Research and Technology This edition of Techbytes features the awardees from FY18 STMD’s Center Innovation Fund (CIF) and Ames funded in-house awards for science and Funding technology via the Internal Research and Devel- Center Innovation Fund (CIF) opment (IRAD) and Ames Research Innovation The purpose of the CIF is to stimulate Award (ARIA). I’m also providing an update to the and encourage creativity, innovation, agency’s Space Technology roadmaps and an up- and collaboration within Ames and be- dated NASA Technology taxonomy from the Office tween Ames and other NASA Centers of the Chief Technologist (OCT), summarized here: in addressing the technology needs of NASA and the Nation. CIF focuses on technology investments that are lon- In 2012, NASA developed the initial edition of the ger-term, higher-risk, high-impact, and agency’s Technology Area Breakdown Structure not necessarily tied to any specific fu- (TABS) as part of its original Space Technology ture mission opportunity. Roadmaps. TABS served as a valuable tool across the agency and among NASA’s partners in industry, Ames Research Innovation academia, and international space agencies to de- Award (ARIA) scribe the areas where NASA had conducted tech- The Ames Research Innovation Award nology development activities. In 2015 the agency (ARIA) promotes the vitality of Ames released an update to TABS which, among other through strategic investments in scien- updates, expanded its scope to also include NA- tific research, capabilities, and people. It encourages the development of new, SA’s aeronautics technology areas. In continuation high- risk/high return investigations that of this evolution the Office of the Chief Technologist stress innovation, exploration, and/or (OCT) has led the development of the 2020 update interdisciplinary work. ARIA focuses on Ames’ emerging technologies

that takes the lessons learned from past editions. innovative or basic scientific research in •

The updated 2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy, areas that are relevant to Agency and or technology “dictionary”, takes a more technol- Center goals, without necessarily being tied to any specific future mission oppor- ogy discipline based approach that also realigns tunity. ARIA proposals must be research like-technologies no matter their application within oriented and are considered seedling the NASA mission portfolio. This tool is meant to funding for innovative/disruptive re- serve as a common technology discipline-based search that will enable next generation communication tool across the agency and with science and research. tech bytes its partners in other government agencies, aca- demia, industry, and across the world. In order to Internal Research and ensure the Taxonomy is of the highest quality and Development (IRAD) fully covers the wide breadth of NASA technologies The IRAD develops strategic techni- OCT has been conducting a thorough review pro- cal capabilities in support of the Cen- ter competencies, and thereby enables cess. The recently completed internal NASA review science, technology, and engineering will now be followed by a public comment period efforts for supporting future Agency in which we invite technologists around the world missions. The advances in science and to provide feedback on the Taxonomy. This public technology and in business capabilities comment period will be announced in early May via expected through this program will help a FedBizOpps.gov special notice. make Ames more competitive, provide opportunities for risk reduction and/or increased cost effectiveness, and ini- - Harry Partridge tiate potentially transformational solu- tions to the most challenging mission-re- lated problems.

ABOUT THE COVER Cover background image design by Miki Huynh. tech bytes page 1 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct Estimating forSpaceMissionCoronagraphs Integrated Focal Plane Waveform System forPassive Tensegrity Landers Development ofLightweightMobility developed here. when combinedwiththetechnology is improvedbyalmostafactorof10 nagraphic suppressionofstarlight correction. Unexpectedly, the coro- algorithms andadaptivewavefront coronagraphic wavefront control for both sufficient model coronagraph accurate an provides sensing rect imagingmissions.Theimplementedfocalplanebasedwavefront term mechanicalandthermalinstabilityofthesystem-criticalfordi - time, thedynamicallychangingopticalaberrationscausedbylong real in corrects, and measures Laboratory,which Coronagraph ACE ically, an adaptive wavefront correction system was developed at the as a part of an integrated high-contrast imaging coronagraph. Specif- This CIFprojectdemonstratedanewmethodforwavefrontestimation viously tested. robot thanhadbeenpre- oped foramorecomplex algorithms weredevel- ness goals,andcontrol their mobilityandrobust- hardware testsachieved ing thestructure.Robotic chang- significantly out into actuatedrobotswith- ic structureswereturned tions. Throughaninnovativeuseoftractionpulleys,thepreviousstat- configura- robotic tensegrity three tested and designed successfully and production in time the reduced significantly It missions. of range a largecollectionofmobilestructuresthatareapplicablewide viously statictensegritystructuresintoactiverobots,allowingfor missions. ThisCIFprojectprovidedadvancementsthatturnedpre- making themanenablingtechnologyforfuturelow-costplanetary Tensegrity robotscanbelight-weight,collapsibleandhighlycapable PI: RuslanBelikov PI: Adrian Agogino CIF http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct Six motorswereaddedto Tensegrity designviaasetoftractionpulleys, Bottom: Restoration of dynamically Bottom: Restorationofdynamically changing (artificially with the DM) changing (artificiallywiththeDM) performed with the “official” flat performed withthe“official”flat DM surface and with a fiducial DM surfaceandwithafiducial and amplitude measurements and amplitudemeasurements Top: The Lyot planephase allowing foreffective actuationofanotherwisestaticstructure. pattern applied to the DM. pattern appliedtotheDM. coronagraph aberrations. CIF Planetary Instruments Planetary Development ofanX-ray Tube for for SelectiveCabin Air Separation HeatExchangers Developing Cryogenic (XTRA, MapX,CheMin-X). frame-transfer CCDdesigncanbeusedinourprototypeinstruments non simpler a that so off) and on beam X-ray the turning (essentially sign of the cathodefocusing grid allows for electronicbeam blanking capacity.de- KV The 35 for rated is