The use of laser devices in the battlefield is rapidly increasing - from low power line-of-sight communications to high-power lasers designed to disable or destroy enemy weaponry. These laser devices operate over a wide range of spectral regions, depending on specific application. With the increasing number of devices, the hazard to battlefield personnel is becoming a potentially significant issue. If protective devices are to be designed and deployed to personnel, it is key that these devices do not introduce unacceptable levels of image distortion that may have physiological effects such as disorientation, headache, or nausea. OPTICS 1 has extensive experience in the area of night vision goggle design and development and specifically in the area of direct-view laser eye protection devices using optical limiter materials. Triton Systems proposes to develop and characterize an advanced laser joining technique for titanium heat exchangers to provide lighter weight and lower cost heat exchangers while offering equivalent or better performance. Currently, heat exchangers are fabricated from stainless steel or inconel, which are heavy with a density of 6.6 g/cc (0.24 lb./cu.in.), so that weight-efficient designs are difficult to produce. For that reason, lighter weight materials that operate at high temperature are required for the next generation of weapon systems, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The density of titanium is 4.6 g/cc (0.17 lb./cu.in.), which is about 60% the weight of current stainless steel or inconel. However, before titanium can be fabricated into lightweight heat exchangers, a technique needs to be developed for providing reliable joining of thin, 0.004 to 0.020 inch (0.102 to 0.508 mm) thick, titanium for plate-fin heat exchangers. Triton's extensive experience in laser joining and deposition using our patented Laser Free Form Fabrication (LF3TM) technique will be directly applied for obtaining an optimum joining technique for titanium heat exchangers. Triton is teamed with Northrop-Grumman and Hughes-Treitler, to adapt the LF3TM technology for joining titanium materials for heat exchanger components. Triton's proposed joining method using the LF3TM technique for titanium heat exchangers will provide the Air Force with a lighter weight system to meet the weight and cooling requirements for applications typical of advanced military aircraft. In addition to military aircraft applications, the commercial aircraft industry will benefit for their large gas turbine engines and airframes. The ultimate goal is to improve the cognitive skills of AOC personnel by providing them practice, evaluation, and feedback in simulated AOC operational scenarios. This will be accomplished by the development of an Intelligent Tutoring System for AOC operations. The ITS will allow instructors to create scenarios and to customize methods to automatically evaluate student decisions. Evaluation of student decisions will occur automatically by the ITS which is monitoring the student's and possibly other team members' actions. Based on this and other information the ITS will automatically assemble a debriefing which will include the student's correct and incorrect decisions; for the incorrect ones a description of what the correct decision should have been and why, playbacks of critical events, and additional information from the scenario run. The ITS will automatically formulate a remedial course of instruction which includes additional scenarios to test the student's updated knowledge and provide additional practice in their weakest areas. During Phase I we will elicit the required AOC knowledge including models of information flow and processes, design the AOC simulator and instructional strategies and demonstrate a limited prototype of the Tactical Decision-Making ITS to prove its feasibility beyond a doubt. AOC personnel are the direct targets for this effort. Other military applications of the technology abound. Commercial variants could be directed toward large companies to teach their information flow, processes, organization, and policies to employees. ITN Energy Systems, Inc. proposes to develop an electrically-pumped, low-temperature ceramic oxygen generating system to support aeromedical and On-Board Oxygen Generating System uses. The proposed ceramic oxygen generating system is based on ITN's novel five-layer, monolithically integrated unit cell and incorporates an advanced, low-temperature (500-700 oC) thin-film electrolyte. In addition, the system will incorporate state-of-the-art components, including recuperators, heat exchangers, insulation and air blowers to minimize the system size and power consumption. Creare proposes to design, fabricate, and test a system that will simultaneously protect personnel working in extremely high noise environments and enhance voice communications. Current Air Force ground crews are forced to work in close proximity to aircraft engines that produce in excess of 150 db of noise, which can result in noise-induced hearing loss after brief exposures without sufficient hearing protection. These flight and ground crews also have a need to communicate with other personnel. However, no existing hearing protection system offers the right level of noise reduction for these crews to work safely in extreme noise environments while simultaneously enhancing the communication signal for effective communication. Military and civilian experience has shown that long-duration assignments present increased risk of performance failures as the mission progresses. This is due to interruption of normal sleep cycles and to the psychological pressures of the living and working environment. The overall objective of this project is twofold: (1) to ensure the safety and effectiveness of friendly military personnel, and (2) to access the level of fatigue of military opponents. We propose an innovative approach to achieving Cognitive Readiness with respect to Information Warfare through a combination of automated monitoring, adaptive information display, real-time coaching, and the capture of scenarios suitable for training and rehearsal. In particular we will investigate the exploitation of Latent Semantic Analysis, which is a means for making accurate comparisons of the semantic similarity between pieces of textual information, and has been applied with success to a number of problems closely related to the task at hand. But real-time monitoring of intelligence information poses some unique challenges including the need to maintain the currency of LSA's matrices, and feeding its voracious appetite for training data. To overcome these obstacles we propose a unique combination of new and proven techniques. Our approach will exploit our recent advances in fully automated search to capture the required training data, as well as recent techniques for detecting content drift so as to minimize the update requirements of the LSA matrices. Our Phase I work-centered research and design, and the development and operational testing of a limited prototype, will lay the groundwork for the Phase II complete implementation and validation of our technology, called Aware. The technology proposed herein offers the potential to fulfill the market demand for tools to increase productivity in the processing of electronic documents, and tools that can support "situational visibility" and competitive intelligence. The Phase I effort will develop a Functional Description Document to establish requirements/constraints for a closed-loop adaptive training architecture that will support mission-area training. This training architecture will provide integrated satellite operations training as well as mission rehearsal for multiple satellite systems by using advanced interactive multimedia instruction (IMI); intelligent tutoring system (ITS) technology; and advanced modeling, simulation, stimulation, and visualization technologies. We propose to characterize performance levels of a model-based 3D LADAR ATR system in order to understand the applicability of LADAR sensors to target exploitation in complex scenes. The MSTAR program has successfully demonstrated the applicability of model-based recognition to 2D SAR processing of targets in extended operating conditions (EOCs). We will thus extend that approach to 3D LADAR exploitation. 3D LADAR, by virtue of generating high resolution 3D geometric reconstructions of a scene, is a natural application for shape-oriented model-based reasoning. Our technical approach to 3D LADAR ATR consists of supporting single to multiple LADAR looks and is based on uncertainty modeling and hierarchical part-based surface alignment methods. The 3D recognition approach is well-suited for recognizing partially-occluded variably-configured targets in cluttered environments and is therefore an excellent candidate for ATR evaluation under EOCs. Our ATR evaluation methodology will also leverage the experience and tools developed under the MSTAR program, decomposing performance measures along the sensor, target, and environment operating dimensions. Our team is composed of the developers of MSTAR's model-based reasoning modules and the evaluators of the MSTAR system and is well-positioned to extend our SAR experience to LADAR performance characterization.The development of a structured evaluation process for 3D recognition technology has a wide range of commercial applications. The 3D surface matching technology we are proposing to leverage in this effort has been previously developed for medical image analysis applications. Developments made under this effort could therefore be utilized for medical applicationsdetecting and quantifying pathology in magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) imagery, where the pathology may exhibit a wide range of variable observables. In addition, industrial inspection over a variable range of controlled and uncontrolled illumination and part configuration conditions requires a well-defined process for 3D recognition performance evaluation, as will be developed under this program. The proposed Phase I research will build on previous oxide/oxide ceramic matrix com-posite (CMC) repair studies. Two state-of-the-art CMCs, one from Engineered Ceramics, Inc. and one from Boeing - Huntington Beach, will be used as the base com-posites. The project will develop and demonstrate ceramic adhesive materials which are chemically compatible with the CMC constituents. The compatible adhesives will be reinforced with discontinuous oxide fibers and/or oxide fabrics identical to those used to produce the base composites. Experimental evaluation of the reinforced adhesive materials will include microstructural studies of adhesive/composite bonds to assure chemical compatibility. Quantitative adhesive/composite bond strength measurements will be made to select the most appropriate adhesive materials. Reinforced adhesive materials containing chopped fibers and/or fabric plies will be used to produce prototype repairs in damaged composite panels (Level 3 or Level 4 damage) using a pressure-molding and low temperature cure process. Final heat treatment will be in air. The repairs will be evaluated via mechanical testing at ambient and elevated temperatures and both microstructural examination and fractography. The project will target applica-tions in the SITE-M and X-37 programs for the two oxide/oxide CMC materials. The project will be performed with engineering oversight and testing assistance provided by Boeing-St. Louis (SITE-M) and Boeing-Huntington Beach (X-37). The developed repair materials are expected to find military uses in repair/refurbishment of gas-turbine engine exhaust-washed structures integral to engines or airframes in both manned and unmanned vehicles. Civilian uses could include repair of gas-fired burner tubes and incineration equipment used for disposal of toxic or medical waste materials. The training of effective teams has become increasingly important in both military and civilian settings. The state of our current knowledge about taskwork and teamwork processes enables us to propose a theory-anchored, systematic method for the design of team training and evaluation. In Phase I we will design an integrated team training system, that employs a synthetic task environment representing the Time Critical Targeting Cell (TCTC), that links team competencies, mission scenarios, and measures of performance to provide focused, distributed simulation-based training. This team training system will afford its user the ability to define team synthetic tasks that will train team competencies and generate tailored feedback, based on performance measures, to support training processes. In doing so, we believe that this project offers the unique opportunity to close the loop in the scenario-based training development process. Synthetic task environments, capable of distributed simulations, provide the infrastructure for this training and the proposed team training system will be built as an extension of the Distributed Dynamic Decisionmaking (DDD) team-in-the-loop simulator. In Phase II, we will operationalize the requirements for the team training system and develop a tool to create and administer distributed, scenario-based team training. The team training system described in this proposal provides an integrated method to design and execute team training and evaluation. Our approach gives training developers a specific process to generate training programs that are directly related to specific team competencies. Incorporating scenario design and specification of measures of performance into the team training tool will help to ensure that the simulation-based training, using the DDD, will trigger the targeted competencies and generate feedback that supports learning. The tools we propose will reduce the front-end time and effort needed to design training scenarios and improve the quality of the time spent training teams. This tool will be useful to military and commercial applications that need to train and are dependent on high-reliability team performance. The EMESH program will deliver hard, epoxy based materials embedded with microscale quantities of micro explosives (mu X) for tamper-reactivity. Triton systems, a leading developer of thin film membrane materials for space application, has teamed up with Professor Christopher Jenkins of the Compliant Structures laboratory of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) and Dr. Jack Bradshaw of Atkinson Thin Film Systems to address the critical design and fabrication requirements of large space-based optical telescopes. On this Phase I, Triton's team will utilize its broad experimental and theoretical expertise in membrane materials and coatings to develop a parabolic net-shape telescope. It is well known that the coating of a substrate produces intrinsic and extrinsic stress leading to deformation of substrate. In this program, we will use this concept to shape a parabolic mirror. We propose to design a "tunable coating" system that leads to control the shape of membrane. A mathematical stress coating model will be developed. This stress model will provide us with prescription coating that will guide the coating material selection, polymer membrane selection, coating geometry, and device fabrication. Moreover, We will develop a new metrology to evaluate important membrane properties, in particular, the coating stress. The success of the proposed concept will provide a revolutionary approach to fabricate large, lightweight, space-based telescopes. Some of the benefits of stress coating technique to obtain a net-shape mirror are: In the past five years, SDI has developed low energy EFI detonators, built with MEMS processes, that have about half the firing voltage of previous designs. These detonators are in production and are being used in about six weapon systems. The U. S. Air Force has identified a need to develop innovative concepts for gathering timely and accurate bomb damage assessment (BDA) information. This information is used by mission planners to quantify the success of an airborne attack, determine the extent of any collateral damage, and ultimately provide information as to whether additional attacks are necessary. One particularly attractive BDA concept involves the use of low-value assets such as micro air vehicles (MAVs) to gather BDA information and transmit this information to applicable ground or airborne platforms. The sensor-equipped MAV would be attached to an air-launched munition and deployed at a pre-determined point along the munition's descent trajectory. Following deployment, the air vehicle would achieve stable flight and proceed to the target area to record the impact event and gather post-impact BDA imagery. The MAV would continue to loiter in the target area and transmit real-time imagery until its on-board power source was exhausted. The focus of this research is to develop implementable hardware and software solutions that enable the use of low-cost, expendable MAVs for BDA missions. Specifically, the research will address: (1) the design, fabrication, and packaging of the munition-deployed MAV, (2) the stability and autonomous guidance and navigation capability of the air vehicle, and (3) the collection and transmission of real-time video imagery from the MAV's on-board sensor. Camera-equipped MAVs have great potential for surveillance and monitoring tasks in areas either too remote or too dangerous to send human scouts. Opera-tional MAVs will enable a number of important missions, including chemical/radiation spill monitoring, forest-fire reconnaissance, visual monitoring of volcanic activity, surveys of natural disaster areas, and even inexpensive traffic and accident monitoring. Additional on-board sensors can further augment MAV mission profiles to include, for example, airborne chemical analysis. As other examples of MAV benefits, consider the following scenarios. The forestry service is interested in tracking wildlife migration patterns within its park; a hiker is lost in the wilderness; people are trapped in trees or on rooftops during flooding, following a major hurricane. In each instance, small UAVs or MAVs, capable of self-stabilized flight, could be deployed to actively search and track motion and/or targets of interest on the ground. The development of low-cost guided munitions has given mission planners a new set of tools to achieve their objectives. These weapons have much greater accuracy than "dumb" iron bombs, but they can still be delivered from aircraft flying safely at high altitudes, and are effective in all weather conditions. Although the munitions are usually successful in such situations, often the methods used to measure their effectiveness are not. Imagery for bomb damage assessment (BDA) is difficult to obtain from high flying aircraft or satellites during bad weather, so additional strikes may be ordered when they are not necessary, reducing the overall efficiency of the weapon system. Foster-Miller proposes an innovative solution to this problem of collecting BDA information for guided weapons. The Detachable Bomb Pursuit Vehicle (DBPV) will provide a low-cost method for the collection of high-resolution pre- and post-impact imagery, gathered from close proximity to the target. The DBPV will ride a host munition toward its target, detach shortly before impact, and follow the bomb into the impact area while collecting and transmitting digital images. In Phase I, Foster-Miller will produce a preliminary design for the DBPV and demonstrate the validity of the flight control concept. (P-020171) A novel method of intraweapon communications using magnetic field transmissions along with new very low power Spin Dependent Tunneling (SDT) magnetic sensor receivers will be developed under The Air Force has long been aware of the importance of safety devices for the warheads of their air-launched weapons. In fact, all modern air-launched weapons include safety and arming (S&A) subsystems which are designed to prevent the weapon from unintentionally arming itself. The FZU-48 air turbine is a critical component of the S&A subsystems currently installed in the Air Force's Mark 80 series of glide bombs. Although the air-turbine has proven itself to be extremely reliable, it suffers from several shortcomings. First, the turbine adds weight and drag to the weapon. Second, the size of the turbine may preclude its use on smaller guided weapons under development by the Air Force (e.g., the small diameter bomb, SDB). In an effort to redress these shortcomings, the Air Force has expressed a desire to develop alternative S&A subsystems which do not include an air turbine. The objective of this proposed research, therefore, is to investigate the feasibility of replacing the air-turbine S&A subsystem with a battery and a novel algorithm designed to exploit information provided by the weapon's GPS, IMU, and Kalman integration filter. The results of this research may lead to the adoption of lower-cost, less-intrusive S&A subsystems. Evolving smart miniature munitions will be carried in large numbers on combat aircraft to enhance operational effectiveness and reduce required missions. Near term carriage and control of these munitions will be primarily via advanced carriage devices (captive dispensers) which adapt multiple munitions to a single MIL-STD-1760 aircraft electrical interface. Maintaining all operational flight program (OFP) functionality for initialization and employment of these stores within the aircraft processing suite is expected to exceed the processing and data bus throughput capacity of some existing platforms, without costly upgrades. By moving some control functionality (within applicable safety and timing constraints) to the dispenser level via either preprogrammed or dynamic distributive processing techniques, such upgrades can be delayed or avoided entirely. WINTEC has already developed a set of "store macro commands" under ongoing programs which execute in the dispenser to reduce aircraft processor and communication bus loading associated with store employment. The proposed effort would build on this previous work to provide a more comprehensive solution to the problem. Specifically, it would investigate store control requirements, develop a model system architecture, define appropriate distributive processing functions, and develop a demonstration system concept and associated plan for a follow-on prototyping/ demonstration program. The technology provided by this program will help eliminate or significantly delay required upgrades for some existing aircraft platforms to effectively employ large loadouts of miniature stores. It also has significant commercial applicability to robotic vehicle, factory automation, and intelligent vehicle/highway systems. Conductive carbon nanocomposites can be created for multiple functions. In addition to structural applications, these materials can have secondary functions which may include lightning strike mitigation; EMI suppression; radar absorption and possibly others. In general the interaction of nanomaterial with high frequency electromagnetic radiation is considerably different than for conventional materials, and thus there are several targets of opportunity which are available to serve Air Force needs. In addition to electrical shielding and lightning strike mitigation for air vehicles, nanofiber additives in polymers offer important attributes for commercial applications such as automotives applications, including reduced production cost, improved stiffness, paintability, creep resistance, reduced shrinkage, lower coefficient of thermal expansion and enhanced impact resistance. This program will provide meter class CERAFORM Silicon Carbide mirrors with an areal density of < 2 kg/mm2 for use in space based laser and surveillance systems. Providing larger, stiffer structures, CERAFORM SiC provides optical, structural and thermal properties which exceed that of the glasses such as Zerodur and ULE, the composites such as graphite epoxy, and the metals such as aluminum and beryllium. Recent developments in SiC forming have produced SiC mirrors with areal density of < 7.5 kg/mm2 with the potential to achieve an areal density of < 2 kg/mm2. These will provide the needed optical material for the next generation of flight based optical systems providing significant technical advantage over current material and fabrication techniques. Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG) proposes to design, develop and characterize a novel, toughened adhesive system for damage tolerant joints. Joint bonding material must meet stringent mechanical and physical property standards to achieve the necessary level of performance for aircraft structures. The bonds will experience a variety of environmental and loading stresses, and appropriate toughening of these bonds must be addressed. Current approaches utilize z-axis pinning of joint, which tend to damage the composite panels. Scrim materials have also shown toughening of the bond, but have not achieved the exclusive z-direction strength that is needed. CRG's approach is based on next-generation materials that are focused on increased bond durability and toughness. This research effort focuses on the orientation of nanofibers in a film adhesive. The nanofibers would be oriented during the film adhesive manufacturing process, not at joint bonding. Therefore, implementation of this technology will be transparent to the joint bonding process. We are partnered with Loctite Aerospace, a leading manufacturer of high-performance adhesive, on this research effort. The toughen adhesives developed in this program opens up a new market for film adhesives. In metal and composite panel fabrication in aerospace, automotive and multiple structural applications, film adhesives are the preferred form of adhesive due their ease of use and high performance. This research would significantly raise the performance level of these adhesives. It would open new opportunities for film adhesive use in situations where fasteners are currently being utilized because current adhesives are not tough enough. Fusing information in diverse text media containing case-sensitive information is explored. It is based on a core Information Extraction (IE) system capable of processing case-sensitive text. The core engine is adapted to handle diverse, case-insensitive information e.g. e-mail, chat, newsgroups, broadcast transcripts, HUMINT intelligence documents. The fusion system assimilates information extracted from text with that in structured knowledge bases. The fatigue life of aircraft engine components such as turbine blades has been significantly increased by the application of laser peening. The cost of laser peening is decreasing as new technological advancements are implemented to the process. These advancements include more robust laser systems that are easier to maintain than the previous generation lasers. New processing methods are being developed such as the RapidCoaterT system that automates the application of processing overlays and thereby increases throughput and decreases processing labor. Additional reductions in processing costs are desired to decrease component cost and to promote widespread application of laser peening to lower cost components. This program will evaluate two specific laser peening effects. These processing effects will be evaluated using specific processing methods that will increase the laser peening rate. These processing methods when applied with a low cost low maintenance laser system will lead to a significant reduction in the processing cost. The benefit of this program will be to provide new processing methods that, when combined with lower cost equipment, will reduce the cost of laser peening substantially. The new processing methods can be applied to all components. This application includes components that are currently in production such as the 1st stage fan blades for the F110 engine for the Air Force. Other low cost parts, such as gears and shafts for automotive applications, will be able to take advantage of the LaserPeenT process. The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing lightweight artificial dielectric materials for High Power Microwave (HPM) source lens designs. Conventional HPM lenses are usually machined from a dense material exhibiting the desired electrical characteristics, such as polyethylene, and are inherently heavy. Heavy lenses are undesirable for handheld, mobile, aircraft, and especially spacecraft applications. Systran Federal Corporation (SFC), the sister-company of Systran Corp., which is a Products Development and Marketing Company specializing in high-performance electronic and networking products, is proposing to novel approaches to developing tamper resistant circuit boards. SFC proposes to use a combined "coatings + circuits" approach to provide tamper resistance. Various sol-gel based multiplayer coatings that provide tamper resistance will be developed. In addition, various circuits that provide tamper resistance will also be developed. Both will be combined in an "intelligent" manner to provide highly sophisticated approaches to conferring tamper resistance. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop and demonstrate a chemically-specific standoff sensor for detection of explosive materials within sealed containers, buildings, or clothing. Differential absorption LIDAR (DIAL) methodology will be used to provide chemical specificity. Our innovation is the extension of DIAL technology to Far-IR (THz) wavelengths for enabling structure-penetrating radiation to probe molecular features of target substances. This technology represents a long-standing need with the DoD, FAA, and security community for detection of explosive devices containing little or no metal concealed in trucks, luggage, packages, and under clothing. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept through experimental measurements of absorption spectra of target compounds and structural materials and the first demonstration of a current-pumped Quantum Cascade laser-based sensor in the THz frequency regime. In the Phase II portion of the program, a compact sensor will be developed, tested, and delivered to the Air Force. This program will demonstrate a structure-penetrating DIAL apparatus with the capability of chemically- specific detection of explosive materials. Such an apparatus represents a long-standing need in the military for the detection of hidden illicit materials. Significant commercial applications of the enabling sensor technology exist in the petro-chemical and bulk materials processing industry. PSI has already established a commercialization partnership with the Dow Corporation to exploit these markets. We address acquisition, tracking, and aim-point selection on tactical targets for air-to-ground high-energy laser (HEL) applications. Effects of complex natural clutter are considered, in addition to effects related to laser propagation such as weather, battlefield obscurants, atmospheric turbulence and thermal blooming. We propose the use of passive multi-spectral sensing techniques for rejecting natural clutter during initial target acquisition. Active, multi-pulse laser radar imaging is proposed for mitigating effects of camouflage, smoke, and other battlefield obscurants in target tracking and aim-point selection. To treat turbulence, thermal blooming, and aero-optical effects, we propose a new direction-angle ambiguity rectification technique. This technique builds on a block-matching algorithm for imaging through horizontal turbulence to determine the laser pointing errors present over a target scene extending many isoplanatic patches. From this information, the direction-angle ambiguity associated with high-resolution range measurements in the presence of turbulence, thermal blooming, and aero-optical gradients may be corrected for use in pattern recognition. Additionally, the block-matching processing output may be used to correct tilt-anisoplanatism resulting in proper HEL stabilization. We propose the development of a MATLAB toolbox to interface Government-developed WaveTrain and Infrared Modeling and Analysis (IRMA) codes for simulation and analysis of tactical directed energy applications. Laser radar imaging techniques show great promise in navigation, identification, and remote sensing. The technologies developed here can be applied to 3-dimensional imaging of objects at long ranges over horizontal paths or through obscurants such as clouds and smoke. This technology may be applied to airport traffic control, fire-fighting, and autonomous vehicles. Additionally, this technology may be used in applications where long-range laser pointing is required, such as laser designation, laser communication, and laser weapons. This effort will result in a software toolbox that integrates capabilities of two existing Government codes for propagation modeling and scene generation. This toolbox may be used in other projects to address the combined effects of propagation and scene clutter in air-to-ground imaging and beam control applications. For the Phase I project, Luna Innovations proposes to develop a fiber optic, high-temperature, multiplexed temperature and strain sensor system for use in directed energy weapon experiments. Luna will leverage its experience with high temperature sensors and their patented fiber-optic based sensor systems to complete this research. A novel system will be based on proven fiber optic sensor technology, and will combine independent strain and temperature measurements in multi-parameter transducers. Sensors will be multiplexed to provide a distributed sensing system capable of making temperature and strain field measurements near the point of beam impingement. Fiber optic sensors are immune to electromagnetic interference, making them an ideal technology for advance energy weapon research. We propose to develop a target identification system using Time Modulated Ultra-Wide Band (TM-UWB) radars. The prototype hardware will be based on the TM-UWB ASIC chips developed by Time Domain Corporation of Huntsville AL. The only signals transmitted by UWB radars are pulses generated pseudo-randomly in time. The pulses we are currently using are « nanosecond in duration and the energy extends approximately from roughly .8 to 3 gigahertz. The energy content in any conventional frequency band is below the noise, making TM-UWB transmission highly covert unless you know the specific pseudo-random sequence. With TM-UWB there is no carrier frequency, no up-conversion and no down-conversion, and the output stage can be a single transistor which creates a binary pulse, all resulting in decreased radio size, cost, and complexity. The duty cycle of the pulse generated by our current hardware is approximately 1/200, resulting in low power consumption because 99.5% of the time, nothing is being transmitted. Because of the low frequency content of TM-UWB signals, they are able to penetrate foliage and nonmetallic obstacles better than conventional radars. During Phase I, we will design a UWB conformal array antenna system and demonstrate the prototype system in a laboratory environment. The primary potential military application for this technology is the location and identification of obscured objects. Civilian applications include future time domain communications systems as well as airborne mapping of buried cables, pipelines, and mine shafts. IAI and TDC are aggressively working to develop through-the-wall imaging radar for use by polices, fire fighters, and for use by the military for MOUT operations. There is great interest in through the wall imaging, and congress has specifically earmarked substantial funds for this development. The developments from the subject work should lead to the next generation of through-the-wall imaging radar. The ability to electronically steer radio transmissions will also increase the range and/or data rate of TM-UWB radios. This proposal describes the development of a new diode-pumped fiber laser intended as an alignment tool for the High Energy Chemical Laser (HEL) during startup and optical alignment. This alignment laser, also called the Low Energy alignment Laser (LEL), will be fabricated from a special double-clad glass fiber, in a configuration designed to enable very efficient optical pumping by a low-cost diode laser. Such fiber lasers have exhibited nearly single-transverse-mode output at 2.7 microns. The advantage of this fiber laser over currently available 2.6 - 2.9 micron alignment lasers (such as diode-pumped solid-state lasers pumping periodically poled lithium niobate crystals) lies in its simplicity and reduced cost. Phase I of the proposed project will focus on design and evaluation of diode-pumped fiber lasers, using commercially-available diode pump lasers which will be fiber coupled into several different fiber configurations. The fiber laser emission and beam quality will be characterized. Phase II will focus on further improving laser performance and completion of the design, fabrication, demonstration, and delivery of a prototype LEL unit. Coinciding with strong water absorption in this spectral region, this fiber laser also presents a breakthrough for medical applications. Use of a mid-IR fiber laser in place of currently-used mid-IR optical parametric oscillators for the LEL of the space-based HEL system will reduce system cost and complexity, and possibly improve reliability. Commercial applications include materials working of plastics, fabrics, and organics. Medical applications for the proposed mid-IR fiber laser include surgery and specialized therapy. The Air Force Space Test Program (STP) seeks a space shuttle (SS) compatible, high performance, propulsion module (PM) to raise the orbit of a small, SS deployed, experimental payload (125 kg), to a 700+ km. Preliminary analysis identified a 200 W Hall thruster and a 100 W resistojet fueled by nontoxic novel propellant as the most promising technologies. The Hall thruster based, 56 kg PM which includes a solar power system, can raise a 181 kg spacecraft (PM + payload) to a maximum of 2458 km. The Hall thruster can also deliver discrete impulse bits (< 2 mN sec) and therefore be used for precise spacecraft positioning as on the TechSat 21 system for which it is now being qualified. The Air Force needs non-linear optical crystals which can efficiently convert radiation at the wavelengths of solid-state lasers into radiation at other wavelengths. Existing materials which have the desired non-linear conversion efficiency have other shortcomings, including vulnerability to optical damage and limited ultraviolet transparency. Recently a promising new material with superior damage resistance and ultraviolet transparency, stoichiometric lithium tantalate, has become commercially available. Wafers of this material have shown good non-linear conversion efficiency when patterned appropriately. Our innovation is the production of patterned stoichiometric lithium tantalate using commercially practicable techniques which have already led to one successful product, periodically poled lithium niobate. The result will be a commercial product which meets Air Force requirements for conversion efficiency, damage resistance, and transparency. During Phase I we will prove feasibility by showing that our patterning techniques are effective on commercially available substrates. In Developing real-time, unsupervised, on-board data processing algorithms for emerging remote sensing technologies is a key step towards overcoming bottlenecks in both ground-based processing and transmission capability to a ground receiving station. An important initial processing step is the application of an atmospheric correction algorithm (ACA), in which the effects of the intervening atmosphere are removed from hyperspectral and multispectral images (HSI and MSI). Spectral Sciences, Inc. proposes to develop a novel Neural Network (NN) based ACA for HSI and MSI sensors that can be embedded in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to perform autonomous, real-time, and on-board atmospheric correction. While sophisticated, non-real time ground-based ACA's have been developed, their representation in terms of a NN has yet to be demonstrated. Significantly, the NN approach may exceed their performance, particularly for the difficult problem of aerosol characterization (visibility and type over various surfaces). The objectives of Phase I are to demonstrate that NN's can accurately perform the ACA functions, which are atmospheric parameter retrieval and spectral reflectance calculation. In Phase II, the NN algorithms will be implemented in a complete, fully automated software package, in preparation for Phase III transitioning onto ASIC or FPGA hardware. Applications include surface terrain mapping and reflectance characterization, oceanography and marine biology, forestry, precision agriculture, mineral prospecting, environmental monitoring including monitoring of pollutants, and a variety of military applications such as surveillance, intrusion detection, and technical intelligence. Installations are envisioned on satellites, aircraft, and ground-based HSI and MSI platforms, and at ground stations for off-line processing. In support of the SBL-IFX program, the Air Force Research Laboratory is interested in the development of advanced laser diagnostics that will provide diagnostic and monitoring optical tools to contribute to the success of the SBL mission. We propose here a novel laser system that can be used in a variety of applications related to this mission and can play a key role in the success of the SBL program. This source is based on a continuous wave (CW), room temperature, widely tunable, single frequency, diode-pumped, doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator (DRO). The diode-pumped nature of this source results in a device that is compact, requires small amounts of power and offers the potential for packaging to meet final flight requirements. We propose an innovative and enabling technology with the potential to address many of the outstanding issues associated with the design and deployment of the IFX flight vehicle and future SBL missile defense system. The source has application in measuring key HF laser parameters and has significant utility in a wide array of applications including sensing and combustion diagnostics. A fundamental result of the solar wind's interaction with the Earth is the generation of electric fields and currents in the high-latitude ionosphere, which in combination with the geomagnetic field, control the dynamics of the near Earth space and plasma environment. This "space weather" that results can have a significant impact on military and civilian communications, radar, electric power distribution, and navigation systems, including GPS receivers. The proposed project will demonstrate a prototype design for a real time forecast of electrodynamic parameters in the high-latitude ionosphere, namely, the electric fields, currents, and Joule heating, as well as associated geomagnetic effects. The prediction will be obtained by means of the real time data stream from a solar wind monitor at the L1 orbit. The objectives will be obtained by a combination of a "tilted phase front" propagation model for the interplanetary magnetic field, an empirical model of ionospheric electric potential, and a similar model for field-aligned currents (FAC), which is base on magnetic Euler potentials. As there does not