1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Back to ECF Home Transformational Advanced Energetic Propulsion Omid BeikColorado School of MinesDevelopment of a MW-Scale High-Voltage Multiphase Dual-Rotor Generator and Rectifier for a PMAD in an NEP System Ognjen IlicUniversity of MinnesotaConcept Demonstration of Directed Energy Propulsion with Metasurface Lightsails Kenshiro OguriPurdue UniversityOrigami-inspired Diffractive Sail for Directed Energy Propulsion Thomas UnderwoodUniversity of Texas, AustinStabilized Z-Pinch Fusion Driven Electromagnetic Propulsion Power Systems to Enable Small System Operations in Permanently Shadowed Lunar Regions Manan AryaStanford UniversityLightweight Deployable Solar Reflectors Jessica…
Read MoreTag: Space Technology Research Grants
Developing Oxychalcogenide Membranes for Superconducting Power Transmission
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Yang.pdf Shuolong Yang University of Chicago This effort will leverage the latest developments in superconductors to build a power transmission cable that can operate in the extreme cold temperatures found on the Moon with very low electrical losses. The team will use novel manufacturing techniques to grow alternating layers of FeSe SrTiO3 films onto a substrate and the resulting, superconducting tape can be fashioned into electrical transmission lines. The project will culminate with a demonstration 1-meter-long…
Read MorePower on the Dark Side: Stimulus-Responsive Adsorbents for Low-Energy Controlled Storage and Delivery of Low Boiling Fuels to Mobile Assets in Permanently Shaded Regions
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart McGuirk.pdf Christopher McGuirk Colorado School of Mines This project will investigate and develop improved storage methods for the fuels needed to generate electrical power in places where sunlight is not available. The effort will focus on particularly tailored materials called Metal Oxide Frameworks, or MOFs, that can be used to store methane and oxygen. The methane and oxygen can be reacted in a solid oxide fuel cell to generate electricity, and storing them in a MOF…
Read MorePiezoelectric-Based Power Conversion for Lunar Surface Systems
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Boles.pdf Jessica Boles University of California, Berkeley This project will develop piezoelectric-based power conversion for small power systems on the lunar surface. These piezoelectric systems can potentially offer high power density to significantly reduce size, weight, and cost. They can also offer high efficiency as well as resistance to the extreme lunar environment with its expected prolonged exposure to extreme cold and radiation. The effort will build and test prototype piezoelectric DC-to-DC power converters and DC-to-DC…
Read MoreLightweight Deployable Solar Reflectors
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Arya.pdf Manan Arya Stanford University This grant will design and develop lightweight, low-cost modular solar reflectors that can be stowed for transport in a compact volume. These reflectors can potentially be used to reflect and concentrate sunlight into a permanently shadowed area of the Moon where it could power photovoltaics. These reflectors could also potentially be used for concentrated photovoltaics for deep-space missions, solar thermal propulsion, or for thermal mining. The team will use recently developed…
Read MoreEarly Stage Innovations (ESI) 2024
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Back to ESI Home Computational Materials Engineering for Lunar Metals Welding Azadeh HaghighiUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoWeld-ASSIST: Weldability Assessment for In-Space Conditions using a Digital Twin Wei LiUniversity of Texas at DallasIntegrated Computational Materials Modelling Framework for Investigating the Process-Structure-Property Linkage of the Lunar Metal Welding with Internal Defects Passive Lunar Dust Control through Advanced Materials and Surface Engineering SungWoo NamUniversity of California, IrvineDeformable Crumpled Nano-ball Coatings with Adaptable Adhesion and Mechanical Energy Absorption for Lunar Dust Mitigation Chih-Hao ChangUniversity of Texas at AustinEngineering the Adhesion…
Read MoreIntegrated Computational Materials Modelling Framework for Investigating the Process-Structure-Property Linkage of the Lunar Metal Welding with Internal Defects
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ESI24 Li Quadchart Wei LiUniversity of Texas at Dallas Internal defects are always formed in laser welding process due to the keyhole instability, molten pool collapse, and rapid solidification. The extreme lunar environment complicates the reliable implementation of welding, thereby enhancing the welding defects formation. The welding defects are critical material barriers preventing the metal components from Moon exploration. Professor Wei Li’s team will establish an integrated computational materials modelling framework to study the process-structure-property linkage of laser welding under…
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