The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Desert Thunder! Masten Flight Systems works toward first launch of a NASA payload for Flight Opportunities office Cover Story Welcome to Aerovations Flight Opportunities This is an exciting time within NASA for innovation Resources 16 The newly established Office of the and technology. With the Chief Technologist seeks to match NASA Ronald Young, creation of the NASA Office Dryden Innovative and science community launch needs of the Chief Technologist, Partnerships Office with companies capable of getting the and the selection of its chief, 661-276-3741 experiments aloft to flight conditions Bobby Braun, a new agency champion has emerged The Office of the Chief to re-vitalize NASA as a Technologist: http://www. preeminent research and 30 Holland helps nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/ 24 Fiber optic development organization. index.html News protect ideas, Expanding on initiatives 4 Dryden Center systems commercialize tech of the former Innovative SBIR and STTR Innovation Fund Partnerships Program, information: http://sbir. new models are nurturing gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/SBIR. selectees named 6 Allen Parker’s ED11 0115-05 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Concepts innovations inside and html 11 Dryden researcher algorithm shatters a outside of NASA. In fact, The Innovative Partnerships Office staff includes, from left, Jason Han- technology barrier as part of the OCT, all of son, Ron Young, Julie Holland, Greg Poteat and Elizabeth Newcamp. submits winning idea for 9 New launch Dryden IPP website: the IPP – now called the http://www.nasa. office is formulated from two previous projects. Ames Research future space treadmills technology idea 6 Dryden, 4DSP enter Innovative Partnerships gov/centers/dryden/ Center, Moffett Field, Calif., began the Commercial Reusable gains ground Office – has been adopted Suborbital Research, or CRuSR, activity for the agency’s Science OCT structure is licensing agreement about/Organizations/ 17 and its work continued. Technology/ Mission Directorate. A second project is the Facilitated Access to focused on technology Flight experiments Competitive partnership the Space Environment for Technology, or FAST, which originated 13 opportunities such as the in the former IPP office. Flight Opportunities officials will seek 7 Dryden fiber optic validated ‘hot film’ sensors. sensor work honored successful Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business and foster capabilities and services from the commercial sector, 20 Dryden helps Now, the challenge is to Technology Transfer programs continue as part of the OCT initially for suborbital flight services. determine whether move the technology Space Technology programs. Ten such programs are organized As with all change, some has been seamless and some has been sonic booms will People to the next level under three divisions: early-stage innovations, game-changing challenging. At Dryden, a valued member of the IPO staff, Russ create false alarms technologies and crosscutting technology demonstrations. The Barber, recently passed away. Barber participated in analyzing and 4 Center chief individual programs are detailed elsewhere in this publication. assessing emerging commercial space markets that would foster a 13 Fly-by-feel systems The Innovative Partnerships Office is managing all former viable commercial industry, bringing these data into NASA’s Space technologist has a vision SBIR represent the next IPP responsibilities for the Space Technology programs. David Technology strategy and selection process. Additionally, in work revolution in aircraft Voracek, Dryden center chief technologist, provides oversight with a nascent commercial flight-service community, Barber’s 9 Eight Small Business 15 Mangalam brings controls and serves as a representative to Braun’s office. Center chief many years of NASA project management experience and insights Innovative Research Dryden ideas, technology technologists guide their respective center’s participation in were greatly respected on Flight Opportunities programmatic the Space Technology programs, and will provide each center’s challenges. Russ will be sorely missed in a number of ways. agreements approved 24 New tool could for Phase II funding “bottom-up” input to the agency’s innovation and technology It also is expected to be a year of achievement. The Xaero launch 22 Students contribute accurately assess strategies and goals. of the first NASA payload by Masten Flight Systems of Mojave, to Dryden researcher’s adaptive flight control Selecting and investing in a large number of highly creative Calif., for the Flight Opportunities program will be a major 21 Dryden SBIR work and gain insight software in flight activities with potential for disruptive, or game-changing, step toward demonstrating reliable flight services for additional work results in a new into engineering careers technology breakthroughs will generate excitement about NASA’s technology demonstrations and scientific payloads. The flight also generation of carbon- work. Drawing from private industry, colleges and universities, marks a new era of cooperation with our commercial partners. carbon fasteners 28 DIMM is a bright idea. a wave of creative ideas will foster innovations that will engage Although the name of the office has changed, its mission has 26 TPS chief test pilot a new generation of researchers and technologists. Partnerships not. Partnerships are still part of the office name and a key part says Dryden partnership such as those available through SBIR and STTR are models of what we do. We seek out partnerships with industry, academia 25 SBIR opportunities energized students for other collaborations aimed at reinvigorating technology for and other NASA and government entities to continue raising the help tech innovation NASA as well as at stimulating commercial applications, market readiness level of emerging technologies, identifying new sources 30 CPP students aid in expansion and investment in future technologies. of innovation to address NASA’s technology needs that will not Dryden also was selected to manage the Space Technology’s only resolve the agency’s technical challenges, but also benefit the new-tech evaluation Flight Opportunities program under NASA Headquarters nation and the general public through technology transfer for new

Inside Aerovations Inside The Masten Flight Systems tethered rocket test on the cover was Stories by X-Press Editor Jay program executive Laguduva Kubendran, a former member of commercial applications. photographed by Tom Tschida (NASA Photo ED11 0139-49) Levine except where noted. Dryden’s technical management staff. Dryden’s John Kelly is the Flight Opportunities program manager. The Flight Opportunities Ron Young, Dryden Innovative Partnerships Office August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011 Innovation ... from page 4 and aircraft efficiency. from the central nervous system allow a person to react to what is Seeding innovation New aerospace vehicle designs will happening, as it’s happening. If Brenner is successful, as an aircraft depend on such an integrated system flies, information from the sensors will be fed into the flight controls Dryden Center Innovation Fund selectees named that can gather information from an and allow the aircraft to adapt to flight conditions. aircraft’s sensors and feed it into the flight Called Distributive Adaptive Aeroservoelastic Control Utilizing control computer. What’s potentially Physics-Based Aerodynamic Sensing, the new technology will be A new Center Innovation Fund seeded through the NASA Office of the commercial sector would then incorporate into new generations revolutionary is then having the flight used in pinpointing flow bifurcation points – areas where the airflow the Chief Technologist became available when the federal 2011 fiscal of airplanes. Toward that goal, Barraclough earned funding for control system use new algorithms in characteristics change significantly – to define a relationship between year budget passed in April. The goal of the new initiative, funds from electric aircraft system technology development that dovetails with harnessing that information to alleviate different key parameters. which are being offered to agency researchers at each of NASA’s field Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate visions for less noisy, more aerodynamic forces and achieve different For example, information on the leading-edge stagnation point, centers, is to stimulate new ideas and encourage pursuit of promising fuel efficient and environmentally friendly system goals, said Dryden researcher Marty Brenner with angle-of-attack or flow separation point and aerodynamic lift technologies. future aircraft. Marty Brenner. The research focus will alternately be on coefficient, could be used in the control system for decisions on Dryden researchers submitted their proposals at the beginning of the Barraclough, an electrical engineer, is handling quality performance, gust-load alleviation and how to control the aircraft. The system also would help minimize fiscal year to David Voracek, Dryden Chief Technologist. So selections specifically interested in electric propulsion, aerostructural stability. transitions on the aircraft, such as those from laminar-to-turbulent could be made from the submissions as soon as funding became which he said he believes can dramatically Brenner equates the sensors and their information on an and attached-to-separated airflow, and shock waves. available, a group composed of two members from each Dryden increase overall efficiency and reduce aircraft, feeding back into a fly-by-feel flight control system, to directorate ranked the proposals on technical merit, Voracek said. environmental impact. Development of the human nervous system. In the body, signals to the brain See Innovation, page 29 “The Center Innovation Fund will allow researchers to investigate new aerodynamic, structural, control and ideas they would not be able to fund any other way to see if a concept powerplant technologies will be required, has merit for further study. We hope the research funded by the CIF but preliminary steps could lead to new will lay the groundwork for future NASA investments in developing breakthroughs to make future visions possible, Voracek ... from page 4 these emerging technologies, which will leverage Dryden’s talents and he said. Jonathan Barraclough capabilities,” said Voracek. His task will be to seek out partners in industry and academia benefit the nation. flight-flutter testing. His research included developing flight-flutter Four projects were selected to receive funding and are expected to with expertise that can be leveraged in electrical aircraft technologies, A chief technologist was appointed at each NASA center to techniques, active structural damping and piezoelectric systems reach established milestones by September. Project researchers are listed combining benefits of related technologies to help surmount technical represent the centers on the Office of the Chief Technologist tests. alphabetically below with brief descriptions of the projects they will lead. hurdles in creating all-electric aircraft. A report he will write when his staff. As such, Voracek will be expected to serve asthe In 1995, Voracek was chief engineer for the F/A-18 Systems research is complete will focus on partnering possibilities, required principal advisor to Dryden leaders on center-wide technology Research Aircraft. He was responsible for working with technologists Jonathan Barraclough test infrastructure for electric aircraft systems development and development efforts and communicate Dryden technology from NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory on integrating Two-seat and, soon, six-seat aircraft powered entirely by electricity integration and, potentially, conceptual drawings for test systems. capabilities to the NASA Center Technology Council. The experiments onto the aircraft and coordinating technical engineering are closer to becoming reality. The trend is moving toward electrically council is comprised of the center chief technologists and NASA staff and technical briefings. powered commercial aircraft, and Dryden researcher Jonathan Marty Brenner Chief Technologist Robert D. Braun. The technology included electromechanical actuator and Barraclough wants Dryden to be a driver of this new revolution in Algorithms will be needed for moving aeronautics- and physics- Voracek will also serve as the point of contact for the NASA electrohydrostatic actuator systems, fiber optic engine sensors, the technology advancement and integration. based information from sensors to an aircraft’s flight control Center Innovation Fund, when the appropriations process is integrated structural antenna, and structural excitation systems. Ideally, an X-plane that integrates all-electric components or a hybrid computer in real time and success will open a new frontier in controls complete, and for fund reporting and management. Proposals Voracek’s duties included serving as mission controller and flight aircraft with many electric components would be developed and flown already have been requested, collected and are in the process of test engineer for the flights. He accumulated 25 flight hours in the at Dryden to validate and verify the concepts and integration, which See Innovation, page 5 being prioritized for when funding does become available (see back seat of the F/A-18 aircraft as SRA chief engineer. article p. 16). From 1998 to 2002, Voracek was chief engineer for the Active Other duties include being the center focal point for Space Aeroelastic Wing project, a joint project of the AFRL, The Technology Research Fellowships and leading technology Boeing Company and NASA. Voracek led the formulation team transfer, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business that developed the research objectives and requirements for the Center chief technologist has a vision Technology Transfer and commercialization opportunities at flight project. He led the technology and engineering staff from David Voracek has a vision for Dryden in their ideas from napkins and paper to start implementing them,” Dryden. development of requirements through the first flight and aircraft which technology developed here collaboratively Voracek said. In addition, Voracek is tasked with serving as center change characterization phase of the project. through partnerships nationwide will cut across His vision and his task extend across Dryden. agent in aiding the workforce’s capacity to innovate, document, In addition, Voracek worked five years in the Dryden Business a number of needs for NASA and the nation. “The Center Chief Technologist represents technology in all of demonstrate and communicate societal impact of center Development office with officials from other government agencies More important, the technology will be ready the different codes across a NASA center. I am trying to encourage technology accomplishments and encourage partnerships and and private industry to formulate technology development programs. for use when it is needed. innovation in everything we do here, from a procurement process to inter-center collaborations. He managed the $1million Dryden Flight Research and Productivity As the newly named Dryden Chief a flight technology. Innovation can help us do everything better,” he Voracek first worked with the Office of the Chief Technologist Tools project, a competitive technology development effort. Technologist, Voracek has begun to chart a added. in April 2010, when he took a temporary assignment at NASA In 2008 he was appointed deputy director for Dryden Research course to realize that vision. First, he will have The agency Office of the Chief Technologist, which alsowas Headquarters to help with OCT formulation. In May 2010, and Engineering, where he helped to supervise a 143-person to determine the range of technologies at the recently established, seeks to coordinate all technology efforts across he was appointed Dryden center chief technologist and was directorate and managed the research budget. center and how they fit into the key goals of the David Voracek the agency into a cohesive plan for elevating the readiness level of permanently appointed to the position in October. Voracek received his aerospace engineering degree from Iowa agency’s Office of the Chief Technologist. key technologies, while helping to foster partnerships to maximize Voracek began his Dryden career in 1987 as a research State University, Ames, in 1986, a Master of Science in aerospace “We will develop strategies to get to a technology portfolio that we resources and more rapidly move technology to products that can engineer in structural dynamics working on flight research engineering from Northrop University in Los Angeles in 1991, and really want – including flying technology demonstrations. Fortunately, programs such as F-16XL, X-29 and the F/A-18 High Angle a Master of Science in systems architecture and engineering from we have NASA Center Innovation Funds to help some people bring See Voracek, page 5 of Attack Research Vehicle, doing ground-vibration testing and the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2008.

