JSC provides and applies its preeminent capabilities in science and technology to develop, operate, and integrate human exploration missions. The Center encourages collaboration with aerospace and non-aerospace industries, government agencies, and academia to solve science and technology challenges, while actively striving to maximize technology transfer into the commercial sector.
An active and sustainable science and technology development program is key to ensuring the challenges of human exploration are successfully overcome. The JSC-directed solicitations program enables the Center to invest strategically in high priority areas needed to accomplish future missions as articulated in the NASA Technology Roadmaps and the Space Technology Investment Plan (STIP). It offers the Center the ability to address technology gaps that are beyond the requirements of near-term programs to fund. It also provides a platform to continue to grow and maintain critical skills and innovations needed to ensure future mission success. These solicitations encourage use of collaborations to ensure maximum benefit to both the space program and the nation. As such, external partnerships are highly encouraged not only as a funding leverage but to bring innovative ideas and approaches into human exploration programs.
Selection Process
Typically, JSC solicitations are developed by the JSC CTO and the JSC Technology Working Group (JTWG). The competitive calls are coordinated with JSC Senior Staff and communicated to the JSC workforce via internal email distribution to an R&D community list and through postings on the internal center website and through JSC Today notices.
The JTWG solicits, evaluates and prioritizes all JSC solicitation responses in a two-stage process. The JTWG members review project proposals and work together to down-select to the finalists. The Principal Investigators (PIs) make presentations to the JTWG to provide more in-depth project details. This allows the members to select the finalists to support for the year. Selection criteria and funding vary based on the focus of the solicitation but of primary interest are:
Project Accomplishments
Through the result of research and development, JSC’s IR&D project PIs are making important progress in the advancement of technology needed to enable NASA’s mission of space exploration. In addition, many of the technologies development to meet the challenges of space exploration have great commercialization potential. Each year, many of JSC’s IR&D projects file New Technology Reports (NTRs) through the JSC Tech Transfer Office. Several of these reports have received New Technology Evaluation Patent ratings to pursue patents, while additional ones have been scheduled for success story articles to be written and published.
JSC projects active in FY12 and beyond have been included in TechPort. Through the TechPort tool information on the projects is provided and will be updated by PIs as developments and updates become available. This will offer further knowledge and information sharing between NASA developers, researchers, engineers and scientists and other internal and external stakeholders.
The JSC Chief Technologist Office (CTO) sponsors one or more Independent Research & Development (IR&D) solicitations throughout each year depending on available funds. These local solicitations primarily use a blend of Agency Center Innovation Fund (CIF) and the JSC Center Investment Account (CIA) funds to stimulate and encourage technology development, creativity, and innovation. The objective is to address the technology needs of the Agency as well as the nation. For these reasons, funds distributed to JSC support emerging technologies and creative initiatives that leverage the Center’s talent pool and unique capabilities. Scientists and engineers across the Center lead projects and establish partnerships between other centers, agencies, research laboratories, academic institutions and private industries.
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This work builds upon the successes in developing and field testing GeoLab as part of the 2010 and 2011 Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) and Desert RATS activities. The GeoLab prototype facility provides the capability to test new analytical instruments and operational protocols for extraterrestrial sample collection, handling, examination, prioritization, and return to Earth. In 2010 using Center technology funds, GeoLab was designed, built, integrated into the HDU, and field tested. The 2010 work led to a successful proposal to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The 2011 work, supported by Center technology funds and by the SMD proposal, evaluated enhanced operations, including the integration and operations of new scientific instruments and new operator interfaces. The 2012 work builds on this work to increase robotic operations in the glovebox and to begin implementing sample handling in a microgravity environment by integrating a robotic microgravity sample handling system for the GeoLab glovebox. This work leverages a 2012 collaboration with the University of Bridgeport project (Zheng Li, 2012 X-Hab challenge winner), and extends the Bridgeport product for full glovebox operations. It includes a translation track for increasing the DOF and whole-glovebox operations and software development for remote control of sample handling, facilitating remotely controlled analysis and leveraging astronaut resources. The system will be tested as part of the summer 2012 Deep Space Habitat operations, and operational outcomes to be compared with earlier human-tended tests.
Develop a robotic sample handling/ manipulator system for the GeoLab glovebox. This work leverages from earlier GeoLab work and a 2012 collaboration with a University of Bridgeport project (Zheng Li, 2012 X-Hab challenge winner) to build a microgravity sample holder for the glovebox. The GeoLab team is providing inputs to the Bridgeport design; this proposal extends the Bridgeport product for full glovebox operations. It includes a translation track for increasing the DOF and whole-glovebox operations and software development for remote control of sample handling, facilitating remotely controlled analysis and leveraging astronaut resources. Tests performed during Desert RATS in 2011 and 2012 provided recommendations for increased robotic operations inside the GeoLab. Furthermore, the need for handling samples in a reduced gravity setting extends the operational concepts for preliminary examination of samples inside a space-based laboratory. We will develop and integrate the GeoLab translation track in parallel with the U. Bridgeport project, and feed requirements to the Bridgeport team to ensure seamless integration. We continue our collaborations with the DSH software development team to build controls for the manipulator. The system will be tested as part of the summer 2012 DSH operations, and operational outcomes to be compared with earlier human-tended tests.
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