The ISS National Lab Announces Grant Awards for Enabling Technologies
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (October 15, 2014) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab) has announced grant awards for three projects focused on enabling technologies from the International Space Station (ISS). These awards stem from the the ISS National Lab Request for Proposals (RFP) “Enabling Technology to Support Science in Space for Life on Earth.” the ISS National Lab is the nonprofit organization managing research onboard the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.
The purpose of this RFP was to identify and support technology development projects that would enable increased use of ISS for Earth benefits—for example, improvements in hardware/capabilities or methods to improve bandwidth, throughput, or quality of future research projects. Awardees include:
Dr. Jayfus Doswell of Juxtopia LLC in Baltimore, MD will develop and evaluate an innovative augmented reality (AR) goggle/software system, the Juxtopia® Context-Aware Mobile Mixed Assistive Device (CAMMRAD). These AR goggles will provide virtual assistance that seeks to improve the speed and accuracy with which astronauts perform ISS National Lab science experiments. Moreover, Earth-based markets for this product exist in emergency response organizations that employ first responders who work in remote, austere, or extreme environments.
Dr. Scott Green from Controlled Dynamics of Huntington Beach, CA seeks to develop an insert for existing ISS hardware that will provide research payloads with a “controlled dynamic acceleration environment”—in other words, a technology that will dampen fluctuations/disturbances in the microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment that occur onboard moving spacecraft. This technology promises to attract a new class of research experiments and private funding aimed at exploiting this controlled acceleration environment in microgravity, which has the potential to improve space experiments in crystallization; cell, tissue, and plant culturing; and other studies.
Dr. Mason Peck from Cornell University (in coordination with NanoRacks LLC of Houston, TX) will adapt a spacecraft-on-a-chip experimental satellite platform called “Sprite” to eventually be programmed in place and deployed from ISS, providing a low-cost, rapidly-deployable, crew-configurable, small-satellite platform for science and technology development. Expected users of this technology include those in the GPS, space tourism, entertainment, and DIY space industries.
Final award of grant money is contingent upon the acceptance of legal terms and conditions between recipients and the ISS National Lab.
“Today’s award announcement is instrumental in the efforts of the ISS National Lab to enhance the capabilities that exist for research on the ISS,” said the ISS National Lab Chief Operating Officer Duane Ratliff. “To enable world-class science, you need to have world-class facilities and innovative platforms to conduct research. The ISS already serves as an unparalleled platform for research and innovation, and through continued enhancements to the station, we will continue open more opportunity to the research community and drive inquiry truly capable of groundbreaking discovery not capable on Earth.”
For additional information about the ISS National Lab opportunities, including instructions on submitting a proposal, continue to check the the ISS National Lab solicitations site: stg-issnationallab-issnldevsite.kinsta.cloud/solicitations
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About the ISS National Lab: The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISS National Lab) was selected by NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration in July 2011 to maximize use of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory through 2020. the ISS National Lab is dedicated to supporting and accelerating innovations and new discoveries that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. For more information, visit stg-issnationallab-issnldevsite.kinsta.cloud.
About the ISS National Laboratory: In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the International Space Station as the nation’s newest national laboratory to maximize its use for improving life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing STEM education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by other U.S. government agencies and by academic and private institutions, providing access to the permanent microgravity setting, vantage point in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles., and varied environments of space.
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