that VoltageSupply High Power a anode) enablesthedevelopmentofa50KVacceleratingpotentialin KV +35 cathode KV (-15 tube the of design bipolar the example, For tube impactstechnologicalcapabilitiesthatdonotpresentlyexist. instrument for lunar regolith analysis. The specific design of the X-ray XRD/XRF an for proposal DALI a of success the to significantly ute contrib- that tubes X-ray qualifiable flight developed project CIF This effect ofthedesignonsystemperformance. the predict better to modeled also were finheads alloy.The copper a in 3D-printed were flow direct better and area surface add to twists helical and fins forked incorporated that designs New crucial. is head is the power requirement, so efficient collection of CO2 ice via the fin- head” designofthesystem.Themostsensitiveaspectsystem it CO2 from air. This CIF project vastly improved the cold surface “fin- CO2 Depositionsystemgeneratesacoldsurfacetoselectivelydepos- for futuredeepspacemissionsreturningtotheMoonorMars.The Improvements tothestate-of-the-artCO2removalsystemarecritical PI: DavidBlake PI: GraceBelanciko Spellman HVPS and control board. Spellman HVPSand controlboard. prototype; Right:Instrumentedtestofa40mm housingRTW tubeusing Left: Fabricationofthe20mmhousingRTW tube“NASA specs” air flowingpastthecoldsurface(right). CO2 icethicknessoncoldsurfaceafter2.5minofflow(left),ppmin Research and Technology Funding page 2 CIF CIF bytes tech techbytes • Ames’ emerging technologies CIF CIF Collective Robotic Assembly of Discrete Autonomous Proprioceptive Terrain Lattice Elements (CRADLE) Detection for Compliant Rovers PI: Kenneth Cheung PI: Terry Fong This CIF enables cost-effective manufacturing of very large space This CIF project explored several methods and sensor configura- structures, which enable higher performance for a variety of mis- tions to estimate terrain properties and robot’s state. The new proto- sions, such as communication antennas and space telescopes, type sensors and algorithms that were developed increase the ability large surface area for energy collection, or habitats for long dis- of pseudo-soft and reconfigurable systems to detect properties of tance travel. Achieving the scale required for such systems is an their state and surroundings. Prototypes include cable feed and ten- ongoing challenge for space exploration and operations. Deploy- sion sensors, soft and deformable contact sensors, a classification able structures are limited to the mass and volume constraints of algorithm to detect ground contact, an algorithm to improve cable a single launch vehicle. Alternatively, on orbit construction can by- tension measurement, and a “long short-term memory” (LSTM) re- pass launch load limits by incrementally building structures larger current neural network algorithm to detect terrain type using inertial than those that can be accommodated in a single launch. However, measurement data. The results of this CIF can be infused in other this does not currently take advantage of the recent renaissance robot systems (e.g., cable-driven robots, planetary rovers, etc.) to in automation capabilities afforded by the scaling of sensing, com- enhance future missions and increase their sensing capabilities. The puting, and electromechanical hardware brought on by consumer work is also highly beneficial for SUPERball v2 and similar tensegrity product manufacturing automation and embedded. The work from robots, and could be an enabling technology for future missions that this CIF applies the benefits of automation cost scaling observed make use of these lightweight and impact-resistant structures. in industry to space structures manufacturing through a novel ap- plication of an integrated robot-structure-material system based on discrete lattice construction using task specific robots.

Robotic testbed demonstrating modular robotic architecture for modularization of structural assembly tasks, including transport (left) and fastener installation (right). Costa, Allan, et al. “Algorithmic Approaches to Reconfigurable Assembly Systems.” IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings. 2019. Soft sensor for contact detection. Ames’ emerging technologies

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CIF CIF Ultra-Low Power and Wearable Self-Healing Electronics for CO2 Sensors Deep Space Missions PI: Jing Li PI: Meyya Meyyappan This CIF project helped fill a technology gap in the development of This CIF project evolved space electronics operating in extreme radi- deployable air quality sensors that can operate for months-to-years ation environments, and therefore has the potential for great impact tech bytes without needing to be recharged. The project was a steppingstone on extending mission lifetime and mission safety. Radiation hard- in developing a low power and small footprint nanosensor and RFID ening of space electronics is a critical part of all space missions. capable of providing long life, one-button operation, and mobile/al- ways-on environmental sensing capability. Specifically, this CIF team This is not only expensive and adds to the payload weight but, late- successfully developed a sensor that can detect CO2 from 400 ppm ly, the number of qualified vendors in the US with the capability to to 4000 ppm, delivered four sensor chips to NASA JSC for integra- develop such electronics is rapidly diminishing. This work accom- tion with their RFID platform - which can acquire the sensor data and plished in this CIF has demonstrated a disruptive concept, for the transmit the data, provided the sensor chip pinout and interface infor- first time, of self-healing electronics wherein the chip recovers from mation to JSC for the electronics design, and tested the sensors at radiation-induced damage on the fly. It successfully demonstrated a various temperatures and humidity levels. The device can be made commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) chip showing the recovery of the wearable, peel-stick, or fit where needed, and can be distributed in- chip after exposure to gamma radiation, as well after experiencing side space vehicles, habitats and helmets for air quality monitoring, other stress. and thus ensure the astronauts safety during a space mission, especially during a deep space mission. Similar sensors can also be made for other gases detection, such as am- monia, hydrazine, carbon monoxide, nitrogen peroxide/dioxide, etc. This work has great potential for developing a new class of in-si- tu, real time