University of Delaware
Lunar obligations
$1.6Mas prime
Lunar awards
7as prime
Its subcontractors
1$450K reported
Primes it works for
2$348K in subawards
Who it subcontracts to
THE UCB TEAM, CONSISTING OF DR. PHAN (UCB PI) AND A GRADUATE STUDENT, WILL PERFORM ANALYSES OF PLASMA AND FIELD DATA FROM THE WIND, THEMIS/ARTEMIS, CLUSTER, AND MMS SPACECRAFT. THE BERKELEY GRADUATE STUDENT WILL IDENTIFY RECONNECTING AND NON-RECONNECTING CURRENT SHEETS IN THE SOLAR WIND AND IN THE MAGNETOSHEATH. DR. PHAN WILL LEAD THE STUDY OF THE OCCURRENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PLASMA HEATING IN CURRENT SHEETS, WITH OR WITHOUT RECONNECTION. DR. PHAN AND THE GRADUATE STUDENT WILL COMPARE THE OBSERVATIONAL FINDINGS WITH SIMULATION RESULTS OBTAINED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND THE CO-INVESTIGATORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE.
Who it works for
- STF Technologies LLC$274K
SPACE SUIT COMPONENT FABRICATION AND TESTING
THE RESEARCH IN PROF. MACKAY'S RESEARCH GROUP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE WILL CENTER ON PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERIC SULFUR MATERIALS PRODUCED IN THE LABORATORY OF PROF. JEFFREY PYUN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. SPECIFICALLY, THE MATERIALS WILL BE RHEOLOGICALLY CHARACTERIZED TO DETERMINE THEIR MELT RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES WITH A SPECIALLY DESIGNED RHEOMETER ATTACHMENT. SINCE SULFUR REACTS WITH STAINLESS STEEL PLATES FOR THE RHEOMETER ATTACHMENTS WILL BE MADE FROM MICA THAT IS GLUED TO DISPOSABLE STAINLESS STEEL PLATES. THE EXISTING TA INSTRUMENTS AREWS G2 RHEOMETER WILL BE USED FOR THIS ASPECT OF THE PROJECT. IN ADDITION MECHANICAL TESTING WILL BEPERFORMED ON SOLID SAMPLES USING THE RHEOMETRICS RS III DYNAMIC MECHANICAL TESTER. THE TENSILE MODULUS UNDER STEADY STRAIN AND THE COMPLEX MODULI UNDER OSCILLATORY STRAIN WILL BE MEASURED.
Lunar awards as prime
| Award | Description | Period | Obligated |
|---|---|---|---|
| NNX17AI25G | THE MULTI-SCALE COUPLING WHICH LEADS TO DISSIPATION IN COLLISIONLESS PLASMA TURBULENCE PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN THE DYNAMICS OF THE HELIOSPHERE. ALTHOUGH IT IS WELL ACCEPTED THAT A NONLINEAR CASCADE IS OCCURRING IN TURBULENT PLASMAS IN THE HELIOSPHERE LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT HEATING THE LINK BETWEEN THIS CASCADE AND THE RESULTANT HEATING IS UNCLEAR. FURTHERMORE INTERMITTENCY AND CURRENT SHEETS (BOTH RECONNECTING AND NON-RECONNECTING) ARE PREVALENT IN HELIOSPHERIC PLASMA BUT THEIR ROLE IN THE CASCADE AND HEATING IS ONLY BEGINNING TO BE UNDERSTOOD. FOR THIS REASON THIS PROPOSAL IS FOCUSED ON THE "TRIAD OF INTERACTIONS" THAT RELATE THE CASCADE RATES THE HEATING RATES AND THE RECONNECTION RATES IN TURBULENT PLASMA. THE MAIN SCIENCE QUESTION THEREFORE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS: WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASCADE RATES HEATING RATES AND RECONNECTION RATES IN TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND AND THE EARTH'S MAGNETOSHEATH? THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON TWO KEY SUBQUESTIONS: (1) IN TURBULENT PLASMAS HOW DOES THE CASCADE ESTABLISH CONDITIONS FOR RECONNECTION? AND (2) WHAT FRACTION OF HEATING IN TURBULENCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH RECONNECTION AND HOW DOES THIS VARY WITH PLASMA AND TURBULENCE PROPERTIES? BY "HEATING " WE MEAN IN INCREASE OF THE SECOND MOMENT OF THE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION. THESE TWO SUB-QUESTIONS WILL BE ADDRESSED USING FULLY KINETIC PARTICLE-INCELL SIMULATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. THESE TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONAL SIMULATIONS OF DECAYING TURBULENCE WILL INCLUDE THE LOWER END OF THE INERTIAL RANGE WHILE STILL SELF-CONSISTENTLY INCLUDING THE PHYSICS OF BOTH ION AND ELECTRON HEATING. THE SPACECRAFT OBSERVATIONS WILL FOCUS ON TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND AND THE EARTH'S MAGNETOSHEATH USING WIND THEMIS/ARTEMIS