NASA Tech Briefs and Photonics & Imaging Technology

Welcome to your Digital Edition of NASA Tech Briefs and Photonics & Imaging Technology

Included in This July 2016 Edition:

NASA Tech Briefs Photonics & Imaging Technology

July 2016 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 40 No. 7 July 2016

Algorithm Helps Lunar Rover Move Through Clutter

Using Optical Simulation NASA’s Game- Tools to Design 3D Printers Changing Robotics NASA’s Infrared Sensor Spots Extreme Low-Frequency Acoustic Measurement Near-Earth Asteroids

Launch Pad Coating Protects Ground Tactical Vision Bridges from Corrosion Comes Full-Circle Photonics & Imaging Technology

Supplement to NASA Tech Briefs

Click Here Click Here

How to Navigate the Magazines:

At the bottom of each page, you will see a navigation bar with the following buttons:

➭ Arrows: Click on the right or left facing arrow to turn the page forward or backward.

Intro Introduction: Click on this icon to quickly turn to this page.

Cov Cover: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the front cover.

ToC Table of Contents: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the table of contents.

+ Zoom In: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom in on the page.

– Zoom Out: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom out on the page.

A Find: Click on this icon to search the document.

You can also use the standard Acrobat Reader tools to navigate through each magazine. ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ SMART DEVICES REQUIRE SMARTER AUTOMATED TEST SYSTEMS

The old approach to automated test isn’t scaling, but you already knew that. Look at your balance sheet. To test smart devices, you need a smarter test system built on a platform of NI PXI, LabVIEW, and TestStand. More than 35,000 companies deploy NI technology to lower their cost of test—what are you waiting for?

Prepare for the future at ni.com/smarter-test

NI PXI, LabVIEW, and TestStand

©2016 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and NI TestStand are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 25611

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-729 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ July 2016 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 40 No. 7

NASA’s Game- Changing Robotics

Extreme Low-Frequency Acoustic Measurement

Launch Pad Coating Protects Bridges from Corrosion

Photonics & Imaging

Technology ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-701 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-702 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ July 2016 • Vol. 40 No. 7

Contents Features 60 8 Products of Tomorrow 12 12 NASA’s Game-Changing Robotics 39 16 Application Briefs 64 NASA Spinoff: Launch Pad Coating Stops Corrosion

Solutions 18 Technology Focus: Test & Measurement Departments 18 Hermetic Seal Leak Detection Apparatus with Variable Size 6 UpFront Test Chamber 10 Who’s Who at NASA 18 Extreme Low Frequency Acoustic Measurement System 62 NASA’s Technology Transfer Program 20 Low-Temperature Radiometer 63 Advertisers Index 22 Lightweight Internal Device to Measure Tension in Hollow- Braided Cordage 23 Improved Method to Quantify Leak Rates 24 Flight Test System for Accurately Predicting Flutter New for Design Engineers 26 TestEVAL Software to Assist in Mechanical Testing 60 Product Focus: Electronic Components 26 Technique to Measure Degradation of Submillimeter-Wave 61 New Products/Software Spectrometer Response to Local Oscillator Phase Noise 27 Electrical/Electronics 27 Polymer Nanofiber-Based Reversible Nano-Switch/Sensor Special Supplement Schottky Diode (nanoSSSD) Device 27 Method of Fault Detection and Rerouting 28 Metal Oxide Vertical Graphene Hybrid Supercapacitors Photonics & Imaging Technology 29 Reconfigurable Drive Current System Selected editions only. 30 Aeronautics 30 System and Method for Aiding Pilot Preview, Rehearsal, Review, and Real-Time Visual Acquisition of Flight Mission Progress 30 System, Apparatus, and Method for Pedal Control 31 RapidScat Flight Software 32 Achieving a Realistic Model of Flight Dynamics and Aeroelasticity of Flexible Aircraft Product of the Month 33 AutoNav: Navigation Flight Software on a Smartphone Tecplot (Bellevue, WA) announced 34 Power Generation & Storage Tecplot 360 EX 2016 Release 2 34 Method and Circuit for In-Situ Health Monitoring of Solar Cells computational fluid dynamics in Space software with SZL technology. 34 Foldable and Deployable Power Collection System 36 Solid-State Ultracapacitor 36 Double-acting Extremely Light Thermo-Acoustic (DELTA) 60 Converter 37 Chassis Short Mitigation and Characterization Technique for the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator On the cover 38 Mechanical & Fluid Systems Robonaut 2, or R2, is the first humanoid robot in space, 38 Dust Tolerant Connectors having served on the International Space Station (ISS) 38 Systems, Methods, and Apparatus of a Low-Conductance since 2011. Developed by NASA and General Motors, Silicon Micro-Leak for Mass Spectrometer Inlet R2’s primary job is demonstrating to engineers how dexterous robots behave in space. The hope is that, 39 In-Situ Load System for Calibrating and Validating Aerodynamic through upgrades and advancements, it could one day Properties of Scaled Aircraft in Ground-Based Aerospace Testing venture outside the station to help spacewalkers make Applications repairs or additions to the station. R2 is just one of 40 Release of a Stuck Solar Array or Antenna NASA’s game-changing robotic technologies. Find out more in the article on page 12. 41 High-Heat-Flux-Capable Boundary Layer Vortex Generator and Boundary Layer Transition Device Image courtesy of NASA

(Solutions continued on page 4)

2 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ ProSense® Digital Panel Meters...... great features at a great price!

NEW! Digital Panel Meters The ProSense DPM family of digital panel meters are a simple, low-cost digital display solution for analog process, temperature, potentiometer, and load cell signals. Available in both 1/32 DIN and 1/8 DIN sizes with easily confi gured, bright LED displays, these versatile panel meters are the ones you need!

3 YEAR

Starting at: $65.00 DPM1 Series DPM1 Series • 48 x 24mm 1/32 DIN • Loop, AC or DC powered • 4-digit (-1999 to 9999) red LED • Input types available: 4-20mA, display +/-20mA, +/-100mV, +/-10V, +/-20V, • Output options: +/-200V, RTD Pt100 (3-wire), - none Thermocouple Type J, K, T or N - relay - 0/4-20 mA - relay and 0/4-20 mA

Starting at: $100.00 DPM2 Series DPM2 Series • 96 x 48mm 1/8 DIN • Input types available: +/-10V, +/- • 4-digit (-9999 to 9999) red LED 200V, +/-20mA, RTD (Pt100, Pt1000), display Thermocouple (Type J, K, T, N), Potentiometer (100 Ohm to 100k • AC or DC powered Ohm), Resistance (999.9 Ohm, 9999 • Optional (2) Form C SPDT relay Ohm and 50k Ohm) outputs

Starting at: $125.00 DPM3 Series DPM3 Series • 96 x 48mm 1/8 DIN • Input types available: +/-10V, +/- • 5-digit (-19999 to 39999) tri-color 20mA, RTD Pt100, Thermocouple (red, green, amber) LED display (Type J, K, T, N), Potentiometer, Load cell (+/-15mV, +/-30mV, +/- • AC or DC powered 150mV) • 4-20 mA output on select models

Research, price, buy at: www.automationdirect.com/process-controllers

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-703 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Contents

42 GEMINI Stability Control for Reducing Pointing Jitter in 51 Probiotic Therapy for Astronauts, and During Radiation Therapy CubeSats and Smallsats 52 Methods of Manufacturing Bioactive Gels from Extracellular Matrix 42 Piezoelectric-Actuated Rotary Ultrasonic Motor Material 44 Materials & Coatings 53 Multi-Parameter Biodosimetric HemoDose Tools 44 Method for Exfoliation of Hexagonal Boron Nitride 53 Soft-Tissue Emulsification Using a Mechanism of Ultrasonic Atomization Inside Gas or Vapor Cavities 44 Sucrose-Treated Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Yarns and Sheets 45 Method for Manufacturing a Thin Film Structural System 54 Information Technology & Software 45 Integrated Ceramic Matrix Composite-Carbon/Carbon Structures 54 System and Method for Transferring Telemetry Data Between a for Large Rocket Engine Nozzles and Nozzle Extensions Ground Station and a Control Center 46 Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyester (ATSP) Composites for 54 Method and Apparatus for Generating Flight-Optimizing Trajectories High-Temperature and Cryogenic Applications 55 Systems, Methods, and Apparatus for Developing and 47 Ultralow-Temperature-Operable Solid Propellant Binder Maintaining Evolving Systems with Software Product Lines 47 Carbon Nanotube-Assisted Microwave Healing of Thermally 55 Team Electronic Gameplay Combining Different Means of Control Re-Mendable Composites 56 The K Development Language 47 Aluminoborosilicate Supplement for Thermal Protection of a 56 Mission Assurance Systems (MAS) Software Used for Re-entrant Vehicle Engineering Data Sets Across NASA 48 Processing and Manufacture of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid 57 MATTC Method for Efficient Prediction of Boundary Layer Transition Syntactic Structural Cryogenic Insulator 57 Google Earth Offline Cache Pre-loader v1 (GEOCP) 49 Health, Medicine & Biotechnology 58 Robustness Analysis and Robust Design of Uncertain Systems 49 Computer-Controlled Solid-State Lighting Assembly to Emulate 58 XDB3 Extension for Equality and Relational Operators Diurnal Cycle and Improve Circadian Rhythm Control 59 Simulator for a Self-Stabilizing Synchronization Protocol for 49 Capillary Driven Microorganism Cultivation Platform for Human Arbitrary Digraphs Life Support 59 Testing Encapsulation of Internet, DTN, and LTP Traffic over AOS 50 Device and Method for Healing Wounds Space Data Link Protocol 51 Portable Acoustic Holography Systems for Therapeutic Ultrasound Sources This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Permissions: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use Space Administration. Neither Associated Business Publications Co., Ltd. nor the of specific clients, is granted by Associated Business Publications, provided that the flat fee of $3.00 per copy United States Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States be paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (222 Rose Wood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923). For those Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the information contained organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by CCC, a separate system of payment has been in this document, or warrants that such use will be free from privately owned rights. arranged. The fee code for users of the Transactional Reporting Service is: ISSN 0145-319X194 $3.00+ .00 The U.S. Government does not endorse any commercial product, process, or activity identified in this publication.

ROBOTIC END-EFFECTORS Measure all six components of force and torque in a compact, rugged sensor.

Interface Structure—high-strength alloy provides IP60, IP65, and IP68 environmental protection as needed

Low-noise Electronics—interfaces for Ethernet, PCI, USB, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, CAN, EtherCAT, Wireless, and more

Sensing Beams and Flexures—designed for high stiffness and overload protection

The F/T Sensor outperforms traditional load cells, instantly providing all loading data in every axis. Engineered for high overload protection and low noise, it’s the ultimate force/torque sensor. Only from ATI.

www.ati-ia.com/ets 919.772.0115

4 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -7 04 NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Great things come in small packages.

The BlueWWaave® QX4™ from Dymax. Small in size. Big on flexibility, intensity, and speed. The most user-friendly, multi-head curing system on the market, the QX4 enables you to:

• Use up to four LED heads – each one is completely interchangeable. • Program each LED head with up to 8 levels of intensity and cure time. • Partner with a company that can help you become more cost-effective. • Enjoy the combination of support, technology, and equipment you need to gain an advantage over your competitors.

Onlyy from Dymax. The company thaat

• • 8777- 396- 2988

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-705 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ UP Linda Bell FRONT Editorial Director Editor’s Choice Walk and Roll Robot To traverse smooth ter- A device for nondestructive testing of rain, the most efficient hermetic seals of containers or instru- motion is rolling; howev- mentation can detect both large and er, when a wheeled vehi- small leaks, as well as the relative leak cle encounters obstacles, rate. Its simple design eliminates the it has to avoid them, if need for expensive instrumentation such possible, or choose an as a mass spectrometer to analyze leaks alternate path. Legged and achieve high sensitivity. Low in cost vehicles can traverse and simple to manufacture, the device these obstacles by step- has uses in industries from aerospace and ping over them, but are automotive, to semiconductors and opti- not energy-efficient on cal devices, to food and pharmaceutical smooth terrain. The packaging. Find out more on page 18. Walk and Roll Robot, developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Free Hubble E-Book Center, combines walk- A CAD model of the Walk and Roll Robot. ing and rolling for ener- In celebration gy-efficient motions. The robot has a compact design in which all of the compo- of the Hubble nents are contained within the body, allowing it to be used for applications in Space Telescope’s harsh environments where robots traditionally have difficulty with debris, mois- 25th anniversary, ture, or dust. Other applications include urban search and rescue missions, and explore 25 of military reconnaissance and exploration. Hubble’s breath- Visit http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/GSC-TOPS-43 taking images in a free E-book. Along with com- Testing a Robotic Miner panion descrip- The Resource Prospector tions and videos, the 25 images high- (RP) rover could be the first light the telescope’s amazing capabili- robot to mine for resources on ties. Download “Hubble 25: A Quarter- another world. Targeted for Century of Discovery with the Hubble launch in the early 2020s, RP Space Telescope” for your e-book read- will search for and characterize er at www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/ sub-surface water, hydrogen, hubble_25_detail.html. and other volatiles on the Moon. But first, NASA needs to test its resilience to the harsh Next Month in NTB environments of deep space and extremely cold tempera- The August issue of NASA Tech Briefs tures on the Moon. During test- will have a special feature highlighting ing in a thermal vacuum cham- Resource Prospector sits in the vacuum chamber that simu- Human Spaceflight Technology. From lates the thermal environment and low atmospheric pressure ber at Johnson Space Center, NASA’s Orion crew vehicle and the Space and density the rover will experience on the Moon. NASA simulated the thermal Launch System, to SpaceX and Boeing’s environment and extremely commercial crew launches, learn how low atmospheric pressure and density that RP would experience. Learn more about America’s return to human spaceflight Resource Prospector in the feature article on page 12. will prepare us for a future trip to Mars.

Connect with NTB

facebook.com/NASATechBriefs linkedin.com/company/tech-briefs-media twitter.com/NASATechBriefs

6 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ The sharpest minds should Ready to solve problems faster? Keysight’s Truevolt DMM family is here to help. With have the sharpest tools. multiple ways to view data, extended ranges to capture more data and faster Make all your essential measurements measurement speed, Truevolt accelerates the measurement process. Whatever the with Keysight’s Truevolt DMMs. job, or the need, Keysight measures up.

Key speciﬁ cations 34460A 34461A 34465A 34470A Digits of resolution 6½ 6½ 6½ 7½ Basic DCV accuracy 75 ppm 35 ppm 30 ppm 16 ppm Max reading rate 300 rdgs/s 1,000 rdgs/s 5,000 rdgs/s std 5,000 rdgs/s std 50,000 rdgs/s opt 50,000 rdgs/s opt Memory 1,000 rdgs 10,000 rdgs 50,000 rdgs std 50,000 rdgs std 2 million rdgs opt 2 million rdgs opt

Learn how to solve your test challenges with Truevolt DMMs. www.keysight.com/find/truevoltUS

Buy from an Authorized Distributor:

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-706 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ The technologies NASA develops don’t just blast off into space. They also improve our lives here on Earth. Life-saving search-and-rescue tools, implantable medical devices, advances in commercial aircraft safety, increased accuracy in weather forecasting, and the miniature cameras in our cellphones are just some of the examples of NASA-developed technology used in products today. This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. If you are interested in licensing the technologies described here, use the contact infor- Products of mation provided. To learn about more available technologies, visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at Tomorrow http://technology.nasa.gov.

► Conductive Carbon Nanotube Ink for ► Underwater Vehicle Inkjet Printing Propulsion and Kennedy Space Center’s Power Generation Conductive Carbon Nanotube NASA’s Jet Propulsion Ink for Inkjet Printing technology combines carbon Laboratory has developed nanotube inks with other additives, such as metallic an autonomous underwater nanoparticles, for use in standard inkjet printing. vehicle that uses thermally generated buoyancy These inks have resistances in the kilohm range to cre- changes to generate electricity and recharge batteries, ate coatings that are significantly more conductive and can remain underwater for years at a time. The than other commercially available carbon nanotube vehicle is propelled using the temperature differen- inks. These inks are water-based, and can be readily tials in ocean water. It extracts energy from the vehi- applied to a number of surfaces, including paper and cle’s gliding movement by turning a propeller turbine textiles. The adherent conductive materials can be while in motion; this energy can be used to recharge used in damage detection, dust particle removal, smart the vehicle batteries. Applications include coating systems, and flexible electronic circuitry. autonomous underwater vehicles, ocean study, earth sciences, and underwater surveillance. Contact: Kennedy Space Center Phone: 321-867-5033 Contact: Jet Propulsion Laboratory E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 818-354-7770 E-mail: [email protected]

► Silent Speech An alternative way of communicating developed at Ames Research Center is based on the direct interpretation of nervous system control signals sent to speech muscles by the brain. The method interprets non-invasive aggregate surface measurements of ElectroMyographic Signals (EMGs) to categorize muscle activations prior to sound generation. Applications include human-to-machine commands, physical- and speech-disabled persons, underwater operations, and medical and emergency service workers.

Contact: Ames Research Center Phone: 855-627-2249 E-mail: [email protected]

8 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ 3D PRINTING Material Selector

STEREOLITHOGRAPHY DSM Somos 9120 Polypropylene-like Xtreme White 200 Polypropylene/ABS-like RenShape Black 7820 ABS-like Somos WaterShed XC 11122 ABS-like MicroFine Green ABS-like 3D Systems Accura 60 10% GF PC-like 3D Systems Accura 5530 10% GF PC-like DSM Somos NanoTool 10% GF PC-like FineLine SLArmor Die-cast Aluminum-like Normal Resolution Layer thickness: 0.004 in. Minimum feature size: 0.010 in. Maximum build frame: 29 in. by 25 in. by 21 in. High Resolution Layer thickness: 0.002 in. Minimum feature size: 0.004 in. Maximum build frame: 10 in. by 10 in. by 10 in. Micro Resolution Layer thickness: 0.001 in. Minimum feature size: 0.002 in. Maximum build frame: 5 in. by 5 in. by 2.5 in.

SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING

PA 850 Black – Nylon11 ALM PA 650 – Nylon 12 PA 615-GS – 50% GF Nylon 12 DuraForm HST Composite – 25% MF Nylon 12

Normal Resolution Layer thickness: 0.004 in. Minimum feature size: 0.030 in. Maximum build frame: 19 in. by 19 in. by 22 in.

MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Elongation to Break

6.8–7.8ksi 11-20% 115-130º

Tensile Strength Heat Deﬂection

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-707 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ SEAL Who’s Who and at NASA

DELIVER Dr. Patrick Fink, NTB: Why don’t individual objects Chief need to be tagged? Technologist, Wireless Dr. Fink: Instead of talking to tagged items, the RFID interrogator [or reader] is Communication talking to a container. As a piece of the Systems Branch, inventory is taken out, that spring-loaded Johnson Space traveler moves a little bit. Each time it Center, Houston, TX moves, it enables a different, individual RFID integrated circuit. There also has to r. Patrick Fink leads technology be an antenna embedded into that con- Ddevelopment of radio frequency tainer; the antenna is only channeled to a identification (RFID) systems. The select number of the RFID integrated cir- RFID technology will support NASA’s cuits. Each RFID integrated circuit has a efforts to track its various inventories unique ID. on the International Space Station, On the interrogator side, the software from personal supplies to equipment application sees that ID coming back from components. A new smart container the package. By virtue of seeing which ID innovation tracks individual items, is responding, [the reader] can determine regardless of placement. where that spring-loaded traveler is from Don’t Get Caught In a its full range of motion. In the case of a Labyrinth of Bad Seals NASA Tech Briefs: How does the pill, maybe it’s reading ID #1, and then by smart container track a collection of the time all of the pills are removed, that items? traveler’s gone the full distance. Now it’s talking to the integrated circuit at the Our Patented Centrifugal Dr. Patrick Fink: The intelligence is other end of that travel range. Pressure Seals: actually in the packaging. The contain- Keep lubricants in er has distributed RFID integrated cir- NTB: What are the possibilities for & contaminants out cuits — the brains of an RFID tag. RFID technologies? Those are enabled by a traveler. Think Reduce downtime of a PEZ dispenser. It has a spring- Dr. Fink: This all feeds into autonomy. Support horizontal & loaded traveler that pushes the candies It’s not just about humans knowing where vertical applications up. In [the smart container] case, a the assets are. We are working with com- traveler enables one of multiple RFID panies to bring in new RFID technologies Prevent friction & integrated circuits. Software recog- that allow very accurate localization. overheating with a nizes the correlation between any one When that’s in place, machines can han- non-contact design of those IDs from the integrated cir- dle logistics. For example, on a precursor Create a dynamic cuits and the position of that traveler. mission, the robots can unpack and set up pressurized barrier From that, the processor can infer the structures, and have things prepared for level of items inside the container. human arrival because they know where Support extremely assets are. They also know the assets’ ori- low-viscosity ﬂuids NTB: What’s a common use for this entation, which allows them to grapple technology? with the assets much more efficiently. To learn more about the RFID devices, read Dr. Fink: The body reacts differently a full transcript, or listen to a downloadable to medications in space. For the podcast, visit www.techbriefs.com/podcast. intended, original NASA application, some of the medical-support individu- REGISTER NOW als on the ground wanted to take Join us on Thursday, July 21, 2016, inventory and be able to track who has 2:00 pm ET, for a live webcast with A Carlyle Johnson Company taken how many of each pill. The [pro- Dr. Fink, who will demonstrate the smart enclosures and RFID technolo- posed NASA] package would contain centritecseals.com gies supporting NASA’s inventory 860-643-1531 the intelligence to understand its management efforts. Pre-register at inventory without having to tag each www.techbriefs.com/webinar363. individual item.

Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -7 08 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Design with the power of small.

The fi nest miniature encoders for ATOM—The world’s fi rst high the most demanding spaces. precision, miniature optical encoder with fi ltering optics Renishaw offers class-leading position encoders for 20.5 x 12.7 x 6.7 mm precision motion control the world over. With their exceedingly small dimensions and lightweight design RLC—PCB-level magnetic position this family of high performance sensors are ideal for encoder designed for high volume, applications with tight spaces and even tighter tolerances. low cost OEM integration

Q Fits almost any linear or rotary feedback design you can 20 x 13.5 x 3.3 mm imagine

Q Available in PCB-ready conﬁ guration or as stand-alone RLB—A PCB-level magnetic encoder cabled option designed for high volume low cost OEM integrations with added ﬂ ex Q Powerful magnetic and optical scale technology for cable option uncompromising accuracy 8 x 3.3 x 14 mm

Q Exceptional dirt immunity and the highest signal stability RoLin—An environmentally hardened, Explore the wide range of options, conﬁ gurations and packaged miniature magnetic applications at: encoder for OEM system integration 12 x 8.5 x 5 mm www.renishaw.com/encoders

Renishaw Inc Hoffman Estates, IL www.renishaw.com

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-709 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ tasks in which another pair of hands would be helpful, or to perform jobs either too dangerous for crewmembers or too mundane for them to spend time on. R2 is designed to be a robust, rugged, entirely electric humanoid robot capable of operating in degraded or damaged human-engineered environments. R2 has been onboard the ISS since February 2011. It is the first humanoid robot in space, and although its primary job is demonstrating to engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, the hope is that, through upgrades and advancements, it could one day venture outside the station to help spacewalkers make repairs or additions to the station. R2 powered up for the first time in August 2011. Since then, robotics engineers have tested R2 on ISS, completing tasks ranging from velocity air measurements to handrail cleaning — simple but necessary tasks that require a great deal of crew time. R2 also has a task board on which to practice flipping switches and pushing buttons, and has been controlled by station crewmembers on multiple occasions through the use of virtual reality gear. According to NASA Game-Changing Development Program manager, Steve Gaddis, the team is hard at work teaching R2 new skills for the ISS. “We are cur- NASA’s rently working on teaching him how to look for handrails and avoid obstacles.” The challenge is how to teach R2 new Game-Changing skills from the ground when the robot is on station, all of which is done through software. For hardware additions to R2, Robotics such as new legs, astronauts must be trained in how to perform “surgery” on the robot. ver the years, I’ve asked state-of-the-art robotics projects, A realistic version of parts of the ISS is people, ‘If you had a including human-scale dexterous maintained on the ground in order to robot, what would you robots and free-flying robots. These create scenarios in which R2 would be want it to do for you?’” projects are not only enabling a future called upon as an astronaut assistant. “Osaid Rob Ambrose, principal investigator of human-robot space missions, but Astronauts may have to spend an entire for NASA’s Game Changing Development are promising extraordinary benefits day performing tasks and experiments, Program and chief of the Software, on Earth. and could not get to some of the tasks by Robotics, and Simulation Division at So, whether the task calls for measur- the end of the day. R2 could collect tools NASA’s Johnson Space Center. When he ing the airflow from a filter or navigat- the astronauts would require to perform asks astronauts, they usually tell him they ing the risks of an emergency space- tasks for the next day while the astro- want the robot to do chores. walk, there are multiple “chores” in nauts slept. The International Space Station space travel that suit robots far better Building on prior experience design- (ISS) has quickly become an ideal test- than humans. ing R2, the NASA Johnson team bed for developing some of the world’s designed and built the next generation most advanced robotics technology — Robonaut of humanoid robot — R5, also known as technology that is on the cutting edge The idea behind the original Valkyrie — that implements improved in space exploration and ground Robonaut and the current Robonaut 2 electronics, actuators, and sensing capa- research. But Ambrose points out that (R2) was to build a humanoid robot that bilities from earlier generations of JSC the ISS also currently hosts an array of could assist astronauts in completing humanoid robots. It also features more-

12 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ MULTIPHYSICS FOR EVERYONE

The evolution of computational tools for COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS® numerical simulation of physics-based systems has reached a major milestone. APPLICATION BUILDER Custom applications are now being developed by simulation specialists using the Application Builder in COMSOL Multiphysics®. APPLICATION With a local installation of COMSOL Server™, applications can be deployed within an entire organization and accessed worldwide.

Make your organization truly beneﬁ t from the power of analysis. comsol.com/application-builder

© Copyright 2016 COMSOL. COMSOL, the COMSOL logo, COMSOL Multiphysics, Capture the Concept, COMSOL Desktop, COMSOL Server, LiveLink, and Simulation for Everyone are either registered trademarks or trademarks of COMSOL AB. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and COMSOL AB and its subsidiaries and products are not aﬃ liated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or supported by those trademark owners. For a list of such trademark owners, see www.comsol.com/trademarks.

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-710 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Game-Changing Robotics humanoid legs, enabling it to move Robotic Mining on another world. Using a suite of more easily in a variety of environments. The goal of NASA’s Human Robotic instruments to locate elements from a R5 is designed to work on a planetary Systems (HRS) project is to build robots lunar polar region, the rover is surface such as Earth, Mars, or the that help humans explore. Said Bill designed to excavate volatiles such as Moon. When upgrading to R5 from R2, Bluethman, project manager for the hydrogen, oxygen, and water from the the team faced the challenge of making Resource Prospector at Johnson Space Moon. The ultimate goal is to look for everything lighter — R2’s body and legs Center, “It can be the kind of robots that water. Said Bluethman, “We’ve had weigh close to 600 pounds, and R5 do missions before astronauts that recent missions — orbital missions and weighs about 300 pounds. The need for enable future exploration. It can be impact missions — that have shown that lightweighting is primarily because it will working shoulder to shoulder with astro- there is, in fact, water at the poles of the be running off of battery power. To run nauts during a mission, and it can be Moon. The goal of this mission is really untethered off a battery, every pound cleaning up after. It has a very broad set to touch it, process it, understand just means shorter battery life. of areas where we can apply this work, how much it is horizontally across the Robots such as R5 can serve as scouts, but the ultimate goal is to make human surface as well as what it looks like sub- providing advanced maps and soil sam- exploration more effective.” surface.” ples, and beginning work on the infra- One of those robots is the Resource The RP is basically a prototype of a structure that astronauts would need. Prospector (RP), a small rover designed robot NASA wants to sent to the north or The crew that follows would then be to explore the poles of the Moon. RP south pole of the Moon, according to RP much more prepared for the explo- aims to be the first mining expedition design engineer, Mason Markee. “One of ration ahead. This human-robotic partnership will allow Mars surface missions to be conducted safely by a smaller crew without sacrificing mission plans and results. Humans and robots exploring the solar system together will provide greater results than either could achieve alone.

Rather than balancing or walking on its legs, Robonaut 2 has end effectors (its feet) that can grasp handrails and other built-in capture points to move from worksite to worksite or R5 implements improved electronics, actuators, and sensing capabilities from earlier generations stay in one place. of NASA humanoid robots.

14 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ the big challenges with this project was we want to send to the Moon. We also trying to build a robot that worked here wanted to tackle a lot of the aspects that on Earth so that we could do our per- you need to go to the Moon — working formance testing here, but fit the size in a vacuum, working in extreme temper- build that we wanted to go on a rocket to ature differentials, so it’s really hot in the be able to get to the Moon. This robot Sun, really cold in the shadows. We start- represents the size of the real rover that ed tackling some of those technologies so that the thermal properties of this robot are very similar to the one that we want to send to the Moon eventually.”

Free-Flying Assistant Remotely operated robots can com- plement astronauts by performing work under remote supervision by humans from a space station, spacecraft, habitat, or even from Earth. Today, astronauts on the ISS not only conduct science activities, but also perform a variety of tasks Artist’s concept of the Astrobee robotic free-flyer. required for ISS housekeeping and in- flight system maintenance. Research Center, the 12" cube will be The remote monitoring and opera- remotely operated by astronauts in space tion of many ISS systems by ground or by mission controllers on the ground, control has become an accepted prac- and will perform a variety of intravehicu- tice during the past decade for certain lar activities (IVA) such as operations ISS tasks. Other types of robots, partic- inside the ISS. These tasks include interi- ularly free-flyers, can perform a greater or environmental surveys (e.g., sound variety of tasks. These tasks include rou- level measurement), inventory, and tine, repetitive, or simple but long- mobile camera work. duration work. Chris Provencher, Astrobee’s project Astrobee, scheduled to fly in 2017, will manager, said the team is planning to build upon technology and lessons put radio-frequency identification learned from the Smart Synchronized (RFID) tags on every item onboard ISS, Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, so that they can be found if they are lost, R5 features more-humanoid legs, enabling it to Experimental Satellite (Smart SPHERES) as many have been already. Astrobee move more easily in a variety of environments. robot. Designed at NASA’s Ames also could help maintain the station by tracking down items that have floated away from their proper places. Astrobee will have video cameras that allow it to serve as a remotely operated mobile camera platform that may be used for localization and navigation. Propulsion is likely to be electric motor-driven fans. Astrobee will also include a perching arm to grab ISS handrails, which will allow it to hold position without using its propulsion system.

RESOURCES www.nasa.gov/resource-prospector http://gameon.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov/robonaut2

WATCH ON TECH BRIEFS TV The Astrobee free-flying robot www.techbriefs.com/tv/astrobee Meet R5: Valkyrie, NASA’s latest humanoid robot The Resource Prospector prototype searches for a buried sample tube at the Johnson Space Center www.techbriefs.com/tv/Valkyrie rock yard. (NASA)

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 15 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ APPLICATION BRIEFS

Machined Parts Accelerate Design With the limitations of Tests for NASA FDM, Du turned to Proto Labs. He knew of Proto Machined aluminum parts and glass-filled nylon Labs’ capabilities in CNC parts made with selective laser sintering machining and other manu- Proto Labs, Inc. facturing processes after Maple Plain, MN becoming familiar with the 877-479-3680 company’s Cool Idea! www.protolabs.com Award, which provides prototyping and low-volume niversity student Mel Du was searching for a source to production services to entre- Umanufacture metal parts for a student research challenge preneurs and others devel- project he was working on for NASA. The project centered on oping new products in the Proto Labs fabricated several SLS and designing, building, and testing an asteroid-sample retrieval United States and Europe. machined parts for the SHARC tool, and containment device for a simulated space mission. As part “We had been in a rapid including this retention pin cover. of the development stage, the team at San Antonio, TX-based prototyping mode, using a Trinity University produced several prototypes on the school’s 3D printer,” Du said. “We tested several different designs, in-house, production-model, fused deposition modeling several iterations, but once we came up with our final design, (FDM) 3D printer. we knew we needed something for doing the real testing that While the 3D-printed parts were suitable for prototyping, the was more durable than the plastic prototype parts.” plastic (ABS) parts would not be strong enough for actual use The SHARC is not an automated retriever, but essentially a in space. That use would also include NASA’s testing of the hand tool — something astronauts could use while wearing team’s device, which they dubbed the SHARC — Sampling their gloved spacesuits. The astronauts, for the simulated Hardware for Asteroid Retrieval and Containment. The testing space-walk asteroid mission, would use and maneuver the would eventually occur in the simulated microgravity environ- SHARC device to dig into an asteroid, grab surface samples, ment of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab giant swimming pool at and then seal off those samples to prevent the risk of contam- NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The research proj- ination. In a real mission in space, those samples would be ect is part of NASA’s Microgravity University and its MicroG kept for eventual analysis back on Earth. The SHARC, and the NEXT Program. parts that make up the device, had to be of sufficient strength and integrity to work in this high-stress environment. Proto Labs helped the Trinity University team advance the SHARC device development with machined aluminum parts along with commercial-grade, additively manufactured, glass-filled nylon parts with selective laser sintering (SLS). The machined parts were several retention pins and retention pin covers; the SLS parts included a left and right arm for the device, a slide, a plate, and a hand guard with a teth- er loop. The Trinity University students traveled to Houston to lead the testing at Johnson Space Center, which included working with astronauts and others at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, and directing their activities in the pool as part of the test. The device worked well throughout all of the testing. Additionally, though the asteroid mission for now is a simulated one, the intent of the research project is that NASA may eventually operationalize the SHARC tool for future space missions. Trinesha Dixon, program manager and education specialist for NASA’s Microgravity University, explained that these projects are opportunities for NASA to engage universities in “what we’re doing at NASA and with our missions,” and, at the same time, expose students to hands-on engineering design and test operations. “The students are making a direct contribution to NASA’s overall mission. They are contributing to the advance- At NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Trinity University student Mel Du (left) works with NASA astronaut Stanley Love, who is holding the SHARC tool ment of space exploration.” that features Proto Labs parts. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-115

16 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ /+, /,$ INNOVATE!

