless of their relative orientation. The resulting system could easily be presented in a low-cost package while providing a unique means for signal amplification and molecule detection.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Microparticle Enhanced Energy Transfer technology presented in this proposal offers a wide variety of applications for both the government and commercial markets. Aside from the direct application to biomolecular signal analyss, the proposed technology may find suitable applicability in other venues. Examples of possible applications of this technology are exposure detection clothing that would soldiers or medical personnel to know if they have been exposed to harmful pathogens, or contamination detection schemes for air and water filtration systems.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Stephen Holler
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)
Biology provides a vast number of examples of nanostructures produced at a level of precision that is superior to those that we can produce in the laboratory. The diversity of naturally occurring S-layers suggests that the nature of these self-assembled structures is genetically controlled and can therefore be manipulated through recombinant processes. In this Phase I research plan, Agave BioSystems proposes to combine S-layers, a self-organizing component of bacterial cell walls, with newly described luminescent nanoparticles to generate novel structures containing regular arrays of photoactivatable fluorescent materials. This approach can yield complex optical nanostructures much faster and much cheaper than by other nanofabrication techniques. Of particular interest is the use of these optical nanoarrays for high-density data storage. Data storage using this technology would not only yield significantly greater capacity, but would also increase access speeds, improve reliability and reduce manufacturing costs.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Revolutionary new electronic and optical devices could be made possible with the ability to reliably create large arrays of nanoparticulate systems. Possible applications include optical data storage devices, deep UV and x-ray diffraction devices and optical components, and novel biomedical fluorescent detection devices. As optical data storage systems, biomolecular construction of nanoparticles could allow bit spacing that would yield 15 to 50 gigabytes of data per square inch. Once the technology is fully developed, these nanostructures could have a significant impact on the multi-billion dollar computer, optoelectronics, and communications markets.

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In the area of biomolecular imaging, NASA is seeking new technologies for imaging protein expression in cells at or below the diffraction-limited spatial resolution of optical microscopes. Nanoscale imaging capable of providing sufficient resolution to distinguish protein or DNA sequence is in demand as well. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a novel superresolution optical microscope (SROM). To increase the spatial resolution of microscopic imaging, several low resolution images of the object will be analyzed. The first image is the conventional image of the testing object that contains the low harmonics of its spatial spectrum. The second and third images are the images of the same object overlapped with a high frequency amplitude grating. These images contain a mixture of low and high frequency spatial harmonics of the object spectrum. Thus, using the knowledge of the low frequency spatial harmonics from the first image, high frequency spatial harmonics can be extracted from the image sequence. As a result, we can obtain computer images with high spatial resolution. This approach does not contradict conventional limits, because the high resolution will be obtained from several low resolution images by specially rearranging the available information.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to NASA applications in space biology, the proposed technology can be used in forensic laboratories, for wafer testing in lithography, and in medical offices.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ilya Agurok, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, Photonic Systems Division
2454 W. 237th St., Suite B
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5229

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The purpose of the SBIR is to develop, build and test methods and procedures to control water and oxygen in the root zone of a particulate based microgravity nutrient delivery system using nubs, tubes and plates. Phase I focuses on demonstrating a new concept for nutrient flow and control interval to each root module. Particulate based water and nutrient delivery systems have been commonly used in current space based plant growth systems and have been demonstrated to maintain healthy plants in microgravity, but have not controlled oxygen. The primary effort of this proposed project will be oriented toward building a system that can effectively control water and oxygen distribution in a root zone through manipulation of liquid source, flow, and aeration. This system will focus on aeration maintenance with and without root mass, measure and compare the impact of different water delivery sources and flows protocols, combined with various mechanisms of aeration, on the root zone environment. This research will allow the development of a root zone nutrient delivery system that will support plants in microgravity, without limiting oxygen.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications within NASA could include developing technology to control root zone environment through physical and operational techniques for the regulation of water distribution and control of the gaseous environment, on the ground and in microgravity. This project would allow uniformity of water and oxygen, limiting possible anoxic conditions, as well as, reducing carbon dioxide within the root zone.

Terrestrial commercial application of this technology would include inexpensive, root modules that would be used to control oxygen levels, allowing more precise control of the root zone environment, for commercial chambers and specific nursery support systems. Universities and commercial agriculture research companies would be another major user of these root modules. There may also be use among hobbyists involved in gardening and horticulture.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mark G. Lefsrud
Orbital Technologies Corporation
1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Luna Innovations, Inc. and their development partners propose novel, multiplexed sensors for the detection of autocrine and paracrine signals. The measurement of these secretory products will be used to determine the health of cultured cells exposed to microgravity. As a result, the discovery of novel pharmaceuticals, the fabrication of biomaterials, and the determination of microgravity effects on physiological conditions will be achievable. Currently, there is no large-scale, homogeneous method of determining cellular processes through direct detection. Testing is typically based on radiolabeled or fluorolabeled techniques that can influence the measurement being made. This influence can, thereby, introduce a certain level of uncertainty in experimental results. Luna has patented an optical fiber, direct detection device that is extremely sensitive to refractive index changes. By coating the sensor with novel affinity films, selective detection is achievable. To produce a device capable of screening multiple targets in a microtiter plate simultaneously, Luna Innovations will develop probe sensors that are amenable to shallow-well formats. Other commercial benefits include systems for high throughput screening, clinical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The products introduced during this proposed development program will satisfy customer requirements in life science markets, particularly high throughput screening, and will produce tests that compete directly with fluorolabeled techniques. Competitive advantages include no-labeling, rapid results, large numbers of multiplexed channels, and a small package. The technology is also expandable into analytical instrumentation. Targeted customers are major laboratories, life sciences companies and other end users of similar analytical measurement equipment.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Roger VanTassell
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 , VI   24060 - 6657

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ORBITEC proposes the development of a new approach to bi-directional humidity control with the potential for providing a low cost highly reliable miniature humidity control system with no moving parts: Highly Reliable Humidity Control for Small Volumes. (HUMSV) The main innovation of the system is the proper configuration of a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and a hydrophilic material, to allow capillary movement of moisture from one side of the TEC to the other. The process can be directed to bring moisture to a control volume or to dehumidify the control volume. This system has the potential to be orders of magnitude lighter and smaller than any existing humidity control system. The use of capillary forces in place of conventional fluid handling hardware (pumps, valves, reservoirs, and de-gassers) reduces cost, weight and volume. The proposed design removes those components that most often lead to breakdowns, thereby dramatically increasing reliability. The system has the potential to allow efficient, low mass, low cost environmental control on volumes as small as 1cm3 and as large as 1m3 while offering unparalleled simplicity and reliability.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
HUMSV is ideally suited to space-borne science where size and weight are crucial to successful hardware design. This technology may enable life science scientists to provide environmental control to each plant, each insect (or family of insects) or each cell culture. Other space applications include retrofit of existing biological specimen control volumes with humidity control, and as a condensation pump within the EVA space suit. A second use of HUMSV with vast potential is using the technology to condition electronics equipment. All electronics are very sensitive to moisture, with both high and low moisture levels decreasing lifetime. HUMSV has the capability to provide humidity control to every integrated circuit chip. The nature of HUMSV would allow it to be used on electronics both on the ground and in space without any modifications. Other applications of HUMSV include use inside sensors where moisture affects results, food storage, museum exhibits and possibly high performance sports wear.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Peter Kostka
Orbital Technologies Corporation
1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Gas sensors based on metal oxide sensing layers, are known to be widely used for the measurement of CO, CO2, aromatic hydrocarbon, NO2 etc., but such sensors lack selectivity in general, and operation at high temperatures is required. Arrays of sensors distinguished by their cross sensitivity have to be used where a certain degree of selectivity is obtained. The proposed program will focus on the use of highly organized ultrathin films of conducting polymers and their nanocomposites with high conductivity, which will selectively recognize the above gases with high sensitivity (#ppb). In Phase I, we will synthesize several high conductivity polymers which we will process using the supramolecular approach via the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique to fabricate the necessary films for gas sensing applications for the first time with emphasis on sensitivity and selectivity that are otherwise unattainable with other fabrication methods or materials. Regioregular polythiophene derivatives and their metal oxide nanocomposites will be used in this effort. Characterization of materials and films as well as detection characteristics will be achieved using several techniques, particularly electrochemistry. Phase II will focus on material and technique optimization towards prototype sensors that will be used for evaluation by NASA and for marketing purposes.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
With the expected high selectivity and low detection ( NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Manoj K. Ram
Fractal Systems, Inc.
14200 Carlson Circle
Tampa , FL   33626 - 3001

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Fractal Systems, Inc.
14200 Carlson Circle
Tampa , FL   33626 - 3001

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Giner, Inc. will develop an ambient temperature, low-power proton-exchange membrane (PEM) sensor to detect 5-5000 parts per billion by volume of ethylene in air for plant environments. The platform technology will be the Giner, Inc. PEM sensor with solid-state thick-film electrode fabrication techniques. This gives a small, cost-effective, flow-independent probe with high sensitivity, low detection limit and rapid response. The innovation proposed is the development of novel techniques for depositing a thin layer of the PEM on the thick-film sensing electrode in a geometry that extends the active sensing region to further increase signal-to-noise ratio. Selection of the catalytic electrode and operating potential for high sensitivity and minimal interference from other volatile organic compounds will also be a goal. In Phase I the basic sensor described will be developed and characterized including preliminary screening for interferants and evaluation in a plant cell culture environment. In Phase II, any necessary sensor refinements will be developed and the sensor will be packaged into a lightweight instrument for NASA. Phase II testing will include extensive cross-reactivity screening including in complex plant environments. During Phase II, the addition of sensing elements for other biogenic compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes will be explored.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Ethylene (ethene) is a plant hormone that is active at very low concentrations in the development of plants, particularly in the flowering and fruit ripening stages. We are not aware of any commercial sensor with the ability to selectively detect ethylene in this concentration range (5-5000 ppb); the only commercially available technology is gas chromatography which is not economical or convenient for many applications. Commercial applications include research on plant physiology, produce and floral shipping and storage, fruit ripening, nursery greenhouses, production greenhouses, horticulture and micropropagation facilities. A real-time, accurate, low cost, low detection limit sensor is the first step to ethylene manipulation and control for these agricultural applications. NASA is interested in these very low concentrations for fundamental studies of the effects of microgravity on plants. Additional NASA applications include future biomass (food) production in space and current applications at polar research stations.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Linda A. Tempelman, Ph.D.
GINER, INC.
89 Rumford Avenue
Newton , MA   02466 - 1311

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
GINER, INC.
89 Rumford Avenue
Newton , MA   02466 - 1311

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The purpose of the Integrated Plant/Animal Habitat (IPAH) development is to provide an environmental ecosystem for plants and animals where atmospheric exchanges can be monitored and controlled among separate chambers. The Phase I effort will design, prototype, and test critical elements that will allow monitoring of the gaseous and liquid exchanges between sealed plant chambers and a sealed animal chamber on Space Shuttle or Space Station. By grappling with the biological and engineering problems of combining plants and animals, scientists and engineers will acquire a host of new insights and test novel ideas that will contribute ultimately to a more accurate understanding of plant-human interactions in closed environmental systems. From the point of view of animal-based science, the IPAH promises the capabilities that will enable a variety of otherwise unattainable, yet needed studies related to organism metabolism and other homeostatic processes. The technological advances derived from the IPAH?emphasizing simultaneous monitoring of gases, moving and measuring fluids, regulating light, and controlling temperature and humidity?bring an advance in spaceflight hardware that is particularly well-suited for many kinds of scientific studies that have been previously unavailable to researchers.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Integrated Plant/Animal Habitat (IPAH) has specific potential for Phase III application to government application at the systems level, and has potential for subsystem and component spin-off into commercial markets. Specific government applications include the IPAH-plant and animal configuration, IPAH-animal only configuration, and the Animal Research Unit, which is a longer duration Space Station version of the IPAH as an evolution from the Plant Research Unit. The system could lead to an EXPRESS Rack-based transport unit for plants and animals. (The Plant Research Unit is planned as an evolution from the Biomass Production system [BPS].) Specific commercial spin-offs possible include: auto-water system for lab habitats, visible/IR LED lighting systems for animals, ground-based IPAH research systems, outreach and educational animal/plant habitats, small air filtration system for home/lab habitats, closed bioregenerative ecosystems for gene and chemical studies on the environment.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Jeffery T. Iverson
Orbital Technologies Corporation
1212 Fourier Drive
Madison , WI   53717 - 1961

