公开(公告)号：US20250137954A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-01

申请号：US18932002

申请日：2024-10-30

Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

Inventor： Joseph N. Zalameda

IPC: G01N25/72

Abstract: A system and method for thermal inspection of low emissivity or highly reflective surfaces uses a pulsed light emitting diode (PLED) heat source and optical filters for the accurate measurement of temperature on a surface to detect defects such as corrosion, cracks, pores, and dis-bonded layers. The thermal inspection system for inspecting a sample may include one or more reflector lamps including an array of light emitting diodes mounted at a base of a reflective dome; an infrared camera; and a processor for controlling the at least one reflector lamp and the infrared camera to inspect the sample. Some applications may include a manufacturing chamber for layer-by-layer manufacturing of a sample.

公开(公告)号：US20250132492A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-24

申请号：US18383195

申请日：2023-10-24

Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： Peter Seigner ,  Kenneth Segal ,  Rafael Rincon

IPC: H01Q1/28 ,  H01Q1/38 ,  H01Q9/04

Abstract: The aspects of the disclosed embodiments are directed to a dual-polarized, wideband, lightweight P-band (435 MHz) antenna element and array for spaceborne radar applications. The antenna array was developed for planetary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications, but it is also suitable for earth science applications (i.e., airborne and earth orbiting radar) as well as other RF applications that require beam steering (e.g., communications). The antenna array is based on lightweight, low-profile antenna elements that form the building blocks of a manageable array panel that can in turn be used to build larger arrays consisting of multiple panels. The element design combines a novel, mostly planar conductor antenna element geometry with a robust light-weight composite material construction. The antenna element and array design, reported here for P-band operation, can be scaled to other frequencies (e.g., L-, S-, C-, or X-bands) for other radar applications where lightweight and beam agility are required.

公开(公告)号：US12252993B1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-18

申请号：US18053230

申请日：2022-11-07

Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： Mark Graham Turner ,  Dennis E. Culley ,  Jonathan L. Kratz

IPC: F01D15/10

Abstract: A system for actuating fluid flow is disclosed. The system includes a fluid actuator, an electric motor for driving the fluid actuator, a motor controller for controlling the motor, a local energy storage device for powering the motor, a stability monitor that assesses instability of operation of the fluid actuator, and a mitigation control that mitigates instability of the fluid actuator via the motor controller based on the assessment of the stability monitor, wherein a response time of the mitigation is faster than changes in fluid flow in the system during fluid actuation.

公开(公告)号：US12244079B1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-04

申请号：US17941288

申请日：2022-09-09

Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： Justin Long ,  Victor Marrero-Fontanez ,  Wei-Chung Huang ,  Cornelis Du Toit

IPC: H01Q9/04

Abstract: A solderless antenna includes a pair of spaced-apart electrically-conductive disks arranged in a vertical stack and a self-supporting, branched-path feed circuit. The feed circuit has a signal-receiving point and four signal paths leading to four excitation points. The first signal path is the shortest. The second signal path includes a portion of the first signal path and is longer than the first signal path. The third signal path is unique with respect to the first signal path and second signal path, and is longer than the second signal path. The fourth signal path includes a portion of the third signal path and is longer than the third signal path.

公开(公告)号：US12216146B1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-04

申请号：US17486017

申请日：2021-09-27

Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： James M. Downey ,  Marie T. Piasecki ,  Bryan L. Schoenholz

IPC: G01R29/08 ,  G01R29/10 ,  H01Q1/28

Abstract: A portable antenna measurement system is disclosed. The antenna measurement system can include a robotic arm with an antenna probe on one end, a laser tracker, a vector network analyzer, and a computing device. The computing device can receive input from the laser tracker identifying the position of an antenna and other objects in the environment and generate a scan surface around an antenna under test. The computing device can instruct the robotic arm to move the antenna probe into positions in the scan surface to acquire radiation measurements. If portions of the scan surface are unreachable by the robotic arm, the robotic arm can be repositioned, and measurements can be resumed. The network vector analyzer can acquire and save measurements. An antenna pattern can then be generated based on point measurements and output for display.