exist a model for the ionospheric conductivity with the desired accuracy, the FAC model will be used in a innovative technique to compute the desired parameters without requiring the conductivity. The proposed activity will produce prototype programs which will provide a solid foundation for the Phase II design of an accurate, and efficient real time electrodynamic prediction model. The parameters that are derived from this prediction model are intended to be used as an input to other high-latitude ionospheric specification and forecast models, which are the basis for a number of application codes that support DoD and civilian missions. The anticipated benefits of this program are more accurate predictions of the ionospheric conditions which affect communications, radar, satellite orbits, and navigation systems. The prediction model alone will be able to predict geomagnetic variations on the ground, which are of particular interest to the electric power industry. Thus this work may have use in a broad range of military and commercial space weather applications. The U.S. Air Force must develop the ability to rapidly drill many millions of 170 micron diameter holes through metal plates, to form injector heads as part of its ABL program. The holes must be high quality, non-invasive to the surrounding metal, and the process must be less labor and time intensive than present methods. As discussed in this proposal the physics of material removal with pulsed lasers is uniquely different for short pulse laser drilling (pulse duration < 20 ps) than for the more common long pulse laser drilling ( > 20 ps.). During the proposed Phase I program we will perform analytical modeling of both long pulse and short pulse laser systems. Also, we will down-select the best candidate laser(s), based upon anticipated drilling speed and hole quality. Next, we will assemble/locate prototype candidate laser systems. This prototype system(s) will drill 300 holes in each of three 316 stainless steel plates, 0.2 mm, 1.0 mm, and 5 mm thick. Statistically significant mean value and standard deviation values of : (1) hole drilling time, (2) inlet diameter, (3) inlet eccentricity, (4) outlet diameter, (5) outlet eccentricity, and (6) surface roughness will be demonstrated in Phase I. The ability to drill precise, high aspect ratio holes at a highly productive, cost efficient rate is not only critical to the ABL lasing process, but it is also an enabling capability for other applications such as in the filtration industry and in the airframe industry. Small diameter precision holes have long been considered for the leading edges of airfoils (wings and stabilizers)for drag reduction, but lack of cost effective capability has stifled development of this concept Recent military operations illustrate the importance of information dominance and the subsidiary need to provide enhanced battlespace awareness to the warfighter. The emergence of space-based assets offers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance battlespace awareness. Because space-based assets are inherently distributed and are becoming even more so due to satellite clusters, achieving information dominance requires fusing large amounts of information between sensors and vehicles based on intelligence requirements. For satellite clusters, this implies that cluster management (e.g. formation planning, payload management, etc.) needs to be more closely coupled with information fusion. In cluster operations, traditional research has focused on formation control algorithms. Here, we focus on information fusion with respect to: 1) assessing the battlespace situation with respect to overall mission requirements; 2) determining the information needs based on high-level user-generated requirements; and 3) translating the information needs into high-level cluster specific tasking. We propose to develop a Multi Agent-based Satellite System for Information Fusion (MASSIF). The innovation is the application of computational intelligence techniques such as fuzzy logic and Bayesian belief networks with distributed agent technology and messaging for information fusion in distributed systems such as spacecraft clusters. We see considerable potential for this approach in enhancing cluster management control. The proposed technology will directly support and augment present and future autonomous systems involving multiple spacecraft, UAVs, and underwater submersibles. It is also applicable to complex systems such as power plants that possess distributed components, which require reconfiguration and monitoring. The core technology complements various ongoing projects including a current effort sponsored by NASA to build a distributed environment for spacecraft onboard planning and scheduling. We also plan to generalize the agent to embed in our Intelligent Agent Toolkit for use in any domain requiring intelligent agent interaction. This proposal addresses the urgent need for near real-time algorithms for detection, identification and tracking of objects in highly structured environments. Spectral Sciences, Inc. (SSI) proposes to develop an innovative new algorithm for improved clutter mitigation and target detection for Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) sensors called the Adaptive Spectral and Abundance Processing (ASAP) algorithm. ASAP will include fused spatial-spectral processing of endmember abundance images and spectra obtained from a new real-time adaptive unmixing algorithm. The approach is based on the proven technology found in the Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone (SMACC) algorithm that simultaneously determines spectral endmembers, representing the most `pure' material spectra in the scene, and abundance images for each endmember. In Phase I, SSI will define and demonstrate an adaptive version of the SMACC algorithm that is capable of processing a continuous stream of HSI data and is suitable for Phase II real-time implementation. Phase I also includes the definition, development and demonstration of fused spatial-spectral detection algorithms that will exploit the spatial information contained in the endmember abundance images and the spectral information contained in the endmember spectra. The processing chain will be demonstrated and evaluated with synthetic and measured HSI data. The development of ASAP will provide a needed real-time target detection, identification and characterization tool for HSI sensors looking at objects in highly structured environments. The proposed technique has relevance to any of the myriad applications of HSI sensors being implemented around the world, including scientific observation, agribusiness, precision mining, urban planning and military surveillance. The proposed effort utilizes the experience gained from over 20 years of work performed by the Optical Sciences Company in the areas of atmospheric propagation, wavefront sensing and adaptive optics technology to develop real time adaptive signal processors for on-line performance optimization of adaptive optical systems. In addition to building upon the technology developed for the GEN III NOP adaptive optics system to implement the adaptive control law an enhanced estimation algorithm is utilized. Unlike conventional systems, which predict the future wavefront, the proposed effort predicts the subaperture slopes that are required. As a consequence, nonlinear wavefront reconstructors, such as branch cut reconstructors, can be used in a straight forward manned in a strong scintillation environment. This is a key feature of the proposed effort that ensures that a high level of performance will be available. The adaptive algorithms and processor developed here will not only adapt to the turbulence environment as it chances in time, but will allow for compensation of the least squares and branch point components of the phase in a strong scintillation environment. This work will benefit ABL, GBL, SBL, and low elevation astronomy and propagation to relay morrors. SARA proposes to design a coherent, hybrid, UWB detector and analyzer (CHUDA) system that uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. SARA will use proven technologies and algorithms, developed during the conduct of 5 previous Phase II SBIR programs. CHUDA is comprised of multiple wideband conformal antennas, a hybrid radio frequency (RF) receiver, and a digital signal processor (DSP). This architecture has the combined benefits of spectrum analyzer and transient digitizer systems, while greatly reducing the disadvantages of these systems. The system will detect, identify, and localize ground objects. This SBIR addresses the receive system. We expect "small, metallic object detection" to be the primary product of the proposed technology. This system holds great promise as a commercial product and we envision the following commercial and military applications: The objective of this proposal is to establish the feasibility of a lightweight, articulated boom concept capable of providing a mechanical connection between two spacecraft while maintaining a high-degree of dynamic isolation. During a previous study, the functional tasks of the boom system were defined and preliminary performance requirements for subsystems were derived. Basic boom system principles were reported and a technology concept was formulated. This proposal seeks to further characterize the boom system feasibility through analytical and experimental investigation of critical functions. Specifically, the proposed research will focus on the design and performance of the boom's robotic joints. The system's kinematic configuration will be validated through analysis of workspace, packaging and deployment requirements. The robotic joint design concept will be validated through thorough analysis of joint performance models and simulations that assume the use of existing, commercially available components and technologies. Robotic joint technical challenges will be identified and a program plan will be formulated that includes an implementation and development strategy for any new technologies. Designs and test plans for critical-function breadboards will be developed. One breadboard will be built and tested. While the Honeybee Robotics work to date has been largely project-based, the company is eager to expand its business in the area of recurring sales and product lines. The proposed application has a large potential in the commercial satellite industry and Honeybee Robotics believes that it is well placed, with the development assistance of the SBIR program, to make the innovation commercially available if successful. NASA and the Air Force have established a need for smaller payloads launched on the Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launch System (SHELS) to achieve longer missions and/or more useful orbits by use of a propulsion module (PM). For Phase I, SpaceDev will improve on and demonstrate the practicality of the Maneuvering and Transfer Vehicle (MTV) when deployed from SHELS. The MTV is a scalable, affordable and modular design that utilizes safe, storable propellants (nitrous oxide and Plexiglas). The primary difficulty in implementing a PM for SHELS is the stringent safety requirements of the Space Transportation System (STS). SpaceDev proposes to perform a thorough investigation of the SHELS/STS safety requirements combined with a careful design optimization process that emphasizes safety, cost, and performance. SpaceDev will show that an Advanced MTV can serve as a PM and host spacecraft bus that will maximize the available volume and mass for potential SHELS experiments/instruments. In addition, SpaceDev will design a catalyst bed for multiple MTV restarts and select new fuel core compositions to increase performance and potentially reduce vehicle mass and volume. SpaceDev intends to apply these findings to a Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) conceptual design in the event SHELS launches are not readily available. Many payloads get dropped off in an undesirable orbit due to current launch vehicle cost constraints. A recent California-funded SpaceDev study shows almost 700 planned or existing small satellites that need secondary launches. The fact is there are numerous potential customers who could benefit from the capabilities of an MTV. It is safe and affordable and it can be scaled to provide the desired performance. Furthermore, an MTV with SpaceDev's advanced spacecraft bus subsystems can perform on-demand orbit transfer, rendezvous with orbiting objects, and maneuvering for inspection and docking. These mission capabilities could be considered in great demand especially with the recent trend of high failure rates in commercial communication satellites. To support autonomous scenarios, future constellations of satellites must manage multiple sources of information carrying various levels of uncertainty. Multi-mode payloads will be autonomously configured based on fusion of evidences provided by independent cooperative agents. This will require an advanced architecture to loosely couple distributed knowledge sources. The Adaptive Belief Engine will concurrently manage uncertain information from onboard processing agents as part of a Cluster Manager's intelligent reasoning. The same engine will concurrently support integrated Fault Management at the vehicle and/or cluster level. It will manage, corroborate or refute evidences with varying degrees of certainty. These evidences are dynamically gathered from various diagnostics and prognostics engines providing unparalleled confidence in spacecraft automation. Results will be accumulated into the embedded shared database. Significantly, a cooperating expert system will evaluate rules, dynamically uploaded, that will trigger based on user-tunable thresholds of certainty associated with the current set of hypotheses. The real-time executive will then concurrently process specified scripts to intelligently task the cluster payload and elements or even recover from newly detected faults. This component will be integrated within a distributed blackboard architecture required to allow interchange of information across heterogeneous elements such as subsystems, satellite clusters or other unmanned vehicles. - Increase return in opportunistic acquisition of data (based on unanticipated events detected onboard) for military or science applications. Sophisticated image or geo-location processing algorithms intrinsically generate uncertain data. However, combination of enough evidences provided by cooperating agents could result in opportunistic acquisition not previously anticipated. Autonomous and continuous monitoring of wide areas becomes possible. Stealth or silent mode of operations becomes the norm until specific data is downlinked. This results in an effective data compression ratio that can reach 10,000:1 as proven by the New Millennium Space Technology 6 program. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of reconfigurable computers for image processing on future satellite platforms. A pipelined, inherently parallel procedure such as image processing is conducive to an approach based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with SRAM logic. Reconfigurable computing platforms have the potential to provide near-real time, customized data products directly from the sensor to the user in the field. PSI proposes to demonstrate the radiometric calibration of archived data from the PSI AIRIS hyperspectral sensor in a reconfigurable FPGA at a data rate of at least 30 Hz. PSI also proposes to detail two alternative concepts for a low-cost, ground-based prototype constructed from COTS components, a crucial precursor to a spaceborne system. In addition to performing the radiometric calibration of hyperspectral data from a variety of sensor platforms, the prototype will be capable of executing user-selected image processing algorithms, again at real-time video rates. Both system concepts will be designed to radically decrease the time between data collection and dissemination of processed data to the end user, will support applications developed on PCs, and will meet size, weight, power, and interface requirements of a generic space-based remote sensing platform. A successful Phase I program would set the groundwork for full-scale hardware-in-the-loop demonstrations of a real time hyperspectral image processor with a variety of sensor configurations and a space-qualification plan in Phase II. An engineering model of a reconfigurable image processing unit for a space sensor would be a key goal in Phase III. Several of the numerous commercial and military applications of reconfigurable processors include onboard image processing capabilities for remote sensors on satellites, as well as on trucks, airplanes, UAVs, and UUVs. The technology could eventually be generalized to provide expanded digital signal processing capabilities for military and commercial radars, laser devices, communications satellites and ground-based mobile communications systems. We propose to develop and demonstrate a miniaturized, high efficiency, 100 GHz, 5 W, traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA) incorporating micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques. A combination of innovative component designs based on three-dimensional (3D) MEMS fabrication capabilities and advanced computational tools will lay the foundation for miniaturizing TWTAs, thus enabling operation at or above 100 GHz. Initially, the program will investigate novel concepts to miniaturize critical components while optimizing for high efficiency and reduced mass. In particular, the development will focus on TWTAs utilizing field emission arrays (FEAs) as the electron beam source. FEAs offer significant improvements in efficiency compared to conventional, thermionic cathodes. Periodic permanent magnet (PPM) focusing and slow-wave circuits designed around MEMS fabrication technology will provide compact, lightweight devices. Millimeter-wave RF sources would find wide application for space-based applications due to their small size, light weight, and impressive RF performance. Significant data transfer rates could be achieved for advanced communication applications. Miniaturization technology has enabled small satellites in the 100 to 1,000-lb weight range. The ability to produce these satellites has outpaced the ability of military and commercial sector to cheaply launch them into space. Current spacelift is expensive; e.g., it costs roughly $15M to launch a 1,000-lb satellite to Low Earth Orbit, or $15,000 per lb of spacecraft weight. Small satellite potential is hindered by the lack of affordable and reliable spacelift. The market for affordable small launch vehicles is characterized by the classic "chicken and egg" problem. Space users are reluctant to address mission needs with small satellites because launch cost dominates the price of their architectures. Launch vehicle providers are reluctant to focus on developing small low-cost launch systems due to a fear that the customer base will not support the development cost. IET proposes to develop a decision theoretic design for Mixed-Resolution Modeling. The key concept is to treat a parameter produced by one model/simulation as evidence for the actual value of a parameter required by a second model/simulation. IET will investigate the feasibility of constructing an influence diagram that suggests an appropriate value for a parameter given information about the models/simulations. To preserve stochastic fidelity and support real-time and abstracted simulations, IET proposes a random variable representation for parameters. To facilitate parameter matching among applications running at different levels of resolution and how much evidential weight to give a parameter, IET proposes to design a knowledge representation for metadata associated with a parameter. The metadata will be incorporated into the constructed influence diagram and will include knowledge about the parameter's validity and the context under which it was derived. To support reuse of parameter transformation knowledge, IET proposes to investigate the utility of a knowledge base of Bayesian network fragments that perform parameter credibility assessments, parameter conversions and parameter selection. From such fragments, one could automatically construct a parameter-specific influence diagram that infers a value/distribution for the parameter. IET will investigate relevant commercial and DoD standards and requirements of the JBI.The market need for mixed-resolution modeling is well documented for the DoD. Just a few examples of where IET envisions our solution to mixed-resolution modeling to be of use include: i) clearly within the community that will be taking advantage of the JBI, ii) in the modeling and simulation functionality provided with the Global Command and Control System (GCCS) and the Global Combat Support System (GCSS), and iii) in supply and logistics entities within the DoD (e.g., US Transportation Command). Power consumption in microprocessors is rapidly increasing. Reconfigurable computing using FPGA chips where functions can be performed in parallel instead of the traditional serial processing methods of existing microprocessors offers the opportunity for increased capability and performance at great savings to electrical power requirements. With traditional microprocessors, only a very small portion of each chip does productive work at any moment. Yet the entire chip consumes power. The reconfigurable computing approach uses a much larger proportion of the circuitry of each chip to do meaningful work at any moment. Star Bridge Systems is developing reconfigurable computers with associated software to cost effectively program and utilize