2018 TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS JET PROPULSION LABORATORY OFFICE OF THE JPL DIRECTOR JPL serves the nation by exploring space and uncovered even more earth-like autonomously maintain a prescribed in the pursuit of discoveries that benefit planets in our own Milky Way galaxy. formation even while orbiting another humanity, and we remain proud of All of these exciting discoveries have world and reconfigure themselves our mission as NASA’s leading center been enabled by the creative talent as needed to optimize scientific return. for robotic exploration. Our spacecraft of JPLers, and their ability to conceive, Others are exploring how the latest have a rich history of helping humankind develop, and operate innovative and techniques in additive manufacturing expand its frontiers of knowledge, and we challenging missions. can be used to fabricate multifunctional continue to work passionately to broaden This creativity dates to our structures and novel graded and those successes. During this past year first mission in 1958, when Explorer 1 microstructure alloys to revolutionize alone we have renewed investigations of became the first satellite to be the way we design and build spacecraft. how mass is redistributed among Earth’s successfully launched by the United In an interesting mix of the old and the atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets; States. Since that milestone event, new, other JPLers envision building probed the rings and atmosphere of we have continued to develop and origami-folded structures that precisely Saturn with Cassini’s spectacular finale; use technology to pursue our mission unfurl as finely structured starshades in innovative ways, ranging from using that exquisitely block the light from superconducting THz detectors to distant stars in the search for dim probe the early universe, and ultra-low exoplanets circling them. Still others temperature rechargeable lithium ion investigate networks of smart sensors batteries to power rovers on the surface to measure our earth’s physical, chemical, of Mars, to using long-lived ion thrusters and biological processes, generating to explore the previously unreachable massive amounts of data from which worlds of Vesta and Ceres. The advance- our computer scientists can then glean ment of technologies for space remains meaningful information to help us a key part of JPL culture today. better understand our home planet. In the pages that follow, you Welcome to this new edition of will find descriptions of technologies JPL Technology Highlights. I invite you that are changing the way we envision to explore the breakthrough concepts future space exploration. For example, described here, and encourage you some JPLers are considering swarms of to join us as we envision the future miniaturized robotic explorers that can of space exploration in new ways. About the cover: A candidate design for the Mars2020 parachute is shown in the process of inflating during a subsonic test at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at NASA Ames. The parachute shown would survive MIKE WATKINS an inflation load of nearly 91,000 lbf in this subsonic test. The design would JPL Director later be tested as part of the ASPIRE risk-reduction effort and survive an inflation at Mach 2 and a peak load of 56,000 lbf, the highest load ever survived by a supersonic parachute. See page 48. 2018 Technology Highlights 1 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST We live in an age of accelerating Exciting progress continues to be made 10-m Keck Observatory on Mauna technological progress often driven in the area of Additive Manufacturing, Kea, utilizes a novel spectrograph that by expanding markets for consumer where a non-spherical, variable density simultaneously records data at multiple products like smartphones, 3-D virtual Luneburg lens — a product that could wavelengths to probe the universe’s reality simulations, and self-driving cars. not be manufactured by traditional dimmest objects. To better understand The focus of advanced technology in our subtractive means — can now be 3-D the workings of our home planet, JPL JPL community is on creating capabilities printed to fabricate a lightweight scanning earth scientists have collaborated with that enable exciting new robotic space antenna. In another novel development, NOAA to create a system for the near missions. In some cases, commercially recent advancements in Complementary real-time delivery, visualization, and developed technologies can be utilized Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) analysis of satellite data to enhance directly. Our challenge is to discern system-on-a-chip technology enable our knowledge of hurricane processes. the capabilities offered by emerging extreme miniaturization of digital These examples represent just technologies, to adapt or extend those spectrometers: a single CMOS chip a small sample of the innovative that are applicable, and to develop those can now incorporate the high-speed technology work we do at JPL. With that are not available to meet the unique analog-to-digital converter, high speed this 2018 edition of JPL Technology challenges of space