Researchers at the Virginia Tech College of Science are carrying out a research project at Dominion Power’s North Anna Nuclear Generating Station in Virginia that could lead to a new turning point in how the United Nations tracks rogue nations that seek nuclear power. The years-long project centers on a high-tech box full of luminescent plastic cubes stacked atop one another that can be placed just outside a nuclear reactor operated by, say, Iran. The box would detect subatomic particles known as neutrinos produced by the reactor, which can be used to track the amount of plutonium produced in the reactor core.

Soldiering in arctic conditions is tough. Protective clothing can be heavy and cause overheating and sweating upon exertion. And hands and feet can grow numb despite wearing such gear. To keep military personnel more comfortable and battle-ready in bitterly cold climes, scientists are conducting research aimed at creating high-tech fabrics that heat up when powered and capture sweat.

Kapton, a material used in electronics and aerospace applications, has only been available in sheet form. Researchers from Virginia Tech have found a way to 3D-print a polymer with Kapton's structural characteristics.

Four companies were awarded contracts to come up with five configurations on paper that met very specific operational criteria for NASA’s next commercial X-plane aircraft.

In recent years there has been a trend towards the wider use of COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) equipment in space missions. This trend has been mainly driven by the restrictions in R&D budgets and a growing demand for shorter design cycles. Funding Agencies are encouraging designers of spacecraft systems to identify and overcome the obstacles that previously prevented the use of COTS products for space missions.

Northrop Grumman Corporation
Falls Church, VA
703-280-2900
www.northropgrumman.com

The U.S. Navy recently awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $9.6 million contract, with options up to $40.5 million, to produce the Transducer Array/Nose Shell Assembly of the MK 48 heavyweight torpedo. The MK 48 is the primary offensive weapon deployed from all U.S. Navy submarines.

Over 7000 satellites have been placed in Earth-orbit since the beginning of the space age. 3000 are currently in orbit, of which 1000 are active, making our near space neighborhood a pretty crowded place. Now, plans are in motion to launch constellations of globe-girding communication satellites that will number in the thousands to provide worldwide internet connectivity. This is in addition to the ever-expanding constellation of LEO, geo synchronous and geo stationary satellites. Clearly, the number of satellites in orbit is on a trajectory of significant growth and we are approaching a point when the economics will demand longer life from these expensive assets just as the costs to put them in orbit continue to fall. NASA’s Restore-L mission, under the direction of the Agency’s Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD) headquartered at the Goddard Space Center, is a major step towards realizing key technologies needed to provide in-space satellite servicing in order to increase on-orbit asset life.

With superhydrophobic properties being extended to a variety of metallic substrates through the process of ablation due to femto-second laser surface processing (FLSP), it is important to understand the hydrodynamic benefits of such a material, as well as its resiliency. This research focuses on the skin friction drag effects of a superhydrophobic flat plate compared to an untreated flat plate of the same material and geometry. The resiliency of this material will also be tested through the use of an accelerated corrosion fog chamber using both treated and untreated aluminum samples.

Marvin Test Solutions
Irvine, CA
949-263-2222
www.MarvinTest.com

The Indonesian Air Force recently selected Marvin Test Solutions’ MTS-206A Maverick Field Test Set and MTS-916-3 Modular Target Simulator to support testing of their AGM-65 (Maverick) missile and launcher systems, as part of an FMS (Foreign Military Sale) contract. Part of Marvin Test Solutions’ comprehensive suite of test solutions for both legacy and today’s precision-guided “smart” weapon systems, the MTS-206A and MTS-916 provide advanced testing capabilities to maintainers at the intermediate and depot levels.

A century-old technology that scientists use to probe the ionosphere — the important atmospheric layer that can interfere with the transmission of radio waves — is getting smaller.