A researcher at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will investigate a concept for generating and distributing power on the Moon. The “light bending” system will capture, concentrate and focus sunlight through telescopic optics.
An industry researcher from Trans Astronautica Corporation has proposed a conceptual method of making soil in space using carbon-rich asteroids and fungi. The concept suggests that the fungi break down the material and turn it into soil to grow food and maintain large-scale deep spaces.
An assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University will investigate a lightweight and deployable structure design to enable structures on a scale of kilometers in space. According to the proposal, the structure could serve as the backbone of a large rotating spacecraft that could deliver artificial gravity.
“There are an overwhelming number of new entrants to the program this year,” said Jason Derleth, CEO of the NIAC program. “All two researchers selected for Phase I awards are the first time they have received NIAC grants, showing that NASA’s opportunities at an early stage still involve creative thinkers from across the country.”
The full list of researchers selected to receive NIAC Phase I awards in 2021, and the titles of their proposals are:
Sarbajit Banerjee, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station in College Station
Regolith Adaptive Modification System to support early extraterrestrial planetary landings
Sigrid Close, Stanford University in Stanford, California
Uranus explores: sustained ChipSat / CubeSat activity using electromagnetic radiation (SCATTER)
Amelia Greig, University of Texas at El Paso
Ablative arc mining for the use of resources in situ
Zachary Manchester, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh
Mileage-scale space structures from a single launch
Patrick McGarey, JPL
Dipole series passively expand for lunar sound (PEDALS)
Quinn Morley, Planet Enterprises in Gig Harbor, Washington
Autonomous robot demonstration for deep drilling (ARD3)
Christopher Morrison, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC-Tech) in Seattle
Extra-solar object interceptor and sample return are activated by compact, ultra-dense radioisotope batteries
E. Joseph Nemanick, The Aerospace Corporation in Santa Monica, California
Atomic Planar Power for Lightweight Exploration (APPLE)
Steven Oleson, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
Example of return of titanium using propellants in situ
Marco Pavone, Stanford University
ReachBot: small robot for large mobile manipulation tasks in Mars cave environments
Ronald Polidan, Lunar Resources Inc. in Houston
FarView: In-situ Manufactured Lunar Far Side Radio Observatory
Ethan Schaler, JPL (two choices)
FLOAT: Flexible levitation on a track
SWIMMING: Sensing with independent micro-swimmers
Jane Shevtsov, Trans Astronautica Corporation in Lake View Terrace, California
Make ground for space habitats by sowing asteroids with fungi
Charles Taylor, Langley
Lightweight flexible
Joshua Vander Hook, JPL
Solar system Pony Express
NIAC supports visionary research ideas through multiple progressive phases of study. Researchers across the U.S. government, industry, and academia can make suggestions with an impact on ideas.
Phase II researchers from NIAC receive up to $ 500,000 in grants to further develop their concepts for up to two years. Phase III aims to strategically switch NIAC concepts with the greatest potential impact for NASA, other government agencies or commercial partners. Phase III researchers receive a contract of up to $ 2 million to expire their mission concept over two years.
For more information on NASA’s recruiting and space technology opportunities, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/solicitations