R&D Funding Program /.-,+*)('&*%,$-#'&&*(""*&#-,! #-,(-#)'", &&'*)('&,&()(*)(-,,'*, &",#))(&--, "#(-&)( #,-"-*#.,(&,*,.(.(",.(.*' ,-&('&-&), )',("#'-,(&&'*)(-,#'&#-)",*&,#-*)(-,(-*", ).*),)*&" ','-.-*,(&)-%%(-&#-,#** (%()(-",*&, "")-", ', )-,&*)('&*%,"-#(),(&)-%%(-&#-, &--" ,/.-,'*,"--",'),).-, (.)-"), (&",*&, -*).'.,)-#.&'%'(-", ', (&"),*#*-(*,&*)('&*%,%* '*)'(-", *&, ,'-&-&),*-&#(-"

("(),).-,- "()-, ','*, .(")', --&)%,*"-,-")('&", ''"*%,(*&#-,*&,'*, -&#,&&'&#--&),*&, '-&-&), '#-", '.),&&'&#--&), -(--&)"

703.808.2769

https://acq.westﬁelds.net

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-711 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Technology Focus: Test & Measurement

Hermetic Seal Leak Detection Apparatus with Variable Size Test Chamber A streamlined, cost-effective, sensitive approach to detecting leaks in hermetic seals. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

ASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center determination. The system is sensitive methods do not offer the level of sensi- Nhas developed a unique apparatus enough to detect a container leak of 10- tivity needed for applications such as ideal for use in nondestructive testing 6 cc/min within 15 minutes. The leak automotive components, pharmaceuti- (NDT) of hermetic seals of containers or detection system chamber can be of any cals, or consumer goods packaging. instrumentation. The device is capable size or shape to accommodate any type The subject technology provides a solu- of detecting both large and small leaks of sealed object. tion to this sensitivity/price gap by and can be calibrated to characterize the The technology offers a highly sensi- offering high sensitivity at a significant- relative leak rate. Its simple design does tive method of detecting leaks in her- ly lower cost, as demonstrated by test- not require specialized gases for pressur- metic seals (i.e., airtight seals) that is ing on the Space Shuttle solid rocket ization and detection, and eliminates more streamlined and lower in cost booster pressure sensors. the need for expensive instrumentation than other available methods with sim- Applications include aerospace, par- such as a mass spectrometer to analyze ilar sensitivity. The most accurate tra- ticularly for sensors and equipment leaks and achieve high sensitivity. Low in ditional method involves pressurizing used in harsh environments that cost and simple to manufacture, the the hermetic seal device with helium, require hermetic seals; automotive patent-pending technology is ideal for placing the device in a vacuum bell jar, components; electronic equipment use in many industries, from aerospace and using a mass spectrometer to such as semiconductors, thermostats, applications to food packaging and com- determine if any of the helium leaks switches, and optical devices; consumer mercial goods. from inside the device. This process is goods packaging (food, pharmaceuti- A hermetically sealed item is placed expensive, time-consuming, and com- cals, chemicals, etc.); and military sys- in the leak detection system chamber plicated. By contrast, Marshall’s inno- tems in harsh environments and highly and the device is activated while the vation uses very few parts and does not explosive areas. resulting pressure is monitored by a require any specialized equipment or NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- data collection system. Any large leak pressurized gasses, minimizing the mercialize this technology. Please contact present is immediately indicated by the required maintenance and overall cost Sammy A. Nabors at sammy.nabors@ data system pressure response. For very of operation. nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. small leaks, the system monitors the While mass spectrometry offers high- Follow this link for more information: leak rate over time and can vary set ly sensitive detection, the technology is http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ points to greatly speed the leak rate relatively expensive. Less expensive MFS-TOPS-42.

Extreme Low Frequency Acoustic Measurement System This system detects and locates atmospheric clear air turbulence and severe weather. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center propagates over vast distances through pact nonporous windscreen that’s suit- Nhas developed a system to detect the Earth’s atmosphere, the Langley able for replacing the spatially and locate atmospheric clear air turbu- system offers an excellent early warn- demanding soaker hoses in current lence (CAT) by means of a ground- ing opportunity. The system has been use, an infrasonic calibrator for field based infrasonic array to serve as an able to detect known events — such as use (piston phone with a test signal of early warning system for aircraft. This detection of the launch of the Space 110 dB at 14Hz), laboratory calibration system could augment existing systems Shuttle in Florida all the way from apparatus to very low frequencies, a such as pilot reports (PIREPs), air- Virginia. It also has correlated data vacuum isolation vessel sufficiently borne lidar, and airborne radar. The with NOAA’s PIREPs information. anechoic to permit measurement of NASA system offers a benefit since the Langley has developed various tech- background noise in microphones at existing electromagnetic methods lack nologies to enable the portable detec- frequencies down to a few Hz, and a targets at 30,000-40,000 feet and will tion system, including: a 3-inch electret mobile source for reference (a not detect CAT. Because CAT and condenser microphone with unprece- Helmholtz resonator that provides severe storms emit infrasound that dented sensitivity of –45 dB/Hz, a com- pure tone at 19 Hz).

18 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Actual size of Keysight E36104A DC Power Supply Small footprint, big performance.

These compact (2U, ¼ rack) power supplies bring a powerful punch to your bench. Packed full of features, the ﬁ ve models offer 30 to 40 W and up to 5 A or 100 V of reliable power. Whatever the task, with the E36100 Series DC Power Supplies you’ll have everything you need to power DUTs quietly, safely and accurately.

– Intuitive on-screen menus – LAN and USB connectivity – Low current measurements

See the E36100 Series videos, datasheet and more at: www.keysight.com/find/BenchPowerUS

Buy from an Authorized Distributor:

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-712 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Test & Measurement

The NASA system uses a three-ele- 01162003_094511_1,Tcompute=6, 15-Jul-2004 16:06:43; Freq=0.5-2 5Hz.,Err_Vect<=0.2,[min max] xcorr>=[0.35 0.65] ment array in the field to locate 1.5 sources of infrasound and their direction. This information has been correlated with PIREPs available in real time 1 via the Internet, with 10 examples of good correlation. The technology has potential appli- 0.5 cations such as detection and location of clear air turbulence for aircraft; severe weather monitoring, including 0 Aircraft? tornado chasing via portable infrasound array; remote motion detection; -0.5 and mine communications (infrasound travels through solid barriers). NASA is actively seeking licensees to -1 commercialize this technology. Please contact The Technology Gateway at LARC- [email protected] to -1.5 initiate licensing discussions. Follow this -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 STS109 launch: 10:39 EST1 hour record link for more information: http:// technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/LAR- NASA’s system detected the STS107 Columbia launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 16, 2003 TOPS-13. from sensors at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Low-Temperature Radiometer This technology can look for heat leaks and reflected flux in low-temperature thermal vacuum systems. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

any present and future NASA mis- Msions require high-performance, large-scale cryogenic systems, such as the sunshields and cold instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Testing these systems is problematic because of both the size and the low heat Winston Cone loads allowed. The heat loads can be greatly influenced by non-ideal black- body characteristics of the test chamber, and by stray heat from warmer parts of Thermometers the system and ground support equipment. Previously, stray thermal energy was not directly measured, but inferred from deviations in the expected results, which leads to errors in thermal modeling and in lack of knowledge of the thermal performance of the item under test. Technologists at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have developed a radiometer to help identify the sources of stray heat and to make non-contact thermal emission measurements of such materials as vapor-deposited aluminum on Kapton and multilayer insulation blan- kets, as well as background measurements of non-ideal chamber effects such as light leaks and radiation bounces. Cut-away drawing of the radiometer, electrical connector, and bracket. The length of the radiometer The radiometer is a simpler, much in this version is about 50 mm. Note the two thermometers (black) in the lower portion. For ease of cheaper, and more flexible version of drawing, the upper portion of the Winston cone is shown as cylindrical rather than parabolic.

20 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ High accuracy Gas Analyzer ...... for single and binary gas mixtures

Introducing the BGA244 — a gas <0.1 % accuracy analyzer that measures the ratio of two gases in a mixture, or the purity 10 ppm resolution of a single gas, with better than 0.1 % accuracy. 4 Hz measurement rate The speed of sound in a binary gas USB, RS-232 and software mixture depends on the temperature, heat capacity, and the molar mass of Continuous inline operation the mixture. By precisely measuring the speed of sound and temperature, and knowing the thermodynamic properties and molar masses of the gases, the BGA244 determines the exact composition of gas mixtures.

The BGA244 provides a hundred fold improvement in stability, accuracy and resolution over thermal conductivity analyzers. It also lets you choose from 500 gases, enabling you to measure thousands of mixtures.

The BGA244 operates without lasers, ﬁlaments, chemical sensors, optical sources, separation columns, reference gases, or reagents, and runs virtually maintenance-free.

It’s ideal for research and industrial applications where precision gas measurements are needed.

BGA244 ... $3950 (U.S. list)

For more details ... www.thinkSRS.com/products/BGA244.htm

Stanford Research Systems Tel: (408) 744-9040 . www.thinkSRS.com

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-713 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Test & Measurement infrared detectors that have been in use Winston cone is made from ordinary outside the cavity. Using the two ther- for very-high-resolution astronomical Aliminum alloy (e.g. 6061-T6) with an mometers together provides a calibrat- observations. Its form is similar to entrance aperture of about 17 mm wide able readout that is insensitive to bolometers, which have long been used and an exit aperture of about 3 mm in absolute temperature to first order. for sensitive astronomical infrared meas- diameter. Light entering the Winston The technology has several potential urements. By relaxing the sensitivity and cone exits through this aperture into a applications, including in situ sensing for response times, the radiometers can be cavity in which is suspended a small long-wavelength infrared radiation, and made much less costly. thermometer. This thermometer will be looking for heat leaks and reflected flux in The device is composed of a non- coated with a stainless-steel-powder- low-temperature thermal vacuum systems. imaging concentrator, known as a loaded epoxy to achieve relatively high NASA is actively seeking licensees to Winston cone, and a pair of thermome- emissivity. This coating has the property commercialize this technology. Please con- ters that all reside at low temperature. of nearly wavelength independent tact the Strategic Partnerships Office at The radiometer was designed to help absorption over the wavelength range [email protected] to initiate licens- identify the sources of stray heat and to from a few microns to more than 100 ing discussions. Follow this link for more make non-contacting thermal emission microns. A second matching ther- information: http://technology.nasa.gov/ measurements of various materials. The mometer is located on the back and patent/TB2016/GSC-TOPS-31.

Lightweight Internal Device to Measure Tension in Hollow- Braided Cordage This device has applications in industries commonly using cordage, such as shipping, sailing, and lifting. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

he suspension system of parachutes is Measuring parachute suspension line that gets squeezed as the rope is Ttypically made from ropes (referred loads is important for quantifying design loaded, and can measure the tension to as cordage). Measuring loads in the loads that are used to size the structural in the rope by measuring the squeez- suspension system cordage has thus far members. Typically, these loads are ing forces. This device can be inserted proven very challenging because of the determined analytically, and there is no into the existing rope in the system dynamic nature of the parachute. The data to support the analytical prediction. without any alterations to the system, suspension lines must be deployed along Measuring the actual loads would and with no significant reduction in with the parachute, and experience increase confidence in the design of the strength. By making the device small rapid acceleration and dynamic motion parachute, which is important consider- and internal, the problem of massive as the parachute inflates. The addition ing it is a single-point failure in recovery and cumbersome load cells is nearly of bulky load cells to the suspension and landing systems. eliminated, and only the challenge of lines would change the dynamics of the A small device was developed that is wiring remains. The proof-of-concept system and corrupt the data. inserted inside a hollow-braided cord device weighs 2.5 grams and uses strain gauges to measure rope loads up to 10,000 pounds (≈44.5 kN). The device is a pill-shaped object with a slot in the middle. It can be made from any metallic material, but aluminum alloy is preferred because of the low elastic modulus and density. Strain gauges are installed on the internal surfaces of the slot. The slot effectively creates small beams in the device. When tension is applied to the rope, and the device is squeezed, the beams bend and the bending strain is measured by the strain gauges. The output of the strain gauges is related to the tension of the rope by a calibration factor that is determined from laboratory testing of the device. The wires of the strain gauge are routed out of the end of the device, down The wires of the strain gauge are routed out of the end of the pill-shaped device, down the inside the inside of the rope, and can pass out- of the rope, and can pass outside of the rope at any point through the braid. side of the rope at any point through

22 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ the braid (see figure). The device also has features to tie into High Power Process Control Systems the rope to prevent the device from shifting or migrating, which is especially important while the rope is unloaded. By appropriately sizing the diameter of the device relative Visit to the diameter of the rope, the strength of the rope isn’t reduced significantly by placing an object inside. Care is ZW-ED Semicon West taken in the design of the device’s shape to minimize stress Starts at July 12-14, 2016 $ Booth No. concentrations in the rope. Smooth and continuous shapes 175 1120 are preferred. The design also includes low-friction coating on the surface of the device to minimize the effects of friction between the device and the cord fibers. This work was done by John C. Gallon and Erich J. Brandeau of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is seeking partners to further develop this technology through joint cooperative research and development. For more information about this technology and to explore opportunities, please contact Dan Broderick at [email protected]. NPO-49702

Visit omega.com/zw-ed Improved Method to NEW High Power Wireless Transmitters Quantify Leak Rates Ethernet or Internet Connection This method improves the quality and reliability of leak rate test results. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

ne existing method to quantify the gas loss from a closed Osystem is the mass point leak rate method. This traditional Visit omega.com/mds8pt empirical method is capable of quantifying the loss of a known type of gas from a volume of known size. Using this method, measurement devices quantify the gas pressure and tempera- Universal Benchtop ture within a closed system throughout the duration of the test. Digital Thermometers At the onset of the test, the operator establishes boundary con- MDS8PT « $535 ditions to create a pressure differential across the test article that is higher than the pressure differential of interest. During Chart the test, the pressure differential decreases due to leakage. Address http://192.168.1.200 Readings Chart Web Link Setup When the operator subjectively determines that the desired High 150.0 / Low 78.0 Recording: ON High 78.0 / Low 25.0 Max. 130.1 / Min. 95.9 Max. 69.9 / Min. 30.1 Temperature 108.2 F 50.8 % Humidity pressure differential has been achieved and sufficient data has 200 100

been collected, the test is stopped. Subsequently, the data ana- 20.0 10.0 C/Div %/Div lyst identifies a subset of the collected data to be used for mass

0 0 Thu Sep 16 08:00:00 PDT 2009 1 Hour/Div Thu Sep 17 12:05:07 PDT 2009 loss computations. A typical computation utilizes a linear fit of Visit omega.com/ithx-w3 Data Source: Live X-axis: 1 Day Save Chart Alarm Relay Set Points: Bold Y-axis (left): Temperature Style: Bold Print Chart Y-axis (right): Humidity Style: Bold the mass-time data set, wherein the slope of the line is the mass Help[?] loss rate. It is common to use the largest data subset to minimize the measurement uncertainty; however, the data set must Temperature and Humidity not be so large that the curve fit is nonlinear. Virtual Chart Recorder A newly developed process is similar to the traditional mass iTHX-W3 Series « Starts at $315 point leak rate technique, but solves a number of deficiencies. The primary modification is the addition of a gas pressure con- OMEGA Introduces trol system to the volume into which the closed volume gas leaks. The following benefits are realized as a consequence of Technical Learning this addition: 1) The process quantifies leak rates in real time. Visit omega.com/technical-learning The result is that tests run until a desired quality or measurement uncertainty is achieved; the need for data post-processing Contact Us Today is eliminated. 2) Tests have the proper conditions at both the onset and conclusion of the test. The desired test parameters 1.888.826.6342 | omega.com are maintained throughout the test, eliminating the need to discard portions of collected data sets. 3) Test duration is opti- ® mized. In the traditional method, tests could be terminated Prices listed are those in effect at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Please contact OMEGA’s sales department for current prices. prematurely, resulting in lower than expected quality, or run Note: Models with wireless option are approved for use in the US, Canada and Europe only. longer than necessary, returning results that have better quality © COPYRIGHT 2016 OMEGA ENGINEERING, INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -71 5 23 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Test & Measurement

Pressure Transducers Pressure Transducers

Hermetic Hermetic Valve Volume Volume Valve High-Pressure High-Pressure Side Side RTD RTD Test Test Differential O-ring O-ring Pressure Transducer Controller

101.4

Vacuum Test Pump Section Secondary O-ring Low-Pressure Side Pressure Vent Regulator

(a) (b)

Diagram of application of (a) the traditional mass point leak rate method, and (b) the new method with downstream gas pressure control system. than required. The new process pre- at a pressure higher than the down- loss rate and its uncertainty are known vents this from happening. stream pressure region (e.g., vent to during the test, the software can stop Compared to the traditional method atmosphere), and the other source con- collecting data when the desired criteria setup, as shown in figure (a), the new taining gas at a pressure lower than the are met. method requires the addition of a con- downstream pressure region (e.g., vacu- The reduction in test duration and trol system consisting of a differential um pump). elimination of data post-processing pressure measurement device, con- In application of the new process, the results in the additional benefits of troller, and pressure regulator, as shown test pressure is set by the operator to a reduced manpower costs and reduced in figure (b). The control system com- pressure greater than the target pressure schedule. Additionally, manpower is pares the test pressure differential to the differential, similar to the traditional reduced since tests require less oversight desired target and adjusts the down- method. The control system then as they are known to end as specified. stream (i.e., low-pressure side) pressure changes the downstream pressure to This work was done by Christopher Daniels, such that the target pressure differential achieve the target pressure differential. Minel “Jack” Braun, Heather Oravec, and is met at the onset of the test and main- The test begins and data are recorded. Janice Mather of the University of Akron; and tained throughout its duration. Based As leakage decreases the test pressure, Shawn Taylor of the University of Toledo for on feedback from the differential pres- the controller decreases the downstream Glenn Research Center. NASA is seeking part- sure measurement device, the controller pressure, and the target pressure differ- ners to further develop this technology commands a pressure regulator to ential is maintained throughout the through joint cooperative research and devel- increase or decrease the downstream gas experiment. The resulting mass-time opment. For more information about this pressure, as necessary. The adjustment is data set is linear; therefore, the entire technology and to explore opportunities, facilitated through connections to two data set is used to compute the leak rate. please contact http://technology.grc.nasa.gov. gas pressure sources, one containing gas Because real-time calculations of mass LEW-19292-1

Flight Test System for Accurately Predicting Flutter Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

raditional methods of flight flutter faster because of engine limitations, or, that it not only has the desired predictive Ttesting analyze system parameters with a 15% margin for error, where the nature of a traditional method, but also such as damping levels that vary with damping trends indicate a flutter insta- uses flight test data to obtain the desired flight conditions to monitor aircraft stability may be near. After flight testing, the accuracy of predictive estimates. This bility. In the past, the actual flight enve- envelope empirically determined is used combines the strengths of both the tradi- lope developed for aircraft operation was for regular operations. tional p-k method and the new method of essentially determined only by flight test- An online method of producing a online estimation of the damping ing. The edges of the envelope are points robust flutter margin envelope was devel- method. This new method, referred to as where either the aircraft cannot fly any oped that is essentially model-based so a unique .mu. method of flight testing for

24 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ SAE TECHNICAL EVENTS ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND YOU.

As the world’s leader in mobility engineering knowledge, the resources delivered by SAE are unmatched. With the common goal of moving industry forward, SAE develops technical events that assemble the best and brightest from across the globe. Get what you need to turn your challenges into solutions. Make plans to attend.

Mark your calendar! Review the SAE 2016 event schedule now. sae.org/events

P1622868

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-728 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Test & Measurement flutter margins, is for online flight test can compute flutter margins at each test Research Center. NASA is actively seeking prediction based on both analysis data of point and calculate an optimal flight licensees to commercialize this technology. the aircraft model and flight test data in envelope. The in-flight data is acquired Please contact the NASA Armstrong order that analysis data be updated dur- through accelerometers, strain gauges, Technology Transfer Office at 661-276-3368 ing the testing procedure for continual Armstrong’s fiber optic strain sensor or by e-mail at [email protected] correction of the aircraft model data. (FOSS) system, or other structural or to initiate licensing discussions. Follow The method may be used for flight aerodynamic sensors, depending on the this link for more information: http:// testing or post-flight analysis of aircraft application and modeling. technology.nasa.gov/patent/DRC-TOPS-18. flying at or near flutter boundaries. This work was done by Richard C. Lind During flight testing, the technology and Martin J. Brenner of Armstrong Flight

TestEVAL Software to Assist in Mechanical Testing Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

ypically, mechanical test data has mechanical test data. This tool is used understanding the test responses or Tbeen reviewed and processed using a for both handling pre-test planning predictions. TestEVAL is a graphical combination of Excel, PDF Viewer, MAT- and post-test processing. The tool pro- user interface application that pro- LAB, and other tools. TestEVAL provides vides plotting capability for different vides the user with interactive respons- a central tool for all these tools, and data formats such as Nastran xyplot es to operations. enhances their capability. Having been punch files, Excel files, CSV files, This work was done by Timothy Carnahan developed in Python, it is expendable MATLAB files, and network communi- of Goddard Space Flight Center. This soft- and portable. It uses no proprietary soft- cation via pipes. The data can be plot- ware is available for use. To request a copy, ware and an all open-source code base. ted in linear, log, or semi-log scales. please visit https://software.nasa.gov/ TestEVAL was generated to provide Data can be modified and processed software/GSC-17288-1. a tool for processing and plotting against other data sets to assist in

Technique to Measure Degradation of Submillimeter-Wave Spectrometer Response to Local Oscillator Phase Noise This technique uses one LO source with known high purity that can be fixed in frequency and the LO source under test. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

igh-resolution submillimeter-wave a full numerical simulation) can be used together in a mixer/receiver, and the Hspectroscopy is based on the hetero- to determine LO synthesizer phase noise result fed to the spectrometer part of the dyne principle, where the incident sig- requirements from the spectrometer sci- instrument. By scanning the tunable nal is down-converted to a low interme- ence sensitivity goals. This can be an source through the spectrometer, the diate frequency (IF) by nonlinear mix- acute problem in the submillimeter- response of a single channel can be ing with a local oscillator (LO) signal. wave/terahertz regime because the LO measured to determine the impact of the The IF difference frequency output is is generally derived from a microwave LO on the spectrometer measurements. discrete Fourier transformed into synthesizer source and multiplied up to This is a straightforward way to quickly ≈1,000 frequency channels to measure the high signal frequency. evaluate the compatibility between sub- the spectral power dependence of the In the past, the microwave sources millimeter-wave LO effects. Previously, a signal. Unfortunately, the LO system have either been low-noise but fixed- gas cell has been used to perform a spec- cannot generate pure tones: the signal tuned, such as Gunn-diode oscillators, tral measurement; this requires more has a “skirt” of additional power in the or complex wideband synthesizers, typi- substantial laboratory equipment, vicinity that generally decreases in spec- cally massive and requiring much power. expertise, expense, and time. tral power density as the frequency dif- For planetary instruments, a source with This work was done by Erich T. Schlecht of ference from the center increases. This better size, weight, and power (SWaP) Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. extra signal is known as phase noise. characteristics that still has wide tuning NASA is seeking partners to further develop The effect of local oscillator phase range is desired. this technology through joint cooperative noise on spectrometer response has The measurement technique devel- research and development. For more infor- been characterized by simple equations oped in this work utilizes one LO source mation about this technology and to explore reported in the literature. However, with known high purity that can be fixed opportunities, please contact Dan Broderick there is little actual measurement to ver- in frequency, and the LO source under at [email protected]. NPO- ify that simple equations (as opposed to test. The outputs from these are mixed 49657

26 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Electrical/Electronics

Polymer Nanofiber-Based Reversible Nano-Switch/Sensor Schottky Diode (nanoSSSD) Device This microsensor has applications in biomedical devices, combustion engines, and detection/switching devices used in mass transit systems. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

ASA’s Glenn Research Center has with specific silicon-based nanoelectron- Ndeveloped a groundbreaking new ic circuits as required. microsensor that detects toxic gases and The graphene’s two-dimensional explosives in a variety of environments. nature maximizes the sensing area, and Most devices can perform only a unidi- the device itself contains no moving rectional sensing task, lacking a switch- parts, unlike other devices offering dual ing feature that would allow the device switching/sensing functionality that to return to baseline operation after the often make use of mechanical actuators volatile species is removed or has dissi- such as cantilevers. Those devices are pated. Glenn’s nano-Switch Sensor more complex to fabricate and more Schottky Diode (nanoSSSD) device con- likely to reduce the mean-time-to-fail- sists of a thin film of graphene deposited ure. By contrast, the relative simplicity of on a specially prepared silicon wafer. the Glenn nanoSSSD makes it more Graphene’s two-dimensional properties robust and therefore lends itself to set- make this technology both extremely tings where frequent replacement is not sensitive to different gases and highly an option. It features a simplified fabri- reliable in harsh, enclosed, or embed- cation process and a vertical configura- ded conditions. The nanoSSSD can be Schematic of the Si/SiO2 wafer with a graphene tion, which reduces cost and frees up cir- connected to a visual and/or sound layer placed over the edge. cuit area. alarm that is autonomously triggered as Potential applications include detect- the sensor detects a selected gas, and oxides, or carbon monoxide. The device ing harmful gases and explosives, opti- then is returned to its passive mode includes a doped substrate, an insulating mizing internal combustion engine and when the gas is no longer present. The layer disposed on the substrate, an elec- turbine performance, security screening innovation has applications in biomed- trode formed on the insulating layer, and for airports, monitoring air quality ical devices, combustion engines, and one or more thin films of graphene underground (e.g., in mines) and under- detection/switching devices used in deposited on an electrodized, doped sili- water (e.g., in nuclear submarines), and mass transit systems. con wafer. The graphene film acts as a biomedical microelectromechanical and The graphene-based nanoSSSD pro- conductive path between a gold elec- nanoelectromechanical systems. vides dual-use functionality and trode deposited on top of a silicon diox- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- reversibility characteristics in a compact ide layer and the reversible side of the sil- mercialize this technology. Please contact and reliable package. The nanoSSSD can icon wafer, so as to form a Schottky the Technology Transfer Office at be connected to an alarm that diode. The substrate in Glenn’s innova- [email protected] to initiate licensing discus- autonomously triggers in the presence of tive device can be fabricated with either sions. Follow this link for more information: specially selected gases, such as ammo- n-doped or p-doped silicon, allowing the http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ nia, hydrogen, hydrocarbons, nitrogen device to achieve enhanced compatibility LEW-TOPS-42.

Method of Fault Detection and Rerouting The technology can be used in wiring for aerospace, marine, automotive, industrial, and smart grid applications. John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

ASA seeks partners interested in licensees for this innovative technology. wire faults and determine fault type and Nthe commercial application of the The ISWDDRS consists of a miniatur- fault location on powered electrical In Situ Wire Damage Detection and ized inline connector containing self- wiring. When a damaged or defective Rerouting System (ISWDDRS). NASA’s monitoring electronics that use time wire is identified, the system is capable Kennedy Space Center is soliciting domain reflectometry (TDR) to detect of autonomously transferring electrical

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 27 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Electrical/Electronics

Hardware and algorithms have also been developed to safely, efficiently, and autonomously transfer electrical power and data connectivity from an identified damaged/defective wire in a cable to an alternate wire path. This portion of the system consists of master and slave units that provide the diagnostic and rerouting capabilities. A test pulse generated by the master unit is sent down an active wire being monitored by the slave unit. When the slave unit detects the test pulse, it routes the pulse back to the master unit through a communication wire. When the master unit determines that a test pulse is not being An exterior view of the ISWDDRS prototype module casing (left), and an interior view of ISWDDRS prototype returned, it designates that wire module wiring (right). as faulty and reroutes the circuit to a spare wire. power and data connectivity to an alter- detects the occurrence of a fault, but The system is intuitive with an easy-to- nate wire path. When used in conjunc- also determines the type of fault understand graphical user interface that tion with NASA’s wire constructions (short/open/intermittent) and the displays the reflected waveforms and pro- that use a conductive detection layer, location of the fault. Pattern recognition vides information on the type of fault the system is capable of detecting and algorithms autonomously identify the and its distance from the test signal injec- limiting damage not only to the core type and location of a fault without oper- tion point. It is capable of monitoring up conductor, but also to the insulation ator intervention. This enables the to 64 individual wires on a cable simulta- layer before the core conductor detection of intermittent faults that can neously in online or offline mode. The becomes compromised. be repaired before they become serious technology can be used in wiring for The tester was designed to monitor problems. Since intermittent faults aerospace, marine, automotive, industri- electrical faults in either online or occur mainly during operation, a built- al, and smart grid applications. offline modes of operation. In the in memory device stores all relevant NASA is actively seeking licensees to online mode, wires are monitored with- fault data. This data can be displayed in commercialize this technology. Please con- out disturbing their normal operation. A real time or retrieved later so mainte- tact Lew Parrish at Lewis.M.Parrish@ cable can be monitored several times nance and repairs can be completed nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. per second in the offline mode, and without spending countless hours Follow this link for more information: once per second in the online mode. attempting to pinpoint the source of the http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/ The online cable fault locator not only problem. TB2016/KSC-TOPS-6.

Metal Oxide Vertical Graphene Hybrid Supercapacitors Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

ASA has developed a novel hybrid tor. The key to the hybrid supercapaci- bly to form an electrochemical double Nsupercapacitor system utilizing ver- tor technology is the growth of vertical layer supercapacitor. Its capacitance tical graphene as an electrode material graphene directly onto an inexpensive can be enhanced by a redox capaci- grown directly on collector metals using metal substrate without the use of bulk tance contribution through the addi- a plasma enhanced chemical vapor de - graphene, catalysts, or binders, resulting tion of metal oxide to the porous struc- position. Supercapacitors are an alterna- in increased power density. Adding the ture of vertical graphene, or coating tive to batteries for energy storage, offer- metal oxide or electrically conducting the vertical graphene with an electrical- ing high power density and rapid charg- polymer to the vertical graphene adds ly conducting polymer. Vertical ing time. Nanomaterials such as carbon redox (reduction and oxidation) capaci- graphene offers high surface area and nanotubes and graphene offer high sur- tance, thus increasing the overall per- porosity, does not necessarily have to be face area and porosity to construct the formance of the device. grown in a single layer, and can consist electrodes. Vertical graphene grown The electrodes are soaked in elec- of two to ten layers. A variety of collec- directly on a collector metal substrate trolyte, separated by a separator mem- tor metals can be used, such as silicon, enables construction of a supercapaci- brane, and packaged into a cell assem- nickel, titanium, copper, germanium,

28 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, and These supercapacitors have potential stainless steel. applications in electric automobile Supercapacitors are superior to batter- power sources; renewable energy stor- ies in that they can provide high power age; energy and environmental design; density (in units of kw/kg) and the abil- consumer electronic products; power ity to charge and discharge in a matter delivery solutions for forklifts, robots, of seconds. Aside from its excellent buses, trolleys, and light rail; and com- power density, a supercapacitor also has puter memory backup devices. a longer lifecycle and can undergo many NASA is actively seeking licensees to more charging sequences in its lifespan commercialize this technology. Please con- DISPLACEMENT & than batteries. This long lifecycle means tact the Technology Partnerships Office at that supercapacitors last for longer peri- [email protected] to initiate POSITION SENSORS ods of time, which alleviates environ- licensing discussions. Follow this link for more mental concerns associated with the dis- information: http://technology.nasa.gov/ posal of batteries. patent/TB2016/TOP2-223. DISTANCE SENSORS optoNCDT ILR for extreme long measuring ranges Reconfigurable Drive Current System Measuring ranges: Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama up to 300m (without reflector) up to 3000m (with reflector) ASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center load, resulting in lower heating/cool- Outstanding repeatability N(MSFC) has developed compact, ing requirements. The streamlined Fast response time reconfigurable electronic devices to technology reduces workload and com- Compact design drive and control avionics instruments. puting requirements on centralized Typical avionics systems function command-and-data-handling (C&DH) through centralized power distribution systems. units (PDUs), which have complex, The drive module (SMART-D) provides expensive, and time-consuming design, command-and-control functionality for development, test, and evaluation multiple end-item avionics applications, (DDT&E) cycles. To increase efficiency while the sensor module (SMART-S) per- and lower design and implementation forms signal-conditioning functions for costs, the Standardized Multipurpose sensing, monitoring, and operating dif- Avionics with Reconfigurable Tech- ferent avionics flight sensors. The nology (SMART) has been developed, SMART avionics are flight qualified and replacing the PDU and sensor signal use standard connections, such as DRAW WIRE SENSORS conditioning functions. By replacing the RS485, RS232, Ethernet, and others, PDU, the system is able to process com- leading to simple interfaces between sys- High precision and accuracy mands and condition signals at the tems with only communication/power Measuring ranges from 50mm to 50m application site, thus lowering system lines connecting modules to the main Customer specific OEM‘s load. SMART can also be reconfigured avionic system. Function reconfigura- for new tasks without changing hard- tion is achieved through software, avoid- Very compact sensor design ware. This means functions can be ing the need to change hardware; addi- Output: encoder, potentiometer, added or changed later in the DDT&E tional development is required only current, voltage cycle and even during integration, help- when new functions that have not been Simple to install and ing to reduce cost and schedule impact previously developed are needed. easy-to-use while enabling responsiveness to chang- This technology can be used in ing application needs. onboard avionics, ground-based indus- Current centralized avionic architec- trial manufacturing systems, environ- tures rely on highly integrated, com- mental remote sensing and monitoring, plex PDUs that require support equip- unmanned refinery equipment, and ment, usually larger than the unit itself, equipment for highly specialized and require high software development research labs environments such as costs. SMART features a small form fac- cleanrooms. tor and enables co-location with sensors NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- or actuators to reduce the amount of mercialize this technology. Please contact wiring needed, thus reducing the total Sammy A. Nabors at sammy.nabors@ onboard non-payload mass. Using nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. www.micro-epsilon.com fewer wires reduces the potential for Follow this link for more information: MICRO-EPSILON electromagnetic interference (EMI). http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ Raleigh, NC 27617 / USA The small footprint reduces energy MFS-TOPS-60. Phone +1/919 787 9707 [email protected]

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-716 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Aeronautics

System and Method for Aiding Pilot Preview, Rehearsal, Review, and Real-Time Visual Acquisition of Flight Mission Progress Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center has widely applicable for civilian, military, tem was developed from a pilot-centric Ndeveloped a synthetic 3D visualiza- and even unmanned flights. design rather than digitizing aeronautical tion flight display that presents flight The increased drive for flight safety charts. The system provides layered infor- data information in an intuitive way and the adoption of unmanned flights mation in addition to the environmental using 3D computer graphic capabilities. have created a field of development image, such as a visualized flight path and The flight crew can preview and aimed at increasing the information avail- terrain highlights, both in a rehearsal rehearse flight maneuvers in a realistic able to the pilot. The application current- mode as well as real-time rendering. environment. The display also provides ly in development at NASA Langley uti- The technology enables improved an unimpeded visualization of the sur- lizes flight data in conjunction with flight products for a variety of commercial and rounding environment in the case of plans and historical data to build a 3D military applications, such as flight plan inclement weather, enabling safer flying synthetic flight plan. The synthetic flight display for manned aerospace opera- conditions. Flight crews can rewind, fast plan allows the pilots to rehearse maneu- tions, real-time 3D environment for forward, or pause at certain areas of an vers such as landing by simulating the unmanned aerospace operations, and a approach or go-around, and discuss environment they will see in as realistic a synthetic 3D environment for rehears- abort strategies or point out dangerous manner as possible. The display enables ing complex underwater exploration terrain. New pilots can safely train on preflight training as well as practice land- routes in oceanographic operations. upcoming flights because of the intuitive ing during flight. It is modeled after stan- NASA is actively seeking licensees to and easy-to-follow technology. Seasoned dard FAA approach and departure aero- commercialize this technology. Please pilots will notice the current paper chart nautical charts, thus providing potential contact The Technology Gateway at arrangement, but with information pre- savings in airline training costs. [email protected] sented in a quickly interpretable man- Current flights use a system known as to initiate licensing discussions. Follow ner. Flight crews can use the technology an electronic flight bag. The flight bag this link for more information: http:// as a refresher for destinations less fre- provides important flight information to technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ quently traveled. The technology is the crew. The synthetic visualization sys- LAR-TOPS-103.