detectors that can be made and deployed not only air quality monitoring, but also for fuel leak detection, life support sys- tem monitoring, and atmosphere chemical composition measurement. The upper image is the socket. The lower is the Processed wafer, fabricated microheater and stacked chip. tech sensor chip (top 8 channels with carbon nanotubes bytes (black), lower 8 channels have no sensing materials). page 3 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct Parameters forEuropaDrill Function of Additive ManufacturingProcess Predicting DeformationandStressasa less resistancefromthepublic. meet will control air-traffic NextGen in advances future result, a As overflights. frequent to exposed are and paths flight GPS the below directly lie that areas residential in impact significant a have would This aircraft). the on (depending dB 5-8 as much as by noise flyover associated reduce could work this approach, early during deflection slat reducing By 2035. by best-in-class 2005 of noise perceived the of 1/2 to levels noise community improve to aims Vehicles mercial Com- Efficient Ultra barriers. legal and protest public the minimizing commercial aircraftcanenableadvancesinNextGenperformanceby quieter operations, toglobal as ultra Related well vehicles. as commercial efficient operations of global growth thrusts efficient strategic safe, toward NASA’s address helped project The figurations. con- reduced-slat of study continued for motivation and confidence more providing thereby measurements, “manual” earlier con- the firmed data system new the by measured overflights numerous The acoustic andaerodynamicmeasurementsofcommercialaircraft. This CIFprojecteddevelopedaFlyoverDataSystemincludingboth Reduced SlatDeflection Quiet Commercial Aircraft via PI: BruceStorms the bi-metalliccombustionchamberdevelopment. support to continues codes model these of refinement and utilization deformation andcracking(residualstresses)inbi-metallicparts.The sis andManufacturingofPropulsionTechnology) projecttopredictthe (Rapid Analy- STMD/GCD/RAMPT the into transitioned been have and project were vital topredictingresidualstressesin bi-metallic parts, even newfunctionalitywithgradientmaterials.TheresultsofthisCIF reduced mass,increasedsafetymargins(e.g.thermal),andpotentially significant impact. It could potentially lead to a new class of parts with ously takeintoconsiderationadditivemanufacturingconstraintshas design geometriesthatsatisfymissionconstraintsandsimultane- ing from improper process parameters. The capability to create new a givengeometry, potentiallyidentifycriticalinitiatorsoffaultsresult- future additivelybuiltparts,whichwillmitigateresidualstressand,for This CIFprojecthasgreatdownstreampotentialforoptimizationof PI: KevinWheeler close thattheyappear asasingleline. physics andlackoffluid dynamicsinthemeltpool. Thepeaktemperaturesareso 30um deepintothematerial. The temperatures aresohighduetolackofevaporation The toplinesareforthetemperatureat surfaceandthebottomtwolinesareat Comparison ofCOMSOL andSierraMechanicstemperaturesduringlasermelting. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct airport. International San Francisco complaints at Gen onnoise Effect ofNext- CIF CIF around otherstarsandassesswhethertheyarehabitable. by NASA, will be able to measure the atmospheres of Earth-like planets ture observatories,liketheOriginsSpaceTelescope nowbeingstudied nearby starscanbemeasured.Thisisneededtoinformhowwellfu - dioxide, ozone,andothergassesintheatmospheresofplanetsaround translates tohowpreciselythesignaturesofwater, methane,carbon stability, which its measure will tests laboratory.The Ames an in zero) tem atextremelylowtemperatures(below10Kelvin,closetoabsolute a transiting Earth-like planet from space. We will test this complete sys- observing simulate to system a in from Ames detector infrared an and Matsuo hasdevelopedanopticaltestbedthatusesasimulatedstar like planetsaroundotherstarswithfuturespaceobservatories.Prof. Earth- of atmospheres the study to needed technology the advance to Taro Professor with University collaborating Osaka is of Ames Matsuo Atmospheres ofExoplanets Advancing Technologies the toStudy ronment. meeting the entry envi- of capable and efficient shown tobebothmass TPS technology, was an emergingablative tion; (2) Conformal PICA, separa- of ease the firm con- to performed was testing range ballistic Exploratory separation. identify asimpledragskirtdesignthatutilizedaerodynamicstosolve to used was Solver CART-3DCFD developed Ames addressed. were separation after bodies two the between recontact potential and/or tipoff of effects the and flight, atmospheric throughout stability hicle dressed through the partnership between Ames, JPL and UCB: (1) Ve- Satellites, whichwerethefocusofthisstudy, weresuccessfullyad- challenges associatedwithdragmodulationaerocaptureforSmall heating predictionsledtoselectionandsizingoftheTPS.Thekey entry The defined. were environments aerothermal which for lished, estab- was space general. trajectory Ain feasible technology capture aero- modulated drag the to risks key addressing in results nificant mission atVenus, amostchallengingdestinationforentry, andsig- aerocapture spacecraft small a of risks identified work This risk. and pared to lift modulation and achieves the benefit with less complexity com- as GNC for requirement the simplified project CIF this in taken placed inorbitwithsmallperiapsisvelocitycorrection.Theapproach try, the main spacecraft achieves the desired velocity reduction and is missions. By separating a large drag skirt, at a precise time during en- delivered massforin-situsciencemissionsandhumanexploration of terms in benefit significant have to shown been has Aerocapture Venus foraSmallSatelliteScience Mission Single-Event DragModulated Aerocapture at PI: Tom Greene PI: EthirajVenkatapathy spec testbed. Densified Densified pupil and pupil and IRAD Four-petal (left)andasingleskirt(right)concepts. page 4 CIF bytes tech techbytes • Ames’ emerging technologies IRAD IRAD PHALANX Jigsaw: Software for Critical Event Decon- fliction for Interplanetary NanoSat Missions PI: Terry Fong Targets of scientific interest in planetary exploration increasingly lie in PI: Matthew D’Ortenzio areas such as steep slopes, lava tubes, or crevasses that are inacces- The first cadre of interplanetary NanoSat missions, which includes sible to traditional mission paradigms. The PHALANX project builds ARC’s BioSentinel and three SSTP CubeQuest Challenge mis- upon