Abstract: An aerogel and process of making the aerogel is provided. The aerogel is a polyimide aerogel having polyamide cross-links formed using a triacid chloride cross-linker.

Abstract: A gimbal system includes a stationary base with a first motor being coupled thereto. A rotation plate is coupled to the first motor for rotation in a plane opposing the stationary base when the first motor is operated. A tilt plate is hingedly coupled to the rotation plate along a tilt axis. An articulating arm is coupled to the tilt plate. A second motor is fixedly mounted to the rotation plate for rotation therewith. The second motor is coupled to the articulating arm such that the articulating arm causes the tilt plate to rotate through a tilt angle about the tilt axis and relative to the rotation plate when the second motor is operated.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a laser system and method which enables fast, accurate laser frequency tuning. In particular, the present invention includes only one laser and only one absolute frequency locking loop to perform the same fast frequency tuning than previous seed laser systems.

Abstract: Provided are synthetic dendrimer calibrants for mass spectrometry. The calibrants are distinguished by their relative ease and rapidity of synthesis, comparatively low cost, long shelf life, high purity, and amenability to batch synthesis as mixtures. The latter characteristic enables parallel preparation of higher molecular weight compounds displaying useful distributions of discrete molecular weights, thereby providing multi-point mass spectrometry calibration standards. Methods of making, tuning and using said calibrants are provided.

Abstract: Aerogels, aerogel composites and methods of making the same are discussed. One example method can include the act of creating a Boehmite colloid and adding a hydrolyzed silicon precursor to form a sol. A reinforcement can be infused with the sol, gelled to form a gel, then dried to form an aerogel composite. Such a method can also include the acts of performing one or more solvent exchanges and subjecting the gel composite to supercritical drying. Additionally, such a method can include the act of heat treating the aerogel composite. The aerogel composite can be used in high temperature, flexible seals capable of withstanding temperatures, pressures, and compression levels associated with aerodynamic heating generated during flight and in aerospace applications. The aeorogel composite also can be used in thermal protection systems designed for fire protection for structures or in personnel fire protective equipment.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a low-profile, linearly-polarized patch antenna with parasitic elements at 5.3 GHz for the ISS C-band WiFi band. It may also use the 5.8 GHz band. A protective dome helps to meet low earth orbit space requirements.

Abstract: A system, method and computer-readable storage devices for providing an interface for an analytic service for Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) datasets. An example system for providing the service includes a data analytics platform of an assemblage of compute and storage nodes that provide a compute-storage fabric upon which high-performance parallel operations are performed over a collection of climate data stored in a distributed file system, a sequencer that transforms the climate data, a desequencer that transforms serialized block compressed sequence files between data formats. The system includes a services library of applications that dynamically create data objects from the data as reduced final results, and a utilities library of software applications that process flat serialized block compressed sequence files. The system also includes a service interface through which a client device can access the climate data via the data analytics platform.

Abstract: A water purification system comprises a bioreaction subsystem receiving contaminated input effluent and having a gas-lift anaerobic membrane bioreactor removing urea and organic matter to create a first effluent. A light-treatment subsystem receives the first effluent and exposes the first effluent to UV light to create a second effluent free from microorganisms. A reactor subsystem fluidically connects an ammonia-reducing reactor to the UV output and receives UV-treated second effluent and has a struvite regenerator connected to the ammonia-reducing reactor output, separating ammonia from the second effluent in the ammonia-reducing reactor, and outputting the ammonia. A separation subsystem fluidically connects to the reactor output and receives the second effluent substantially free from ammonia and has a continuous electro-deionization device separating brine/salts from the second effluent to produce potable water. A closed-loop includes an ammonia-converting subsystem and a sequential fertilizer producer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for estimating a snow depth including: an optical disdrometer for acquiring information on diameters of snow particles and particle number concentration; a laser snow depth gauge for measuring the height of snow accumulated through a laser beam type sensor to provide an observed stop depth; an estimated snow depth equation calculator for determining an optimal index for the diameters of the snow particles provided by the optical disdrometer, substituting the optimal index for a snow depth calculation equation as a first mathematical equation to calculate a computed snow depth, obtaining correlation between the observed snow depth and the computed snow depth, and calculating a regression equation between the observed snow depth and the computed snow depth as an estimated snow depth equation; and a snow depth estimator for estimating the snow depth on the basis of the estimated snow depth equation, and the first mathematical equation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a Lidar surveying instrument, which is capable of detecting and discriminating laser-induced particle fluorescence of any biological or non-biological atmospheric particles. The present astrobiology sensing instrument can remotely sense and discriminate, in real-time, the bio-indicator aerosol material signatures and environmental interferents that exist in an extraterrestrial environment, such as Mars, in order to expand the search for signatures of extraterrestrial life from the planetary soil to the planetary ground level atmosphere, by performing atmospheric volume scans of hundreds of meters in a radial direction around a planetary vehicle or a spacecraft. The Lidar instrument technology of the present invention employs real-time aerosol particle detection and discrimination based on two physical variables: particle fluorescence and particle size in the bio-discrimination space.