System, Apparatus, and Method for Pedal Control This novel system and device can control movement of an object in three-dimensional space using foot pedals. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

nnovators at NASA’s Johnson Space ICenter have developed a novel foot- pedal-operated system and device to control movement of an object in three- dimensional (3D) space. The system enables operators to control movement of spacecraft, aircraft, and watercraft using only foot pedals. This design leaves the hands free for simultaneous operation of other equipment. The foot pedal controller integrates six articulating mechanisms and motion sensors, and provides continuous positional feedback to the operator. Motion control across six degrees of freedom is enabled by three control motions for each foot. Specifically, the foot pedal controller moves the object Top and side views of the foot pedal controller prototype.

30 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ forward/backward, up/down, and tronics. The foot pedal controller is ment by people with arm or hand disabil- left/right (translation in three perpendi- intuitive, easy to learn, and has ities. A unique aspect of the innovation is cular axes) combined with rotation about ergonomic features that accommodate the consideration of natural foot mechan- three perpendicular axes, often termed and stabilize the operator’s feet. A work- ics in the design and placement of the pitch, yaw, and roll. ing prototype is available to demon- sensors and actuators to reduce operator The foot pedal controller enables an strate key technology features to poten- fatigue. The axes of rotation of the con- operator of a spacecraft, aircraft, or tial licensees. troller align with the joints of the foot so watercraft, or a simulation of one in a The foot pedal controller technology the foot moves naturally to control the video game, to control all translational could be used in designs for the flight movement of the craft. and rotational movement using two foot deck of the future, video game controls, NASA is actively seeking licensees to pedals. This novel technology allows drone operations, and flight simulators. commercialize this technology. Please con- control across all six degrees of free- This technology can be useful in any tact Michelle P. Lewis at jsc-techtran@ dom, unlike any technology on the mar- application where it is preferred or desir- mail.nasa.gov to initiate licensing discus- ket. The components of the technology able to use the feet to control motion sions. Follow this link for more information: are a support structure, a left foot pedal, rather than using the hands. A potential http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ a right foot pedal, and supporting elec- market could be foot control of equip- MSC-TOPS-52.

RapidScat Flight Software This software acts as an interface between the ISS and the scaterometer radar. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

he legacy SeaWinds scatterometer craft. An interface to translate The RapidScat flight software pro- Tradar needed to be interfaced to between ISS protocols and the existing vides a payload interface to the ISS 1553 the International Space Station (ISS) radar interface was needed both for and Ethernet. It is architected with an without any modifications. It had been commanding and for science data ISS interface side to implement the ISS designed to fly on the Adeos II space- return. protocols, and a payload side that can be

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -717 31 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Aeronautics

Flight Software Context RapidScat DIB Top-level Software Architecture Serial - Radar cmd ISS Data Radar Data Radar tlm Analogs Command Command Ethernet Science Telemetry Services Telemetry Data Error Log Data Mgmt Control Time FSW DIBCD Parameters

Health vxWorks Tlm Cur Value Serial GE Cr12 SBC Discretes ISS Devices Radar Devices Power 1553 1553 Serial Commands ISS Radar Telemetry Discretes Radar Ethernet Discretes Set / Monitor Latching Relays Deliver Equator Crossing

Module Component Not All Components Shown ISS RapidScat

Figure 1. RapidScat DIB top-level software architecture. Figure 2. Flight software context. modified or replaced for future pay- missions. The protocols required by ISS are Nicolich, Amalaye Oyake, and Mehran loads. The payload side as implemented provided as an ISS payload interface. The Gangianpour of Caltech for NASA’s Jet provides the serial and discrete inter- software is currently hosted on a commer- Propulsion Laboratory. This software is avail- faces to the radar, as well as power con- cial Intel platform including a single cus- able for license through the Jet Propulsion trol and timekeeping. tom board for the radar interface. Memory Laboratory, and you may request a license at: The software is implemented using a requirements are approximately 2 MB. https://download.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/request/ component-based architecture in C++, giv- This work was done by Leonard E. Day, request_introduction.cfm. NPO-49428 ing it strong reuse potential for future ISS Timothy K. Canham, Tom Q. Huynh, Eric

Achieving a Realistic Model of Flight Dynamics and Aeroelasticity of Flexible Aircraft This method enables creation of a state-space model familiar to flight control engineers, and avoids the numerical errors that hinder traditional methods. Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

esearchers at NASA’s Armstrong reduction of the order-for-control devel- quencies relative to a stationary frame of RFlight Research Center have development, and decreased accuracy. reference on Earth. It transforms inputs oped a method that allows for the transla- Armstrong addresses these shortcom- to the aerodynamic forcing from the ref- tion of frequency-domain aerodynamics ings with a new method that: erence frame into a more physical frame from commercial code (e.g., ZAERO™ • Is familiar to flight control engineers of reference fixed to the aircraft. It then or NASTRAN®) to a time-domain formu- • Eliminates the numerical errors seen formulates a rational function that relates lation that can be easily understood by in previous methods the aircraft’s harmonic motion in the flight control engineers, and eliminates • Utilizes existing software to generate non-stationary frame to the aerodynamic the complications inherent in previous the magnitude of and delay in the forces, expressing a linear differential methods. These previous methods were aerodynamic forces of the aircraft equation that relates general (non-har- designed for structural control (indepen- • Avoids the generation of nonphysical monic) motion to the time-varying aero- dent of flight dynamics) and are there- errors in the conversion from frequen- dynamic forces on the aircraft. Engineers fore formulated in the inertial (station- cy domain into the time domain can use the linear differential equation ary) modal reference frame, which can- Armstrong’s method generates a directly in models of the flight dynamics not accurately capture phugoid mode more physically realistic least-squares of a flexible aircraft. dynamics without significant complexity. estimate without introducing significant Building upon the well-established Thus, a non-inertial reference frame was bias errors that would otherwise indicate rational function approximation formu- required to correctly model flight dynam- some motions to be more important lation by Kenneth L. Roger for a station- ics — a goal previously achieved by apply- than they actually are. ary reference frame, Armstrong’s new ing a transformation to the final state- This new method uses existing model- method can be used for a non-station- space model. However, the transforma- ing software that ascertains magnitude ary frame of reference, deriving trans- tion method created numerical errors, and delay data as the aircraft moves in formations from classical kinematic leading to problems in model simulation, purely harmonic motion at particular fre- equations.

32 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Armstrong’s new method uses mathe- nology through joint cooperative research ONE SOURCE FOR matical libraries in MATLAB®, and cur- and development. For more information rently takes its frequency domain aero- about this technology and to explore opportu- ALL YOUR SPRING dynamic models from ZAERO. However, nities, please contact NASA Armstrong the aerodynamic model generation Technology Transfer Office at 661-276-3368 REQUIREMENTS! could also use numerous other open- or by e-mail at [email protected]. source, double-lattice methods (e.g., var- DRC-014-057 ious versions of NASTRAN). ZAERO is a trademark of Zona Technology This work was done by Jeffrey Ouellette of Inc. NASTRAN is a registered trademark of Armstrong Flight Research Center. NASA is MSC Software Corporation. MATLAB is a seeking partners to further develop this tech- registered trademark of MathWorks, Inc.

AutoNav: Navigation Flight Software on a Smartphone This handheld system could mount easily to a rover, UAV, linear track, air bearing, or wire. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

oday’s mobile computing platforms tion that can be started like any other T(phones and tablets) contain consid- smartphone app — by tapping on the erable computing power and are instru- screen. AutoNav and VML are then mented similar to spacecraft. They have loaded and initialized, and a connection cameras, accelerometers, gyros, magne- is made to the camera. Opnav-like tometers, GPS, and multiple radios for images can then be captured with the communication. It was postulated that a tap of a button, the picture is passed modern commercial smartphone could through one of AutoNav’s image-pro- 35,000 Stock Designs make an excellent test platform for cessing routines, and the center-finding 300,000,000 Springs spacecraft flight software. results are displayed directly on the in Stock To demonstrate this concept, JPL flight screen by way of an image overlay. software was loaded onto an iOS device, Under the hood, both VML and Custom & Prototype Spring connected to the instrumentation, and AutoNav are compiled for the iPhone 6 Design & Manufacturing indicated that it was working properly. Plus under iOS, and are operational flight The AutoNav flight software library was components. The AutoNav image-process- Prototype to Full Production integrated with a Virtual Machine ing algorithms operated on real camera ISO 9001:2008 Language (VML 3) executive as the oper- images of representative targets. In order ational control code. The intention was to fully demonstrate the other capabilities In Stock Products Ship to get the software properly compiled on of the flight software (orbit determination, Within 8 Hours the smartphone, and then process an maneuver calculation, sequencing, etc.), a image from the camera through test arena must be configured to provide AutoNav’s image-processing library in data to the camera that makes sense in a real time. This would demonstrate that spaceflight navigation environment. the software was properly compiled for Potential next steps for this technology the target, connected to the camera, and include connecting to more device instru- that representative components of the ments (accelerometers, gyros, etc.); pair- flight software were operational. ing with real or simulated test environ- AutoNav is a flight software package ments; pairing with other commodity for autonomous optical navigation. It hardware such as an external camera, I/O was used successfully by the Deep Space connections, etc.; enabling external con- 1, Deep Impact, and Stardust missions. nections via WiFi or Bluetooth; remote VML is a spacecraft control language commanding; and telemetry downlink. www.centuryspring.com authored and distributed by Blue Sun This work was done by Andrew T. Vaughan (800) 237-5225 Enterprises. VML flight software has of Caltech and Christopher A. Grasso of Blue seen service on 14 flight missions. Sun Enterprises for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Los Angeles, CA As a result of this research effort, an Laboratory. This software is available for Apple iPhone 6 Plus is loaded with the license through the Jet Propulsion AutoNav/VML flight software suite. The Laboratory, and you may request a license at: flight software components have been https://download.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/request/ MADE IN THE USA wrapped in a conventional iOS applica- request_introduction.cfm. NPO-50007

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -71 8 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Power Generation & Storage

Method and Circuit for In-Situ Health Monitoring of Solar Cells in Space Potential applications include use in diagnostics for terrestrial solar power generation systems. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

ASA’s Glenn Research Center has 5 WIRE Ndeveloped a method and apparatus SOLAR CELL BOARD SLIP for in-situ health monitoring of solar RING cells. The innovation is a novel approach S1 STRING V SOLAR to solar cell monitoring, as it is radia- ADC 1 G1 CELL tion-hard, consumes few system 12 STRING T1 POWER R5 resources, and uses commercially avail- DOWN 12 ohm 1 hZ RAMP LOAD able components. The system operates OSC GENERATOR at temperatures from –55 to 225 °C, POWER 1Ph S2 DOWN R1 DETECT allowing it to reside close to the array in ADC 2 G2 0.2 ohm T2 direct sunlight. The circuitry measures STRING I S3 R3, +10 solar cell current versus voltage (I-V) 1Ph curves using relatively inexpensive elec- +10 SENSE R3 tronics, a single switchable +28 V power S4 G3 R2 bus, and two analog-to-digital (A/D) SHORTED CELL I 0.2 ohm SOLAR converter channels. A single transistor is CELL used as a variable resistive load across the cell, rather than the large resistor Solar cell health monitoring schematic. arrays or active current sources normally used to characterize cells. Originally amplifiers, analog switches, and voltage patibility is offered because it utilizes nearly developed for space, the technology can regulators are silicon-on-insulator (SOI) universal spacecraft bus resources for ease be adapted for use in terrestrial solar technology known for its hardness to the of retrofitting or use in new systems with- power generation systems. effects of ionizing radiation. The SOI com- out requiring new infrastructure. One unique characteristic of this inno- ponents used can tolerate temperatures The technology has potential applica- vation is that it achieves the measurement up to 225 °C, which gives plenty of thermal tions in solar cell monitoring for of I-V curves without the use of large resis- headroom, allowing this circuit to perhaps manned and unmanned spacecraft, and tor arrays or active current sources that are reside in the solar cell panel itself where in diagnostics for terrestrial solar power normally used to characterize cells. A sin- temperatures can reach over 100 °C. generation systems. gle transistor is used as a variable resistive The system has numerous benefits. It is NASA is actively seeking licensees to load across the cell. This multi-measure- economical because it uses commercially commercialize this technology. Please con- ment instrument was constructed using available, high-temperature, radiation-tol- tact the Technology Transfer Office at operational amplifiers, analog switches, erant electronic components. It uses time [email protected] to initiate licensing discus- voltage regulators, metal oxide semicon- division multiplexed measurements, which sions. Follow this link for more information: ductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), allows multiple sensors to be sampled with http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ resistors, and capacitors. The operational only two A/D channels. In addition, com- TOP3-410.

Foldable and Deployable Power Collection System The lightweight solar power array can be used in electric vehicles, portable and field- deployable power systems, and power for emergency response operations. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

ASA’s Marshall Space Flight weight ratio. The system provides size restrictions for housing onboard NCenter is developing a lightweight power to small satellites and CubeSats power sources. The beauty of NASA’s space-based solar power array with a that are power starved, operating on new solar unit is in its simplicity and high power-to-stowed-volume and extremely limited power because of the packaged power density. Small satel-

34 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ lites cannot take advantage of deployable high- efficiency solar cell arrays due to their complexity and mechanical needs; the weight and volume requirements exceed what is available in small satellites and CubeSats. The new system, for example, is compact enough to provide a 3U CubeSat with ~200 Watts, or a 6U with 500 Watts of power. NASA is developing the technology and is looking for partners to license and commercialize it. This novel solar cell array includes a thin and flexible photovoltaic cell applied to an inflatable structure to create a high surface area array for collecting solar energy in a lightweight, simple, and deployable structure. The inflatable array, with A thin and flexible photovoltaic cell is applied to an inflatable structure to create a high surface area array for col- its high functional sur- lecting solar energy in a lightweight, simple, and deployable structure. face area, eliminates the need and the mechanisms required to point the system toward the Sun. The power density achievable in these small arrays is similar to that of the conventional high-power deployable/pointable arrays used on large satellites or space vehicles. ® Although inflatable solar arrays have ARM Compiler for Safety been previously considered by others, they involved the use of traditional Critical Applications rigid solar cells. The innovators are currently working with thin film photo- voltaics from various suppliers so the Compiler Safety Package for innovation is not limited to any particu- safety-related software development lar solar cell technology. NASA has built prototypes and tested functionality before and after inflation. COMPILERARM ISO C90 SAFETY Deployment does not damage the cell ISO C99 MANU performance. AL Applications include power for CubeSats, small satellites, and solar electric vehicles; portable and field-deployable power systems for the military; Qualification Kit Extended Maintenance Functional Safety Certified and power for emergency response • Safety manual • Five year commitment • TÜV SÜD certification operations. • Defect & test report • Technical support • ISO 26262 (ASILD) NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- • Dev process docs • Critical defect fixes • IEC 61508 (SIL3) mercialize this technology. Please contact Sammy A. Nabors at sammy.nabors@ Access to the Safety Package provided with nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. DS-5 Development Studio & Keil® MDK Follow this link for more information: http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ Developer.arm.com/ds-5/safety/tb keil.com/safety/tb MFS-TOPS-43.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -722 35 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Power Generation & Storage

Solid-State Ultracapacitor Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

ASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center The NASA solid-state ultracapacitor age of 50 V; high dielectric breakdown Nhas developed a solid-state ultraca- technology is based on the novel materi- strength (>250 V); excellent pulse-power pacitor utilizing a novel nanocomposite als design and processes used to make performance; rapid discharge and dielectric material. The material’s design the IBLC-type ultracapacitor. The IBLC charge; and reliable performance under is based on the internal barrier layer concept is known to provide outstanding repeated cycling (>500,000 cycles). capacitance (IBLC) concept, and it uses capacitance behavior, but has been diffi- Additional development work is under- novel dielectric and metallic conductive cult to reproduce. NASA has developed way to build and test complete capacitor ink formulations. a careful process to produce dielectric modules, and to further improve materi- Novel processing methods developed ink materials to be used in printed elec- al properties and performance. by NASA provide for unique dielectric tronic applications with reproducibility. The technology has potential applica- properties at the grain level. Nanoscale An individual cell is created by building tion in space power and propulsion sys- raw material powders are tailored using electrodes on each side of the dielectric tems; regenerative braking systems for a variety of techniques and then formu- layer, and complete modules can be con- cars, trucks, buses, and trains; batteries lated into a special ink. This dielectric structed by stacking multiple cells. for hybrid and electric cars, as well as ink is used with novel metallic conduc- Closely related NASA innovations on fuel cell-powered vehicles; smart grid tive ink to print a capacitor layer struc- dielectric and conductive ink (elec- and renewable energy systems; defense ture into any design necessary to meet a trode) formulations are key to the ultra- backup power supplies, laser weapons, range of technical requirements. capacitor construct, and are included in and railguns; and medical devices. The innovation is intended to the technology package. Target per- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- replace current range safety batteries formance criteria of this technology mercialize this technology. Please contact that NASA uses to power the systems include the following: use of standard Sammy A. Nabors at sammy.nabors@ that destroy off-course space vehicles. A materials and processing methods; nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. solid-state design provides the needed robust, solid-state device with no liquid Follow this link for more information: robustness and safety for this demand- electrolytes; high energy density target http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ ing application. of 60 J/cc at a minimum operating volt- MFS-TOPS-46

Double-acting Extremely Light Thermo-Acoustic (DELTA) Converter This technology enables a new class of lightweight power systems for small aircraft, camping, or micro-cogeneration that is small, quiet, efficient, and essentially maintenance-free. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

ower generation from an external grows exponentially with frequency. That configuration enables an order of mag- Por internal heat source using ther- force is difficult to achieve above 400 Hz nitude improvement in specific power mal energy conversion technologies with reactive springs or rods. Second, the compared to conventional engines. such as solid-state thermionics and rotating machines such as Brayton are The Double-acting Extremely Light thermoelectrics or dynamic conversion also limited in frequency of operation Thermo-Acoustic (DELTA) Converter with Otto, Stirling, Brayton, or because above 24,000 RPM (400 Hz), the can achieve higher than 400-Hz opera- Rankine technologies is fundamentally rotor tip speed either becomes supersonic tion. At that frequency, the converter limited in maximum specific power or places too much stress on the rotor due can produce four times more power due to either low efficiency and/or to centrifugal forces. Hence today's space, than conventional engines operating at operating frequency. These solid-state terrestrial, and proposed aircraft power 100 Hz. It is comprised of multiple technologies are low voltage and hence systems are unnecessarily large and heavy thermo-acoustic stages in series that produce a high DC current that for the power level they provide. form a loop or delta-shaped triangle restricts their minimum geometry to A new thermo-acoustic engine tech- that also contains a single two-sided approximately 4 A/mm2 to avoid over- nology was developed that overcomes piston. The piston is located at the heating. High-power implementations these limitations by operating at a much beginning and the end of the heat of this technology class are inefficient, higher frequency than is typically achiev- exchanger stages, but since the stages large, and heavy. able. It is based on a double-acting form a loop, this becomes a single dou- The dynamic technologies are limited push/pull piston engine in which an ble-acting piston in a push/pull to approximately 400 Hz for two different acoustic wave pushes both sides of a sin- arrangement. The multiple stages are reasons. First, the oscillating piston gle piston, eliminating the need for designed such that when the piston engines such as Stirling and Otto tech- large springs while requiring only a sin- moves, it is simultaneously creating an nologies require a force on the piston that gle piston and engine to operate. This acoustic wave on one side while receiv-

36 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ ing acoustic power on the opposite side. The pressure forces from the multi-staged engine push and pull on Hot HX both sides of the piston, enabling Energy flow much higher forces on the piston than direction Regenerator are possible if the typically one-sided Simple tubular power pistons are used with only a construction bounce space on the opposite side. Cold HX By using the engine’s reactive forces on the single double-acting piston, eliminating the use of hot moving displacers, and Alternator using multiple stages for acoustic wave Double-Acting Push/Pull Piston phase adjustment, the single piston can oscillate at over 400 Hz without using The DELTA Converter is comprised of multiple thermo-acoustic stages in series that form a loop or delta-shaped triangle that also contains a single two-sided piston. The piston is located at the heavy springs. At this high frequency, the beginning and the end of the heat exchanger stages, but since the stages form a loop, this output current can be minimized and the becomes a single double-acting piston in a push/pull arrangement. specific power is maximized. Moreover, since the engine is essentially an empty exchanger and regenerator stages trolled by managing the piston ampli- tube filled with helium, heat exchangers, becoming amplified and phase adjusted. tude of motion. regenerators, and a single non-contacting The high-power acoustic wave pushes This work was done by Rodger Dyson of oscillating piston, the device does not the other side of the piston where some Glenn Research Center. NASA is seeking part- require maintenance and is expected to of the power is used to create the next ners to further develop this technology be extremely reliable in addition to being acoustic wave on the other side of the through joint cooperative research and devel- low-cost and lightweight. piston, and the rest of the power is opment. For more information about this In operation, the piston moves to the extracted from the moving piston via a technology and to explore opportunities, left, creating a sound wave. Then the linear alternator or other transducer. please contact http://technology.grc.nasa.gov. sound wave travels through the heat The power output of the engine is con- LEW-19387-1

Chassis Short Mitigation and Characterization Technique for the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

he radioisotope thermoelectric gen- that could characterize the shorts occur- resistor, in order to protect the internal Terator (RTG) is a flight-proven, ring inside the MMRTG. In the event components of the MMRTG from capable source of power that reliably that a short has formed inside the exceeding specified current ratings. converts heat into electricity. NASA and MMRTG, this technique would consist Currently, if an internal short forms the Department of Energy (DoE) of applying another short (active short) within the engineering unit or qualifica- have developed a new generation of between the internal electrical power tion unit, the action is to do nothing such power systems that could be used circuit and chassis frame of the other than record the time a chassis for a variety of space missions. The MMRTG. This measurement technique short has occurred. The active short cir- newest RTG, called a Multi-Mission will attempt to address two main areas cuit is a low-risk, simple addition to an Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator of concern: (1) if the internal short of already existing performance test setup (MMRTG), has been designed to oper- the MMRTG can be cleared in the pres- that will potentially characterize and ate on Mars and in the vacuum of space. ence of an active short, and (2) the mitigate the internal shorts forming However, shorts between the internal amount of energy required to clear the inside the MMRTG. Data from a charac- electrical power circuit and chassis internal short. terization test can eventually be incorpo- frame of the MMRTG have been The active short will consist of a cur- rated into a mitigation technique for observed in the engineering unit, quali- rent-sensing resistor that will indicate future missions of the MMRTG. fication unit, and flight unit. The inter- the amount of current flowing through This work was done by Gary S. Bolotin nal shorts seemed to appear and some- the internal short of the MMRTG. The and Nicholas R. Keyawa of Caltech for times clear spontaneously. A root cause circuitry of the active short will allow an NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is has not been determined for these inter- individual to control when and where to seeking partners to further develop this tech- nal shorts, and their resistance, power apply the active short on the MMRTG, nology through joint cooperative research rating, and energy rating are largely and to potentially capture the amount of and development. For more information unknown. A mitigation and measure- time required to clear the internal short. about this technology and to explore oppor- ment technique is needed. The active short circuit will also be tunities, please contact Dan Broderick at Planed life testing provides an oppor- equipped with multiple safety features, [email protected] tunity to test a measurement technique including a fuse and current-limiting 49738

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 37 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Dust Tolerant Connectors The ruggedized housing for electrical or fluid connectors is designed to withstand harsh environments and rough handling. John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

ASA’s Kennedy Space Center has Ndeveloped a novel ruggedized housing for an electrical or fluid umbilical connector that prevents intrusion of dust, sand, dirt, mud, and moisture during field use under harsh conditions. The technology consists of a pair of hand-sized protective umbilical interface housings, each containing a connector with an integrated end cap. When the end cap covers the connector, the connector is protected. Each housing has a unique lever assembly connected to the end cap that, when squeezed, flips the end cap up to expose the connector. When in the up position, the two end caps face each Mated connectors with end caps up. other. To mate the connectors, the levers on both housings are squeezed, When mated, the seal between the can also be grounded and scaled up or raising the end caps, and the two umbil- housings and end caps keeps contami- down to accommodate connectors of icals are joined and twisted to couple nants out. The end caps are latched to different sizes. The housings can be them. Once the connectors are mated, the housings so that the caps cannot be constructed of steel, aluminum, com- the levers on both housings are unintentionally opened; this latch can posites, or even plastic, depending on released. This simultaneously seals both be opened only by depressing the the environment in which they will be the umbilicals and the end caps. When levers. The spring used to open or close used and material cost constraints. dealing with cryogenic connectors, a the cap is constructed of a shape mem- The technology has potential appli- purge can be applied to the housings to ory alloy, allowing the cap to be opened cations in military, space, desert, and prevent icing when the connectors are and closed an almost infinite number mining operations. It can also be used demated. of times. The cap actuation levers are in cryogenic fluid, oil, and refinery These connectors are designed for designed so that only a 3/4-inch pull is operations. use in harsh environments and to with- needed to open the cap a full 190 NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- stand rough handling, such as being degrees. The housings can accept mercialize this technology. Please contact stepped on or rolled over by wheelbar- most commercial off-the-shelf electrical Jonathan Leahy at Jonathan.J.Leahy@ rows or light vehicles. If the demated or fluid connectors (including those nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. connectors are dropped or placed on designed for cryogenics), thus eliminat- Follow this link for more information: the ground, the end caps will shield ing the need for specialized connectors http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ them from damage and contaminants. in hostile environments. The housings KSC-TOPS-11.

Systems, Methods, and Apparatus of a Low-Conductance Silicon Micro-Leak for Mass Spectrometer Inlet Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

ass spectrometers on atmospheric A microfabricated silicon mass spec- volume than is possible with commonly Mentry probes require a method for trometer inlet leak has been designed, available metal or glass capillary tubing. introducing gas from high-pressure fabricated, and tested at NASA Goddard It will also be possible to integrate addi- ambient regions to the vacuum of the Space Flight Center. This leak achieves a tional functionality, such as inlet heaters mass spectrometer interior. much lower conductance in a smaller and valves, into a silicon micro-leak with

38 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ very little additional mass. The fabricat- particles or droplets is reduced, and the ed leak is compatible with high-tempera- materials used are non-reactive with ture (up to 500 °C) and high-pressure most atmospheric gases to be sampled (up to 100 bars) conditions, as would be and thus will not distort the sample. The encountered on a Venus atmospheric calibrated flow rates are many orders of probe. These leaks behave in reasonable magnitude lower than devices currently agreement with their theoretically calcu- available for environmental sampling, lated conductance, although this differs which enables gas sampling with much between devices and from the predicted smaller sample volumes. Also, a batch fab- value by as much as a factor of 2. This rication process means that the devices variation is believed to be the result of can be manufactured inexpensively. nonuniformity in the silicon etching This technology could be used in envi- process, which is characterized in this ronmental gas sampling, and in small, work. Future versions of this device can field-deployable mass spectrometers for compensate for characterized process homeland security and point-of-care variations in order to produce devices in medical diagnostics. closer agreement with designed conduc- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- tance values. The integration of an inlet mercialize this technology. Please contact the heater into the leak device has also been Strategic Partnerships Office at techtransfer@ demonstrated in this work. gsfc.nasa.gov to initiate licensing discus- The inlet leak has numerous benefits. sions. Follow this link for more information: Multiple flow channels are produced in http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ parallel so that the risk of clogging with GSC-TOPS-64.

In-Situ Load System for Calibrating and Validating Aerodynamic Properties of Scaled Aircraft in Ground-Based Aerospace Testing Applications This portfolio of technologies can be used in wind-tunnel force balance applications, and robotics applications such as rovers or prosthetic shoulder joints. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center has Ndeveloped three techniques and systems to calibrate and validate wind-tunnel force balances and other multi-component force transducers. The first is the Single Vector Calibration System (SVS), which uses a single deadweight for calibration and has been in active use at NASA for over 15 years. The second system is the In-Situ Load System (ILS). The ILS is based on the same fundamental concept as the SVS, but is designed for in-situ verification just prior to testing. Building off of the SVS and ILS, the third system is the Variable Acceleration Force Calibration System (VACS), which shares the single-vector force application concept, but generates those forces differently by keeping the mass constant and varying the acceleration. These techniques and systems provide for less The Single-Vector Calibration System (SVS).

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -71 9 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Mechanical & Fluid Systems complex and less labor-intensive calibra- ponent loads through rotation and off- The VACS employs a novel loading tion and verification of multi-compo- set of the point of load application with technique using a minimal number of nent force transducers. respect to the balance moment center. weights and varying the centripetal force This portfolio of technologies has been The primary components include a to obtain the complete set of forces nec- developed for calibrating and verifying multiple-degree-of-freedom load-posi- essary for the calibration. A proof-of- wind-tunnel force balances, although the tioning system, a three-axis orthogonal concept version of the new variable technologies also have other multi-com- accelerometer system, and calibrated acceleration system has been shown to ponent force transducer applications. A weights. The SVS enables the efficient be capable of performing force balance force balance is a complex structural execution of a formal experimental calibration. spring element instrumented with strain design, is relatively inexpensive to man- This technology can be used in gauges for measuring three orthogonal ufacture, requires minimal time to wind-tunnel force balance applica- components of aerodynamic force (nor- operate, and provides a high level of tions, robotics applications such as mal, axial, and side force), and three accuracy. rovers or prosthetic shoulder joints, orthogonal components of aerodynamic The ILS is based on the SVS’s force- and other multi-component force torque (rolling, pitching, and yawing vector concept where a single dead- transducer calibration and verification moments). In order to set the indepen - weight load is used to apply up to six applications. dent variables of applied load to calibrate loads simultaneously. The ILS provides NASA is actively seeking licensees to a force balance, a high-precision mechan- for complex, multiple-component load commercialize this technology. Please ical system is required. Over the past verification prior to testing that is not typ- contact The Technology Gateway at decade, advancements in calibration and ically done with current methods. The [email protected] verification systems have been developed ILS also provides axial force (aerodynamic to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this at NASA to increase efficiency, enhance drag) verification in wind-tunnel applica- link for more information: http:// availability, and improve accuracy. tions, which is often the aerodynamic com- technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ The SVS exploits a single deadweight ponent of highest interest that is rarely LAR-TOPS-215. loading to create variable, multi-com- verified during the checkout process.