promising work in miniature, expendable projectile sensors that sions, is set to launch on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) / Orion Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2020. Each of these missions can be lobbed or rolled into place from a mortar-like delivery mecha- will soon be faced with the prospect of a lengthy and costly com- nism. The key idea is that the launching system can be carried as a munications scheduling negotiation for their early-mission critical payload to extend the reach and exploration capability of traditional events. ARC’s Jigsaw software is being developed to help the landers, rovers, or drones. Our current work develops self-organizing NanoSat mission teams tackle this challenge head on. Initiated by swarms of projectile sensors for science applications, incorporating a FY16 Center Innovation Fund award, and further supported by a distributed algorithms for data storage and forwarding, network fail- Center IRAD in 2018, the Jigsaw team has adapted ARC-developed ure resilience, relative location state estimation, and dense topologi- artificial intelligence scheduling software and is in the process of cal map generation. In a demonstration of our concept, we recently integrating it with optimization algorithms that will allow the Deep conducted mapping of solar irradiance over time across a swath of Space Network (DSN) and its NanoSat mission customers to ef- planetary analog terrain. This modality could be valuable in character- ficiently and accurately construct early-mission communications schedules for the periods of time when contention for their ground ization of small shadowed areas on the Moon for prospecting. antennas will be highest. The software allows the user to create requests, elaboration on them with key mission preference infor- mation, and visualize them in the context of other key events and resource profiles. Once all requests are in, Jigsaw schedules the most activities in can, stretching and or shifting them as necessary to meet constraints, while at the same time enforcing fairness be- tween missions. If adopted by the NanoSat teams, employing Jig- saw could drastically reduce the amount of time (potentially up to 100 times), that it will take to create a viable early-mission

DSN schedule for the EM-1 launch. Ames’ emerging technologies

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IRAD IRAD MiDAR: Multispectral Imaging, Detection, Maturation of a Laser Nephelometer & Active Reflectance Instrument – kW-class for In-Situ Atmospheric Missions Transmitter & Receiver Development PI: Anthony Colaprete Venus and Saturn missions called out in the NASA Decadal Survey PI: Ved Chirayath include observations of clouds and aerosols within the atmosphere.

tech bytes Our multi-year IRAD award consist- Remote sensing techniques to derive cloud properties, including den- ed of the design and development sity and particle size, are limited by how far observed wavelengths can of the first 10-band kW-class UV penetrate into the respective atmospheres. A nephelometer is an in- VNIR MiDAR transmitter and on- strument that measures particle concentrations directly (i.e., in-situ). board computational receiver for The last in-situ nephelometer to fly in space was on the Galileo Probe. NASA airborne and spaceborne Through IRD funding a new nephelometer has been prototyped that active remote sensing. In summary, takes advantage of the continuing reduction in size and increased our project remains on schedule, power efficiency of Near InfraRed (NIR) diode lasers. This nephelo- however the shutdown postponed meter measures the laser light scattered off of atmospheric particles. the first piggyback MiDAR field test The estimated mass and power for this nephelometer is 1.7 kg with an to May 2019, with subsequent field average power of less than 1.5W. The system is small enough to be integrated into a range of in-situ atmospheric missions, including de- tests planned for September 2019. scent probes and landers (for comparison, the Galileo Nephelometer A 200W MiDAR prototype subunit was 4.7kg and averaged 11W). A specialized test chamber has also was tested and validated in the been designed and built that will allow careful characterization of the lab. This unit contains 60 total LED instrument. Over the next year the instrument will be tested and pack- transmitters in 8 visible bands driv- aged into a flight-forward form, raising the instrument to a TRL5 and en over a DMX protocol. The LEDs capable of partici- are coupled to a glass total internal pating in the next reflection (TIR) optic, followed by a round of New cooled collimator optic, and 5-de- Frontiers propos- gree Fresnel lens. als, and possible use in Earth air- Images from top to bottom: LED board with craft/UAV mis- 60 LEDs mounted to heatsink, NASA logo sions. as viewed through collimation optic, LED TIR optic within collimation tube. (Left) Specialized test chamber that allows clean air and controlled flow of particles for instrument testing (Right) Nephelometer prototype using a single tech laser and diode in the test chamber. bytes page 5 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct Sequence Analysis. New toImproveBiological Approaches Bootstrapping theBootstrap: the from identified be to enough strong is signal the if assessing in mains unclear if it can be a useful barometer. We are making progress has onlybeguntobeappliedthenaturalenvironment,anditre- cient air on Earth and Mars. While theoretically grounded, this method wind-formed sandstonescouldbeusedtomeasuretheweightofan- tion ofsandgrainsindunesisaproxyforairdensity, meaningthat The aimofthisprojectistotestthehypothesisthatsizedistribu- Wind-Blown Sand Wind-Blown Measuring Air Pressure Using PI: ThomasBristow will improve future evolutionary analyses and are of strategic value will improvefutureevolutionaryanalysesandareofstrategicvalue mands whilemaintainingrobuststatistics.Theresultsofthisresearch analysis pipelines using these approaches to reduce computation de- pling and modeling methods to minimize bias, and plan to develop character-sam- reduced exploring also are We determination. tree in od onmodernmolecularphylogeneticdata,toinformcurrentpractices investigating thestatisticalpropertiesandrigorofbootstrapmeth- bootstrap, namely the independence of characters, are violated. We are t The bootstrapisthemostcommonmeasureusedtodaytoestimatesta- PI: CraigEverroad istical supportinmolecularphylogenies.However, assumptionsofthe