exploration. spectral processor, and an integrated Highlights, I invite you to explore The following pages show that the frequency synthesizer to provide 4000 its pages further, joining us technological opportunities at JPL have channels with over 3 GHz bandwidth. in our journey of discovery never been greater. For example, the Advances in nanotechnology have that embraces the innovations in the autonomous systems extended the frontiers of miniaturization opportunities that After two decades in space, NASA’s and returned images and measure- technologies seek to advance the science even further. A molecular-sized Single the future offers. Cassini spacecraft ended its remarkable ments that vastly enhanced our of autonomy by fusing technological Photon Detector is now the highest journey of exploration with a fiery plunge knowledge and understanding of advances in methodologies and performing detector spanning the into Saturn’s atmosphere. In April 2017, Saturn, while revealing new mysteries computation with robotics. We can now ultraviolet to mid-infrared range of the Cassini was placed on an impact course to be investigated by future missions. envision space-based robotic swarms electromagnetic spectrum, where some that unfolded over five months of daring Scientific and technological that autonomously transform their shape of the most compelling science resides. dives—a series of 22 orbits that each innovation is fundamental to the and function to accomplish a wide variety At the other end of the scale, the Keck FRED HADAEGH passed between the planet and its rings. success of missions such as Cassini. of engineering and scientific tasks. Cosmic Web Imager, installed in the JPL Chief Technologist Called the Grand Finale, this final phase The Office of the Chief Technologist of the mission brought unparalleled provides for the development of observations of the planet and its rings innovative and strategic technologies from closer than ever before. Cassini at JPL that are essential for the represented a staggering achievement success of future missions of of human and technical complexity, exploration. 2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 3 This JPL 2018 Technology Highlights presents a diverse TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS set of technology developments — selected by the Chief Technologist out of many similar efforts at JPL — TH:01 Printing Better Radar that are essential for JPL’s continuing contribution to TH:02 Shields Up! NASA’s future success. These technology snapshots TH:03 Tiny Rockets For Tiny Spacecraft represent the work of individuals whose talents bridge TH:04 PIXL Dust science, technology, engineering, and management, TH:05 Portal To Distant Worlds and illustrate the broad spectrum of knowledge and TH:06 Glassy Gears technical skills at JPL. While this document identifies TH:07 Happy Landings important areas of technology development in 2017 and TH:08 Eyes On The Storm 2018, many other technologies remain equally important TH:09 Unraveling The Cosmic Web to JPL’s ability to successfully contribute to NASA’s space TH:10 Configurable Computing exploration missions, including mature technologies TH: 11 Looking For Life that are commercially available and technologies TH: 12 Ice Pioneers whose leadership is firmly established elsewhere. TH: 13 Radiation Relief TH: 14 Mars Has MOXIE TH: 15 Surviving Europa TH: 16 Astro-Data Tools Aid Cancer Research TH: 17 Sleuthing For Life TH: 18 Big Power In A Small Package TH: 19 Breathe Easy TH: 20 Two For The Price Of One TH: 21 Can You Hear Me Now? TH: 22 Supersonic Chute TH: 23 Tiny Tech, Huge Impact TH: 24 Flying Swarms TH: 25 CAST-ing For Success TH: 26 Channeling Light TH: 27 A Sideways Glance At Earth TH: 28 Rappelling Other Worlds TH: 29 Glimpses Of The Unseen TH: 30 Dusty Skies TH: 31 Bright Sourcing jpl.nasa.gov scienceandtechnology.jpl.nasa.gov 4 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2018 Technology Highlights 5 Technologists are prototyping an innovative new bees search for pollen by working in parallel. TH/01 approach to radar antennas created by additive This technique has resulted in unique new manufacturing of complex non-spherical microwave lens designs that provide robust beam “lenses.” New 3-D printing techniques can provide scanning and are thinner and lighter than novel design options that are not possible via traditional a traditional Luneburg Lens. A NOVEL APPLICATION OF manufacturing. For example, a Luneburg lens permits Engineers printed lenses out of a space- the power from a ring array of electronic transmit/ qualified polymer called Ultem. To further ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING receive modules to be focused and directed, creating reduce mass, they developed the capability RESULTS IN NEXT- an electronically scanned beam. The resulting antennas to 3-D print materials with infused metallic are inexpensive to make and can provide rapid beam masses that create an artificial dielectric GENERATION, COMPLEX scanning with no moving parts, which results in lower based on a 3-D printed lattice structure with MICROWAVE LENS mass, higher reliability and a longer lifespan when variable-sized metal rings.