NASA has selected 10 proposals from small business and research institution teams to continue work on innovative technologies that could advance future missions.
The Phase II winners in the agency’s Small Business Technology Transfer Program now can enter negotiations for possible contract awards, with a total for all projects of approximately $7.49 million.
High-technology firms in seven states submitted proposals in partnership with research institutions in nine states. The STTR Program uses a highly competitive, three-phase award system that provides collaborative opportunities between qualified small businesses, including women-owned and disadvantaged firms, and research institutions to address specific technology gaps in NASA’s programs. STTR projects provide a foundation for future technology developments and are complementary to other NASA research investments.
Firms and research institutions that participated in Phase I of the STTR submitted 44 Phase II proposals. Selection criteria included technical merit and innovation, Phase I results, value to NASA, commercial potential and company capabilities. Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea and Phase II will expand on the results of last year’s projects, with up to $750,000 to support research for up to two more years. Phase III is for the commercialization of the results of Phase II and requires private sector or non-STTR federal funding.
STTR is part of NASA’s Space Technology Program and is managed at the agency’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., with executive oversight by the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Individual projects are managed by NASA’s field installations.
The companies selected (by state) are:
California
Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif., and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors for Thermal Protection Systems
Los Gatos Research, Mountain View, Calif., and University of Wisconsin, Madison
Highly Accurate Sensor for High-Purity Oxygen Determination
Florida
Mnemonics, Inc., Melbourne, Fla., and University of Central Florida, Orlando
Wireless SAW Sensor Strain Gauge & Integrated Interrogator Design
Illinois
Tetra Research Corporation, Princeton, Ill., and Mississippi State University
Advanced Flow Analysis Tools for Transient Solid Rocket Motor Simulations
Maryland
Signal Processing, Inc., Rockville, Md., and University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Real-Time Smart Tools for Processing Spectroscopy Data
Brimrose Technology Corporation, Sparks, Md., and Applied Research Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University, State College, Penn.
Alternative Green Technology for Power Generation Using Waste-Heat Energy And Advanced Thermoelectric Materials
Massachusetts
Busek Co., Inc., Natick, Mass., and The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Penn.
Magnesium Hall Thruster for Solar System Exploration
Pennsylvania
Combustion Research and Flow Technology, Pipersville, Penn., and University of Alabama in Huntsville
Novel Design of Orifice Type Control Element for Mitigating Instabilities
Virginia
Tao of Systems Integration, Inc., Hampton, Va., and Regents of the University of Minnesota
Robust Aeroservoelastic Control Utilizing Physics-Based Aerodynamic Sensing
Fibertek, Inc., Herndon, Va., and University of Maryland, Baltimore County
New Lidar Laser Configuration for Earth Science Measurements