the underlying phylogenetic signal. Can these increases predicatively modeled? the underlyingphylogenetic signal.Cantheseincreasespredicatively modeled? As morecharactersare sampled,supportforbranchesincreases differently basedon ARIA http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct ity ofextrasolarplanets. the assessment of habitabil- to and atmosphere, Earth’s standing oftheevolution will contributetoourunder- proxies ofairdensityandso out thegeologicalrecordas sandstones foundthrough- able theuseofwind-formed ful, thistechniquewoulden- fect grainsorting.Ifsuccess- physical processescanaf- background noiseasmany overlying airpressure sand dunesmayreflectthe The different sizesofgrainsin petency. core com- trobiology as- Ames NASA the support of search in ology re- to astrobi- ARIA molecular devices with the aid of similar technique, and by doing so molecular deviceswiththeaidofsimilartechnique,andbydoingso medicine. Italsoopensthedoorsforevolvingotherprotein-based are beingdevelopedforahostofapplicationstobiotechnologyand provide energy that drives biochemical reactions in artificial cells that to bioenergeticsofnascentcells.Thisdevicecanbealsoused a relativelystraightforwardevolutionarypathfrompassivetransport in working cell-like structures.Inthisproject,wedemonstratethatthereexists device biomolecular a vitro in evolving of example first that dissipatesratherthancreatesprotongradient.Thisstudyisthe ing complexproteins,weevolveprotonpumpfromasimpleprotein facilitates awiderangeofbiochemicalreactions.Insteademploy- adenosine triphosphate,thecommonenergycurrencyoflife,which subsequently usedtodrivesynthesisofthehigh-energycompound, In cells,thisgradient,producedbycomplexproteinassemblies,is ergy, forexamplelight,togenerateprotongradientacrosscellwalls. niques tocreateadevicecalledprotonpump,whichusesexternalen- tech - evolution vitro in novel use we evolution, vitro in of aid Withthe machine asprogrammedusinggeneticalgorithms. D-Wave the for performance favorable show will results these that tem, bothintermsofcomputationalspeedandaccuracy. Itishoped a traditionalgeneticalgorithmaswellsimulatedannealingsys- by obtained those against compared be then will machine D-Wave parameters andatomlocationswithintheunitcell.Resultsfrom treated asasetofnumberswhichcanthenbeusedtospecifylattice in crystallinestructures.Outputfromthequantumannealerwillbe relaxations cell unit examining are we test, second a As problems. trigin functioniscommonlyusedfortestingclassicaloptimization Ras- the first, The used. Currently,being project. are cases test two the for hired was Binghamton of University the from Stromswold el allowed by the Quantum Annealer. Student intern researcher Samu- are found,theoriginaloptimizationproblemissolvableatspeed original optimization problem. After the correct machine parameters the b) QA and correct parameters the a) to solutions find to tandem GAthe whereby system a creates This parameters. QAand in work ing withtheuseofaGenetic experiment- are We general. in problem difficult very a ters, in correctmachineparame- if theproblemcanbeencoded However, thisispossibleonly solve optimizationproblem. computers that areable,inprinciple,to (QA) Annealing” “Quantum of class a have now We properties. computational the inherentparallelismofits i The hope of Quantum Comput- origin oflifemeetsyntheticbiology in cell-likecompartments: studiesonthe I Computation Quantum Annealing toProblemEncodingfor Approach A Genetic Algorithm- BasedBootstrappig Andrew Pohorille PI: Andrew PI: SilvanoColombano ng is to derive advantage from ng istoderiveadvantagefrom n vitro evolution of biomolecular devices n vitroevolutionofbiomoleculardevices Algorithm (GA) to find the correct correct the find to (GA) Algorithm testing classicaloptimizationproblems. The Rastriginfunction,commonlyusedfor Ditzler) Mark and Pohorille (P.I.Andrew cant advancesinbiotechnology. signifi- for promise great holds surrounded bylamellae ofwater. On bothsides,themembrane is in greenanddarkblue, respectively. head groupsofthemembraneare brane. Non-polarcoreandpolar embedded inamodelcellmem proton transportacrosscellwalls A simpleproteinthatmediates page 6 - ARIA ARIA bytes tech techbytes • Ames’ emerging technologies ARIA ARIA Development of Atmospheric Noble Gas The Lunar Laser Spectrometer (LLS) Laboratory Assessment of Supercontinuum Laser Abundance SensorUsing Electric (SCL) Spectrometer Performance for Remote Discharge Detection and Characterization of Lunar Volatiles PI: Jing Li PI: Ted Roush We are developing a method to make in-situ measurements of the con- The detection and mapping of volatiles in the permanently shad- centration of noble gases such as He, Ne and Ar in planetary atmo- owed regions (PSR) of the Moon has been identified by the Lunar Ex- spheres using an electric discharge technique. In-situ measurements ploration Analysis Group (LEAG) as one of the highest priority items of noble gas abundance in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune from both the scientific and the resource utilization perspectives. is one of the key objectives incorporated in the ongoing NASA fund- LLS is a new class of rover- or lander-mounted active spectrometer ed Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP) mission con- that combines a supercontinuum laser (SCL) with a NIR spectrom- cept study, which is a secondary probe for the next planetary flagship eter to generate spectra of shadowed areas on the lunar surface or mission to Uranus or Neptune. The SNAP study, funded by the PSDS3 lava tubes. It is designed specifically to measure the composition, element of ROSES-2016 has identified an electric discharge- com lateral distribution, abundance, and particle size of surface volatiles, position sensor as an enabling technology for noble gas abundance hydrated species, and primary mafic igneous minerals. The SCL, measurements. To study the feasibility of noble gas concentration a laser that emits polychromatic light in the 0.45 – 2.40 µm region measurements using an electric discharge device, we are measuring of the spectrum, is used to illuminate the target material from an the relationship between electric discharge breakdown voltage, noble arbitrary distance within the field of view of the spectrometer, which gas partial pressure and electrode gap sizes in various background acquires spectra of the target. The use of a SCL instead of a lamp al- conditions. A precise apparatus of run- lows highly targeted observations