4 5 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011 Fiber optic sensors ... from page 6 Fiber optic sensors scan every 30 seconds. Closer to home, fiber optics will be added to the F/A-18 No. “Wow, this is neat, but how realistic is it?” Parker said of his 853 for flight experiments that could have implications for aero and first look at a fiber optic sensing system. space vehicles, as well as for structures in space. Fiber optics can be Parker’s algorithm shatters a technology barrier Since seeing the Langley system, Parker has worked to reduce used to take measurements on wing and other aerodynamic surfaces the size of the fiber optic sensing system by more than 75 percent. that could be fed into flight control computers for what researchers Dryden researcher Allen Parker recently developed an Parker, who was part of a team with William Ko, Anthony Piazza call a “fly-by-feel” system. The system would be able to compensate algorithm that permits information from fiber optic sensors to and Lance Richards, first instrumented a Dryden aircraft in 2008 for conditions and would therefore use less fuel. move exponentially faster. In other words, information from fiber to prove that the accuracy of the fiber optic sensing system was as Another result of using fiber optic sensing systems as part of optic sensors can now be viewed in real time. good as traditional sensors. Flights on the Ikhana unmanned air a control system is managing aircraft structural components “Sitting at my workbench, a light came on,” said Parker, who system validated that point. anticipated to be made of lighter, more flexible materials, Parker works from the NASA Advanced Technology Laboratory located With the combination of smaller size and faster data transfer, explained. at the Aerospace, Education, Research and Operations, or AERO the fiber optic sensing system is now ready to go and has been The fiber optic sensing system on F/A-18 No. 853 will include Institute in Palmdale, Calif. “I saw the problem with a different proven so through flights on both the Dryden Ikhana Predator B shape as one of the parameters to be measured, fed back into the perspective and, shortly afterward, submitted a New Technology and AeroVironment’s Global Observer. flight control system and used to control the shape of its wings. Report, and it took off from there.” As so often happens, breaking through one technological “We hope to have the fiber optics sensing system on the aircraft A key impediment to widespread use of fiber optic sensor barrier has led to a new one, Parker said. Now, the limitation and start making measurements by end of the year,” Parker said. technology was the speed at which information from the sensors will be the capability of the laser. Parker has ideas for how to Meanwhile, a fiber optic sensing system is in development for travelled to the individual needing the information. With his new eventually resolve that problem, too, but for now the algorithm the Dryden G-III, for a new type of composite flap. The Air Force mathematical equation, or algorithm, that is no longer a problem. will be expanded; fiber optic systems that now can gather 100 Research Laboratory wants NASA to design and build a fiber optic As a result of the breakthrough, Parker has a patent pending sample per second as a result of this algorithm can be improved sensing system to monitor the strain distribution and shape of the for his algorithm, which is called Method for Reducing Rate to obtain as many as 250 samples per second, he said. new flap. of Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors. In addition, with removal of a Though aeronautics, space, medicine and drilling have been Also of interest is how a fiber optic sensing system could be used key stumbling block that was holding the technology back, the mentioned as some of the industries with an interest in fiber optic in assessing the nation’s aging infrastructure. Fiber optics can be commercialization possibilities are growing. Dryden’s Innovative sensing system technology, Parker said there are no limits to how used on bridges to sense cracks or assess damages from natural Partnerships Office recently announced that a licensing agreement it can be used. disasters such as earthquakes, he said. is now in place with Texas-based company 4DSP to commercialize For example, Parker said he believes a day will come when During the next several years, Parker envisions working with the technology, making it readily available for others to use (see aircraft are fabricated with fiber optics and have systems that components such as lasers and optics to greatly reduce the size and related article). tell maintainers exactly what is wrong, without extensive – and cost of the next-generation system. Originally, researchers saw large- To put Parker’s fiber optic sensing development in perspective, expensive – maintenance down periods. scale systems as being able to fit on a rack mount on an airplane. the rate of information transfer from fiber optic sensors in “One direction is for it to become a large-scale system – But Parker said building small, rugged systems with four to eight the past was one sample every 30 seconds; Parker’s algorithm instrument an entire large-scale aircraft with a single, relatively fibers for small, unmanned aerial systems has become a priority. increases that to 100 sweeps of the laser that reads the sensors small system, putting fibers all over the surface of the vehicle to Particularly in new and smaller craft, involving situations in which per second. ED10 0223-01 NASA Photo by Tony Landis perform comprehensive vehicle health monitoring,” he said. “Like a a vehicle is performing near its structural limits, a fiber optic sensing Parker also has worked on miniaturization of fiber optic sensor human nervous system, which has ‘sensors’ embedded throughout system could be critical, he added. systems. When he first saw a fiber optic sensing system –one The metallic panel has both conventional and fiber optic sensors. the body from the legs, arms, back and all areas, determines the The capability of having thousands of sensors to measure strain, developed at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. – it took The white bundle of cables contains 100 conventional strain gages, state of the body then feeds that information to the brain – the temperature or pressure also represents a paradigm shift. New ways an entire table to contain a system capable of transferring just one the single yellow cable about 350. Dryden aircraft have been used same is true for this next-generation aircraft system.” of looking at information – and determining what is important – in validation of fiber optic sensors. Fiber optic sensors may also have See Fiber optic sensors, page 7 Sensing is not limited to strain; other parameters such as are becoming a new area of interest. An adaptive “smart sensor” applications in a number of different fields. temperature, pressure, shape and loads can be measured with a is the answer, he said. The new fiber optic sensor systems will be fiber optic sensing system. developed with the capability of focusing on what the researcher For that reason, the oil and gas industries are interested in wants, or where the action is, he added. In other words, researcher Dryden, 4DSP enter licensing agreement using fiber optics in specialized drill heads that can sense shape as would not have to sort through large amounts of data during post well as temperature and pressure. A drill operator needs to know analysis to extract important data features. A single fiber thinner than a human algorithm (see main article), information now can move from exactly how a drill head is positioned, which can be determined Regardless of what the next advancement will be in fiber optic hair may one day enable systems that can the fiber optic sensing system to the people who need itas by knowing its shape. Temperature and pressure can also tell the sensing technologies, one common thread is that Allen Parker and monitor aircraft health, detect cracks and events being monitored unfold, he said. operator about the health of the drill. Dryden researchers will be looking to lead it. assess damage from natural disasters in “Under the licensing agreement, 4DSP is allowed to engage in bridges and infrastructure as they occur, the design, manufacturing, promotion and commercialization support the gas and oil industries and be of fiber optic sensing products,” Vulliez said. used in medical equipment. Vulliez and Parker began talking and working together in Dryden fiber optic sensor work honored Pierrick Vulliez, president of the 2007 and the Texas-based 4DSP has developed some of the Dryden’s work with fiber optic sensor systems has garnered a 2010 recipient of an honorable mention in the technology company 4DSP, thinks that day is near. components of Dryden’s fiber optic sensing system. Now the agency-wide attention. The following are awards earned by innovation category for his fiber optics work. Vulliez’s company recently entered into a Pierrick Vulliez challenge will be to package the technology into commercial, Dryden researchers: “An expert in fiber-optic instrumentation, Parker has led the licensing agreement with Dryden to begin off-the-shelf products that can be customized by users. development of miniaturized fiber-optic based strain measurement commercializing Dryden-developed fiber optics work. Through See 4DSP, page 8 • Jaiwon Shin, Aeronautics Research mission directorate use of Dryden researcher Allen Parker’s patent-pending associate administrator, named Dryden researcher Allen Parker See Honors, page 8

6 7 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

from page 7 NASA has chosen nine Phase repeated loading, enhanced Honors ... II Small Business Innovative structural fatigue, undesirable technology that can be used in flight capable systems, and that the Composite Crew Module Project at Langley Research Center, Research agreement proposals oscillations and catastrophic provides sample rates appropriate for research data gathering Hampton, Va. The crew module was instrumented with fiber optic submitted by Dryden. The flutter. and for possible use in aircraft control systems and other non- sensors along the hatch and windows to monitor high-strain areas following list looks at the concepts: The developed adaptive aerospace technologies,” the wording of the award reads. during a loading test on the structure. • Systems Technology of aeroservoelastic suppression “His work on miniaturizing the system’s electronics and Hawthorne, Calif., earned an algorithms and subsequent streamlining algorithms running on those electronics resulted • The NASA Composite Crew Module Non-Destructive Evaluation SBIR agreement for its Smart SBIR real-time piloted validation in small suitcase-sized systems that can acquire data from and Test team also received a NASA Group Achievement Award Adaptive Flight Effective Cue, simulations will benefit NASA thousands of individual sensors. NASA is exploring these “for achieving excellence through design and fabrication of a full- or SAFE-Cue, proposal. Piloted Nine Dryden Small flight test programs by providing systems for active control of extreme lightweight airframe scale composite crew module.” simulation studies conducted a solution for rejecting adverse structures. The medical device industry is exploring use of this under a previous SBIR agreement Business Innovative aeroservoelastic dynamics. technology in advanced medical instruments.” • Dryden’s Fiber Optic Shape Sensing team, which included prevented loss of a simulated Such conditions include flight William Ko, Parker, Piazza and Richards, captured a NASA Group aircraft’s control by providing Research projects condition changes, configuration • Parker also was part of the NASA Composite Crew Module Achievement award. tactile cues to the pilot through changes and damage and failure Non-Destructive Evaluation and Test team, which also included In 2009, the group won the team award for successfully the control stick. Simulation approved for Phase II scenarios. Potential benefits Patrick Chan, Anthony Piazza and Lance Richards. The group demonstrating fiber optic wing shape sensing on the Ikhana tests also verified the ability to also include adverse dynamic was recognized with a group achievement award at the 2010 unmanned aerial system. The citation reads, “For the development prevent adverse pilot interaction this technology for a prototype increase safety for commercial suppression in manned and NASA Engineering and Safety Center Honor Awards. and flight testing of fiber-optic strain measurement systems and with adaptive control laws used system that will be evaluated transport and military aircraft. unmanned spacecraft systems. The honor was in recognition of outstanding contributions in algorithms that enabled lightweight deformation measurement of to allow a damaged aircraft to with a series of flight tests using a • Systems Technology also was • The Numerica Corp. of the field of Non-Destructive Evaluation and test execution on flight vehicles.” be flyable in conditions such Learjet provided by another STI awarded an SBIR agreement for Loveland, Colo., was awarded as the failure of a flight control partner, Calspan. SAFE-Cue another safety enhancement, an SBIR agreement for the surface. An STI partner, Barron can be applied to any modern real-time methods for adaptive company’s estimation and 4DSP ... from page 6 Associates, developed the flight control system regardless suppression of adverse prediction of unmanned aerial of whether it uses an adaptive aeroservoelastic dynamics. vehicle trajectories, a potential The company’s name, 4DSP, is an abbreviation for “for the Dryden-developed fiber optic technology because of the adaptive control laws used in controller. It is envisioned Adverse aeroservoelastic element of integrating Unmanned digital signal processing,” Vulliez explained. “Our expertise is in company’s involvement in the system’s creation, its experience in Phase I, which will also be used that SAFE-Cue software will interaction is a problem on performing signal processing and data acquisition using field, signal processing and its relationship with major aerospace and in Phase II work. significantly and economically aircraft of all types causing See Technology, page 10 programmable gate array, or FPGA, technology.” defense contractors. Phase II work will advance Vulliez recalled his first conversation with Parker. “Because we are a small business, our flexibility and expertise “At the time, we had some off-the-shelf products that he allow us to solve problems in an unconventional manner,” he said. [Allen] thought were suitable for his application. We [4DSP] During the next year, 4DSP will roll out a number of products didn’t know anything about fiber optics; it was a foreign concept that will be showcased on the company’s website. Vulliez said he New launch technology idea gains ground to us. We delivered a signal processing system and Allen hooked will introduce the latest developments to customers who might be A team including members across the agency. Those researchers then decided to joined together up the fiber optics to it,” he said. able to make the best use of it. from multiple NASA centers to develop the current feasibility study. Opportunities followed as 4DSP was asked to assist Parker The cost of obtaining the technology, however, remains a has been formed to examine the Kloesel began work on the concept of what he calls a highly reliable and Dryden researchers in dreaming up the next-generation roadblock for smaller companies. feasibility of an electromagnetic- reusable launch system with the help of Innovative Partnerships fiber optic sensing system. That led to an exponentially smaller, “The items we sell are on the high end of the technology market. catapult concept as a key Program seed funds in 2008. Since then, his idea of packaging compact system, which Vulliez said will be further minimized These systems can costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. If we component for new launch technologies to develop an electromagnetic launch assist vehicle has in size and power consumption. want this technology to be available to a number of industries, we technologies. continued to generate interest. Signal processing and data acquisition, or moving information need to reduce the cost,” he said. Stanley Starr, a Kennedy In practice, such a vehicle would use the equivalent of an from one point to another in real time, have moved fiber optics To make the system more attractive, he said, the next generation Space Center, Fla., physicist, electromagnetic catapult for a first stage. The propulsion from the from an interesting novelty to a potentially game-changing of it will need to be increasingly compact and lightweight. Fiber and engineers Paul Bartoiotta electromagnetic forces would move a spacecraft along a rail system, technology, Vulliez said. Because of Vulliez’s contacts with large optic sensing systems already have an advantage over traditional at Glenn Research Center, with a secondary stage completing the job of propelling the vehicle aerospace and defense contractors, who make up about 80 systems that use transducers and heavy bundles of wire to collect Cleveland, and Dryden’s Kurt into space, Kloesel explained. percent of his current business, Vulliez said he believes those information. But as fiber optic systems become more compact, Kloesel are developing a proposal This technology could be matured from a concept into a launch will be some of the first customers for the fiber optic sensing weigh less and establish a record of reliability, their use will grow for the launch system. The capability that will take spacecraft to low Earth orbit at lower cost, technology. exponentially. proposal is being developed for December 2010 Edition in a more environmentally friendly way and with greater reliability, Opportunities with fiber optics are without boundaries, “Credit goes to many people, but this licensing agreement NASA’s Exploration Systems he added. Vulliez said, and he jumped at the opportunity to show Dryden would not have happened without [Dryden partnership- Mission Directorate and the Office of the Chief Technologist. Kloesel is quick to add that he didn’t originate all of the elements what 4DSP brings to the table and why they were the right development manager] Julie Holland. She walked us through the Engineers at Langley Research Center, Va., also are becoming of the electromagnetic launch assist vehicle and that he continually company to begin commercializing this technology, he said. licensing process and she really made it a breeze. Her help goes far interested in the concept because it could potentially satisfy gross seeks help from people he thinks can help evolve the concept. His “The prospects of bringing this technology to market and beyond the agreement – Julie worked with us to define whom we takeoff weight and wing loading requirements for a future two- key contribution is combining the electromagnetic launch concept making it available to industry were too appealing for us to pass are and where we want to go. stage-to-orbit vehicle with a staged ramjet or scramjet engine, with a hybrid air-breathing system. up,” Vulliez said. “Some elements of the [fiber optic] system “From our perspective, her input was of tremendous value.” Kloesel said. With the need for new launch technologies growing, the team technology that Dryden has developed delivers about a 20-fold Fiber optic sensing solutions bring benefits that are hard to Popular Science magazine ran an article and cover graphic in the of NASA researchers looking into this concept may be able to improvement over what is available.” ignore, he said. For that reason, while it may take a decade for the December issue to draw interest in the technology. That published contribute a key component to the development of a next generation What Vulliez said 4DSP is uniquely qualified to commercialize technology to become mainstream, “it will surely happen.” account sparked more interest from a number of NASA researchers launch system. 8 9 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

