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Compact, Lightweight Isolation Platform (CLIP)

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX13CC50P
Agency Tracking Number: 124379
Amount: $124,999.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: H9.01
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2013
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2013-05-23
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2013-11-23
Small Business Information
NM
Albuquerque, NM 87123-3353
United States
DUNS: 081475873
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Rick Walter
 Pricipal Investigator
 (505) 767-1200
 rick.walter@aptec.com
Business Contact
 Tom Edmondson
Title: Business Official
Phone: (505) 767-1214
Email: tom.edmondson@aptec.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

NASA has a critical need for improved bi-directional data transmission rates from a variety of spacecraft to Earth. NASA estimates that the current Mars to Earth transfer rate of 6 Mbps might be increased to 600Mbps using a laser comm (LC) system. Because the LC beam is less than 10 microradians wide and the Earth at apogee is 32 microradians wide, as seen from Mars, LC beam jitter caused by spacecraft base motion must be reduced to sub-microradian levels to enable beaconless optical beam pointing. To meet the need, NASA is seeking innovative compact, lightweight, space-qualifiable vibration isolation platforms for payloads massing between 3 and 50 kg that require less than 15 W of power and mass less than 3 kg that will attenuate an integrated angular disturbance of 150 ur to less than 0.5 microradians (1-sigma), from<0.1 Hz to ~500 Hz. ATA has a long track record of producing stabilized platforms to host small optical payloads. Building on a previous NASA SBIR, ATA now produces the stable platform used in NASA's LLST and LCRD programs. ATA will create a Compact, Lightweight Isolation Platform (CLIP) that could host the LC collimator telescope and provide a stabilized platform to prevent the 150-microradian spacecraft disturbance environment from reaching the LC terminal. Advances in the suspension flexure, the platform structure, and actuators will be required to meet the size, weight and power requirements. One challenging requirement is that an angular-motion sensor is required for the control system. Gyros exist that can measure adequately but they are too heavy, too large, and use too much power. ATA will develop a small, lightweight, nanoradian-class angular noise Capacitive Angular Position Sensor (CAPS). The sensor will have low power and high reliability, which ATA will demonstrate by producing TRL 4 prototypes in Phase I. ATA will develop the CLIP, a 0.5 microradian residual motion stable platform, in Phase II for programs like iROC.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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