to be performed at a greater range ning the experiment to discharge gases of distances and simplifies observation geometry. Here, a TRL 6 NIR has been built in the lab (see the picture spectrometer originally developed for the Mars 2020 Rover mission below, left) for above said studies. A Lab- is combined with a commercially available NKT Photonics SCL to view program has been written for running advance the concept to TRL 4 sta- tus. The ability of LLS to acquire the experiment and recording the test re- spectra of both illuminated and sults (see the picture below, right). The dark targets in a spectral region results from this desktop setup can guide populated by absorptions of diag- the design of a miniaturized discharge nostic key volatile and mineralogi- gas sensor that uses a carbon nanotube cal species make it uniquely suited bundle tip to point to a grounded metal for a broad range of landed lunar plate, which can offer high sensitivity, missions. high specificity and fast response tool A setup for precise measure of The supercontinuum laser (SCL), near the bottom of the figure, produces a broad the breakdown voltage of gases with low mass and low power for in-situ wavelength (0.4 - 2.5 micrometers) beam of light that is used to illuminate a target used in the discharge gas sensor noble gas abundance measurement. within the enclosure. The illuminated target is observed with a telescope, which development. transmits the light via fiber optic to a laptop-controlled spectrometer. Ames’ emerging technologies

• ARIA What Happens to Life in an ARIA Miniaturization of Lipid Biomarker Extraction Ocean World Plume? Techniques for Future Life Detection Missions PI: Carol Stoker PI: Mary Beth Wilhelm Co-Is: Tony Ricco, Linda Jahnke Subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus have the potential to The objective of this work is to develop and test miniaturized tech- harbor life. Missions are proposed to search for that life by collecting niques for extracting trace amounts of organic molecules (lipids) from samples that are ejected into space in plumes. Knowledge of the type natural samples. Soil organic matter is extracted into a minimal vol- tech bytes and expected quantity of these biomarkers will enable detection and ume of solvent using state-of-the-art sonication technology. This is sensitivity limits to be set for proposed life detection instrumenta- a critical step toward a spacecraft-scale system that could be flown tion. To this end our work focuses on understanding of the physical on future life detection missions to Mars or Icy Worlds. Our instru- response of microorganisms to the highly desiccating conditions of ment-development effort, ExCALiBR (Extractor for Chemical Analysis space vacuum. To accomplish this objective, we fabricated an appara- of Lipid Biomarkers in Regolith), builds on laboratory lipid biomarker tus that can inject micron-sized water drops into a vacuum chamber. analytical techniques that have been developed over the past 50 years Samples containing known concentrations of microbes are fed from in NASA ARC Exobiology laboratories. Lipids are organic molecules a pressurized piston outside the vacuum chamber through a nozzle utilized by all life on Earth, primarily for building membranes that en- inside the vacuum chamber. The nozzle and operating pressure were compass cells. Many are resistant to degradation and are the oldest selected to create particle sizes comparable to those observed by biomarkers preserved in the rock record on Earth, making them an at- Cassini in the Enceladus plume. Cold plates are installed in the base tractive target for ancient habitable sediments on Mars. This technolo- of the chamber for temperature control of the collected microbes. gy will help to enable life detection science objectives by (1) conserving Drops from the nozzle are captured onto cooled metal capsules origin-diagnostic lipid structures/patterns by maintaining them in the designed for imaging of wet samples in their native state by scan- liquid phase, (2) reducing signal interference by extracting lipids from ning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize cellular integrity. Along the mineral matrix with SEM images, analysis of the biomolecule ATP was performed and filtering out to quantify the amount of surviving (or intact) cells vs. the ones that minerals, and (3) were destroyed under vacuum exposure. Preliminary results from the increasing the con- tests show that cellular in- centration of lipids tegrity is maintained to some by an order of mag- degree, even under vacuum. nitude in the sam- However, when collected at ple sent to down- subzero temperatures there stream analytical was a substantial decrease instrumentation. in whole cell retention.

Image illustrates water plumes containing microbes ejected into space from the tech Enceladus subsurface. bytes page 7 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct to theInternationalSpaceStationPacked with Technology Technology EducationalSatellite8(TechEdSat-8) launches nications providedbyIridium. The Exo-Brake team maneuversitfromthegroundviacommu precise modulationoftheExo-Brakeas of theExo-Brake. This allowsforfinerandmore addition ofmorewaterthanpreviousversions Additional rigidityisgiventothestrutsby upon exposuretothespaceenvironment. to eachsideoftheExo-Brakeandthatexpands struts filledwithfewdropsofwaterthatreach its squareshapethroughtheuseoftwosoft Brake. Onceunfurled,theExo-Brakemaintains TechEdSat-8 spacecraftwillreleasetheExo- al SpaceStation’s NanoRacks deployer, the seconds afterdeploymentfromtheInternation x 8in)insideoneendofthespacecraft.Sixty folded andpackedintoa2Uspace(4inx4 emergency blanketsonEarth,theExo-Brakeis made fromasimilarthinmylarmaterialusedin Exo-Brake. At fourmeterssquare(13feet)and demonstrate amorerobustversionofNASA’s The primaryobjectiveof TechEdSat-8 isto professional engineers. NASA professionalengineersandfiveNASA ate andgraduatestudentinternsmentoredby built overthispastsummerby17undergradu NASA’s Exo-Brake, TES-8 wasdevelopedand the firsttime,aswellnextgenerationof technologies beingdemonstratedinspacefor Packed withcommercialandNASA-developed of themissionseriesthatdatesbackto2012. the mosttechnologicallyadvancedsatellite nedy FlightFacilityinFlorida. TechEdSat-8 is Space X-16launchvehiclefromNASA Ken- al SpaceStationonDecember4thonboard (TechEdSat-8) launchedtothe Internation NASA’s Technology EducationalSatellite8 Image Credit:NanoRacks outside theInternationalSpace