user and algorithms to scale the springs for Technology ... from page 9 different applications. Springing toward Applications for the constant-force spring, Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, into the national airspace. significantly simplify the MAV architecture. The technology or nonlinear springs in general, could go far A key goal of NASA’s NextGen Airspace plans is to add UAVs could also be applied to planetary-sample-return rocket engine beyond space treadmills to more terrestrial safely into the national airspace. Many UAV aircraft lack a stages, upper-stage launch vehicle and kick motors and small uses such as improving artificial implants and sense-and-avoid capability to mitigate collision risk, a challenge launch-vehicle engines. a novel solution prosthetics since many biological materials that prevents government and private contractors from using • Busek Company of Natick, Mass., will continue development have a nonlinear stiffness, she said. The these platforms for routine operations in the national airspace. work on its magnesium-based rockets for Martian exploration. Dryden researcher constant-force spring design and was judged springs might also help reduce injuries by Development of target-state estimation and trajectory prediction Busek will test multiple metal fuel and oxidizer combinations the best idea for meeting the challenge of making heavier objects feel almost weightless algorithms could be a step toward routine use of UAVs for and then will design, build and test an integrated rocket and submits winning minimizing force fluctuations over a person’s while a person performs a task. In that missions such as homeland security, Earth science and disaster propellant management system. maximum gait displacement of 18 inches, case, the springs are used to counterbalance assessment. The company has validated that magnesium can be combusted idea for future while also minimizing mass, volume and the heavier object. When using the same • VIP Sensors of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., was awarded with carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen peroxide, all of which space treadmills power requirements. It replaces gravity so that concept in machines, smaller motors can an SBIR agreement for a fiber optic pressure sensor array. VIP may be obtained from the Martian surface or atmosphere. someone exercising in a simulated zero gravity replace larger ones, potentially leading to Sensors proposes a fiber optic pressure sensor array system for Methods for storing, delivering and igniting the propellant have NASA needs to improve its treadmills on environment on Earth, such as on a horizontal energy savings. measuring airflow pressure at multiple points on the skin of been identified, and combustion experiments have been carried Earth and in space and offered a prize to suspension treadmill, or someone who is Regardless of how it will be used, Jutte’s aircraft for flight-load test applications. The proposed technology out. NASA researchers who could help with the exercising without gravity in space would still constant-force spring was judged to be a new is applicable to such different types of sensors as accelerometers, This “green” technology could be used for Martian payload technologies to make it happen. feel the effects of gravity with every footstep approach that merits further investigation. pressure and strain gages. Each sensor in the array is designed to ascent vehicles, Martian rocket-propelled transports, lunar Dryden researcher Christine Jutte taken on the treadmill. work at discrete optical wavelengths. transit and ascent vehicles and satellites and service modules. answered this “NASA@Work Challenge” To achieve the Testing of aircraft requires a large numbers of sensors, each The technology also has applications to satellite station- with a new technology, for which NASA goal, Jutte suggested requiring four to six interconnecting wires. For large systems, this keeping, repositioning, attitude control, rendezvous, docking awarded her an Innovation Award of $200. simulating gravity with means large numbers of wires that add weight and occupy space. and separation, multi-mode propulsion systems, launch vehicle In a nutshell, Jutte proposes a new spring the constant-force The proposed system not only has the potential to significantly upper stages, and air, surface and submarine applications on design that, unlike coil springs, maintains springs she developed. improve pressure measurements for flight load testing, but its Earth. a constant force over a large deflection. The springs, which look micro-miniature networking optical sensors will benefit many • Ultracor of Livermore, Calif., will advance work on its C-SiC The NASA challenges are intended to like flattened wires, other aircraft ground and flight testing applications and aircraft, and SiC-SiC honeycomb materials for advanced flight structures, find answers to research questions within would work by pushing satellite and ship monitoring. which are capable of operating at 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit with NASA using a collaborative, problem the person toward the • Aries Design Automation of Chicago is funded for additional reduced oxidation that occurs with carbon-carbon materials. It solving, Web-based approach. Cash awards treadmill to feel the work on its reconfigurable very-long instructional word, or VLIW, is anticipated the C-SiC and SiC-SiC honeycomb materials for were offered to the researcher with the best effects of gravity during processor for software-defined radio. The company’s technology advanced flight structures are materials that could be produced solution for each of 20 posted challenges. exercise. The springs could have applications to radiation-hardened flight-control more economically than can other available materials and could The NASA@Work Challenge is one of could be designed for computers that NASA uses in many space missions, including enable construction of future hypersonic flight vehicles. the incentive programs developed by each individual user to Deep Impact, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars A C-SiC honeycomb for advanced flight structures project InnoCentive, a Waltham, Mass., company accommodate different Rovers. Phase I SBIR effort demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of NASA has contracted to spark innovation sizes and weights and The VLIW processor will have reconfigurable functional units a lightweight, C-SiC high-temperature core system capable of through a series of challenges. also so that it can NASA Photo and specialized instructions that will be optimized for Software operating at the temperatures experienced during hypersonic Gail P. Perusek of Glenn Research Center, simulate both gravity In the background, astronaut Edward Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science Defined Radio applications. The radiation hardening will be flight. These results demonstrate that this material is agood Cleveland, is the Exercise Countermeasures conditions on Earth as officer and flight engineer, exercises on the station’s Treadmill Vibration done at the micro architectural level with a mechanism that will candidate for use in building an aircraft for the extreme project manager who issued the treadmill well as lunar gravity, Isolation System. Above, a test subject runs in a zero gravity simulator on allow the detection and correction of all timing errors – caused temperatures of hypersonic flight. Further validation of the C-SiC challenge. Perusek’s project is part of which is one-sixth that Earth in the Exercise Countermeasures Laboratory at Glenn Research Center, not only by radiation, but also by variations in voltage, frequency, material, to demonstrate its longevity, and the development of a NASA’s International Space Station and of Earth. Cleveland. Below, Christine Jutte shows a prototype of her spring design. manufacturing process and chip aging. The work will result in SiC-SiC material is what this research is expected to achieve. Human Research project offices. She Though some additional engineering technology that allows for very quickly designing and verifying • Zona Technology of Scottsdale, Ariz., will pursue research to notified Jutte by e-mail. could improve the function of the constant- radiation-hardened and reconfigurable VLIW processors that are develop a comprehensive on-line flutter prediction tool for wind- “Congratulations, Christine. Your force spring for use in space or zero gravity binary-code compatible. tunnel flutter testing using parameter varying estimation, or PVE, contribution, ‘Customized constant- treadmills, a prototype for proof of concept • Firestar Engineering of Mojave, Calif., intends to advance methodology. Specifically, this tool will be applied to rapidly force spring’ stood out as an intriguing showed the merit of Jutte’s ideas. Coincidently, the technology readiness level of its Nitrous Oxide fuel blend, evaluate parameters, such as modal damping and frequency, which new avenue that we had not considered,” Jutte’s doctoral thesis was on non-linear or NOFBX, monopropellant Mars ascent vehicle, or MAV, are required to assess the flutter boundary of a wind-tunnel model Perusek wrote. springs, including constant-force springs, and engine. A compact, three-engine cluster provides thrust-vector in pre-flutter test conditions. The tool can also be applied to the Jutte welcomed the news. how to create them. It was on her work at the control passively with its fixed, canted engine nozzles and flow flight flutter test for envelope expansion prediction to help ensure “I am excited to see that my previous University of Michigan, where she also earned control valves. The concept is intended for use on planetary ascent the safety of the pilot and aircraft. research in nonlinear spring design is a mechanical engineering master’s degree in vehicles but could also be used for the upper-stage engines on a Zona envisions that the proposed Phase II research effort will useful to this challenge. There are many the same area, that she based the foundation launch vehicle. result in a commercial product called the PVE Toolbox. The PVE applications out there that can be improved for her NASA challenge work. The clustered engine concept coupled with an NOFBX Toolbox will be a crucial technology for the flight flutter test of with non-traditional, customized springs; Jutte said she was delighted when her the fulfilling (and fun) part is discovering monopropellant and feed system will allow the company to next-generation aircraft, such as the NASA Hybrid Wind Body doctoral work culminated in a computer Photo courtesy Christine Jutte provide a single-stage-to-orbit MAV engine. Success could Configuration and Quiet Supersonic Transport. these applications,” she said. program that created nontraditional spring The new concept is a customized designs from specifications provided by the 10 11 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

flight on the F-15B Aeroelastic Test Wing 2 test fixture has validated Athat new “hot film” sensors could one day be used to help aircraft avoid conditions that lead to flutter. In addition, the sensors could be a part of the solution to a number of aeronautics challenges ranging from laminar flow control and sonic boom suppression to aircraft safety. “The sensors worked as advertised. They can measure flow angularity and they measure critical aerodynamic parameters like stagnation point, which was predominantly what we wanted to see,” said Marty Brenner, Dryden principal investigator for the project. The hot film sensors measure flow angularity through the stagnation point as measured by angle of attack or sideslip. A stagnation point is a point in the airflow field where the ED10 0223-01 NASA Photo by Tony Landis local velocity of the fluid is zero. In this flight condition static pressure Dryden researcher Marty Brenner, left, and Tao Systems president Arun Mangalam are working together on is at its maximum value and the advanced technology that has been validated and verified in flight on a Dryden F-15B. They hope to see develop- streamline at the stagnation point is ment of their ideas continue with the F/A-18 research aircraft pictured at left. perpendicular to the surface of the aircraft, Brenner explained. “Stagnation point is a more Fly-By-Feel systems represent the critical parameter than angle of attack in controlling performance next revolution in aircraft controls of the wing. You could improve A “fly-by-feel” system could measure the managing gusts and flutter (vibration on aircraft the performance of the wing by aerodynamic forces directly on aircraft surfaces and surfaces) suppression and load alleviation. measuring and controlling where use that information in a physics-based adaptive Brenner looked at the materials and process these critical aero parameters are, flight controls system to increase maneuverability, needed to fabricate state-of-the-art sensors and such as [at] stagnation point and safety and fuel efficiency. transduction mechanisms to see which might flow separation. Supersonically, you As a step in that direction, Dryden researcher work best for the challenges of a fly-by-feel system. could reduce the shockwave coming Marty Brenner was selected to receive a NASA Additionally, a number of available sensors were from the wing and alleviate a sonic Innovation Fund award for a project that would tested for potential use. boom on the ground,” he said. begin investigation of components that could be used The research was successful and future There could be additional benefits. in such a system. Brenner envisions state-of-the-art work could include testing other transduction “If we can adjust the lift sensors that could be candidates for wind-tunnel or mechanisms to identify the best fit for the distribution, we can maximize the flight-test applications and determine guidelines for concept, as well as selecting a sensor array for performance of the wing more to further development. wind-tunnel tests and then for flight research, to Flight experiments validated improve maneuverability or fuel In fact, Brenner also received more good news on track key aerodynamic information and develop a efficiency,” he added. June 22, when it was announced he had been chosen real-time signal-processing algorithm for the new The F-15B flight marked the for an Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate sensor array. ‘hot film’ sensors. Now, the culmination of work on a new Seedling Fund award for his Fly-By-Feel research. “The hot film sensors can be put on an aircraft system that combines the hot The new award builds on Innovation Fund awards right away and then the additional sensors could be challenge is to move the film sensors with advanced signal he received previously, but the new funding will added later,” Brenner said. processing techniques and is the subsidize work concentrated on modeling controls. The research has promise, he said. technology to the next level. first of its kind to measure unsteady NASA is interested in the fly-by-feel concept “Fly-by-feel is geared toward designing airplanes aerodynamic loads, or forcing to meet its goals for increased fuel efficiency and and control systems with distributed sensing. It puts See Hot film sensors, page 14 improved reliability and ride quality through See Fly-by-feel, page 14 12 13 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