low power consumption computers. The increasing demands for higher performance optical acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP) systems, combined with cost pressures requiring lighter payloads, indicates a need for a new approach to slewing and structural control. The use of lighter weight structures exacerbates the interaction of slew maneuvers and acoustic disturbances with the system's flexible modes, causing errors in the alignment and shape of the optical components that result in degraded optical performance. Such gimbaled systems will require control systems that can accommodate the time-varying disturbances, rigid-body, and flexible dynamics resulting from the changing geometry as the payload is slewed. SOpsSim-RSDT is physics based with detailed spacecraft models, orbital environment effects, and an analyst workstation. It models prox-ops of servicing-inspection vehicles with Resident Space Objects (RSOs) as well as ground, airborne, space-based, or RSO attached sensors producing realistic data. It processes real world or simulated signature data. The outputs describe the RSO system state. A key element required for the successful implementation of higher performance Adaptive Optics (AO) systems is to increase processor performance while minimize mass, volume, and power consumption. A processor based on Field Programmable Gated Arrays, FPGA, offers significant advantages in implementing an ideal image processing architecture. These include: true parallelism, interface throughput, multiply accumulate throughput, determinism, simplicity, and flexibility. Closely associated with this is the Adaptive Reconstructor Algorithm, ARA, used to estimate the wave front. The ARA offers significant improvement in AO performance by changing the basic characteristics of the AO loop to minimize the residual slope error. The computational load, memory requirement and input-output requirements of the ARA heavily impact the processor. It must be tailored to the resolution and dynamic range (both spatial and temporal) of the DM and the Wave Front Sensor, WFS. It must also be integrated with the dynamics of the DM control loop so as to enhance the disturbance rejection characteristics of the system. This effort focuses on developing an appropriate ARA to be used in a FPGA implementation to greatly improve overall AO performance. AO systems are an integral component of directed energy and other optical systems. The performance improvements sought with this effort are key to meeting the stringent performance objectives required tracking targets through atmospheric turbulence for DoD applications of interest. In addition, there is significant commercial potential to be realized for the ARA and FPGA-Processor approach. These include industrial robotics and inspection systems, large dimension process controllers, and medical lasers and imaging systems. Space-based antenna systems require large amounts of power and aperture area to achieve desired coverage and resolution. This Phase I effort will demonstrate a method of printing electronics to interconnect a series of PV cells on a polyimide backplane. This same technology will be applied to print electrical feed lines and radiating elements of a radiofrequency antenna. This technology will replace chemical etching lithography techniques currently used to manufacture RF elements. The printing technique uses the parent polyimide material coupled with metal-ion containing materials. Once cured, the bond between the substrate and metal interface becomes extremely strong improving the reliability and operation of the elements. The use of this technology will enable expanded processes that accommodate production of large continuous film rolls - necessary to fulfill eventual flight requirements. The development of increased efficiency flexible membrane cells will lead to the replacement of traditional rigid panel photo-voltaic arrays. This work will demonstrate the integration of a cell series into a complete integrated one-piece structure that will eliminate many of the concerns of current arrays. The combination of the cells with printed RF elements will support large area and high power antenna systems. The technology is applicable to high power commercial satellites, as well as small micro-sats. The technology has value in the development of commercial and DoD high-altitude airships and long duration air vehicles. In this effort, a novel Adaptive Filtering and Disturbance Feed-forward (AFDF) technique is investigated in the context of direct practical application to the ABL beam control system. High performance ATP systems such as those required for ABL often operate in intense aero-acoustic and structural vibration environments. The degradation in performance arising from these disturbances is accentuated as the mass/inertia of the beam train and its support structure are reduced. Further degradation in performance results from the structural-dynamic interactions excited by the high bandwidth, high acceleration operational characteristics, typical of ATP systems. The proposed technique integrates previous proven approaches to AFDF with recent advances in flexible structure sensing and control. The result is a practical AFDF implementation suitable for flexible beam train applications such as the ABL. A unique aspect of the proposed effort is the introduction of closed loop AFDF to improve overall disturbance rejection and simultaneously reduce both structural mode and aero-acoustic environment effects on system performance. CSA currently supports Lockheed-Martin on the development of the integrated beam control system for ABL. The AFDF approach has a direct transition opportunity to the ABL program due to its potential to reduce vibration-induced jitter in the ABL beam control system. Specifically, AFDF can improve performance with respect to turret buffet, stable platform pointing error, and non-common path jitter. CSA also supports a number of other DoD, NASA , and commercial customers in the development of aerospace stabilization systems. Since CSA is an established provider of these solutions, insertion of the higher performance AFDF algorithms represents a significant opportunity. In addition, CSA believes the commercial potential for the AFDF techniques developed in this effort are significant, due to their broad applicability to applications in other industries (e.g. automotive, semi-conductor, medical, etc.). Because AFDF potentially offers higher performance via a more efficient use of available sensing and actuation capability, a large opportunity exists for incorporating into both existing and future products such as isolation tables for wafer manufacturing, high performance automotive suspension systems. Thin film solar cells have promise of producing high specific power values (over 1000W/kg) if a light weight substrate that permits growth of high-quality semiconductor material is available. Past results using CuInSe2 -type materials on polymer substrates have suffered because the CIGS quality has been low due to the limitations on growth temperature imposed by the thermal properties of the polymers used. Cells of CIGS on metal foils have suffered from the problems of the substrate's high density and high conductivity which prevents integrated interconnects. Triton proposes to develop unique insulating layers for a molybdenum and stainless steel film substrates to produce a thin film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) cell. The high efficiency and excellent stability of CIGS thin film solar cells will provide for a cost effective solar electricity generation system. Since CIGS deposition requires relatively high processing temperature (600øC), the device fabrication must take place on substrates such as stainless steel or Molybdenum foil. This precludes monolithic device integration such as series connection of solar cells and incorporation of bypass and blocking diodes. These later processes are analogous to crystalline solar cell panel and array fabrication and accepted industry practice, because the device is produced on a conductive substrate and simple etching procedures can not expose an insulating or conductive layer to isolate or interconnect cells with relative ease. The key to implementing monolithic processes is incorporation of an insulating layer between the active cell and the substrate. The proposed program directly addresses this need. During Phase I, Triton will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed insulating materials for CIGS deposition CIGS solar cells can be used for space applications because of their tolerance to high energy irradiation. They can also be used in remote areas for power generation and in power crisis situations as evidenced recently California. The Space-Based Laser (SBL) requires a Low Energy Laser (LEL) system to serve as a high fidelity surrogate during startup and optical alignment portions of test operations. In this proposal, we will develop a CW, diode-pumped solid state laser that can meet the requirements for the LEL, namely a CW power level in the 1-10 W range, and wavelengths in the 2600-2900-nm region. The device, based on a direct diode-pumped Er:YLF crystal, is rugged, compact, tunable, and well suited for space-based systems. A compact, reliable, efficient and inexpensive cryocooler requiring less than 1kW of power for 2W of cooling at 10Kelvin is being developed and will be demonstrated. This performance is at least twice as efficient as the best current state-of-the-art for small low-temperature cryocoolers. The proposed technical approach, whose feasibility has been confirmed, is to apply the advantageous features of large-scale cryogenic refrigerators to compact and reliable small-scale systems by implementing a novel thermodynamic cycle in a mechanically innovative machine. Size, cost and complexity are reduced in the proposed concept by employing a modular design whereby each stage is of identical construction (except for length), and where the heat exchanger and expander are constructed as an integral unit. The expanders are of extremely simple floating piston construction that requires no seals or mechanical power transmission devices to extract power from the cold expander. Piston motion is controlled by electro-mechanically actuated "smart" valves that require no mechanical valve linkages or mechanical timing mechanisms. This further reduces system complexity, improves reliability, and eliminates thermal leakage paths. Expander power is dissipated in the warm end of the expander by throttling gas to and from the compressor suction and discharge, and a reservoir volume. The proposed cryocooler is intended for use by Very Long Wavelength Infrared (VLWIR) sensor technology which requires cooling at 10K. The need for improved cryocoolers is not limited to space missions or military uses. There is presently a sizable market for sub-10K cryocoolers for devices such as cryopumps and MRI magnets that can benefit from improved cryogenic cooling. The emerging field of superconducting cryo-electronics is expected to require tens of thousands of small sub-10K cryocoolers within the next decade. In particular, digital superconducting electronics, which promises ultra-fast signal processing and tera/peta-flop computing speeds, will require cooling at 4K. Thus, the development of an inexpensive, reliable, and efficient cryocooler will better meet the cryogenic cooling needs of several existing technologies, and should serve as an enabling technology for emerging cryo-electronics applications. Conventional tracking schemes have reached their performance limit for systems such as the Airborne Laser operating in deep turbulence environments. The next generation of high precision tracking systems must exploit all information available to produce the desired track correction. A study of tracking from an integrated sensor perspective is proposed. This will include, but not be limited to, the use of wavefront sensor measurements to enhance the track estimate. A methodology will be developed which will lead to the assessment of tracking performance limits as a function of system parameters such as the Rytov number. Tracking concepts developed in this effort will be evaluated in detail with wave-optics simulations. A successful completion of this study of active tracking in deep turbulence will advance the state of beam control technology for systems experiencing tracking degradation due to high scintillation. This means extending the effective range of operation for weapons systems such as the Airborne Laser system. The concepts developed here will also have application to ground based laser systems and long range laser communication systems A device and system has been envisioned that may be highly suitable for cleaning high energy laser mirrors in space, and capable of mitigating or reduce charge buildup, and capable of removing hydrocarbon film contaminants. Low-energy reactive plasma technology is known to encompass windows of high reactivity where the combination of system operating parameters and the conditions at the surface to be cleaned are such that high reactivity (cleaning) rates can be achieved. An innovative approach has been developed that allows a low-cost means for addressing the feasibility of these systems to accomplish desired objectives (precision cleaning, charge buildup mitigation,and hydrocarbon film removal). Several spin-off activities and commercial applications such as pllution preventing replacement of solvent for hydrocarbons, other organic contaminants, and bio-mass reduction are already known. Foster-Miller is proposing a simple solution to the problem of cooling satellite instrumentation to cryogenic temperature. The system is a micro-pumped, 2-phase heat transport loop that employs multiple MEMS-size micro-pumps to move a cryogenic fluid between an evaporator and a condenser. The system is simpler than either a cryogenic CPL or loop heat pipe and a liquid accumulator and a sintered capillary wick structure are not needed for operation, which greatly reduces both the system mass and fluid charge. The micro-pumped cryogenic heat transport loop is particularly adaptable for use across a 2-axis gimbal, since flexure can be provided by simply adding coils to the system tubing. The use of multiple MEMS micro-pumps provides redundancy and reliability to the system and can control temperature precisely at the electronic interface. The pump power required is very low, on the order of 7 mW, which does not add significantly to the heat load of the system. (P020195) Advanced space-borne infrared sensor technology requires cooling at temperatures near 10 K. Cooling loads for these detectors will range from 0.25 to 1.0 W. The satellites carrying these sensors also have additional cooling loads at different temperatures. A multistage cooler capable of cooling multiple loads will offer large potential gains in system efficiency and weight. Turbomachine-based, Brayton cryocoolers are ideal candidates for these missions because they are highly efficient, lightweight, vibration-free, adaptable to multiple stages, and have long, maintenance-free lifetimes. State-of-the-art technology exists for all the critical components except for a 10 K turboalternator. Creare proposes to develop an advanced, high efficiency turboalternator optimized for a multistage, multi-load application to be identified by the Air Force. The advanced turboalternator promises to enable a significant reduction in cryocooler input power and cooling system mass. In Phase I we will select an optimum multistage, multi-load cooling cycle based on analysis and trade studies. We will then design a turboalternator for these specific conditions. In Phase II we will fabricate the turboalternator and conduct a series of tests to demonstrate its performance and to address the specific technology challenges in a multistage multi-load cycle. The development of advanced low-temperature turboalternators will enable the development of high-efficiency, low-temperature cryocoolers. Multistage cryocoolers will offer substantial savings in power and weight. Military applications include space-based surveillance and missile-defense systems. Scientific applications include space-based infrared telescopes. Commercial applications include communication satellites, superconducting instruments, and hypercomputers. Schafer proposes to further develop Silicon Lightweight Mirrors (SLMs) technology, an all silicon foam-core composite mirror material that is extremely stiff, highly polishable and low cost. High structural efficiency primary mirrors are required for the Air Force Deployable Optical Telescope System (DOTS) and the Airborne Laser (ABL). SLMS technology would greatly reduce the weight of the ABL telescope. SLMS technology has an order of magnitude higher specific stiffness than ULE and offers a potential weight savings of the PM of >250 lbs. Thus, 600 lbs or more are realizable in just the Telescope Assembly of ABL. The complete Turret Ball Assembly weight savings is estimated to be greater than this due to weight savings in the Gimbal Assembly. The Air Force requires lightweight, stiff and stable mirrors for use in high quality, space-based optical observation and energy projection systems. The current state-of-the-art uses various types of honeycomb core material with optical and composite face sheets. The honeycomb material, while excellent in compression, does not transfer the bending shear loads efficiently enough for truly lightweight optical systems. Honeycomb mirrors also are slow and costly to manufacture. The increasing demand for large aperture imaging and High Energy Laser (HEL) space-based systems has led to a technology push for light-weight, deployable primary mirrors. The use of a thin, space-rated, polymer membrane material as a primary mirror is a possible solution for this problem. SRS has developed processes to produce membranes with a very precise optical quality surface with very low areal density. Incorporation of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) into an optical quality membrane will then provide the required energy necessary for deployment after launch. Using this process a precision optical shape can be formed using an SMA/Membrane material then a thermal step allows for efficient packaging. Another thermal step then lets the material recover its initial shape. The use of a non-contact magnetic actuation system would then allow for final shape optimization. Under this effort feasibility demonstrations will be conducted on a membrane/SMA composite for use as a deployable mirror, and a non-contact magnetic actuator system. The successful demonstration of the proposed concept of a Polymer Membrane/Shape Memory Alloy material to perform as a deployable primary mirror will provide an immediate impact on many current and future USAF, NASA, and other DoD space-based large aperture imaging or High Energy Laser (HEL) applications. Many require multi-meter apertures capable of being deployed after launch. The development of this technology along with a feasibility demonstration of a non-contact magnetic actuation system would enable such designs to become a reality and also open the door for commercial parties that are interested in the use of very large aperture mirrors. In military simulation, there is an ever-increasing demand to support more complexity in the visualization of synthetic environments. Tools that automate the generation of terrain databases from overhead imagery are necessary for simulations that require a high degree of geo-specific 3D cultural content given limited resources. Current tools do not address the removal of time-specific artifacts such as aircrafts, vehicles, and shadows. This reduces database realism and thereby limits the situations in which these databases can be used. The development of batteries, fuel cells, flywheels, and other portable energy sources requires power electronics devices to test performance parameters. In most cases, the power electronics devices serve as a load, distributing energy to the grid. For batteries, the devices can also serve as a source of energy for charging. To date, these devices have only been available and cost-effective for large systems on the order of ten-kW's or more and for high voltage. The proposed Phase I effort will investigate the feasibility of developing a bi-directional source/load device with on-grid capability in the two- to five-kW power range. Modasco proposes to extend the capability of Colored Petri Net design and architecture specification tools to include model performance measurement and evaluation. The methodology is based upon an automated simulation of the system executed within a controllable run-time interface. A graphical language is proposed for describing the complex logic and mathematical relationships of transitions between system states. Integrating graphical design, model architecture specification and simulation capabilities into one tool provides a highly-efficient way of performing end-to-end virtual prototyping of a proposed system architecture that avoids the need to create artificial interfaces among several specialized tools. The system designer can also define performance metrics with the rule-based design interface, store them for future application and assign them to model architectures. During the execution of a model's simulation, the values of assigned metrics are updated and displayed to the analyst. This tool will significantly reduce the time and cost currently required to create and update model simulations and thus will produce system designs that are more robust and whose properties are better understood. The proposed system is directly applicable to the collaborative development