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Southwest Sciences, Inc. proposes development of an innovative five-dimensional fluorescence imaging system that combines spectrally resolved, scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy with fluorescence lifetime detection. Our proposed multi-dimensional fluorescence microscope is unique from previous work because it provides simultaneous measurement of lifetime decay profiles at multiple wavelengths. The combination of spectral and lifetime resolution will provide superior contrast between multiple fluorophores and allow the design of more sophisticated fluorescence experiments for structural and functional imaging of cellular and sub-cellular systems. Complete fluorescence decay profiles will be obtained with one nanosecond resolution at each of 16 wavelengths. The proposed microscope and detection instrumentation are a flexible system that is generally applicable to a wide range of fluorescence microscopy applications. The instrument can be designed to accommodate different excitation and emission wavelengths and is compatible with either single or two photon excitation. A modular design that can accept different excitation methods, optics and detectors can be developed. Diode laser excitation and radio frequency (rf) detection electronics will result in a compact, low power, lightweight instrument.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Fluorescence microscopy is gaining widespread use as a powerful imaging tool in molecular biology and medicine for both fundamental studies and diagnostic purposes. We envision commercial research and clinical instruments based on our technology for applications in these fields as well as in other areas such as materials science and polymer science. The addition of simultaneous spectral and temporal resolution to fluorescence microscopes will enhance their utility and aid new applications. This fluorescence detection technology is also useful in non-imaging applications. For example, this technology can be applied to the detection and identification of fluorescent aromatic contaminants in soil or ground water. We also envision medical applications such as endoscopic probes for the identification of tissue types and the detection of abnormal tissue based on differences in fluorescence spectral and lifetime properties.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kristen Peterson
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Microgravity biotechnology applications are very promising, yet common bioanalytical tools such as ELISA are nonexistent for spacecraft. These powerful assays require numerous preparative sample dilutions prior to application to 96 open wells of a microtiter plate. The open wells are treated with bioreagent additions and wash steps using micropipetters, in addition to incubation steps. Micropipet fluid dispensing is not reasonable in space, and the wash steps produce waste biomaterial. The number of operations is also not an efficient use of astronaut time. OmniSite BioDiagnostics (OmniSite) proposes to develop a compact, fully automated MEMS-based system for performing ELISAs in microgravity environments. The system accepts a syringe injection of the material to be assayed, then automatically performs all of the steps for any standard ELISA evaluation. All dilutions, additions, and wash steps are performed automatically within a disposable MEMS "wafer". Waste material is captured by centrifugal force and a wick for easy disposal. In addition to improvements in speed and a reduction in required sample volume, the innovation will expand the capabilities of traditional ELISAs through a tremendous potential increase in the number of microtiter wells, creating substantial markets in applications such as high-throughput drug screening.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
ELISAs are in widespread use in all areas of biological science today. At present, they are time-consuming and labor intensive. The proposed device would fully automate this process. At the same time, the use of MEMS technology to generate a disposable (or reusable) ELISA wafer would reduce the cost, speed the process, and greatly speed the analysis of results. The use of MEMS technology would allow the number of sample wells to be increased almost arbitrarily; one large market would likely be high-throughput drug screening. In short, the proposed device would revolutionize the manner in which this common technique is performed.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Syd Ulvick, PhD
OmniSite BioDiagnostics Inc.
101 W. Sixth Street, Suite 200
Austin , TX   78701 - 2932

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
OmniSite BioDiagnostics Inc.
101 W. Sixth Street, Suite 200
Austin , TX   78701 - 2932

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Cell culturing in space and/or microgravity offers numerous advantages and opens new applications for faster drug discovery and understanding gene expression. A growing body of data suggests that growth of cells in microgravity results in up regulation of apoptotic pathways. Understanding the apoptosis in microgravity will be crucial for long-term NASA missions, and it could provide valuable data on effects of radiation on cell growth. The overall objective of this proposal is to establish on-line, continuous monitoring of apoptotic signaling pathways in microgravity bioreactors as well as to provide a tool to rapidly assess the effectiveness of anti-tumor drugs using miniature microfluidic detectors. Two innovative approaches will be used to provide on-line monitoring of apoptosis and cytotoxicity of anti-tumor drugs in microgravity: (1) microfluidic detection of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified DNA or mRNA of cells grown in the bioreactor; and, (2) detection of cell death signaling biomolecules using molecularly imprinted polymers. Both detection systems will be incorporated into a microfluidic design with electrochemical sensors, which require no complex components. The proposed new DNA/RNA and protein sensors will be investigated on breast carcinoma cells grown in simulated microgravity in the rotating wall bioreactor, and efficiency of few commonly used anti-tumor drugs will be evaluated.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial system will comprise a rotating wall bioreactor with on-line nucleic acid and protein microfluidic sensors that provide simultaneous detection of multiple elements crucial in monitoring apoptotic signaling pathways and/or cytotoxicity in bioreactors. On-line monitoring will significantly accelerate discovery of new clinical therapies and or therapeutical drugs, particularly for cancer treatment. The DNA/RNA sensor will find broad applications in genomics which could be designed as a low cost, portable, field or point of care instrument. The applications will range from biological warfare agent detection, environmental monitoring, point-of-care patient health monitoring, genomic research and forensic analysis. The protein sensor based on molecular recognition using molecularly imprinted polymers is a sensor with a flexible design, which will allow imprinting of a large number of proteins or large molecular weight biomolecules. Because of its sensitivity and specificity, it could be used in numerous point-of-care applications providing a tool for individualized medicine where drugs will be dosed based on person?s gene information.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dalibor Hodko
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)
It is well established that microgravity affects many fundamental biological processes, including cell and tissue growth in culture. Consequently, NASA has been developing bioreactors for space-based research. Because opportunities for space experimentation are limited, bioreactors have also been developed to simulate microgravity on earth so that diverse lines of research may be pursued by ground-based laboratory investigators. An extant challenge is the development of bioproduct recovery systems and analytical sensors for on-line, real-time monitoring of bioreactor status and production. Ciencia has been developing a protein microarray biosensor system based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) detection that will enable highly multiplexed, real-time monitoring of bioreactor products. To best exploit this technology, improved methods need to be developed to immobilize large numbers of proteins on a high-density micropattern to create a sensor chip. This proposal addresses this need. We propose to develop a new technology for production of high-density protein microarray sensing chips utilizing an innovative PNA (peptide nucleic acid) site-directed self-assembly approach. Resulting chips when integrated into the SPR system will permit direct seamless coupling between bioreactor samples and the biosensor to make it possible and convenient to quantitatively monitor production of up to hundreds of products simultaneously in real time.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial application that will be the focus of the proposed SPR technology is high throughput screening for drug discovery. The proposed site-directed, self-assembled microarrays will enable the production of ?disposable? chips, which in combination with the SPR detection hardware will create a highly flexible platform, providing for the first time, massively parallel detection of hundreds to thousands of binding events along with kinetics without the limitations of a reporter molecule. A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers reflected that the timely development of new products is the most important issue facing the pharmaceutical industry. There is a multi-billion dollar worldwide market for systems and consumables related to functional genomics, proteomics and drug discovery research. Pharmaceutical companies alone-spent billions of dollars on tools related to drug discovery in 1999 and this number is rapidly increasing. Now that mapping of the human genome has been essentially completed, there is increasing emphasis in discovering new ?druggable? targets.

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)
A low cost ultrahigh throughput flow cytometer is proposed. The instrument utilizes a disposable cartridge that essentially eliminates the high maintenance, training, and operating costs associated with flow cytometry. Novel fluidics increase potential throughput to several orders of magnitude faster than conventional flow cytometers, while decreasing manufacturing costs by orders of magnitude. Flow cytometers provide the underpinnings for diagnostics in many fields ? hematology, genetics screening, tissue engineering, drug screening, genomic and proteonomic research, cancer, AIDs, etc. The vast majority of the diagnostics tests using flow cytometry are not routinely available to the general public because of their cost and complexity. This technology takes the cost, skill, and complexity out of flow cytometry, and for the first time allows point-of-care testing. Underserved communities, rural locations, and third world countries could have direct access to many more diagnostic tests. Clinical and basic research will benefit from inexpensive and continuous access to a powerful analytical tool. This ultrahigh throughput flow cytometer is ideally suited to the low gravity environment due to its small size, low power consumption, and gravity independence.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Ultrahigh throughput flow cytometry address a segment of the $29 billion in vitro diagnostic market. The approach will reduce health care costs and enable point-of-care testing. The combination of cost reduction and point-of-care testing should improve overall health care, as well as health care in previously underserved communities, rural areas, and third world countries. There is strong market pull in the $300 - $800 million niches for genomic/proteonomic/DNA low cost ultrahigh through screening. We believe that substantially lowering screening costs will be a large multiplier for discoveries.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Glenn Spaulding, MD
Clear Lake Medical Foundation Inc.
2437 Bay Area Blvd., MS 448
Houston , TX   77058 - 1519

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Clear Lake Medical Foundation Inc.
2437 Bay Area Blvd., MS 448
Houston , TX   77058 - 1519

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A novel Miniature Automated Cell Sorting (MACS) system based on microfluidic and optical trapping technologies is proposed for separation and purification of living cells both on Earth and on spacecraft or other planets. The MACS system, which will use laser light to manipulate target cells, will include a cell sorting microchip, laser diodes, a portable spectrometer, and a handheld computer. Sorting of cells will be based on their induced fluorescence spectrum, size, and optical density. The MACS chip will be fabricated using a silicone elastomer with embedded optical tweezers and sensors. The device will perform separation of multiple cell types label-free and without the use of a conventional microscopic imaging system. The MACS chip will be entirely self-contained, allowing relatively safe sorting of potentially biohazardous material. The MACS system will be a portable, robust, cost-efficient cell sorter with disposable/reusable chips.

In Phase I, POC will develop a proof-of-concept cell-sorting demonstration unit, and will analyze its performance experimentally.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The MACS device will meet many present and future needs of NASA and other government agencies and commercial customers for application in genetic screening and analysis, drug discovery and development, clinical diagnostics and prognostics, cell repopulating in immunodeficient individuals, and basic research in genomics and proteomics.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gregory Zeltser, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, Photonics Systems Division
2545 W. 237th St., Suite B
Torrance , CA   90505 - 5229

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The specific innovation proposed is a fully-automated (robotic) cell-culture system (laboratory in a cassette) tentatively named "MULTICULT". The offeror, Space Hardware Optimization Technology, Inc., of Greenville, IN, will incorporate several technical innovations. Including options for gentle mixing of suspensions, for monolayer culturing, for controlling inertial load by rotation, for variable oxygenation, pH and oxygen monitoring, real-time imaging of cells in transparent containers. The compact design includes computerized control of all functions, user-friendly operation, and flexible options for automated fixation of cells and/or medium addition during each experiment. Three designs will be considered, incorporating selected features from this: (1) 2-carousel unit with 0-g and variable g in a single cassette, (2)single-carousel unit with microscopic observation and (3) multidose unit with up to 12 rotating vessels. The MULTICULT system will fit into a cassette with volume less than 2.0 L (space flight version) or on a fraction of a single shelf of a standard tissue culture incubator with external computer control. SHOT, Inc. has manufactured space-qualified and prototypical space cell culture devices of the type proposed and will utilize this experience and the proposed innovations to establish a position in space and biotechnology markets for fully automated cell culture instruments.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The need for multiple small cultures and for these technical innovations was identified in SHOT's previous research that led to a flight-qualified bioreactor prototype named "Cellcult". On the basis of at least two surveys biological users of the space-flight environment have been requesting hardware of the type proposed, and a National Research Council report had demanded "increased throughput" in space-based biotechnology research. SHOT, Inc. has an ambitious schedule to provide services on the International Space Station using its cassette-based instruments and is marketing opportunities to use them. SHOT intends to exploit the proposed innovations to establish a position in space and biotechnology markets for fully automated, low-volume cell culture instruments.

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 Trace Contaminant Control Subassembly (TCCS) to be used onboard the International Space Station (ISS) uses adsorption beds in-line with a conventional high temperature catalytic oxidizer to control trace chemical contaminants in the cabin air. Although effective, the current design has a high life cycle operating cost associated with it. In order to improve the TCCS's process economics, a retrofit to its primary design has been developed by Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), which utilizes an advanced technology lightweight, compact, long-life catalytic converter and is in advanced stages of technology demonstration at NASA. The retrofit provides significant power and annual-cost savings over the current TCCS design by integrating the catalytic oxidizer and heater through the use of an electrically conducting ultra-short micro-channel substrate. This catalytic substrate, patented by PCI (Microlith®), has very high heat and mass transfer coefficients and has proven to be durable in initial tests at NASA. In this NASA Phase I Proposal PCI intends to build on this innovative substrate based TCCS, to significantly further reduce life cycle operating costs by integrating the adsorption bed within the directly heated Microlith® catalytic oxidizer and thereby eliminate the current activated charcoal beds.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The primary commercial application of the technology as proposed in this NASA Phase I work will be in the manufacture of light weight, compact adsorber/oxidizer components for use in air purification systems. PCI would first target crew cabins or enclosed spaces such as: Space craft, Airplanes, Submarines, Hospital operating rooms, Ships, and Process Industry Control Rooms. Regenerative personnel protective devices against toxic gas, airborne toxins or biological agents would be an application for small scale versions of the adsorber/oxidizer. Industrial manufacturing applications such as semiconductor manufacture where solvents or emissions are a concern would be potential larger scale application areas.

