New NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Awards

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program announced its 2012 awards.

These proposals have been selected based on the potential of their concepts to transform future aerospace missions, enable new capabilities, or significantly alter and improve current approaches.

Each Phase I study will receive approximately $100,000 for one year, and each Phase II study will receive approximately $500,000 for two years. These studies will advance numerous innovative aerospace concepts, and help NASA achieve future goals.

30 page presentation from phase 1 NIAC study of Nuclear Propulsion through Direct Conversion of Fusion Energy. This project has been awarded a phase 2 award.

John Slough could have an experiment in 2012 with a net gain in fusion energy of 1.6. It will be an imploding liner experiment. For space propulsion he is targeting a 200 times gain in energy output from what is input. Mission profiles are for 30 day or 90 day missions to Mars with over 5000 ISP

2012 Phase II Fellows

Duda, Kevin Variable Vector Countermeasure Suit (V2Suit) for Space Habitation and Exploration Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.

Khoshnevis, Behrokh ISRU-Based Robotic Construction Technologies for Lunar and Martian Infrastructures University of Southern California

Miller, David High-Temperature Superconductors as Electromagnetic Deployment and Support Structures Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ritter, Joe OCCAMS: Optically Controlled and Corrected Active Meta-material Space Structures Neoteric Physics, Inc.

Short, Kendra Printable Spacecraft: Flexible Electronic Platforms for NASA Missions NASA JPL

Slough, John The Fusion Driven Rocket: Nuclear Propulsion through Direct Conversion of Fusion Energy MSNW LLC

Strekalov, Dmitry Ghost imaging of space objects NASA JPL

Westover, Shayne Radiation Protection and Architecture Utilizing High Temperature Superconducting Magnets NASA JSC

Whittaker, William Cavehopping Exploration of Planetary Skylights and Tunnels Astrobotic Technology, Inc.

Wie, Bong An Innovative Solution to NASA’s NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development Iowa State University

Phase I Awards

Agogino, Adrian Super Ball Bot – Structures for Planetary Landing and Exploration NASA ARC

Arrieta, Juan The Regolith Biters: A Divide-And-Conquer Architecture for Sample NASA JPL

Cohen, Marc Robotic Asteroid Prospector (RAP) Staged from L-1: Start of the Deep Space Economy Marc M. Cohen, Architect

Ditto, Thomas HOMES – Holographic Optical Method for Exoplanet Spectroscopy 3DeWitt LLC

Flynn, Michael Water Walls: Highly Reliable and Massively Redundant Life Support Architecture NASA ARC

Gellett, Wayne Solid State Air Purification System Zettacore Inc.

Hoyt, Robert NanoTHOR: Low-Cost Launch of Nanosatellites to Deep Space Tethers Unlimited, Inc.

Hoyt, Robert SpiderFab: Process for On-Orbit Construction of Kilometer-Scale Apertures Tethers Unlimited, Inc.

Kirtley, David A Plasma Aerocapture and Entry System for Manned Missions and Planetary Deep Space Orbiters The Planetary Society

Landis, Geoffrey Venus Landsailing Rover NASA GRC

Lantoine, Gregory MAGNETOUR: Surfing Planetary Systems on Electromagnetic and Multi-Body Gravity Fields NASA JPL

McCue, Leigh Exploration of Under-Ice Regions with Ocean Profiling Agents (EUROPA) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Nosanov, Jeffrey Solar System Escape Architecture for Revolutionary Science (SSEARS) NASA JPL

Predina, Joseph NIST in Space: Better Remote Sensors for Better Science ITT Space Systems, LLC

Quadrelli, Marco Orbiting Rainbows: Optical Manipulation of Aerosols and the Beginnings of Future Space Construction NASA JPL

Saif, Babak Atom Interferometry for detection of Gravity Waves-a NASA GSFC

Winglee, Robert Sample Return Systems for Extreme Environments University of Washington, Seattle

Zha, Gecheng Silent and Efficient Supersonic Bi-Directional Flying Wing University of Miami

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