Hot film sensors ...from page 13 function, in real time and correlate those data with how the the applications could improve aircraft performance in areas such as structure responds to the loads. load alleviation, wing twist, gusts and maneuvering loads in flight. The system as a whole is called the distributed aerodynamic The next step is determining whether the F-18 no. 853 Full Scale Tao of systems sensing and processing, or DASP, toolbox. The project was Advanced Systems Technology, or FAST, aircraft is available and when. accelerated with a 2007 Innovative Partnerships Program seed “We are planning on installing theses sensors and system this Mangalam brings Dryden ideas, technology fund project. TAO of Systems Integration, Hampton, Va., has year. Eventually, we want to get it connected to the flight control been a key partner in development of the DASP Toolbox (see computer and then start using it for control. We might use it locally Tao of Systems Integration of Hampton, Va., has developed related article). for a wingtip, but somehow we are going to try to put it in a feedback technology that will revolutionize aircraft control. Small Business “With the hot films, from what we have looked at so far, it was control scheme,” he said. Innovative Research funds were among the factors that have very successful. It is another measurement system that, along with Initially the system will look at the same basic parameters, but on enabled the company to pursue concepts and build on them for accelerometers and strain gauges, can monitor the aero forces that a larger scale and the goal is to put it in a control-oriented context decades. go into the wing. It is a good technology to demonstrate because we with similar objectives. Arun Mangalam, Tao Systems president, continues to mature never get the forces in the wing; we usually just get a response from “We can even look at a supersonic flight and see if we can monitor technology validated and advanced through 11 SBIR agreements. the wing. This was the first demonstration in flight of getting these the shock. We may be able to control aero parameters the way we Mangalam was principal investigator and collaborator for a forces from these critical aerodynamic parameters,” Brenner said. want them to, to optimize the performance of the wing in some way number of those advancements. Some of those breakthroughs The single flight also produced another valuable validation. and also to alleviate the loads, or suppress vibration,” Brenner said. were from proposal requests from Dryden that resulted in the “The other aspect of this was the signal processing of the The DASP Toolbox may piggyback on adaptive controls work Distributed Aerodynamic Sensing and Processing, or DASP, sensors. The toolbox part is on-board signal processing. We want being conducted with the FAST aircraft and will not interfere with Toolbox (see related story). to take this technology to the F/A-18 no. 853 and demonstrate the aircraft’s primary mission for aviation safety, he said. During the past decade, working toward using flow physics to it on full-scale aircraft wings. We want to see the signature of the “We can augment some of their goals with these sensors. If you determine lift and drag to seek aero efficiencies has been the heart forcing function going into the wing as well as the response of the have some adverse flow condition and you have to accommodate for of Tao Systems’ business. To that end, the company has earned 14 structure due to the forces,” he said. it, this would be one way to think about doing that. If you detect patents for sensors and signal processing. The payoffs for gaining The technology has intriguing potential uses. something you don’t expect, you can try to accommodate for it with aero efficiencies are reflected in increased fuel efficiency and range “Ideally, you could feed this information to a control system and the controllers. If there is a fault in one of the surfaces, then they try and improved safety. use these parameters you get from the hot film sensors in a feedback to recover from it with some adaptive rescheduling scheme. That is Mangalam also is at Dryden working on the Aeronautics mechanism. That’s one of our next objectives,” he said. where the DASP can potentially be helpful,” Brenner said. Research Mission Directorate Environmentally Responsible The advantages could be revolutionary for control systems. Installation on the F/A-18 is expected to take a few weeks and Aviation experiments with the G-III aircraft. That aircraft is “Now you can control where these critical aero parameters are then experiments with on-board processors will begin. Distributed being used for in-flight research of a new laminar flow glove on and, by doing that, you can control the forces on the wing going sensing is a goal for performance and aviation safety, he stressed, where the wing and new composite actuators. into the structure. You can change the force distribution on the distributed sensing for distributed controls can happen. He will be assisting with sensors and signal processing to assess wing so you can reduce loads on the wing, or with a combination The emerging technology might one day mean safer airplanes the aerodynamics of the actuators on the G-III – essentially, of other sensors, adjust the wing twist or the performance of capable of avoiding conditions that lead to accidents, maximizing fuel an SBIR phase III agreement, he said. (Phase I agreements are the wing by adjusting the force distribution and alleviating the economy and potentially even reducing the impact of sonic booms commonly paper studies, Phase II agreements are funded and stresses,” he added. on the ground. What is known for sure is the DASP Toolbox and its Phase III is the point at which a technology has been the object of In addition, controlling aerodynamic forces could help with components have proven through flight research that they work and interest and has received capital for further research.) In addition ED10 0223-01 NASA Photo by Tony Landis other key technology developments NASA is pursuing. Some of merit further research and development – a signature of success. to looking at the transition from smooth to turbulent air, Dryden partners at the Air Force Research Laboratory are looking at the Arun Mangalam, Tao Systems president, is working on several Dryden projects, including one involving the G-III aircraft behind him. from page 13 efficiency of the new actuators. Fly-by-feel ... “How do you get loads and moments from these flow distributed sensing in the aircraft design and helps meet challenges Brenner explained. Also of importance is the fact that knowledge characteristics? That’s the question we are trying to answer,” He is enthusiastic about his work at Dryden. with flight control. As part of the design of the structure and a of aerodynamic loads across the span of the wing and flight-control Mangalam said. “It’s much faster to measure the flow physics “I enjoy what I do, but this is going to take it closer to the complement for how the control system is going to be designed, surfaces enables a controller to redistribute the loads for optimum than to look at the response on the structure. To do that, we will action. Flight testing is where it all happens,” Mangalam said. using the distributed design for multi-objective problems can performance. be looking for surface flow measurements and will be obtaining Work furthered with SBIR funding helped enable his current maximize aero-structure performance,” Brenner said. Accurate real-time aerodynamic load and moment sensors critical features from those measurements, like stagnation point, opportunities at Dryden. Arun Mangalam, president of Tao of Systems Integrated also could enable a number of revolutionary capabilities across effective flow angularity and flow separation point.” “SBIR is sort of like seed funding for an idea. Sometimes these of Hampton, Va., is a partner in the research. His company a wide speed range, including but not limited to shorter takeoff In addition to earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in ideas in aeronautics cost a lot just to implement because testing developed the hot film sensors and the Distributed Aerodynamic and landing, safe and reliable supersonic operation and larger physics and computer science from the College of William and facilities are very expensive, materials are very expensive and the Sensing and Processing, or DASP, toolbox on which Brenner has passenger and cargo capacity. Fly-by-feel also has the potential Mary, Williamsburg, Va., Mangalam is working on a doctorate at time required to do a good job is quite intensive. So I think SBIR been principal investigator (see lead story). of becoming one of the key new technologies to opening the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, funding allows you to commit resources,” he added. “This allows you to really look at the aerostructure-design door not only to aeronautics, but also to monitoring the health in mechanical engineering with a specialization in aeroelasticity. SBIR agreements can also lead to resources that have more than space,” Mangalam said. and increasing the range and endurance of future planetary Essentially, everything involving flow physics and structural a dollar value, he said. The fly-by-feel concept could enable a vehicle to autonomously exploration vehicles. dynamics and control are his key interests. “We work with a lot of organizations – agencies and industry as react to changes in aerodynamic and structural conditions Though the concept of fly-by-feel has a number of steps that must “My interest is in the physics of flows and structures and well as academia – from the U.S. and Europe. A lot of products are through the use of distributed sensors that don’t just obtain be validated before it is fully proven, Brenner said he will continue how to use and exploit that to achieve whatever objective you being sold internationally and [SBIR support] helped in refining sensor information as it is happening, but also convert it into to take steps today to ensure that technologies of tomorrow will be are seeking,” he said. “In the case of aircraft, you are trying to those products. Even now we are collaborating with people from aerodynamic coefficients that can be used for flight control, ready when they are needed. achieve aerodynamic efficiency, structural reliability, safety and performance.” See Tao of systems, page 27 15 14 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

