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The SQRLi system is made up of three major components including the laser assembly, the mirror assembly, and the electronics and data processing equipment (electronics assembly) as shown in the figure below. The three main systems work together to send and receive the lidar signal then translate it into a 3D image for navigation and imaging purposes. The rover sensing instrument makes use of a unique fiber optic laser assembly with high, adjustable output that increases the dynamic range (i.e., contrast) of the lidar system. The commercially available mirror setup used in the SQRLi is small, reliable, and has a wide aperture that improves the field-of-view of the lidar while maintaining a small instrument footprint. Lastly, the data processing is done by an in-house designed processor capable of translating the light signal into a high-resolution (sub-millimeter) 3D map. These components of the SQRLi enable successful hazard detection and navigation in visibility-impaired environments. The SQRLi is applicable to planetary and lunar exploration by unmanned or crewed vehicles and may be adapted for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing purposes. Beyond NASA missions, the new 3D lidar may be used for vehicular navigation in the automotive, defense, or commercial space sectors. The SQRLi is available for patent licensing.

NASA GRC has developed several different 3D printing techniques to fabricate polymer aerogel structures; different techniques are suitable for different polymer aerogel formulations. In general, the methods entail forming a first liquid comprising a polymer precursor and cross-linker, forming a second liquid comprising a catalyst for reacting a polymer precursor to form a polymer, then 3D printing the aerogel structure with a mixture of the two liquids onto or into a medium. Specifically, NASA's polymer aerogel 3D printing techniques include: direct syringe printing, dual-syringe printing with static mixing head, direct syringe printing of photocurable formulations, and a unique rapid prototyping method involving a sacrificial bath. The direct syringe process relies upon gelation to occur once the gel is extruded from the print head to the substrate. In the dual-syringe printing process, one syringe contains polyamic acid and the other contains a catalyst. These are mixed in a static mixing head to allow for curing/gelation upon extrusion. For direct syringe printing of photocurable polymer aerogel formulations, a UV pen and array follow the printed gel during extrusion to induce gelation. Finally, the rapid prototyping method uses a bath of highly viscosity, low shear gel that provides a low drag, flexible yet supportive medium in which to print the polymer aerogel. In other embodiments, a bath of polyamic acid is used while cross-linkers and catalysts are introduced via printing, or vice versa (polyamic acid is introduced via printing into a bath of cross-linkers and catalysts). In addition to complex geometries, these layered 3D printing processes allow for the fabrication of chemically-bonded (cross-linked) structures composed of layers of different polymer aerogel formulations (i.e., fabrication of structures with tailored chemistries / properties). Previously, joining different polymer aerogel formulations into a single structure required the fabrication of different formulations using individual molds and joining them using an adhesive, potentially introducing weak fracture points.

Modeling additive manufacturing processes can be difficult due to the scale difference between the active processing point (e.g., a sub-millimeter melt pool) and the part itself. Typically, the tools used to model these processes are either too computationally intensive (due to high physical fidelity or inefficient computations) or are focused solely on either the microscale (e.g., microstructure) or macroscale (e.g., cracks). These pitfalls make the tools unsuitable for fast and efficient evaluations of additive manufacturing build files and parts. Failures in parts made by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) often come when there is a lack of fusion or overheating of the metal powder that causes areas of high porosity. AM-PM uses a point field-based method to model L-PBF process conditions from either the build instructions (pre-build) or in situ measurements (during the build). The AM-PM modeling technique has been tested in several builds including a Ti-6Al-4V test article that was divided into 16 parts, each with different build conditions. With AM-PM, calculations are performed faster than similar methods and the technique can be generalized to other additive manufacturing processes. The AM-PM method is at technology readiness level (TRL) 6 (system/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment) and is available for patent licensing.