Release of a Stuck Solar Array or Antenna Several options are examined that may also be useful in remotely controlled terrestrial environments. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

atellite launches experience approxi- process of freeing a spacecraft mecha- the temperature of the deployable’s Smately one deployment failure every nism, such as a solar array or antenna that components whose stiffness has two years. These failures include a solar failed to deploy after launch. increased dramatically due to the low array or antenna that fails to deploy During robotic servicing of a client temperatures in space (i.e. frozen wire because it is stuck due to a mechanism satellite, the servicer spacecraft performs harnesses, etc.), thus preventing deploy- failure, or is snagged by a cable or ther- a variety of tasks through the robotic ment due to the decrease of torque mar- mal blanket. Knowledge of the exact cir- manipulation of a variety of tools. The gin. The heater tool consists of a small cumstances of the deployable failure is purpose of these innovations is to provide parabolic or concave reflector dish with limited. Ground commanding of the satellite servicers with options for per- an infrared heater located at its focal spacecraft is conducted in an attempt to forming repairs on failed deployable com- point, and a laser to ensure the tool is free the stuck deployable. ponents. By performing the repair task, pointed in the right direction and at the Prior art relies on the satellite ground the satellite servicer will attempt to bring intended component. Since infrared has operator’s ability to induce loads on the the solar array, antenna, or other deploy- a relatively long wavelength, the dish can solar array or antenna by changing the able into its proper configuration and be made out of polished aluminum. local environment, i.e. spacecraft atti- enable it to function as planned. Servicers The Ultrasonic Friction Reduction Tool tude control loads, thermal environ- initiate repair tasks by gathering informa- is attached to the ATDS, which is attached ment, etc., thereby overcoming the tion using the onboard situational aware- to the robot arm. The tool is maneuvered forces preventing full deployment. This ness cameras and close-in inspection cam- to the stuck deployable. The tool is capa- approach may be limited by the loads the eras to inspect the stuck solar array, anten- ble of reducing the friction on the deploy- spacecraft can apply to the deployable. na, reflector, or other deployable. able’s components that are stuck due to Robotic servicing of a satellite in geo- Depending on the situation, they may use excessively high friction between surfaces synchronous Earth orbit (GEO) requires one or more of the available concepts in contact. The tool is placed in contact advanced systems capable of meeting the below to release the stuck deployable. with the stuck component to introduce a harsh environments of space. To support The Infrared Reflector Heater Tool is sinusoidal forcing function of low ampli- this effort, techniques and processes were attached to the Advanced Tool Drive tude, forcing frequency in the ultrasonic developed by which repairs to satellites System (ATDS), which is attached to the frequency range of 20 to 50 kHz. The low- may be performed. For the work robot arm. The tool is maneuvered to amplitude large accelerations generated described here, repairs refers to the the stuck deployable and is used to raise by high-power ultrasonics separate the

40 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ What’s On

surfaces of the parts in contact under high friction as each part MOTION CONTR OL CHANNEL begins to vibrate relative to each another. The resulting effect is the reduction or elimination of friction. The tool includes a piezoelectric actuator driven by a sinusoidal voltage and config- Sponsored by ured to generate vibrations at an ultrasonic frequency. This work was done by Alejandro Rivera, Thomas McBirney, Paul Nikulla, Mark Behnke, and Michael Liszka of Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA is seeking partners to further develop this technology Featured Sponsor Video: U1000 through joint cooperative research and development. For more information about this technology and to explore opportunities, please con- Industrial Matrix Drives tact Scott Leonardi at [email protected]. GSC-16942-1 See how Yaskawa’s Matrix Technology provides direct AC to AC power conversion to provide a single component variable frequency drive solution for High-Heat-Flux-Capable power supply harmonics suppression and power supply regeneration. Boundary Layer Vortex www.techbriefs.com/tv/U1000 Generator and Boundary Ingestible Origami Robot Layer Transition Device Crawls Across Stomach to Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas Patch Wounds To address the serious problems fixed geometry device has been developed to promote associated with children swallowing button A boundary layer transition and generation of streamwise vor- batteries, MIT researchers have ticity, and is capable of withstanding entry heating environ- demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can ments for the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Designed to have a total unfold from a swallowed capsule and — height above the surface of the same order as the local boundary steered by external magnetic fields — layer thickness, this device is approximately 0.25 in. (0.6 cm) crawl across the stomach wall to remove a tall and 4 in. (10 cm) long for the Orbiter entry application. battery or patch a wound. Because temperature exposure is a key design factor for entry www.techbriefs.com/tv/ systems, the geometry has been optimized to establish peak heat- ingestible-origami-bot ing rates and peak surface temperatures that are close to being spatially consistent on the protuberance. A relatively thin cross- section of 0.4 in. (1 cm) provides significant thermal radiation 3D-Printed Hydraulic Robot relief via conduction through the aft surface of the geometry. Walks Away When Complete Sufficient mechanical strength to satisfy launch, ascent, entry, MIT researchers have also created a and landing conditions has been maintained in the design. method that can 3D-print robots in a Protuberance geometry generates a flow disturbance that single step — no assembly is required, just results in a localized region of higher pressure and heating. a motor and battery have to be inserted. It Fluid mechanical effects lead to a localized region of down- prints solid and liquid materials stream separated flow and the generation of streamwise vorticity simultaneously to create structures that that will persist in the downstream boundary layer. These fluid are hydraulically actuated. They can print mechanical effects will lead to downstream initiation of bound- gear pumps, bellows actuators, and more. ary layer transition if the local flow properties and protuberance www.techbriefs.com/tv/ height are appropriately tailored. The profile and cross-section printable-hydraulics have been optimized in order to reduce surface heating and to maintain relatively consistent heating over the top of the protuberance. Primary features of the geometry include an asymmet- Humanoid Robotic Diver Recovers rical cross-section to reduce heating, a 45° cant to the leading Treasures from Shipwreck edge of the protuberance, a 45° sweep of the protuberance rel- Stanford University's robotic diver, ative to the local flow field, use of a triple radius with matched OceanOne, is equipped with articulated tangency for the cross-section, and a large radius blend between wrists fitted with force sensors that relay the leading edge of the protuberance and the maximum height. haptic feedback to the pilot's controls. It This work was done by Charles H. Campbell, David L. Eichblatt, recovered a vase on its maiden voyage to Chun Y. Tang, William Wood, Thomas J. Horvath, Scott A. Berry, and the wreck of La Lune — the flagship of Brian P. Anderson of Johnson Space Center, and Gerald R. Kinder and King Louis XIV that sank in 1664 off the Gordon Wong of The Boeing Company. NASA is seeking partners to southern coast of France. further develop this technology through joint cooperative research www.techbriefs.com/tv/robot-diver and development. For more information about this technology and to explore opportunities, please contact [email protected]. MSC-24557-1

www.techbriefs.tv

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Mechanical & Fluid Systems

GEMINI Stability Control for Reducing Pointing Jitter in CubeSats and Smallsats Pointing jitter is significantly reduced by using two reaction wheels per axis, passive vibration isolators, and differential speed control. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

ecause of the cost-effectiveness of flying address torque disturbances created by speed control to maintain reaction wheel Bsmallsats compared to large flagship reaction wheel imbalances. Such torque speeds on the “sweet spot” of their pas- spacecraft, there is increasing interest in disturbances induce line-of-sight mo- sive vibration isolators to optimize distur- boosting their capabilities for supporting tions that are greatly magnified when bance attenuation. Using two reaction precision science payloads and sophisti- acting through the reduced vehicle wheels per axis (six reaction wheels cated instrumentation. Unfortunately, a inertias associated with CubeSats and total) simplifies the arrangement, and major current drawback with using small- smallsats. allows torque to be commanded using sats is their inability to hold the pointing The GEMINI Stability Control (GSC) common mode control (i.e., command- line-of-sight steady without jittering. Line- concept reduces the effect of reaction ing the wheels to accelerate in the same of-sight jitter degrades observations made wheel vibration disturbances and direction), and speed commanded using by cameras and other imaging-type instru- improves pointing stability performance differential-mode control (i.e., comments, and fundamentally limits the quali- across a wide range of smallsat platforms. manding the wheels to accelerate oppo- ty of science that can be obtained. The main idea is to use extra reaction site each other). The solution to the problem is to wheels (which are relatively inexpensive Reaction wheels for smallsats are small develop technology to specifically for smallsats), combined with precision and relatively inexpensive when compared to their full-scale spacecraft coun- Total of 6 reaction wheels mounted along terparts. Hence multiple reaction wheel configurations are affordable and practi- 3 orthogonal axes (simplest Gemini configuration) cal. This implies that multiple reaction wheel configurations associated with the y Gemini concept become practical. The 2 reaction wheels Gemini concept uses differential wheel- x per-axis speed control to enhance vibration suppression, while using common-mode speed control to satisfy the usual need 1 passive isolator for generating control torque. The two- per-axis wheel-per-axis Gemini configuration is especially simple to develop because each axis can be separately tested on a dynamometer before integrating all three axes into the vehicle. This work was done by David S. Bayard of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is seeking partners to further develop this technology through joint cooperative z research and development. For more information about this technology and to explore Gemini Stability Control (GSC) reduces reaction-wheel-induced pointing jitter in both CubeSats and smallsats by using differential speed control to ensure that wheel-induced vibrations stay localized opportunities, please contact Dan Broderick at to a frequency range consistent with the sweet spot of each vibration isolator. [email protected]. NPO-49600

Piezoelectric-Actuated Rotary Ultrasonic Motor This motor can be used where rotary actuation is required, particularly in cryogenic and high-temperature applications. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

his actuator was developed out of a motor that can drive infrared systems and sive. In order to generate a traveling wave Tneed for a cryogenic actuator that can produce minimal thermal energy that can on the surface, the piezoelectric element operate effectively in spite of the thermal interfere with their operation. electrodes must be segmented with the mismatch involved with construction mate- The classic ultrasonic motor uses an polarization direction of each of the sec- rials that have different expansion coeffi- annular piezoelectric thin plate bonded tors opposite from their neighbors. cients. Also, there is a need for a cryogenic to a metallic ring with conductive adhe- When piezoelectric plates with forward-

42 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ One Part, Dual Cure Nanosilica Filled Epoxy System UV22DC80

(Left) An exploded view of a stator-ring rotary ultrasonic motor, and (right) the electrode patterns of piezoelectric stacks and signal voltage • Dual cure formulation utilizes UV light and heat inputs, where the red dots indicate the voltage input to the positive ter- Cures at 80°C in shadowed out areas minals of the piezoelectric stack, and the black dots indicate the input to the negative terminals. • Dimensionally stable & abrasion resistant Nanosilica filled and reverse-poled sections are driven by two-phase electrical power sources, a traveling wave is generated and a rotor pressed • Optically clear onto the stator surface is propelled into motion by frictional Refractive index: 1.52 forces. Unfortunately, manufacturing this type of motor is very complex, and the production cost for construction is high. The solution is based on using effective cryogenic piezoelectric stacks that are operational at extreme temperatures, and particularly at cryogenic temperatures. The proposed ultrasonic horn- type rotary motor uses piezoelectric multilayer stacks, where a number of thin, alternately poled piezoelectric layers are connect- Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA • +1.201.343.8983 • [email protected] ed mechanically in series and the electrodes are connected in par- www.masterbond.com allel with two — a positive and a negative — terminals. The poling directions in the piezoelectric layers are from the electrodes of the Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-720 positive terminal to the negative. The presence of the horn further amplifies the stroke of the piezoelectric stack with a proper design. Thus, this construction produces a large-output torque with minimal drive voltage and power compared to the conventional one. In addition, the fabrication process is much simpler and production cost is relatively inexpensive. One unique advantage of these motors is that they can be designed in a monolithic structure, so it does not require an adhesive layer between the piezoelectric material and the stator, or a bolt/spring clamping structure to provide pre-stress on the piezoelectric materials. This structure allows for not only a mechanical simplification of the structure, but also a low-mechanical-loss, high-efficiency electromechanical system. The contact wear problem of this motor is less severe compared to a standing wave-type motor, which requires impacts periodically at the driving frequency. This motor configuration consists of eight piezoelectric stacks and ultrasonic horns with flexures that drive a stator as well as a rotor. The piezoelectric stacks are pre-stressed using flexures to provide compressive force, and are positioned perpendicular to each other (see figure). The motor works by applying two alternating voltages whose phases differ by 90° to each other both in time and in space, which produces a traveling wave on the surface of a metallic ring stator. This ultrasonic mechanical wave on the stator surface drives the rotor forward or backward by friction, where the direction of movement is changed by reversing the phase of the excitation signals. This work was done by Hyeong Jae Lee, Stewart Sherrit, Mircea Badescu, Xiaoqi Bao, and Yoseph Bar-Cohen of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is seeking partners to further develop this technology through joint cooperative research and development. For more information about this technology and to explore opportunities, please contact Dan Broderick at [email protected]. NPO-49735

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -721 43 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Materials & Coatings

Method for Exfoliation of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia ASA’s Langley Research Center has The invented method involves mechan- nanostructures in bulk quantities. It is a Ndeveloped a method for exfoliating ical breakdown of large hBN particles fol- simple, cost efficient, and scalable commercially available hexagonal lowed by chemical functionalization to method using commercially available Boron Nitride (hBN) into nanosheets a achieve exfoliation of the hBN sheets. hBN. The exfoliated hBN is thermally few atomic layers thick. Currently, hBN The exfoliated hBN nanosheets are one conductive and electrically insulating. has limited use because it is insoluble or a few atomic layers thick, and dis- This technology can be used in micro- with limited dispersibility, despite hBN persible (or suspendable, soluble) in electronics, advanced composites, and having excellent thermal conductivity common organic solvents and/or water, biomedical applications. and electrical insulation. Langley’s depending upon the nature of the func- NASA is actively seeking licensees to commercial- novel method provides for exfoliated tionalities. The functionalities can be ize this technology. Please contact The Technology hBN nanosheets that are soluble or sus- subsequently removed by thermal treat- Gateway at LARC-DL-technologygateway@ pendable in a variety of solvents, allow- ment, with the hBN nanostructures mail.nasa.gov to initiate licensing discus- ing for their bulk preparation and remaining intact and exfoliated. sions. Follow this link for more information: incorporation into composites, coat- This is the first method to produce http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ ings, and films. solution-processible exfoliated hBN LAR-TOPS-131.

Sucrose-Treated Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Yarns and Sheets Applications include structural materials for aerospace vehicles, space habitats, and lightweight but mechanically robust consumer devices. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center has Ndeveloped a method to consolidate carbon nanotube yarns and woven sheets and graphene sheets via the dehydration of sucrose. The resulting materials are lightweight and high strength. Sucrose is relatively inexpensive and readily available; therefore the process is cost-effective. Various aerospace and terrestrial applications require lightweight materials with very high mechanical properties. Carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets have been found to be such materials. In addition, they have been found to have excellent electrical and thermal transport properties. However, retaining the excellent nanoscale properties — particularly mechanical and thermal transport properties — in bulk materials has proven to be challenging. In order for the nano - tubes to be used in applications, they must be spun into yarn(s), sheet(s), and other macroscopic forms introducing relatively weak tube-to-tube and inter-bundle bonds. Also, the nano tubes tend to be entangled, and they therefore do not all FE-SEM images of a sucrose-treated CNT yarn at various magnifications after the dehydration contribute in load bearing. Weak cou- process.

44 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ pling at tube and bundle interfaces also materials. They are lightweight and pos- materials for lightweight but mechani- leads to mechanical and thermal trans- sess a high specific modulus and/or cally robust consumer devices, and mate- port that are much lower than would be strength on the macro-scale. In addition, rials for space habitats. expected from the nanoscale carbon the dielectric and electrical properties NASA is actively seeking licensees to nanotube or graphene properties. of the yarns and sheets can be tailored. commercialize this technology. Please This invention is for consolidated car- Sucrose is relatively inexpensive and contact The Technology Gateway at bon nanotube or graphene yarns and readily available, leading to a cost-effec- [email protected] woven sheets via the formation of a car- tive route for achieving bulk nano - to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this bon binder formed from the dehydra- tube/graphene-based, multifunctional link for more information: http:// tion of sucrose. The resulting materials material formats. technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ have greater than a 30% increase in ten- Potential applications include struc- LAR-TOPS-172. sile properties compared to the starting tural materials for aerospace vehicles,

Method for Manufacturing a Thin Film Structural System Applications include Earth- and space-based inflatable structures, and chemical and radiation sensors. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center has integrated within, the bulk of large-area Ndeveloped a technology that uses thin films using roll-to-roll processing commercially available additive print techniques for a potentially low-cost manufacturing to add various levels of manufacturing approach. The subject structural hierarchy to thin-film sur- technology addresses many of the disad- faces. The approach adds very little mass vantages of current large-scale mem- to thin films, but provides substantial brane material systems, which are prone performance enhancements, such as to damage or require extensive deploy- increased damage tolerance to tearing ment and support structures. and ripping. NASA developed this tech- A thin-film specimen under load with rip-stop Applications include solar space sails, nology to provide new and improved lines. arrays, and concentrators; space anten- ways to produce robust, ultra-lightweight nas and sun shades; inflatable structures space structures such as solar sails, solar enable very lightweight, large-scale thin (both Earth- and space-based); and shades, and antennas. Beyond space films with improved damage tolerance, chemical and radiation sensors. applications, the technology is well suit- self-deployment capability, flexibility, NASA is actively seeking licensees to ed for other thin-film applications. and multifunctional (optical, thermal, commercialize this technology. Please The technology uses additive print electrical) connectivity and interroga- contact The Technology Gateway at manufacturing to produce hierarchical tion capabilities. Based on simple and [email protected] and integrated structural and functional proven additive manufacturing con- to initiate licensing discussions. Follow elements into large-area thin-film struc- cepts, advanced geometrical, biomimet- this link for more information: http:// tures. Adding these structural and func- ic (insect wing), and hierarchical struc- technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ tional elements has the potential to tures could be applied to, or eventually LAR-TOPS-203.

Integrated Ceramic Matrix Composite-Carbon/Carbon Structures for Large Rocket Engine Nozzles and Nozzle Extensions The material system could be used in rocket propulsion components in which temperature, environmental reactivity, and economy are increasingly demanding. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

ow-cost access to space demands sions. Nozzle material options include and limited temperature capability. Ldurable, cost-effective, efficient, and ablatives, actively cooled alloys, and Carbon/carbon (C/C) is an attractive low-weight propulsion systems. Key radiation-cooled composites and met- alternative, but has manufacturability, components include boost and upper als, each of which has known limita- oxidation resistance, and joining ability stage rocket engine nozzles and exten- tions. Metallic nozzles have high density concerns.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 45 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Materials & Coatings

In this work, an innovative, integrated densified C/C preform, resulting in an range of potential NASA missions. This ceramic matrix composite (CMC)-C/C integrated CMC-C/C structure. work directly targeted future launch and composite flange or spool transition ele- This MI processing approach is much exploration vehicle propulsion systems, ment was demonstrated that could faster and more cost-effective than including the Space Launch System, as enable the attachment of a domestically chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) or potential end-use applications of this sourced 2D C/C nozzle extension to a preceramic polymer infiltration and innovative technology. Of particular metallic manifold. Thermal structural pyrolysis (PIP) processing commonly interest are large boost-scale nozzles and design and analysis showed that this used for production of CMCs. Relative upper stage nozzle extensions similar in flange mitigates high stresses at the joint to other MI processes, this approach scale to the J-2X nozzle extension, the between the high-thermal-expansion relies on wicking of the metal into the RL10B-2 upper stage nozzle, the niobi- metal manifold and the low-thermal- preform rather than on pressure infil- um alloy nozzles used on the SpaceX expansion C/C extension. tration. Also, this MI process is focused Merlin engine, and future large nuclear Melt infiltrated (MI) carbon fiber- primarily on more refractory matrices propulsion nozzles. More generally, the reinforced zirconium carbide, hafnium (e.g., zirconium-and hafnium-based versatility of this concept makes it rele- carbide, zirconium-silicon carbide, and ceramics) than on the silicon carbide- vant to a variety of structures including hafnium-silicon carbide CMCs were pre- based matrices typically produced by combustion chambers, leading edges, viously demonstrated for use in liquid other suppliers. In addition to the MI thermal protection systems, airframes, and solid propellant rocket engine process itself, the success of processing and other propulsion components that thrust chamber and hypersonic leading and the effectiveness of the resultant require mating of C/C to dissimilar edge and nose-tip applications. C/C pri- MI CMCs rely on the use of fiber inter- materials. mary structures were then combined face coatings produced by ultraviolet This work was done by Timothy Stewart of with integral MI CMC liners to provide activated chemical vapor deposition Ultramet for Marshall Space Flight Center. high-temperature-capable structures (UVCVD), which protects the fibers NASA is seeking partners to further develop bridging the gap between the low-densi- from degradation during processing, this technology through joint cooperative ty C/C and the more durable, but high- and provides mechanical slip between research and development. For more infor- er-density CMCs. the fibers and the ceramic matrix dur- mation about this technology and to explore In current work, a variation of this ing operation. opportunities, please contact Ronald C. process was applied in which the CMC The fully developed integrated CMC- Darty at [email protected]. MFS- matrix was infiltrated into a partially C/C material system can support a 32993-1

Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyester (ATSP) Composites for High-Temperature and Cryogenic Applications This family of polymers has utility in diverse applications ranging from structural composites to circuit boards, wear-resistant coatings, and rigid structural foams. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama dvanced composite materials pro- are resistant to microcracking due to resin systems that have been designed A cessable by cost-effective manufactur- their ability to locally match coefficient for high-temperature stability are ing play an important role in developing of thermal expansion (CTE) at ordered phenyl-based epoxies, polyimides, bis- lightweight structures for future space interfaces, and are capable of withstand- maleimides, PEEK, and Vectran. and planetary exploration missions. With ing hundreds of extreme hot and cold However, these polymeric systems gener- the growing demand for improved per- temperature cycles. Additionally, they ally possess either limited thermal prop- formance in the aerospace sector, are mechanically durable and can main- erties or have extremely high melt vis- advances in polymer systems with extreme tain properties at high temperatures (Tg cosities, which preclude fabrication of thermomechanical properties are critical up to 307 °C). ATSP has a further unique low-porosity, high-quality composites. in providing excellent retention of per- feature in that it is self-bondable in the ATSP forms a strong bond with the formance in high-temperature environ- solid state by interchain transesterifica- reinforcing carbon fibers and this was of ments, and high resistance to microcrack- tion reactions (ITR) — fracture tough- benefit when shear strength and modu- ing at cryogenic temperatures. ness experiments conducted at the bond- lus, and fracture toughness properties Extensive research and development, line between plies joined via ITR indicate were measured by testing the samples and material characterization, was per- high resistance to delamination even at under tension. The results were compara- formed on nonflammable, high- elevated and cryogenic temperatures. ble or better than polyimide and epoxy/C strength, lightweight aromatic ther- This indicates that ATSP has utility composites. Composites made from liq- mosetting copolyester (ATSP) compos- towards rapid joining schemes previously uid crystalline oligomers (C2A2/C) yield ites, which found that they are suitable not viable for thermoset resins. tougher matrices compared to non-liquid for making reliable and low-cost cryo- The most widely used resins — epox- crystalline oligomers (C1A1/C). Thus genic tanks and high-temperature struc- ies — are stable only up to 100 to 120 °C toughened matrices could be achieved tures for spaceflight. ATSP composites for long-term usage. Other polymeric without incorporating any additives and

46 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ instead by merely changing the morphol- ATSP Innovations for Marshall Space Flight information about this technology and to ogy of the final polymer. Center. NASA is seeking partners to further explore opportunities, please contact Ronald This work was done by Bita Vaezian, James develop this technology through joint cooper- C. Darty at [email protected]. Economy, Chris Mangun, and Jacob Meyer of ative research and development. For more MFS-33260-1

Ultralow-Temperature-Operable Solid Propellant Binder Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

unique binder was developed that A unique feature of this material is its Services for Marshall Space Flight Center. A exhibits a glass transition tempera- ability to retain a rubber-like consistency NASA is seeking partners to further develop ture of –100 °C, which is more than 50 °C at the extreme temperatures encoun- this technology through joint cooperative lower than that of traditional HTPB tered on the surface of Mars. A dynamic research and development. For more infor- (hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene) and mechanical analyzer (DMA), with liquid mation about this technology and to explore CTPB (carboxyl-terminated polybuta - nitrogen cooling, was used to measure opportunities, please contact Ronald C. diene) binders. This innovation would be directly the glass transition temperature Darty at [email protected]. MFS- a solid propellant that would ameliorate of the cured polymer. 33263-2/7-1/8-1 low-temperature operability problems for This work was done by William Stevenson the two-stage Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). and Joseph Sims of Arctic Slope Technical

Carbon Nanotube-Assisted Microwave Healing of Thermally Re-Mendable Composites Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

method creates thermally healable nanotubes can conform to any shape, rials could be cured out of autoclave, Acomposites using carbon nanotubes. allowing the manufacture of complex resulting in more cost-effective manufac- Carbon nanotube microwave heating shapes without concern of damaging the turing of large structures. Finally, the provides a pathway to overcome issues heating network. carbon nanotubes exhibit exceptional associated with electrical resistive heat- The extraordinary strength of the car- electrical and thermal properties that ing networks. Carbon nanotubes embed- bon nanotubes will withstand damage can lead to composite materials with ded within a thermally reversible poly- imposed by impaction, providing an multi-functional properties. mer can be heated by direct exposure to unalterable heating mechanism. Risks of This work was done by Mary Jane E. a microwave source. The heat generated shocks or shorting are eliminated O’Rourke of Johnson Space Center, and by the nanotubes can drive the thermal- because no electrical current is Edward Sosa of ERC. NASA is seeking partly reversible polymerization of the required. Elimination of metal wiring ners to further develop this technology matrix. Because the microwave source will result in substantial mass savings and through joint cooperative research and devel- can be focused, the composite can be greater reliability because there is no opment. For more information about this locally heated at the point of damage concern for damage to the heater ele- technology and to explore opportunities, thereby reducing the energy requirement. Because the carbon nanotubes please contact [email protected]. ments for thermal healing. The carbon are the source of heating, prepreg mate- MSC-25449-1

Aluminoborosilicate Supplement for Thermal Protection of a Re-entrant Vehicle This material can be used in aircraft, turbine engines, automobiles, and any application that requires thermal protection surfaces. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

he Toughened Uni-piece Fibrous and other systems that utilize Earth re- the mechanical stresses of the initial TReinforced Oxidation-Resistant entry vehicles. TUFROC has an ascent, and the extreme heating and Com posite (TUFROC) allows for much exposed surface design and appropri- stress of re-entry. It provides a thermal more affordable and sustainable opera- ate materials combination that will protection tile attachment system that tions involving Space Launch Services allow a space vehicle to survive both is suitable for application to a space

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 47 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Materials & Coatings vehicle leading edge, and for other tion; the fibrous material being drawn ture. The composite has graded surface uses in extreme heating environments from the group consisting of silicon car- treatments applied by impregnation to (up to 3600 °F, and possibly higher, for bide foam and similar porous, high-tem- both the cap and base. These treatments short time intervals). perature materials. The insulator base enable it to survive in an aero-convective- The invention includes an exposed sur- and pin(s) contain similar material. ly heated environment of high-speed face cap with a specially formulated coat- The mechanical design is arranged so planetary entry. The exact cap and base ing, an insulator base adjacent to the cap that thermal expansion differences in materials are chosen in combination with another specially formulated coat- the component materials (e.g., cap and with modified surface treatments and a ing, and one or more pins that extend insulator base) are easily tolerated. It is specially formulated surface coating, tak- from the cap through the insulator base applicable to both sharp and blunt leading into account the duration of expo- to tie the cap and base together through ing edge vehicles. This extends the possi- sure and expected surface temperatures ceramic bonding and mechanical attach- ble application of fibrous insulation to for the particular application. ment. The cap and insulator base have the wing leading edge and/or nose cap This work was done by David Stewart and corresponding depressions and projec- on a hypersonic vehicle. The lightweight Daniel Leiser of Ames Research Center. NASA tions that mate and allow for differences system comprises a treated carbonaceous is actively seeking licensees to commercialize in thermal expansion of the cap and cap composed of Refractory Oxidation- this technology. Please contact Trupti base. The cap includes a high-tempera- resistant Ceramic Carbon Insulation Sanghani at [email protected] or ture, low-density, carbonaceous, fibrous (ROCCI), which provides dimensional 650-604-6889 to initiate licensing discus- material whose surface is optionally treat- stability to the outer mold line, while the sions. Follow this link for more information: ed with a High Efficiency Tantalum-based fibrous base material provides maximum http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TOP2- Ceramic Composite (HETC) formula- thermal insulation for the vehicle struc- 241. ARC-16924-1

Processing and Manufacture of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Syntactic Structural Cryogenic Insulator John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

educing the cost and weight of launch ductive syntactic composites (SComp). and hollow glass microspheres (with Rstructures is essential to meeting It was believed in the scope of this proj- crush strength up to 4,000 psi). Two NASA goals for reliable access to space. ect that the development of a combina- incorporating methods were conceptu- Currently, separate systems are used for tion of these two technologies to create alized using the chemical and physical structure and pressure containment, cryo- a structural insulator for a multilayer properties of the IO constituents to genic insulation, and high-temperature thermal protection system (TPS) could interlock the hollow spheres during mix- insulation. One way of reducing this cost be achieved. ing. The first method utilizes an and weight is through the development of Formulation and processing methods observed physical effect, where the ther- multifunctional materials that can elimi- had to be redesigned to incorporate hol- moplastic will solidify in solution after a nate parasitic weight. Combining two low spheres into the IO hybrid. Hollow certain concentration similar to a non- functional components — structure and microspheres can be used in all standard Newtonian fluid. This is believed to hap- insulation — reduces weight and structur- processing methods for thermoset and pen because of a low-energy solvated al complexity, which usually is akin to thermoplastic composites, including polymer inter-network crystalline state fragility in the system, and minimizes the extrusion and injection molding, and that is formed. Incorporating the hollow need for parasitic thermal protection and have found a variety of applications across glass microspheres by mixing, and let- insulation systems. all industries. Comparable to fly ash, but ting this inter-network crystalline form, This invention is an inorganic-organic at half the density while still maintaining interlocks the uniformly dispersed hybrid syntactic insulation that provides structural strength, hollow microspheres microspheres. The second method a manufacturing method for a structural offer the multifunctional properties desir- relies on the reactive chemistry of the cryogenic insulator capable of an effec- able for integrating into composite parts polysilizane by hydrolysis to form inter- tive laminate thermal conductivity of to reduce weight, improve dimensional linked cross-linkings. In the solution with 0.14 W/mK, and that shows compres- stability, and reduce thermal conductivity. mixing microspheres, the addition of sion resistance to loads >5,000 psi. Many of these property enhancements water solidifies the mixture, locking in Powdermet has been developing its are attributed to the hollow sphere inclu- the uniformly dispersed microspheres. inorganic-organic (IO) hybrid compos- sion’s low density. However, their low den- This work was done by Brian Werry and ite for a number of years. Its inaugura- sity, along with surface incompatibilities, Andrew Sherman of Powdermet, Inc. for Glenn tion was the development towards an makes the uniform dispersion into com- Research Center. NASA is seeking partners to effective spray coat for high tempera- posites difficult. further develop this technology through joint tures and for providing abrasion resis - The IO hybrid SComp design uses a cooperative research and development. For tance for down-well piping. Another high-temperature performance thermo- more information about this technology and technology platform Powdermet has plastic as the organic constituent, a poly- to explore opportunities, please contact been developing is low thermally con- silizane as the inorganic constituent, [email protected]. LEW-19380-1

48 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Health, Medicine & Biotechnology

Computer-Controlled Solid-State Lighting Assembly to Emulate Diurnal Cycle and Improve Circadian Rhythm Control John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

he Lighting System to Improve with full intensity and color temperature temperature (corresponding to a TCircadian Rhythm Control was control. This new lighting assembly uses warmer color of light). As the sleep cycle designed and built to help regulate the a microcontroller with power relay to begins, the light intensity dims, exposing sleep cycles of astronauts working on the adjust color temperature and perceived occupants to even less blue light. International Space Station (ISS) and intensity to simulate a practical diurnal The programming cycle for how this during long-duration spaceflight. In cycle. Color temperature is fully system operates throughout the day can space, the lack of a true diurnal cycle of adjustable over the entire range of tem- be easily modified to adjust for any ther- sunlight, encompassing the same range peratures. Light intensity varies from a apy required given the sleep situations. of color temperatures and intensities of low “night light” level (to minimize or The diurnal cycle also isn’t limited to 24 sunlight experienced on Earth, is one of eliminate any delays to the initiation of hours. It could easily be adapted to a 25- the potential causes of sleep disorders REM sleep amongst the users) to a day- hour cycle, as some studies have shown among the crew aboard ISS. The pro- light or work mode that can be imple- this to be a more natural human cycle. At duction of melatonin, a hormone that mented to aid in concentration on nor- any time, this automatic programming helps regulate sleep cycles, can be inhib- mal workday tasks. A manual mode has could be interrupted, and the manual ited by light, especially cool white light been added to override the automatic input mode can make any light intensi- (with its large blue light component). To diurnal cycle in the event of an out-of- ty/color temperature combination possi- help regulate sleep cycles and improve cycle work requirement. Blue light can ble to cater to the needs of the user. the quality of sleep for the crew, control be added to assist with circadian rhythm Potential applications for the lighting of the melatonin production cycle adjustment should sleep cycles need to system include light therapy to treat through the use of light is key. On Earth, be adjusted. The microcontroller takes numerous sleep disorders such as jet lag this technology can be used to help treat primary control of the lighting scheme and non-24-hour sleep/wake disorder, many sleep disorders, including jet lag, rather than a master controller, making and industrial or commercial lighting to shift work sleep disorder, delayed sleep individualized therapies possible. improve worker efficiency for second or phase syndrome, advance sleep phase In operation, the intensity of light gets third shift workers. syndrome, and non-24-hour sleep/wake brighter as you proceed through the NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- disorder (frequently affects those who beginning of the workday, and the color mercialize this technology. Please contact are totally blind since the circadian temperature gets progressively higher Jonathan Leahy at Jonathan.J.Leahy@ clock is set by the light-dark cycle over a (corresponding to a cooler color of nasa.gov to initiate licensing discussions. 24-hour period). light) to mimic the diurnal cycle. As the Follow this link for more information: NASA has developed a programmable workday ends, the light gets only slightly http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ solid-state general illumination fixture dimmer, but significantly lower in color KSC-TOPS-52.