of large scale systems by remote teams of specialists whose designs can be integrated and evaluated in operational conditions. Decrease the development time and cost for prototyping new systems. The proposed software tools are directly applicable to the design and analysis of commercial and military processes including information systems, health care, economic forecasting, software and hardware. The primary goal of this SBIR is to develop a layered architectural approach for future inter-exchange gateways that enables data translation from one medium to another and/or among several mediums. For example, with the mandated proliferation of Link-16 over the next 5 years, every SPO must work together to ensure overall interoperability, not only among Link-16 participants but also among numerous other diverse systems and datalinks which are not Link-16 compatible. This non-interoperability between diverse systems may be resolved by implementation of data forwarding rules, translation architecture(s), or other unique translation applications that act as a "gateway" between otherwise non-communicative datalinks. These gateways will provide communications connectivity for legacy and other disparate communications systems. Our approach seeks to leverage established or developmental initiatives in DoD and commercial practices that deal with the translation of data from one medium to another. As this SBIR progresses through its phases, the end objective is to minimize the duplication of effort at various AF agencies, establish a centralized translation protocol and provide a body of reusable tools that any future gateway might use. The benefits of an interoperability gateway based on a common, neutral data format is best evidenced by the considerably increased number of users of disparate systems that will be able to contribute to and acquire a more complete, common operational picture. The modeling, simulation, and training communities will also be able to use this gateway as a direct conduit to the real Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence (C4I) systems. Research in the commercial sector has uncovered similar data translation issues. For example, the Open Applications Group (OAG), a commercial organization, is tackling very similar translation and forwarding issues from the electronic commerce and business interoperability perspective, and is building a consensus-based interoperability framework using Object Oriented Design and metadata concepts. We believe this core approach, with key performance-related enhancements, offers a promising solution to current and future communications interoperability problems. Effects-based operations must determine how the enemy might respond to air strikes. Current approaches to predicting enemy response to target damage suffer from serious limitations: they typically do not consider how the enemy might repair or modify the structure of a target system, they typically reason only about a single type of target system, they cannot adequately represent delayed effects, concurrent actions, and uncertainty, and their models are difficult for analysts to construct and maintain. The problem of information security has become critical because of the growing dependence of the economy and the armed forces on complex networked information systems. Of particular concern are security vulnerabilities that are caused by programming errors. We plan to study the feasibility and plan the development of a security vulnerability detection toolkit based on advanced static analyses. Our plan is targeted at semi-automatic detection of security vulnerabilities in C and C++ source code. This work will build on our own dependence-graph based COTS product for program understanding named CodeSurfer. We will focus our efforts on addressing technologies to detect vulnerabilities caused by buffer overflows, race conditions, and memory access errors. We will investigate the application of constraint analysis, dependence analysis, constant propagation, array subscript analysis, and other static analyses to the problem of vulnerability detection. We will develop a plan to integrate these analyses with CodeSurfer, in order to produce a commercial vulnerability detection toolkit. The proposed system will help eliminate vulnerabilities in open- and closed-source software systems. In doing so it will meet an emerging market need for security code-audit tools. Free-space optical communication's inherently low probability of intercept, resistance to jamming, lack of licensing requirements, ease of use, high-speed capability, and compact size make it an ideal addition to the array of equipment that can be used to form a battlefield network backbone. Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. will develop a prototype Ground Attack Data Fusion and Optimization System (GADFOS) that will accurately fuse all of the information available from large numbers of sensors using non-Gaussian and multiple hypothesis techniques along with computer resource optimization algorithms and high-performance, inexpensive hardware to allow this computationally intensive data fusion process to take place in near-real-time. GADFOS will utilize the non-Gaussian tracking information when determining the likelihood that a contact is associated with a particular target, will produce target tracks that are as high quality as possible given the available data, and will also optimize the placement and operation of surveillance sensors. We will quantitatively analyze the performance of GADFOS in our Decision Support System Testbed (DSST), using hundreds of simulated targets and hundreds of simulated sensors. This analysis will measure the distance between the GADFOS Situation Awareness (SA) picture and ground truth using operationally oriented and honesty inducing metrics. It will also quantify the performance difference between GADFOS generated surveillance plans and a surveillance plans generated using current operating procedures. The prototype GADFOS will allow us to demonstrate how advanced data fusion and optimization techniques can significantly improve the ability of United States forces to conduct search and surveillance and targeting against ground targets. Improved correlation and tracking technologies such as these are particularly necessary at a time when the United States is facing sophisticated ground threats such as terrorists in a difficult environment with reduced resources. Under this SBIR effort, MŽK Technologies proposes to develop advanced multi-sensory display management concepts and algorithms that will improve the information flow to the Air Force warfighter on today?s C2ISR displays. Leveraging in-house products and technology, MŽK will implement prototype algorithms for experimentation and test. The Phase I research and prototypes will provide a strong foundation for Phase II development and commercialization of a Multi-Sensory Display Toolkit. MŽK will also leverage its experience in developing powerful, yet easy-to-use toolkits to create a mechanism that will allow the community at large to access the multi-sensory display management technology developed under this effort. The proposed effort will leverage COTS, standards-based, plan view display and 3D visualization software, lowering cost, time, and risk. The proposed MSDT concept has the following benefits: 1. Increased effectiveness of commanders and air controllers due to the more intuitive and readable displays with minimal overlap and occlusion. 2. Reduction of decision times by timely presentation of mission-relevant and mission-critical information. Delivering the proposed capability as a software toolkit aimed at system developers has the following benefit: 1. Increase in the number and capabilities of automated display systems due to the ready availability of the proposed capability in toolkit form, ready for integration. Leveraging MŽK's COTS PVD, Stealth and CGF software and MŽK's extensive experience supporting commercial-grade software toolkits has the following benefits: 1. Increased capability of the proposed multi-sensory display software toolkit due to the $2.3M internal, product funding commitment MŽK has made to these products. 2. Increased viability of the proposed display software toolkit due to MŽK's best-commercial-practices design, implementation, documentation, and support capability. 3. Low cost, time, and risk via extensive leverage of non-developmental software. Space systems are expensive to develop and deploy. Oftentimes, budgeting tradeoffs dictate increases in spacecraft development at the expense of developing the training systems needed to learn how to operate it. This results in on-the-job training using operational equipment versus using a controlled training environment. This is especially the case in learning the use of subscriber terminals by space crews. To counter this problem, we propose the Collaborative Operational Unit Messaging Simulation and Interaction Modeling (COMSIM) system. COMSIM applies advances in computer-supported collaborative learning to create a subscriber terminal learning environment separate from operational equipment. Additionally, COMSIM trains message interaction as the inherently collaborative activity it is through innovative applications of enterprise software, intelligent agents, and distributed simulations. A COMSIM-based training system will train space crews to become expert in messaging and provide aerospace forces to see the big picture value messaging plays in overall military operations. Potential commercial applications include COMSIM-based training environments for commercial telecommunication services that are expected to greatly increase in availability over the next decade. Additionally, we foresee opportunity to apply COMSIM to the war on terrorism as the Federal Government engineers computer support and information sharing systems to allow diverse Federal agencies share knowledge. We propose to develop an Intelligent Tutoring System for AF intelligence analysts (ITS4Intel) that helps student analysts to refine and apply the two cognitive skills that are fundamental to their work: categorization and inference. It will use scenario-based training to team them to assess the quality of intel products (e.g., messages); assess their relevance to current information requirements; make assessments of intent, predictions, and other inferences from the data; and select the best sources from which to elicit additional information. The system will employ three technologies: an extension of Latent Semantic Analysis for modeling human categorization abilities, an IBIS architecture for representing relations between elements of knowledge and emulating expert inference over it, and an instructional system shell that integrates these modeling engines and adaptively presents explicit instruction, practice scenarios, and feedback. A significant innovation is the explicit representation of mental models that elicits observable and measurable indicators of cognitive state and process. By working with the explicit models, students will learn how to structure and use a large, complex body of intelligence material. A key efficiency of this effort is that it will leverage knowledge acquisition research underway in an existing AFRL SBIR concerning AF intelligence analysis. When completed, the Phase I work will produce as catalog of mental models and quality assessment heuristics used by expert intelligence analysts in a specific domain, training objectives for intel analysts, measures of student performance, a prototype training system, and an evaluation of the prototype by operational personnel. The Phase II work will produce a robust system for training AF intelligence analysts, deep and formally represented knowledge of the mental models employed by analysts, and validated measures of cognitive state and cognitive processes pertaining to intel analysis. In Phase III, we will transition the system to other markets that value training in qualitative analysis skills, and address opportunities to transform the training system into a job aid for AF intel analysts. Triton addresses the US Air Force need to develop multifunctional polymer nanotube composites and adhesives for aerospace applications requiring high electrical conductivity (EMI shielding for electronic packaging, stealth), thermal conductivity (thermal management), and high strength (structural applications). Nanotube composite research has demonstrated that these materials can theoretically achieve high levels of thermal and electrical conductivity, as well as high strength providing huge reductions in weight over conventional composite systems. Difficulties in achieving substantial nanoparticle dispersion have prevented these materials from achieving these enhanced properties. Triton's nanotube composite research team has developed enabling chemistries and processing methods in which to homogeneously disperse these nanotubes to achieve significant improvements in the properties required to validate them for these applications. These techniques are truly cross platform, and will allow their use over a wide variety of polymer matrices and will result in materials that can be processed by traditional methods such as melt extrusion and spray coating. For the Phase I program, Triton will demonstrate the fabrication of well dispersed carbon nanotube polymer composites, which will exhibit isotropic electrical conductivity greater than 25 S/cm and thermal conductivity greater than 50 W/mK The carbon nanotube composite technology developed by Triton Systems will open the opportunity for applications in many areas. The benefit of electrical conductivity to traditionally poorly conducting or insulating matrices lends their use in many applications such as EMI shielding and thermal management of structural materials. The conductivity may also provide static discharge for fuel system components in the automotive and aerospace industries MMCC will develop an isotropic graphite fiber reinforced magnesium rigid mirror material that will result in an areal density of 5 kg/m2, reduce lead times for paraboloid blanks by two-thirds, and cut mirror costs by at least 50% over Be mirror systems. Phase I will design, build, and test graphite magnesium composite variants and mechanical, thermophysical, and optical surface evaluations will be performed on flat graphite magnesium blanks, while a near net shape cast ROTF (rough oversize to finish) sub-scale component will be cast simultaneously to demonstrate efficiencies in manufacturing. Moreover, it will be shown, that an isotropic and dimensionally stable mirror can be produced through novel preforming methods, proper alloy selection, and heat treatment. An ultra-lightweight graphite magnesium mirror blank will be near net shape manufactured with a thermal expansion coefficient as low as 1 ppm/K, a thermal conductivity of 200-300 W/mK, stiffness approaching steel, and a density near that of beryllium. Furthermore, the graphite fiber reinforced alloy will be engineered with isotropic mechanical and thermophysical properties, resulting in dimensionally stable optics for space. Current thermal spray ceramic tamper-resistant coatings (TRCs) for electronic components are expensive, unreliable and can cause significant thermal damage to underlying circuitry during application at high temperatures. Foster-Miller proposes to develop a secure and reliable, environmentally-compliant tamper-resistant coating that is sprayable without using VOCs and cures at low temperatures in air to a hard, tough, adherent coating. The proposed coating is opaque to light, x-rays and infrared radiation. It bonds strongly to both electronic components and substrate and is so durable that removal of the cured coating via chemical or mechanical means obliterates all evidence of underlying interconnects, traces and dies. In Phase I, we will formulate the coating, prepare coated electronic component test specimens and demonstrate their resistance to tampering. In Phase II, we will refine and scale-up the TRC and conduct tests using coated electronic components leading to early commercialization. (P-020173) Foster-Miller proposes a highly innovative concept for an Active Thermal Management System (ATMS) that is sufficiently robust to allow operation in a space environment for between 15 to 20 years. ATMS is designed to generate a surface exhibiting a constant low absorptance value throughout the solar spectrum and variable emissivity values over the thermal IR region. Impinging sunlight will be efficiently reflected off the surface and thus contribute little or no additional heat to the spacecraft interior. High emissivity values will allow spacecraft heat to be radiated into space, cooling the spacecraft interior. Low emissivity values will reduce or prevent radiative cooling, allowing heat to build up within the spacecraft. Spacecraft internal temperatures can be maintained at a constant level by selecting appropriate intermediate emissivity values. ATMS robustness results because it relies on no moving parts or changes in polymer oxidation states to generate variable emissivity values. Our concept takes proven terrestrial bound technology, modifies it for this application, and hardens it for use in the space environment. We are teamed with a supplier of key thermal materials, a thermal coatings manufacturer, and a spacecraft manufacturer, which will permit rapid demonstration, qualification, and production of products from this program. (P-020201) The 4th stage compressor IBR of the JSF F119 engine is fatigue limited. Surface enhancement, by the introduction of compressive residual stress, is a practical means of improving fatigue performance without changing material or design. Low Plasticity Burnishing (LPB) provides twice the HCF strength and four times the damage tolerance of shot peening in Ti-64 and IN718 laboratory specimens. LPB applied to the leading edge of the F404 Ti-64 1st stage fan blade has been shown to produce sufficient through-thickness compression for complete tolerance of 1.3 mm (0.050 in.) deep FOD. LPB offers rapid, affordable, surface enhancement using conventional CNC machine tools in a manufacturing environment. The proposed research program seeks to develop a totally new methodology for the fabrication of polymer-based electrooptic waveguide devices and subsystems-on-a-chip. These devices are currently produced using conventional spin-coating or dip-coating technology. However, these techniques constrain the selection of polymers for the electrooptic waveguide layer and for the upper and lower cladding layers because of the need to use solvent systems that will not disrupt the previously deposited layers. To avoid having to expose the polymer layers to potentially harmful solvents, we propose to adapt MicroCoating Technologies' (MCT's) patented NanomizerT spray deposition technology for the fabrication of optically clear polymer cladding films. The key feature of the proposed approach is MCT's unique nozzle design that disperses a liquid solution of the polymer (or reactive oligomers) into sub-micron droplets. This allows the solvent to flash-evaporate as the droplets travel toward the substrate, and results in the deposition of a pinhole-free film with minimal solvent exposure to the substrate. In addition, it enables the fabrication of mode-matched waveguides having adiabatic tapers, with graduated thickness and refractive index profiles. To ensure that we will be working with state-of-the-art materials, MCT has established a teaming relationship with the research group of Professor Larry Dalton, a world leader in electrooptic polymer development, for the proposed project. If successful, the proposed project will greatly enhance the selection of polymer materials for each layer of an electrooptic polymer device, and will allow device designers to focus on the key properties of refractive index, conductivity, thermal expansion, and optical quality without having to be concerned with solvent compatibility issues. MCT expects that the successful completion of the proposed Phase I program, together with an anticipated Phase II development program and a subsequent Phase III commercialization program, will enable the development of a variety of polymer-based electrooptic subsystems-on-a-chip. Because these electrooptic polymer materials can be tailored to provide frequency response in excess of 100 GHz with drive voltages below 1V, the resulting polymer-based subsystems-on-a-chip will offer extremely high bandwidth with very low power requirements. They will therefore be well positioned to meet the growing demand for greater bandwidth, lower power, and smaller size for both military and commercial telecommunications and signal processing applications. The resulting products will be able to combine multiple optical and electronic functions on a single chip or wafer, and will have greatly increased robustness as compared to comparable subsystems today, which must be assembled from a number of discrete components. Because MCT's deposition technology provides a unique capability for fabricating the chips we envision, based on the state-of-the art electrooptic polymers developed by Professor Dalton's research group, the proposed project represents a major opportunity for MCT. MCT expects to license its deposition technology to companies that are commercializing Professor Dalton's electrooptic polymers for integrated-optic devices. In 2005, the targeted marketplace is estimated at $23 billion/year. Capturing even a tiny percentage of this market represents a significant opportunity for MCT. The rapid pace of development in the fields of optical telecommunications and networks over the past decade has led to an increasing demand for integrated-optic devices that are capable of processing large quantities of information more rapidly than could be done with conventional electronics. In the meantime, the rapid and continued growth of optical applications and devices outside the visible and communication wavelengths for both military and civil applications has also resulted in a need for optical control elements in these wavelength regions, such as in the MidWave InfraRed (MWIR) spectral region. To meet these requirements, ferroelectric thin films are being used to develop new classes of electrooptic components and devices with high optical quality and high electrooptic coefficient. Using its innovative, high volume, low cost and open-air Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) technique, MCT's proposed Phase I program is to deposit dense, epitaxial ferroelectric thin films on single crystal substrates for the applications of dynamic filtering of infrared lights for both military and civil purposes, and to evaluate the chemical, optical and electrooptic properties of these films. An industrial support letter is included. Tunable filters for MidWave InfraRed Radiation are required for industrial, medical and environmental applications for materials processing, inspection, diagnostics and chemical sensing. Successful development of films and devices proposed in this Phase I and a follow-on Phase II effort will result in meeting the market need. Industrial partner has been identified and recruited for this effort. If MicroCoating Technologies triumphs in its product plan, both military and commercial segments would benefit immensely with the availability of a commercially viable production technique. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop innovative variable-reflectance polymeric devices with on-demand controllable solar absorptivity (alpha) and IR emissivity (epsilon). The goal of the program (Phase I and II) is to design and demonstrate a prototype device with broadly variable (alpha/epsilon). While there are many potential applications, we will focus on spacecraft thermal control. During the Phase I program we will develop concepts and a model of utility for assessing the electro-optical properties of the concepts. Several devices will be fabricated and utilized for proof-of-concept experiments. A detailed Phase II program plan will also be developed. Successful demonstration of advanced thermal control devices will have a very significant impact on space systems designs. The system we envision will reduce the thermal cycling of the interior of spacecraft. This will significantly extend the life of components and allow a broader range of COTS components to be used. The end result will be more cost effective, longer life satellites. We propose to design and synthesize new polymers that are more conductive than currently used UV-curable polymer at both low and high temperatures (~200 oC ). Low loss, non-UV curable host polymers will also be identified and developed. The more conductive polymers and the host polymers will be blended or covalently incorporated. Thin films and waveguides will be prepared to examine film quality, film resistivity at different temperatures and voltages, as well as dielectric constant and optical loss. During Phase I, the goal is to increase conductivity of cladding materials to a level that is two orders of magnitude higher than that of EO polymers made from PWC proprietary highly active chromophores. At the end of Phase I, working devices will be fabricated using the more conductive polymer blends to demonstrate the enhancement in EO performance. The use of proposed cladding polymer materials with increased conductivity in polymer modulators is expected to enhance a poling efficiency by 35%. That will translate into cost-effective, broadband devices with driving voltages under 3 V that satisfy reliability requirements of telecommunication industry. This study will examine the current understanding on hard alpha inclusion crack initiation and growth in titanium investment castings to determine the required information needed to predict their effects on component durability. Specific focus will be made on the small crack growth regime for defects of various sizes and locations since it can encompass a majority of the fatigue life. This information will be used to develop an innovative predictive tool that complements current lifing models based on long crack growth behavior. This study will also generate an accept/reject criteria that will assist in qualifying fracture-critical titanium castings (and improving the manufacturing process) by identifying the most critical inclusions that must be found/removed, thus providing airframe designers with the necessary confidence to expand the use of titanium castings. This project will develop an accept-reject criteria for qualifying fracture-critical titanium castings to allow their expanded use in airframe applications. It will also construct an innovative crack physics-based predictive tool for analyzing the effects of hard alpha inclusions on durability of titanium airframe castings. The tool will allow engineers to account for the potential impact of the inclusion failure mode to more confidently assess component durability. It can also be used to intelligently conduct in-service inspection schedules. To provide the Air Force with new space-borne intelligence gathering techniques for the detection, identification, characterization, and tracking (DICT) of hostile ballistic and cruise missiles and other advanced systems, we propose innovative and unique physical models that allow for the interpretation of radio frequency (RF) signatures of missile plumes in a way that is directly traceable to the radiating source. The signature is the result of both thermal and nonthermal radiation: the calculation of nonthermal radiation from plumes has never been done before; the usual thermal radiation theory must be expanded to include our unique model of electric charge separation in hot, ionized combustion gases in order to calculate accurately the electrical conductivity within the plume and, therefore, of the radiation from the plume. We also provide preliminary estimates of where in the RF frequency range satellite sensors should be sensing. Inasmuch as the radiation phenomena have no effect on plume flow field, whereas the latter determines the former, the output of any appropriate plume flow field computer code becomes the input to our proposed post-processor 3-dimensional radiation code RFPLUME. Previously, we applied the theoretical model of electric charge separation to the nonthermal RF radiation from detonating explosives/warheads. Physical model can be used to detect, identify, characterize, and track missile plumes and therefore the missile; to identify location of launch tube from muzzle blast after projectile exit. to identify sources of weapons fire, building demolition, land clearance, and mining operations, pyroclastic flows, and underground magma. We propose to develop a systematic and, at the same time, rigorous and efficient computational scheme for solving high frequency electromagnetic scattering, propagation and imaging problems. The main building blocks of the approach are: In this work, we propose to capitalize on our experience with synthetic jet actuation, low order system modeling, and control in order to develop an integrated approach to hingeless flow control. We first propose to develop a new, hybrid, synthetic jet actuator that will be capable, via real-time actuator parameter control, of both separation manipulation (reduction, elimination or promotion) and dynamic virtual shaping. Next we will generate reduced-order flow models and will subsequently close the control loop. The planform used to develop and demonstrate the new techniques will be a NACA-0015 wing first in steady flow and subsequently in dynamic maneuvering. The Texas A&M Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the Aerospace Engineering Department has had several years of experience with actuator development and steady and dynamic wind-tunnel testing. Aeroprobe will be responsible for the controls aspects of the problem. The area of active flow control is undergoing great activity and the successful completion of the proposed effort will satisfy the needs of several industries such as jet engines and turbomachinery, rotorcraft, UAV's military and civil aviation to name a few among others. Due to our dominant market position in the area of multi-hole probes and fluid measurement instrumentation, we are in contact with several major companies from the aeronautics and UAV segments. In order to commercialize the product that may result from the proposed effort, we will further exploit these contacts, identify the specific needs of each application and tailor the product appropriately and consecutively penetrate the market. We are already carrying out market research in the area of UAV manufacturers where that such technology is very appealing and the deployment can be faster. Our objective is to be able to establish a dominant market position in this segment first and subsequently expand to new ones. The program will demonstrate low cost sensors that can accurately provide accurate deformation shape sensing and mapping of wing structures. Large sensors arrays can be fabricated on a single thin film. Such thin films are easily integrated with both metal and composite wings structures and have already been successfully demonstrated in composite embedment. These have further advantages that we can build data processing directly into the same thin film as to provide usable data upstream. The upstream data will be fed back into both feedback control and a visualization tool that enables user direct `real time' comparison of both open-loop and closed-loop control response of aerodynamic or aeroelastic phenomenon. Thin film sensors would be easy to both attach and remove during wind tunnel and laboratory testing phases The ability to sense shape change, process the acquired data and transmit upstream all on a single (very flexible) piece of film no thicker than a post-it combined with a visualization tool that can take the measured data and represent the system condition graphically real-time will have enormous commercial applications. Our focus will be on medical and sports products, where this inexpensive system can provide real time information on patients or equipment. To realize these applications we have commercially teamed with Rockwell who already has a large commercial interest in thin film devices. The objective of the proposed research is to develop an advanced methodology for designing and manufacturing novel composite materials for future military air vehicles. The proposed new methodology, referred to as function-oriented material design (FOMD), will provide an effective tool for the design, in an optimal way, of structurally efficient composites such as that with an optimally shaped cellularity or an optimal arrangement for woven or braided composites. With the design tool developed in this program, new materials will be optimally designed to meet directly the requirements for advanced structural performance and weight reduction. For example, materials in the main structures and the secondary structures of an air vehicle will be optimally designed with respect to their specific performance requirements. Hence optimal design will be achieved in terms of both global performance and local performance. The methodology developed in this program will find important applications in developing future military air vehicles and enhance the performance of current military air vehicles in many different ways including significantly increasing the strength, stiffness, and durability of emerging composite structures. It will also improve vibration and sound characteristics, buckling stability, and impact resistance for advanced structures in future military air vehicles. This program will also result in lightweight and high performance structures for future commercial (air and ground) vehicles. Dual use technique developed in this program will further increase the opportunity for affordable implementation of this technique, thus enabling the Air Force to meet the goals for high-performance air vehicle weapon systems. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique is evolving as a complement and sometimes an alternative to experimental procedures in the generation of design data for realistic aerospace systems. An integrated circuit is proposed which combines coplanar transmission lines, optical waveguides, high power transistors and high power lasers monolithically. The aperture for an RF radar element should be designed as a transmission line with its characteristic impedance matched to that of free space. We propose to achieve this with a field-effect structure in which gate and source terminals form a coplanar line. The input is introduced as a gate-source signal at one end and propagates to the free space termination at the chip edge. It is also possible for the field-effect device to operate as a laser in which the channel region between the sources acts as the waveguide for a high efficiency laser. With the laser biased above threshold, an optical waveguide terminates at the chip edge, such that the modulation power impressed upon the optical signal at the waveguide input is launched as the optical output of a LADAR element. Thus the optical and the RF energies emerge from a common output port (common pointing accuracy) with matched traveling optical and RF wave velocities, eliminating the need for separate chips. In this SBIR, we will develop the technology platform to realize common aperture EO and RF transmitters. The EO/RF common aperture transmistters will become the basis for compact sources for aircraft and auto communication and radar systems. In addition, the ability to produce integrated electronic and optical functions will form the basis for optoelectronic systems which includes very high speed photoreceivers and transmitters. Smart pixel formats will enable a diverse number of applications ranging from computer buses, AD converters, optical data links and optical memories. The integrated approach is the key to reduced cost and improved reliability. CAE Soft Corporation proposes to develop a unified, simultaneous, and power efficient "Intense Moving Target Surveillance (IMTS)" airborne radar mode that exploits the complimentary aspects of individual SAR, GMTI, AMTI, and ATR modes enabled by using shared aperture, shared energy approaches. The IMTS mode will have the ability to continuously and simultaneously detect, maintain track, and geo-locate airborne, ground moving, and stationary targets as well as perform cumulative ID though all phases of their movement history over wide areas. This ability to continuously track and ID both Airborne Targets (ATs) that weave or hover and Ground Moving Targets (GMTs) that repeatedly move, stop, and move in a dense moving object environment would significantly improve the Air Force's capability in the critical areas of battle space awareness and tracking and targeting of time critical targets. Currently DOD imagery systems have standardized on the National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) for the capture and recording of IMINT data. The author will argue that NITF is not an appropriate format for the capture of real-time sensor data, especially when it comes to issues such as multi-sensor fusion, sensor cueing, precise geo-positioning, and format adaptability to new sensor systems. Other sensor acquisition standards such as NATO STANAG 7023 are on the right track but are immature and lack the capabilities of a fully robust sensor acquisition capture format. Phase I will integrate the concepts of XML, Numeric-Homomorphic-Space-Time sensor modeling and Entity-Relationship data modeling with a real-time format such as STANAG 7023. It is believed that a truly robust sensor acquisition concept can be achieved. These concepts would enable a sensor acquisition format to describe it self to an adaptable processor utlizing common reference frames. Phase II will continue with a prototype of an adaptable processor matched to this highly self-descriptive format. The common space-time sensor model would provide a basis for the fusion of any sensor with any other sensor based on the definition of a set of common reference systems. With this added capability the description of a sensor is essentially boundless enabling the format to describe sensors as complex as SIGINT, Acoustical, Hyperspectral, Moving Target Indicator, & Synthetic Aperture Radar sensors and as simple as inertial, thermal, audio, or positional sensors. Fielding diverse and challenging military training exercises pushes the current line-of-sight limits of Aerial Target control technology. Use of commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satcom services can provide cost effective enhancements, particularly for flight profiles extending over the horizon or over rugged, obstructed terrain. We propose to develop format conversion/compression, navigation, and viewing software to enable the collaborative visualization of SEDRIS terrain databases. This software will maximize the use of emerging standards for accessing and visualizing geographic information and graphical representations on the Internet. XML-based standards, including Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Extensible 3D (X3D) will be emphasized. A unique aspect of this work will be the ability to use vector-based features as an aid to navigation and collaborative visualization. BENEFITS: This development will benefit current and potential users of SEDRIS by leveraging tools and standards being developed by the OpenGIS Consortium and other commercial groups. It will increase the accessibility of SEDRIS to commercial interest who have not traditionally been SEDRIS users. Simulations are used to model the real world in support of analysis, training, and research and development. The goal is to have the simulation as close to reality as possible. While, in theory, this may be a good approach, in practice it is not always feasible. Today, simulation developers no longer need to choose between creating a high resolution or a low-resolution simulation environment. Advances in simulation technology have enabled models of different-resolutions to be used together. Unfortunately, there are many technical challenges associated with how to have models of different resolutions interoperate in a common environment. In this effort, M?K Technologies will define the technical challenges, investigate state of the art multi-resolution modeling methods, and identify promising techniques. M?K, through its CGF development effort and its battalion-level game development has the experience and knowledge required to perform the necessary research. M?K will create detailed criteria to evaluate how current methods support the technical challenges associated with multi-resolution modeling. M?K will evaluate current methods against the defined criteria and investigate how new innovative technologies can be utilized to either improve existing methodologies or to create new approaches. M?K will leverage its CGF product, VR-Forces, to develop a multi-resolution modeling testbed. BENEFITS: M?K's Phase I effort results in a set of evaluation criterion and representative test cases, and an evaluation of current multi-resolution modeling approaches. In addition, M?K will perform an initial investigation into how new innovative technologies can support multi-resolution modeling. The analysis and research performed in Phase I in conjunction with the development of a multi-resolution modeling testbed provide a strong foundation for Phase II development. In Phase II, M?K will use the multi-resolution testbed to further investigate promising approaches and prototype new techniques. Based on the results, M?K will develop a full implementation of a multi-resolution modeling approach for extensive evaluation and research. The resulting model will be demonstrated to STRICOM. The U.S. Army has 21 ammunition plants in the U.S. along with a large number of Army Deports and Forts. It is estimated that 40 of these installations require clean-up of explosives contaminated soil at one or more sites. Total estimated volumes of soils are greater than 1.2 million tons. In-situ treatment of both soils and ground water is the initial know-how being developed in this effort. Anaerobic in-situ treatment promises to be lower cost compared to available remediation options, is mechanically simpler and poses less potential safety concerns (excavation and handling of soils eliminated). Based on Phase I testing, anaerobic treatment of explosives is technically and economically promising. The treatment of explosives in soils and groundwater at Army sites poses some unique challenges. Phase I results indicated that the presence of difficult electron acceptors and the explosives themselves can be inhibitory to the microbial community capable degrading explosives. The objectives of this effort are to develop additional process know-how to overcome this hurdle for treatment of explosive contaminated soils in the unsaturated zone and combined treatment of soil and groundwater in the saturated zone. USAEC estimated complete progress costs for treatment of 10,00 CY (13,000 tons) of soil to range from $280 to $299/ton for composting, $230 to $270/ton for aerobic bioslurry, $314/ton for a proprietary anaerobic bioslurry process and double that for incineration. In-siru treatment should offer a significant reduction in the cost. The system proposed is much less mechanically complex and less capital intensive than soil slurry systems