Following succesful development of adsorbents on Microlith?Y from the NASA Phase I , some major spin off applications would be investigated by PCI in the area of selective adsorption and desorption/oxidation cycles during automotive engine cold starts, (an area where fast light off Microlith?Y catalytic devices are already being tested). In the manufacture of chemicals, targeted constituent capture through cyclic adsorption/desorption and integrated catalytic reactor elements may permit active, !?selective!? catalytic reactors to enhance product yields.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Subir Roychoudhury
Precision Combustion, inc
410 Sackett Point Road
North Haven , CT   06473 - 3106

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Precision Combustion, inc
410 Sackett Point Road
North Haven , CT   06473 - 3106

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project addresses the feasibility of producing regenerable sorbents for trace-contaminant control (mainly for on-board waste incineration systems) using a by-product (char) of an on-board waste pyrolysis process. The overall objective is to develop a gas clean-up system based on regenerable, waste-derived sorbents. The emphasis will be on the optimization of sorbent performance (break-through curves, sorption kinetics, sorbent regeneration, etc.), and on the integration of sorbent-preparation techniques with life-support operations. The objective of the Phase I study is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using space waste materials to prepare effective SO2 and NO sorbents. This will be accomplished in three tasks: (1) Sorbent Preparation and Characterization (to prepare a number of trace-contaminant sorbents from space-waste materials and to characterize their properties in terms of specific surface area, pore volume, and pore-size distribution); (2) NO and SO2 Control Testing (to determine sorbent performance in terms of pollutant retention and sorbent regeneration); and (3) Process Assessment (to evaluate the concept in terms of sorbent performance, expected process compatibility with the space infrastructure and environment, system footprint, weight, and utilities demand (power, oxygen, etc.)).

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed process can be integrated with either of the following space resource recovery schemes: (1) incineration; (2) pyrolysis; or (3) a hybrid pyrolysis-incineration system. The main anticipated benefits are: (1) carbon and nitrogen, which are important elements present in the solid waste, can be efficiently stored in the form of pyrolysis char, then converted into activated carbon, used for trace-contaminant removal, and, if needed, recovered by gasification or combustion; (2) the sorbents will be produced from an on-board waste stream, and thus no additional sorbent material will have to be launched from Earth; and (3) the sorbents will reduce load on, or possibly eliminate the need for, catalytic convertors currently used in conjunction with incineration systems. In addition, activated-carbon based sorbents can be used for other life support needs, such as water purification and removal of volatile organic compounds. Finally, the production of activated carbon from human waste would provide means for safe storage of such wastes. The proposed system will make it technically feasible to process space solid waste into regenerable sorbents for air-pollution control. The proposed technology may have spin-off applications in solid waste processing for arctic regions, oil production platforms, submarines, ships, and military operations.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Marek A. Wojtowicz
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.
87 Church Street
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3728

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.
87 Church Street
East Hartford , CT   06108 - 3728

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
To establish a human presence on the Mars or other remote base locations, these missions will have either minimal or no re-supply of resources. Regenerative physicochemical and biological technologies will sustain the crews in the closed-loop life support system. One of the highest priorities will be to process and recover clean air and water. Monitoring and determining the purity of the air and water is of critical importance. State-of-the-art ground-based instrumentation is widely available, however these technologies are not suitable for spaceflight because of weight, volume, power and microgravity limitations. Recent advances in microfluidics permit development of new analytical methods which will meet the requirements of the spaceflight environment. For water monitoring, Lynntech proposes development of a microfluidic analytical device which minimizes the requirements for reagents, can be designed and operated as a hand-held instrument and will be capable of monitoring a wide range of ionic species not previously available in any commercial instrument. This Phase I project will focus on development and testing of a device for quantification of ammonia in water. Basic microsensor capabilities already exist within Lynntech and our understanding of these leading-edge methods will permit successful development and demonstration of miniaturized analytical capability.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are of critical importance especially in wastewater treatment facilities. The proposed ion analyzer can be used to monitor the performance of wastewater treatment facilities. Although the proposed ion analyzer focuses upon the analysis of ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, its analytical capability extends to a wide range of ionic species and the analyzer can be used for a wide range of applications; monitoring acid rain, analysis of nutrients in lake, analysis of ingredients in food and beverage, measurements of electrolytes in biological samples, etc. This analyzer can be an alternative to a widely used laboratory-based ion chromatography, yet offering a rapid, simple and on-site measurement at a much lower cost. The proposed analyzer can be also an alternative to ion-selective electrodes, but with much more sensitive detection limits and little interference with similar ions, at a comparable price.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dalibor Hodko
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)
The cost of delivering payloads to remote destinations in space is extremely high. Thus, even the smallest weight reductions can result in substantial cost savings on these missions. Consequently, systems that have been designed for low Earth orbit may not be suitable for a mission to Mars. One example of such technology is the system to recycle waste water. An integrated system that utilizes vacuum distillation and catalytic oxidation (VPCAR) is currently being considered for missions to Mars. A key step in the VPCAR process is the gas phase oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen and water, which is conducted over a platinum catalyst. Unfortunately, it is likely that this catalyst also produces NO and NO2, which could contaminate cabin air. These compounds are toxic and have lower SMAC values than ammonia. Thus, the goal of this Phase I project is to design a catalyst that does not produce NOX and is also active and stable under conditions expected in the VPCAR system.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are several commercial applications for the selective oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen. First, ammonia can be found in stripped sour gas streams, which contain water and H2S. If ammonia is present in these streams, undesirable reactions occur, causing a number of problems in the refinery. Thus, a catalyst that would completely oxidize ammonia to nitrogen would eliminate these problems. In addition, because of the strict regulatory requirements, the catalysts must not produce NO or NO2. Selective ammonia oxidation could also be used to reduce ammonia emissions from selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units, which are currently used to reduce NOX emissions from stationary sources.

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)
An advanced Environment Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for long duration manned space missions -such as planetary flight missions or planetary bases- requires an almost complete closure of all relevant material loops. The recovery of oxygen from a concentrated stream of carbon dioxide (CO2) offers significant advantage to long duration manned space missions by reducing the requirement for consumables. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) proposes a sorbent-based system that carries out CO2 removal and CO2 reduction in a single unit. The system eliminates the interfacing problems associated with the currently operational CO2 Removal Assembly (CDRA) and planned CO2 Reduction Assembly (CRA).

In the Phase I work, we will develop a high capacity, long-life MgO sorbent that can effectively remove CO2 from the cabin air. We will also demonstrate the technical feasibility of carrying out CO2 removal and reduction in a single unit.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The sorbents developed in the project is also applicable to a wide v ariety of industrial processes, which requires CO2 removal at moderate temperatures (i.e., CO2 clean-up from refinery gas streamd) and water gas shift reaction in hydrogen production.

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)
The innovation is a system that will produce a densely compacted, encapsulated form of solid waste that is resistant to biological degradation. Currently, the compaction and storage of solid waste on crewed space missions is based upon the crew manually crushing the mixture of wastes and confining the compacted mass within plastic bags or by wrapping with tape. The innovative system would provide NASA and crewed space missions with an integrated, mechanical processing system that will compact and dehumidify solid wastes for safe storage aboard short-duration missions, or long-duration missions, wherein processing of waste for resource recovery is not planned.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
If successful, the processing system will meet NASA?s immediate need for a practical method of successfully compacting and storing solid waste that is generated on shuttle missions and space stations, while minimizing the involvement of the crew. The system would also have application for long-duration missions or small, isolated communities where storage space is at a premium, environmental control is important, and generated waste cannot be disposed in the local environment.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
George M. Savage
CalRecovery, Inc.
1850 Gateway Blvd, Suite 1060
Concord , CA   94520 - 8451

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
CalRecovery, Inc.
1850 Gateway Blvd, Suite 1060
Concord , CA   94520 - 8451

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Water recovery from wastes is an important feature of resource recovery in advanced life support systems. Stabilization and disinfection is also necessary for safe storage of bio-hazardous waste on extended human missions. From waste material, such as human feces, toilet paper, wet plant biomass, trash, packaging material and tissues, generated on a six-man mission it is possible to extract approximately 7 kg water per day. The proposed microgravity compatible technology will simultaneously recover water and sterilize wet wastes using no consumables. The technology utilizes carbon dioxide, which is extracted from the cabin air. The dehydration and sterilization are performed at low temperatures (31?C) and moderate pressures (74-200 bar). At such conditions carbon dioxide exists in a supercritical state and has been demonstrated as an effective sterilant. In contrast to alternative drying technologies, pre-processing of the waste materials is not required because of the superior mass transport properties of supercritical fluids. For the Phase 1 project the feasibility of simultaneous dehydration and sterilization will be investigated using supercritical carbon dioxide. The focus of the Phase II effort will be to build a breadboard system for delivery to NASA for testing and evaluation in the BioPlex.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Dehydration of heat sensitive materials using supercritical carbon dioxide is a viable alternative to lyophilization. Lyophilization does not sterilize the dehydrated item and as such supercritical carbon dioxide drying is a promising technology applicable to medical applications. Current sterilization technologies rely on chemicals that are toxic to the sterilization operators and patients. Revenues of over $400 million have been projected for replacement of toxic ethylene oxide gas with supercritical carbon sterilization activities in US hospitals alone.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ian J. Brown
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)
NASA has identified the need to minimize the use of life support expendables in the closed environment of space missions. The innovation, black light materials, proposed by Science, Math & Engineering, Inc. (SME), uses an ultraviolet (UV) light source attached to different configurations of UV emitting optical fibers that can be placed within fluids for sterilization or in close proximity to filtration beds for reduction of biofilms. Elastomer material, which transmits UV, would sheath UV emitting optical fibers from direct contact with fluid while maintaining the flexibility necessary for different delivery geometries. Black light materials are innovative because different optical fiber delivery geometries can distribute UV light to a volume or surface more effectively than conventional UV sources. Available UV power is better utilized resulting in less need for life support expendables like filtration beds and disinfecting chemicals. The treatment of stored water with iodine, for example, could be replaced with sterilization by black light materials. Anticipated results of the Phase I effort would yield a biofilm control and water recovery and storage system that relieves use of life support expendables in space missions. Phase I would lay the groundwork for assembling a prototype system for testing in Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Civilian and private sectors that would benefit from the Phase I effort are waste water remediation sites; surface cleaning and defouling facilities and; suppliers of UV sterilization equipment.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Michael L. Burns
Science, Math & Engineering, Inc.
45 Manning Road
Billerica , MA   01821 - 3934

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Science, Math & Engineering, Inc.
45 Manning Road
Billerica , MA   01821 - 3934

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A portable water purification system based upon an innovative ambient temperature mesoporous catalyst is proposed. This system will oxidize aqueous organic contaminants during transfer from storage to the point of use. Ion exchange media can be added as needed to remove ionic contaminants. Currently, the most active oxidation catalyst contains platinum and ruthenium supported on activated carbon. Alcohols, glycols, and aldehydes are slowly oxidized and urea hydrolyzed over this catalyst at ambient temperature. High surface area and catalyst loading are responsible for this performance; however, tenuous connectivity between micropores less than 3 nm in diameter impedes full utilization of all catalyst sites by limiting access to reactants and removal of by-products. The innovation will utilize recent advances in molecular self-assembly to fabricate mesoporous supports with high surface area, controlled pore size, and much improved pore access. An open framework of 30 nm pores will dramatically reduce mass transfer resistance and improve oxidation rates. This will allow water purification at the point of use and can also serve as an emergency back-up water processor. The Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. The Phase II program will deliver a prototype ambient temperature processor capable of eliminating organic contaminants from moderately contaminated water.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Enhanced aqueous phase oxidation catalysts will have numerous commercial applications. The most readily apparent 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 manned missions aboard the International Space Station and beyond where minimization of expendables and low power requirements are highly valued. Commercial applications on earth include the elimination of organic contaminants present in waste water or ground water, and as an integrated component utilized for the production of ultra pure water. Ambient temperature operation is an extremely attractive attribute wherever environmental contaminants must be cleaned up in situ using a pump and treat system or where a reactive barrier must be incorporated to contain the spread of a contaminant plume. Current ultra pure water production technologies are focused along specific lines which do not effectively meet all water purity requirements and which will be challenged as maximum contaminant levels are lowered in the next generation semiconductor fabrication facility. Ambient temperature catalytic processes will meet higher water quality standards in a cost effective manner. As a result of the Phase II effort, UMPQUA Research Company (URC) will have a working prototype to help 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
125 Volunteer Way
Myrtle Creek , OR   97457 - 0102

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
UMPQUA Research Company
125 Volunteer Way
Myrtle Creek , OR   97457 - 0102

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The recycling of water to produce potable and hygiene water from wastewater is a primary goal of NASA's advanced life support programs. Nanosize alumina fibers with small (2 nanometer) diameters offer the opportunity to construct filters with a pore size that would intercept and retain virus size as well as larger (bacteria) particles. These fibers are also known to chemisorb metal ions and halogens such as iodine. The proposed program would characterize such fibers for virus adhesion and modify the method of producing them to enhance such adhesion. The optimized fibers would be combined into filter membranes and retested to assure that virus adhesion efficacy is retained in the presence of iodinated water. Silver ion would be chemisorbed onto the filters as a biocide to inhibit fouling. In phase 2 the capacity of such filters will be determined for large volumes of known concentrations of virus-containing water and virus + bacteria laden water. The expected filters would provide NASA with an in-line filter of high capacity that would purify pathogens from volumes of drinking water supplies at room temperature and without the use of chemicals or energy. Methods of regeneration of such filters would also be evaluated.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Current methods of virus analysis are hampered by filters that only operate under acid conditions or are extraordinarily expensive. The proposed filters would enable the cost-effective adsorption/elution of viruses for analytical purposes. Silver laden versions would be suitable as in-line filters in dental suites for assuring that water and aspirator lines are not cross contaminated with pathogens. Medical devices and pharmaceutical manufacturing would benefit from on-line filters that would assure sterilization for particles as small as the smallest virus. The filters may be suitable for purification of water for military personnel in remote locations.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Frederick Tepper
Argonide Corporation
291 Power Ct
Sanford , FL   32771 - 9406