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) human broncho-epithelial (HBE) tissue-like assemblies (3D HBE TLAs or TLAs) were engineered in modeled microgravity using rotating wall vessel technology (pictured above) to mimic the characteristics of in vivo tissue. The TLAs were bioengineered onto collagen-coated cyclodextran beads using primary human mesenchymal bronchial-tracheal cells (HBTC) as the foundation matrix and an adult human broncho-epithelial immortalized cell line (BEAS-2B) as the overlying component. The resulting TLAs share significant characteristics with in vivo human respiratory epithelium including polarization, tight junctions, desmosomes, and microvilli. The presence of tissue-like differentiation markers including villi, keratins, and specific lung epithelium markers, as well as the production of tissue mucin, further confirm these TLAs have differentiated into tissues functionally like in vivo tissues. TLAs mimic aspects of the human respiratory epithelium and provide a unique capability to study the interactions of respiratory viruses and their primary target tissue independent of the host's immune system. The innovation "Methods For Growing Tissue-Like 3D Assemblies Of Human Broncho-Epithelial Cells" is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 (which means system/subsystem prototype demonstration in a relevant environment) and the related patent is now available to license for development into a commercial product. Please note that NASA does not manufacture products itself for commercial sale.

NASA's Liquid Sorbent Carbon Dioxide Removal System was designed as an alternative to the current CO2 removal technology used on the International Space Station (ISS), which uses solid zeolite media that is prone to dusting, has a low absorption capacity, and requires high regeneration temperatures and frequent maintenance. Motivated by CO2 removal systems on submarines, NASA innovators began investigating the use of liquid sorbents. Liquid sorbents have a capacity four times greater than solid zeolites, require low regeneration temperature, and need fewer unreliable moving mechanical parts than solid based systems. While submarine CO2 scrubbers spray an adsorbing chemical directly into the air stream and allow the liquid to settle, NASA's new system uses a capillary driven 3D printed microchannel direct air/liquid contactor in a closed loop system. The Liquid Sorbent Carbon Dioxide Removal System is robust and reliable, while being low in weight, volume, and power requirements. The system is capable of reaching equilibrium when the liquid sorbent surface is being regenerated at a rate equal to the rate of absorption into the liquid.

Aerial planetary exploration spacecraft require lightweight, compact, and low power sensing systems to enable successful landing operations. The Ocellus 3D lidar meets those criteria as well as being able to withstand harsh planetary environments. Further, the new tool is based on space-qualified components and lidar technology previously developed at NASA Goddard (i.e., the Kodiak 3D lidar) as shown in the figure below. The Ocellus 3D lidar quickly scans a near infrared laser across a planetary surface, receives that signal, and translates it into a 3D point cloud. Using a laser source, fast scanning MEMS (micro-electromechanical system)-based mirrors, and NASA-developed processing electronics, the 3D point clouds are created and converted into elevations and images onboard the craft. At ~2 km altitudes, Ocellus acts as an altimeter and at altitudes below 200 m the tool produces images and terrain maps. The produced high resolution (centimeter-scale) elevations are used by the spacecraft to assess safe landing sites. The Ocellus 3D lidar is applicable to planetary and lunar exploration by unmanned or crewed aerial vehicles and may be adapted for assisting in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing operations. Beyond exploratory space missions, the new compact 3D lidar may be used for aerial navigation in the defense or commercial space sectors. The Ocellus 3D lidar is available for patent licensing.

NASA's technology is the first successful 3D-printing of high temperature carbon fiber filled thermoset polyimide composites. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) of carbon-filled RTM370 is followed by post-curing to achieve higher temperature capability, resulting in a composite part with a glass transition temperature of 370 °C. SLS typically uses thermoplastic polymeric powders and the resultant parts have a useful temperature range of 150-185 °C, while often being weaker compared to traditionally processed materials. Recently, higher temperature thermoplastics have been manufactured into 3D parts by high temperature SLS that requires a melting temperature of 380 °C, but the usable temperature range for these parts is still under 200 °C. NASA's thermoset polyimide composites are melt-processable between 150-240 °C, allowing the use of regular SLS machines. The resultant parts are subsequently post-cured using multi-step cycles that slowly heat the material to slightly below its glass transition temperature, while avoiding dimensional change during the process. This invention will greatly benefit aerospace companies in the production of parts with complex geometry for engine components requiring over 300 °C applications, while having a wealth of other potential applications including, but not limited to, printing legacy parts for military aircraft and producing components for high performance electric cars.