When Masten Flight Systems taking first prize in 2008 and of Mojave, Calif., launches the SuperMod version winning a NASA payload later this second place in 2009. year with its Xaero reusable SuperMod was severely launch vehicle, it will mark damaged during a flight test in the beginning of a new era in June. Company officials decided NASA-industry partnership that rather than continue with as the Flight Opportunities a vehicle that is now part of program takes flight. the company’s legacy, they The Flight Opportunities would put all attention and Flight program is one of ten programs resources into development of a organized under three divisions Suborbital Transport Inertially comprising the Office of the Guided reusable rocket program, Chief Technologist’s Space which is “going very well,” Technology program (see said Neil Milburn, Armadillo accompanying article). The vice president of program Space Technology program management. ED10 0226-05 NASA Photo by Carla Thomas is focused on foundational Success in the development of Patrick Chan, second from left, explains components of the Dryden- Opportunities research and technology the STIG family of rockets – STIG developed fiber optic strain-sensing technology to Bobby Braun, second advances to be made in a wide A-II is under construction and from right. Also pictured are Tom Horn, left, and Robbie Schingler. range of future missions. an inaugural flight is anticipated OCT’s new office seeks to match NASA and science Masten won the NASA- later this summer – will make the funded Lunar Lander company competitive in future community launch needs with companies capable Challenge in October 2009 Flight Opportunity contracts, OCT structure is and demonstrated the first-ever Milburn said. of getting the experiments aloft to flight conditions vertical takeoff and landing Challenges have delayed both focused on tech vehicle in-air engine re-light in Masten and Armadillo, but May 2010. Masten plans for that’s to be expected in a nascent NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden created the Office initial flights to take place at industry experiencing many of of the Chief Technologist in 2010 and named Bobby Braun the company’s 200,000-square- the same growing pains that to head it. foot test area at the Mojave characterized early development Since then, that office has been tasked with focusing Air and Space Port. The Xaero of the airplane, Kelly said. NASA’s technology efforts across the agency, eliminating vehicle is a reconfiguration of The program is fashioned after duplication and creating a new structure in which to the company’s Xoie platform, the successful Kennedy Space advance the agency’s technology-development goals. Three which won the Lunar Lander Center, Fla., launch services divisions, each representing a higher technology-readiness Challenge. contract. Both contracts rely on level, and their key elements, are listed. Masten officials are confident companies to have the ability they will meet the conditions of to provide the services NASA Early Stage Innovation the $250,000 contract NASA needs. The Early-Stage Innovation Division sponsors a range awarded them for launching “We are like a broker in that of efforts aimed at advanced concepts and emerging NASA payloads to required we are looking for payloads and technologies across academia and industry, at NASA field test conditions, said John Kelly, flight platforms for achieving centers and at other research institutions. The Early-Stage Dryden Flight Opportunities the technical benefits we want,” Innovation programs include: program manager. In fact, Kelly said. • NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts – focused on NASA has guaranteed payment visionary aeronautics and space system concepts for launch services only when Meeting of the minds • Space Technology Research Grants – focused on innovative they have been successfully Before the first request research in advanced space technology and fellowships for rendered. for proposals had been fully graduate student research in space technology Armadillo Aerospace developed, Flight Opportunities • Small Business Innovative Research, also known as of Heath, Texas, with its officials met at Dryden in SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, SuperMod launch vehicle, January with suborbital reusable programs – intended to engage small businesses in aerospace also was awarded a $250,000 launch vehicle providers and research and development for infusion into NASA missions NASA Photo contract for launch services. payload integrators during an and the nation’s economy University of Florida students maximize their exposure to zero gravity to conduct a flight experiment Earlier Mod vehicles were Industry Day. The goal of the • Centennial Challenges – provides prize incentives aboard the Zero-G parabolic aircraft. successful competitors event was to determine which to stimulate innovative solutions by citizen inventors in NASA’s Lunar Lander companies were interested in See OCT, page 18 Challenge, the earlier version providing services and to convey 16 17 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011 to the industry NASA’s new technologies into NASA intended direction on missions while encouraging acquiring commercial OCT ... from page 17 development of commercial launch services, Kelly space services as well as a said. and independent teams outside the traditional aerospace customer base for the emerging Representatives of community industry. more than 20 aerospace • Center Innovation Fund – stimulates creativity and The commercial suborbital firms met with Flight innovation at NASA field centers flight services offer access Opportunities officials. The Early Stage Innovation programs are an incubator for to a flight environment that In addition to companies a multitude of high-risk, high-payoff ideas that, if successful, provides 3-4 minutes of learning about NASA’s will result in further development as part of higher-level microgravity during which plans, company technology-development programs or adoption into other technology payloads can be representatives were government or commercial efforts. Participation in all of these tested. Also as part of the given an opportunity to programs is based on competitive selection. program, technology payloads comment on the request will be tested on parabolic for services that NASA Game-Changing Technology aircraft flights that can simulate planned to issue. The Game-Changing Technology Division focuses on microgravity and the reduced “We considered the maturing advanced space technologies that may lead to new gravity environments of the feedback from industry, approaches for NASA’s future space missions and solutions to moon or Mars, with the goal Photo courtesy of Armadillo Aerospace and we clarified a few significant national challenges. of maturing applications for items and made a few Armadillo Aerospace sees its Suborbital The two programs in this division, the Game-Changing future space missions. adjustments prior to Transport Inertially Guided reusable rockets, Development Program and the Small Satellite Subsystems The Flight Opportunities releasing the request for pictured in this image, as an answer to getting Technologies Program, determine the feasibility of novel ideas program leverages Dryden’s proposals,” he said. scientific payloads to flight conditions. and approaches that have the potential to revolutionize future experience and expertise in space missions. Also at that event, Steve opportunities for researchers planning and conducting flight ED11 0021-14 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Meier, director of the Cross- across the nation, Kelly said. Through significant ground-based testing and/or laboratory tests of new aeronautical and experimentation, the Game-Changing Technology Division Michelle Murray of the FAA Commercial Space Transportation office spoke to representatives of aerospace firms Jan. Cutting Demonstrations Dryden was selected to manage spaceflight concepts, Kelly said. 25 during a Flight Opportunities Program Industry Day at Dryden. Division of NASA’s Office of the Space Technology’s Flight matures technologies in preparation for potential system-level the Chief Technologist, stressed Opportunities program under flight demonstration. Those demonstrations could be within Launch services space technologies to launch vehicle contracts. Payload the partnership approach NASA Headquarters program the Crosscutting Capability Demonstrations Division, other About a dozen companies be demonstrated and activities for the program are that NASA seeks to take with executive Laguduva Kubendran, NASA mission directorates or other government agencies. make up the commercial validated in relevant managed at Ames Research Center. commercial launch vehicle a former member of Dryden’s The focus on game-changing technologies is that over time, suborbital launch industry. environments. A complete list of the 16 proposals firms. Michelle Murray of the technical management staff. despite expected challenges pushing the limits of new ideas, The industry’s capabilities are Payloads and teams chosen and more information Federal Aviation Administration The Flight Opportunities the overall investments are expected to result in dramatic evolving, however, and a much from 10 states and the on the Flight Opportunities Office of Commercial Space program incorporated two advances in space technology. Those advancements will enable smaller group stands ready to District of Columbia program are available at http:// Transportation outlined FAA existing projects. Ames Research new NASA missions and potential solutions for a wide variety provide commercial payload were selected from among flightopportunities.nasa.gov. licensing and the commercial- Center, Moffett Field, Calif., of society’s technological challenges and will be measured. In service in the immediate, Kelly applications received in Four more parabolic aircraft launch approval process. began the Commercial Reusable this division, more than 70 percent of funds are competitively said. response to a NASA call flight opportunities are set for awarded. Suborbital Research activity for To make it easier for NASA Laguduva Kubendran John Kelly issued in December. Of 2012. These flights will include A new paradigm the agency’s former Innovative to broker deals with scientists the payloads, 12 will ride microgravity experiments in Officials said they hope the new Partnerships Program office. Crosscutting Capability and researchers seeking launch levels, all of which are suborbital, on parabolic aircraft flights, two environments that simulate near approach will lead to significant The second project, Facilitated One of the greatest challenges NASA faces in incorporating services and the companies Kelly said. on suborbital reusable launch zero gravity, the gravity of the cost savings to NASA as reusable Access to the Space Environment advanced technologies into future missions is bridging the that provide them, the agency It’s expected the first contract vehicle test flights and two on moon and the gravity of Mars. launch vehicle technology for Technology, also originated mid-technology readiness level gap between early conceptual issued a request for proposals, awards will be made before the both platforms. Pilots will fly the parabolic matures. In addition, they hope in the former IPP office. Flight studies and infusion of new technologies into the planning of which closed in June, seeking end of September. Some of the The commercial Zero-G profiles for brief periods of reduced the research that will take shape Opportunities officials will seek a science or exploration mission. Maturing a space technology companies to provide future flight opportunities that will be aircraft payloads will be flown gravity while the researchers tend is inspiring to students and will and foster capabilities and use to flight readiness status through relevant environment testing launch services for the next two funded will include experiments during a weeklong campaign to their experiments in the aircraft result in technology development services from the commercial present a significant challenge in management of cost and years. aimed at advancing science, from Houston’s Ellington Field in cabin. Each flight will permit of benefit to the nation. sector, initially for suborbital risk. The Crosscutting Capability Demonstrations Division Each company chosen is technology and education. mid-July and another flight series as many as 60 reduced-gravity Unlike past development flight services. matures a small number of technologies that are beneficial to guaranteed minimum funding in September. The suborbital opportunities. efforts, in which NASA has Flight-testing is expected to multiple customers. Technology considered too risky or too of $10,000 and will be able to Payloads announced reusable launch vehicle payloads Regardless of whether the contracted for a vehicle and reduce risk inherent in the use of costly for a mission can be proven mission-ready. compete for launch payloads In May, Flight Opportunities will be flown on Masten’s Xaero. opportunity is provided on a new then paid for its operation to emerging technologies, procedures The Crosscutting Capability Demonstrations Division provided through NASA’s officials announced the selection Proposals for payloads to launch vehicle or on an aircraft, achieve agency goals, the Flight and overall space operations by consists of three programs that will demonstrate technologies Flight Opportunities office. of 16 payloads for flight on the be flown on the commercial the Flight Opportunities office Opportunities program is demonstrating application in a in a relevant environment: Total funding to be made commercial Zero-G parabolic vehicles will be accepted until strives to break new ground in structured to enable NASA to use relevant environment. A measure • Technology Demonstration Missions Program available through the two-year aircraft and two suborbital Dec. 31, 2014. Dryden’s Flight technology development as it commercially available vehicles of program success will be the • Edison Small Satellite Demonstration Missions Program program is $10 million and reusable launch vehicles. The Opportunities office manages the forges new partnerships with for its own research and provide extent to which it can infuse • Flight Opportunities Program will center around three flight flights provide opportunities for commercial suborbital reusable commercial flight providers. 18 19 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

stock material. It does not look like a traditional bolt that you buy in a hardware store. We are able to greatly reduce the cost of a typical fastener because we are using flat, plate, laminated material and we Fasteners don’t need to machine threads into the ceramic composite element Early warning of this fastener,” Steffier said. of the “Because the fastener is fabricated with the same materials as the adjoining structure it is being used to fasten together, it is essentially Dryden helps determine thermal-stress free. This reduces a lot of the complexity associated with joining high-temperature structural assemblies.” whether sonic booms will How valuable was the SBIR work in advancing this concept? “It would still be sitting on the back burner if it were not for create false alarms NASA funding the effort,” Steffier said. By Gray Creech Future Dryden was helpful as the overseer of the work, he added. More Dryden Public Affairs Hyper-Therm High Temperature Composites of Huntington specifically, he said Dryden contracting officer Craig Stephens Dryden and Seismic Warning Systems Inc., Scotts Valley, Calif., are Beach, Calif., has developed a low-cost ceramic composite helped focus the concept on applications NASA has interest in, evaluating the company’s QuakeGuard earthquake warning system mechanical fastener system that may become an enabling such as hypersonic vehicles. That direction led to Lockheed Martin’s to determine whether sonic booms cause the system to register false technology for the next generation of propulsion systems and interest in using the technology in development of a potential future alarms. hypersonic and space vehicles. hypersonic vehicle, Steffier said. Under a NASA Space Act agreement, the company has installed As a result of NASA Small Business Innovative Research work Stephens oversaw SBIR Phases I and II work. two of their QuakeGuard warning seismometers at Dryden. With Hyper-Therm completed with Dryden oversight, the company “The original premise of the SBIR effort was to develop a high- the system in test mode, not warning mode, devices were installed in developed and validated the high-temperature fasteners. temperature fastener that was lower-cost than traditional methods. Currently, the company is in discussions with several large Traditional high-temperature fasteners are usually made from three- Dryden’s main office building, spaced about 100 feet apart and tied ED11 0022-13 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida into the building’s foundation. Vertical accelerometers in the devices, aerospace companies about potential uses for the technology. dimensional, woven, high-temperature, composite materials, which Dryden sonic boom researcher Ed Haering answers questions on NASA using the company’s proprietary algorithms, are designed to detect For example, interest in Hyper Therm’s high-temperature are expensive to begin with and then you have to machine specific sonic boom research during a Jan. 25 NASA.gov Web chat. At right is fastener has resulted in a partnership with a major turbine bolts or fasteners where the cost per bolt becomes fairly significant,” precursor, or “P,” waves that travel ahead of the primary, destructive Gray Creech from Dryden public affairs. “S” shockwaves generated by earthquakes. engine manufacturer. That company has invested more than Stephens said. Dryden’s Innovative Partnership Program Office, which is now test with three flights during which an F/A-18 aircraft made sharp $170,000 for continued development of the fasteners and Hyper-Therm proposed a more cost effective, high-temperature known as the Innovative Partnerships Office, helped establish the dives to generate sonic boom shockwaves directly on the building, fastening methods, said Wayne Steffier, Hyper-Therm president fastener for SBIR Phase I work, which the company was awarded. Space Act Agreement that is the foundation for the partnership. In thereby better mimicking the P waves. and principal investigator for the high-temperature fastener “The company developed a design based on plate material, addition, the IPO Office and NASA’s Airborne Sciences program Such a system is currently in operation in California’s Coachella project. The partnership, which constitutes Phase III SBIR work making it a high-temperature fastener that is much more cost- funded the purchased of seismometers. Valley, with warning devices installed in several schools and fire and a technology development success story, also might result in effective. Phase I was to develop the concept and conduct initial Also as part of the Space Act Agreement, Seismic Warning Systems stations. The system worked during one of California’s most recently a dual patent. mechanical testing of the fastener design. loaned Dryden additional seisometers for the flight research. felt quakes, the 7.2-magnitude Baja California earthquake that Hyper Therm received $650,000 from NASA for Dryden “In Phase II the company began to acquire more data on the So far, normal sonic booms are not causing the system to generate occurred April 4, 2010, the strongest in the region in 18 years. The SBIR Phase II work, for development and validation of the fastener’s capability. Hyper-Therm completed planned room false alarms. But Dryden, in an effort dubbed SonicBREWS, or Sonic earthquake was larger than the devastating 7.0 Haitian earthquake of high-temperature fasteners. The new fasteners are considered temperature and high-temperature testing of the fastener and Boom Resistant Earthquake Warning System, put the system to the last January. economical compared to alternative fasteners and fastening ceramic composite lap joint sub-elements at different orientations The QuakeGuard system successfully detected the Baja quake’s P techniques, Steffier said. In addition, though metallic fasteners relative to the primary orientation of the two-dimensional fastener. wave 90 seconds before arrival of the S waves and set off alarms that are incapable of withstanding the extreme temperatures of The research enabled them to characterize how the fastener would included the automatic raising of local fire station doors, which are high-speed flight or combustion environments, Hyper-Therm function under complex loading conditions,” he said. integrated into the system. During earthquakes, fire station doors fasteners can join load-bearing structures capable of withstanding NASA is interested in high-temperature fasteners for joining are frequently jammed shut, interfering with local fire department high temperatures. sections of thermal protection systems, hypersonic engines and response. “What makes our two-dimensional, ceramic, mechanical flight control surfaces, Stephens added. Depending on the geographic distance from an earthquake fastener so unique is it is fabricated out of flat, laminated, plate- Working with Hyper-Therm has gone well. epicenter, officials estimate such warning systems could provide up “Hyper-Therm is a good company and Wayne Steffier was very to five minutes warning prior to the arrival of a distant quake, but excited about this effort. He was very interested in the concept and only seconds ahead for a device located near the epicenter. Though spent a lot of time coming up with analysis techniques,” Stephens 90 seconds may sound like little warning, that much time or less is In the said. “It is exciting to see an SBIR [project] that has this kind of enough to allow people to take shelter, for automated valves on gas background business potential.” company pipes to shut gas off and for fire station doors to open. is the high- The SBIR program is an important tool for allowing businesses to Plans are being developed for installation of such a system in the temperature explore new ideas and for NASA to determine if these ideas can be Lancaster-Palmdale area, which lies adjacent to the San Andreas Fault fastener system. matured into new technologies, he added. At right NASA/JPL/USGS/Google about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Due to the frequency of are “Knowing that the NASA SBIR process is available provides composite The UAVSAR aboard NASA’s Gulfstream III research aircraft captured sonic booms in the area from flight test aircraft operating out of NASA opportunities, when we are talking to companies, to direct lap joint test them to the program and help them mature a potential technology this interferogram of the magnitude-7.2 Baja California earthquake Edwards Air Force Base, Seismic Warning Systems must determine articles. that struck on April 4, 2010. The interferogram is overlaid atop a Google whether sonic booms need to be filtered out of the system. that may be beneficial to both organizations,” Stephens said. Earth image of California’s Coachella Valley-Salton Sea region. Dryden is Additionally, Dryden is working with the company on a white- This SBIR work has benefited the company. evaluating Seismic Warning Systems’ earthquake-warning seismometers paper study of the technology and the effects of sonic booms, or to determine whether sonic booms could create false alarms. lack thereof, on its capabilities. Photos courtesy Hyper-Therm High Temperature Composites See Fasteners, page 29 20 21 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