Capillary Driven Microorganism Cultivation Platform for Human Life Support SABR is a novel microbial cell cultivation platform that mimics the way vascular plants use transpiration to deliver nutrients to their cells. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

he high water-to-biomass ratio charac- ing to an approximately 100-fold reduc- be product-secreting candidates due to Tteristic of conventional algae cultivation in the water-to-biomass ratio of the their potential lack of cell walls. It reduces tion systems requires large energy inputs system. Moreover, the mechanism of the number of steps in the cascade of cul- for pumping and mixing the culture dur- nutrient delivery to the cells is completely tivation, harvesting, dewatering, and ing cultivation, as well as for dewatering passive, eliminating the need for a pump. extraction, favorably impacting the ener- and harvesting the resultant biomass. In This mechanism is also independent of getic and economic sustainability. light of this challenge, the Surface- gravitational and inertial forces, making it The SABR is a novel microbial cell cul- Adhering BioReactor (SABR) cultivates an ideal candidate for human life support tivation platform that mimics the way vas- micro-organisms as densely packed in space. The SABR is ideally suited for cular plants use transpiration to deliver biofilms rather than in suspension, lead- cultivating shear-sensitive cells, which can nutrients to their cells. In this biomimetic

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 49 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Health, Medicine & Biotechnology platform, microbial cells are cultivated as externally imposed or internally gener- immobilized cells on a porous substrate ated heat due to cellular activity is miti- where transpiration is used to passively gated, thus preventing overheating that deliver water and nutrients, as well as har- can lead to decreased productivity or vest and concentrate secreted biomole- even cell death. This technology enables cules by the microbial cells. The SABR significant reductions in energy input transports nutrients to microorganisms for cultivating microorganisms. without using a pump. Instead, evapora- The technology has potential application and the cohesive property of water tions in cultivating lipid-producing are exploited to pull the nutrient medi- microorganisms for biofuel feedstock, um through the device, with a high harvesting bioactive molecules, high- degree of control, on an as-needed basis. A single rib SABR prototype being cultivated in value food supplements, cultivating It eliminates the hydrodynamic shear a custom test chamber for environmental con- shear-sensitive cells, biological life sup- trol and performance monitoring. The photo- stress on the cells and decreases the work- synthetic yield is being measured with a PAM port for humans in space, and fermenta- ing volume of water needed for cultiva- fluorometer. tion CO2 scrubbing. tion by a factor of 25 compared to plank- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- tonic bioreactors. Furthermore, the tran- nutrient medium delivery and product mercialize this technology. Please contact spiration mechanism allows for the con- harvesting with the time scales of growth the Technology Partnerships Office at centration of secreted products in areas and product formation, minimal energy [email protected] to initiate of relatively fast evaporation, thus provid- is wasted in bioreactor operation. licensing discussions. Follow this link for more ing a passive means of secreted product Transpiration enables a passive cool- information: http://technology.nasa.gov/ harvesting. By matching the time scales of ing system for the cells where either patent/TB2016/TOP2-148.

Device and Method for Healing Wounds The electroactive bandage is a slim, self-contained alternative to electrical stimulation devices. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

his technology is a device that uses An electroactive device is applied to that is highly piezoelectric when poled. Telectrical activity to facilitate the an external wound site. This method The fabrication method of the elec- wound healing process while protecting utilizes generated low-level electrical troactive material is based on a previous the wound. The bandage is made of an stimulation to promote the wound heal- Langley invention of an apparatus that electroactive material (see figure) that is ing process while simultaneously pro- is used to electrospin highly aligned stimulated by the heat of the body and tecting it from infection. The material is polymer fiber material. A description of the pressure of cell growth, thus no fabricated from polyvinylidene fluoride, the fabrication method can be found in external power source is required. or PVDF, a thermoplastic fluoropolymer the technology opportunity announce- ment titled “NASA Langley’s Highly Electrospun Fibers and Mats” located at http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/ LAR-TOPS-2. The electroactive device is a slim, self- contained alternative to electrical stimulation devices for accelerated wound healing. It minimizes infection and related complications (e.g., illness, amputa- tion). Potential applications include military personnel wounded in the field, hospital patients who have undergone surgery, general patients who have suf- fered a serious wound, and astronauts in space. NASA is actively seeking licensees to commercialize this technology. Please contact The Technology Gateway at [email protected] to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this link for more information: http:// Bandages are made of an electroactive material that is stimulated by body heat and the pressure technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ of cell growth, so no external power source is needed. LAR-TOPS-194.

50 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Portable Acoustic Holography Systems for Therapeutic Ultrasound Sources Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas igh-intensity focused ultrasound therapeutic ultrasound sources, and The algorithm can utilize numerical H(HIFU) is a rapidly developing med- associated devices and methods. A and/or experimental studies of ampli- ical technology that relies on focusing method of characterizing an ultrasound tude and phase distributions of acoustic waves to treat remote tissue sites source by acoustic holography includes acoustic fields radiated by representa- inside the body without damaging inter- the use of a transducer geometry charac- tive clinical therapeutic ultrasound vening tissues. HIFU can be used to treat teristic, a transducer operation charac- sources. Hologram measurements can benign and malignant tumors, dissolve teristic, and a holography system meas- be recorded, and subsequent analysis blood clots, enhance drug delivery to urement characteristic. A control com- and calculations can be performed. The specific sites, and ablate brain tissue puter can be instructed to determine control computer can thus identify stan- causing essential tremors. While stan- holography measurement parameters. dard parameters for a given arrange- dard practices for characterizing diag- Based on the holography measurement ment of a holography system. nostic ultrasound are well established, parameters, the method can include A signal processor can receive the the lack of analogous metrology tech- scanning a target surface to obtain a acoustic waveform data from the data niques for therapeutic ultrasound hologram. Waveform measurements at a recorder and perform signal processing remains an impediment to broader clin- plurality of points on the target surface on the data in order to define and out- ical acceptance of HIFU. can be captured. Finally, the method can put a measured hologram from the raw Because ultrasound consists of waves, include processing the measurements to measurements. Based on the measured it possesses several basic features of wave reconstruct at least one characteristic of hologram, the system can utilize a con- physics that are of practical utility. In par- the ultrasound source. trol computer to generate one or more ticular, it is possible to reproduce a three- The system can include an input characteristics of an ultrasound source. dimensional field from a two-dimension- device capable of receiving inputs relat- A series of holograms recorded over a al distribution of the wave amplitude ed to system components and/or opera- range of output levels can be used to and phase along some surface transverse tional characteristics. Inputs related to fully characterize source output levels. to the wave propagation. This principle the measurement apparatus can include, This work was done by Oleg Sapozhnikov, is widely used in optics, and the cor re- for example, the size of a hydrophone Michael Bailey, Peter Kaczkowski, Vera s ponding process is termed “hologra- sensing region, a hydrophone band- Khokhlova, and Wayne Kreider of the phy.” A similar approach is possible in width, a geometry of a test tank and asso- University of Washington for Johnson Space acoustics. For acoustic pressure waves, ciated fixturing, a liquid temperature in Center. NASA is seeking partners to further amplitude and phase can often be meas- a test tank, and a reference position rela- develop this technology through joint coop- ured directly with a pressure sensor, and tive to a transducer at which a erative research and development. For a two-dimensional distribution of such hydrophone is initially located. These more information about this technology measurements represents a hologram. can be received as user inputs from a and to explore opportunities, please contact The present technology relates to storage source (e.g., a database) or [email protected]. MSC-26064-1 portable acoustic holography systems for directly from system components.

Probiotic Therapy for Astronauts, and During Radiation Therapy Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

new method to screen the gastroin- Ionizing radiation, as well as certain particles (HZE), or high-energy pro- Atestinal (GI) tract for radiation sensitiv- commensal bacteria, can induce DNA tons simulating a solar particle event, ity and radiation-induced gene damage has damage associated with types of delayed have been applied to the analysis in a number of applications. This technology cell cycles, thereby potentially protect- human fibroblasts and peripheral could be used to assess radiation suscepti- ing the host from epithelial injury. blood lymphocytes. Lethal doses of pro- bility in individuals, such as astronauts, Complex chromosomal rearrange- tons can cause high rates of apoptosis, nuclear reactor workers, those undergoing ments and clustered DNA damage, and very high doses of ionizing radia- radiation therapy for cancer, and others along with cell cycle arrest, cell cycle tion delivered by whole-body irradia- who may be or have been exposed. The delays at G1, and longer replication tion sterilize individual small intestine method could also be used to develop and phases are possible risks for developing crypts. These types of ionizing radiation test various probiotic regimens to repopu- cancer, and can be specifically induced generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) late the GI tract microbiome to deliver by galactic cosmic ionizing radiation. by purine base oxidation and oxidative more radiation resistance, or more rapid High linear energy transfer (LET) radi- modification of sugar moieties towards healing following radiation exposure. ation, such as heavy charge and energy unfavorable energetic states.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 51 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Health, Medicine & Biotechnology

At nonlethal dose, radiation damage inflammation, and cancer-associated cant differences compared to non-inoc- may accumulate after irradiation due to inflammation by preventing nuclear fac- ulated and irradiated RM mice, CM delays in DNA repair mechanism, pro- tor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of acti- mice administered LBJ do show an oncogenic proliferation, and subse- vated B cells (NF-KB) activation. increase in persistent double-stranded quently occurring oxidative stress. LBJ has been associated with an DNA breaks after radiation exposure Certain members of the microbiota increase in the number of crypt Paneth (compared to non-inoculated and irra- termed “pathobionts” have pro-inflam- cells, bactericidal activity, and there- diated CM mice). LBJ was given to these matory activity such as activating invari- fore oxidative stress. However, probi- RM and CM mice at a dose that can be ant natural killer (NK) T cells and otics — and specifically Lactobacilli detected in their fecal samples. This inducing Nod1 and Nod2 signaling. The species as well as Bifidobacteria, among finding clearly shows that genotoxic intestinal microbiota was found to regu- others — were recently also reviewed for radiation-induced endpoints correlate late endothelial radiosensitivity by sup- changing the native microbiota and with intestinal microbiota composition. pressing fasting-induced adipose factor reducing colorectal cancer. A LBJ-rich microbiota mouse model is (Fiaf), which results in a loss of resist- The systemic effects of microbial com- found to be radiation-susceptible, unaf- ance through radiation-induced apopto- position were investigated on radiation- fected by apoptosis, and therefore sis in small intestines due to sterilization susceptibility and inflammatory-modulat- reveals increased levels of persistent of mesenchymal stem cells. ed oxidative DNA repair in a mouse DNA damage after exposure to high- Peroxidase activity in conventionally model with restricted microbiota (RM), energy protons and ionizing radiation. raised mice without radiation exposure compared with mice with a conventional Lactobacilli play an important role in but conventional and taxa-rich micro- microbiota (CM). RM and CM mice have the human gut microbiome. In particu- biota, has been associated with reduced distinctive fecal microbiota (p<0.01, 16S lar, Lactobacillus johnsonii, acquired by tumorigenesis, reduced chronic ileocoli- ribosomal RNA (rRNA) pyrosequenc- the newborn as it passes through the tis, and apoptotic crypts. Probiotics, ing). Several taxonomic groups present birth canal, is said to have a role in help- such as Lactobacillus species, but not in CM mice were absent or reduced in ing newborns digest breast milk, but conventional microbiota, have been relative abundance in RM mice. might also have an effect on the baby’s shown to reduce radiation-induced small LBJ has been identified as being more resistance to ambient ionizing radiation intestinal damage, Gram-negative bac- abundant in RM microbiota composi- as well. teremia and endotoxemia, and watery tion than CM microbiota composition. A This work was done by Irene Maier and stools or diarrhea. Lactobacillus john- culturable bacterial strain has been iso- Robert Schiestl of the University of California, sonii (LBJ) and probiotic DNA are lated from RM individual mice, and Los Angeles for Ames Research Center. NASA known to require toll-like receptor (TLR) both RM and CM mice were adminis- is seeking partners to further develop this signaling, and specific Lactobacilli are tered growing LBJ in buffered suspen- technology through joint cooperative associated with mediating anti-inflamma- sion before radiation exposure and for research and development. For more infor- tory effects. Organ-specific probiotics several days after radiation exposure. mation about this technology and to explore strains may exploit a distinctive apical Whereas irradiated RM mice inoculated opportunities, please contact David Morse TLR9-stimulated pathway of the innate with LBJ also show very high levels of at [email protected] or 650-604- immunity to regulate tolerance and persistent DNA damage but no signifi- 4724. ARC-17172-1

Methods of Manufacturing Bioactive Gels from Extracellular Matrix Material Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

iologic scaffolds composed of extra- The methods of manufacturing bioactivity and can serve as scaffolds for pre- Bcellular matrix material (ECM) tive gels from ECM described in prior clinical and clinical tissue engineering have been used for the repair of a vari- art require the use of enzymes, and are and regenerative medicine approaches ety of tissues including the lower uri- time-consuming because they require to tissue reconstruction. The manufac- nary tract, esophagus, myocardium, aggressive purification steps, which may turing methods take advantage of a new and musculotendinous tissues, often lead to depletion in the bioactivity of the recognition that bioactive gels from leading to tissue-specific constructive gels and may present additional regula- ECM material can be created by digest- remodeling with minimal or no scar tis- tory barriers to marketing. Thus, a need ing particularized ECM material in an sue formation. Although use of ECM as exists to manufacture bioactive gels alkaline environment, and neutralizing scaffolds for preclinical and clinical tis- from ECM that avoids cumbersome to provide bioactive gels. sue engineering and regenerative med- preparation and purification steps, yet The invention pertains to improved icine approaches to tissue reconstruc- results in gels that retain the bioactivity methods of manufacturing bioactive gels tion is very promising, challenges of the original material. from ECM that retain sufficient bioactiv- remain in the process to manufacture This invention is directed to methods ity to positively assist in tissue repair. The bioactive gels from ECM that retain of manufacturing bioactive gels from method utilizes reagents that do not their bioactivity. ECM material, i.e., gels that retain bioac- introduce additional regulatory burdens

52 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ for market approval or clearance of the particle size in the range of about 1 μm to This work was done by Kimberly Kentner, gel invention. The methods provide the about 1000 μm, and solubilizes concen- Katherine Stuart, and Abram Janis of ACeLL ECM from one or more of the group trations in the range of about 0.5 to 11% Inc. for Johnson Space Center. NASA is seek- consisting of, but not limited to, small weight/volume (w/v) of particularized ing partners to further develop this technol- intestine submucosa (SIS), urinary blad- powder in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in ogy through joint cooperative research and der submucosa (UBS), urinary bladder the range of 0.1 to 1.0 M. development. For more information about matrix (UBM) including epithelial base- The advantage provided by this this technology and to explore opportunities, ment membrane, porcine dermis (PD), method is that aggressive purification please contact [email protected]. and liver basement membrane (LBM). steps, which are costly and time-consum- MSC-26072-1 The method particularizes the ECM to a ing, are avoided.

Multi-Parameter Biodosimetric HemoDose Tools Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

here are continuous concerns about The HemoDose tools are built upon module contains three functions: Model Tthe possibility of nuclear and radio- solid physiological and pathophysiologi- the Clinical Data, Plot the Historical logical terrorism or accidents that may cal understanding of mammalian Data, and Model the Historical Data. To result in mass casualties in densely pop- hematopoietic systems, and rigorous model the clinical data, the user can ulated areas. To guide medical person- coarse-grained bio-mathematical model- either choose a prepared data file or nel in their clinical decisions for effec- ing and validation. Using single or serial input data manually, and run the simula- tive medical management and treatment counts of granulocyte, lymphocyte, leuko- tion to get an estimated dose with a plot. of exposed individuals, biomarkers are cyte, or platelet after exposure, these To plot the historical data, the user can usually applied to examine radiation- tools can estimate absorbed doses of pick a data set from the list and click the induced biological changes to assess the adult victims very rapidly and accurately. plot button. Similarly, to model the his- severity of radiation injury. Among Patient data in some historical accidents torical data, the user can pick a data set these, peripheral blood cell counts are are utilized as examples to demonstrate from a list of historical events and run traditionally regarded as the most practi- the capabilities of these tools as a rapid the simulation to get an estimated dose, cal and rapid diagnostic indicators. point-of-care diagnostic or centralized which can be compared with the record- Previous algorithms required early high-throughput assay system in a large- ed dose of the patient. data points of blood cell counts. While scale radiological disaster scenario. The software can be downloaded for the earliest dose estimation of the Unlike previous dose prediction algo- Windows desktop or run directly on the patient provides the most important rithms, the HemoDose tools establish Web. information to assist triage management robust correlations between the absorbed This work was done by Shaowen Hu of and treatment decisions, in many cases, doses and victims’ various types of blood Johnson Space Center. NASA is seeking part- the victims were not identified until sev- cell counts not only in the early time win- ners to further develop this technology eral days or even weeks after exposure. dow (1 or 2 days), but also in the late through joint cooperative research and devel- This can happen in large-scale accidents phase (up to 4 weeks) after exposure. opment. For more information about this when medical resources are limited There are four modules in HemoDose: technology and to explore opportunities, and/or the management system is over- granulocyte count, lymphocyte count, please contact [email protected]. whelmed. leukocyte count, and platelet count. Each MSC-25826-1

Soft-Tissue Emulsification Using a Mechanism of Ultrasonic Atomization Inside Gas or Vapor Cavities Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

he current method of emulsifying tis- intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) This work was done by Oleg Sapozhnikov, Tsue employs focused ultrasound with waves. The target site comprises a pres- Michael Bailey, Tatiana Khokholova, Vera microsecond pulses and cavitation. This sure-release interface of a gas or vapor Khokholova, and Julianna Simon of the invention emulsifies soft tissue using a cavity located within the tissue. University of Washington for Johnson Space mechanism of ultrasonic atomization The method continues by generating Center. NASA is seeking partners to further inside gas or vapor cavities. shock waves in the tissue to induce a develop this technology through joint coop- The method of non-invasively treating lesion at the target site. It additionally erative research and development. For tissue includes pulsing ultrasound ener- includes characterizing the lesion more information about this technology gy from the ultrasound source toward based on a degree of at least one of a and to explore opportunities, please contact the target site in the tissue. The ultra- mechanical or thermal ablation of the [email protected]. MSC-25191-1 sound source is configured to emit high- tissue.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 53 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Information Technology & Software

System and Method for Transferring Telemetry Data Between a Ground Station and a Control Center Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

he Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter eliminates the need for missions to sages, are processed and the appropriate T(LRO) employs many advanced inno- implement custom data communication callback routines are triggered by the vations developed at NASA’s Goddard designs to communicate with any library. Space Flight Center and in collaboration ground station. The two main tasks The software library offers simple with other organizations. The applications accomplished via the SLE-RCF software implementation containing less than 30 and benefits for these technologies are library are processing user requests, and routines (existing SLE-RCF libraries advantageous for many other industries as receiving data from ground stations and contain more than 1,000 routines), well. One of those technologies is the ground support assets. helping to increase reliability and ease Space Link Extension Return Channel The software library contains three maintenance and enhancement. It also Frames (SLE-RCF) software library. This layers: reduces costs by significantly reducing software library enables a mission control • SLE (Space Link Extension) for the the number of people and time needed center to receive telemetry frames from a abstract workings of the protocol; to develop new software. For LRO, it ground station. The technology imple- • DEL (Decoding and Encoding Layer) would have formerly taken five people ments the SLE-RCF protocol as defined by to decode and encode the abstract working one year to add and modify the Consultative Committee for Space messages used by the SLE layer; and existing software. But with the new Data Systems (CCSDS). Software routines • TML (Transport Mapping Layer) to library, it took only one person working can be reused from mission to mission. transfer the encoded messages via 3 months to develop new software. The SLE-RCF software library helps to some underlying transport layer proto- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- monitor the health and safety of space- col, such as the transmission control mercialize this technology. Please contact the craft by enabling space agency ground protocol (TCP). Strategic Partnerships Office at techtransfer@ support and mission control centers to The library accepts configuration or gsfc.nasa.gov to initiate licensing discus- develop standardized and interoperable SLE-RCF directives from the user and sions. Follow this link for more information: mission control applications for space responds accordingly. Incoming data, http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ telemetry data. The software library both telemetry frames and status mes- GSC-TOPS-72.

Method and Apparatus for Generating Flight-Optimizing Trajectories Flight path and altitude modifications are pre-cleared of potential conflicts with other known airplane traffic, weather hazards, and airspace restrictions. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center is desired by the operator. Currently, lateral and/or vertical trajectory Ndeveloping Traffic Aware Strategic pilots make such requests to air traffic changes. Surveillance data of nearby air- Aircrew Requests (TASAR). TASAR fea- control (ATC) with limited awareness of craft, using ADS-B IN technology, are tures a cockpit automation system that what is happening around them. processed to evaluate and avoid possible monitors for potential flight trajectory Consequently, some of these requests conflicts resulting from requested improvements and displays them to the will be denied resulting in no flight changes in the trajectory. TAP also lever- pilot. These wind-optimized flight tra- improvements and an unnecessary ages real-time connectivity to any avail- jectory changes are pre-cleared of workload increase for both pilots and able external information sources of potential conflicts with other known air- ATC. The TASAR technology provides operational data relating to such factors plane traffic, weather hazards, and air- pilots with recommended flight path as winds, weather, and restricted airspace restrictions. The TASAR is to and altitude improvements that are space to produce the most acceptable improve the process in which pilots more likely to be approved by ATC. and beneficial trajectory-change solu- request flight path and altitude modifi- The NASA software application devel- tions. The software application is cations due to changing flight condi- oped under the TASAR project is called designed for installation on low-cost tions. Changes may be made to reduce the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP). TAP electronic flight bags that provide read- flight time, increase fuel efficiency, or automatically monitors for flight opti- only access to avionics data. The user improve some other flight attribute mization opportunities in the form of interface is also compatible with the

54 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ popular iPad. FAA certification and accelerating adoption by the airspace [email protected] operational approval requirements are user community. to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this expected to be minimal for this non- NASA is actively seeking licensees to link for more information: http:// safety-critical flight-efficiency applica- commercialize this technology. Please technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ tion, reducing implementation cost and contact The Technology Gateway at LAR-TOPS-148.

Systems, Methods, and Apparatus for Developing and Maintaining Evolving Systems with Software Product Lines Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

hysical manufacturers have been tak- software for different missions can be developing a complex system that is like- Ping advantage of mass manufacturing viewed as a line of products that fulfills this ly to involve many interacting compo- ideas for a long time, increasing their purpose, with many of the products having nents for development as a product line, productivity, cutting their costs, and similarities, or in extreme cases being very which can be developed with state-of-the- ensuring the quality and uniformity of similar with a few specializations. art software engineering techniques. their products. Now, this idea is being This method expands this view further This technology can be used in any applied to software production so the and sees an evolving system, one that will large-scale software production, and for same benefits can be reaped in that field. likely run for a long period of time and version control. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have corrections, enhancements and NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- has developed the idea of a software prod- changes made to it over a period of time, mercialize this technology. Please contact the uct line that views software products that as essentially exhibiting a product line. Strategic Partnerships Office at techtransfer@ are substantially similar, or that have sub- More specifically, different versions or gsfc.nasa.gov to initiate licensing discus- stantially similar content, as being differ- releases of the system are viewed as dif- sions. Follow this link for more information: ent products in a line of products that the ferent “products” that are substantially http://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ organization develops. For example, flight similar. This method opens a new field of GSC-TOPS-42.

Team Electronic Gameplay Combining Different Means of Control Applications include biofeedback equipment, physical therapy, athletic training, and mind-body medicine. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA’s Langley Research Center has The technology is constructed to allow in competitive game play is increased by Ndeveloped a technology at the fore- modulation of player inputs to a video allowing players to interact with the game, front of a new generation of computer game or simulation from a user interface and compete with one another, on a psy- and video game environments that trains device based on the player’s psychophysi- chophysiological level. This system is com- valuable mental skills, beyond eye-hand ological state. The invention exploits cur- patible with the Nintendo Wii, and proto- coordination, for the personal improve- rent wireless motion-sensing technolo- types have been designed and are being ment, not just the diversion, of the user. gies to utilize physiological signals for developed to extend this capability to the Monitoring and enhancement of input modulation. These include, but are PlayStation Move, Xbox Kinect, and other operator state is an objective of the cur- not limited to, heart rate, muscle tension, similar game platforms. rent LaRC Intelligent Integrated Flight and brain wave activity. The current Potential applications include con- Deck Technology (IIFDT) program. invention interacts wirelessly through the sumer brain-computer interface devices, Prior research by the inventor, Alan use of LED infrared signal, which reduces biofeedback equipment, third-genera- Pope, modulates (based on player phys- device power consumption. tion video game systems, physical therapy, iological signals) the manual inputs The current capability has been success- third-party video game peripherals, ath- that a player makes to the buttons or fully prototyped using the Nintendo Wii letic training, and mind-body medicine. joysticks of a video game hand con- console and wireless Wii remote. The NASA is actively seeking licensees to troller. However, a new type of con- experience of electronic game play may commercialize this technology. Please troller allows a player to make inputs to also be enhanced by introducing a multi- contact The Technology Gateway at a video game by moving the entire con- player component in which various players [email protected] troller itself, allowing for the present collaboratively pursue the goals of the to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this invention’s entirely new approach to game. The device can also enhance multi- link for more information: http:// integrating psychophysiological signals player experiences such as a video game technology.nasa.gov/patent/TB2016/ into game play. tournament, in which the skill set required LAR-TOPS-88.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 55 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Information Technology & Software

The K Development Language NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

raphical modeling tools have gained based on a merge of traditional formal such as classes and collections (sets, lists, Gpopularity within engineering com- specification languages such as Z and and maps). Functions can contain state- munities, but such languages are known VDM, relational graphical formalisms ments with side effects, making K a wide- to suffer from lack of semantics and such as SysML (UML), and modern spectrum development language, allow- mathematical rigor. By supporting a high-level programming languages such ing for high-level specification as well as graphical language with a textual lan- as Scala. The idea is to combine model- low-level programming all within one guage, and mapping graphical models to ing and programming in one language. language. the textual language, one ensures proper The K language provides a capability for The language is tied to visualization unique semantics of the graphical lan- engineers to express their requirements tools, which enable visualization of K guage. In addition, some engineers pre- and designs in one textual modeling lan- models in a SysML style. One purpose of fer to express themselves in textual language. The language is based on basic K is to support analysis of models. K is guages not unlike programming lan- mathematical concepts such as predi- currently connected to a theorem guages. This is in part due to the fact that cate logic and set theory, concepts that prover, which allows formal reasoning it can be unnecessarily time-consuming should be familiar to engineers. The lan- about K models. This includes checking to model graphically, and graphical mod- guage is furthermore object-oriented, consistency of constraints, correctness of els take up a considerable amount of allowing for the definition of classes that functions (against pre/post conditions), visual space. As an example, the defini- can be arranged in a class hierarchy and program synthesis. tion of a function in K may occupy one (inheritance). A class can contain This work was done by Klaus Havelund, line of text, whereas in a graphical mod- named typed fields, functions, and con- Rahul Kumar, Bradley J. Clement, and eling language, it is not uncommon that straints on the fields and the functions. Christopher L. Delp of Caltech for NASA’s Jet such a specification may occupy one The constraints are expressed using Propulsion Laboratory. This software is avail- page. Finally, it is easier to provide analyt- predicate logic. Fields and functions are able for license through the Jet Propulsion ical support for a textual language. defined over a type system, including Laboratory, and you may request a license at: K is more specifically a textual formal- basic types such as integers and https://download.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/request/ ism for representing SysML models. It is Booleans, as well as structured types request_introduction.cfm. NPO-49865

Mission Assurance Systems (MAS) Software Used for Engineering Data Sets Across NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

n the 2006 timeframe NASA’s ically been stored in software, either cus- limit the amount of software develop- IConstellation Program was looking to tom built or off-the-shelf, with a fixed ment required, 2) the Web could support address several issues with the way data schema (a set of fields and values) complex applications for data entry and Problem Reporting data had been col- and process. However, mission needs and search from any location, and 3) hard- lected for the Shuttle Program including processes changed over time, differed ware improvements enabled fast enough multiple systems across groups and cen- between individual missions, and needed browser and server performance to run ters (20+ for Shuttle), inconsistent to support specific local needs within more complex, configurable software. In schemas and processes across systems, larger, more complex missions. Changes 2007, the HCI group deployed difficulty searching within each system, to fixed data schemas required software Constellation PRACA (Problem and lack of ability to search across sys- development. Missions had to invest Reporting Analysis and Corrective tems. The Program’s goal was to deploy money and then wait for developers to Action), the first instance of Mission a single new system to be used across the implement changes in order to adapt the Assurance Systems (MAS), which met the participating groups and centers. The tools to their processes. Without software Program’s goals. Constellation PRACA Ames Human-Computer Interaction development, the tools defined and con- was adopted by KSC, Glenn, Langley, (HCI) group conducted requirements strained mission processes. A new system MSFC, and other groups. Shortly after research into problem reporting across for Constellation would need to support the successful deployment of CxPRACA, NASA missions (Shuttle, ISS, Mars both local variations in process as well as the Constellation Program asked the HCI Exploration Rovers, etc.), centers (JSC, evolve over the mission lifecycle without group to evaluate whether the MAS soft- KSC, MSFC, Langley, Armstrong, etc.), expensive and time-consuming changes ware, with its configurable schema and and external groups (e.g., the Navy’s to code. process, could be used for other data sets: SubSafe Program). By 2006, building software with a con- Hazards, Failure Modes Effects Analyses, The requirements research showed figurable schema and process (workflow) etc. Following additional requirements that problem reports, on-orbit anomalies, had become less expensive: 1) open research, the HCI group deployed three and similar complex data sets had histor- source components were available to additional systems for Constellation.