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Argonide Corporation
291 Power Ct
Sanford , FL   32771 - 9406

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The ?space adaptation syndrome? develops in conditions in which nauseogenic stimuli are present for a long period of time. The perceptual situation of an astronaut exposed to unusual gravitational-inertial forces is similar to ones found in experiments involving perceptual rearrangement. In both situations, an observer is confronted with a variety of sensory conflicts that initially disrupt perception and behavior and may cause nausea. Likewise, in both situations most people reveal an ability to adapt to these imposed conflicts and the disruptive responses are reduced or eliminated. Thus, overcoming motion sickness, correcting performance, and regaining normal perception in space may involve many of the same processes as adaptation to perceptual rearrangement in general. In this Phase I research, we propose to run studies in which graded motion sickness is induced through the systematic distortion of the relevant characteristics of a VR device, exposure is repeated until adaptation is attained, and then, generalization of this adaptation is tested in a related but different device?an (OKN) Drum. Through this process we hope to achieve the major goal of this research which is to develop a paradigm for reducing the symptoms of space motion sickness through perceptual training on a virtual reality device.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In recent years the possibility that space motion sickness might interfere with performance has been a major concern. As the word "interfere" suggests, the concern has been that space motion sickness might interrupt ongoing activities, e.g. as frank emesis does. An additional concern is that nausea as a negative reinforcer might lead to responses that could, in principle, be performed long after motion sickness proper had subsided. The responses most likely to be affected are head and eye movements. It is possible that these learned nausea-avoidance responses continue to affect an astronaut?s performance adversely although he or she may have no direct awareness of their presence. Based on recent studies with visual reality (VR) devices conducted in our laboratory we are able to produce systematic and replicable changes in the incidence and severity of motion sickness symptomatology among participants. With our ability to do so, we believe that we can develop a training technique or paradigm for the transfer of adaptation from other conditions which produce motion sickness and which have relevance for business, industry, the military and the private sector.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Robert Kennedy
RSK Assessments, Inc.
1040 Woodcock Road, Suite 227
Orlando , FL   32803 - 3510

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
RSK Assessments, Inc.
1040 Woodcock Road, Suite 227
Orlando , FL   32803 - 3510

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed Phase I outlines a plan to develop a completely wireless, "smart" surface electromyographic (EMG) system. The project is directed at NASA's request for innovative in-flight and ground-based technologies to improve current methods of monitoring vital organ systems that suffer deleterious effects in micro gravity. The multi-channel digital system will provide reliable, accurate, and noninvasive monitoring of the musculoskeletal system without encumbering the user. The innovation builds on recent technological developments of our group in achieving a wireless EMG sensor prototype, as well as a portable data logger and advanced electrode/skin interfaces. The solution we propose is a significant departure from current state of the art systems that are encumbered by wires, body-worn hardware, and lack on-board processing for "smart-sensor" capability.

During Phase I, the objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a smart, completely wireless, multichannel EMG monitoring system. The proposed deliverable is a prototype wireless EMG system capable of recording EMG signals concurrently from two sensors, and transmitting raw, or processed versions of the signal to a distant receiver without the need for wires or body-worn hardware. Phase II would focus on the development and testing of a complete EMG system, as well as its commercialization.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed completely wireless, smart EMG system would find use in Rehabilitation, Monitoring for work place injury prevention, Sports Medicine, Ergonomics, Myoelectric Prosthetics, Exercise training, and Motion studies.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Andreas Johansson
DELSYS INC.
PO BOX 15734
BOSTON , MA   02215 - 0015

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
DELSYS INC.
PO BOX 15734
BOSTON , MA   02215 - 0015

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Health care and medical intervention during missions, of extended duration can be improved using medical instruments, which allow in flight specimen analysis. Thus, non-invasive biosensors for real-time monitoring of blood chemistry and cellular components, in particular proteins are highly desired. Current technologies based upon ELISAs can only quantitate a single protein at a time. However, due to complicated procedure for antibody immobilization, limited stability, and poor compatibility for biological materials, has strongly diminished the apparent attraction of immuno-sensors. These limitations could be overcome by using artificial receptors, which mimic the active sites of antibodies. Lynntech proposes to develop a novel sensitive recognition element to detect physiologically relevant target proteins. This is an enabling technology that combines a novel nonoimprinted polymer composite for the specific recognition of large biomolecules with the established technology of conducting plastics. During the Phase I, elements prepared to recognize different proteins would be arranged in an array to enable the simultaneous identification and quantitation of many proteins from a single sample. The proposed research will result in to a hand held device capable of specific recognition of small concentrations of target proteins from biological fluids at the end of Phase II.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The rapid and simultaneous quantitation of large number of proteins in biological fluids will become a valuable tool in clinical diagnostics. Development of sensor to detect proteins in real time will be welcomed by every health professional.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Waheguru P. Singh
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)
The final goal of this proposal is to develop a non-invasive, ambulatory technique for cardiac output (CO) computation by which conventional bioimpedance data are processed by a Neural Network (NN) to produce a CO measurement, useful during extended duration flight in space missions. We will develop a NN by which CO can be reconstructed from bioimpedance measurements, thus allowing the use of an accurate, portable and affordable device for monitoring and diagnostic purposes. Our preliminary work indicates that a NN based algorithm can capture the information present in the bioimpedance signal to accurately compute the CO value.

Phase I will test the feasibility of developing the NN implementation necessary to compute the CO from bioimpedance data. In Phase I we will develop and test a prototype that will integrate the bioimpedance stimulator/acquisition front end, and signal processing into a cost-effective, ambulatory CO monitor unit. Phase II will complete verification and validation of the system. We believe that this novel application of signal processing and NNs has the potential to bring a totally new CO monitor to the market.

Successful completion of the proposed development program will result in a new, easy-to-use system that will advance CO monitoring capabilities for crew health assurance during space missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Our improved CO monitoring technique will have a great impact particularly in those specialties that benefit the most from free mobility and reduced signal artifacts. Among the patients in the United States who will benefit from this technology are 60 million hypertensive patients, five million congestive heart failure patients, and one million pacemaker patients. The worldwide potential market for bioimpedance CO monitors is estimated to be $4 billion, in addition to an estimated $800 million in disposables. In addition $52 billion annual healthcare costs are associated with cardiovascular disease. Because of the device's advanced capabilities, it is forecasted in the third year to capture a modest $10 million of the worldwide market.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Fernando Casas
BIOMEC Inc.
1771 E. 30th St
Cleveland , OH   44114 - 4407

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
BIOMEC Inc.
1771 E. 30th St
Cleveland , OH   44114 - 4407

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose a novel, infrared sensor for continuous monitoring of trace contaminants in spacecraft air. Our approach takes advantage of a new class of mid-infrared diode lasers and uses high sensitivity optical methods to achieve fully-automated sensors capable of long term, space-borne operation. Optical methods provide high sensitivity, rapid response, and freedom from false alarms. Extended space flights, including missions on board the International Space Station, have stringent requirements on environmental monitoring instruments: low power draw, low weight, and ruggedness plus fully automated, self-calibrating, and maintenance-free operation. Sensors must achieve high sensitivity because NASA's specifications for Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMACs) are typically an order of magnitude lower than standards set by regulatory agencies for terrestrial environments. Our approach can meet all of the requirements identified above for space-borne sensors. The proposed work emphasizes in situ detection of ammonia and formaldehyde -- two compounds that are not easily quantified using traditional sampling and analysis methods -- and complements ongoing work at Southwest Sciences on hydrogen cyanide detection.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Our proposed innovation will immediately meet a NASA need as outlined in the solicitation. In addition, successful development of the proposed sensor will also lead to new commercial products for trace gas detection including monitoring of toxic gases (arsine and phosphine) used in semiconductor fabrication and, perhaps, noninvasive medical diagnoses based on trace constituents in exhaled breath.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
David S. Bomse
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Southwest Sciences, Inc.
1570 Pacheco St., Suite E-11
Santa Fe , NM   87505 - 3993

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A critical need exists for sensing and monitoring of spacecraft environments since the accumulation of toxic gases poses a serious threat to human health and systems integrity. Contaminants of particular concern include formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia which have a maximum allowable concentrations of 40 ppb, 1 ppm and 10 ppm respectively. Present technologies for monitoring these gases at these levels are inadequate for spacecraft applications, as they all suffer from some combination of (a) large mass, (b) high power requirements (c) low sensitivity, (d) poor selectivity, (e) poor long-term stability and (f) high maintenance. Boston MicroSystems, Inc. proposes to develop a Spacecraft Environmental Monitor which overcomes these limitations, by integrating semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) conductometric thin films onto its miniaturized low mass and ultra-low power SiC microhotplate gas sensor platform. The proposed Spacecraft Environmental Monitor will provide a highly sensitive, selective, and stable instrument for precise measurement of a wide variety of volatile organic compounds, as well as CO, H2, hydrazine and NOx. Boston MicroSystems? unique and mechanically robust SiC microhotplate design eliminates the mechanical and chemical degradation responsible for long-term drift in sensor response as is characteristic of traditional microhotplate conductometric gas sensors.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Sensors for monitoring air quality in buildings, work environments, vehicles and other closed spaces are needed for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) controls to ensure human health and safety, while maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing CO2 emissions. Battery-operated, low-power wireless sensors would allow deployment in next-generation buildings, airplanes, work environments, etc. as well as for retrofitting of existing systems where rewiring costs are prohibitive.
Highly sensitive and selective chemical sensors are also needed for electronic nose applications. This emerging technology promises to revolutionize food safety (detection of pathogens), pollution detection, manufacturing quality control, sorting technologies, personnel identification, breathalyzers, drug interdiction, and smart systems/consumer goods. The development of BMS? low-power SiC microhotplate platform and conductometric sensor arrays based on SMO films can meet the challenge of both HVAC and electronic nose applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dharanipal Doppalapudi
Boston MicroSystems Inc.
30-H Sixth Road
Woburn , MA   01801 - 1758

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Boston MicroSystems Inc.
30-H Sixth Road
Woburn , MA   01801 - 1758

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Microbial contamination, which is unavoidable inside any manned closed habitat, is a hazard of all human space flights. While microorganisms can be beneficial in the recycling of solids and waste water, they also can have detrimental effects if allowed to flourish unchecked (e.g., infection of the crew, degradation of materials, enhancement of corrosion, food contamination and spoilage, food crop damage, and contamination of water recovery systems). We propose to develop a novel, environmentally benign, antimicrobial surface modification. The modified surfaces will kill bacteria on contact, will be effective wet or dry, will be effective long-term, and will not need any additional care to maintain thin biocidal properties. The proposed surface modification can be applied to complex shapes; to either, or both, the inner and outer surfaces of those shapes; and to a variety of common plastics and fabrics.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The many applications of this technology are what make it so attractive. Since the proposed antimicrobial surface modification can be applied to a variety of plastics preformed into complex shapes, its use is virtually unlimited. Using this technique, the surfaces of common objects (e.g. doorknobs, keyboards and pads, telephones, countertops, etc.) could be modified to render them antiseptic and thus help prevent the transmission of bacterial infections. The proposed surface modifications also could be used to form antimicrobial fabrics, to treat medical devices, to produce heavy metal free anti-fouling coatings, in water filtration and other membranes, in dental and other water lines, and for glove and respirator materials.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Wendy E. Krause, Ph.D.
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)
In order to permit humans to live and work safely in space NASA has a need for in flight automated monitoring of microbiological water quality in regenerative life support systems. Such monitoring is used to ensure and maintain water treatment efficacy and protect crew health. Existing standard microbiological monitoring techniques are labor intensive and/or produce large volumes of biological and chemical waste. These factors render these methods unattractive for in-flight monitoring use. We propose an innovative multi-sample, in-line, automated system for the enumeration of heterotrophic indicator bacteria in water supplies. These organisms are commonly used to monitor efficacy of water treatment and disinfection processes. This innovative fluidics-based integrative technology makes use of in-line automated sampling, metabolic cell indicators, and photometry. The proposed system is automated, rugged, minimally sample consumptive/waste productive, small and low power. The technology is also adaptable for detection of other microbial indicators, allowing for use in regulatory compliance monitoring. The system eliminates the need for manual sampling (which can cause sample contamination itself), shipping (if required), and laboratory-based analysis. Significant commercial potential exists with such a monitoring system for public and critical applications water supply monitoring. These include drinking, bathing and industrial applications waters.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The automated microbiological water monitor (AMWM) will be of interest to entities currently collecting and performing microbiological analyses in-house, or transporting samples to laboratories. There are two general commercial application classes; regulatory compliance monitoring and general use monitoring. Some potential commercial applications are listed below.
-Automated compliance monitoring of public drinking and bathing water supplies.
-Automated monitoring of industrial process waters, such as those used in pharaceutical, food, and critical component (silicon chip, etc.) production.
-Automated medical and dental water supply monitoring.
-Automated monitoring of bottled water production.

