[meteorite-list] NASA Announces Early Stage Innovations Space Tech Research Grants

[Ron Baalke]

November 18, 2014
     
NASA Announces Early Stage Innovations Space Tech Research Grants

NASA has selected 11 university-led proposals for the study of innovative, 
early stage technologies that address high priority needs of America's space 
program.

The selected proposals address unique, disruptive, or transformational 
technologies, including: advanced thermal protection materials modeling, 
computational materials, in situ utilization of asteroid materials, mobile 
robotic surface probe concepts for planetary exploration, and kinetic 
penetrators for icy planetary moons. Selection criteria required technology 
research that will provide dramatic improvements over existing capabilities 
for future science and human exploration missions.

"Research in these critical technology areas will enable science and 
exploration of our home planet, future deep space missions and our journey to 
Mars," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for NASA's Space 
Technology Mission Directorate in Washington. "New space technology enables 
exploration while providing real world economic benefits to the American 
people right here on Earth, right now."

Universities selected for NASA's Early Stage Innovation grants, and the 
titles of their proposals, are:

 * Iowa State University, Ames: Computational Modeling of Nondestructive
   Evaluation, Defect Detection, and Defect Identification for CFRP Composite
   Materials
 * Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla. Laboratory
   Demonstration and Test of Solar Thermal Asteroid ISRU
 * Montana State University, Bozeman: Uncovering the Chemical Processes
   during Atmospheric Entry of a Carbon/Phenolic Ablator: Laboratory Studies
   by In Situ Mass Spectrometric and Molecular Beam Techniques
 * Stanford University, Stanford, California: Asteroid Surface Resource
   Characterization Through Distributed Plasma Analysis of Meteoroid Impact
   Ejecta
 * Texas A&M University, College Station: Control of Variability in the
   Performance of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Parts through Microstructure
   Control and Design
 * University of California, Berkeley: Precision Hopping/Rolling Robotic
   Surface Probe Based on Tensegrity Structures
 * University of California, Davis: Development of Physics-Based Numerical
   Models for Uncertainty Quantification of Selective Laser Melting Processes
 * University of Kentucky, Lexington: Model Development and Experimental
   Validation of Reactive Gas and Pyrolysis Product Interactions with Hot
   Carbon Chars
 * University of Vermont, Burlington: Experimental and Numerical
   Investigation of Ablation Kinetics
 * University of Washington, Seattle: Europa Kinetic Ice Penetrator (EKIP)
 * West Virginia University, Morgantown: Robotic In-Situ Surface Exploration
   System (RISES)

The awards from NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program are worth as 
much as $500,000 each, with technology research and development efforts 
taking place over two to three years.

Aligned with NASA's Space Technology Roadmaps, and priorities identified by 
the National Research Council, the agency's technology research areas lend 
themselves to the early stage innovative approaches U.S. universities can 
offer for solving tough space technology challenges.

NASA's Early Stage Innovations efforts are an element of the agency's Space 
Technology Research Grants Program. This program is designed to accelerate 
the development of technologies originating in academia that support the 
future science and exploration needs of NASA, other government agencies, and 
the commercial space sector.

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

http://go.usa.gov/X9eP

This solicitation is part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, 
which is responsible for innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware 
for use on future NASA missions. During the next 18 months, the directorate 
will make significant new investments to address several high-priority 
challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep space exploration. For more 
information about the directorate, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

-end-

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