56 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ In the next few years, the adopted the Constellation systems and Ratterman, Matt Sharpe, Alex Eiser, Ken International Space Station Program, deployed a number of new systems and Ebbs, Guy Pyrzak, and Collin Green of Ames Ames, Human Research Program, integrations between those systems. Research Center; and Matt Guibert, Kristle White Sands Test Facility, and others Currently there are 19 MAS production McCracken, Kevin McMillin, Joe Medwid, deployed additional instances of MAS systems and many integrations between Chris Mueller, Stephen Trahan, Dave for a variety of engineering data sets. those and external systems. MAS is now Luetger, Jill Foley, Matt Johnson, Gary Boal, After the Constellation Program was used at an Agency level with improve- Alan McCreary, Maria Suarez, Anna cancelled in 2011, NASA’s new Human ments to data management in the areas Jacinto, and Jay Grewal of San Jose State Space Flight Program, Exploration of process efficiency (reduced costs) University. This software is available for Systems (Space Launch System, Multi- and data accuracy. use. To request a copy, please visit Purpose Crew Vehicle, and Grounds This work was done by Tina Panontin, https://software.nasa.gov/software/ARC- Systems Development and Operations), Alonso Vera, Irene Tollinger, Christian 16033-1

MATTC Method for Efficient Prediction of Boundary Layer Transition Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

he objective of the current innova- layer instabilities for use in the analysis smooth, or with early separation of the Ttion was to develop a simple but and design of aerodynamic surfaces laminar boundary layer. accurate method for predicting bound- having extensive regions of laminar While the baseline MATTC method ary layer transition that would include flow. The method employs an empiri- with the default coefficients for the TS the growth characteristics of laminar cal model developed using statistical and CF algorithms often gives results boundary layer disturbances while analysis to determine the optimum with sufficient accuracy, the accuracy for requiring only the pressure distribution coefficients in simple physics-based a given case can be improved by recali- over an aerodynamic surface. Other algorithms. brating the coefficients using results existing methods either give only an The key aspect of the MATTC from a higher-fidelity boundary layer sta- estimate of the transition location [and approach is that it provides the details of bility analysis. An auxiliary code for per- only for surfaces where the TS the growth of both TS and CF (cross- forming this recalibration is included in (Tollmien–Schlichting) growth is the flow) disturbances without requiring the MATTC software system. determiner of transition] with no distur- boundary layer velocity or temperature This work was done by Richard Campbell of bance growth characteristics, or require profiles, or integrated quantities from Langley Research Center and Matthew boundary layer information that must these profiles. This makes the method Campbell (independent consultant). NASA is be extracted from a Navier-Stokes flow much faster than existing methods. The seeking partners to further develop this technol- solver or obtained from a separate MATTC approach also tends to be more ogy through joint cooperative research and boundary layer solver. robust than other methods, avoiding development. For more information about this The Modal Amplitude Tracking and issues with boundary layer extraction or technology and to explore opportunities, please Transition Computation (MATTC) running a separate boundary layer contact [email protected]. method is a simple, efficient approach solver that can have problems running if LAR-18096-1 to predicting the growth of boundary the velocity distributions are not

Google Earth Offline Cache Pre-loader v1 (GEOCP) GEOCP gives disaster responders better and more reliable access to information in the field, while minimizing the amount of effort required before deployment. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

oogle Earth is a geospatial browser unavailable). The Google Earth cache is the user specifies a latitude/longitude Gproduced by Google that allows filled as the user interacts with Google box, and a desired height above the interactive exploration of the world Earth (i.e., flying and zooming the inter- ground. GEOCP then commands from data servers on the Internet. An face). The Google Earth Offline Cache Google Earth to view the requested area integral part of Google Earth is a built-in Pre-loader (GEOCP) is a tool that allows in a lawnmower pattern, which has the “cache” that is stored locally on the users to specify a region to cache, and side effect of bringing those areas into user’s computer, and allows the user to controls Google Earth to automatically the Google Earth cache. When finished, later revisit previously viewed regions and systematically fill the Google Earth the user is free to disconnect the net- (even if the network link is disrupted or cache. While connected to the Internet, work and continue to view the area.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 57 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Information Technology & Software

The ability to visit cached places with- need to back up and restore the cache, cationGE.ViewExtents, which allows out Internet access is of particular value particularly when dealing with an inter- the user to select the desired area by to disaster responders. While respon- mittent network connection that might importing the current area Google ders may have good Internet access at accidentally cause a carefully generated Earth is viewing; 2) IApplication- their point of origin, they generally will cache to be partly overwritten. Backing up GE.SetCamera, which allows GEOCP to not have access once they deploy to the and restoring the cache is as simple as instruct Google Earth to travel to a field. Consequently, responders who copying two files, but in practice, this is desired point within the area, just as if wish to use Google Earth in the field error-prone for non-experts. GEOCP lets the user typed the latitude/longitude have to be sure that the Google Earth the user simply back up and restore cache specification in the Fly To box; and 3) cache contains data that they will need. files without the need to navigate folders IApplicationGE.Stream ingProgressPer - The conventional way to do this is to or worry about copying two files at once. centage, which allows GEOCP to wait manually “fly” over the disaster area GEOCP is a Visual Studio applica- until Google Earth has received all the with Google Earth. This approach, how- tion that consists of a graphical user relevant data at that location, just as a ever, is tedious and prone to errors. interface for user interaction and area user does by watching the “Streaming ...” GEOCP seeks to aid disaster responders specification, and utilizes the recently area at the bottom of the Google Earth by automating this process. This both published Google Earth COM API (see screen. decreases the amount of time a respon- http://earth.google.com/comapi/ This work was done by Anne Wright of der must devote to “preparing” Google index.html) to programmatically oper- Perot Systems and Randy Sargent of Earth for deployment, and increases ate Google Earth to visit the specified Carnegie Mellon West for Ames Research the accuracy (and completeness) of the area in the same way as an interactive Center. This software is available for coverage. user would. use. To request a copy, please visit One limitation of Google Earth is that it The primary Google Earth COM https://software.nasa.gov/software/ has a single cache store. Sometimes users APIs utilized by GEOCP are: 1) IAppli - ARC-16089-1

Robustness Analysis and Robust Design of Uncertain Systems Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

methodology was developed for the for a rigorous mathematical treatment systematic search for designs with A analysis and design of systems sub- within the proposed framework. Hard- improved robustness are also proposed. ject to parametric uncertainty in which constraint feasibility is determined by siz- Because the problem formulation is design requirements are specified via ing the largest uncertainty set for which generic, and the tools derived only hard inequality constraints. Hard con- the design requirements are satisfied. require standard optimization algo- straints are those that must be satisfied Assessments of robustness are attained rithms for their implementation, this for all parameter realizations within a by comparing this set with the actual methodology is applicable to a broad given uncertainty model. Uncertainty uncertainty model. These assessments range of engineering problems. models are given by norm-bounded per- do not suffer from the numerical defi- This work was done by Luis G. Crespo of the turbations from a nominal parameter ciencies of sampling-based methods. National Institute of Aerospace and Daniel P. value (i.e., hyperspheres) and by sets of Strategies that enable the comparison of Giesy and Sean P. Kenny of Langley Research independently bounded uncertain vari- the robustness characteristics of compet- Center. This software is available for use. ables (i.e., hyperrectangles). These mod- ing design alternatives, the approxima- To request a copy, please visit https:// els, which are also quite practical, allow tion of the robust design space, and the software.nasa.gov/software/LAR-17855-1

XDB3 Extension for Equality and Relational Operators Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

hile keyword full-text searches section. Traditional relational databases XML indexing and querying systems also Wwork well for textual data, they do allow for rich comparison “relational” are designed with the assumption that not work well for numeric, date, or other operators; for example, one can express content (“CDATA”) is textual or binary more highly structured information. In a query such as “return all rows where data that can be queried against, but not particular, Netmark/XDB could retrieve the signature date is on January 1, 2010.” with relational comparison operators any record where the author contained Netmark/XDB, being primarily targeted like “greater than a value.” “Knight” in the text, but could not return at XML processing and retrieving XML- This invention adds the capability to only those records from Calendar Year structured data, was designed for full-text query, using a suite of additional opera- 2010 that have “Knight” in their author querying to find keywords. Most other tors in the Netmark/XDB query lan-

58 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ guage, based on absolute value of tags This invention adds one or more addi- “data” column. This invention adds a in the XML source. Netmark/XDB, par- tional indexes (“traditional” RDBMS traditional index to the data column, ticularly XDB3, utilizes a relational data- indexes) and possibly additional, type- adds SQL query logic, and adds addi- base as its underlying storage engine, specific columns to the node table so tional operators to the XDB3 query wherein individual XML “nodes” (tags, that queries can be performed using grammar. content) are decomposed into individ- these additional operators in an effi- This work was done by Chris Knight of ual rows of the XDB node table. In stan- cient manner. Ames Research Center. This software is dard XDB3, a full-text index is applied XDB3 stores node data in an internal available for use. To request a copy, please to this node table so that rows can be RDBMS table “xdb_node” with node visit https://software.nasa.gov/software/ retrieved using full-text query terms. data (tag name, content) stored in the ARC-16119-1B

Simulator for a Self-Stabilizing Synchronization Protocol for Arbitrary Digraphs Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

his work was conducted to create a dynamic line chart during simulation. way they are implemented, must be Tmeans of simulating and visualizing Since the protocol itself requires certain carefully weighed as they, from a time the behavior of a self-stabilizing dis- variables to be calculated based on the complexity perspective, can be very tributed clock synchronization proto- properties of an individual graph, the costly operations. col developed at LaRC (Langley project was not simply a translation of The goal of the project was to develop Research Center). The protocol has the protocol’s inner functionality into a working, aesthetically pleasing pro- many applications including projects workable Java code. gram that allows a user to define a graph that directly pertain to work being Many of these variables defined in using a simple interface, and explore done at NASA. Time synchronization the protocol are derived directly from the behavior of the protocol with respect is a critical component of many proj- questions answered by modern Graph to this graph. ects, from computer networking and Theory. For example, the width (W) of This work was done by Mahyar R. distributed systems, to autonomous the graph may be found by solving the Malekpour, Eric Andrew Faurie, and Joel flight. This easy-to-understand inter- All-Pairs Shortest Path problem, and David Gillespie of Langley Research Center. face both displays accurate informa- Loop Length (L) is solved by finding NASA is actively seeking licensees to com- tion concerning the protocol, and con- all cycles within the graph. The simula- mercialize this technology. Please contact veys its utility. tor required many different algorithms [email protected] to The simulator was created using the to be implemented — some well- initiate licensing discussions. Follow this link Java programming language with the aid defined existing algorithms, and others for more information: http://technology. of Java Swing to create the graphical derived for the situation at hand. The nasa.gov/patent/LAR-TOPS-216 user interface, and JChart2D to display a solutions to these problems, and the

Testing Encapsulation of Internet, DTN, and LTP Traffic over AOS Space Data Link Protocol NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

he CCSDS ENCAP Over AOS Over and streaming video) and DTN Bundle The software is written in fairly TUDP software engine encapsulates live Protocol traffic (for large file transfers over portable C, and is principally designed Internet Protocol (IP), DTN Bundle high latency links) over ENCAP over AOS. to act as an ENCAP over AOS data link Protocol (BP), or Licklider Transport This software is useful in testing and layer for the purpose of testing and emu- Protocol (LTP) traffic over a Consul tative emulation scenarios in which Internet lation applications. Committee for Space Data Systems Protocol and Bundle Protocol traffic is This work was done by Richard L. Borgen, (CCSDS)-compliant Encapsulation Ser vice sent over a space link. This software has Michael K. Cheng, and Philip C. Tsao of (ENCAP) running over an Advanced a modest resource footprint (though Caltech; and Sam Nguyen for NASA’s Jet Orbiting Systems (AOS) data link protocol there is room for additional optimiza- Propulsion Laboratory. This software is avail- UDP stream. Many space missions current- tion), and compiles and runs on most able for license through the Jet Propulsion ly use the AOS protocol, and this software UNIX-like environments. This software Laboratory, and you may request a license at: is an implementation of a standard mecha- transmits and receives encapsulated data https://download.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/request/ nism to encapsulate Internet Protocol traf- over a UDP socket instead of writing and request_introduction.cfm. NPO-49986 fic (including interactive Web applications reading to/from a file on disk.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 59 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ New on the MARKET

Product of the Month Tecplot, Bellevue, WA, announced Tecplot 360 EX 2016 Release 2 computational fluid dynamics (CFD) post-processing software with SZL technology. An updated FEA data loader supports data files from Abaqus 6.14, ANSYS 16.2, and CFX 16.2. Another new feature is support for the SpaceMouse 3D navigation device from 3Dconnexion. Features of the new release include triangulation, streamtrace seeding, conditional expressions in equations, Fourier transforms, probe sidebar, custom color maps, animation speed control, and interactive macro debugging. Major user interface upgrades include native Mac and Linux look and feel, and options for appending data. Other enhancements include consistent Export Dialogs with vector and raster image formats, an improved Translate/Magnify Dialog, and various performance improvements. The software supports 64-bit Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-120

Product Focus: Electronic Components

LGA Socket Metal Film Resistors Ironwood Electronics, Eagan, MN, Stackpole Electronics, introduced the CBT-LGA-5012 LGA Raleigh, NC, offers the ASR socket for 1.2-mm-pitch devices. The Series of anti-surge metal film contactor is a stamped spring pin resistors for high-voltage with 31-gram actuation force per pin applications. Working voltage and cycle life of 500,000 insertions. ranges from 1150 to 4000V, The self-inductance of the contactor with overload voltage from 1500 to 5000V. The resistors handle high- is 0.88 nH, insertion loss is <1 dB at 15.7 GHz, and capacitance is 0.097 voltage capacitor discharges from 3KV for the smaller sizes up to pF. The current capacity of each contactor is 4 amps. 10KV for the larger. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-100 For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-103

Schottky Devices Capacitors Littelfuse, Chicago, IL, offers the The low ESR/ESL EIA multi-layer capacitor series from Passive DST Series Schottky barrier rectifiers Plus, Huntington, NY, was developed for high-Q and microwave appli- for use in high-frequency applica- cations. The 0201N has values ranging from 0.1pF to 100pF (25V); tions. The rectifiers offer high junc- the 0402N has values rang- tion temperature capability, low leak- ing from 0.1pF to 33pF age, and ultra-low forward voltage (200V); the 0603N has val- drop that reduces thermal and elec- ues ranging from 0.1pF to trical conduction losses. They provide fast switching for use in very- 100pF (250V); the 0805N high-frequency applications with minimal switching loss. has values ranging from For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-101 0.1pF to 220pF (250V); and the 1111N has values ranging from 0.2pF to 1000pF (500/1000V). Ethernet Kit For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-104 The MicroZed™ Industry 4.0 Ethernet Kit (I4EK) from Avnet, Phoenix, AZ, enables multi-protocol Industrial Ethernet solutions Connectors based on the Xilinx® Zynq®-7000 All TE Connectivity, Berwyn, PA, offers Programmable SoC and Anybus® power double-lock connectors in wire- technology from HMS Industrial to-wire, free-hanging, panel mount, Networks. The kit includes the and wire-to-board configurations that MicroZed 7020 SOM, ISM networking can be used alone by inserting wire-ter- FMC module II, MicroZed FMC carrier, JTAG minated crimp snap-in contacts into HS3 high-speed Xilinx programming cable, microSD the housing. The connector system card, Ethernet and USB cables, 12V power supply, and a quick- consists of plug and cap housings for wire termination, optional dou- start card. ble lock plates, crimp contacts, and PC board pin headers. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-102 For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-105

The U.S. Government does not endorse any commercial product or service identified in this section.

60 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Data Loggers Thread-Locking Gel The OMEGA® OM-CP-TEMP1000IS-A and OM-CP- Resbond™ 907TSG Thread- RHTEMP1000IS-A intrinsically safe data loggers from Locker Gel from Cotronics Corp., OMEGA Engineering, Stamford, CT, feature a 316 Brooklyn, NY, is designed for high- stainless steel enclosure and a docking station for temperature, thermally stable, elec- full communications. Portability allows for place- trically insulating, and chemically ment into hard-to-reach locations. Both data loggers resistant seals up to 2100 ºF. It can be are certified for Class I, Division 1, Groups A, B, C, used on screws, nuts, bolts, pipe and D, and are non-incendive for Class I, Division threads, fittings, fasteners, set screws, 2 Groups A, B, C, D environments. bearings, studs, and bolts. It cures at For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-106 room temperature and is available in three strengths: general purpose, for vibrating applications, and for Wireless Limit Switches filling large gap widths. STEUTE Industrial Controls, Ridgefield, CT, offers wireless, battery- For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-108 less limit switches that feature an internal electrodynamic energy generator. Displacement of the actuator generates power to send a coded Geometric Modeling signal to one or Kubotek USA, Marlborough, MA, more compatible released its KCM geometric modeling receivers. If the kernel for integration into current and limit switch does existing CAD/CAM, ray tracing, robot- not receive the ics, or other 3D modeling applications. confirmation sig- The thread-safe kernel employs mod- nal within 15 ms, ern algorithms and uses multiproces- it transmits a sec- sor technology. The modeler works ond signal. The with data from ACIS®, Parasolid®, and receiver accepts up to 10 discrete signals per channel. Maximum trans- other modelers, regardless of the level mission range is 40 m indoors and 450 m outdoors. Operating temper- of precision of the data, and even if the file formats have not been writ- ature range is -20 to + 65 °C. ten to that format’s exact specifications. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-110 For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-109

MULTIPHYSICS OPTICALLY THICK & THIN FILM RESISTORS MODELING AND CLEAR, UV SIMULATION CURABLE SOFTWARE SYSTEM COMSOL Multiphysics® is an Master Bond UV10TKLO-2 integrated software environ- is an easy to apply adhe- For over 40 years, MSI has been delivering superior ment for creating physics-based sive and sealant compound. It has passed the rigor- quality products. Absolute tolerances starting at models and simulation apps. ous tests to meet low outgassing specifications as 0.01% and TCR’s at ±2 ppm/C. Applications include Add-on products allow the simulation of electrical, per NASA ASTM E-595. This formulation offers medical implantables, military, aerospace, micro - mechanical, fluid flow, and chemical applications. optical clarity, high physical strength properties wave/RF, and telecommunications. Call (508) 695- Interfacing tools enable its integration with major and has outstanding chemical resistance. http:// 0203, visit www.Mini-SystemsInc.com, or e-mail technical computing and CAD tools. Simulation www.masterbond.com/tds/uv10tklo-2 [email protected] experts rely on the COMSOL Server™ product to deploy apps to their colleagues and customers worldwide. https://www.comsol.com/products Master Bond Mini-Systems Inc. COMSOL, Inc. Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-723 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-724 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-725

Become an INSIDER POROUS INTRICATE PARTS Start your free subscription CERAMIC MADE TO ORDER to Tech Briefs’ INSIDER VACUUM Seastrom Manufacturing is e-mail newsletter to keep CHUCK your source for manufactur- pace with the latest tech- ing intricate parts to your nology advances and licens- PhotoMachining of - specifications in our state-of- ing opportunities in aero- fers a porous ceramic the-art facility in Twin Falls, space, electronics, photon- vacuum chuck for use Idaho, USA. In-house engineers are ready to work ics, manufacturing, and with thin films and other flat samples. Pore sizes with you on increasing value and reducing costs. ISO other key fields. under 25 microns assure uniform suction and holding 9001/AS 9100 certified, DFARS, RoHs, REACH and power for even the smallest parts. PhotoMachining NADCAP compliant. See how Seastrom can help at also provides contract laser-manufacturing services, 800-634-2356. http://www.seastrom-mfg.com and designs and builds custom laser-based manufacturing equipment. PhotoMachining, Inc., 4 Industrial Dr., Unit 40, Pelham, NH 03076; Tel: 603-882-9944; Fax: 603-886-8844; [email protected]; Seastrom Mfg. www.techbriefs.com/insider www.photomachining.com PhotoMachining, Inc. Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-726 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-727

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 61 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ NASA’s Technology www.techbriefs.com Transfer Program Publisher ...... Joseph T. Pramberger Editorial Director...... Linda L. Bell Editor, Photonics & Imaging Technology...... Bruce A. Bennett NASA’s R&D efforts produce a robust supply of promising technologies with applications in many indus- Associate Editor ...... Billy Hurley tries. A key mechanism in identifying commercial applications for this technology is NASA’s national net- Managing Editor, Tech Briefs TV ...... Kendra Smith work of laboratories and business support entities. The network includes ten NASA field centers, and Production Editor ...... Lisa Maliniak a full tie-in with the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer. To explore technology Technical Writer...... Nick Lukianoff Production Manager...... Adam Santiago transfer, development, and collaboration opportunities with NASA, visit technology.nasa.gov. Assistant Production Manager...... Kevin Coltrinari Creative Director...... Lois Erlacher Senior Designer...... Ayinde Frederick NASA’s Technology Sources Marketing Director...... Debora Rothwell Marketing Communications Manager ...... Monica Bond Digital Marketing Coordinator ...... Kaitlyn Sommer Audience Development Director...... Marilyn Samuelsen Ames Research Center Kennedy Space Center Audience Development Coordinator ...... Stacey Nelson Selected technological strengths: Information Selected technological strengths: Fluids and Subscription Changes/Cancellations...... [email protected] Technology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology; Fluid Systems; Materials Evaluation; Process Aerospace Operations Systems; Rotorcraft; Engineering; Command, Control, and Monitor NASA tech briefs are provided by the National Aeronautics Thermal Protection Systems. Systems; Range Systems; Environmental and Space Administration, Innovative Partnerships Program: Engineering and Management. Administrator...... Charles F. Bolden, Jr. David Morse Chief Technologist...... David W. Miller David R. Makufka (650) 604-4724 Technology Transfer Program Executive ...... Daniel Lockney [email protected] (321) 867-6227 [email protected] TECH BRIEFS MEDIA GROUP, AN SAE INTERNATIONAL COMPANY Armstrong Flight Research Center 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016 Selected technological strengths: Langley Research Center (212) 490-3999 FAX (646) 829-0800 Aerodynamics; Aeronautics Flight Testing; Selected technological strengths: Chief Executive Officer...... Domenic A. Mucchetti Executive Vice-President...... Luke Schnirring Aeropropulsion; Flight Systems; Thermal Aerodynamics; Flight Systems; Materials; Technology Director ...... Oliver Rockwell Testing; Integrated Systems Test and Structures; Sensors; Measurements; Systems Administrator...... Vlad Gladoun Validation. Information Sciences. Web Developer...... Karina Carter Laura Fobel Kathy Dezern Digital Media Manager...... Peter Bonavita (757) 864-5704 Digital Media Assistant Manager ...... Anel Guerrero (661) 276-3967 Digital Media Assistants...... Peter Weiland, Howard Ng, [email protected] [email protected] Md Jaliluzzaman Digital Media Audience Coordinator ...... Jamil Barrett Glenn Research Center Marshall Space Flight Center Credit/Collection ...... Felecia Lahey Selected technological strengths: Materials; Accounting/Human Resources Manager...... Sylvia Bonilla Selected technological strengths: Office Manager ...... Alfredo Vasquez Aeropropulsion; Communications; Energy Manufacturing; Nondestructive Evaluation; Receptionist...... Elizabeth Brache-Torres Technology; High-Temperature Materials Biotechnology; Space Propulsion; Controls Research. and Dynamics; Structures; Microgravity TECH BRIEFS ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kimberly A. Dalgleish-Miller Processing. MA, NH, ME, VT, RI, Eastern Canada...... Ed Marecki (216) 433-8047 Terry L. Taylor ...... Tatiana Marshall [email protected] (256) 544-5916 ...... (401) 351-0274 [email protected] CT...... Stan Greenfield ...... (203) 938-2418 Goddard Space Flight Center Stennis Space Center NJ, PA, DE...... John Murray Selected technological strengths: Earth and ...... (973) 409-4685 Planetary Science Missions; LIDAR; Cryogenic Selected technological strengths: Propulsion Southeast, TX ...... Ray Tompkins Systems; Tracking; Telemetry; Remote Systems; Test/Monitoring; Remote Sensing; ...... (281) 313-1004 Sensing; Command. Nonintrusive Instrumentation. NY, OH...... Ryan Beckman Duane Armstrong ...... (973) 409-4687 Nona Cheeks MI, IN, WI ...... Chris Kennedy (301) 286-5810 (228) 688-2180 [email protected] ...... (847) 498-4520 ext. 3008 [email protected] MN, ND, SD, IL, KY, MO, KS, IA, NE, Central Canada...... Bob Casey ...... (847) 223-5225 Jet Propulsion Laboratory Northwest, N. Calif., Western Canada...... Craig Pitcher Selected technological strengths: Near/Deep- NASA HEADQUARTERS (408) 778-0300 Space Mission Engineering; Microspacecraft; CO, UT, MT, WY, ID, NM...... Tim Powers ...... (973) 409-4762 Space Communications; Information Systems; Daniel Lockney, Technology Transfer Program Executive S. Calif., AZ, NV ...... Tom Boris Remote Sensing; Robotics...... (949) 715-7779 (202) 358-2037 Dan Broderick Europe — Central & Eastern ...... Sven Anacker (818) 354-1314 [email protected] ...... 49-202-27169-11 [email protected] Joseph Heeg Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & 49-621-841-5702 Johnson Space Center Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Europe — Western ...... Chris Shaw Programs ...... 44-1270-522130 Selected technological strengths: Artificial 886-4-2329-7318 Intelligence and Human Computer Interface; Rich Leshner, Program Executive Integrated Media Consultants...... Patrick Harvey Life Sciences; Human Space Flight Operations; (202) 358-4920 ...... (973) 409-4686 Avionics; Sensors; Communications. [email protected] Angelo Danza John E. James ...... (973) 874-0271 Scott Williams (281) 483-3809 ...... (973) 545-2464 [email protected] Rick Rosenberg ...... (973) 545-2565 Todd Holtz ...... (973) 545-2566 Reprints ...... Rhonda Brown ...... (866) 879-9144, x194

62 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ For free product literature, enter advertisers’ reader service numbers at www.techbriefs.com/rs, or visit the Web site listed beneath their ad in this issue. Advertisers Advertisers listed in bold-face type have banner ads on the NASA Tech Briefs Index Web site — www.techbriefs.com Reader Service Reader Service Company Number Page Company Number Page

AllMotion, Inc...... 719 ...... 39 Seastrom Mfg...... 727 ...... 61

ARM Ltd...... 722 ...... 35 Stanford Research Systems, Inc...... 713 ...... 21

ATI Industrial Automation ...... 704 ...... 4 Tech Briefs TV...... 41

AutomationDirect ...... 703 ...... 3

Centritec Seals — A Carlyle Johnson Company ...... 708 ...... 10 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Century Spring - MW Industries ...... 718 ...... 33 Admesy BV ...... 778 ...... 2

COMSOL, Inc...... 710, 723 ...... 13, 61 Aerotech, Inc...... 782...... COV IV

Concept Group, Inc...... 717 ...... 31 Alluxa, Inc...... 772 ...... 15

Digi-Key Electronics...... 701...... COV I, COV II Buhler Inc...... 771 ...... COV II

Dymax Corporation...... 705 ...... 5 Data Image Corp. USA ...... 780 ...... 17

Imagineering, Inc...... 702 ...... 1 Edmund Optics ...... 776 ...... 9

Keysight Technologies ...... 706, 712 ...... 7, 19 Hamamatsu Products ...... 774 ...... 5

Master Bond Inc...... 720, 724 ...... 43, 61 Master Bond ...... 779, 781 ...... 2, 20

Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH...... 716 ...... 29 Photon Engineering ...... 773 ...... 3

Mini-Systems, Inc...... 725 ...... 61 PI (Physik Instrumente) LP ...... 777 ...... 13

National Instruments ...... 729...... COV IV Tech Briefs TV ...... 21

National Reconnaissance Office...... 711 ...... 17 TRIOPTICS GmbH ...... 775 ...... 6

Newcomb Spring Corporation...... 721 ...... 43

Omega Engineering ...... 715 ...... 23 Supplement to NASA Tech Briefs: 2

NASA Tech Briefs, ISSN 0145-319X, USPS 750-070, copyright © 2016 in U.S. is published monthly by Tech Briefs Media Group, an SAE International Company, 261 Fifth Avenue, PhotoMachining, Inc...... 726 ...... 61 Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. The copyright information does not include the (U.S. rights to) individual tech briefs that are supplied by NASA. Editorial, sales, production, and circulation offices at 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Subscription Proto Labs, Inc...... 707 ...... 9 for non-qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, $75.00 for 1 year. Single copies $6.25. Foreign subscriptions one-year U.S. Funds $195.00. Digital Copies, $24.00 for 1 year subscription. Remit by check, draft, postal, express orders or VISA, MasterCard, and Renishaw Inc...... 709 ...... 11 American Express. Other remittances at sender’s risk. Address all communications for subscriptions or circulation to NASA Tech Briefs, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. SAE International ...... 728 ...... 25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes and cancellations to NASA Tech Briefs, P.O. Box 47857, Plymouth, MN 55447.

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 www.techbriefs.com 63 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, SPINOFF computer technology, and environmental resources. Primer Stops Corrosion Without Requiring Rust Removal Coating used on launch pads protects bridges, condominiums, and other structures from corrosion.

n the mid-1990s, Surtreat Holding I LLC, based in Pittsburgh, PA, developed two corrosion inhibitors that worked by chemical means, and were designed to be applied to the surface of concrete, where they would migrate to the steel rebar inside. By 1996, the for- mulas still had not been formally tested and validated. Meanwhile, of all the concrete in all of NASA’s field centers, probably none has it harder than that in the structures at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Not only is the seaside campus constantly bathed in damp, salty air, but some of its concrete is in and around the Cape Canaveral launch pad, where rocket boosters blast it with white heat, hydrochloric acid, and other hazards, while it’s simultaneously sprayed with water for cooling. For A worker applies Surtreat's volatile corrosion inhibitor, which was validated through testing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, to bare, rusty steel rebar on a bridge over the New Jersey Turnpike. these reasons, in February 1996, The company has now created an epoxy primer that also can be applied directly to rusted steel to Kennedy entered into a Space Act inhibit further corrosion. Agreement with Surtreat to test its products. One of the products validat- During testing, Curran applied a other reinforced concrete structures at the ed during those tests has now led to a number of different manufacturers’ space center. Other private contractors new epoxy primer that can be applied inhibitor products to several reinforced used the Surtreat product to treat beach- directly to clean or rusty steel to stop concrete “coupons,” and assessed them side condominium balconies and other corrosion. by three different methods. Salt-fog structures in the Central Florida area. The Kennedy spends considerable chamber testing subjected them to a products went on to be used on bridges, money on corrosion prevention, said measured chloride concentration at a parking garages, military installations, Joe Curran, a NASA-contracted corro- set frequency of salty fog for a set dura- power plants, condominiums, and other sion engineer at Kennedy who now tion. Another test used a technique structures across the country and abroad. does similar work for the Air Force at called electrochemical impedance spec- In a 2007 partnership with the U.S. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. “If troscopy to measure the rebar’s resis- Army Corps of Engineers, Surtreat exper- there’s a less expensive way to do it, tance to corrosive current flow. imented with applying its products direct- you should think about doing that.” He also employed the American Society ly to the surface of corroded steel at two Rusting occurs as iron, the main ingre- for Testing and Materials’ widely used military installations in Okinawa, Japan. dient in steel, loses electrons. Saltwater, method for determining the effects of The work was successful, and in 2010, the which is highly conductive, accelerates chemical admixtures on the corrosion of Corps of Engineers commissioned the this process. As rebar rusts, it expands, rebar in concrete. Curran waited until cor- company to develop a pigmented epoxy breaking up the concrete surrounding it. rosion was taking place in the salt-laden primer that could be applied to rusty One of Surtreat’s early solutions was test blocks, then treated them with corro- steel to inhibit corrosion. Surtreat ended an inorganic compound whose ions sion inhibitors. After a period of time, he up using an organic compound similar to would readily migrate through the measured the macro-corrosion currents the one that had been tested at Kennedy, concrete to the steel to form a corro- between the rods of rebar, and deter- known as a volatile corrosion inhibitor sion-resistant surface. The other was mined that corrosion rates were reduced. (VCI), whose vapor would migrate an organic compound whose vapor Of the several corrosion inhibitors test- through the rust to the steel surface and would pass through the pores and ed, Surtreat’s vapor-migrating inhibitor form a protective film. cracks in the concrete and form a pro- was a top performer, and was subsequently Visit http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2016/ tective film on the steel surface. used on Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A and ps_8.html

64 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Upcoming... Webinars Build and Deploy Simulation Apps for Heat Transfer Analysis Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT

Heat transfer, including multiphysics phenomena such as Joule heating and thermal expansion, is fundamental to the design of reliable products and systems. Through modeling and simulation, gain a better understanding of how temperature changes impact the performance of a device or process. This Webinar features a live demo showing how to model a heat transfer problem as well as build and deploy an app in COMSOL Multiphysics® and COMSOL Server™ products. Speakers: Nicolas Huc Lexi Carver This 60-minute Webinar includes: Product Manager, Technical Marketing Engineer, • Live Q&A session Heat Transfer Module, COMSOL • Application Demo COMSOL • Access to archived event on demand

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar362

Smart Enclosures using RFID for Inventory Management Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT

Automating the tracking of a collection of items represents a major industrial hurdle due to both tag size and cost. NASA Johnson Space Center has developed a method for tracking collections of items in a smart container using radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags with a high level of read accuracy. With this method, more item-level tags are successfully identified compared to approaches in which the items are radiated by an incident plane wave.

Speaker: Dr. Patrick Fink Chief Technologist, Wireless This 60-minute Webinar includes: Communication Systems Branch, • Live Q&A session Johnson Space Center • Application Demo

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar363

Available On Demand! Best Practices for LED Lens Design

This Webinar presents techniques to design LED lenses for multiple applications. Three different lens solutions are shown; the design of a standard TIR lens, side emitting lens, and free form lens for streetlamp design. The presenter also demonstrates the workflow for each application.

Speaker: Michael Gauvin This 30-minute Webinar includes: Vice President, Sales and • Live Q&A session Marketing, • Application Demo Lambda Research Corporation • Access to archived event on demand

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar299 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ SMART DEVICES REQUIRE SMARTER AUTOMATED TEST SYSTEMS

Prepare for the future at ni.com/smarter-test

NI PXI, LabVIEW, and TestStand

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-729 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ July 2016

Algorithm Helps Lunar Rover Move Through Clutter

Using Optical Simulation Tools to Design 3D Printers

NASA’s Infrared Sensor Spots Near-Earth Asteroids

Ground Tactical Vision Comes Full-Circle

Supplement to NASA Tech Briefs ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ CONTENTS

FEATURES 16 Characterizing Richness of Previously Unmapped Terrain and Estimating its Impact on Navigation Performance 1 Imaging Sensors Using 3D Range Sensors in Flight 1 NASA’s Infrared Sensor Spots Near-Earth Asteroids 17 Large-Area, Polarization-Sensitive Bolometer for Multi- Mode Optics 4 Optical Software 18 A Novel Orbiting Cloud Imager System for IR/UV/X-Ray 4 Using Optical Simulation Tools to Design 3D Printers Bands 7 Microscopy 7 Advanced Digital Microscopes: Providing Simple Solutions to Common Microscopy Issues Departments 10 Application Briefs 19 New Products 10 Algorithm Helps Lunar Rover Move Through Clutter 11 Ground Tactical Vision Comes Full-Circle 14 Tech Briefs On the Cover

14 Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor Carnegie Mellon University's Home Exploring Robot 14 Micro Cylindrical Ion Trap Micro Mass Spectrometer Butler (HERB), a 4-foot, 6-inch tall, 400-pound machine, is designed to assist in household tasks like Instrument System opening doors and retrieving milk from the refrigera- 15 A Smooth-Walled Feedhorn with Sub-30-dB Cross- tor. The same insight that allows a robot to reconfig- Polarization Over a 30-Percent Bandwidth ure the items in a refrigerator, however, can be transferred to rover navigation. Learn how an algorithm 16 Partially Transparent Circular Mask to Suppress from Carnegie Mellon could support NASA’s K-Rex Narrowband Laser Light lunar rover as it navigates through clutter on the surface of the Moon. See page 10 for details. (Image Credit: Carnegie Mellon University)

Leybold Optics HELIOS Sputtering System for Precision Optics and Optoelectronics

The Leybold Optics group of Bühler is is a leading provider of machinery and vacuum coating processes for precision optical components and filters for optics and optoelectronics. Bühler is represented in over 140 countries with more than 10,000 employees worldwide,worldwide ,with with over 700 in North America.

