Project Goal: Design a system that maintains a positive pressure in a closed Moon and Mars habitat to prevent the introduction of foreign contaminants.

Maintaining a pressurized vessel is paramount to human survival in the hostile environment of the Moon or Mars. The Automated Pressure Regulation System will ultimately be attached to a high-fidelity Mars habitat analog at Biosphere 2 as part of research into off-world habitation.

The APRS prototype is attached to a one-tenth-scale model of the analog crew quarters. An array of sensors and a Raspberry Pi computer detect the internal pressure of the living quarters. Based on these readings, the system uses a compressor and solenoid valve to either store air in tanks or release air into the system to maintain a steady pressure. A user interface enables the crew to monitor real-time internal and ambient pressures. The system can be operated in either automatic or manual mode.

The scale model properly maintains the required positive pressure differential, thus validating the design. With testing concluded, the APRS is ready for full-scale implementation.

Project Goal: Design a serviceable high-temperature metal-to-ceramic seal for Honeywell's life support system aboard the International Space Station.

Long-distance space travel is possible with a closed-loop oxygen regeneration system that restores CO2 into breathable air. While this can be achieved using methane pyrolysis, conventional sealing designs cannot handle the required elevated temperatures of approximately 500 degrees Celsius. A better seal would improve this process.

The team designed a mechanical seal for the ceramic cylinder in the methane pyrolysis reactor. It uses Inconel and silicon nitride materials, capable of handling temperatures well above the requirement. Parametric modeling software facilitated the design, which was then verified with finite element analysis tools.

To minimize leakage due to thermal expansion, the metal interface uses a specific locking geometry and an Inconel 718 gasket. This provides an interface that is easy to service, resistant to changes in temperature and ensures a long and reliable service life

Project Goal: Develop an optimization model for a space-based thermal management system for a methane pyrolysis reactor.

Oxygen recovery rate for life support systems is currently limited to 50%, in part because modern systems vent waste methane. However, developments with methane pyrolysis mean that 100% oxygen recovery is feasible. The process requires extremely high temperatures, which must be properly managed for a space-based environment.

This model implements heat transfer and thermodynamic processes to calculate thermal properties of a theoretical thermal management system. It considers the constraints and limitations on the system, then calculates a range of potential dimensions and materials, giving the user a variety of options. The system converts the thermal and physical properties calculated to an equivalent system mass, which is used as a metric to choose an optimal design.

As a result, the most optimal design for the reactor is chosen from any set of provided information.

Project Goal: Research and develop a prototype metrology test for distortion and field curvature that will enable ASML to accurately test a specific large field-of-view lens used in their lithography systems.

It is important to minimize aberrations when designing and assembling an optical system. Finding the main source of each aberration in an assembled system requires physically measuring the aberrations contributed by each optical element within the system.

This prototype metrology test uses moiré fringes to accurately measure the distortion and field curvature of a wide field-of-view test lens. The lens images an object’s space grating under test and projects it onto an image space grating, which creates a moiré fringe pattern. A camera then captures the distorted pattern, which is analyzed by custom-developed MATLAB code. The result is the amount of distortion and field curvature produced by the lens.

Project Goal: Remove the error from an emulated satellite laser communication so that 90% or more of the maximum power of the signal is received.

Satellites communicate through ultra high and super high radio frequencies, which are between 10 and 100 times slower than laser communications. However, calibration systems for laser communications are slow and time consuming, so they cannot accurately track low earth orbiting satellites. A faster system that can better catch the beam would make significantly more data available from each stream.

This design has two sub-systems, mounted to a standard optical table. An error emulator, which replicates the real-error in a satellite communication signal, uses a piezoelectric mirror to induce jitter in an F/6.8 1550nm continuous-wave laser signal replicating a 0.5m telescope. The second subsystem, a laser tracker, which stabilizes the beam and removes error from the signal, focuses it onto an optical fiber that feeds to a power detector.

A fast-steering mirror in a closed-loop configuration with a position sensing detector maintains the beam's position on the optical fiber. With this system, 90% of the maximum incident beam power on the optical fiber is autonomously maintained.

Project Goal: Design and fabricate a steel-polyethylene composite armor plate that balances performance, weight, cost, durability and comfort.

Spartan Armor Systems wanted a level III body armor that would stand out among the competition in a growing market. Traditional steel armor is cost-effective and simple to manufacture, but its heavy weight can cause user fatigue and other prolonged physical problems.