This technology will allow these systems to automate their microbiological monitoring. This will save labor, shipping, data tracking and reduce incidence of manual sampling-based sample contamination. For remote water supplies, this technology will eliminate the need for an in-house laboratory, or time-, and temperature-sensitive shipping of samples to distant laboratories for analysis.
Straightforward technology modification for detection of other/additional microbial contaminants (example total coliforms, E. coli) will increase the number of commercial applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James J. Smith
Montana Microbiological Services,llc.
2010 N. 7th Ave.
Bozeman , MT   59715 - 2576

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Montana Microbiological Services,llc.
2010 N. 7th Ave.
Bozeman , MT   59715 - 2576

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Since human physical and cognitive performance capabilities vary over time, NASA requires technology the can help manage individual and team performance in four ways: 1) monitoring performance capability, 2) training to complement and supplement routine demands, 3) designing environments and procedures that reduce long-term degradation and 4) evaluating the effectiveness of the first three steps. Innova Products Corp. has developed a gyroscopic-based resistive exercise technology that can be adapted to a variety of training regimes and platforms for developing strength, endurance and coordination for all major muscle groups, while contributing to bone growth, mental acuity and/or relaxation. The technology includes means for monitoring and evaluating training results and allows for flexible equipment design, providing opportunity for variety and further reducing performance degradation. Phase I R/R&D will explore the limits of these capabilities in a micro-gravity environment, and in the process, demonstrate the merit and feasibility of its development. Phase I will produce: 1) virtual prototype, 2) comprehensive exercise regime, 3) durability/reliability testing, and 4) design and environmental impact analysis. Phase II will tailor these results to NASA?s needs through testing and optimization of physical prototypes supported by short and long-term human trials.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial potential of Innova's Gyroscopic Resistive Exercise Technology (G-RET) lies primarily within the home and institutional fitness equipment markets. Several leading fitness manufacturers and marketers have expressed interest in the technology and its strong potential for direct marketing sales. Various platforms for aerobic and strength training are being developed. The compact size and light weight of a gyroscopic-based exercise device allows for new modes of portable, personal fitness equipment. The technology creates a highly pleasurable resistance that can more closely match the natural leverage advantages that occur over the range of an exercise movement. Innova Products Corp. continues to pursue and obtain comprehensive patent protection of G-RET?s ongoing development.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Peter Hamady
Innova Products Corp.
10 East 40th Street, Suite 4210
New York , NY   10016 - 0301

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Innova Products Corp.
10 East 40th Street, Suite 4210
New York , NY   10016 - 0301

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Advanced Medical Electronics (AME) proposes to develop a modular physiological monitoring and data acquisition system based on the new Bluetooth wireless LAN standard. This innovative system will consist of battery powered wireless Bluetooth communications modules only two cubic inches in size that may be attached to a variety of equally small physiological sensors/amplifiers. The system will be adaptable to emergency response scenarios as well as routine physiological monitoring during human space exploration missions. The new Bluetooth self-discovering wireless networking standard offers low power consumption, small size, 10-meter range, and is well suited for a wearable physiological monitoring application. Bluetooth uses a fast acknowledgment and frequency-hopping scheme to make the link robust in a noisy RF environment. Devices operating in a Bluetooth network are identified by type, which allows automatic software configuration of measurement-specific digital processing routines. In phase I, AME will work with NASA to create a design specification for the system and prototype units will be built to demonstrate functionality. In phase II, a number of battery powered Bluetooth modules and several different sensor/amplifier front ends will be designed and built to allow full evaluation of the system. Phase II will also include preparations for commercial production.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial potential of Bluetooth enabled medical devices is significant. The inherent modularity of the approach and the specific features of Bluetooth make it an attractive option for medical instrumentation system designers. Advanced Medical Electronics has worked with companies like QRS Diagnostics, LLC in developing PC card (formerly PCMCIA card) modular medical instrumentation in the past. Modular forms of medical instrumentation take functions such as pulse oximetry, ECG, blood pressure, spirometry, etc. and allow them to plug into a wide variety of handheld and portable computers. This modularity is very attractive to customers because it allows the user interface components of the system, typically a PC or PDA, to be upgraded without having to replace the measurement specific components of the system. In phase II, QRS Diagnostics will put the designs completed by AME into production. The QRS position in the marketplace will allow them to quickly commercialize the products developed under this proposed SBIR. This will assure NASA a low cost source of Bluetooth wearable modular medical instrumentation after the phase II project is complete.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gary Havey
Advanced Medical Electronics Corp.
7124 Arrowwood Lane
Maple Grove , MN   55369 - 0000

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Medical Electronics Corp.
7124 Arrowwood Lane
Maple Grove , MN   55369 - 0000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA is currently developing an on-board hyperbaric chamber to treat decompression sickness during long-term space missions. The prototype pressure vessel is already complete and Mainstream is developing a pressurization subsystem that also addresses breathing gas delivery (oxygen generation) through a current SBIR effort. An environmental control subsystem (ECS) is desperately needed to perform thermal, moisture, carbon dioxide, particulate, and volatilized hydrocarbon control and monitoring in the hyperbaric chamber. In Phase I, Mainstream will complete the preliminary design of the ECS and demonstrate active thermal control with a laboratory prototype. Mainstream's highly innovative design will improve performance by 150-200% and reliability by 470% over current space-based heat pumps. Component size, weight, and power will be demonstrated. In Phase II, the entire ECS will be fabricated, integrated with Mainstream's pressurization and oxygen delivery subsystems, and life tested. The overall result of this program will be system hardware ready for flight-approval.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Hyperbaric chamber therapy is the "Gold Standard" treatment for both altitude and diving decompression sickness. Several NASA operations including B-57 flight program, standard flight activities, NBL activities, and altitude chamber activities pose risk of decompression sickness. While fixed chamber facilities exist, some critical operations such as extra-vehicular activities (shuttle and ISS) and non-CONUS operation (Russian Hydrolab and Soyuz/ACRV landing sites) will require portable hyperbaric systems. The U.S. military has expressed interest in portable hyperbaric chambers for U.S. Navy submarine rescue, salvage operations, and SEALS, as well as U.S. Air Force high-altitude flight operations. Civilian applications include commercial diving operations and recreational diving (DAN). NASA estimates the total need for 100-200 hyperbaric chambers annually.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Gregory S. Cole
Mainstream Engineering Corporation
200 Yellow Place
Rockledge , FL   32955 - 5327

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Mainstream Engineering Corporation
200 Yellow Place
Rockledge , FL   32955 - 5327

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Triton Systems will help enable NASA exploration class missions such as those to Mars by developing an extended shelf-life food packaging system using our highly advanced polymeric nanocomposite materials. Triton?s new single- and multi-layer polymer films will be capable of sustaining thermostabilized, rehydratable, natural state, and intermediate moisture foods for at least three to five years in space storage conditions. These new materials include EVOH-, polyethylene- and PET-layered-silicate nanocomposites with at least 2 and 3 times improvement in barrier to diffusing species at various humidity levels. In the Phase I effort, Triton proposes to fabricate and test four configurations of these optimized, high-barrier materials. By dramatically reducing the amount of necessary packaging material, these lightweight thermoplastic nanocomposites can reduce weight and waste by half. The polymers remain flexible, thin and lightweight as low-levels of nano-dispersed inorganic material provide maximum barrier, retaining fresh, palatable food for longer periods of time and compatible for use with microwave, hot-plate convection ovens, and hot water-injection pouches. These materials are readily recyclable. The Phase II effort will fabricate multi-processed prototype packaging for evaluation. On a Phase III Program, Triton, with a Tier-1 NASA vendor, will produce food-packaging systems for use in future exploration class missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Triton has successfully scaled-up polymer nanocomposite food packaging tray samples for use by the Army through REXAM Containers. This accomplishment has also attracted commercial attention from major food, beverage, health and beauty supply packagers in the US and abroad. The nanocomposite materials remain as flexible, recyclable, and versatile as virgin resin counterparts and in addition provide maximum barrier under varying humidity conditions. High-barrier properties result from the orientation of nano-scale, layered inorganic platelets in very low-additive percentages. Since these effects can be seen at very low loading levels of layered-silicate organoclays, the approach is highly cost-effective. The nanocomposite structure enables unparalleled reductions in wall-thickness for bottles, pouches and thermoformed or injection-molded trays. This results directly in lower shipping, processing, and materials costs

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Meredith Rose
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4053

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Triton Systems, Inc.
200 Turnpike Road
Chelmsford , MA   01824 - 4053

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Omnisite BioDiagnostics (OmniSite) proposes to develop a handheld fluorescence polarization (FP) reader for genetic microarrays to assess transcriptional changes in the genes of radiation-exposed astronauts. The reader will be capable of extracting messenger RNA (mRNA) from the blood or other tissues of an astronaut and looking for changes in the transcription of radiation-associated genes such as p53 on commercially available microscope slide-based gene arrays. Amplification of the RNA will be performed either by a variation of Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA) or Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The advantage of using the FP mode of detection on the microarray is obviating the need for wash steps, thus making assays simpler and faster. FP enables homogenous one-step assays without sacrificing sensitivity.

In Phase I, OmniSite will provide proof-of-concept for the detection of mRNAs on a gene array using an FP breadboard setup. OmniSite will also provide design parameters for a miniaturized handheld FP reader. In phase II, OmniSite will construct the handheld FP reader and demonstrate its use on real animal blood samples.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The entire genomics area is exploding technologically and in terms of commercialization of readers and assays for a variety of genetic diseases. In addition, pharmaceutical companies are very interested in pharmacogenomics (i.e., assessing the effects of drugs on gene transcription). OmniSite?s handheld FP microarray reader will provide both the clinical and pharmaceutical industries a much needed handheld reader for assessment of transcriptional activity.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John Bruno, PhD
OmniSite BioDiagnostics Inc.
101 W. Sixth Street, Suite 200
Austin , TX   78701 - 2932

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
OmniSite BioDiagnostics Inc.
101 W. Sixth Street, Suite 200
Austin , TX   78701 - 2932

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose the Bone UltraSonic Scanner (BUSS) for bone conditions assessment that will offer unique capabilities in assessment of bone conditions during space flights. The device will detect changes in the composition and micro-architectural properties of bone. BUSS will build on developments made by Artann Laboratories in the multi-parametric ultrasonic scanners for osteoporosis detection and acoustic pediatric osteometer for monitoring growth of long bones in children. Main features of BUSS technology are:
? Multi-parametric assessment of bone conditions based on measurements of multiple propagation parameters of longitudinal and flexural of acoustic waves;
? Multi-site examination of the skeleton, involving weight-bearing and non weight-bearing bones; and sites with variable proportion of trabecular and compact bone tissues
? Manual scanning mode allowing for simple and efficient self-examination guided by easy instructions.
? Hand-held design and ultracompact lightweight construction
The device will allow robust, and sensitive data collection on structural and mechanical state of skeletal system by laypersons.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The BUSS technology and device can also have a number of commercially important applications other than in-flight spacecraft use. Monitoring of the bone health conditions and changes caused by physical exercise can be an important issue in sports medicine and athlete?s training process. BUSS can be a novel tool to scientifically design, create and observe bone health characteristics and influence of physical exercise on changes in bone parameters. Assessment of bone conditions for military personnel on remote locations, naval expeditions and other extended-time remote missions may offer a non-invasive and effective way of health maintenance and early prevention of unwanted consequences of bone condition changes.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Armen Sarvazyan
Artann Laboratories, Inc.
1 Riva Avenue
North Brunswick , NJ   08902 - 4731

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Artann Laboratories, Inc.
1 Riva Avenue
North Brunswick , NJ   08902 - 4731

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. and Prof. Rick Barrera at Rice University have recently developed materials and freeform fabrication processes based on extrusion (EFF) for high-strength engineering polymer composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes. They have found that extrusion under high pressure is the only technique that can provide some means of aligning and dispersing the nanotube fibers in a polymer composite matrix. Recent developments at NASA LaRC and Rice University suggest that polymers containing hydrogen are excellent materials to resist radiation exposure. If engineering polymers such as polyethylene, PEEK, polypropylene etc can be reinforced with carbon nanotubes filled with hydrogen, it would now be possible to fabricate high-strength, lightweight radiation shielding materials, thus obtaining multi-functional materials where one of the functions is radiation shielding.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Potential applications are for NASA and for commercial space travel, which seems to be increasingly becoming popular. All space radiation environment which humans will travel will benefit from these materials.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ranji Vaidyanathan
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.
3292 E. Hemisphere Loop
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 5013

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.
3292 E. Hemisphere Loop
Tucson , AZ   85706 - 5013

