Goddard's IRAD program is managed under Goddard's Office of Chief Technologist. Activities are coordinated in collaboration with the Sciences and Exploration Directorate; Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate; Flight Projects Directorate; Wallops Flight Facility; New Opportunites Office; SBIR/STTR program; Goddard Strategic Partnerships Office; and the Export Compliance Office.
IRAD provides"seed funding" to develop concepts, reduce technology risk, and advance human capital and technological capabilities. The program is highly competitive, opportunity-driven, and 100% strategically aligned with NASA's and GSFC's strategic priorities. A significant portion of the program is focused on Early Stage Innovations for high-risk, strategically aligned, potential high-payoff technologies that are longer-term or lower TRL.
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"acronym":"IRAD","isActive":true,"programId":87,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Center Independent Research & Development","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"IRAD"},"parentProgramId":87,"programId":153,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4910,"organizationName":"Mission Support Directorate","acronym":"MSD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4910,"title":"Center Independent Research & Development: GSFC IRAD","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"GSFC IRAD"},"acronym":"","description":"This project aims to create a prototype retractable, reel stored, tubular boom system with the capability to hold a magnetically sensitive science instrument or technology demonstration away from the bulk of a Sounding Rocket payload. This development was outlined as a key technology focus area for both the Suborbital Platforms and Range Services (SPARS) and Heliophysics Science Division (HSD) lines of business. The main objective of this development will be to design, fabricate, assemble, and ground test a prototype boom system with the capabilities required for both a sampling experiment and an occulting disk experiment.
","benefits":"A gap in the current capabilities available to sounding rockets exists, in part, due to a both a lack in the ability to retract a rigid payload boom back into the payload and a lack in the ability to utilize boom system power to deploy the boom element. The former is required for an environmental sampling type experiment while the latter is required for a solar occulting disk experiment. An occulting disk experiment would consist of a rigid payload boom extending collinearly with the rocket axis while the rocket axis was aligned with the sun. This deployment characteristic requires that the boom system deploy under generated power, from a motor or stored energy device. This is unlike the typical sounding rocket boom systems, which deploy under gravity or payload rotation for simplicity.
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