The HELIOS series is is a a high-precision,high-precision, high-yield platform for demanding optical filters. HELIOS is optimized for maximum repeatablity, throughput, and productivity:

-PARMS process technology for precise control of very thin layers at atomic scalescale - Extremely high process stability - Benchmark setting laser coating performance - 3-station cassette load locklock. for for highest highest productivity

Bühler Inc - 539 James Jackson Ave. Cary North Carolina 27513 USA

II Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -771 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ NASA’s Infrared Sensor Spots Near-Earth Asteroids

he Near-Earth Object Camera have high operability and exceed Space Telescope missions use them, T (NEOCam) is part of a proposed NEOCam’s requirements. among others. The wavelength of light NASA mission to find potentially that the HgCdTe detector layer senses hazardous asteroids. In a Q&A with P&IT: What are the strengths of depends on the ratio of Hg to Cd in the Photonics & Imaging Technology, NEOCam HgCdTe? material. For NEOCam, we have modi- principal investi - fied the ratio slightly so that the detec- ga tor Amy Mainzer Mainzer: Traditionally, detectors oper- tors are sensitive to 10-micron infrared ex plains how the ating at longer infrared wavelengths have light, because this is the wavelength at NEOCam chip, a had to be kept extremely cold to work which Earth-approaching asteroids are stamp-sized meg - with low noise — close to 7-8 Kelvin. But particularly bright. a pixel in frared HgCdTe arrays do not need to be brought sensor, detects the to such cold temperatures to operate. The P&IT: What is the NEOCam designed faint heat emit- NEOCam arrays operate between 35-40 to track? Amy Mainzer, Research ted by near-Earth Kelvin, temperatures that are achievable Scientist and NEOCam Principal Investigator, Jet objects circling through passively sitting in cold space Mainzer: NEOCam is optimized for Propulsion Laboratory the Sun. with an appropriately designed thermal finding, tracking, and characterizing shielding system. This warmer operating Earth-approaching asteroids, termed Photonics & Imaging Technology: point reduces complexity and cost, and near-Earth objects (NEOs). Because What is NEOCam? increases mission lifetime. NEOs in Earth-like orbits tend to spend much of their time at similar distances to Amy Mainzer: NEOCam is designed P&IT: How was the infrared sensor the Sun as the Earth, they are roughly to carry out a comprehensive survey of modified from the existing sensor? room temperature (300 Kelvin). The the asteroids and comets in the inner Planck equation therefore dictates that solar system in an effort to understand Mainzer: The infrared sensor we use much of the energy they absorb from the their origins, evolution, and frequency has a light-sensitive detector layer made Sun is reradiated at approximately 10 with which they interact with Earth. of HgCdTe bonded to a Teledyne microns. This is why it’s so important to NEOCam is an infrared space telescope HAWAII readout integrated circuit. have a detector capable of working at located at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange Teledyne HAWAII arrays are widely used these wavelengths — the asteroids are point, which is a semi-stable region of in astronomy applications on the ground very bright around 10 microns. By survey- space about five lunar distances away and in space; the Wide-field Infrared ing with infrared light, we are sensitive to from Earth. By using a very-wide-angle Survey Explorer (WISE), Orbiting Car - asteroids regardless of whether they are imager operating at infrared wave- bon Observatory 2 (OCO-2), and Hubble highly reflective or extremely dark. lengths, NEOCam quickly and efficiently discovers and tracks asteroids and comets. In addition, it measures their sizes and reflectivities, allowing us to probe how they migrate through the solar system.

P&IT: What kind of sensor does the NEOCam use?

Mainzer: The “breakthrough” that NEOCam relies on is a modification of an existing infrared sensor technology. NEOCam uses mercury-cadmium-tel- luride (HgCdTe) camera chips that have been optimized to respond to the long infrared wavelengths at which the asteroids and comets are brightest. Thanks to NASA’s investments in this long-wavelength HgCdTe technology, we have been able to produce megapixel versions of these camera chips that The NEOCam sensor (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Teledyne)

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 1 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ NASA’s Infrared Sensor

This graphic shows asteroids and comets observed by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission. Orbits of Mercury, Venus, and Mars are shown in dark blue. Earth’s orbit is shown as teal. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/JHU)

P&IT: What are the specific characteristics of asteroids and comets that the sensor finds?

Mainzer: Asteroids and comets stand out brightly at infrared wavelengths due to their temperatures. We leverage this, plus the fact that they move, to pick them out from background sources such as stars and galaxies, and other transient sources such as cosmic rays.

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-778 P&IT: How do you ensure accurate detection of an asteroid?

Mainzer: To reliably detect an asteroid, we need to see repeated observations of it that are consistent with orbital motion. We also carefully characterize the cosmic rays and other image artifacts in the instrument, and we use visual inspections. This process is possible because we send back the entire image captured by the detectors. That allows us to apply finely-tuned software to pick out very faint moving objects. NEOCam is also designed to detect the dust and gas emitted by comets. This allows us to track their history of activity and probe the types and amounts of ices present.

P&IT: What are the challenges of sensing asteroids and comets?

Mainzer: Generally, the objects we seek are faint and spend much of their time in parts of the sky that are close to the Sun, since they are scattered around Earth’s orbit. So we need to be able to search a large area of the sky with great sensitivity. The observational cadence is key for detecting the objects reliably and determining their orbits. The repeated observations are essential for picking them out from the background and for predicting where they are going to go. Fortunately, our team has had extensive experience at finding asteroids and comets with the WISE/NEOWISE mission. We have learned a lot about using a space-based infrared telescope to discover many objects quickly. We’ve discovered about 34,000 new asteroids (including about 200 NEOs) to date with this [WISE/NEOWISE] mission. While most of these are in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, WISE/NEOWISE serves as a prototype for NEOCam, which is a much more capable mission with regards to asteroid discovery.

2 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -77 9 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ P&IT: Is the NEOCam purely theoret- ets? By finding, characterizing, and track- P&IT: What other opportunities are ical right now? What has been devel- ing millions of asteroids, NEOCam is possible with the NEOCam and its oped and tested? designed to address these questions. The sensor? mission is optimized to respond to the Mainzer: NEOCam is in the second step goal set to NASA by Congress to find and Mainzer: We are currently working on of a two-part NASA competition. The pro- track most of the NEOs large enough to extending the wavelength of these low- posal we are working on now is due August pose a severe regional hazard. noise detectors out to 13 microns, and 15, 2016. NASA plans to select at least one we have had some encouraging results so mission for flight from this competition. If P&IT: What is exciting to you about far. The 10-micron arrays are perfect for selected, NEOCam would launch in 2021, this kind of technology? NEOCam, but other astronomy and depending on the schedule NASA prefers. planetary science missions can use even Our team has been working on Mainzer: Our team, which is a partner- longer wavelengths, for example to NEOCam for over a decade. We not only ship between the University of Rochester, detect molecules in exoplanet atmos- have a mature spacecraft and mission Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and pheres that are otherwise unobservable. design, but we also have designed, tested, Teledyne, has been steadily working away I’m glad NASA is investing in advancing and delivered a number of detectors that at maturing the 10-micron HgCdTe arrays detector technology, since detectors are exceed NEOCam’s mission requirements. for over a decade. I have always loved lab the heart of any observatory, whether on work, and it’s been extremely satisfying to the ground or in space. P&IT: Why is it so important to track work with our team to produce these NEOCam is managed by the Jet Propulsion asteroids and comets? arrays. In 2010, NASA awarded us funding Laboratory. NEOCam’s partners include the to mature the detectors, and we’ve been Infrared Processing and Analysis Center Mainzer: Our solar system is teeming able to make detectors that exceed (IPAC) of the California Institute of with asteroids and comets. I’m personally NEOCam’s requirements. It’s quite likely Technology, in Pasadena, California; the fascinated by basic questions about that they will be useful for other applica- Space Dynamics Laboratory, in Logan, Utah; them: how many are there, and where do tions in astronomy and planetary science, Ball Aerospace of Boulder, Colorado; and they come from? How long have they since they have very low noise and yet still Teledyne Imaging Sensors of Thousand Oaks, occupied their present states? How often operate at 35-40 Kelvin — temperatures California. For more information about aster- and with what energy do they encounter that sound cold but are warm by cryo- oids and near-Earth objects, visit the Earth and the other terrestrial plan- genic physics standards. www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch.

Coherent beam propagation Get the right result when FRED Stray light analysis software is part of the equation. Illumination and non-imaging optical design FRED® – Photon Engineering’s leading optical engineering Imaging system analysis software – works seamlessly with your optical design and CAD Multi-wavelength software to achieve your ﬁnal results quickly and accurately. characterization Find out why major universities, national labs, and government and Thermal imagery aerospace organizations around the world depend on FRED to play an integral role in their scientiﬁc and engineering projects. There’s never been a better time to add FRED® software to the equation.

520.733.9557 | 310 S. Williams Blvd., Suite 222 | Tucson, AZ 85711 www.photonengr.com

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -77 3 3 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Using Optical Simulation Tools to Design 3D Printers

igh-definition digital projectors Hbased on Texas Instruments’ DLP® technology are widely known for being used in more than 90% of the world’s digital movie theaters. However, DLP chips are being selected increasingly by design engineers for use in industrial applications, including 3D printers that project violet or UV light to expose a high-resolution pattern in light-curable resin. While 3D printing technology is rapidly revolutionizing how designers are producing prototypes and finished products, the quality and speed have not yet eclipsed traditionally molded or machined parts. This article will focus on how a team of optical and mechanical engineers were able to develop high- resolution DLP projection engines for 3D printers. Figure 1 - LED Video Projector Design (courtesy of Texas Instruments)

DLP Projection Engines off-the-shelf LED packages are available Designing Turnkey Optical Objects that are produced using DLP- or a custom package can be designed Systems based 3D printers have smoother sur- and manufactured. In addition to From the beginning of the project, faces and have more complex features matching the size of the LED to the this projection engine design was than those produced by selectively plac- DMD, it is important to consider the focused on the construction and modu- ing down layers of melted plastic from a mechanical configuration of the LED larity of the system so that it can be used nozzle, also known as FDM (Fused package, the output and efficiency of for the DLP-based 3D printers, as well as Deposition Modeling). Similar to the the LED, the thermal management of to project structured light patterns that conventional laser stereolithography the LED package, and the ability to effi- can be used for industrial or medical 3D method, DLP 3D printers require a reac- ciently capture the light from the LED. scanning applications. tive resin that must be turned into a solid With DLP-based 3D printing, the Being part of Texas Instruments’ DLP through the use of some type of curing, intensity of the light has a direct correla- Design Network enables Greenlight’s in this case violet or near UV light. tion to the speed of print and quality of optics designers to access the develop- To achieve high brightness and high the final product. Therefore, engineers ment tools and the latest DMDs to accel- resolution, the projection engine within designed the optical system with a low f- erate their projects. The projection the printer must be capable of produc- number to enable a larger light source engine from Greenlight Optics shown in ing a sharp, uniform projected image and higher energy output, while allow- Figure 2 includes the Texas Instruments with sufficient energy to harden the ing the optical components to correct DLP6500 featuring 2,073,600 highly material at a reasonable rate. Greenlight for aberrations that can occur at the reflective digitally switched 7.6μ works with a 3D Printer OEM to select selected aperture size. micromirrors for a resolution of 1920 x the most appropriate DLP chipset (also A system with a low f-number can be 1080 square pixels. called a DMD or digital micromirror challenging to design and manufacture However, just having access to these device), depending on the desired print since the DMD can only accept certain chips isn’t enough. Optical engineers area, activation wavelength, required angles of light and large aperture projec- need to understand how to apply these resolution, and printer cost target. tion optics require advanced design to tools to their lens and optics designs. The projection engine starts with one control aberrations. Similarly, LEDs emit In today’s world where time-to-market or more high-output LED arrays or large light at very large angles, requiring a sig- is paramount, that means leveraging LED chips. The LEDs are configured in nificant amount of stray light correction optical simulation tools to ensure prod- a rectangular pattern in order to match in order to maximize the light collected. ucts can meet performance criteria the étendue of the DMD chip and the The projection engine example used for prior to manufacture. optical system. A growing number of vio- this article features output of greater The design engineers use several soft- let (405nm) and UVA (350nm-400nm) than 1 watt of optical power. ware tools to model and simulate their

4 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ designs. For illumination and optical Using Monte-Carlo analysis and engineering, TracePro from Lambda other techniques, manufacturing tol- Research Corporation was used to simu- erances and environmental conditions late the complete system – from the LED are considered during the optical array to the DMD and out of the projec- design stage to ensure that designs are tion lens. By accurately modeling the manufacturable and designs will per- light from the source to the projection form under real conditions. Stray light plane, the optical designer follows an simulation helps to improve contrast iterative process to create a design simul- and provides the mechanical engi- taneously achieving high efficiency and neers with critical information to com- high uniformity. This is particularly plete the opto-mechanical design. important for industrial 3D printing The optical designer uses TracePro where layers in the resin must cure at to model the complete opto-mechani- the same rate and with small variations cal system. The designer adds optical in layer thickness. Identifying issues that properties to all the components, and Figure 2. DMD micromirrors in both On and Off may cause a lack of uniformity are easier then employs TracePro’s RepTile sur- states as modeled in TracePro. to resolve in a software simulation rather face property to model thousands of than trial-and-error prototyping. micro-mirrors. The Reptile algorithm set up the DMD “ON” and “Off” states, The optical engineer responsible for in TracePro does not create actual TracePro includes a DMD texture gen- integrating the LED array into the system CAD geometry, it creates the DMD sur- erator that loads BMP, and JPG files had to take into account the challenges faces on the fly when a ray intersects and correctly sets the mirrors states to posed with that light source, such as toler- the base surface the DMD is based generate the image loaded. Figure 3 ance, stray light, optics material selection, upon, eliminating the need to create shows the DMD texture generator design for manufacturing, and opto- enormous CAD files that significantly menu dialog to create the TracePro mechanical alignment and testing. This reduce analysis time. Surface proper- logo ready for raytracing as a RepTile was done by modeling the optical system ties are then added to both the mirror property. performance across a range of working surface and the surface below the mir- At this point, the designer raytraces parameters to ensure that the system will ror array to create a more realistic rep- the full system with the textured DMD perform as required. resentation of the DMD. To correctly in place. It is now a simple matter of

Discover THEPossibilities

QSilicon photomultipliers QScientific CMOS cameras QMicro PMT and other PMTs QBoard cameras for OEMs QDistance sensors QSpectrometers QSmart sensors QQuantum cascade lasers QImage sensors QUV light sources QInfrared detectors

Learn more at www.hamamatsu.com or call USA 1-800-524-0504

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -77 4 5 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Using Optical Simulation To o ls using the program’s “Visual Ray Prototyping and Sorting”, “Path Sort Table” and Commercialization Irradiance Map capabilities to With the initial optical and look for sources of ghosting and mechanical design completed stray light in the systems. With with the aid of software, it is still a specific “On/Off” textures set, critical step to prototype the pro- the designer can look both visual- jection engine prior to produc- ly and quantitatively for ghosts or tion. Using its in-house glass and stray light problems inherent in plastic optics fabrication, mount the design on any surface or area machining, assembly and align- using these capabilities. ment, and testing capabilities, The “Visual Ray Sorting” capa- Greenlight is able to quickly bility allows the designer to visual- build and test the prototype pro- ly sort rays based on absorbed, jection engine. Results of the pro- specular, and scattered criteria, as totyping are analyzed by the engi- well as by flux percentage for neering team and an iterated each source in the system. The production optical and mechani- “Path Sort Table” capability cre- cal design is created using the ates a spreadsheet of different same software tools used in the paths that each set of rays can prototype design. take to reach the selected surface This article was written by in the model tree. Each path is Figure 3. DMD Texture Generator showing the TracePro logo setup. Michael O’Keefe, Managing Partner, broken down in terms of number Greenlight Optics (Loveland, OH) of surfaces intersected, power con- contributed for that path, all on screen and Michael Gauvin, VP Sales & tributed, and the path taken surface by at one time. This type of analysis gives Marketing, Lambda Research (Littleton, surface. This path sort table can be insight to the designer to properly MA). For more information, contact Mr. used in conjunction with the system place baffles and optical edge shapes to O’Keefe at [email protected], model viewer to visually show the rays minimize stray light and reduce ghosts Mr. Gauvin at [email protected] or for each selected path and the power to acceptable levels. visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-201.

Products/Services Offered:

TRIOPTICS has the largest spectrum of optical measurement technology and supply test systems for R&D and Production for TRIOPTICS GmbH every manufacturing step in optics: From a system for refrac- Hafenstrasse 35-39 tive index measurement, via various lens test systems with an 22880 Wedel autocollimator as measurement head, up to MTF test systems Germany and camera module testers, we can supply the appropriate opti- Phone: +49 4103 18006-0 cal measurement system for every process step. Fax: +49 4103 18006-20 www.trioptics.com

Company Description:

TRIOPTICS has successfully applied its competence in optical measurement technology to develop and market different systems for the active alignment and assembly of lenses and camera modules. This is the key for automated production systems which result in a combination of both: aligning and measuring.

Target Markets:

Test & Alignment Equipment for Optics in R&D and Production: (Automotive Industry, Mobile Phone Cameras, Defense and Security, Aerospace, Microlithography) www.trioptics.com

6 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-775 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Advanced Digital Microscopes Providing Simple Solutions to Common Microscopy Issues

hanks to a combination of high-qual- Issue 1: Specific Details Need to conduct a clear observation (Figure 1A). ity optics and advanced digital imag- be Seen on Challenging Samples. To eliminate this glare, illumination Ting technology, today’s newest digital In many imaging cases, a sample with needs to be carefully adjusted, which microscopes provide efficient solutions to a low contrast cannot be clearly observed. can require considerable time and may variety of common microscope challenges Even after enlargement, it can be diffi- still not produce satisfactory results. faced by users of conventional optical and cult to clearly observe sample surface digital microscopes. The following repre- conditions with low reflective difference Solution: Optimized Digital Imaging sent 10 conventional microscope issues and low contrast. In other instances, Processing and 10 solutions made possible with cur- glare caused by halation can disturb the The advanced digital image processing rent digital microscope technology. sample surface, making it difficult to used by today’s digital microscopes allows clear observation of surface conditions that are normally difficult to observe using an optical microscope. For example, the HDR (High Dynamic Range) function offered by modern digital microscopes such as the Olympus DSX series combines several images taken at different exposures, enabling optimal observation, even with low-contrast images (Figure 1B). With HDR, samples that previously may have required multiple pieces of equipment for precise observation can be clearly observed with a single system. The DSX also eliminates glare with WiDER, a proprietary image process- Figure 1B. Using a digital microscope, a live image ing system that takes care of high-contrast Figure 1A. When performing inspection with a can be displayed using HDR observation to com- traditional microscope, it is often impossible to bine multiple images with different exposure problems with one simple click. WiDER image the inner pattern of the circuit board. times. (Image created using the Olympus DSX510) works effectively with live images without requiring troublesome adjustments to illumination.

Issue 2: A Large Sample Area Needs to be Observed in High Resolution. With conventional microscopes, it is difficult to view an entire sample at high resolution. As magnification is increased, the observation field becomes narrower, and it becomes very hard to obtain an overall image of the sample.

Solution: Panoramic Imaging With new digital microscope technology, nothing is “outside the field of view.” With panoramic imaging, today’s latest digital microscopes can automatically stitch images into one seamless view by moving the stage, obtaining high resolution across all image areas, even with large samples. Where conventional micro- Figure 2. 3D image of surface capacitor. (Image created using the Olympus DSX510) scopes reduce field area with increases in

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 7 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Advanced Digital Microscopes

Figure 3A. MEMS device image made with bright- Figure 3B. MEMS device image made with darkfield Figure 3C. MEMS device image made with MIX field observation mode. (Image created using the observation mode. (Image created using the (brightfield plus darkfield) observation mode. Olympus DSX510) Olympus DSX510) (Image created using the Olympus DSX510)

can also be measured, making it easier to obtain accurate sample analysis.

Issue 5: Operators with Varying Skill Levels Need to Perform Similar Tasks. With traditional optical microscopes, switching between observation modes can mean a sequence of complicated operations and adjustments. Without the right level of expertise, it can be challenging to ascertain the image characteristics one needs for the task at hand. Changing observation modes often requires the adjustment of aper- Figure 3D. MEMS device image made with DIC Figure 3E. MEMS device image made with PO observation mode. (Image created using the observation mode. (Image created using the ture stop and illumination, the insertion Olympus DSX510) Olympus DSX510) of special filters, and more. magnification, panoramic imaging main- or down, maintaining focus across the Solution: One-Click Observation tains the original field while delivering entire sample surface area and Modes close-up clarity—in 2D, 3D, extended allowing precise inspection of uneven With one simple click, today’s digital focus, or any combination of the three. surfaces. microscopes let any operator—regardless of skill level—choose the observation mode Issue 3: All Areas of an Uneven Issue 4: Sample Features Need to that’s ideal for their application. All a user Surface Need to be in Focus at be Determined, Characterized, has to do is select their optimal image from the Same Time. and Measured in 3D. a list of captured image choices, and obser- With conventional microscopes, it is With an optical microscope’s plain vation mode is adjusted based on that selec- sometimes only possible to achieve view observation, it is difficult to deter- tion. This means that any operator, from clear focus on part of a sample that has mine the exact features of a dimensional beginner to expert, can conduct the same an uneven surface. Due to limitation of sample based on a 2D image. In some types of high-level observation. depth of focus, the more the operator cases, the operator has no choice but to increases the magnification, the shal- make their best guess as to height differ- Issue 6: Reproducible lower the depth of focus can become, ences in a sample or whether sample Measurements Are Needed from making it more difficult to achieve unevenness is concave or convex. Multiple Operators. clear focus on the entire sample. With conventional microscopes that Solution: 3D Imaging require many adjustments and settings, Solution: EFI (Extended Focal Image) With one click, today’s digital micro- it can be difficult for multiple operators With EFI (Extended Focal Image) scopes can image a sample in three dimen- to conduct observations under identi- capability, microscopes like the DSX sions, allowing examination from any cal conditions. These conditions can can obtain a clear, in-focus image of an angle and an accurate view of the sample begin to vary depending on the opera- entire sample with one click—no mat- (Figure 2). And with accurate height infor- tor and their particular method, which ter how uneven the surface. EFI mation, detailed 3D images allow sample can cause major differences in images. extracts and combines focused images features or unevenness to be viewed and This can lead to serious problems with by simply moving the point of focus up measured. Height differences and volume R&D, QA/QC, or material testing.

8 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Solution: Digital Repeatability ent observations require the switching out With a fully digital microscope, all of lenses. This creates the time-consum- image acquisition and observation con- ing necessity of conducting lens replace- ditions – including stage coordinates, ment between different types of samples observation method, etc. – can be saved and different types of observations. and referenced at any time. Any opera- Numerous steps are required to find the tor can then easily repeat all inspection optimum lens setup for each application. and measurement methods, guarantee- ing observation under the same condi- Solution: Variety of Observation tions and settings. Image capture condi- Modes with One Lens tions can be recalled with one click. Today’s newest digital microscopes are equipped with an objective lens that can be Issue 7: Optical-Quality Imaging used for a wide variety of observation meth- is Needed from a Digital ods, enabling the creation of optimal view- Microscope. ing conditions without replacing a lens. The perception still exists that digital Switching between observation modes is as microscopes provide ease of use, while simple as one click (Figures 3A-E). optical microscopes produce clearer images with natural color and higher Issue 10: Magnification resolution. Many operators still divide Adjustments Require Manual their microscope usage between the two. Calibration. This wastes time and does not allow con- Many digital microscopes require tinuity of observation between digital manual calibration every time the mag- and optical images. nification is changed. If images or measurements are taken using the wrong cal- Solution: Dedicated Lenses ibrations, the magnification indication Advanced digital microscopes utilize and measurement values will also be dedicated lenses that combine high NA, wrong, and the whole process will have long working distances, well-controlled to be performed again. aberration, and evenness of light intensity. These lenses are then combined with Solution: Automatic Magnification Full HD cameras and HDR digital pro- Recognition cessing, minimizing glare and ensuring To reduce human error, today’s newest real color reproduction. Flare and dis- digital microscopes offer automatic mag- tortion are eliminated, previously nification recognition, with a motorized unheard of with digital microscopes. zoom system that displays the setting conditions of the mainframe. Changing lens Issue 8: Guaranteed Measurement magnification automatically changes the Accuracy is Required from a magnification setting, eliminating the Digital Microscope. opportunity for measurement error. In general, traditional digital micro- When the zoom magnification is scopes offer no clear accuracy guaran- changed, the current magnification and tees. Operators have no way of assuring image area information is also updated, the scope of error of the equipment further reducing errors in magnification they are using. indication and in measurement. Today’s latest digital microscopes Solution: Telecentric Optics offer fast, efficient observation; simple, Advanced digital microscopes use the intuitive operation; a wide variety of same telecentric optics utilized in measur- image capturing methods; and superi- ing instruments, which eliminates varia- or imaging and measurement results. tion in measurement results. If the point Options include EFI and 3D imaging, of focus is changed, there is no change in panoramic image capturing, movie the size of the observation target. This capturing, and programmed image guarantees no variation between opera- capturing—all within an interface tors, allowing measurements to be con- that’s as simple to use as a tablet or ducted under extremely stable conditions. smartphone. This article was written by Robert Challenge 9: Varied Observation Bellinger, Applications Specialist, Olympus Techniques Require Different Scientific Solutions America (Waltham, MA). Lens Setups. For more information, contact Mr. Bellinger Standard digital microscopes feature a at [email protected] or visit lineup of lenses for various uses—differ- http://info.hotims.com/61063-200.

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-776 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Algorithm Helps Lunar Rover Move Through Clutter

oday’s robots easily execute “pick- find a goal, you’re actively seeking out The rearrangement planner soft- Tand-place” tasks: finding an object information, you’re actively trying to ware was developed in Srinivasa’s lab in one specified location and bringing probe the world, and you’re actively try- by Jennifer King, a Ph.D. student in it to another. But what if there are ing to be very goal-directed,” said robotics, and Marco Cognetti, a Ph.D. obstacles in a robot’s way? And what if Srinivasa. student at Sapienza University of the machine is on uncertain terrain, like the surface of the Moon? Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) have developed an algorithm that enables robots to understand their environment and find ways around clutter. In collaboration with NASA, the CMU team will test its software on the agency’s K- Rex lunar rover.

A Rover Learns Its Moves With the new Carnegie Mellon technology, a rover is given a rough geometric model of what the world looks like. Then, through simulations, the robot can experiment with the conse- quences of manipulating Carnegie Mellon University’s Home Exploring Robot Butler, or HERB, uses new software to sort clutter more efficiently. nearby objects. (Image Credit: CMU) “It’s literally like playing chess,” said Siddhartha Srinivasa, associate profes- sor of robotics, “but playing chess in the real world by pushing, pulling, moving, and sliding objects around.” The robot is programmed to understand the basic physics of its world: what can be pushed, lifted, or stepped on, for example. Once a solution and pathway configuration is found, closed-loop feedback controllers keep the machine on track. Using cameras and perception technologies, a robot “sees” what the world looks like. The additional algorithms find a path through the uncertain terrain. “Just like when you’re try- The K-Rex rover during an engineering field test at the Basalt Hills quarry, California in October 2012. (Image Credit: ing to go through a maze to NASA)

10 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Rome, who spent six months in up that big hole and create a traversabil- Mountain View, CA. The K-Rex rover Srinivasa’s lab. ity and go over that?” said Srinivasa. will attempt to achieve a goal by learning The algorithms were first tested on The Carnegie Mellon team has to reconfigure terrain and move objects Carnegie Mellon’s Home Exploring worked closely with Terry Fong, Director around the simulated lunar landscape. Robot Butler (HERB), a 4-foot, 6-inch- of the NASA Intelligent Robotics Group In initial tests, the robots will push eas- tall, 400-pound machine designed to at NASA Ames Research Center, prepar- ier-to-model objects, like cardboard assist in household tasks like opening ing the K-Rex technology for its lunar boxes. If successful, the team will then doors and retrieving milk from the mission in 2018. As a NASA Space incorporate more complex items, refrigerator. Technology Research Fellow, CMU’s including rocks and other targets that The same insight that allows a robot King has collaborated with NASA the rover is more likely to encounter. to reconfigure the items in a refrigera- researchers on the rover’s interaction Srinivasa says the CMU-developed algo- tor, however, can be transferred to with the environment. rithm is a potentially “disruptive” technol- rover navigation. In addition to four-wheel-drive and ogy for rover navigation, particularly as all-wheel-steering, the electric-power K- engineers focus on payload optimization Preparing for the Moon Rex rover features lidar, stereo cameras, and squeezing as much functionality out With wheeled-rover navigation, ter- two inertial measurement units (IMUs), of existing hardware as possible. rain must be frequently examined in a compass and inclinometer, differential “We want to be able to enable robots, advance so that the vehicle avoids non- GPS, and vehicle odometry. especially space robots, to be able to use traversable areas. The Carnegie Mellon Designed to move autonomously, the every part, every ounce of their body, their researchers want to equip NASA’s K-Rex K-Rex travels at slow speeds, between metal, their geometry, to be more effective robot with the ability to actively land- 0.25 and 3.22 miles per hour. The mobile at manipulating the world,” said Srinivasa. scape its world and clear out efficient robot supports scouting, mapping, sam- This article was written by Billy Hurley, traversal routes in real time. pling, and site preparation applications. Associate Editor, NASA Tech Briefs. “What if your rover realizes that it has This summer, the team will perform For questions and comments, email feed- to go past a big hole, and that if it pushed tests at NASA’s Roverscape, a rover test [email protected]. For more information, visit a bunch of rocks, it could actually close area at Ames Research Center in www.cmu.edu/news.

Ground Tactical Vison Comes Full-Circle

he “always-true” use case for T360º vision systems is to avoid blind spots. Blind spots are a by- product of conventional cameras. They have a limited field of view and they only see in the direction that they were pointed at. Point them to a new direction and you miss what happened at the old direction. 360º vision systems do not have this drawback. They are always “on”, in any view direc - tion. Among their disadvantages we have seen, depending on their configuration: a trade-off between temporal (frame rate) and spatial (range) resolution, and a limitation to single EO/IR bands. With the 360in1 spherical vision system we were able to find a novel solution to give a panoramic system a multispectral vision, and to allow it to keep its character as a spherical The 360in1 camera module with configurable vertical field of view vision system with large vertical field of view around the whole hori- Line Scanner vs Focal Plane avoid blind spots. These scanners oper- zontal 360º field of view while extend- Panoramic line scanners have been ate in the MWIR or LWIR bands and typ- ing its recognition and identification the state-of-the-art technology when ically have a variable focus lens. They are capabilities in the medium to long there is an operational need to look at a designed for long range detection and range. wider horizontal field of view in order to are therefore systems that scan at low

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 11 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ frequencies (refresh rate). They build as a multispectral shared-aperture sys- into a single fused imaging system. an image that is regularly refreshed at a tem that combines SWIR and MWIR Like many conventional non-panoram- given interval. They are similar to radar bands using the same focal plane and ic electro-optical/infrared multispec- in that they refresh the image with each camera engine. This extends the mis- tral systems for intelligence, surveil- “rotation”, with each scan. Their advan- sion capability and the operational lance and reconnaissance (ISR) mis- tage is the high spatial resolution, but envelope. It makes it a multispectral sions it combines one reflective-band their disadvantage is a low temporal res- tactical vision system that provides (visual) sensor with one combined olution, which essentially restricts its use fused imagery at high spatial resolu- SWIR and MWIR sensor that have simi- as optical radar. tion in the short to medium range, larly matching pixel sizes. The simulta- The requirements for ground tacti- and it can detect multiple target phe- neous use of multiple wavelength cal 360º vision systems are evolving, nomena depending on the applica- bands across the EO and IR spectrum putting more focus on raising tempo- tion. For the non-visible bands it uses a enables operators to see a higher level ral resolution while maintaining real- standard definition imager at 640 × of detail, which is beyond of what the time vision. Using EO or IR focal 512 pixels, but it can be upgraded to a human eye is capable of. plane sensors with low f-number lenses high definition focal plane of 1280 × breaks the temporal barrier and allows 720 or higher. Hacking the Spatial Resolution of generating a much higher rate of The 360in1 multispectral imaging 360º Vision panoramic frames per second at very can combine three to four spectral Panoramic and 360º vision systems high angular speeds. imaging bands into a single EO/IR based on focal plane sensors are typical- The system from 360in1 reaches 24 optical system. The system can com- ly configured in a way which limits the panoramic frames per second for both bine visible, near infrared, short-wave spatial resolution. Many systems, EO and MWIR bands. It was designed infrared, and mid-wave infrared bands whether EO or IR imaging, would have rather low detection ranges of a few hundred meters. This is due to the fact that they are based on a technology that combines several video cameras that typically have standard resolution and requires them to use a wide-angle lens (over 100º FOV) in order to be able to create a panoramic picture with the given number of cameras. Therefore their spatial resolution is low. Ground tactical systems, however, require high spatial and temporal resolu- tions, which in principle is also true for 360º vision systems. One method to increase spatial resolution with panoramic focal plane sensor based systems is to reduce the FOV of the lens. This comes at the expense of vertical field of view (VFOV). 360º vision systems, in contrast to their scanning sisters, should be configured with the highest possible VFOV at the highest possible spatial and temporal resolution required for a specific mission profile. 360in1 systems can be configured for a VFOV that ranges between 20º and 70º while covering the whole 360º HFOV. For Tw o examples of fused SWIR/MWIR imaging from the 360in1 system during a day shot example with a 14mm C-

12 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ it would come at the expense of vertical vision, which is important in order to not loose other potential targets and in order to not loose sensing capabilities (situational awareness) as a lower VFOV increases the blind areas. We found that the best practice is to maintain the VFOV for a given mission profile. In this case, we need to find a solution that enables recognition and identification on the 360º imaging without reducing the VFOV of the panoramic system. This can be achieved by combining EO and IR zoom cameras with high variable focal length numbers (e.g., Extension of the operational envelope by adding a pan-tilt positioner (3D model courtesy of Moog) with custom zoom 100mm) that are seamlessly cameras integrated into the 360º vision system. Rather than accessing mount lens (approximately 38º FOV) them separately, the panoramic system customized for this specific vertical itself slews and cues the zoom cameras field of view, it is possible to achieve a to the point of target detection while spatial resolution of approximately 1m the VFOV of the spherical vision at a distance of 2.5km, without compro- remains unchanged. This way the mising too much VFOV. operator can zoom in on the target for On the detection level such a system further recognition and possible iden- could therefore cover an area of at least tification without loosing VFOV. 5km in diameter at a reasonable 38º Therefore, a combination of at least VFOV. But further recognition and one integrated zoom camera with the identification of targets would be possi- 360º vision system is how it is possible ble only as the targets would be moving to hack the inherently lower spatial res- closer to the camera. In many situations olution of a 360º system for the long this is undesired, as efforts to get a bet- range, while still maintaining the origi- ter recognition and identification start nal vertical field of view for highest from the time of the detection of the possible situational awareness. target. 360º vision systems could, for This article was written by Ahim Kandler, example, be designed with a variable Founder & CEO, 360in1 Ltd., (Maayan focus lens that would allow reducing the Zvi 30805, Israel). For more information, VFOV in order to “zoom” in on the contact Mr. Kandler at [email protected] or range in which the target is located. But visit http://info.hotims.com/61063-203.