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A detailed simulation of the propagation of particles (including photons, electrons, nucleons,
mesons and so forth) through matter is the key component of any software which aims to
evaluate the effectiveness of shielding for materials and systems. The same core software
is also central to the development of high energy and nuclear physics experiments; while
the aim in this case is generally analysis of the performance of particle detectors, the same
physical effects must be simulated, and in considerable detail. Over the last few decades, the
high energy physics community has devoted an enormous amount of effort to the development
of software packages to simulate the interaction of radiation with matter. We propose to
evaluate the most current and detailed of these packages to ascertain to what extent it can
be adapted and specialized for evaluation of biological shielding.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Potential commercial applications would address any concern involving radiation shielding for
biological or other materials. This includes the aerospace industry, where cumulative doses
to passengers and crew due to cosmic rays at high altitudes are of concern. The code could
also be used to evaluate shielding for reactors, industrial radiography installations, and
medical imaging and radiotherapy facilities. Other applications involve evaluation of shielding
for laboratories engaged in basic research where radioactive or X-ray sources are used.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
tom paul
alternative energy solutions, inc.
PO Box 230269
Boston , MA   02123 - 0269

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
alternative energy solutions, inc.
PO Box 230269
Boston , MA   02123 - 0269

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Development of key components for the Optical Waveguide (OW) Solar Plant Lighting System is proposed. In this system, solar radiation is divided into two spectral components: photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) spectra (400 nm < lambda < 700 nm); and non-PAR spectra (lambda < 400 nm, lambda > 700 nm). The PAR component is directed to the OW transmission line and is transmitted to the plant growth chamber, while the non-PAR spectra are converted either to electric power or to process heat. The proposed system will improve the efficiency of plant lighting for biomass production by at least one order of magnitude over the conventional electric lighting system. In Phase I, system configurations for three specific applications: orbit/transit flight; Lunar colony; and Mars colony, will be developed. Experiments will be conducted to evaluate feasibility of the design concepts for each key components. Based on the results, design concepts of the engineering system to be built and tested in Phase II will be developed.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The main application of the Optical Waveguide (OW) solar plant lighting technology is in bioregenerative space life support. This technology meets the crucial criteria of: 1) energy efficiency, since it derives from available solar irradiance its photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) spectra for plant growth, and also captures the heat-generating spectra for storage as electric energy to be used later in operating artificial lighting when solar radiation is not available; and 2) physical volume miniaturization of the plant growth chamber, since the heat-free light transmitted by the OW system will not require extra air space to allow for heat handling. Commercial applications of the OW solar system include: spacecraft solar power generation (photovoltaic and thermal power generation); laser power transmission and receiving between spacecraft; high pulsed power transmission without causing EMI; transmission of solar light into ocean for bio-culture; in-situ solar toxic material remediation in subsoil contaminants; and solar lighting of residential and commercial buildings.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Taskash Nakamura
Physical Sciences Inc.
2110 Omega Rd., Suite D
San Ramon , CA   94583 - 1295

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Physical Sciences Inc.
2110 Omega Rd., Suite D
San Ramon , CA   94583 - 1295

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A novel data-driven approach to distributed operations is proposed to
enable remote visualization of multimedia data and control of
telescience experiments from geographically dispersed locations. The
web-based framework leverages on Java and XML technologies to create
portable code and portable data that can be accessed and run on any
common computing platforms. To accommodate the diverse needs of
different telescience experiments and users, the framework emphasizes
openness and extensibility. Users can utilize the available viewers
to create their own clients according to their particular
preferences, and also upload their developed components for custom
data processing, view generation, and experiment planning. The same
system, possibly with a subset of data and tools, can be used for
public outreach. With 3D models and simulation of the payloads, the
public users can replay telescience experiments and conduct their
experiments with the virtual payloads.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The extensible, scalable, and secure framework for web-based
multimedia visualization and payload control can be used to develop
systems for web-based learning, medicine, manufacturing, etc. The
web-centric approach facilitates remote consultation with multiple
experts (e.g., physicians, scientists, engineers) to attain best
results, through efficient data sharing and collaboration.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Kam S. Tso
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)
With increasing advancements in Internet technologies the generation of "on-site technical experts" will quickly fade. With the capability to distribute real-time data over the Internet, collaborative efforts between scientists and field experts can occur instantly between remote locations without the need for costly travel expenses. Real-time data distribution has historically been through dedicated hardware circuits with pre-defined data visualization tools. EZStream proposes to provide a common ground where multiple telemetry processing applications (TReK, SQL, OPC, NI, etc?) can interface and send data over a Local Area Network or the public Internet, using flexible easy to use display development tools. Phase I will utilize Java software products previously developed to interface with TReK to provide live data displays for the NASA Learning Technologies Project, Live From Space Stationa. Research will be performed on interfacing EZStream with existing commercial Nematron products. These systems, which successfully utilize Internet standards (e.g., TCP/IP, Java), will serve as baseline references for applying higher-level standards: data acquisition and distribution techniques. In Phase II the most proven capabilities will be incorporated into a prototype EZStream application and interfaced with TReK and Nematron products to provide telescience tools to both NASA and the commercial sector.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

The immediate commercial application is providing a simplified means of data selection, distribution, and display of International Space Station data to hundreds of ISS experiment telescience users over the next decade. These users may be Principle Investigators (PI's) monitoring and controlling their ISS payloads, museums displaying informative kiosks, schools/teachers incorporating live science data into lesson plans, science web sites, or other science interested portals. Another potential user is Nematron, a process control and automation software vendor. This technology will enhance their existing PC-based control solutions for factories and other automated process facilities. Additional markets are other NASA missions, as well as military and commercial systems such as air traffic control and telemedicine.

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 - 2188

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AZ Technology, Inc.
7047 Old Madison Pike, Suite 300
Huntsville , AL   35806 - 2188

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS), in collaboration with Dr. Alex McPherson and Dr. Stanley Koszelak of the University of California, Irvine, proposes to develop a family of unique sub-micron optical fiber sensors to monitor pH, temperature, and ionic strength during protein crystal growth. The proposed device combines an array of sub-micron tapered optical fibers with near﷓field optical (NFO) techniques and polymer-immobilized fluorescent indicators. The result is a versatile, self﷓referenced, multi-analyte, high-speed sensor that will be used to constantly monitor the parameters of a protein crystal growth (PCG) chamber during protein crystallization. Since small differences in pH, temperature, and ionic strength may affect the quality of the resulting crystals, it is highly desirable to monitor the solution parameters. However, because spaceborne crystal growth chambers are very small (on the order of tens of microliters), the measurement of these parameters requires the use of microscopic and sub-microscopic instrumentation that is not currently available. IOS proposes to develop a system capable of determining the influence of crystallization parameters on the size, quality, and growth rate of protein crystals in extremely small volumes. The resulting instrument will be compact enough to be used aboard space platforms, and will lead to a commercial product with medical and pharmaceutical applications.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This sensor could be used to monitor chemical concentrations in any environment where the size of existing sensors makes measurement impractical. Thus, it could be used in biochip surface characterization, in nanochemistry test wells, and in protein microcrystallization studies. It could also be used to measure physiological activity inside mammalian cells and as a probe to determine the effect of drugs on organisms in single-cell tests.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Claudio Egalon
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)
Existing technologies of biological sensing and radio frequency communications developed at Weld Star Technology will be applied to improve the safety of human habitation in space. The innovative sensors for pathogenic biological species possess high sensitivity, selectivity and short response time. This technology is based on the acoustic wave sensor approach and its feasibility has already been demonstrated. The ability to use this technology to monitor the environmental conditions of the cabin water and air with high precision would greatly enhance the safety of astronauts. Phase I of the proposed SBIR project will demonstrate the feasibility of integrating the available sensor with a portable battery powered data acquisition/analysis unit to form a handheld device to determine the concentration of a specific pathogen in recycled water/air. Emphasis will be to design the circuitry, software and power system that will enable a pass/fail decision. Phase II will be devoted to the development of a multi-sensor unit and a RF communication system that will permit remote communication between the handheld unit and a base station. This project will use the conditions aboard the ISS as a model, but is applicable to all space habitats where long term safety of the crew is important.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The potential follow on applications of this technology are immense. We can envision a miniaturized (single chip) version that could have tremendous commercial, space and military applications. Envision a single chip that could be embedded in the space suit that would automatically measure temperature, heart beat, blood pressure and other vital signs. In the civilian market these chips could be combined with the appropriate sensors and placed on produce to measure food safety. In poultry processing for instance, a sensor tag would be inserted into the product at the beginning of the process. The sensor tag would contain origin information that could be used to identify a source of pathogens, should it be detected in the product downstream. Interrogator stations would communicate with the sensor tags at various points, determining pathogen levels in addition to measuring processing conditions. The sensor tags would also provide automatic tracking, shipment and inventory at each step from the producer to the distributor to the market. At the market checkout, the sensor tag would be interrogated for the product code and for levels of pathogens as a final check on safety. The sensor tag uses radio frequency and would not require manual optical scanning.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Howard Clyde Wikle
Weld Star Technology, Inc.
610 Jennifer Drive
Auburn , AL   36830 - 7110

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Weld Star Technology, Inc.
610 Jennifer Drive
Auburn , AL   36830 - 7110

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A Light Emitting Diode Array as countermeasure for Pituitary/Neuroendocrine effects of microgravity in long term space missions. We feel what we learn in space, by developing countermeasures for long-term exposure to microgravity and radiation exposure, can lead to tremendous improvements in medical care for patients here on earth. Spaceflight has been shown to impair bone, muscle and cutaneous repair as well as pituitary/neuroendocrine function. The limited information available suggests that delayed healing in microgravity is related to impaired angiogenesis, immune dysfunction and alterations in cell migration. These are also primary factors contributing to non-healing, chronic wounds on earth. This study will test the hypothesis that Light-Emitting Diode (LED) technology used for biostimulation can be enhanced to deliver doses of near-infrared (IR) light deep into the brain, at the level of the pituitary gland, to stimulate neuronal processes, including cytochrome c oxidase activity and neuronal regeneration.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The initial thrust of this research is to develop a device that can be used as a countermeasure for pituitary/neuroendocrine effects of microgravity in long-term space flight. There is no doubt that this type biostimulatory enhancement, once demonstrated for space, can be immediately applied to military applications and will have profound economic implications for the health care industry here on earth. With the development of a low cost LED source, this technology will no doubt find its way into rural area medical facilities thereby making the technology readily available to everyone. The world wide commercial implications for this device technology are enormous.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ronald W. Ignatius
Quantum Devices, Inc.
112 Orbison Street
Barneveld , WI   53507 - 0100

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Quantum Devices, Inc.
112 Orbison Street
Barneveld , WI   53507 - 0100

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This initiative designs and fabricates an etched multiple-element liquid crystal Fabry-Perot that behaves as several independent liquid crystal Fabry-Perot etalons simultaneously. This is a robust, solid state device which will be the core component for two twin-etalon system delivered in Phase II. The first system is a 100-channel ultra-high spectral resolution filter operating at 1064 nm as a lidar receiver that uses the double-edge technique to make Doppler wind measurements. The second is a 100-channel visible broad band electrically-tunable spectral imager operating from 400 to 700 nm. The twin-etalon systems to be supplied in Phase II are contingent upon the successful design and fabrication in Phase I of a single, 4-channel high spectral resolution liquid crystal etalon with 5 cm gap spacing and upon fabrication of a 1064 nm reflective dielectric coating. This project innovates by partitioning through etching the transparent conductive layer used to control the index of refraction of the liquid crystal to create multiple etalons that can each be independently tuned onto a single substrate. The resulting filter features electronic tunability, simultaneous frequency sampling capability, vibration and radiation insensitivity, high throughput, and light weight design that are unmatched by any other current technology in a single unit.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
An LC etalon is a single, lightweight unit, nearly impervious to vibration or shock. As such it is an ideal component for chemical imaging or spectroscopy systems for use in space or other hostile environments. In addition, the ability to create multiple etalons from one substrate and the fact that tuning is accomplished with very little power (less than 200 mA at 12 V) and no moving parts makes this filter system well adapted to NASA requirements for smaller, lighter systems for on-orbit, airborne, or sub-orbital platforms. The proposed tunable filters are ideally suited to narrow band isolation required in LIDAR and general laser applications. Beyond that, numerous commercial concerns express interest in simultaneous multiple?frequency sampling tunable filtering. One ideally suited application is that of optical telecommunication that desire simultaneous sampling of many channels. Environmental and related applications can also benefit from the ability to remotely identify chemical cloud composition and to precisely determine location and abundance of toxic chemicals. Both the textile and paper industries have communicated interest in robust, easily tunable filters for the purpose of monitoring product uniformity.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Yan Betremieux
Scientific Solutions Inc.
55 Middlesex Street
Chelmsford , MA   01863 - 1561

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scientific Solutions Inc.
55 Middlesex Street
Chelmsford , MA   01863 - 1561