Station. The UNITECubeSatafterrelease fromadeployer http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct - - - - (ELaNa) 21CubeSatlaunch. part oftheEducationalLaunch ofNanosatellites mission wasselectedin2017 tobelaunchedas Technology MissionDirectorate. The TechEdSat-8 Spacecraft Technology ProgramwithinSpace Engineering andSafetyCenter, andtheSmall NASA Ames EngineeringDirectorate,theNASA T planned tolasttendays. and anattitudecontrolsystem. The missionis Sat-8 includeaGPSsystemusedonsmartphones A using thegroundstationatWWF. deployment andmaneuversviaWiFi-ISMband ployment. ItwillalsotransmitpicturesofExobrake the NENlunarradio,allwithin30minutesafterde- compress thevideotoallowitstransmissionover Sat-8 spacecraftfromtheNanoRacksdeployer, and willcapturethedeploymentof TechEd- San JoseStateStudentsandProfessorsdevelop, a videocompressionrateof200framesto1that relay; Also onboardistheNVIDIA processorwith will allowtobeuseataLunardistancewithout capable oftransmittingat2000megahertzthat Earth Network(NEN).ItsisanX-bandlunarradio The secondradioistransmittingtoNASA’s Near station locatedinWallops Flight Facility (WWF). transmissions beingrelayedtoNOAA’s ground transmissions toGOESEastandWest with Administration’s (NOAA)radiowilldemonstrate radios. The NationalOceanicand Atmospheric demonstrated inspaceforthefirsttimearetwo A through theatmosphere. vessel toEarththroughsteeringtheExo-Brake samples fromthespacestationbyguidingareturn as afuturecosteffective waytoreturn planned is he TechEdSat-8 missionissupportedbythe dditional technologiestobevalidatedon TechEd- mong thecomplementoftechnologiestobe CONTACT [email protected] NASA Image credit: al SpaceStation. to theInternation before itslaunch EdSat 8CubeSat with theTech- Students work page - 8 bytes tech techbytes • Ames’ emerging technologies NASA Ames Award Recipients Ali Luna Receives Women of Color HENAAC Great Minds in STEM Outstanding Technical Contribution Professional Achievement Level 2 in Government Award Awarded to Andres Martinez Ali Guarneros Andres Martinez, pro- Luna, aerospace gram executive for the engineer and Advanced Exploration deputy project Systems (AES) divi- manager and sion at NASA, on Oct. co-investigator 20, 2018 received the for the SOAREX HENAAC Great Minds 10 and Safety in STEM Professional Mission and Achievement Level 2 Assurance for Award in Pasadena, Andres Martinez. Ali Guarneros. Image Credit: TechEdSat 5 and Image Credit: NASA California. Dominic Hart, NASA 6, received the HENAAC Great Minds Women of Color in STEM (GMiS) recognizes the achievements of Outstanding Technical Contribution in Govern- America’s top engineers and scientists within the ment Award on Oct. 13, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Hispanic community during the annual HENAAC The Women of Color STEM Conference hosts GMiS Conference. This year, Andres Martinez several award ceremonies for women who received the Professional Achievement Level 2 Ames’ emerging technologies

create innovation and inspiration. This year’s Award on Oct. 20, 2018 in Pasadena, California. •

conference was held in Detroit, Michigan on Candidates in this category must be well-estab- Oct. 12-13, 2018 and Ames’ Ali Guarneros lished managers or have project responsibility in Luna, aerospace engineer, was awarded the a technical field with significant contributions in Outstanding Technical Contribution in Govern- that arena. ment Award. Andres was selected for this award based on his Ali was selected for this award based on her outstanding reputation and work as a program

tech bytes significant contribution to NASA and space re- executive for NASA. As program executive for search. She is the deputy project manager and the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) divi- co-investigator for the SOAREX 10 and Safety sion at NASA, Andres is responsible for defining, Mission and Assurance for TechEdSat 5 and 6. integrating and assessing project activities and Additionally, she is the go-to person at Ames to provide policy direction and guidance. He is for issues related to International Space Station responsible for strategic planning activities that (ISS) safety and design practices. are defining future missions using small satel- Most noteworthy is Ali’s international reach and lites, as well as tactical management of various impact. She was a principal contributor to a spaceflight projects. joint NASA-Mexican Space Agency project and His portfolio currently includes Lunar missions her international recognition includes the Ohtli using small satellites, the Synchronized Position Award, presented to her on May 3, 2018. Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satel- The Mexican government reserves this honor lite (SPHERES) facility, the Astrobee free flying for those who have assisted Mexican citizens or robot development and strategic collaborations promoted their culture. Ali is globally recognized with other federal agencies and foreign countries. for her professional contributions to space and Beyond this distinguished professional achieve- community outreach and has received the ISS ment, Andres is an international STEM cham- Space Award for her role with the SPHERES, pion. His efforts are recognized by the Mexican Modular Rapidly Manufactured Small Satellite, Space Agency (AEM) as successfully leading a Nodes and TechEdSat Series projects. formal agreement between NASA and AEM. tech bytes page 9 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct in thenationalairspacesystem. tious andlarge-scaleuseofcommercialdrones vehicles, pavingthewayforsafe,expedi- traffic managementsystemforunmannedaerial for hisvitalroleindesigningafirst-of-its-kind Samuel J.HeymanServiceto America Medal project orprogram thatrepresentsabreak - ment onorcontributions to asingleaerospace worthy, proven,technicalorscientific achieve- T held in Arlington, VA. attheWIA Awards CeremonyandBanquet the recipientof2018 Achievement Award committee. OnNovember1,Dr. Koehnewas nition fromtheWomen in Aerospace Awards Dr. JessicaKoehnerecentlyreceivedrecog- Award in Aerospace Achievement Women Ames Technologist Receives Award Researcher SelectedforFederal Drone TraNASA ffic Management Advisory CommitteeforEmployees(HACE). at Ames inhisroleasthechairforHispanic dres alsoisattheforefrontofHispanicinitiatives ellite beingdevelopedbyMexicanstudents. An- the collaborationledto AztechSat-1 nanosat- in researchprojectsatNASA Ames. Additionally, ship programforMexicanstudentstoparticipate