Dec 2 2016

From The Space Library

RELEASE 16-111 NASA Announces Early Stage Innovation Space Technology Research Grants

NASA has selected 13 university-led proposals for the study of innovative, early stage technologies that address high priority needs of America's space program.

The Early Stage Innovations (ESI) grants from NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program are worth as much as $500,000 each. Universities have two to three years to work on their proposed research and development projects.

"NASA’s Early Stage Innovations grants provide U.S. universities the opportunity to conduct research and technology development to advance NASA’s scientific discovery and exploration goals," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington. “Partnering with academia in advancing these critical areas of research ensures we are engaging the best and brightest minds in enabling the agency’s future robotic and human space flight missions.”

The proposals selected under the Early Stage Innovations 2016 solicitation address unique, disruptive or transformational technologies in a variety of areas. The 13 selected proposals for ESI grants are:

High Fidelity Modeling of Parachute Inflation Dynamics

• An Innovative High Fidelity Multidisciplinary Computational Framework for Parachute Inflation Dynamics; Stanford University, California
• Adaptive FSI (Fluid-Structure Interaction) of flexible parachutes under strong dynamic loading using strongly coupled shell mechanics and large-eddy simulation with analytical curvilinear hybrid meshing; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Modeling and Simulation-Based Certification of Additive Manufacturing Processing Parameters

• Modeling of Microstructure Formation in Additively Manufactured IN718 with Emphasis on Porosity Prediction; *Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Prediction of Microstructure Evolution in DMLM (Direct Material Laser Melting) processed Inconel 718 with Part *Scale Simulation; University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Certification of Additive Manufacturing Processing Parameters through Physics-Based Predictive Simulation of Process-Defects-Microstructure; The Ohio State University, Columbus

Electric Propulsion Physics Theory and Model Development

• Modeling of the Nanometric Regime of Cone-Jets to Improve the Design and Understanding of Electrospray Thrusters; University of California, Irvine

Modeling Radiation Failure Mechanisms in Wide-bandgap Semiconductor Materials to Power Devices

• Modeling, Testing, and Simulation of Heavy-Ion Basic Mechanisms in Silicon Carbide Power Devices; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Development of 2-D and 3-D transient electro-thermal computational models to predict the radiation failures in SiC (Silicon Carbide)-based Schottky diodes and power field-effect transistors (FETs); Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York

Advanced Telescope Architecture Technologies and Optical Components

• Laser Guide Star for Large Aperture Segmented Space Telescopes; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
• High Spatial and Temporal Frequency Active Surfaces for Diffraction Controlled Telescopes; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

Autonomous Planning for Human Spaceflight

• Technologies for Mixed-Initiative Plan Management for Human Space Flight; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
• Explicable Planning and Re-planning for Human-in-the-loop Decision Support; Arizona State University, Tempe
• Explainable and Scalable Planning with Probabilistic Temporal Logic Specifications; University of Texas at Austin, Texas

The goal of the Space Technology Research Grants program is to accelerate the development of space technologies in their earliest stages to enable future systems capabilities and missions for NASA, other government agencies and the commercial space sector.

The program is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the cross-cutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.

MEDIA ADVISORY M16-139 NASA Sets Coverage for Briefings, Launch of Small Satellite Constellation

The launch of NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft is scheduled for 8:24 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 12. News briefings, live launch commentary, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

During the one-hour window, which opens at 8:19 a.m., CYGNSS will take off aboard an Orbital Sciences ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The rocket is scheduled for deployment over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft.

CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the lifecycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The CYGNSS constellation consists of eight microsatellite observatories that will measure surface winds in and near a hurricane’s inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Social Media Event: Kennedy will be hosting a Facebook Live event at noon from the Skid Strip runway at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Briefers will highlight both the science involved in the CYGNSS mission, as well as the L-1011 aircraft and the Pegasus rocket, and participants will get a view inside the airplane. The event will stream live on Kennedy’s Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

NASA TV: For all media briefings, reporters may ask questions by calling the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468 no later than 15 minutes before briefings begin. Media also can ask questions via Twitter by using the hashtag #askNASA. 1 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference at the Kennedy Press Site

Briefing participants are:

• Christine Bonniksen, CYGNSS program executive in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate
• Tim Dunn, launch director at Kennedy
• Bryan Baldwin, Pegasus launch vehicle program manager with Orbital ATK
• John Scherrer, CYGNSS project manager at the Southwest Research Institute
• Mike Rehbein, launch weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral

1:45 p.m. – CYGNSS Mission Science Briefing

Briefing participants include:

• Chris Ruf, CYGNSS principal investigator with the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan
• Aaron Ridley, CYGNSS constellation scientist with the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan
• Mary Morris, doctoral student with the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan

Monday, Dec. 12

NASA TV:

• 5:45 a.m. – Prelaunch program by NASA EDGE
• 6:45 a.m. – Launch coverage and commentary begins

Live coverage also will be available on social media at: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

RELEASE 16-116 NASA Administrator Statement on ESA’s Commitment to Space Station

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) decision to continue its operations aboard the International Space Station:

"I'm excited all the International Space Station partners have now joined us in committing to operation of this invaluable resource through at least 2024.

"The European Space Agency contributions to station are essential, and we look forward to continuing to work with ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscomos for extended operations, and to collaborating with other nations to push the boundaries of human exploration, and extend our reach farther into the solar system as part of the ongoing Journey to Mars."