Partnerships ... from page 22 about in class, but I think more is nonlinear and, worse yet, most “The greatest challenge he shared his specialties in non- about it now that I’ve heard it of the assumptions we impose on so far was recognizing the linear system identification from them [the researchers]. our methods and algorithms are multidisciplinary nature of as the keynote speaker at the Partnerships Sometimes you get lost in the violated when operating in the the work and learning how International Conference research. What you are trying real world. Through this project, to incorporate advice and on Non-Linear Problems in to achieve, getting the codes I had the opportunity to work guidance from my peers and Aerospace World Congress in Students contribute to Dryden researcher’s to work – it can be frustrating. with real data gathered from mentors. I was challenged to Brazil. But I learned it’s the nature of experimental setups. This gave function as a team member to With the University of work and gain insight into engineering careers research and you just have to me the chance to reflect critically solve a complicated problem. Michigan students, Kukreja said, When Dryden researcher deal with it and keep at it,” she on my work so far and determine As a senior student in our solid work was accomplished. Sunil Kukreja assembled said. which assumptions were valid and research group, I am expected “We developed good a team for an Innovative During the visit and tour of which were unrealistic,” he said. to act as a mentor to incoming algorithms for a sensors-only Partnerships Program Seed Dryden, she had a favorite part. The hard work paid off. students. This perspective helped approach. That means we don’t Fund effort to begin looking “I worked on the 747-8 at “The most rewarding aspect me realize that engineering is need inputs to excite the system at health monitoring of Boeing and I liked seeing of the work so far has been fundamentally a team effort to determine the health of a composite material airframes, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. the presentation of our results and the unique experiences and structure,” he said. he did so with partners from It had a special meaning for at national and international backgrounds of the individual With the revolution under way the University of Michigan, me. Being in the aircraft and conferences. Meeting other team members are what make the with fiber optics, determining Ann Arbor. knowing it carried the shuttle researchers interested in the same group more capable of solving structural health will be possible Kukreja, who holds a was pretty cool. I know people types of problems, discussing difficult problems,” he said. in the future. Kukreja is already doctorate in nonlinear system who have been to Dryden, but the complications and possible D’Amato said he enjoyed the analyzing real flight data from identification, forged the now I have seen it for myself. resolution helps to give the tour of Dryden facilities. accelerometers, as well as partnership with his long- I really appreciated the level of project perspective. When I “We were offered great strain and loads data obtained time University of Michigan questions from the engineers get stuck, I think back to these explanations and discussion from fiber optic sensors, in colleague Dennis Bernstein, and their interest and what conversations and realize that I on the various projects and preparation for in-flight research who has a doctorate in control they shared with me,” she said. am not the only one struggling experiments. I enjoyed the static to obtain critical information engineering, and Bernstein’s D’Amato’s work focused on to solve these issues. Sometimes a aircraft displays, especially the about aircraft health and or students. Recently, Amy Wu the development of structural- simple informal discussion about SR-71 and the X-15. I had never performance in real time, as it and Tony D’Amato, two of health monitoring techniques the work has led to great ideas, seen these aircraft in person, but is being collected on an aircraft Bernstein’s students involved based on system identification which helped to push the project had read extensively about the in flight. Such an algorithm in that research, visited Dryden and estimation methods. forward,” D’Amato said. programs. Without a doubt, could then be fully developed, to share the results of the “Thus far we have developed Working with researchers helped it was projects like these that paired with the mathematical techniques for the linear case focus his efforts. influenced me from early on to estimation work and packaged collaboration. ED10 266-05 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida The collaboration took and several nonlinear models. “The overall goal of the project become an aerospace engineer. for commercial use. Craig Stephens, right, makes a point during a tour of the Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory. From left are Dryden the team steps closer in the The goal of the research is is fairly clear, namely, to detect It had also been a dream to “The algorithm will work in a researcher Sunil Kukreja and two University of Michigan students with whom he worked on a recent project, to use models obtained with and find damage in aerospace work with NASA, so getting the simulation environment such theoretical mathematical Tony D’Amato and Amy Wu. formulation and development identification and estimation structures. The problem is that opportunity to visit and tour as Simulink in Metlab,” he said, of algorithms required for explained. The latter refers to for new reearch on multiple that the math and theory had to facilitate damage detection this is really an interdisciplinary the facility was something very referring to the software used on-line health monitoring of identifying the pseudo-transfer input multiple output, or application not only to what I and localization in aerospace subject, specifically, structures, meaningful for me,” he said. in testing, “but does it work next-generation aircraft made function – a type of mathematical MIMO, formulation and the am doing, but that there are all structures,” he said. dynamics and modeling with He would recommend other in reality with interaction and from composite materials. The representation – between two nonlinear effects on sensor- of these unsolved problems out D’Amato said he learned many potential routes and just as students take advantage of complications in real-world work could ultimately allow for sensors in the presence of only system identification. there that this research might much from the project. many dead ends. I have found it working with Dryden. situations? Will the flight test greater passenger safety and cost variations from the baseline This award advances the team’s make a difference in. Dryden “The most important concept easy to get discouraged. However, “Working with the researchers data validate the algorithm for savings for airliners, enabling operation and external factors previous work. researchers brought up things we that I learned from this project working with experienced at Dryden has helped me make structural health monitoring?” users of the technology to learn during ambient conditions. Wu, a second-year graduate had not thought of, and we went so far is the difference between researchers has helped me the connection between the In time, progress on the from the aircraft when and Validation of the fault detection student in aerospace back and thought about it.” practical application and the tackle issues under the simplest fundamental tools we learn as algorithms and mathematical where maintenance is required architecture could allow health engineering, worked on the The research project directly theoretical world,” he said. conditions and then expand students in engineering and framework for the concept and reducing the need for long monitoring in real time on board system identification research related to Wu’s controls studies. “Most of our ideas start in on these ideas until the issue is real-life problems faced by could lead to a new day in safety inspections currently required, with the addition of the proposed part of a sensor-only fault “Sometimes you don’t quite the theoretical world under resolved. I have learned how to researchers advancing the state and maintenance of composite Kukreja said. algorithm and software to existing detection. It was a positive know how what you learn in class a specific set of assumptions, conduct research in a scientific of the art,” D’Amato said. structures. For now, researchers The way the team was looking cockpit computers. learning experience, she said. fits into the real world. Now I specifically, that the world is fashion and then communicate Kukreja said the students such as Kukreja will continue at achieving the goal was by The work has been a success and “It’s good to work your can see how they relate. I learned linear. Under this assumption my ideas and results in a clear worked hard on the project and to work and collaborate development of a sensors- Kukreja and his team learned problems with someone who about some of the questions we have many theoretical tools and concise fashion to other he enjoyed working with them. with students and peers for only, fault-detection approach June 22 that they were awarded gives you really good advice,” she Dryden engineers asked me at our disposal to prove ideas researchers,” D’Amato said. In fact, Kukreja enjoys sharing the benefit of increasing the using pseudo-transfer function an Aeronautics Research Mission said. “When I came to Dryden and demonstrate concepts. There were challenges to his knowledge with students and technology readiness level of identification, Kukreja Directorate Seedling Fund award to present my work, I found out See Partnerships, page 23 “The problem is that the world overcome. peers. For example, last summer these new concepts. 23 22 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

esearch and software being developed at Dryden could provide future aircraft designers with a SBIR opportunities better prediction tool that will accurately gauge help tech innovation Rhow an aircraft would fly when a flight control surface is damaged and adaptive, or “intelligent,” flight control software is used to compensate for the loss. Dave Mitchell of Hoh Aeronautics doesn’t have to be sold Ample handing-quality metrics are available for standard on the value of participating in Small Business Innovative areas of the flight envelope. However, damage to a flight Research agreements. control surface may require the aircraft to operate in regimes What began as a series of code under two SBIR agreements for which there currently are no handling-quality scales with the Air Force has been refined into an algorithm to or tools that can predict how the aircraft will fly or if it is detect pilot-induced oscillations, or PIO, with two SBIR flyable, explained Bruce Cogan, a Dryden researcher and agreements with Dryden. It now also is a commercially lead on the project. viable product used by The Boeing Company. One example is cross coupling, which causes an unexpected The Realtime Oscillation Verifier algorithm for detecting response to the aircraft when the pilot moves the control PIO, which Mitchell calls ROVER, uses control input and stick. If the pilot pulls back on the control stick to climb the aircraft response to determine if a PIO is occurring. The aircraft may climb, but it will also roll to the left or right. phenomenon occurs when a pilot overcorrects for perceived That left or right motion could make the aircraft hardto changes from normal control of the aircraft. control. This situation is generally not a concern, except in a As part of SBIR contracts with the Air Force at Wright- case where the aircraft has been damaged. Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the ROVER was used to This research is intended to provide a metric for use by post process simulation and flight-time histories to look for future designers in measuring cross coupling and building PIO. It was not user-friendly and was a small part of the control laws to eliminate it, Cogan said. The tool could work performed on those contracts, Mitchell said. However, eventually be part of standard engineering software that the idea showed promise and under Phase I and II SBIR aircraft designers use. Somewhat ironically, research with one agreements with Dryden – Tim Cox was the contracting of the few fixed-wing aircraft where cross coupling applied officer – the ROVER was optimized. also was done at Edwards Air Force Base. The AD-1 research “We improved the algorithms, worked out a logic aircraft, which was flight tested at Dryden, exhibited heavy structure, wrote new versions of the algorithms for its various cross coupling due to the ability to change the angle of the uses and implemented the code in a Dryden simulator and wing in flight. a simulator at Hoh Aeronautics. We also performed piloted The concepts were developed initially through Small evaluations of ROVER as a PIO detection tool,” he said. Business Innovative Research work with Hoh Aeronautics That work has paid dividends. ED10 0042-16 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Inc. of Lomita, Calif., and are based on a metric developed “We have sold two copies of the executable code to Boeing for helicopters. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters for use on C-17 control law improvement and advanced A software-development team prepares for a flight with a new research tool. In the aircraft, from left, are Ryan McMahon and David Marten. Outside the exhibit cross coupling in routine flight. The overall concept transport aircraft control law development efforts,” he added. cockpit, from left, are Katherine Ryan, an unidentified technician, Gianmarco Di Loreto, Jade Lemery and Bruce Cogan. is to apply helicopter cross-coupling metrics to a damaged In addition, Mitchell worked with Dryden on a follow- fixed-wing aircraft. on SBIR Phase III agreement earlier this year. Bruce Cogan, The end result is software that predicts how an aircraft the project lead, worked with Air Force Test Pilot School would fly when damage occurs in flight and how wellan personnel to see if research and software developed at adaptive controller compensates for cross coupling. That Dryden could provide future aircraft designers with a better software recently took flight in a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot prediction tool. The tool is intended to accurately gauge how School simulator and on the F-16 variable-stability in-flight an aircraft would fly when a flight control surface is damaged The Art of simulator test aircraft, or VISTA. and adaptive, or “intelligent,” flight control software is used “The VISTA is a good test bed for the research because the to compensate for the loss. aircraft software is easy to modify and the aircraft is able to The ROVER was intended to identify PIOs within the ‘fly’ like different aircraft,” Cogan explained. “In this case, unusual flight regimes the aircraft flew as a result of the in- the software was modified to fly like an F-16 and simulate fight simulations. Although there were no indications of effects of various degrees of simulated cross-coupling damage PIOs during those research flights, Mitchell assisted with Prediction to the flight control surfaces.” designing the experiment. The project represents the follow- For the flight tests, the aircraft took off under student on work that can be available through successful SBIR New tool could accurately gauge how an control and in the air the instructor pilot would switch to agreements and the partnerships that are developed through one of 25 pre-programmed configurations, changing it to that work, Mitchell said. aircraft will fly when a flight control surface enable the student to fly the new configurations, Cogan said. Mitchell is pleased with the concept’s development and he Also, safety trips were in place to ensure that flight controls enjoys working with Dryden. is damaged and adaptive flight control reverted to those of a standard F-16 in case the aircraft “It’s been wonderful. I was a co-op at Dryden in the 1970s. software compensates for the loss See Prediction tool, page 27 See Hoh Aeronautics, page 29 24 25 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

