Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: In order to make their stay more comfortable in deep space, NASA is investing in eight technology proposals to develop Magnetoshells to growable habitats that will make the journey of astronauts in deep space a bit comfortable.
These proposals has the potential to transform the future aerospace missions by building efficient aerospace system.
Awards under Phase II of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) can be worth as much as $500,000 for a two-year study, and allow proposers to further develop concepts funded by NASA for Phase I studies that successfully demonstrated initial feasibility and benefit.
In Phase II study awardees will have to refine their futuristic projects and explore the areas where they can implement this technology.
This year’s Phase II portfolio addresses a range of leading-edge concepts, including: an interplanetary habitat configured to induce deep sleep for astronauts on long-duration missions; a highly efficient dual aircraft platform that may be able to stay aloft for weeks or even months at a time; and a method to produce “solar white” coatings for scattering sunlight and cooling fuel tanks in space down to 300 °F below zero, with no energy input needed.
“Phase II decisions are always challenging, but we were especially challenged this year with so many successful Phase I studies applying to move forward with their cutting-edge technologies,” said Jason Derleth, the NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
All projects are in prototype stage and requires 10 years or more for concept maturation and technology development before use on a NASA mission.
(Source: NASA)