Space Act Agreement leadingtoaformalintern- A Ames Ames. ImageCredit:NASA attends aconferenceatNASA Service to America Medal, of the2018SamuelJ.Heyman tation systemsandrecipient technologist forairtranspor Parimal Kopardekar, senior his significantawardwas presentedfor“Note- ndres was key to establishing a reimbursable ndres waskeytoestablishingareimbursable http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct - byDarrylWaller - receive a2018 nominees to more than300 selected from Kopardekar was on Oct.2,2018. in Washington, service atagala for government prestigious medal was presenteda NASA Ames, tion systemsat air transporta- technologist for pardekar, senior Parimal H.Ko- funded by the Department of Defense through funded bythe DepartmentofDefensethrough Her previousresearchhas beenrecognizedand a six-memberearly-career scientistteam. lar projectthatsheproposed andwonaspartof flight. TheSTMD-ECIprojectisa$2.5million-dol- the entry, descent, andlandingphasesofspace- sion landingandimprovemaneuverabilityduring niques fordeployablevehicles,toenablepreci- team todevelopunconventionalcontroltech- O systems commonlyknownasdrones. task ofpredictingGPSfaultsinunmannedaerial project at Ames. FortheSWSproject,sheled Directorate EarlyCareerInitiative(STMD-ECI) (SWS) projectandaSpace Technology Mission O ager intheIntelligentSystemsDivisionat Ames. C. OkoloisaSpecialEmphasisProgramsMan- at theBEYA STEMConferenceinWashington D. Most PromisingEngineerinGovernment Award” NASA Ames, hasreceivedthe“BlackEngineer’s Dr. Wendy Okolo,anaerospaceengineerat - fromtheMarch2019 Astrogram Engineer inGovernment Award” Engineer’s MostPromising Wendy OkoloReceives “Black Dr. Wendy Okolo.ImageCredit:NASA Image Credit:NASA Jessica Koehne n the STMD-ECI project, she leads the controls n theSTMD-ECIproject,sheleadscontrols kolo isworkingontheSystem-WideSafety Dr.Eugene Tu. Center Director, by Ames submitted The nominationwas women inaerospace.” to theadvancementof that showsdedication a rolemodelormentor growth; andserviceas ment toprofessional space field;commit- through intheaero- page 10 bytes tech techbytes • Ames’ emerging technologies the National Defense Science and Engineering lected to receive the 2019 Graduate Fellowship; Zonta International, through Zonta International Amelia the Amelia Earhart Fellowship; and the American Earhart Fellowship. This Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics through fellowship is awarded an- the John Leland Atwood Graduate Fellowship. nually to up to 30 talented Okolo was only 26 years old when she became PhD students worldwide. the first black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in aero- The award seeks to pro- space engineering from the University of Texas at mote the future of wom- Kathrine Bretl. Arlington. She earned both undergraduate and mage Credit: NASA en in aerospace-related doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from sciences and engineering UT Arlington. and can be used to cover research costs, living Okolo worked with Langley Research Center in expenses, and/or travel expenditures. Ms. Bretl is Virginia to investigate flight data and facilitate data a graduate student in the Bioastronautics Labora- exchange across and within NASA centers. tory at the University of Colorado Boulder, inves- tigating methods for improving the feasibility of NASA Space Technology using short-radius, intermittent artificial gravity as Research Fellow Wins Zonta a comprehensive physiological countermeasure during long-duration human spaceflight. She is Amelia Earhart Fellowship pursuing a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and will Kathrine Bretl, a NASA Space Technology be receiving her Master of Science in Aerospace Research Fellow who recently completed a Engineering Sciences and Master of Engineering research experience in the Space Biosciences in Engineering Management in May of 2019. Ms. Division at NASA Ames working with Dr. Marianne Bretl’s NSTRF research coordinator is Dr. Francis Sowa and Dr. Ann-Sofie Schreurs, has been se- Donovan (SCR). Ames’ emerging technologies

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Ames FY20 Center Innovation Fund (CIF) Request for Proposals (RFP) The NASA Ames Research Center Office of the Center Chief Technologist (CCT) is pleased to announce the FY20 Center Innovation Fund (CIF) Request For Proposals (RFP). The purpose of the CIF is to stimulate and encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration within Ames, and between Ames and other NASA Cen- ters in addressing the technology needs of NASA and the Nation. It is intended for exploratory investigations that offer breakthrough technologies. The ideas supported must align with Center priorities and leverage Center capabilities, but they do not tech bytes necessarily need to correspond to the Centers Core Competencies. CIF proposals must be technologically oriented and may be viewed as ‘seedlings’ that will enable the next generation technology and exploration. The target technology readiness level (TRL) is 1-3. It is incumbent upon the proposer to demonstrate clearly the true innovation of the proposed project compared with existing state-of-the-art, and to demonstrate how the proposal supports Agency objectives and Center priorities. Eligibility and Guidelines Only Ames civil servants can serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) and submit proposals. However, partnerships are encouraged with on-site contractors and other external organizations that take advantage of mutual interests and capabili- ties as well as leveraged funding. Award Amount The FY20 CIF award guideline is up to $50K in procurement (including contract labor), and up to 0.2 FTE for one year. However, requests outside these guide- lines may be considered. FTE awards are restricted to Ames civil servants only and no funds are available for travel. Decisions regarding awards will be based on availability of funds. Award Duration All CIF awards are for a single year only, and the planned work is to be completed during FY20. All funding must be obligated by September 30, 2020. Proposals for continuation awards (i.e., for projects that received a CIF award from a prior year) may be submitted. However, these are reviewed as new proposals and must have demonstrated progress in the previous award and still meet the exploratory and breakthrough criteria. tech bytes page 11 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/cct www.nasa.gov