公开(公告)号：US12203751B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-21

申请号：US18375108

申请日：2023-09-29

Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

Inventor： Brett F Bathel ,  Joshua M. Weisberger

IPC: G01B9/02 ,  G01B9/02001 ,  G01B9/02015 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02B7/00 ,  G02B7/18 ,  G02B27/28

Abstract: An adjustable beam directing optical system for a focused laser differential interferometer (FLDI) instrument according to various aspects of the present technology may include optical half waveplate to achieve an incident linear polarization orientation with equal components of laser intensity aligned to the vertical and horizontal axis of the optical system, and an optical prism for splitting these components of an incident laser beam into two orthogonally-polarized beams equally about an optical axis of the FLDI instrument. A series of beam realignment devices positioned downstream of the optical prism are configured to selectively direct each beam to a predetermined location.

公开(公告)号：US20240363014A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18138938

申请日：2023-04-25

Applicant: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： Ricardo Alejandro ARTEAGA

IPC: G08G5/04 ,  B64C30/00 ,  G08G5/00

CPC classification number: G08G5/045 ,  G08G5/0004 ,  B64C30/00

Abstract: An ADS-B collision avoidance method and system are provided for aircraft having a speed profile that includes supersonic speeds. ADS-B messages are transmitted from an aircraft at a transmission rate and power predicated on the aircraft's speed. A trained neural network predicts a time-based trajectory of the aircraft using the position, altitude, and velocity of the aircraft when it is flying supersonic. Time-based zone boundaries are generated using the time-based trajectory. Each time-based zone boundary is disposed about the aircraft flying supersonic. Each time-based zone boundary is indicative of an amount of time for the aircraft to travel thereto along the time-based trajectory. Each time an aerial vehicle crosses one of the time-based zone boundaries when the aircraft is flying supersonic, at least one of an indication of the presence of the aerial vehicle, an indication of a potential collision, and a maneuver to avoid the potential collision are generated.

公开(公告)号：US12125636B2

公开(公告)日：2024-10-22

申请号：US17727009

申请日：2022-04-22

Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

Inventor： Robert W. Moses ,  Foy M. Cheatwood ,  Christopher O. Johnston ,  Sergey Macheret ,  Bernard Parent ,  Justin Little

IPC: H01F7/02 ,  B64G1/24 ,  B64G1/62 ,  H01F7/20

CPC classification number: H01F7/0273 ,  B64G1/2421 ,  B64G1/62 ,  H01F7/02 ,  H01F7/20

Abstract: A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow control mechanism is described which substantially improves the existing processes in that smaller magnetic fields, requiring far less mass, are placed away from the forebody of the spacecraft to produce Lorentz forces that augment the lift and the drag forces for guidance, navigation, and control of the spacecraft.

公开(公告)号：US12122539B2

公开(公告)日：2024-10-22

申请号：US17564911

申请日：2021-12-29

Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

Inventor： Sang H. Choi ,  Robert W. Moses ,  Dennis M. Bushnell

IPC: B64G1/40 ,  F03H1/00 ,  G21D5/02 ,  G21D7/04

CPC classification number: B64G1/408 ,  F03H1/0037 ,  G21D5/02 ,  G21D7/04

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system including a nuclear thermal rocket or a nuclear reactor, at least one nuclear electric thruster coupled to the nuclear thermal rocket or the nuclear reactor, and a Nuclear Thermionic Avalanche Cell (NTAC) configured to generate electrical power. The NTAC cell may be positioned around a nuclear reactor core of the nuclear thermal rocket or the nuclear reactor, and the nuclear electric thruster may be powered by the NTAC generated electrical power.

公开(公告)号：US20240313415A1

公开(公告)日：2024-09-19

申请号：US18606292

申请日：2024-03-15

Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA

Inventor： Juan M. Fernandez ,  Andrew F. Paddock ,  Kevin DeMarco

IPC: H01Q15/16 ,  H01Q15/14

CPC classification number: H01Q15/16 ,  H01Q15/148

Abstract: Antenna reflectors having a diameter of 10 or more meters include dimensionally and thermally stable deformable composite reflective material that enables efficient packaging of solid surface segmented reflectors and a folding scheme and architecture that enables self-deployment to support S-band and above RF (≥2 GHz) transmissions.