Author Topic: NIAC 2025 Phase I & Phase II (Read 2366 times)

StraumliBlight · « **on:** 01/10/2025 10:00 pm »

2025 Phase I Awards: [Jan 10]

• Hydrogen Hybrid Power for Aviation Sustainable Systems (Hy2PASS)
• Construction Assembly Destination
• Lunar Glass Structure (LUNGS): Enabling Construction of Monolithic Habitats in Low-Gravity Environment
• Dynamically Stable Large Space Structures via Architected Metamaterials
• The Ribbon: Structure Free Sail for Solar Polar Observation
• Exploring Venus with Electrolysis (EVE)
• MitoMars: Targeted Mitochondria Replacement Therapy to Boost Deep Space Endurance
• TOBIAS: Tethered Observatory for Balloon-based Imaging and Atmospheric Sampling
• Inflatable Starshade for Earthlike Exoplanets
• PULSAR: Planetary pULSe-tAkeR
• SUPREME-QG: Space-borne Ultra-Precise Measurement of the Equivalence Principle Signature of Quantum Gravity
• Thermo-Photo-Catalysis of Water for Crewed Mars Transit Spacecraft Oxygen Supply
• Beholding Black Hole Power with the Accretion Explorer Interferometer
• Fusion-Enabled Comprehensive Exploration of the Heliosphere
• LEAP – Legged Exploration Across the Plume

TOBIAS NIAC Orientation Poster [April 27]

Asteroza · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/14/2025 12:53 am »

Got beaten to the punch...

Hy2PASS is interesting because it changes the thought process behind boosted fuel cells. Usually for a boosted fuel cell, the end game is combustor replacement as a topping cycle in an otherwise conventional gas turbine. Hy2PASS says no to the conventional approach, and instead of operating a turbine on fuel cell exhaust to power the compressor mechanically, they use the electrical production to drive the electric motor driven compressor for the fuel cell, and bleed air as a split cycle to a different propulsor to feed a different set of combustors for a turbofan, with the turbofan noticeably missing the compressor stages of a conventional gas turbine and thus the turbine is driving the fan only. It's offloading gas turbine compression duties essentially, decoupling it.

There's always been a bit of an existential conflict between shaft speeds of compressors and turbines, and fans and turbines. Currently, that's solved with two spool (two shaft) turbofan engines or even three spool gas turbine turbofans, or cheating a bit with a geared turbofan.

One does wonder if Hy2PASS is using fuel cell heat exchangers in the same vein as intercoolers in proposed advanced turbofans though, using meridith effects to gain additional propulsion beyond just the raw fuel cell exhaust speed.

I seem to also remember the old rule of thumb that 80% of thrust at takeoff for a turbofan comes from the fan, but at altitude it was the reverse and the jet core was providing the majority of thrust. From that, one would think having a split cycle using bleed air and a conventional combustor seems like a lot extra work compared to a single pod "conventional" fuel cell combustor mechanical gas turbine stack.

Construction Assembly Destination is a fancy way of saying construction shack/depot, which really needs to be demonstrated to kickstart space industries. OSAM-2 with Archinaut would have been a minimum viable product version of this, which would have been a great stepping stone, before it got cancelled...
https://thinkorbital.com/

Lunar glass seems like somebody with a hobby for glass blowing turned it into a lunar base module concept. Not clear how much superior this is over inflatables though. How are you supposed to rad shield this thing though?
https://www.skyeports.com/

Deployable structure metamaterial starshield is neat, but could the phonon gap stiffness/damping structure also be applied to membrane lens/mirror support systems?

The tractor solar sail ribbon using diffraction gratings is neat, has weird implications for solar sail design/navigation too. A potential option for solar lagrange point station keeping?

EVE feels like keep-alive work for SOFC manufacturers

TOBIAS is doing that paired tether dynamic soaring trick to drag a combo sensor pod/flying wind turbine with a high altitude balloon.

Inflatable starshield dimensionality needs might also apply to inflatable optics too?

The Microlithic thermophotocatalytic CO2 cracker/oxygen generator looks interesting for other catalytic needs too as it seems to be passive?
https://pci.energy/

Helicity getting money to flesh out their fusion concept in a propulsion role should be interesting.
https://www.helicityspace.com/

LEAP is a single legged jumper using twin reaction wheels for balance (and maybe using the wheels themselves when actually on the surface?). Is anybody pursuing using the steam jets as a launch assist means for long jumps though?

Twark_Main · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/14/2025 01:29 am »

Nice to see ThinkOrbital on the selection list.

Looks like they just released a new demo animation:

Seems pretty well thought-out. The challenge / opportunity, they acknowledge, is in outfitting the empty interior. I would add outfitting the exterior as well, since it will need some sort of MMOD and thermal shielding. Presumably this would be pre-installed but "peeled back" to allow welding.

Elmar Moelzer · « **Reply #3 on:** 01/14/2025 06:53 pm »

Really happy to see fusion represented, especially with Helicity Space. Very interesting approach, IMHO!

StraumliBlight · « **Reply #4 on:** 05/22/2025 03:07 pm »

Sam.gov: NASA INNOVATIVE ADVANCED CONCEPTS (NIAC) PHASE I [May 16]

Quote

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters anticipates release of a solicitation, titled “NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), Phase I,” as an Appendix to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) NASA Research Announcement (NRA), titled “Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion - 2025 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2025),” on or about June 3, 2025.

[...]

NIAC will host a virtual forum that will address key aspects of this Phase I Appendix. The date and time for this forum is June 11, 2025 from 1PM-3PM ET.

Also, the 2025 Phase II Award Announcement is a month overdue.

StraumliBlight · « **Reply #5 on:** 05/27/2025 06:54 pm »

Phase II awards [May 27]

• Gravity Poppers: Hopping Probes for the Interior Mapping of Small Solar system Bodies
• Mars Roundtrip Success enabled by Integrated Cooling through Inductively Coupled LED Emission (MaRS ICICLE)
• Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration
• TFINER – Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket
• Breathing Beyond Earth: A Reliable Oxygen Production Architecture for Human Space Exploration
• Addressing Key Challenges To Mapping Sub-cm Orbital Debris in LEO via Plasma Soliton Detection
• Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors

Asteroza · « **Reply #6 on:** 07/08/2025 08:54 am »

Quote from: StraumliBlight on 05/27/2025 06:54 pm

Phase II awards [May 27]

• Gravity Poppers: Hopping Probes for the Interior Mapping of Small Solar system Bodies
• Mars Roundtrip Success enabled by Integrated Cooling through Inductively Coupled LED Emission (MaRS ICICLE)
• Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration
• TFINER – Thin Film Isotope Nuclear Engine Rocket
• Breathing Beyond Earth: A Reliable Oxygen Production Architecture for Human Space Exploration
• Addressing Key Challenges To Mapping Sub-cm Orbital Debris in LEO via Plasma Soliton Detection
• Autonomous Tritium Micropowered Sensors

The MaRS ICICLE work on LED laser cooling panels has huge potential for ZBO tankage (a lynchpin for many propulsion architectures), but the MHD water electrolyzer is interesting for terrestrial commercial applications.