SBIR-STTR Award

AeroAstro proposes to develop a low-power, low-volume and lightweight, state-of-the-art digital radio capable of operating in a wide variety of bands, from VHF through Ka microwave, with data transceive capabilities of voice, telemetry, and high-resolution video. This device is intended for use in manned extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) in deep-space environments, on lunar and planetary surfaces, and in the links and networks involved in end-to-end data flow. This radio is innovative in several aspects: in its size and power, in its modularity that allows the ability to handle different bands, in its use of software radio technologies, in its automatic adaptability to varying transmission environments, and in its reliability and fault-tolerant performance. This technology is paramount to the safety and success of manned missions in space, where unpredictable environments are present and where reliability is absolutely critical.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(LIMIT 150 WORDS) Any of the NASA's planned manned space missions would benefit from the advantages offered by the radio AeroAstro is proposing to design, whether it's an orbiting space station, a short-range mission, a lunar or planetary mission, or any number of EVA applications for which it is ultimately intended. In particular, EVA spacesuits require a radio that is small, lightweight, and requires minimal power. AeroAstro's design offers a solution that will allow astronauts to safely and easily maneuver during EVA activities and maintain reliable communications with other EVA astronauts and those on the planetary surface even in harsh and unpredictable environments.

Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
(LIMIT 150 WORDS) This radio is very universal and applicable almost anywhere that radio communications are needed, although it is particularly targeted to those applications where ultra-high reliability is required. Any emergency service where on-the-fly reconfigurability would allow them to interoperate amongst themselves would be good candidates. In addition, any military or government organization requiring a high-level communications network could benefit from this radio. It will easily handle encrypted data, and its wide bandwidth would allow it to handle real-time video. Its frequency agility might be useful in wide frequency hopping systems for low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) communications or anti-jam systems. NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
Architectures and Networks Highly-Reconfigurable RF Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics Suits Telemetry, Tracking and Control Teleoperation Tools Ultra-High Density/Low Power

The nature of human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars demands a frequency-agile, reconfigurable, durable digital radio delivering telemetry, ranging, voice, video, and data, with low Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP), and easy operation in the demanding space environment of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). AeroAstro and Virginia Tech propose to continue development of the EVA radio, building upon work accomplished in Phase I, combining AeroAstro's history of creating efficient space technology solutions and Virginia Tech's experience and expertise in Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. AeroAstro will design and fabricate a prototype demonstrating the key requirements of the EVA radio?reconfigurability and frequency agility. The prototype will incorporate an adaptable modular RF front end for frequency agility, and a transmultiplexer-based digital back end, capable of a full range of sophisticated wireless waveforms, through software-defined reconfiguration of the same physical hardware. The prototype will also exhibit innovative solutions to extending SDR architecture standards to the demands of space applications. The proposed innovations fill critical technological gaps and mesh with other promising technological developments, such as micromachined passive RF components and fault-tolerant reconfigurable electronics, not only assuring the safety and success of human space exploration missions, applicable to space applications in general.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Reconfigurability benefits all missions by providing graceful degradation of electronic systems after damage, and also enabling additional functionality. The improved safety achieved is essential to success. Failures result in loss of experiments, the mission, and even the astronauts' lives. Delays in restoring failed equipment to at least minimal functionality are intolerable. The demands of interplanetary travel are more difficult, beginning with Mars exploration missions, much longer in duration, thus increasing the likelihood of failure. There will be powerful contention over the allocation of resources. Compromises reducing spare parts are inevitable. Self-diagnosing, self-repairing systems enhance the success of these bold ventures.



Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) As stated earlier, this radio is very universal and would be applicable almost anywhere that radio communications are needed, although it is particularly targeted to those applications where ultra-high reliability is required. Any emergency service ? such as fire departments or police departments ? would be good candidates, where on-the-fly reconfigurability would allow them to interoperate amongst themselves. In addition, any military or government organization that requires a high-level communications network could benefit from the use of this radio. It will easily handle encrypted data, and its wide bandwidth would allow it to handle real-time video. Its frequency agility might be useful in wide frequency hopping systems for low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) communications or anti-jam systems (with appropriate software algorithms added). NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
Highly-Reconfigurable Human-Computer Interfaces Manned-Manuvering Units Microwave/Submillimeter Radiation-Hard/Resistant Electronics Suits Tools Ultra-High Density/Low Power