Prediction tool ... from page 25 approached dangerous conditions. Then, TPS students flew the project, which the Test Pilot School called Project Icarus: and rated the controllability of the aircraft in about 230 flight Limited Handling Qualities Evaluation of Cross Coupling. scenarios during nine research flights. The work wasn’t accomplished without a lot of perseverance Filling a need As a whole, the software predicts cross coupling and the and patience, as the concept originated in 2004. controllability of the aircraft, which were then compared to the Proposals originally were written for testing the ideas on Chief test pilot says partnership engaged students students’ experiences. Students used the Cooper-Harper scale, a the F-15 Intelligent Fight Control Systems aircraft. Dryden recognized pilot rating system for flying qualities, to judge the researcher Peggy Hayes first saw the need for this information and offered an example of what flight test is all about aircraft performance. A tracking task was designed by the students when she was working on intelligent flight control systems on to evaluate the aircraft. Early results showed a good comparison the F-15 and began looking for a solution to the problem. X-Press editor Jay Levine recently talked with William Gray, the U.S. solving problems, they are learning. From the standpoint of the between predicted and actual handling qualities for varying The ideas were developed with help from Dave Mitchell Air Force Test Pilot School chief test pilot and staff advisor for Project school, once again, we are producing information that is adding to degrees of cross coupling. through the Dryden SBIR agreement with Hoh Aeronautics. Icarus: A Limited Handling Qualities Evaluation of Cross-Coupling. the body of knowledge on how aircraft fly and how pilots interact The enthusiasm and contributions of the student pilots added Mitchell was the principal investigator and used his experience Gray talked about the value the project had for students in their with aircraft. We learn a lot when we put together a project like to the positive results, Cogan said. in handling qualities and helicopters to make the program a partnership with Dryden researcher Bruce Cogan. this. “We listened to their comments, and they thought of things we success. Early simulation tests proved successful and led to the didn’t about introducing cross-coupling challenges,” Cogan said. current effort. When Hayes moved on to another project, Cogan What was the biggest benefit to the TPS with this research project? How did the aircraft fly with the algorithms? “They wanted to get good results for us on what was a very tight, took on the work. Cogan hopes to analyze the information and Every student in every class is involved in a student test- We had to build these algorithms so that we could change the way compact schedule. It was a win-win.” refine it for potential use on Dryden test aircraft, such as the management project. It’s always a real-world test project. We want the airplane flew in predictable ways. The big question was, if a The Air Force Test Pilot School team included project pilots F/A-18 no. 853. it to be something that is important, valuable and new. There is a pilot is controlling the pitch by pulling back on the stick to raise Maj. Dail Fields, Maj. David Marten and Italian Air Force Capt. Now that the concept is proven through flight the development wide variety of these projects. This particular one was really good the nose, what if the airplane also rolls? So now the pilot would Gianmarco Di Loreto. Project engineers included Robert Koo, process will continue, leading to validation for its use in helping for us because this kind of research had never been done with fixed- have to control that, too. It could roll a little bit, or it could roll a Jade Lemery and Katherine Ryan. Bill Gray was staff advisor for make aircraft safer. wing aircraft and it needed to be done. It was a chance for our lot. It could roll so much that the pilot would lose control of the students to be involved in a project that would, no kidding, affect airplane. Vice versa, what if the pilot goes to roll the aircraft and future planning and design of aircraft. it pitches too? Same thing. If it pitches a little bit, the pilot may not notice it. If it pitches a lot, it may give the pilot problems. For them, it’s just a fascinating project and they get the additional If it pitches too much, the pilot may lose control of the aircraft. from page 15 motivation of “it matters.” It’s not a make-believe thing. We don’t We looked at both of those factors from [the standpoint of] how Tao of systems ... do many make-believe things, but some things are more interesting much any given change would affect the flyability of the aircraft. Canada, France and some in the “We also see the problem when gusts in real time is a first step. further,” Mangalam said. than others and this is a particularly interesting one.” United Kingdom, so that we can you try to scale test results from Then a controller would need to And there would be other There were numerous times where we would run the algorithm on come up with a better result in wind tunnel to flight. It doesn’t be developed to automatically benefits to the fly-by-feel How were students selected for this project? the NF-16D VISTA control laws, and students who were doing the United States. We are also match, because it’s hard to match adjust for the loads. These concept. Students have opportunities to request the projects they work on, the flying in the front seat would lose control of the aircraft and working with U.S. researchers boundary conditions like the concepts have led Tao Systems to “Fly-by-feel is physics-based and this one was a match for several who were selected for it. It was the safety systems in VISTA reverted back to standard controls. It and SBIR definitely helps in that effective flow angularity in the a different vision of what controls control not just for subsonic a chance for them to work with engineering and sciences for which was very physically demanding. process.” presence of flow separation.” of the future should look like. and transonic flows, but for they had a lot of education. There was a lot of benefit to bringing However, there is no Some aircraft are sensitive to “Would it be useful to have a supersonic flows, where you home their education and a lot of benefit in terms of bringing How did it fly? environment like that of flight to gusts, and gust load alleviation is system where you could ‘fly by can sense the loads in real time home some of the stuff we teach them here about aircraft flying- Sometimes it flew really well, sometimes really, really determine if everything works as another of Tao Systems’ interests. feel,’ just like birds at various flight and react. What nature is very and-handling-qualities testing. bad. They needed those data to see how the aircraft planned. “We tested out a gust load- conditions? Fly-by-feel means you good at is exploiting the energy would fly with a certain amount of cross control. “In wind tunnels, flow alleviation controller under an are able to sense the aerodynamics available in the environment. What were the biggest challenges? angularity is not well defined, Air Force program at NASA in a very quantitative way. An “For example, take From my point of view, the biggest challenge on any project like What do you think about the prospects of the flight especially near and past stall Langley’s Transonic Dynamics aircraft could react immediately crosswinds or atmospheric this is scoping it. Because to really, fully answer the questions experiment? angles. In the linear small flow Wind Tunnel. Those technologies to suit mission objectives, like turbulence. We generally avoid that [Dryden researcher] Bruce [Cogan] had, that NASA had, Data obtained from the flights resulted in development of a regime, there are good solutions could very well be used on aircraft being able to loiter for a long these conditions, but insects and that we had, would have taken easily 10 times more flight credible preliminary [flight] envelope. In a nutshell, designers available from computational right now. An issue that needs to time and focus on range and use them to generate thrust hours and man hours to do. We had to scope it into something could use the information in determining how an aircraft would methods. be addressed is the environmental endurance, or dash not unlike for themselves or gain altitude. the students can do while they were still attending school eight fly with certain damage and the extent to which it could be “Once you get enough flow effect on sensors. rapid maneuvering of insects. The fly-by-feel concept and hours a day. This is something that they do in addition to their controlled. separation, predicting the static “The Air Force is working to “In order to do that you have implementation enables regular schoolwork. We had to scope it [the project] to the and especially the dynamic test come up with a more rugged to have a flow physics model that aircraft to sense and exploit point where they had a chance to get good, solid answers and We understand the problem better now. A lot of times, when results becomes very challenging. solution to the sensors. We are works – validated for angles well the environment regardless of not be overwhelmed with the amount of data or preparation. you are just starting out research, you sometimes create more When you get near stall, there is collaborating with companies to beyond stall and including flow flight regime.” Nevertheless, they had to work hard. This was not a simple subject. questions than you answer but it just brings you that much a high degree of uncertainty in make the transition to military separation – numerically and Regardless of what the closer to solving the original problem. With the guidance terms of prediction. And where aircraft first and ultimately on experimentally and numerically. controls of the future look like, What was the biggest success from a TPS standpoint? they have come up with, I think we are pretty far down the do you think nature is optimizing civilian aircraft,” he said. Through our collaborations, we one thing seems certain – Tao There were problems they had to solve and whenever they are path toward having useful information for future designers. – it’s near stall. Everything is near Determining the aerodynamic have the beginnings of that and Systems will have a role in stall and past stall. loads on the tail and wings by we would like to extend that developing it. 26 27 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011