Abstract: The present invention provides a traffic management system for managing unmanned aerial systems (UASs) operating at low-altitude. The system includes surveillance for locating and tracking UASs in uncontrolled airspace, for example, in airspace below 10,000 feet MSL. The system also includes flight rules for safe operation of UASs in uncontrolled airspace. The system further includes computers for processing said surveillance and for applying the flight rules to UASs. The traffic management system may be portable, persistent, or a hybrid thereof.

Abstract: Methods and systems for analyzing and processing digital data comprising a plurality of infra-red (IR) video images acquired by a pulse thermography system are used to compute video data from the raw and smoothed video data acquired for the performance of non-destructive evaluation. New video data types computed may include but are not limited to contrast evolution data such as normalized contrast, converted contrast and normalized temperature contrast. Additionally, video data types computed comprise surface temperature, surface temperature rise and temperature simple contrast.

Abstract: A seal assembly is provided that includes a protective shroud to protect a sealing element from hazardous elements and/or a hazardous environment.

Abstract: An energy storage system includes a hermetically-sealed casing defining a volume whose relative humidity is a range of 30-90%. At least one energy storage capacitor disposed in the volume has a solid dielectric sandwiched between two electrodes with the solid dielectric being a lanthanum-doped barium titanate-based ceramic material.

Abstract: Novel aromatic polyimides are disclosed with sufficient physical properties to be useful in 3D printing.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with fuel cell power management. According to one embodiment, a fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells producing electric potentials. An electric potential of a fuel cell is measured as a fuel cell voltage. The fuel cell stack further includes a plurality of connection points including a ground, a first connection point, and a second connection point. The first connection point draws a first voltage based on combined fuel cell voltages of a first set of fuel cells of the plurality of fuel cells. The second connection point draws a second voltage based on the combined fuel cell voltages of a second set of fuel cells of the plurality of fuel cells.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter relates to Frequency Diversity Pulse Pair (FDPP) methods and technology implemented by, alternating the order of the pulse pair transmitted or order of the group of multiple pulses transmitted, the pulses differentiated based on the center frequency of each transmitted pulse. For example, where a pair of transmitted pulses have center frequencies f1 and f2, the pulses transmitted in pairs such that the first pair may be f1 followed by f2 and the second pair are a different order, such as f2 followed by f1.

Abstract: A thermo-acoustic engine and/or cooler is provided and includes an elongated tubular body, multiple regenerators disposed within the body, multiple heat exchangers disposed within the body, where at least one heat exchanger is disposed adjacent to each of the multiple regenerators, multiple transducers axially disposed at each end of the body, and an acoustic wave source generating acoustic waves. At least one of the acoustic waves is amplified by one of the regenerators and at least another acoustic wave is amplified by a second one of regenerators.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure pertain to an apparatus comprising a phase separator configured to separate a mixture comprising (i) water containing NaCl and (ii) oil and/or gas into separate streams comprising the water, the oil (when oil is in the mixture), and the gas (when gas is in the mixture), an electrochemical membrane separation cell configured to separate sodium and chloride ions in the water stream to form a stream comprising a first sodium hydroxide solution and a stream comprising (i) hydrochloric acid and/or (ii) chlorine gas, a compressor configured to compress a gas containing CO2, a spray dryer configured to mix aqueous NaOH and the compressed gas to form sodium carbonate, and a cyclone separator configured separate the sodium carbonate from any excess components of the aqueous NaOH and/or the compressed gas.

Abstract: The present invention proposes an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) architecture and process, in which priority aircraft and ADS-B IN and radar traffic information are included in the transmission of data through the telemetry communications to a remote ground control station. The present invention further proposes methods for displaying general aviation traffic information in three and/or four dimension trajectories using an industry standard Earth browser for increased situation awareness and enhanced visual acquisition of traffic for conflict detection. The present invention enable the applications of enhanced visual acquisition of traffic, traffic alerts, and en-route and terminal surveillance used to augment pilot situational awareness through ADS-B IN display and information in three or four dimensions for self-separation awareness.