and composing. Because of the elimination of the need for soil excavation and handling, the technology will be particularly attractive for application at U.S. bases in foreign countries. The information needed to proceed to the field for testing. This same base of information will be extremely useful in optimizing and improving robustness for on-site treatment of pinkwater, and other munitions production and demil related wastewater streams. The proposed system will allow tracking the movement of chemical clouds in real time from a safe standoff distance. The instruments used are passive standoff chemical agent detector already fielded (LSCAD). Each instrument individually can only measure the total of all the chemical in its line-of-site; the distance to the cloud is unknown. By merging data from multiple vantage points (either one instrument moving past the cloud or two or more instruments spaced so as to view the cloud from difference directions) a map of the cloud location can be generated. To improve the sensitivity and accuracy of the cloud map, chemical point sensors can be added to the sensor array being used. The equipment requried for the proposed system is either government-off-the-shelf or commercially available. Also, the data fusion techniques (tomography) have been demonstrated previously in the medical field. The proposed system represents a low risk solution to the problem of remotely tracking toxic and hazardous chemical clouds. Recent advances in liquid crystal and electroluminescent "microdisplay" technologies have achieved very high resolution in relatively small sizes. Among these advanced technologies is a class of liquid crystal materials that are immune to exposure to extremes in the military range of temperatures, and others that can produce analylogue grayscales. In addition, they are robust, have full color and consume very little power. They can be integrated with RF signal processing components and applied to the needs of the individual soldier both as hand-held and helmet-mounted display (HMD) units. Technology development in theis area will serve to meet the needs of the Land Warrior providing a springboard for advancements towards "Future Operational Capabilities" (FOCs) being advocated by TRADOC. Additionally, this research will provide spin-offs for advanced civilian applications. In phase I of this STTR, ASI, in association with Alabama A&M Research Institute shall develope a world class technical data base to support focused research in this area and develope a breadboard system for optimization and interface studies. In phase II, two optimized prototype units will be developed. The first will be hand held and the second integrated into a helmet. In phase III, ASI will continue development of this technology for commercial applications. We are seeing a continued proliferation of communication and navigation technologies. The commercial market is demanding increased miniaturization and increased performance. A helmet mounted display system would be extremely effective in coordinating teams to accomplish time critical complex operations in commercial and civilian operational environments. Some of these applications could include: inproved coordination of fishing boats at sea; improved coordination of air and/or sea platforms during rescue operations; improved corodination of law enforcement air and/or land platforms during police operations; and improved ground trafffic control at major airports. The seven toxin serotypes of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin are the most potent substances known to mankind. The neurotoxins act on cholinergic neurons inhibiting the release of acetylycholine causing flaccid paralysis due to the inability of the enervated muscle to contract At present there is no known treatment for non-immunized individuals exposed to the toxin as once the active portion of the toxin is internalized into the neuron antibodies to the toxin are no longer beneficial. Research under this proposal will demonstrate the feasibility of synthesizing prodrugs consisting of multiple copies of the model metalloprotease inhibitor captopril covalently bound to a polymeric delivery vehicle which will be directly linked to botulinurm heavy chain. This will yield a pharmaceutically active compound that specifically targets and internalizes desired substances into cholinergic neurons including inhibitors of the active fragment of the neurotoxin itself. Phase II research will consist of synthesis of prodrug conjugates and assessment of their internalization into cultured motor neurons and neurons associated with other in vitro models. Potential benefits stemming from this research and additional work being done at the University of Wisconsin include the following; 1. Antidotes to botulinal neurotoxins will be synthesized for civilians and U.S. military personnel lacking immunizations that have been exposed to toxins. 2. The delivery vehicles generated under this research could be used to transport other pharmaceuticals of interest that lack either water solubility, CNS toxicity, or are degraded rapidly specifically to motor neurons. A new paradigm is possible for the design of hybrid optical/digital imaging systems that will have unique properties. Imaging systems can be designed that have a depth of field or focus that is ten or more times that of a normal system, without the need to increase exposure. This means that barcodes, labels, and manufactured items can be seen Over a large region of object space. Thick microscope specimens and integrated circuits can be seen over their entire depth. The entire scene in a video camera can be in focus. The hybrid system is also invariant to focus-related aberrations such as curvature of field, chromatic aberration, and spherical aberration. [Wach, et al., 1998]. This means that simpler optical systems can be used, and plastic lenses can be used for applications where previously they could not. The result is a more powerful, but cheaper and lighter imaging system. This work will concentrate on: (1) creating fast, user-friendly, design tools, which include ray tracing and signal processing, for designing hybrid optical/digital imaging systems; (2) simulations to demonstrate the greater effectiveness of hybrid imaging systems; and (3) experimental demonstrations of hybrid systems that provide significant advantages for package readers and industrial inspection. BENEFITS: Label and barcode readers will be able to read the labels on packages at different heights or shapes without requiring camera movements or autofocusing. Industrial inspection systems can have a depth of field that will allow them to see the entire object at one time, at higher frame rates, and with less illumination. Consumer camcorders will not need a focus motor, but can always be in focus over a large region. Lenses for all of these applications can be made much cheaper because of invariance to aberrations that are related to misfocus. Plastic can be substituted for glass. In addition, the tolerance to misfocus will allow the temperature and manufacturing tolerances to be relaxed. Mast cells provide an exciting potential for biosensor applications. Coupled with target specific IgE antibodies, mast cells can both be specifically targeted against a single antigen and also act as signal amplifiers. Perhaps the most commonly known example of this effect is the reaction many people have to allergens. The cell membranes of all mast cells have high affinity receptors, which bind IgE antibodies. When two or more receptor bound IgE antibodies capture their allergen, they initiate a sequence of biochemical events that acrivates the mast cell and causes it to degranulate and release a number of chemicals. Because of the power of this natural amplification, sub-femtomolar detection is possible. As with other immunological systems, a vast number of targets can be detected with the system by interchanging different antibodies against the respective antigens. In the Phase II, Agave BioSystems will utilize the natural power of mast cells as signal transducers to demonstrate that mast cells are a robust amplification system that can be harnessed as the lead biocomponent in a new class of highly sensitive and specific biosensors. This technology will tap into the large immunoassay market, complementing the specificity of traditional immunoassays with the power of the mast cell's natural signal amplification. This signal transudation mechanism will allow the use of simple flurometric instrumentation for immunoassays with much greater sensitivities. The development of truly effective portable biosensors for a wide range of applications will be possible. Because of their central role in the allergic immune response, the use of a mast cell biosensor in detection and identification of both airborne and foodborne allergens is particularly exciting. Development of a low-cost high-exclusion proton-exchange membrane for use as an electrolyte in a liquid feed direct methanol fuel cell is proposed. This fuel cell, because of its simplicity (no reformer, simple heat management) and inherent reliability (cell membrane flooded with water) is a potentially attractive power source for low- to medium-power applications, such as a battery replacement, back-pack power and battery charger applications. One drawback to direct methanol fuel cells is that methanol permeates across presently available proton-exchange membranes from the liquid to gas side, where it reacts with O2 (air) resulting in a parasitic methanol loss and reduced fuel cell voltage. To overcome this problem, a team consisting of Giner, Inc. and Tulane University proposes to develop membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) for direct methanol fuel cells based on Tulane's experience with polyphosphazene membranes and Giner, Inc.'s expertise in preparing MEAs. These advanced MEAs are expected to provide reduced methanol crossover, as compared to state of the art Nafion MEAs. The research objectives are to fabricate polyphosphazene membrane, evaluate select properties, develop MEAs using the polyphosphazene membrane, and demonstrate performance in an operating direct methanol fuel cell. We expect to develop an advanced MEA for direct methanol fuel cell use that results in a significant decrease in methanol crossover, while providing high fuel cell performance. Direct methanol fuel cell-powered vehicles have a very large market potential in states mandating zero-emission vehicle use within the next several years. Other opportunities include airport and mail vehicles, golf carts, lawn mowers, power tools, cellular phones, and dispersed power generators. Military applications are similar, and also include battery charger applications. The objective of this Phase II proposal is to continue the successful Phase I, proof of concept project, through production of a commercially practical multivalent, broad spectrum, oral vaccine against major bacterial pathogens responsible for traveler's diarrhea. The vaccine produced for clinical use as a result of this STTR effort will consist of inactivated whole cells from Shigella felxneri 2a, Shigella flexneri 3a, and Shigella. The vaccine will be formulated with and without a mutated form of labile toxin of enterotoxigenic E. coli (termed mLT) which serves not only as an important antigen of ETEC, but also is a potent mucosal adjuvant. The whole cell components of the vaccine will be prepared using Antex's proprietary Nutriment Signal Transudation (NST) technology. Animal models developed during Phase I of the STTR will be used during Phase II to establish that protection may be provided by specific Shigella vaccine components of the vaccine against homologous challenge. The preclinical vaccine will be similar to that to be produced for clinical evaluation, but it will also contain C. jejuni, S. flexneri 6 and will be formulated with CFA 1, CS 3, and CS 6 as components of ETEC. As a parallel effort to the preclinical studies, a multicomponent vaccine containing S. flexneri 2a, S. flexneri 3a, and S. sonnei with or without mLT will be produced under GMP and tested for safety and immunogenicity in a Phase I trial. These efforts will not only result in a means to achieve immunoprotection against enteric infections, but they will also establish a new medical approach that should quickly result in more effective oral vaccines against a broad range of infections. This vaccine will be a major benefit to military personnel and other travelers. Further, it will provide an important pediatric vaccine for use in developed and developing countries. The technology developed during this project will also have broad commercial applications for other vaccines which may be similarly formulated for mucosal delivery. Sensor for active protection hardkill countermeasure is proposed. Sensor integration based on a proprietary and innovative circuit integration technique into a small 4-inch diameter volume with a set of surface-mount antennas is shown to be feasible for development. Different surface-mount antenna configurations have been discussed with two types to be investigated for selection. Sensor system configuration for generating a proper waveform has also been proposed. Based on our extensive active protection sensor and system experiences, the sensor design should provide an effective and low cost solution for active protection. Dual use and commercialization of the sensor components technology have been discussed for insertion into ongoing commercial activities to share in a growing market with a projected market size exceeding $2B by year 2003. BENEFITS: Will ensure the development of an active protection system for enhancing the battlefield survivability of our armored vehicles and personnel and change the armored vehicle engagement techniques. The component technology developed can be directly inserted into current high frequency and large bandwidth wireless local area network market with a projected growing market of $2B by 2003. Immersion Medical and the Uniformed Services University of Health Science (USUHS), aims establish the feasibility of a medical training simulator for Central Venous Catheterization (CVC). The proposed project involves several technical advances. Tactile feedback user interface hardware designs will be researched to serve as a realistic proxy for catheters and other devices used during CVC. This interface device is anticipated to require force feedback in three axes: pitch, yaw and translation. Innovative "active" haptics (a.k.a. force feedback) will be developed as well as controlled passive force feedback to provide realistic procedural feel. Planned software advances include refinements in computer modeling for the deformation of surfaces and for the interaction of rigid catheters with body tissues that are pliant (e.g., blood vessels) and rigid (e.g., bone) body tissues. IN success, the completed CVC simulator will be operable on a high-end laptop for enhanced portability. It will be a real-time training device that integrates visual, haptic, and audio features to create an environment for performing central line placements. Evaluation for feasibility will be conducted at the USUHS. In success, the proposed project will improve patient outcomes and practitioner satisfaction, decrease medical costs, and will serve a broad market need. As a component of both Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), CVC is a procedure for which advanced training has important implications in both military and civilian medicine. By creating a simulator for CVC, we can transcend problems with traditional training methods (human patients, animals). Training with a simulator has numerous advantages for the trainee, including: no risk to patients, no risk to trainees (e.g., no exposure to patient blood-borne pathogens), the opportunity to gain familiarity and comfort with the procedure through repetition, exposure to various cases with built-in complications and pathologies, and objective measurement of learning progress and procedural competence through longitudinal data tracking of trainee performance. The implementation of the proposed technology will enable the DoD to provide improved medical support to the wounded soldier through enhanced medical training with improved diagnosis, rehearsal, and treatment. In success, the proposed project will improve military readiness through shortened recovery times, and will lead to the production of commercially viable products with educational and training benefits for U.S. hospitals and medical schools. Laptop portability will further allow training in field situations currently inaccessible for CVC training. We propose a fundamental study of filamentation in air that will combine the theoretical expertise at the University of Arizona in simulating these nonlinear phenomena, the experimental facilities at the University of New Mexico in ultrafast diagnostics, and the experience at Lite Cycles, Inc. in the design and construction of high-power, short-pulse lasers. In Phase I of this program, we will make measurements of air parameters at various wavelengths to refine the simulation. We will perform direct spatio-temporal measurements on IR and UV filaments by letting them diffract in a vacuum chamber sealed by an aerodynamic (supersonic) window. This technique will enable us to make measurements on pulse parameters inside the filament, which are not affected by nonlinear effects usually occuring at a solid reflecting interface. We expect that the combination of measurements and simulation will enable us to get a complete understanding of the self-trapping mechanism in air, and thus select the best wavelength to be used in Phase II of the program.This project will have applications in creating a remote bright point source for lidar applications as well as for wavefront correction. TDC/UDRI will undertake development of a physics based model for the propagation of terawatt, femtosecond laser pulses through the atmosphere. Previous experiments and theoretical results have made it clear that a new approach must be taken in order to have an unambiguous understanding of this high power ultrashort laser pulse propagation problem in the atmosphere. Simple extensions of the nonlinear Schr”dinger equation will not suffice to make definite and significant progress on this problem. The program will significantly enhance the simulation and modeling capability for the field of intense ultrashort laser propagation. Our approach is based on rigorous multiple?scales expansions of the vector form of Maxwell's equations and the resulting equations will incorporate important nonlinear effects, as well as, vector fields, non-paraxial, space-time focusing phenomena, and plasma generation. We will not assume radial symmetry and we will incorporate sub-gridding into the computations. Where the computations become too memory intense for a single computer we will explore implementing parallel computational methods into our code. The resulting model will provide for verifiable analysis of the details of pulse propagation as a function of initial and boundary conditions, as well as, providing a clear path for Phase II experimental investigation and verification.This effort will result in a model that, when verified by experimentation, will serve as the basis for development of novel, long range LIDAR systems. These systems will be used to detect chemical/biological agents at long ranges, as well as provide a means for remote detection of atmospheric chemicals and aerosols for monitoring of pollution. These advanced LIDAR systems may also be used to remotely measure atmospheric turbulence, providing improved, early alert of wind-shear to landing aircraft. Recombinant protein production in high cell density fermentation of R.eutropha using T7 polymerase system: Organophospho compounds are known to include several highly potent cholinesterase inhibitors. Such compounds can be readily obtained by conventional organic synthesis and their deployment can pose a serious threat to human life. Efforts to protect against the toxic effects of organophospho compounds have focused on enzymes that are able to hydrolyze the phosphoester bond and thereby substantially reduce their toxicity. The main obstacle in obtaining more than experimental quantities of this important chemical catalyst has been the unavailability of cost-effective enzyme expression system. GlycoFi is interested in developing genetic tools to overexpress proteins in high cell density fermentation. We propose to establish a T7 RNA polymerase based protein production system in a robust fermentation organism, Ralstonia eutropha. Our academic collaborators (Dr.Gerngross' lab at Dartmouth College) have been able to establish high cell densities of about 180g/L in R.eutropha under industrial feed conditions. T7 RNA polymerase system has been one of the most efficient recombinant protein production system developed. Although high yields (about 50% of total protein is recombinant protein) have been obtained in other bacteria (E.coli and Pseudomonas) in laboratory scales, various factors like proteolysis, inclusion body formation, difficult large scale fermentations have limited their production capabilities. In Phase I of the project, we would establish the T7 RNA polymerase system in R.eutropha and construct a plasmid to overexpress the gene of interest under the T7 promoter. Assuming that we are successful in achieving relative protein yields similar to other bacterial systems in R.eutropha, the high cell density fermentation capability of the organism with T7 expresssion system would enable us to produce recombinant protein titers of about 40-50 g/L. Successful completion of phase I is anticipated