Simulation of seamless integration of external zoom vision in spherical vision (cooled single band LWIR imager)

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-777 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

he need arose to apply the state image-capture and processing opera- and function required for space envi- Tdetermination algorithms devel- tions are performed internally by the ronments, potential applications of this oped for the Advanced Video Guidance SVGS with the resulting state vector. technology will include CubeSat or Sensor autonomous rendezvous and This state vector would then be provid- other small satellite proximity opera- docking (AR&D) sensor onto a com- ed to the chaser spacecraft’s other sub- tions and formation flying missions. mercial off-the-shelf (COTS), smart- systems for consumption. The SVGS SVGS test results show successful rel- phone-based platform to create a lower- illumination source is separated from ative state calculations at ranges from mass, lower-cost sensor for small satel- the camera by a significant distance. 0.3 to 45 meters. SVGS state calcula- lite and CubeSat applications. Prior Therefore, the return illumination from tions showed relative range accuracy of techniques used for state determina- the retroreflectors to the camera 0.1 meters or better at ranges up to 10 tion suffer one or more of the following includes a small inherent angular error. meters, and attitude accuracy of 1 problems: large mass, large volume, The closer the illumination source is to degree or better. The range accuracy at high cost, or computationally intensive the camera, the smaller the angular 30 meters was within 0.5 meters, and calculations. error will be. attitude accuracy of better than 2 The Smartphone Video Guidance The retroreflectors are illuminated degrees. Sensor (SVGS) uses COTS hardware by the camera flash on the smartphone Although the SVGS was implemented and simple geometric techniques to and imaged by the smartphone camera. on a smartphone platform running the extract the desired relative state infor- The resulting image is processed using Google Android operating system, the mation. The SVGS provides a low -cost, photogrammetry algorithms running functionality could easily be redevel- integrated rendezvous and proximity on the smartphone to extract the rela- oped for use on other platforms such as operations sensor system to allow an tive X, Y, and Z distance and relative Apple’s iOS or other smartphones with approaching spacecraft to determine orientation, expressed as a roll, pitch, integrated cameras. the position and attitude of a target yaw angle sequence. This work was done by Christopher Becker, spacecraft. The target vehicle carries an This work has resulted in an Android John Rakoczy, and Richard Howard of array of target retroreflectors. The smartphone application capable of run- Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA is seek- SVGS images these targets using a ning on suitable Android devices, ing partners to further develop this technol- smartphone-type camera, and then which validates the SVGS concept. The ogy through joint cooperative research and processes the image using photogram- SVGS application was tested in the development. For more information about metry techniques to determine the MSFC Flight Robotics Laboratory this technology and to explore opportunities, range and relative orientation (FRL). Following future tailoring of the please contact Ronald C. Darty at (6-DOF state) of the target vehicle. All SVGS hardware to give it the fit, form, [email protected]. MFS-33014-1.

Micro Cylindrical Ion Trap Micro Mass Spectrometer Instrument System This highly sensitive chemical analyzer is the size of a cellphone. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

he goal of this work was to advance tion and packaging required to achieve MEMS components, electronics, and Tthe development of new, extremely the final level of miniaturization offered packaging. This development has the small (≈2 cm3), low-power (≈3 W), and by this core μ-CIT (micro cylindrical ion potential to drastically reduce instru- low-cost micro mass spectrometer instru- trap) technology. A MEMS μMSIS pack- ment costs; increase measurement effi- ment systems (μMSIS) through the aging concept is modular and flexible to ciencies through smaller size, mass, and application of microelectromechanical further integration of a micro gas chro- power consumption; and perform new system (MEMS) design and fabrication, matograph, micro vacuum chamber, measurements through arrayed instru- and microsystem component integra- and microelectronic components into a ment system application. At the end-state tion and packaging toward pico-satellite complete instrument system pico-satellite of miniaturization, μMSIS and pico-satel- and/or other distributed planetary pay- probe array. lite probes may achieve characteristic load platforms. The work will enable Realizing these advances in a field- dimensions comparable to a cellphone. early coincident design and develop- able/flyable sensor system requires full This initiative aims to demonstrate the ment of the critical microsystem integra- integration of the μ-CIT with supporting capabilities of an entirely new class of

14 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ μMSIS as chemical analyzers in space- (SIC) interlock is closed, the sample col- system, then ready for analysis and flight missions. The goal is to provide lector plate can be heated slowly to des- readout electronics. new, cutting-edge methods to create orb molecules with lower vapor pres- This work was done by Patrick A. Roman, highly sensitive mass spectrometers (MS) sures from the plate or from dust parti- William B. Brinckerhoff, George Manos, and with the potential for very low mass, very cles, collected on the plate for analysis. Kyle J. Gregory of Goddard Space Flight small volume, and low power capabilities. Upon desorption of the chemicals, mol- Center. NASA is seeking partners to further MS technology can be used for detec- ecules flow into an array of μ-CIT MS, develop this technology through joint cooper- tion of molecules of interest to NASA where they can be ionized using a spe- ative research and development. For more planetary and astrobiology programs, cial electron ionization source. The information about this technology and to and the MS can be used to measure ionized molecules will then be mass- explore opportunities, please contact Scott higher-mass molecules (up to 250 amu). analyzed and detected by a microchan- Leonardi at [email protected]. After the sample isolation chamber nel plate (MCP) with a multi-anode GSC-17008-1

A Smooth-Walled Feedhorn with Sub-30-dB Cross-Polarization Over a 30-Percent Bandwidth Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

he focus of this research was the excellent beam symmetry, main beam NASA is seeking partners to further devel- Tdesign, optimization, and measure- efficiency, and cross-polar response op this technology through joint coopera- ment of a monotonically profiled, over wide bandwidths, but over a finite tive research and development. For more smooth-walled scalar feedhorn with a bandwidth. information about this technology and to diffraction-limited ~14° FWHM (full This work was done by Edward Wollack explore opportunities, please contact Scott width at half maximum). It is an easier- and David Chuss of Goddard Space Flight Leonardi at [email protected]. to-manufacture, smooth-walled feed Center, and Lingzhen Zeng and Charles GSC-16081-1 that approximates the properties of Bennett of Johns Hopkins University.

THE REASONS WHY TOP WE SHOULD BE 5 YOUR OPTICAL COATING PARTNER

HIGHEST ULTRA HIGH FASTEST ONLINE 1 PERFORMANCE 2 SERIES 3PERFORMANCE 4 CUSTOM 5 NARROWBAND THIN FILM BANDPASS, FLAT-TOP ULTRA COATING AND COATING DICHROICS, AND NARROWBAND TURNAROUND LIFE SCIENCES PROCESS MULTIBANDS FILTERS FILTER CATALOG

YOUR OPTICAL COATING PARTNER FOR SO MANY REASONS

ALLUXA, INC. 855-425-5892 3660 N. Laughlin Road Santa Rosa, CA 95403 www.alluxa.com

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -772 15 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Partially Transparent Circular Mask to Suppress Narrowband Laser Light Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

he evolved Laser Interferometry pressed by approximately ten orders of mirror of the telescope. A unique opti- TSpace Antenna (eLISA) is the imple- magnitude. A well-designed mask in the mization algorithm was used to design mentation of the original Laser center of the secondary mirror can sup- the shape of the mask as a circular, par- Interferometry Space Antenna (LISA) press the direct (Narcissus) reflection as tially transparent mask where the “offset” concept that will be proposed for the well as reduce the formation of a bright to the opacity could be varied depending European Space Agency’s (ESA) L.3 spot (Poisson spot) on axis due to dif- on the sensitivity and tolerances of the Cosmic Visions opportunity. The eLISA fraction. The design of a generic circu- mirror. This design could be integrated observatory uses lasers to range between lar mask and binary petal mask as a real- into a curved or flat mirror. There are no pairs of freely falling test masses in adja- ization of a hyper-Gaussian function fails sharp petal tips associated with this cent, widely separated spacecraft. The to suppress the laser light within the design, making fabrication easier. measurement is made continuously, geometry of the problem (40-mm-diam- This work was done by Ron Shiri and Jeffrey requiring simultaneous transmission eter mirror and 2-mm radius of obscura- Livas of Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA is and reception of a 1064-nm laser beam tion). This work utilizes a unique opti- seeking partners to further develop this tech- through an optical telescope. mization technique to design a corona- nology through joint cooperative research An on-axis telescope design for space- graphic, partially transparent, circular and development. For more information based laser interferometry requires the mask that meets the design requirement. about this technology and to explore opportu- reflected laser light (1064 nm) from the The mask shape is intended for inte- nities, please contact Scott Leonardi at secondary mirror to the detector be sup- gration in the surface of the secondary [email protected]. GSC-17463-1

Characterizing Richness of Previously Unmapped Terrain and Estimating its Impact on Navigation Performance using 3D Range Sensors in Flight NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

anders to large planetary bodies such type directly in the navigation solution mates a metric that defines how rough or L as Mars typically use a secondary estimation. This is done by matching 3D varied the terrain is. The software runs on reconnaissance spacecraft to generate point clouds obtained either at different a MATLAB platform and uses a 3D shape high-fidelity 3D terrain maps that are sub- time instants, or matching a 3D point model as an input, along with a 3D range sequently used for landing site selection cloud at current time to a 3D shape sensor model. Mission designers and sys- and creating onboard maps for terrain- model of the body. Typically, an iterative tems engineers can use the software for relative navigation systems. This luxury closest point (ICP) algorithm or its evaluating various approaches for pro- does not exist with small primitive bodies robust variants is used to estimate the viding navigation solutions to small bod- such as comets and asteroids. For these differential position and attitude ies, and answering questions such as bodies, the landing spacecraft has to per- between the two point cloud datasets. whether a navigation solution based only form the 3D mapping and, with possible While the ICP provides a measure of upon LIDAR measurements will provide help from ground control, choose a feasi- goodness of the matching, it does not enough accuracy/fidelity. ble landing site. To enable this operation, provide any information with regards to A 3D range measurement matrix taken the spacecraft would need to carry a 3D how well or accurately the 6-DOF can be at an instantaneous spacecraft position ranging sensor system such as a LIDAR. estimated. As an example, if the two appears to contain sufficient terrain “tex- With the spacecraft placed in extended point clouds originated from imaging ture” information, i.e. how flat, bumpy, or mapping orbits, 3D range measurement flat terrain, the residual matching errors cratered the terrain is. Bumpier, asym- data is then used to create a shape model could be very small. However, the navi- metric terrain should provide better of the object. Terrain-based navigation gational uncertainty is extremely large, point cloud matching reference points schemes that employ cameras could then as scale is well estimated but not the lat- (aka features in 2D images). Sub- be used to image, detect, match, and track eral translations or rotations about axes sequently, better matching combined features against the map database to pro- perpendicular to the terrain. with terrain richness should result in a vide a 6-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) navi- A new tool for estimating the terrain better position estimation, and therefore gation solution during descent. Camera- richness of a previously unmapped small smaller navigation solution errors. In the based systems, however, are not robust to body has been developed. This tool takes 3D vision research community, some lighting variations, and do not provide a as input the 3D range maps (point tools or methods have been developed direct 3D position/range feedback. clouds), and given the observation geom- that try to relate the richness of the tex- Recently, there has been significant etry (sensor boresight direction) and sen- ture being 3D mapped. Analysis of the attention to direct 3D range measure- sor parameters (field of view, number of acquired point clouds provides an esti- ments using LIDARs, and using this data measurements, angular resolution), estimate of unconstrained directions that

16 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ imply degrees of freedom that cannot be accurately estimated. The primary unique feature of the developed tool is the abil- However, this is usually done for controlled environments such ity to incorporate a variable resolution or ground footprint of as reverse engineering applications with fixed standoff distances the sensor given the fixed field of view in the estimation of the wherein the range to the target does not change and is not expected metric. This is done by normalizing the conventional intended to provide any navigation-observable related value. metric that has been calculated over the entire small body. A The developed tool provides a methodology to estimate the multi-resolution level-of-detail-based approach is used to store richness of the terrain and the measured point clouds that will the local estimated metrics. be used in estimating a navigation solution(change in position This work was done by Anup B. Katake of Caltech for NASA’s Jet and change in attitude between two successive frames of point Propulsion Laboratory. This software is available for license through cloud data). Additionally, the tool could be used to develop a the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and you may request a license at: global 3D body shape metric that could be evaluated to esti- https://download.jpl.nasa.gov/ops/request/request_introduction.cfm. mate the fidelity of using just 3D range measurements for nav- NPO-49795 igation with respect to small bodies.

Large-Area, Polarization-Sensitive Bolometer for Multi-Mode Optics This type of detector will be used by the PIXIE mission to map the microwave sky in polarization, opening a new window to the earliest moments of the universe. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

easurements of the cosmic microwave background are a structure is 12.7 mm long, providing 30 times greater absorb- Mpowerful probe of the early universe. Part-per-million fluc- ing area than previous state-of-the-art bolometers. The time tuations in the intensity of background trace the initial condi- constant is minimized by replacing the silicon nitride absorber tions of matter and energy shortly after the Big Bang, mapping used in previous bolometers with single-crystal silicon. Optical the large-scale structure of spacetime. Now, new measurements power absorbed in the shallow doped layer is readily conduct- in linear polarization at sensitivities of a few parts per billion ed out of the absorber by phonons in the underlying bulk can look behind these initial conditions to test physics at ener- crystalline silicon. Measurements on prototype detectors show gies a trillion times higher than terrestrial accelerators, and perhaps even provide a glimpse of quantum gravity in action. Measurements at the part-per-billion level are technically challenging. State-of-the art detector technology has pro- gressed to the point where the limiting factor for instrument sensitivity is shot noise from photon arrival statistics. Once the detector noise falls below the background from photon statistical fluctuations, further sensitivity gains can only be realized by collecting additional photons. A common implementation increases the effective detecting area using an array of individual detectors. The resulting kilo-pixel detector arrays drive instrument complexity and cost. An alternate design uses fewer, but physically larger detectors, each capable of sensing multiple modes of the incident electromagnetic field. Since the signal increases linearly with detector size while the photon noise only increases as the square root, increasing the detector size increases sensitivity to sky signals without requiring large, costly detector arrays. Scientists and engineers at Goddard have developed a large- area, polarization-sensitive bolometer for multi-mode optical systems at millimeter through sub-millimeter wavelengths (see figure). It consists of a set of 3-μm wide wires of doped crystalline silicon micromachined from an ion-implanted layer and suspended from an un-doped crystalline silicon frame. The parallel wires absorb light from a single linear polarization, and transport the energy to thermistors located in the supporting end banks. The entire device is maintained at temperature 0.1 K, near absolute zero, so that changes in the intensity of the incident radiation cause corresponding changes in the temperature of the thermistors, which are read out using a cryogenic JFET follower. A key technical challenge is achieving a large absorbing area while keeping the detector time constant short. The absorbing

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -7 80 17 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Silicon 12.7 mm Frame

Absorber

Thermistor

Bond Pad

Polarization-sensitive bolometer measures linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background. (Left) Prototype detector. The absorber in the central square fills a small fraction of the optical area, but is opaque to microwaves. (Center) Schematic diagram showing the absorbing wires and sensing thermistors. (Right) Photomicrograph showing absorbing wires and the crystalline silicon end bank. a time constant of 8 ms, meeting a new window to the earliest moments is seeking partners to further develop this requirements for microwave measure- of the universe. technology through joint cooperative research ments. Detectors of this type will be This work was done by Alan Kogut, and development. For more information used by the Primordial Inflation Thomas Stevenson, Peter Nagler, Kevin Denis, about this technology and to explore opportu- Explorer (PIXIE) mission to map the George Manos, Edward Wollack, and Dale nities, please contact Scott Leonardi at microwave sky in polarization, opening Fixsen of Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA [email protected]. GSC-17284-1

A Novel Orbiting Cloud Imager System for IR/UV/X-Ray Bands Applications include telecommunications involving satellite links, agile military communication, reconnaissance, and surveillance of ground assets from orbit. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

ypically, the cost of a spaceborne and may allow for imaging of Super- would allow for very high ground imaging Timaging system is driven by the size Massive Black Hole event horizons. resolution in visible and infrared surface and mass of the primary aperture. Preliminary system design considera- targets. Ultra-lightweight telescope tech- Innovative solutions for imagers that are tions indicate that the Sun-Earth halo L2 nology, provided by elimination of heavy less complex and are lightweight are orbit is more promising than others due metering structures, would lead to simple very desirable. Currently, telescopes to reduced geomagnetic disturbances and low-cost designs. Scalable apertures such as JWST and ATLAST are very on a cloud. The optical figure of the col- for high-resolution, large focal length expensive and very complex. lecting surface may be made uniform with (f#>10), on-axis and off-axis telescope The solution described here uses a a wavefront sensing and control system. options would be available. Autonomous method to construct an imaging system in Recent work has investigated the feasi- on-orbit operations would be enabled for space in which the nonlinear optical prop- bility of a granular imaging system, con- long periods of time. The cloud imager erties of a cloud of micron-sized particles, cluding that such a system could be built would have the potential to enable shaped into a specific surface by light pres- and controlled in orbit. The most innova- autonomous reflective, refractive, or dif- sure, allow one to form a very large and tive aspect of this concept is the use of fractive imaging architectures. The cloud lightweight aperture of an optical system, light to position granular media to syn- aperture could distribute itself to large reducing overall mass and cost. Specifically, thesize and shape a cloud in space. This scales, from meters to tens of meters, using the method is based on a cloud of reflec- new solution is based on a cloud of reflec- sparse aperture technology. It would be tive particles, shaped into a reflector via tive particles shaped into a reflector via simple to package, transport, and deploy; electromagnetic and/or optical forces. electromagnetic and/or optical trapping would be reconfigurable; and could be The primary aperture of the imaging forces. If a sunshade would be provided, retargeted and repointed with non- system is a cloud instead of a monolithic no UV-induced photoelectric charging mechanical means. aperture, hence the name “cloud imag- would be induced on the grains, thus This work was done by Marco B. Quadrelli, er.” A cloud imager may be well suited to improving the stability of the system. David M. Palacios, and Harold W. Yorke of X-ray applications that do not require The cloud imager would open the way Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. coherent imaging, but rather rely on X- to revolutionizing large-scale optics. The NASA is seeking partners to further develop ray diffraction to collect photons in a cloud imager would feature emerging for- this technology through joint cooperative given X-ray energy range. The large mation flying control technology, which research and development. For more informa- aperture of the cloud imager will enable supports very large-aperture space tele- tion about this technology and to explore much improved spatial and spectral res- scope systems because formation control opportunities, please contact Dan Broderick at olution over current X-ray telescopes of separated optical telescope modules [email protected]. NPO-49934

18 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Transmission Electron Microscope Hyperspectral Camera JEOL’s (Peabody, MA) most recent XIMEA (Golden, CO) offers the xiSpec Hyperspectral Multi- addition to its suite of Transmission Linescan Camera, which includes a line-wise arrangement of Electron Microscopes is the versatile 150 HSI bands be - JEM-F200, or “F2,” the only advanced tween 470 and 900 analytical, high-throughput 200kV nm. Objects can be S/TEM in its class to offer a Cold Field moved orthogonally Emission Gun and dual Silicon Drift to the horizontal Detectors. The high brightness/narrow color filters of a energy spread of the next-generation JEOL Cold-FEG achieves mounted camera, high energy resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy e.g., on a conveyor belt. Additionally, the camera can be (EELS) for rapid identification of chemical bonding states. attached to a UAV. The dual Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) offer the ultimate high A high-speed multi-linescan capability allows up to 1020 sensitivity and throughput for X-ray analysis. Additionally, the lines/sec. The device is compliant with Windows, Linux and new Advanced Scan System employs De-Scan to achieve wide- Mac OS drivers, SDK, and USB 3.0 micro-B with screw-lock. field STEM-EELs spectrum imaging. The 26.4 × 26.4 × 31 mm camera weighs 32 grams and is avail- The F2 features a quad lens condenser system that inde- able as a single-PCB, board-level version. pendently controls electron beam intensity (spot size) and For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-141 convergence angle. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-205 45 W LED Power Supplies LinkCom Manufacturing (Walnut, CA) has announced a High-Speed Cameras new family of INCORE high-performance constant-current The EoSens® 25CXP+ and LED power supplies. The first offering in the family is the 45 EoSens® 12CXP high-speed cameras W DBFN-45 series. The from Mikrotron GmbH (Poway, CA) slender, low-profile (372 × are powered by the OnSemi 30 × 27 mm; 14.6 × 1.18 × PYTHON CMOS sensor. Both 80 × 1.06 in) power supplies are 80 × 66 mm models have a global designed for industrial shutter and a photo-sensitivity of 5.8 (low-bay) and commercial V/lux*s @ 550nm. A 4-channel CXP- LED lighting applications. 6 CoaXPress® V1.1 interface trans- The series offers low-flick- mits data at speeds up to 25 Gigabits per second in real time. er that complies with CA Title 24; fully dimmable (0-10 V) EoSens® 25CXP+ features 80 frames per second at 5,120 × power; and a 24V, 100 mA supply occupancy-sensor power 5,120 pixel resolution. EoSens® 12CXP+ offers 165 frames per output. second at 4,096 x 3,072 pixel resolution. Windowing down the To assure superior, flicker-free light quality, INCORE power image resolution further increases the frame rate up to 765 supplies feature a two-stage fly-back converter with integral frames per second at 1,024 × 768 pixel resolution. active power factor correction. They also offer a full range of For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-140 circuit protection (OVP, OCP, PTP) and 2 kV surge-withstand capability to achieve reliable performance. The 45W DBFN-45 Laser-Based Light Engines series is UL/CSA listed (Type TL), complies with FCC emission LASOS (Jena, Germany) standards, and is RoHS compliant. has announced the commer- For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-207 cial release of its MCS Series multi-color, laser-based light Inspection System engines. The platform offers Coherix (Ann Arbor, MI) has announced the Predator3D™, output power levels to 100 an advanced bead inspection system used to monitor and con- mW and up to six individual trol the dispensing of struc- wavelengths from 405 to 785 nm. Product configurations tural adhesives and sealants. include both benchtop, OEM, and 19-inch rack mount The Predator3D captures designs. the 3D data, including bead The MCS Series allows each laser to be individually con- size, shape, volume, and trolled, with modulation speeds up to 250 MHz. Standard con- location. Based on defined figurations include three, four, or six wavelengths, and custom user criteria, the system then devices are available for OEMs. Each laser in the MCS plat- reports failures as they are form can be individually upgraded or serviced, and systems are detected. The product is not available with collimated or fiber output — either beam com- affected by changes in ambient lighting, even when a black bined or with separate outputs for each laser line. bead is placed on a black part. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-206 For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-143

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 19 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Industrial Camera Laser Modules for Harsh Environments JAI (San Jose, CA/Shanghai, China) has added the GO- To prevent lasers from sustaining damage as a result of 2400-PMCL to its Go Series of industrial cameras. A two-chan- their environment, Laser Components (Bedford, NH) nel Mini Camera Link interface enables its Sony IMX174 places them in housings that can withstand all conditions. CMOS imager to output full-resolution 2.35-megapixel images Thanks to the IP67 protective class, the FLEXPOINT® HD at up to 165.5 frames per second (in 8-bit continuous mode). laser modules not only withstand sandstorms, they can also The imager features 5.86- go into one-meter-deep water for up to thirty minutes. micron square pixels, a Because they are so robust, they are called heavy-duty – HD 1936 × 1216 pixel resolu- laser modules. tion, and a full well depth FLEXPOINT® HD modules are available as dot lasers, of over 30,000 electrons. line lasers with fan angles from 10° to 100°, or cross-hair Two new GO-2400-PMCL lasers with fan angles models are available: the from 2° to 60°. For target- GO-2400M-PMCL with 8- or 10-bit monochrome output ing, marking, or position- (including near-infrared sensitivity), and the GO-2400C-PMCL ing tasks in absolutely any offering 8- or 10-bit raw Bayer color output. The 29 × 29 × 41.5 conceivable environment, mm cameras weigh 46 grams each and provide an 80G shock they emit at 520 nm or rating, 10G vibration rating, and an operating temperature 635 nm. 520 nm is highly range of -5°C to +45°C. visible in daylight. The A global shutter and a region-of-interest (ROI) function major advantage of green window the field of view to achieve faster frame rates. Other light is apparent on black capabilities include multi-ROI mode; pixel blemish com- surfaces where red laser pensation and shading correction functions; and a built-in light is largely absorbed. Green light stands out brightly and 256-point look-up table for gamma customization. clearly — all at a power that is classified as eye safe. Monochrome models also are equipped with a binning Both a waterproof M12 power connection and a voltage function (1 × 2, 2 × 1, 2 × 2) for increasing pixel sensitivity. supply of up to 30 VDC are part of the FLEXPOINT® HD The GO-2400-PMCL cameras can be powered over the package. For independent operation, the module can also Camera Link interface. be connected to a rechargeable battery. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-142 For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-208

CMOS Camera The S-25A80/CXP camera from Adimec Electronic Imaging (Stoneham, MA) uses the ON Semiconductor One Part Silicone Python 25k 25 MP CMOS global shutter image sensor. Images of 5120 x 5120 pixels are taken at a maximum for BONDING, of 80 full frames per second (fps). The CoaXPress V1.1 Quad interface (4 x CXP-6) utilizes Adimec’s new 2 SEALING & COATING Gigapixels/s camera platform. The 80 x 80 x 29 mm device also features ROI imaging, pixel size of 4.5 x 4.5 μm (with micro lenses), and accurate sensor mounting. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-144 FAST, NON-CORROSIVE CURES 2D Optical Measuring Device Titan Tool Supply, Inc. (Buffalo, NY) has introduced a mobile and compact 2D optimal measuring device that provides accurate and precise measurements of workpieces in a matter of seconds. Manufactured in Germany by Schneider Messtechnik, the V- CAD Rapid combines high-precision optical measurement technology with unprecedented ease of use and flexibility. The V- CAD Rapid automatically recognizes geometric primitives (basic shapes) without any pre-selection and no need for manual alignment of workpieces being measured. Standard features of the V-CAD Rapid include: 5-megapixel CCD B/W camera; Telecentric 4-step motorized zoom lens; 4 Silicone Compound MasterSil 711 different fields of view for spot-on measurement; Telecentric LED transmitted light illumination; LED ring light illumination for incident light measurement; multi- Ideal for electronic applications touch panel PC equipped with WIN7; and factory calibration certificate. The V-CAD Rapid is supplied with M3 +1. Measurement software with image processing features designed for use on touch- screen PCs. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-209

Fr ee Inf o at h tt p : //inf o. h ot ims . c o m/61 0 6 3 -7 8 1 Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ What’s On

Rapid Alignment Mirror Mounts The OS-Z range of mirror mounts from Optical Surfaces Ltd. P H O T ONI CS CHANNEL (Surrey, UK) provides ultra-stable, stress-free mounting and rapid alignment of off-axis parabolic, Sponsored by spherical, and flat mirrors as well as wedge back and parallel back mirrors. Constructed in black anodized aluminum, six models of Featured Sponsor Video: the OS-Z mount provide a secure, stable, and compact plat- Understanding Liquid Lens form for mirror diameters ranging from 90 to 250 mm. Technology Angular alignment can be made about two axes by means of Liquid lenses can be used to maximize dual action adjusters with fine screw and ultra-fine differential imaging system flexibility across a wide micrometer action. Using these mounts it is possible to align a variety of applications requiring rapid mirror within a few arc seconds. Each mirror mount comes focusing. By integrating a liquid lens, the with a base plate. As an option to the standard two-axis gimbal imaging system can change the plane of micrometer-driven action, OS-Z mounts can be fitted with x-y- focus in milliseconds in order to provide z linear stages if required. This option allows you to control sharp images, regardless of the object's positioning of mirrors in up to five-degrees of freedom. distance from the camera. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-210 www.techbriefs.com/tv/liquid_les Vision Sensor The 3vistor-T vision sensor from SICK (Minneapolis, MN) 3D Printer Uses Lasers to records up to thirty 3D images per second. The three-dimen- Create Metal Objects in Midair sional time-of-flight data is output via a Gigabit Ethernet inter- Researchers from Harvard University face. The 3vistor-T have developed a laser-assisted direct ink vision sensor pro- writing method that allows microscopic vides real-time depth metallic, free-standing 3D structures to be information for each printed in one step without additional pixel, including sta- support material. They say the new tionary applications. system could lead to customized The sensor outputs electronic and biomedical devices. pure 3D raw data or reduced data, depending on the applica- www.techbriefs.com/tv/metal-midair tion requirements. The 3vistor-T records imagery for distance values of 144 × 176 pixels per snapshot. The sensor reproduces depths of 3 mm and Next-Generation Invisibility 30 mm at 1 m and 7 m distances respectively. The 3vistor-T cap- Cloak Uses Flat Screen Displays tures more than 25,000 distance and intensity values in a single A Rochester Cloak features four standard shot; no actuator is needed. In addition, the technology has an lenses that allows an object to appear IP 67 enclosure rating and is resistant to sunlight up to 50 klx. invisible as the viewer moves several degrees For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-145 away from the optimal viewing positions. University of Rochester researchers are now Laser Polishing using flat screen displays to extend the range PowerPhotonic (Dalgety Bay, of angles that can be hidden from view. UK) has spent many years devel- www.techbriefs.com/tv/ oping a laser machining and next-gen-cloak polishing process to create ultra-high efficiency refractive optics, used in high power colli- Using Spider Silk as a mation and beam shaping appli- Chemical Detector cations. This process unique to PFL fiber optics specialists have PowerPhotonic allows it to create beam shaper optics that discovered very promising and unique transform the way in which the laser is used. qualities of spider silk when it comes to Using higher efficiency optics preserves the life of a high- conducting light and reacting to certain power laser by enabling it to run at lower power. It makes sys- substances. Spider silk strands are tem integration easier as less energy is dissipated as wasted perfectly cylindrical, smooth, transparent, heat. The ability to transform a single circular Gaussian shaped and extremely solid - some of the same laser beam into different intensity profiles and beam shapes characteristics as glass-based fibers. using different beam shaper optics adds enhanced utility to www.techbriefs.com/tv/spider-silk existing and new laser systems. For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/61063-211

Photonics & Imaging Technology, July 2016 www.techbriefs.tv ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭ Unmatched Positioning Performance

Three-dimensional vector accuracy error measured in the Z=0 mm XY plane

HexGen™ Hexapods by Aerotech The next-generation in 6 degree-of-freedom positioning

HexGen™ hexapods are ideal for large payload, the highest performance hexapods on the high-speed, ultra-precise positioning. The market. HEX500-350HL provides unmatched positioning Contact an Aerotech application engineer accuracy (±0.5 µm linear, ±2.5 µrad angular) and or visit our website for more information positioning resolution (20 nm linear, 0.2 µrad on how Aerotech hexapods can improve angular). Simply stated, HexGen hexapods are your positioning application.

Ph: 412-963-7470 • Email: [email protected] • www.aerotech.com WORLD HEADQUARTERS: USA Dedicated to the

THE AMERICAS • EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST • ASIA-PACIFIC Science of Motion

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/61063-782 AF0216B-RAD ➮ Intro Cov ToC + – A ➭