The hybrid armor plate weighs less than five pounds and measures just over 1/2-inch thick. The HAP is the first composite plate to combine ballistic-rated steel and polyethylene to create a stronger and lighter body armor.

HAP was tested against the performance standards established by the National Institute of Justice for level III protection: NIJ-Standard-0101.06. Level III offers protection against basic rifle threats and is certified to stop a 7.62x51mm M80 Ball NATO round, which has a mass of 9.6g and a velocity of 847 meters per second. The test determined the optimal configuration of the HAP, balancing spall (fragmentation) mitigation and impact resistance.

Project Goal: Design, build and bench test a compact laser diode-based metrology module that can illuminate a stream of water droplets and record the reflected signal from each droplet (or group of droplets) over a given time interval using a suitable solid-state detector.

The current metrology solution to precisely locate tin droplets in the primary chamber is bulky and difficult to service, which reduces the use of lithography machines.

This new laser diode-based metrology module, or LDMM, creates a stream of submillimeter water droplets and then detects the position of these droplets using a laser diode-based optical metrology system. A fast, solid-state detector analyzes the reflection of visible laser light from the surface of the droplet. Once the system detects a droplet, it sends a timing signal to an external source, such as an LED or laser, that could theoretically intercept the position of the droplet.

New software provides a graphical user interface, and a host computer allows the user to operate the LDMM's droplet generation characteristics.

Project Goal: Design and build a sturdier, more reliable and longer-lasting anchor for low-profile gastrostomy tubes.

Patients unable to orally ingest food or medications use gastrostomy tubes to receive the necessary nutrients and treatment to survive. Currently, a silicone balloon is used to secure the device in the stomach. Unfortunately, the balloon requires regular inflation checks for safety due to the permeability of the material in an acidic environment.

This redesigned g-tube anchor employs a hollow silicone disk to prevent premature or undesired removal of the tube. An insertion rod stretches the silicone disk for easy insertion and removal. Once the tube is inserted, the rod is removed, and the silicone anchor returns to its original disk shape. The anchor retains integrity throughout its indicated time of use without requiring adjustments or inflation checks.

This design ensures that the g-tube stays in place and remains functional for its full lifespan, and it can be molded for low-cost, high-volume manufacturing.

Project Goal: Design and build an autonomous machine that can systematically torque large quantities of fasteners, and provide a user interface that allows the system to be programmed to operate a wide range of assembly configurations.

At Raytheon, installing fasteners is a manual process. A typical assembly has 90-200 fasteners, each needing to be sequentially torqued to a specific value and commonly requiring a team of operators two to six hours to complete. Existing automatic torque tools lack the required control and accuracy. Although robots are good at automating repetitive tasks, they run into trouble when the context of the application lacks consistency. A different type of robot could solve these key challenges.

In this design, the graphical user interface allows input and editing of assembly parameters, generates a pre-run simulation/graphic, provides troubleshooting capabilities, generates documentation and other advanced functions. A gantry system moves the custom-built torque appliance in the x, y and z directions. Cameras employ machine vision algorithms‚ allowing the system to localize and adjust to the fasteners’ true position in real time.

The modular design and robust control software provide a reliable autonomous torque system that can be scaled to larger and more complex applications.

Project Goal: Design and develop a small, portable infrared beacon (STrOBe) that can be deployed by drone and used to mark targets in the field.

Short-wave infrared, or SWIR, beacons are used by the military to mark targets for destruction, for landing zones and for locating allied troops to prevent friendly fire. The team designed a device to mark a target in the field by emitting a laser at 1550nm, which would be detectable to those equipped with SWIR vision technology.

The STrOBe beacon is small, portable, remotely programmable, rugged and bright enough to be seen from a distance. The device is controlled remotely via Bluetooth connectivity to a custom-designed app that powers the beacon and changes the pulse repetition rate. The app can control up to three individual STrOBe devices.

The STrOBe pulses at 1550nm at a rate that can be adjusted from continuous wave to 100 Hz. The beacon’s Bluetooth-enabled module connects to the microcontroller that interfaces with the app to control the operational modes of the SWIR emitters. The custom-designed housing can withstand a 6-foot drop onto different types of terrain and land upright on a 45-degree slope. The curved architecture allows for an optical assembly that provides uniform intensity over a near-hemispherical field of view.