The technology is a method to increase automation of Additive Manufacturing (AM) through augmentation of the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process. It can significantly increase the speed of 3D printing by automating the removal of printed components from the build platform without the need for additional hardware, which increases printing throughput. The method can also be leveraged to perform automated object testing and characterization. The method includes embedding into the manufacturing instructions methods to fabricate directly onto the build platform an actuator tool, such as a linear spring. The deposition head can be leveraged as a robotic manipulator of the actuator tool to bend, cock, and release the linear spring to strike the target manufactured object and move it off the build platform of the machine they were manufactured on. The ability for an object to 'fly off of the machine that made it' essentially enables automated clearing of the processed build volume. The technology can also be used for testing the AM machine or the feedstock material by successively fabricating prototypes of the manufactured object, and taking measurements from sensors as the actuator strikes the prototype. This provides automated testing for quality control, machine calibration, material origins, and counterfeit detection.

NASA researchers have developed the PAPA technology to increase the efficiency of the thin-film solar array assembly process, significantly decreasing assembly time and labor costs associated with manufacturing large scale solar arrays. Traditional solar cell assembly is a labor intensive, multi-step, time-consuming process. This manual assembly will not be possible in a space environment. To enable solar array assembly in space, PAPA leverages robotic automation to distill the traditional assembly method into four fully automated steps: applying adhesive to block substrate, placing the solar cells using a vacuum tool attached to a universal robotic arm, printing the interconnects and buses to connect the cells, and applying a protective cover. The PAPA technology is compatible with a variety of thin-film solar cells, including 3D printed cells (essential for future in-space manufacturing of arrays) and terrestrial manufacturing methods. As solar cell technologies mature, PAPA will be able to incorporate advancements into the paneling process. NASA researchers have begun to employ PAPA solar array fabrication and estimate savings of $300-$400/watt. For extraterrestrial assembly of solar panels the size of a football field or larger, PAPA could result in savings of approximately $500 million; a substantial cost savings driven by standardization and efficiency in the solar array assembly process. By demonstrating increases in assembly efficiency, time and cost savings, and passing multiple environmental exposure tests, the PAPA lab protype has completed the final phases of technology development and is ready for scale-up and commercialization.

The invention consists of a 3D print head apparatus that heats and extrudes a regolith-polymer (or other) mixture as part of an additive manufacturing process. The technology includes a securing mechanism, hopper, nozzle, barrel, and heating system. The securing mechanism attaches to a wrist joint of a robotic arm. The hopper, connected to the securing mechanism, has a cavity and a lower aperture. The barrel is an elongated, hollow member with its first end connected to the hopper's lower aperture and its second end connected to the nozzle's upper aperture. The heating system is positioned along the barrel and comprises a heater, thermocouple, insulator, and heating controller. The heating controller activates the heater based on input signals received from the thermocouple. The print head apparatus also includes a feed screw, drive shaft, and motor. The feed screw is positioned within the elongated hollow member of the barrel, and the drive shaft transmits torque to the feed screw. The motor provides torque to the drive shaft. An agitator is secured to the drive shaft, facilitating the consistent movement and mixing of the regolith-polymer mixture in the hopper. The nozzle includes a tube with an open end and an occluded end, allowing the mixture to be extruded through the lower aperture. The jointly developed 3D print head technology enables efficient, large-scale additive construction using in-situ resources, such as regolith or other materials. The innovation reduces the need for transporting materials from Earth and allows for sustainable habitat development on the Moon or Mars. Given its adaptability to different crushed rock-polymer materials, the invention may also serve as an alternative to conventional Portland concrete construction on Earth.