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed effort consists of applying Aerodyne's polarimetric spectral intensity modulation technique to design a passive sensor to improve NASA's capability for airborne retrieval of aerosol properties. The technique is innovative because it is capable of simultaneously measuring perfectly registered spectra and full Stokes polarimetry in a single snapshot. The technique has been demonstrated in the laboratory in both the visible and long wave infrared spectral regimes. The Phase I effort will consist of a sensor design, a correlative in situ experiment using an existing polarimetric spectral intensity modulation sensor along with Aerodyne's Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, and a modest algorithm development effort.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There are several potential commercial applications for this technology. The most promising application is in the field of optical metrology. In particular, our technique is well suited to performing hyperspectral ellipsometry for the measurement of thickness and complex index of refraction of thin films. Other potential applications include industrial process control of sugar solution concentrations and remote surface orientation retrieval for efficient generation of 3D CAD models.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Stephen Jones
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)
Several significant potential infrared applications of tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers are not presently possible because of the unavailability of a Fabry-Perot that can be tuned at cryogenic temperatures. For operation in the far infrared (8-12 micron) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, optics must be kept at cryogenic temperature. At present, such devices are not commercially available for laboratory or spaceflight use. The primary objective of this SBIR proposal is to develop and test an actuator that could be used at cryogenic temperatures based on an existing spaceflight qualified piezoelectric motor design. This actuator would also find application in infrared astronomy, both on the ground and on instruments such as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). The secondary objective of this effort is to apply this motor to the Multi-Order Etalon Sounder instrument for remote sensing of trace gases in the troposphere. A description of the motor concept as well as the MOES instrument is included in this proposal.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Michigan Aerospace Corporation has received numerous inquiries from the astronomical community for a capacitive stabilized tunable Fabry-Perot etalon that can operate at cryogenic temperatures. At present even though there is a market demand for the purchase of these devices, research and development funds are not available from these customers or Michigan Aerospace Corporation. This proposed work would greatly advance the technology to the point where it is believed that a product could be offered immediately upon completion of a Phase II effort, and possibly after a Phase I effort if enough commitments could be secured from industry and the astronomical community. Other potential commercial opportunities lie with missions such as the Next Generation Space Telescope, which Michigan Aerospace Corporation would bid on if an investment in this technology were made in time to significantly advance the development for such a bid.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Carl A. Nardell
Michigan Aerospace Corporation
1050 Highland Drive, Suite E
Ann Arbor , MI   48108 - 2262

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michigan Aerospace Corporation
1050 Highland Drive, Suite E
Ann Arbor , MI   48108 - 2262

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
NASA has a need for innovative hyperspectral optical imager component technology for monitoring and measuring atmospheric, oceanic, and land processes to enable researchers and engineers to explore, analyze, and understand these complex phenomena. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new electrically variable filter module for optical remote hyperspectral sensing based on (1) a high efficiency very broadband holographic/diffractive dispersive element that performs high resolution spectral decomposition; and (2) a unique electrically tunable liquid crystal microprism array for continuous beam scanning, to perform spectral sampling without moving parts. Integrating this filter module with a high resolution CCD detector array and simple data processing software will yield a highly versatile, broadband tunable, high spectral resolution miniature hyperspectral imaging sensor system. This compact variable filter device will operate in real time (at video rate) with high optical throughput at low operating power. These characteristics as well as light weight, small size, nonmechanical operation, and low cost will make the proposed sensor extremely useful for remote analysis and monitoring of the atmosphere, terrestrial surfaces, vegetation, clouds, and aerosols. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept through design, analysis, and experimental demonstration.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed CORIS imaging spectroscopic filter will have military and non-military applications. Several NASA applications are anticipated, including measuring constituents of the atmosphere and on the Earth's surface. There is a need for monitoring pollution in the environment from vehicular emission of gases into the atmosphere, and from various manufacturing plants. Pollutants in hospital environments could also be detected by CORIS.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Michael Piliavin, Ph.D.
Physical Optics Corporation, Electro-Optics and Holography 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)
Brimrose proposes to develop a miniaturized, light weight acousto-optic tunable filter spectrometer for hyperspectral imaging in the visible-infrared wavelength range (500 - 2200 nm) that is capable of withstanding the harsh environment of space. AOTF spectrometers have several advantages over traditional spectrometers including the absence of moving component, high throughput and resolution and their extremely fast scanning capabilities. However, standard AOTF devices are unable to withstand the low temperatures that would be encountered in space based applications. We have developed a novel transducer engagement technique that enables the low temperature capability of the AOTF spectrometer. Using this technique, we have constructed an AOTF that has been successfully cycled from room temperature down to 77K with no signs of failure and can hold against accelerations over 200g. The device performance, including diffraction efficiency and spectral resolution, is found comparable to that of a metal-bonded device. In phase I of this project, Brimrose will optimize our novel technique, build a visible-IR AOTF device and demonstrate its operation with a single detector. In phase II, we will demonstrate the use of the AOTF in a hyper-spectral imaging system with detector array and optimize the device for use in such systems.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The successful completion of the proposed program will result in a miniature and lightweight visible-IR AOTF spectrometer capable of operating under extreme conditions. Such a device can be used in space applications, as well as in defense applications, the chemical industry, in environmental/pollution monitoring and as biosensors.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Ken Jia
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 5974

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore , MD   21236 - 5974

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Stimulated by the rapidly increasing commercial and military applications, the U.S. infrared sensor market will double from 1994 to 2001, will be over $1.3 billion by the year of 2001 with an annual growth rate of about 12% as predicted by Frost & Sullivan. Reduction in cost, size, weight and power consumption is crucial to both commercial and military applications. In addition, integrated devices and systems compatible with typical semiconductor process are becoming more and more needed. To meet these requirements, pyroelectric thin films are being used to develop new classes of infrared sensors with high sensitivity, low noise, low power consumption and smaller size. Using its innovative, high volume, low cost and open-air Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) technique, MCT?s proposed Phase I program is to deposit dense, textured pyroelectric thin films on single crystal substrates for the applications of infrared (IR) sensors for non-contact temperature measurement, gas analysis, IR imaging, etc. and to evaluate the chemical, dielectric and pyroelectric properties of these films.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed Phase I program will provide the basis for a new enabling technology for the cost-effective fabrication of integrated infrared sensors for the applications of non-contact temperature measurement, gas analysis, IR imaging, etc. The know-how for depositing high quality coatings will be applied to fabricate the textured pyroelectric thin films. So MCT and team members are becoming well positioned to capture a large share of fast growing market of infrared devices and systems. The infrared sensing industry will benefit from this technology, which will enable low cost, low power consumption and high performance infrared devices in the very near future. The success in this work will benefit both U.S. military and commercial applications.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Yongdong Jiang
MicroCoating Technologies
5315 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Chamblee , GA   30341 - 2107

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation is a compact Airborne VNIR and SWIR Imaging Spectrometer (AVSIS) that acquires calibrated high-quality hyperspectral data within the 400?2500nm range aboard light aircraft. AVSIS is a grating-type scanner using all solid-state Silicon/InGaAs sensors via a virtual common slit imaging approach. Being connected via switching fiber optics to a calibration source or a downwelling irradiance measurement port, spectral radiance or percentage reflectance is measured. With all the desired platform positioning, attitude, and Above Ground Level (AGL) altimetry measurements, its data cube can be geo-rectified. AVSIS has a spectral resolution better than 5nm with a swath width better than 320 pixels and quantization resolution better than 10-bits.

AVSIS achieves great expandability with its modularized mounting, interface ports, and protocol. It is an interchangeable node in a multisensing airborne imaging-computer area network, in which, compatible pushbroom/framing type spectral imaging sensors will be synchronized and combined for enhanced Earth surface measurements. All optimized spectral, spatial, temporal, radiometric, directional, and topographic measurements can be achieved by a single flight pass. Such a data set features all the necessary information content for vegetation index, hyperspectral/multispectral imagery, sunglint-free ocean color pushbroom imagery, non-linear corridor mosaic, surface terrain, bi-directional reflectance, land/ice profile, and much more.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial product is a compact, modularized high-performance, airborne VNIR and SWIR imaging spectrometer, which can be fitted onto diverse small aircraft (manned and unmanned) to provide calibrated high quality hyperspectral data for repeatable and operational low altitude remote sensing. Its immediate applications include NASA calibration/validation for the multitude of hyperspectral and multispectral satellites and new application development. The potential commercial applications of this innovative instrument product include operational airborne remote sensing services for precision agriculture, forest management, mining area management, vegetation specie maps, crop and forest growing status monitoring, forest fire forecast, coastal environment studies, surface pollution detection, mineral exploration, hydro-carbon related material detection, and land-use surveys.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Xiuhong Sun
Flight Landata, Inc
One Parker Street
Lawrence , MA   01843 - 1548

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Flight Landata, Inc
One Parker Street
Lawrence , MA   01843 - 1548

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Diode pumped solid state lasers have proven to be well suited for use in space based and airborne Lidar systems for remote sensing. These types of lasers are capable of operating at high efficiency while remaining both compact and extremely rugged. However, one of the primary limitations of such systems has been that the laser gain media operates only at specific wavelengths determined by the active dopant ion. These wavelengths do not necessarily match absorption features or transmission windows specific to a given application. Scientific Materials Corp. has recently developed innovative laser gain media that provides operation at the desired wavelength without the need for frequency conversion or tuning elements. It is the purpose of this Phase I SBIR to improve the optical homogeneity and optimize the performance of these materials for diode pumping, as well as scale the growth of these materials to allow implementation in a variety of cavity designs. Based on previous results, the primary material of interest will be Nd3+ doped crystals of YAG(1-x)YSAGx for operation at 944.1 nm for use in lasers for lidar systems designed for remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The commercial availability of materials which lase at specified wavelengths that exactly match the requirement for a particular application would greatly simplify laser design as well as open possibilities for a variety of new applications in medical and other remote sensing applications. Laser manufacturing companies have already begun development of systems based on these materials.

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
A solid state air-gap Fabry-Perot is configured in tandem with a switchable holographic optic element established by holographic polymer liquid crystal dispersion. This switchable element is the innovative centerpiece to be fabricated during Phase I research. By stacking these tuning elements, one per wavelength channel, any discrete channel within the operating range (which can include multiple orders) of a Fabry-Perot etalon can be selected for transmission to any receiver in a LIDAR or spectroscopy system. Additional spectral elements can be selected simultaneously or a channel may be switched in milliseconds. The device can thus isolate hundreds of channels across the tunable range of a tunable laser or LIDAR transmitter. These capabilities are accomplished with no moving parts, and with a significant cost advantage over competing technologies.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
This innovative device provides all the benefits of a solid etalon combined with all the advantages of a tunable etalon. This device has applications in LIDAR, atmospheric sensing, planetary exploration and possibly wavelength division multiplexing. In production the TIROC device will cost less then a single tunable etalon system.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
John Noto
Scientific Solutions Inc.
55 Middlesex Street
Chelmsford , MA   01863 - 1561

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Scientific Solutions Inc.
55 Middlesex Street
Chelmsford , MA   01863 - 1561

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The proposed work is in direct response to a NASA solicitation seeking high-bandwidth (up to 6 Ghz) single-element and/or array detectors for coherent wind measurements in the 1.5- to 2.5- micrometer wavelength range. The design, development, and production of a new family of uncooled Separate-Absorption-Multiplication Avalanche Photodiodes (SAM-APDs) and made in III-V antimonide alloys with high-quantum efficiencies in the 1.5- to 2.5-micron wavelength band will be undertaken. These detectors will be optimized for use as detectors in eye-safe LIDAR and other systems being developed for wind shear measurements applications. The proposed innovations are based on improvements in materials and fabrication technology (e.g., optimized epitaxial growth for target bandgap alloy compositions, rare-earth doping, tailored impurity diffusion profiles, improved surface and edge passivation, and defect reduction), and on novel design features (optimized device structure, planarized contacts, resonant cavities and buried mirrors), all of which will improve various device performance metrics including quantum efficiency, spectral sensitivity, speed, signal-to-noise ratios, and further, will extend the response of today?s state-of-the-art devices to wavelengths of 2.5 microns or longer.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to detectors for LIDAR wind turbulence measurements, the proposed devices will find important applications in molecular spectroscopy, flame detectors, remote sensing, laser satellite communications, and low-loss fluoride fiber receivers.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. Michael G. Mauk
AstroPower, Inc.
Solar Park
Newark , DE   19716 - 2000

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
AstroPower, Inc.
Solar Park
Newark , DE   19716 - 2000

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Non-mechanical beamsteering eliminates the need for massive optomechanical components to steer the field of view of optical systems. This benefit is to come in the form of compact, low-power, light-weight optical phased arrays that provide better control with greater flexibility in their steering capability. Currently, high-speed, high-resolution, fully-programmable non-mechanical beamsteerers with good optical efficiency do not exist forcing system developers to use mechanical systems for controlling the field of view of an optical system. This proposal offers a means to correct this deficiency. Recent advances in VLSI foundry processes have made possible high-resolution, light-efficient backplanes capable of driving electro-optic modulators with high-voltage signals. The high-voltage signals provide the excitation to achieve sub-millisecond response times with a wave of phase modulation. By combining high-speed phase modulators with high-voltage VLSI backplanes, compact spatial light modulators become available for the various applications that need this type of performance such as optical signal routing or beamsteering, active diffractive optics and adaptive wavefront correction.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The control of light propagation is useful in a number of applications. Spot generation for directing light to disparate destinations is needed for dynamic optical interconnects. Fresnel-lens generation for controlling focal plane distance is useful for non-mechanically addressing multi-layer optical disks. Wavefront correction, where adaptive optics compensate atmospheric induced aberrations, is primarily used in the large earth-based observatories, but there also is a need for this type of technology in medical and industrial environments. These are some of the applications that will benefit from the proposed development.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Steve Serati
Boulder Nonlinear Systems, Inc.
450 Courtney Way, Unit 107
Lafayette , CO   80026 - 8878

