Sandia National Laboratories robotics experts are working on a way to intercept enemy unmanned aircraft systems mid-flight. The government and defense industry have been exploring ways to intercept enemy unmanned aircraft systems, with some organizations having success in deploying nets toward targets from single drones. Sandia’s research built upon swarm coordination and carrying nets as a team.

NASA’s Safeguard uses geo-fencing technology to create no-fly zones for any equipped UAV to assure it only operates in approved airspace. It can also be used to establish flight ceilings to ensure a UAV’s flight remains under its allowable maximum altitude.

University of Illinois researchers have demonstrated a new method for testing microscopic aeronautical materials at ultra-high temperatures. The test combines two commonly used tools in a unique way. Using a transmission electron microscope and targeted laser heating, they were able to see and control where and how the material deformed at the highest temperature possible before the sample evaporated.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed a wearable technology that can hide its wearer from heat-detecting sensors such as night vision goggles, even when the ambient temperature changes. It's a feat that current state of the art technology cannot match. The new technology can adapt to temperature changes in just a few minutes, while keeping the wearer comfortable.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and its partners rely on timely development and deployment of diverse materials to support a variety of national security missions. However, materials development and deployment can take many years from initial discovery of a new material to deployment at scale.

New Jersey Army National Guard soldiers train daily to operate the RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle for surveillance, targeting and communications relay.

As NASA leads the way for human exploration at the Moon and beyond, space radiation is one of the biggest hazards crews face. NASA is testing the AstroRad radiation protection vest on Artemis I, the first flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Ending NASA’s Space Shuttle into orbit required more than 3.5 million pounds of fuel, which is about 15 times heavier than a blue whale. But a new type of engine — called a rotating detonation engine — promises to make rockets not only more fuel-efficient but also more lightweight and less complicated to construct. There’s just one problem: Right now, the engine is too unpredictable to be used in an actual rocket.

GPS is used every day to navigate on Earth. As NASA prepares to land humans on the Moon by 2024, new laser-based technology will safely and precisely navigate astronauts to their destination.

Brown University researchers have developed a new wing design for small drones that could make them far more stable and efficient. The wing replaces the smooth contour found on the leading edges of most airplane wings with a thick, flat plate and a sharp leading edge.

Argonne National Lab scientists developed a numerical modeling tool that helps researchers better understand Rotating Detonation Engines that could one day propel the next generation of airplanes and rockets. The computer simulations are combined with X-ray experiments to help engine designers understand the fundamental physics that, ultimately, affect engine performance, thrust, and emissions.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory discovered a new platform for quantum technologies by suspending two-dimensional (2-D) crystals over pores in a slab of gold. This new approach may help develop new materials for secure communication and sensing technologies based on the unique laws of physics at the atomic levels.

Top university and industry researchers met recently at Carnegie Mellon University to forge a collaboration designed to improve on-demand 3-D printing. As part of a newly formed Research Alliance for Additive Manufacturing Innovations, the group will uncover best approaches to advance unified holistic multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary additive manufacturing research for Army acquisition and sustainment programs.

In partnership with industry, a team of Air Force Research Laboratory/Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) personnel are developing the capability to accelerate certification of advanced manufactured composite structures. Creating a new materials characterization sub-facility, known as the Materials Solutions Network, will drive composite manufacturing into a physics-based exact science that can be predicted and modeled in ways impossible until now, allowing faster implementation of low-cost, short-term and limited-life technologies.

The increase in unmanned aircraft (UA) traffic is leading to an increase in communications disruptions because too many vehicles are trying to use the same limited number of frequencies.

Water repellency is needed for surfaces to shed condensation buildup. New research by the University of Illinois and North Carolina State University shows that the necessity of water repellency is unclear and that the slipperiness between the droplets and solid surface appears to be more critical to the clearing of condensation.

Common nail polish remover combined with light upgrades it to higher-mass hydrocarbons, creating an additive that can be blended with conventional jet fuel with environmental benefits. Los Alamos National Lab converted bio-derived acetone to isophorone and then used a UV lamp to convert it to a cyclobutane, a type of hydrocarbon with high energy density for fuels applications.