NASA in search of innovative ideas Bashny.Net

What is NIAC h4> In the mid-90s, at the headquarters of NASA, on the basis of aerospace technology was decided to appeal to people outside the agency to search for new ideas. So, in 1998, was created by NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts, which existed until 2007 and 9 years of work collected in 1309 of which 168 proposals were supported financially.

In 2008, NASA planned to resume exploration of the Moon and considered the possibility of resuscitation NIAC ideological support for their plans. But one desire was little and Congress requested the National Research Council (National Research Council) to evaluate the previous activities and make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of NIAC.
The research report was followed in 2009 and contained the one hand extremely positive characteristics, recommendations creation of such an institution, on the other hand - a few suggestions to optimize the structure.

In 2010, the NIAC was revived, but he was no longer a private institution, and presented himself as part of the Program Space Technology NASA.

The program is currently NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) remains part of Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and continues to accumulate innovative ideas that may one day change the boundaries of the possible.

The overall structure of the program h5> Each year, the program opens its virtual doors to all comers, with funding from NASA may receive only US residents.
Aggregation is performed by means of ideas:
NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES)

NIAC is composed of two phases:
Phase 1 for 9 months and consists of two parts.
Part A is a collection of brief descriptions of the projects meet the requirements of the program and the selection of the most promising ones for further discussion in Part B.
Finalists Part B receive funding of $ 100, $ 000 for further research.

Stage 2 lasts 2 years and is only available to those who have created or developed his concept on the basis of studies in Phase 1.
Work in Phase 2 are heavily filtered in accordance with established criteria.
NASA selects the winners of Phase 2, 500, 000 on the deeper study.

Some statistics h5> Pies below shows a breakdown of awards and amounts of investments for the period 2011-2013 recipients.
And in the table, there is also split into phases and fiscal year.


Academia - ideas from representatives of scientific institutions.
NASA - ideas from employees of NASA (naprimet Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Industry / Other - other organizations / individuals.

Statistics from Publications Nasa Innovative Advanced Concepts

Phase January 2014 h4> This year, the finalists of the first phase of the program began, 12 projects, including such fantastic ideas as:
- A submarine to study methane lakes on Titan (Saturn).
- Using Neutrinos to explore the icy moons (Europa, Ginimed).
- Concept of safe capture asteroid fragments of rocks and other objects.
This year's finalists represent three of the eight key technology areas of Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD): support the development of life and utilization of resources, space robotic systems and space-based observations.
Just selected works affect NASA research in the study of asteroids and the outer planetary missions.

Ideas winners h5> 1. Swarm Flyby Gravimetry
Instead of an orbiting satellite or expensive surface probe, sending an asteroid / comet swarm of small fuel-efficient space zondikov to study the gravitational field of the internal composition and structure of the research object.
2. Mars Ecopoiesis Test Bed
Isolation of a small area of ​​the Martian soil, the introduction into the soil of Earth bacteria to test the possibility of terraforming Mars.
3. The Aragoscope: Ultra-High Resolution Optics at Low Cost
New space telescope allows to obtain permission 7cm surface of the planet from its orbit, or pictures of the sky with a resolution of 1000 times the resolution of the telescope Hubble.
4. 3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of Life Support Mass & Complexity
Compact and simple oxygen generator (for installation on space stations), with the possibility of 3D printing right into space.
5. WRANGLER: Capture and De-Spin of Asteroids and Space Debris
Safety device for capturing and manipulating asteroids.
6. Titan Aerial Daughtercraft
Flying apparatus for the study of chemical processes on Titan.
7. Using the Hottest Particles in the Universe to Probe Icy Solar System Worlds
A method of measuring the thickness of the ice cover on icy moons (Europa, Ginimed).
8. PERISCOPE: PERIapsis Subsurface Cave OPtical Explorer
The method of optical studies of the Moon Cave.
9. Titan Submarine: Exploring the Depths of Kraken
Submarine for exploring the seas on Titan.
10. Comet Hitchhiker: Harvesting Kinetic Energy from Small Bodies to Enable Fast and Low-Cost Deep Space Exploration
Way to move the spacecraft using a harpoon comet, comet uses energy to accelerate.
11. Exploration Architecture with Quantum Inertial Gravimetry and In Situ ChipSat Sensors
A study of the planets using ChipSat sensors.
12. Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS)
Way of achieving the spacecraft heliopause in less than 10 years, which is 27 years less than the time to reach the heliopause probe Voyager 1.

Source: h4> Официальный site NIAC
Портфолио funded research NIAC
Publication Nasa Innovative Advanced Concepts
Пресс-релиз 14-154 from 05.06.2014

Thank you for your attention.

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