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Boulder Nonlinear Systems, Inc.
450 Courtney Way, Unit 107
Lafayette , CO   80026 - 8878

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Space-based ultraviolet (UV) and Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) systems are required for measurements of ozone and aerosols. Currently, optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and sum frequency mixing (SFM) technologies are used to produce the UV pulses. These systems have low efficiency, are complex and difficult to base on a satellite. Nd:Y2O3 laser systems are efficient at 914 and 948 nm laser generation which after tripling (305 nm and 315 nm, respectively) could produce efficient, reliable and simple systems for space based ozone laser transmittal applications. Nd:Y2O3 crystals of sufficient size and purity are currently unavailable. One of the main problems in growing Y2O3 crystals from the melt is its high melting temperature (2410C). It is intended to adapt the Heat Exchanger Method (HEM) and demonstrate feasibility of Y2O3 crystal growth. A fully-insulated HEM furnace with no moving parts is ideally suited for growth of large crystals at high temperatures. During the proposed six-month program an HEM furnace will be set up (at Crystal Systems's expense) to operate at 2500C and utilize it for Y2O3 crystal growth. Once feasibility of Y2O3 crystal growth is established, larger crystals of Nd:Y2O3 will be grown for laser applications during the Phase II program.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to UV laser generation for space based ozone laser transmittal applications, the inherent Nd:Y2O3 lasers operating at 914 nm and 948 nm makes it a unique laser for spectroscopy, metalworking, military and civilian applications. Besides doping the crystals with Nd, lasers can be developed with other rare earth ions such as Yb and Tm. These lasers will produce their unique laser radiation around 1.07 um and 2 um, respectively. Even though rare-earth doped YAG crystals are available, it is expected that the Y2O3 isomorphs are attractive for high average power solid state laser applications because of the reduced thermal optic effect. It is also expected that Tm:Y2O3 could operate as a tunable laser around 2 um. These lasers have potential for generation of ultrashort pulses, hence can be used in high power applications. In addition, they could be pumped using laser diodes.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Chandra P. Khattak
Crystal Systems, Inc.
27 Congress Street
Salem , MA   01970 - 5597

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Crystal Systems, Inc.
27 Congress Street
Salem , MA   01970 - 5597

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal describes a plan for the design and development of line of sight and area averaged rain measurements using microwave techniques. The line averaged (and area covered) could be made variable, from as low as 100m (100m x 100m) to several km. The individual units can thus be used for both local measurements as well as for extending the observation over rain-cells. The techniques might be extended using multi-frequency and other techniques to obtain independent estimate of rain size distribution.
Both microwave attenuation and phase-shifts are potential candidates for measure rain rates. Microwave attenuation increases with frequency for up to 100 GHz. The choice of appropriate frequencies is important and optimization may become necessary in terms of available technology, cost and accuracies. The proposed effort describes a plan to develop a versatile instrument for measuring attenuation and phase at several frequencies. Experiments performed using the instrument will allow us to infer the optimum system parameters for rain measurements. A detailed engineering design for the development of such a system will be provided during Phase I.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Such a system will be valuable for earth communities, for scientific research, for global environment, for agriculture and forestry among others. It would be valuable for NASA in estimating the ground truth and calibration and for comparisons with the TRMM Rain Radar.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Suman Ganguly
Center for Remote Sensing, Inc.
11350 Random Hills Rd. Suite 710
Fairfax , VA   22030 - 6044

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Center for Remote Sensing, Inc.
11350 Random Hills Rd. Suite 710
Fairfax , VA   22030 - 6044

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Changes in clouds and aerosols due to anthropogenic sources can have a dramatic impact on the earth's radiation balance. The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a constellation of satellites that will observe clouds and aerosols from space. These remote satellite observations require reliable in situ measurements for validation. Current in situ validation instrumentation measures mostly physical properties of clouds and aerosols, with few, if any, direct measurements of optical properties. An additional limitation is that the in situ instruments sample a very small (~0.1 m3 s-1) volume around research aircraft. In Phase I we will design and build a breadboard prototype of a new, innovative in situ lidar that samples a very large (~109 m3 s-1) volume and is capable of directly measuring the volumetric extinction and absorption coefficients in clouds and the scattering coefficient in aerosols. This novel technique emits a pulse of diffuse light and records the times of arrival of scattered photons using a suite of detectors pointing at different angles. In addition to measuring the the bulk optical properties of clouds, the in situ lidar will measure cloud boundaries. In Phase II, we will build and test the in situ lidar on a research aircraft and in applications on the ground that will benefit aviation safety.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Direct, large volume measurements of the optical properties of clouds and aerosols are essential for understanding the radiation balance of the earth and global warming. Sales of in situ lidars for airborne measurements are expected worldwide. In addition, ground-based measurements of aerosols from biomass burning and polluted urban environments will supplement sales. Military applications include characterization of aerosols on the battlefield. The ability of the in situ lidar to measure the depths of fog layers will find application at airports

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Paul Lawson
SPEC, Inc.
3022 Sterling Circle, Suite 200
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2388

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
SPEC, Inc.
3022 Sterling Circle, Suite 200
Boulder , CO   80301 - 2388

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
To assess the effects of regional pollution on the global atmosphere and the effects of global chemical and climate changes on regional air quality, it is necessary to understand the vertical distribution of key trace species including ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides. To validate the observations made from these satellite platforms and to obtain higher vertical and temporal resolution for these species, it is desirable to have in situ instruments suitable for use on commercial aircraft, small aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and balloons. This is a proposal to develop a high-sensitivity, miniaturized NO instrument and appropriate converters to measure NOx (NO+NO2), and NOy (sum of reactive nitrogen) on these platforms. The instrument will be based on the proven NO+O3 chemiluminescence reaction. Miniaturization will be accomplished by using an avalanche photodiode photon-counting module coupled with a compound parabolic concentrator to optimize collection of photons. Expected sensitivity of the system will be 10 to 50 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) for 10-second integration. The Phase I work will focus on design and testing of the photon-collection system. Phase II work will include design and fabrication of a miniaturized instrument and performance evaluation.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
A high-sensitivity, miniaturized NO instrument would be of use in a variety of atmospheric research programs, including studies of photochemical air pollution, stratosphere/troposphere exchange, and satellite verification programs. The NOx,y instrument would be well suited for use on any small aerial platform, including UAVs and light aircraft. The expected performance characteristics and small size of the proposed system are not currently met by any sensor manufacturer. Further application for the instrument could be found in breath analysis for medical research where NO concentration in exhaled breath is recognized as an important indicator of physiological functioning.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Martin P. Buhr
Sonoma Technology, Inc.
1360 Redwood Way, Suite C
Petaluma , CA   94954 - 1104

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Sonoma Technology, Inc.
1360 Redwood Way, Suite C
Petaluma , CA   94954 - 1104

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
WaveBand Corporation (WaveBand) proposes a new sensor for MMW imaging. The sensor is distinguished by low cost, compactness, and compatibility with microelectronics mass production technology. The sensor represents an array of monolithically integrated pyroelectric capacitors, MMW antennas and MEMS switches.
WaveBand?s innovative approach blends two recently matured technologies to create a qualitatively new MMW sensor that will make a passive MMW imager a commercially viable product in a way that IR cameras currently are. In this project, WaveBand will address the major challenge involved in designing a pyroelectric-based MMW focal plane array, which is to prove that the proposed sensor achieves high enough sensitivity to generate real-time MMW images.
Specifically, in Phase I of the project, WaveBand proposes to explore new sensitive materials, design the sensor array, and prove its feasibility by simulation its operating parameters.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The millimeter-wave imaging has many applications including aircraft navigation, remote sensing of earth resources, ice mapping, surface mapping, atmospheric data collection from high altitude aircraft, surface sensing of geographic features, oil spill detection, natural disaster assessment, contraband detection, automobile collision avoidance, fire fighting, and aircraft landing/ taxiing in inclement weather.

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

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

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
There exists a need for versatile, compact and affordable heterodyne receivers for atmospheric remote sensing from aircraft and space platforms, as well as a host of other scientific, military and commercial applications. In Phase I we will utilize our innovative GaAs-on-dielectric integrated circuit fabrication process and novel circuit designs to develop a highly compact receiver for the frequency band from 750 GHz through 1,050 GHz. This band is particularly important for investigations of ice crystals and cirrus clouds and is not conveniently measured with present technology. The versatility of the receiver will be demonstrated by its broad bandwidth that will be achieved without tuners and its ability to operate at room temperature or cooled. The compactness will be achieved by the integration of the mixer and multiplier circuits into a single waveguide block without ferrite isolators. The system will be affordable because VDI's innovative technologies eliminate tuners and make fabrication less costly. Also, the full waveguide bandwidth greatly increases the market for each component, thereby lowering production costs. In Phase II we will integrate the complete receiver, including the LO amplifier, multiplier and mixer circuit, and first stage IF amplifier into a single, compact metal housing.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The Terahertz frequency band is often sited as the most scientifically rich, yet unexplored region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since 1997 Virginia Diodes, Inc. has fabricated and marketed GaAs diode technology to researchers throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Also, through our research at UVa we are well known by the Terahertz community. Our innovative technologies allow the realization of highly compact, full waveguide-band receivers with excellent sensitivity and no mechanical tuners. Also, these integrated components are easy to manufacture and extremely reliable. Once these receivers are available, we expect commercial applications of terahertz technology to become possible. The initial market will consist mostly of scientists and engineers developing terahertz components and systems, and manufacturers of research and test equipment. However, as we succeed in reducing costs we envision high data rate, point-to-point communication systems, medical diagnostic tools and methods to monitor bacterial contaminants in food processing plants.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Dr. David W. Porterfield
Virginia Diodes, Inc.
327-B West Main Street
Charlottesville , VA   22903 - 5551

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Virginia Diodes, Inc.
327-B West Main Street
Charlottesville , VA   22903 - 5551

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
XCom Wireless proposes to assemble microfabricated relays with an RF circuit and a package coverplate to realize fully-packaged high-performance RF radar sub-systems. XCom Wireless expects true-time delay phase shifters to be fundamental sub-systems of a multi-band, high-performance, low-cost, electrically-scanned antenna, so proposes the design, prototyping, and testing of an RF MEMS-enabled TTD phase shifter. XCom Wireless is presently developing a new type of RF MEMS relay under Department of Defense contracts, which promises superior reliability to that of other RF MEMS component efforts. XCom Wireless is dedicated to developing MEMS-enabled sub-systems for radar and communication applications using this technology; the engineering vision is to create modular, multi-functional, MEMS-enabled, high-performance beam shaping antenna front-ends. These systems promise high functionality, operation at multiple frequencies, and a dramatic reduction in system cost, weight, volume and power consumption. Solutions to the specific satellite radar needs of JPL and GSFC can be furthered through this proposed RF MEMS program. By the end of the Phase II program, the development of MEMs-enabled phase shifters will allow for electronically-steerable apertures with high performance, multiple frequencies, small size, and low power consumption.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications for RF MEMS-enabled phase shifters and related sub-systems include wireless local area networks and broadband point-to-point communications. These markets are presently estimated at 18 million units using $240 million in components suitable for RF MEMS sub-system replacement, with a future market of 34 million units at $800 million in 2003.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Daniel J. Hyman, Ph.D.
XCom Wireless, Inc.
1718 E. Ocean Blvd #4
Long Beach , CA   90802 - 6014

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
XCom Wireless, Inc.
1718 E. Ocean Blvd #4
Long Beach , CA   90802 - 6014

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
XCom Wireless proposes to develop a micromachined interconnect technology for the broad-band low-loss transfer of RF energy between substrates. This interconnect design will improve the performance of hybrid RF MEMS sub-systems that use separate substrates for RF circuitry and actuator fabrication. MEMS relays will be assembled and packaged using the interconnect in order to determine the effectiveness of the technology for improving mm-wave performance. XCom Wireless expects RF MEMS relays to be fundamental components of future multi-band, high-performance, low-cost antenna systems, proposing the design, prototype, and testing of this interconnect technology. XCom Wireless is presently developing a new type of RF MEMS relay under Department of Defense contracts, which promises superior reliability to that of competing RF MEMS development efforts. The XCom Wireless vision is to enable the design of modular, multi-functional, high-performance antennas, for a dramatic reduction in system cost, weight, volume and power consumption. Within such a vision, the specific needs of NASA remote sensing programs can be furthered; by the end of the Phase II program, the results of interconnect technology development will form an important foundation for low cost mm-wave systems capable of high performance and functionality.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Commercial applications for RF MEMS-enabled components and sub-systems include wireless local area networks and broadband point-to-point communications. These markets are presently estimated at 18 million units using $240 million in components suitable for RF MEMS antenna and filter replacement, with a future market of 34 million units at $800 million in 2003.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Daniel J. Hyman, Ph.D.
XCom Wireless, Inc.
1718 E. Ocean Blvd #4
Long Beach , CA   90802 - 6014

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
XCom Wireless, Inc.
1718 E. Ocean Blvd #4
Long Beach , CA   90802 - 6014