Innovation ... from page 5

Chan-gi Pak to destinations across the nation. It’s a vision Dryden researcher DIMM is a bright idea The capability for flexible motion control will help increase Curt Hanson can see, and he isn’t alone. design options for lighter-weight aircraft, which can lead to Gregory Hornby, who has a doctorate in Mass-properties measurements for large structures increased fuel efficiency and reduce noise. Reducing aircraft computer science and is a senior scientist weight usually means reducing stiffness and increasing at Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, may be safer, more accurate, efficient and less costly flexibility. Increased flexibility translates into an aircraft Calif., estimates that if formation flight were being more susceptible to aeroelastic applied to just 5 to 10 percent of national Three Dryden researchers are studying the Dynamic Inertia 17,000-pound test article built for the research. DIMM test methods phenomena such as flutter, divergence, airspace traffic, an annual fuel savings of as Measurement Method, or DIMM. DIMM could augment ground- were evaluated with sensors, including six-degree-of-freedom load buzz, buffet and gusts. much as $750 million could be realized. vibration tests with additional software and hardware to make mass cells to measure the support force, or the force on the structure For lighter-weight aircraft and Dryden research into algorithms that can properties measurements for large structures more accurate and that is supporting the test article. The excitation, or force input to spacecraft, use of the new materials and identify the peak of aerodynamic forces and efficient, less costly and safer. the structure to make it vibrate, was achieved through use of an structures, coupled with the new control autonomously reconfigure the airplane to Curt Hanson Claudia Herrera and Leonard Voelker were awarded a NASA impact hammer and a shaker and measured through use of a tri- methodologies, could lead to drastic improve efficiency will be key to achieving Innovation Fund Program grant last summer to use the DIMM to axial force transducer. Seismic accelerometers were used to measure weight reduction and corresponding cost those levels of savings, Hanson said. Repositioning aircraft calculate mass properties on large structures. It had previously been the response from the structure as a result of the excitation. savings, said Dryden researcher Chan-gi surfaces to reduce drag could cut fuel use in half and drastically proven that the DIMM could be used effectively to measure mass Hardware issues during the tests limited the analysis window, Herrera Pak. reduce emissions. properties on desktop-sized objects. The latest research was completed said. For that reason, further study is needed for DIMM application In the past, a key way of meeting Chan-gi Pak “An aircraft flying in another aircraft’s wingtip vortex creates last fall in the Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory. on large test articles for the full-analysis window, which can reduce design challenges with flexible aircraft structures was to design a big rolling moment, and traditional trim schedules deflect the “Conventional methods for measuring mass properties are an uncertainty in results before moving on to the next step: proving and aircraft using ridged materials in areas where designers were ailerons anti-symmetrically. It turns out that that type of trim incredibly big production,” said Herrera, principal investigator on the demonstrating the method on a full-size aircraft. worried about aeroservoelastic instabilities. Pak said he wants scheme is exactly the wrong thing to do when flying in formation project. The research showed promise and additional investigation could to change that assumption by seeking to control flexibility for drag reduction. “It takes a lot of people and it exposes the vehicle to a lot of risk because validate use of the DIMM, Herrera said. Success could lead to a day motion through an active control system he calls the Active/ “CFD [computational fluid dynamics] analysis performed by for just about every setup you have to do a critical lift. You usually have when the DIMM is used for measuring mass properties that are more Adaptive Flexible Motion Controls with Aeroservoelastic the flow physics group here at Dryden will determine the optimal to design some big, expensive test fixtures and then you have to analyze accurate, less expensive and time intensive and with less risk. System Uncertainties. control trim configuration scheme, and then I will apply a peak- and test those fixtures to show they are structurally He would like to see his control methodology ultimately seeking control algorithm scheme to find that solution in real sound for support of the test article. flown on an aircraft during a flight test. The predicted results time,” he explained. “In addition, for just about every mass property of his control laws then would be compared to the actual The technology is called Wing Morphing for Optimal Drag value you are trying to measure, you need a aircraft measurements and used on a test flight in concert with Reduction in Formation Flight. Futuristic wings may have the different configuration, which adds risk to the standard control laws. The capability to turn off the adaptive capability to alter their own camber and twist to optimize lift test article.” portion of the system provides a mechanism for comparing distribution in the presence of another aircraft’s vortex. Not so with the DIMM, she said. Because the performance of each set of control laws and adding flight A peak-seeking controller will continually adjust the wing most of what is required for its use is available safety to early-stage development. shape and control trim to account for changes in flight condition, during ground-vibration testing, mass properties aircraft weight and uncertainty in the strength and shape of the measurements could be taken with just a little Curt Hanson leading airplane’s vortex. more effort. A day may come on which aircraft companies could Eventually, the peak-seeking controller could be tested on a As an example, it took a month to obtain cooperate to maximize fuel savings and fly aircraft in formation Dryden research aircraft. information on seven of 10 mass properties measurements required to construct a full mass properties matrix on the crew module used as part Fasteners ... from page 21 of the May 6 Orion Pad Abort 1 test at White Hoh Aeronautics Sands Missile Range, N.M., Herrera said. With ... from page 25 Hyper-Therm made a presentation at the 35th Annual the DIMM, all the mass properties could have Conference on Composite Materials and Structures in been obtained in about one quarter of the time I greatly enjoyed my time and I’ve had the chance to talk Florida in January as a result of its SBIR work. Several “with one configuration and just one critical lift.” to others who have come along since I left. They are large aerospace companies approached the company to Because of the ease of use, Herrera said using the easy to work with [at Dryden] and very interested in the learn more about the high-temperature fasteners, Steffier DIMM for large objects could make it valuable for work. It’s all positive,” he said. said. For example, The Boeing Company’s Phantom Works a number of different design projects, especially SBIR work has been good for Hoh beyond just the division in Huntington Beach inquired about the Hyper- in the aerospace and automotive worlds. sale of a product. Therm ceramic fasteners for use in a potential reentry “The SBIR did what it was intended to do – develop vehicle, he said. “People don’t complete a lot of mass properties Photo courtesy Claudia Herrera measurements because of the complexity. this product. We have had a few commercial sales of the As discussions continue for tapping the new high-tech However, with this method, people would look Dynamic Inertia Measurement Method, or DIMM, team members are, from left, Kevin product for flight test and for ground testing of new fasteners, it is the combination of bright ideas generated at the magnitude of difference in obtaining that Napolitano, Ralph Brillhart and William Fladung of ATA Engineering; Dave Brown of the control laws. In both cases, it was not just a sale of a in private industry and insight from NASA through SBIR information, compared to traditional methods, University of Cincinnati; and Dryden team members Starr Ginn, Claudia Herrera and John product, but also of our services with the analysis and work that will ensure the technology is ready when it is and use it,” she said. Bakalyar. The team is working to validate and verify that augmenting ground-vibration test interpretation of the results,” he said. needed. Traditional methods and the DIMM concept hardware and software can improve the accuracy, affordability and safety of mass properties were compared with separate evaluations of a measurements for large structures. 28 29 August 2011 Aerovations Aerovations August 2011 ‘Everything and anything novel’ Students ... from page 30 initial technology screen, which evaluates how unique the idea or “Working directly with NASA on the Holland helps protect ideas, commercialize tech invention is, what is available that is like it and the possibilities for newest, coolest stuff and getting insight commercialization. The evaluation can lead to a full assessment if into how I can fit into NASA was the best. the technology shows promise. For Dryden researchers looking the center becoming financially self-sufficient within two years of It was also like being thrown into ice water, That’s where students from California State Polytechnic to protect their ideas, or seeking to opening, she pioneered a novel technology-commercialization service University, Pomona, come in. In the three-month Tech Screen trying to figure out if it was marketable and, commercialize their work, the center has model for early-stage companies preparing to launch new products. pilot project – and, soon, in a six-month trial run – a technical if it is, who would want to buy it.” added a key person to help them. Success of participating companies resulted in NASA’s request for student/business student pairing chose a Dryden technology to Julie Holland, who has experience Holland to build a national business services model targeting the evaluate. Supervised by a professor, the student teams complete Ravin Kumar with Dryden and NASA, recently particular needs of Small Business Innovative Research awardees. a preliminary assessment that includes market research, research Cal Poly-Pamona mechanical engineering student accepted a position at the center The National Academy of Sciences gave the model favorable reviews. that might be competitive with it, a search of the U.S. Patent as the partnership development Also during that time, she organized the team that has supported Office database for similar ideas, commercial possibilities and manager. In essence, she is looking for Dryden’s evaluation of the commercialization section of SBIR and they are expected to go out and raise the money, make a prototype, recommendations for pursuing a patent or non-patent track with “everything and anything novel” that Small Business Technology Transfer proposals and championed then launch and sell it if they can. An example is an algorithm that the new discovery. has licensing or infusion – also known equity investment in early-stage technology companies. might not be patent-track, but still might be very useful for games Julie Holland In April, two of the student teams and two faculty advisors as commercialization – potential. She finished her tenure at Cal Poly Pomona as executive director or an application of some kind. There are all kinds of possibilities,” came to Dryden to present information on the technology each Holland’s key goal is to “help the IPP office build an effective of business services for the college of the extended university, where Holland said. team had chosen for the pilot project. At this meeting, students program that contributes to Dryden’s success,” she said. “Both she was promoted to lead college-wide operations. She directed The professors managing the program see the opportunities for and center representatives compared notes on what worked and by facilitating infusion partnerships and leveraging the taxpayer’s accounting and finance, registration, information technology, their students. what could be refined for the larger, six-month project that will investment by making internally developed innovations available marketing, contracts and the NASA Commercialization Center. “Students tested their capabilities in an unknown context. soon begin. to the public and private sectors. I thoroughly enjoy putting the In that position, she also wrote a successful proposal and made a Bringing a business student and an engineering student together A preliminary meeting to ensure that the students understand pieces together. There is some real potential here, and that makes presentation resulting in a grant award of $2 million from the U.S. to do a tech screen for NASA is not something that many students what the technology is was one of the suggested improvements. me excited.” Economic Development Administration to add four wet labs to the have the opportunity to do,” Sawyerr said. “They were nervous Overall, the Dryden representatives were encouraged by the Holland has been involved in all types of intellectual-property NASA Commercialization Center that resulted in making highly about whether they would be able to do it. We didn’t give them students’ work, which included areas of thought no one at issues, including patenting and technology commercialization, specialized labs available to early-stage businesses at an affordable much structure, and we let them struggle with the idea because the center had considered, a key reason for seeking student from the ground up. One example is the establishment of price. the real world is unstructured. Then they were doing the research, collaboration. the NASA Commercialization Center at the California State Holland has also worked to take “game-changing technology,” collecting the data and coming out here, delivering and having such “It points us in a direction,” Holland said. “We wanted to give Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., where she was a term NASA uses for an advancement that revolutionizes how a positive reception. students the framework, but we didn’t want to taint how they responsible for the feasibility study and raising the funds that something is done, or makes it possible to do something at all, to the “That’s priceless.” would see the possibilities. Put creative minds together and you created the center. She then was appointed to lead the new marketplace. Game-changing technology is something Holland has “I like the fact that the students were able to see the intellectual experience the power of novel insights.” center’s development. been working with her entire career, including in her first job after property side of technology,” Dong said. “Engineering courses do The Dryden IPO, previously known as the Innovative For six years beginning in 1998, she was the director of the college graduation, when she was responsible for helping launch an not cover the importance of protecting intellectual property. How Partnerships Program office, funded the grant. The Aerospace, center, a project developed under a cooperative agreement automated chemistry analyzer in the clinical laboratory marketplace. you protect ideas, when do you patent – exposure to that world was Education, Research and Operations, or AERO Institute in between NASA and the university. Her job was to develop She had responsibility for overseeing the training, customer support valuable for them.” Palmdale administered the grant. the 40,000-square-foot facility, which is the anchor of the The students included Tyler Frisbie, Ashley Knoblach, Ravin See Holland, page 32 In addition to inspiring students with resume-building university’s 60-acre technology park. In addition to having Kumar and Julio Perez. work, the project aims to contribute to science, technology, Perez, a business and supply chain management student, said he engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education, providing learned from a project that, at first, was as complicated to understand a qualified external capability for Dryden technology as hieroglyphics. CPP students aid in screening. In addition, Cal Poly-Pomona’s three-quarter “The collaborative aspect was valuable – I never had experience entrepreneurship program, which is part of the university’s with mechanical engineering,” he said. “Understanding how it new-tech evaluation Innovation and Commercialization Laboratory, adds a works was a challenge in itself. Speaking to engineering professors, When a researcher develops a technology or novel technology component. I started figuring it out. I was so used to everything having to do approach to completing a task, he or she writes and submits The laboratory is co-taught by Olukemi Sawyerr of the with business; I had to go outside my comfort zone to figure out a new technology report, or NTR. If he or she needs help, it university’s college of business, and Winny Dong of the college of what all these engineering terms mean. [The experience] was very can be found at the Dryden Innovative Partnerships office. engineering, principal investigator on the project. The idea is for valuable.” The IPO office, known previously as the Innovative students to learn about business development, entrepreneurship His partner, Kumar, who is studying mechanical engineering, had Partnerships Program office, offers help through its new involving technology and product development in a hands-on another point. NTR Plus program. NTR Plus is designed to collect the manner while working on an interdisciplinary team. “Working directly with NASA on the newest, coolest stuff and information most relevant to assessing the discovery’s patent Students had another incentive: the assignment could be a getting insight into how I can fit into NASA was the best. It was and partnership potential, said Julie Holland, Dryden’s door to starting their own business, or a pathway to selling a new also like being thrown into ice water, trying to figure out if it was partnership development manager. product to an established business. marketable and, if it is, who would want to buy it,” he said. Once an NTR is approved, the IPO office completes the “This program is novel in that non-patent-track technologies The project reinforces that Dryden and academia make good ED11 0115-05 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida allow opportunities for students to put a business plan together. partners; Dryden’s new technologies are getting a much-needed See Students, page 31 Cal Poly-Pomona participants, from left, are Tyler Frisbie, Julio Perez, If they come up with a plan in the Cal Poly-Pomona curriculum, boost from the partnership with Cal Poly-Pomona. Ashley Knoblach, Ravin Kumar, Winny Dong and Olukemi Sawyerr.

30 31 Holland ... from page 30 and troubleshooting of the first three beta “The decision to move on that the risk of others contesting the patent (initial) products installed at prestigious something too soon and not is low. Most important, leakage of material institutions. adhere to cross-functional information must be avoided that might have Her first experience had a number of development best practices occurred in informal conversation among peers career lessons related to new-technology can make your company into or external colleagues, leading to the invention commercialization best practices. Although a Harvard case study. No one being reduced to a practice by another entity, the product eventually revolutionized the wants to be a Harvard case Holland explained. industry and remains a workhorse today, at Working with researchers and potential users launch it didn’t work. study.” of intellectual property for commercialization “The premature launch saw a $700 million also requires something very important. company brought to its knees,” she said. Julie Holland “It’s not enough to have a company Four binders full of engineering changes Dryden partnership interested in commercializing a technology,” later, the first automated and computerized development manager she said. “Each potential licensing partner chemistry analyzer in the industry performed must prove they have the capacity and as promoted. Lesson learned: “The decision to full promise initially, Holland said. capability to develop and launch a new move on something too soon and not adhere The company had targeted the technology product. This is why companies interested in to cross-functional [teams comprised of for dipsticks for cars. However, the “generic” licensing technology from Dryden must, as a members from engineering, manufacturing, design was no match for the more than 1,300 final step in the qualification process, submit finance, distribution and customer support] types of dipsticks unique to each make and a full development and marketing plan with development best practices can make your model of car. Fortunately, the product fit a basic financial information, in order to be company into a Harvard case study,” she said. sufficient number of cars that the demand considered as a viable licensing candidate.” “No one wants to be a Harvard case study.” was strong enough to keep the company Holland was recently director of business More recently, as vice president of marketing financially viable and attractive to investors. development at Tao of Systems Integration and sales for Select Universities Technologies It took another six months to fast track the in Hampton, Va., a post in which she gained Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., she was a second product to be used on remote oil and insight into some of the companies that work member of the executive team that assessed gas pipelines and negotiate marketing and with Dryden. Companies like Tao use Small and selected technologies to be licensed from distribution agreements with industry partners, Business Innovative Research agreements to universities, raised equity investment funding, she said. probe ideas. If those ideas blossom, there are formed new companies around each licensed A key lesson, she said, that emerges in every other agreements that can be sought for a phase technology and oversaw the development product development effort, and one often II agreement to raise the ideas’ technology and launch of the first commercial products. overlooked to great dismay later, is to listen readiness level, a key NASA initiative. She had direct responsibility for creating to the voice of the customer. The interesting Holland described the company as a “gazelle,” and executing marketing and sales plans, challenge is that the profile and buying a term describing the type of new technology- including building marketing and sales teams, behaviors for a customer for a new product based companies that collectively contribute for each new company. based on new technology are not the same as about 95 percent of the growth in new products One of the new companies, IntelliStick, for products with incremental improvements. and services year after year. These are early-stage licensed technology capable of sensing oil Another valuable asset that Holland brings is companies that grow rapidly – by definition they oxidation as it was happening in harsh knowledge of the ins and outs of the patenting grow at least 20 percent per year over five years – environments. The technology originated process, including protecting intellectual property and have been working at developing their game- during the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – initial disclosure, technology assessments and changing technology for a number of years. Prior development. The first application was as patent filing – and the need to keep the patent to becoming gazelles, the companies on average an “intelligent” dipstick with a sensor at history “clean” for licensing purposes. have fewer than 10 employees. its tip that would indicate when to change Most prospective licensing partners, Holland’s experience goes from the discovery oil to allow for optimum performance and particularly those seeking exclusive licenses, will of intellectual property to commercialization maximizing an engine’s lifespan. perform patent prosecution due diligence to with a bunch of stops in between for both Popular Mechanics editors judged the ensure that the researcher originated the work. commercial and private entities. Holland IntelliStick to be the best new product of the Other verifications made during the process are brings the best practices from her experiences year in the automotive aftermarket sector, but that relevant documents were controlled, that to Dryden, where she plans to help accelerate the company couldn’t deliver on the product’s non-disclosure agreements were honored and licensing-and-infusion partnerships.

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