CLUSTER AND MMS OBSERVATIONS. FIRST THE PLASMA CONDITIONS CONTROLLING CURRENT SHEET STRUCTURE AND RECONNECTION IN TURBULENCE WILL BE EXAMINED. LIKELY CONDITIONS TO BE STUDIED ARE: CASCADE RATE TURBULENCE AMPLITUDE PLASMA BETA AND ALFVEN RATIO. SECOND THIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE STATISTICS OF RECONNECTION AND CURRENT SHEETS AND THE TURBULENT FACTORS CONTROLLING THEM WILL BE APPLIED TO CURRENT LAMINAR RECONNECTION HEATING KNOWLEDGE TO DETERMINE THE ROLE THAT HEATING ASSOCIATED WITH RECONNECTION IS PLAYING IN TURBULENT HEATING. THIS RESEARCH RELATES BEST TO THE DECADAL SURVEY GOAL 4: "DISCOVER AND CHARACTERIZE FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES THAT OCCUR BOTH WITHIN THE HELIOSPHERE AND THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE." THERE IS STRONG RELEVANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH TO PRESENT AND UPCOMING MISSIONS GIVEN THAT RECONNECTION TURBULENCE AND HEATING IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS ARE CENTRAL TO THE DRIVING SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS BEHIND THE MAGNETOSPHERIC MULTISCALE SOLAR PROBE PLUS AND SOLAR ORBITER MISSIONS. | 2017-09-01 → 2022-08-31 | $737K |
| 80NSSC25K7757 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS | 2025-02-21 → 2028-02-20 | $522K |
| 80NSSC25K7289 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. | 2024-12-01 → 2026-11-30 | $100K |
| 80NSSC19M0085 | THE PROPOSED PROJECT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE IS TO DEVELOP CEMENT-LIKE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FROM LUNAR AND MARTIAN REGOLITH USING NOVEL METHODS FOR MAKING CEMENT BINDERS FROM GEOPOLYMERS ON EARTH. THIS DIRECTLY ADDRESSES NASA S NEEDS FOR ASTRONAUT SURVIVABILITY AND THE UTILIZATION OF MARS AND LUNAR RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY AS IT APPLIES TO IN-SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION FOR BUILDING SHELTER STRUCTURES USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY THEREBY MINIMIZING THE UPLOAD FROM EARTH. THE PROPOSED WORK CONSISTS OF: I) TESTING THE REGOLIGHT 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY USING THE BP-1 LUNAR SOIL SIMULANT PROVIDED BY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. II) DEVELOPING FORMULATIONS OF GEOPOLYMER BINDER FOR 3D PRINTING STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS. III) DETERMINING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE GEOPOLYMER BONDS BY ANALYTICAL METHODS. IV) OPTIMIZING THE CURING TIME AND TEMPERATURE. THE PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE CURRENT EXPERIENCE OF THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MATERIALS PHYSICS IN SPACE OF THE GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER OF THE THE VACUUM 3D SOLAR PRINTING TECHNIQUE TOGETHER WITH EXPERTISE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE GEOPOLYMER-BASED BINDERS TO VALIDATE 3D PRINTING/CHEMICAL CURING WITH SOLAR SINTERING TO OBTAIN BUILDING BLOCKS FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL HABITATS. | 2018-11-19 → 2020-11-18 | $100K |
| 80NSSC23M0135 | MISSIONS BEYOND LEO ARE CHALLENGING FOR TRADITIONAL SURVIVABILITY PARADIGMS SUCH AS REDUNDANCY MANAGEMENT RELIABILITY SPARING ORBITAL REPLACEMENT AND MISSION ABORTS. DISTANCES TRANSIT DURATIONS CREW TIME LIMITATIONS ONBOARD EXPERTISE VEHICLE CAPABILITIES AND OTHER FACTORS SIGNIFICANTLY LIMIT THE ABILITY OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT CREWS TO RESPOND TO IN-FLIGHT ANOMALIES. THERE IS A NEED FOR A REPAIR MANUFACTURING AND FABRICATION (RMAF) FACILITY TO INCREASE THE CAPABILITY OF THE CREW TO RECOVER FROM SPACECRAFT COMPONENT FAILURES BY COMBINING ASPECTS OF MACHINE SHOP SOFT GOODS LAB AND REPAIR SHOP INTO AN IVA CAPABILITY FOR BOTH MICROGRAVITY AND SURFACE SPACECRAFT. A RMAF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESTORING DAMAGED COMPONENTS TO WORKING ORDER (REPAIR) KEEPING COMPONENTS IN SERVICE OR PROPERLY FUNCTIONING (MAINTENANCE) AND CREATING NEW COMPONENTS FROM RAW OR SCAVENGED MATERIALS (FABRICATION). THIS RESPONSIBILITY EXTENDS NOT ONLY TO THE HABITAT BUT TO ALL OTHER ELEMENTS SHARING THE SAME DESTINATION ENVIRONMENT (E.G. LANDERS ROVERS ROBOTS POWER SYSTEMS SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS ETC.). NASA IS EXPLORING SPACE ARCHITECTURES THAT CAN SERVE AS NEXT STEPS TO BUILD UPON THE CURRENT ARTEMIS PROGRAM. THE COMMON HABITAT ARCHITECTURE STUDY IS BASED ON A SUITE OF COMMON SPACECRAFT ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE USED FOR LONG-DURATION HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT IN MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS INCLUDING THE MOON MARS AND DEEP SPACE. BECAUSE MOST HABITATS INTENDED FOR USE BEYOND LEO DO NOT RETURN TO EARTH YET MAY OPERATE FOR DECADES IT CAN BE ASSUMED THAT EVEN LOW PROBABILITY FAILURES WILL EVENTUALLY OCCUR AND THERE MUST BE A WAY TO RECOVER FROM THEM AND CONTINUE THE MISSION. THUS THE COMMON HABITAT MUST INCLUDE THE RMAF CAPABILITY. THE RMAF SPEAKS TO AN OVERARCHING GAP OF INABILITY TO MITIGATE SPACECRAFT COMPONENT FAILURES. THE RMAF GOES BEYOND THE REPLACEMENT OF FAILED COMPONENTS WITH SPARES AND FOCUSES ON THE CAPABILITIES TO RESTORE FAILED COMPONENTS TO WORKING ORDER MAKING THEM EFFECTIVELY THE NEW SPARE. BECAUSE SOFTGOODS ARE USED IN MANY SPACE EXPLORATION APPLICATIONS AND OFTEN DO NOT HAVE THE LONGEVITY OF METALS OR COMPOSITES IN USE THE RMAF WILL REQUIRE SPECIFIC CAPABILITIES TO WORK WITH SOFTGOODS ELEMENTS. SOFTGOODS COMPONENTS USE SEVERAL MATERIALS FORMATS (COATED FABRICS TEXTILES FILMS WEBBINGS ETC.) WHICH ARE THEMSELVES COMPRISED OF A WIDE RANGE OF MATERIALS (POLYURETHANE POLYETHYLENE POLYESTER POLYIMIDE NOMEX VECTRAN ELASTOMERS ETC.). THE PROCESSES REQUIRED TO REPAIR AND REWORK SOFTGOODS TYPICALLY INCLUDE SEWING THERMAL WELDING ADHESIVE BONDING AND TAPING. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THIS STUDY IS IDENTIFYING PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT THAT CAN ADAPT TO A RANGE OF NEEDS HAVE EXCELLENT PROCESS CONTROL MINIMIZE CREW BURDEN AND ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR COMPLEX MACHINES AND MULTI-PART ADHESIVE SYSTEMS USED ON EARTH IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE ORIGINAL SOFTGOODS COMPONENTS. | 2023-07-03 → 2024-09-02 | $100K |
| 80NSSC25K7395 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. | 2025-01-01 → 2027-12-31 | $45K |
| 80NSSC19M0017 | THE PROPOSED PROJECT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE IS TO DEVELOP CEMENT-LIKE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FROM LUNAR AND MARTIAN REGOLITH USING NOVEL METHODS FOR MAKING CEMENT BINDERS FROM GEOPOLYMERS ON EARTH. THIS DIRECTLY ADDRESSES NASA S NEEDS FOR ASTRONAUT SURVIVABILITY AND THE UTILIZATION OF MARS AND LUNAR RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY AS IT APPLIES TO IN-SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION FOR BUILDING SHELTER STRUCTURES USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY THEREBY MINIMIZING THE UPLOAD FROM EARTH. THE PROPOSED WORK CONSISTS OF: I) TESTING THE REGOLIGHT 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY USING THE BP-1 LUNAR SOIL SIMULANT PROVIDED BY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. II) DEVELOPING FORMULATIONS OF GEOPOLYMER BINDER FOR 3D PRINTING STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS. III) DETERMINING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE GEOPOLYMER BONDS BY ANALYTICAL METHODS. IV) OPTIMIZING THE CURING TIME AND TEMPERATURE. THE PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE CURRENT EXPERIENCE OF THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MATERIALS PHYSICS IN SPACE OF THE GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER OF THE THE VACUUM 3D SOLAR PRINTING TECHNIQUE TOGETHER WITH EXPERTISE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE GEOPOLYMER-BASED BINDERS TO VALIDATE 3D PRINTING/CHEMICAL CURING WITH SOLAR SINTERING TO OBTAIN BUILDING BLOCKS FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL HABITATS. | 2018-11-19 → ? | $0 |