to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed bacterial expression system over existing methods of recombinant protein production. We would establish a low cost protein production system to produce high yields of Organophospho hydrolase, an enzyme used to reduce the toxicity of organophospho compounds (cholinesterase inhibitors). While we use OPH as a model enzyme, other applications that require large quantities of protein such as chemical/biological decontamination, bio-organic synthesis, materials for tissue engineering and molecular motors based on proteins, would greatly benefit from the new low cost protein production system. A unique recombinant protein overexpression system will be investigated for the production of phosphotriesterase, an organophosphate hydrolase from Pseudomonas diminuta MG and Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 27551. This enzyme is a leading bioremediation candidate for large-scale detoxification of insecticides and chemical warfare agents. The hydrolase will be prepared in three different versions using this novel system. A soluble form, a membrane-bound version and a fusion protein suitable for biosensor applications will be attempted. This versatile expression vehicle could be very effective for membrane protein applications, an important niche where systems currently available have been shown to be inadequate. Furthermore, the low-cost nature of this system is very attractive for large-scale protein production purposes.This system will occupy an important niche market where expression systems currently available commercially are not effective. This system can be used for the mass production of medicinally important membrane proteins and in structural genomics efforts of membrane proteins. The recombinant membrane proteins can be marketed for use in high-throughput screening, in structural biology efforts of medicinally important membrane proteins hence crucil in structure-based drug design endeavors. This proposal encompasses a facile method for generating transgenic chickens. Traditionally, the approach to accomplish this has been to target the avian egg or embryo for gene insertion using either viral or 'standard' plasmids as vectors. In contrast, our proposed method introduces two new features, i.e. (1) novel transposon DNA vectors and (2) injection of DNA into the testes of immature males. As a result, the injected genes will integrate into the genome of some proportion of spermatogonia and this transforms a significant percentage of the eventual mature spermatozoa for transmission by normal breeding to the next generation. This procedure is expected to produce much higher efficiencies n the production of true germline transgenic offspring. Enhancement of integration of the injected trangene construct is accomplished by transposon vectors, which forces integration into the genome of forming spermatogenic cells, as demonstrated in fish by the Co-Investigator. Thus, this STTR proposed research is an extension of previous work, which is now applied to avians. This simple and efficient methodology should facilitate generating transgenic poultry which secrete large amounts of recombinant proteins into their egg whites, thus providing a method of large scale, low cost protein manufacturing.At the end of Phase I we anticipate having 1- 10 true germline transgenic chicks which, after breeding, should demonstrate not only a new method for transgenesis but also provide the groundwork for a new industrial niche using birds as large scale bioreactors to produce the myriad of recombinant proteins needed in the near future. TransWestTech, Inc. plans to be one of the pioneers in commercializing this technology to allow the production of large quantities of low cost proteins by contract, Once this approach has been confirmed, it should be possible to generate millions of transgenic hens within 18 months, each of which could secrete up to a gram of protein into each egg, at a cost of about $.05 each. A small number of contract poultry producers could therefore produce multi-kilogram amounts of protein- pharmaceuticals annually for an estimated finished price of less than $1/gram A research program to develop a manufacturing and processing technology for a novel, low-cost, high strength layer geometry is proposed. An integrated experimental and computational effort directed toward the characterization of the influence of layer geometry on the strength and damage tolerance is proposed. It is anticipated that the result of this research and development effort will be an optimal layer geometry with tunable design parameters for structures with maximum strength and damage tolerance. Methods of forming complex components incorporating the corrugated layer geometry will also be investigated. The anticipated benefit of this research and development project is a low-cost, damage tolerant corrugated layer geometry with commerical and military applications in applications currently using balsa and/or honeycomb core materials. Nomadics has been working with landmine detection technologies since 1998. During that time we have established the extreme sensitivity of an amplifying fluorescent polymer (AFP) that has been employed in the direct detection of ultratrace quantities of chemical signature compounds of explosives and effective methods of fluorescence measurement including standoff detection. These methods have the potential for use with developing sensors based on the use of microbes for detection of explosives. Together, these technologies offer tremendous potential for locating landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosives. Nomadics is collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to meld these complementary technologies to prove the feasibility of this approach.Besides wide-area screening for landmines and UXO, this technology has the potential to provide detection of other chemical and biological contaminants, such as releases of environmental pollutants and toxic wastes. For example, with specific microbes, large underground storage tank fields could be monitored for leaking containers. The ARMY needs active protection using a UV and IR dual band focal plane array (FPA) to detect and track hostile fire so that targets can respond and avoid incoming rounds. The objectives of this effort are to determine the requirements of an uncooled UV/IR FPA for active protection and demonstrate feasibility of integrating UV and IR detector arrays with the readout integrated circuit (ROIC). In this FPA approach the UV and IR detector arrays are grown on the ROIC and monolithically interconnected to the ROIC without hybrid bump bonds. Specific tasks are to determine the requirements for active protection, grow UV structures on Si wafers and ROICs, fabricate UV device structures on Si wafers and ROICs, and provide a monolithic dual band process.Dual band UV/IR arrays would primarily benefit military applications. However separate uncooled LWIR and UV arrays are attractive for analysis of products and processing, guidance of automobiles, navigation at sea, unmanned aerial vehicles, search and rescue, fire detection and containment, surveillance systems for drug traffic and border control, and rifle night sights. Solus Biodefense and George Mason University proposes to develop an assessment battery measuring Army junior leader attributes, adaptability skills, developmental work experiences, and leadership effectiveness. Anticipated changes in the U.S. Army's operating environment argue for the ascendant importance of leader attributes that promote complex problem solving and adaptability. The Army will also need to develop these qualities in their junior officers more quickly as the demand grows for high quality officers capable of performing in the increasingly dynamic and complex battle environments of the future. The proposed assessment battery, based on conceptual models of leader performance and leader development, will include novel and objective measures of these attributes, and will allow for the assessment of leadership in real time, real world settings, using the internet and other digital technologies. The proposed battery is intended to be part of a longitudinal Army leader assessment program. An integrated effort would link the measures in the proposed battery with those in other ongoing assessment programs (e.g., Baseline Officer Longitudinal Data Set (BOLDS)), and would provide an assessment of leadership growth and development across an officer's career. The expectation is that the assessment battery will assist the Army in training, assessment, and development of its officer corps. The techniques and methods developed will be generic in the sense that, with domain and process specific modifications, they be applicable to other DoD services and, more generally, to leadership development in non-DoD and non-government service sectors, including perhaps K-12 education. In the future, relatively junior leaders will face broader responsibilities. To predict and guide more rapid development of command leadership ability, it is necessary to know what personal attributes and experiences mold it. We will construct a novel battery of accurate, objective direct-leadership assessments to predict performance in real world settings. The centerpiece is a command situation simulator, Command Performance. This simulated environment for direct-leadership performance adapts two new scenario-based leadership training and assessment technologies: Think Like a Commander discussions among senior officers, and Tacit Knowledge for Military Leadership interpersonal command skills of platoon, company and battalion leaders. Command Performance will be a 3midway measureý. its data related both to potential predictors among the extensive background information on USMA graduates in BOLDS, and to performance in real world settings such as led-unit results and NTC transcripts. A unique and critical capability of the project is Latent Semantic Analysis, a machine learning technology that accurately simulates human understanding of ordinary text discussions, verbal reports, recommendations, and transcripts, along with powerful data mining for predictive background variablesWhen fully developed, Command Performance will be offered by Knowledge Analysis Technologies directly to the Army as an ADL enabled leadership assessment and prediction technology. It will also be suitable for adaptation for use in other DOD branches, corporate leadership training, and educational applications such as business and public administration. The latter commercial applications will be developed and marketed by joint ventures between Knowledge Analysis Technologies and one or more of the distance education and corporate training organizations with whom we have now or will develop arrangements. The partner's and their client's knowledge of content will be used to adapt the system, and the partner's market reach to commercialize it profitably and for wide social benefit. The LSA-based data mining and analysis techniques for personnel and student records that we develop may also find commercial application. Finally, Command Performance, coming originally in large part from an environment intended for training rather than assessment as such, will adapted fopr that use as well and commercialized through the same channels The objective of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project is to develop a prototype compact, portable electro-optic EM/thermal imaging system. The proposed electromagnetic/thermal imaging system can be directly utilized for the characterization of various RF structures including complex integrated circuits and large-scale antenna arrays. It provides near-field and thermal profiles of RF structures with an unprecedented high resolution and a measurement bandwidth over 100GHz. In the Phase I feasibility study, the capability of combined EM and thermal imaging will be demonstrated based on the existing electro-optic imaging system developed at the University of Michigan. A fiber-based laser will be integrated as an optical source into the system to make it compact and portable.The proposed electromagnetic/thermal imaging system can be utilized from the early design stage to the final performance validation of various FR structures for military and industry applications including large-scale high-density integrated circuits and active arrays. The ability to rapidly adapt mission plans is key to operational success on the modern battlefield. Although particularly true for front-line forces, long-term success also requires capable and aware force sustainment. Therefore, this abilityis equally critical for Combat Service Support (CSS). On the digital battlefield, the technologies necessary to allow rapid planning and adaptation include: 1) data fusion, 2) analysis automation, 3) battlefield visualization, and 4) collaborative planning. A prototype Logistics Site Planning and Operation Tool (LOGSPOT) that planners can use to optimize logistics site layouts and plan daily operations will be designed. This tool will be fully digital: capable of integrating information from intelligence reports, radio frequency (RF) supply tags, Digital Topographic (DTOP) and Vector Map (VMAP) terrain data, as well as tabular data from legacy systems such as the Standard Army Management Information System (STAMIS). The requirement for LOGSPOT to co-register geographic data and provide high-quality map products implies the need for embedded Geographic Information System (GIS) functionality. However, additional requirements for efficiency and minimal training imply a customized, easy to use tool. TSC proposes to marry the extensive functionality of ESRI's commercial ArcView GIS with the customized algorithms and interface required for intuitive logistics planning. BENEFITS: An inexpensive, prototype PC-based tool that logistics planners can use to perform routine operations and share information in a timely fashion will be designed. The tool will be flexible enough to be useful for either military or commercial logistics applications by varying the rule sets, symbology and terminology employed. Reflective optics for short-wavelength applications are required having ultrasmooth finishes, with rms roughness in the range below 10 angstroms. Typically this is achieved by extensive figuring and superpolishing of bulk samples or deposited thin films, an expensive and time-consuming process. SKION proposes to employ its unique negative metal ion beam deposition (NMIBD) technique to fabricate high quality reflective optics with a super smooth finish without the need for a final polishing step. The need for polishing is eliminated because NMIBD films actually become smoother during deposition, unlike conventional film deposition processes. This innovation will make possible the fabrication of mirrors which not only avoid the above-mentioned problems, but which also can be deposited at lower temperatures than many techniques such as CVD, thus reducing cracking and distortion, and enabling deposition on less expensive low temperature substrates. SKION's unique ion beam deposition process can achieve a breakthrough in the fabrication of high-energy short wavelength reflective optics with better performance at lowered cost. SKION has recently developed the only commercially available large area ion beam source, which will be adapted and utilized for this program. BENEFITS: Successful completion of this program will provide new technology applicable to many military and commercial optical needs for space-based and synchrotron radiation optics as well as optical components for laser welding, drilling, and other high-power uses. NEWTEC Remediation Services, Inc. recently field demonstrated a new technology for the wide area detection of UXO. The technique was originally developed for landmines, but works for all types of ordnance or associated explosive waste (EW) products. It depends on the leakage of explosives from UXO items, resulting in a concentration on the surface of the soil over the hazard. The detector of this subtle signal is a strain of benign soil bacteria that has been engineered to detect trinitrotoluene (TNT) and respond by producing a fluorescent protein, making a detectable fluorescent mark on the ground. Using a laser, the fluorescent emissions are detectable. The laser produces real-time imaging of the fluorescent signatures on the actual terrain in the field. New breakthroughs have occurred since the original field demonstration. Spectroscopic investigations showed that a new variant of the fluorescent protein gives better contrast between bacterial and background fluorescence, particularly in plants. Additional research has resulted in plants that emit a fluorescent protein expression. Plants offer an attractive complement to the bacterial vector since certain plants efficiently absorb ground based explosive chemicals through their root systems. The fluorescent protein is then expressed over the broad area of the plants leaf canopy. An airborne detection platform is the objective for the field deployment of this new technology.NEWTEC Remediation Services, Inc. is commercializing the use of fluorescent bioreporters in several fields-of-use (FOU's). The primary and near term goal is the detection of explosive hazards and waste at UXO sites, and the detection of landmines in other countries. The NEWTEC-RSI objective is the creation of site survey and soil characterization information to enhance the efficiency of UXO remediation projects for land reclamation and reutilization initiatives. We will also establish broad area detection information to promote demining operations for major infrastructure projects such as oil and gas pipelines, new roadways, and utility lines. A secondary, and a more highly visible global benefit, is the refinement of the process as an area reduction/wide area detection tool for humanitarian demining operations. NEWTEC-RSI with its growing family of biological and phyto-detection capabilities, will be able to expand into several additional market areas. These include, but are not limited to: Frontier Technology Inc. (FTI) and the University of Florida (UF) propose investigation of Morphological Neural Net (MNN) technology for applications to Automatic Target Recognition, Mine Detection, Wide Field Imagery and Target Classification. MNN technology has the potential to solve two-class pattern recognition problems of arbitrary complexity. Partnership expected with companies involved with law enforcement, environmental processing, and drug enforcement techniques. An effective mixing process for gelled propellants, recently developed at AMCOM, will be enhanced to accommodate solids with low bulk densities while completing all gassing. The proposed research will assure mixing process compliance with all solicitation requirements through lumped parameter based system level analysis combined with numerical simulation. Phase I will focus on: 1) system level analysis within a Simulink or MATLAB environment to support equipment definition and numerical boundary conditions of all mixing process simulations; 2) multiple high fidelity flow simulations of the actual gel mixing process using CFDRC's advanced Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software; 3) detail design of a prototype system utilizing existing mixer features in use at AMCOM and Talley Defense Systems; and 4) identification of the requirements to support Phase II prototype and Phase III production within a Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) facility (Optional Task). Prototype fabrication of two (one fuel and one oxidant) prototype gel processing systems, followed by demonstration at Talley Defense Systems, will be completed in Phase II. The final mixer technology will be delivered to AMCOM and comply with all potential laboratory installation and operational specifications, as well as exceed all local, state and federal regulations. BENEFITS: The Phase II prototype gel propellant system is projected to meet anticipated demand through CY2003. Anticipated demand of gelled propellants in fielded missile systems will necessitate a 10-fold scale-up of the Phase II system beyond CY2005. Existing CFDRC commercial client processes that will benefit from this research include the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food processing industries. Triton Systems, Inc. and the University of California, Santa Barbara are teaming to develop a low-cost, hybrid composite technology which combines the high temperature corrosion resistance of ceramic matrix composite surfaces with the high strength, high thermal conductivity, machinability and weldability of a metal matrix composite. These highly integrated metal-ceramic matrix composite (MCMC&#61668;) structures can be fabricated in a range of component geometries, placing the CMC surfaces in any desired location. For example, MCMC&#61668; gun barrels will be developed possessing a CMC inner bore surface which is structurally supported by a high strength MMC. These hybrid composite barrels will withstand the extreme temperatures, pressures, and chemical environments created by the advanced gun propellants which are exceeding the capabilities of current metal gun systems. By tailoring density/composition gradients through the wall thickness, the MCMC&#61668; will possess a functionally graded metal-ceramic interface that controls thermal stresses and through-barrel thermal conductivity both at the micro- and macro-scales. We will develop a material properties database from which an adequate constitutive description of the material can be formulated. This work will be closely coupled with the development of the computational design and analysis tools capable of predicting the behavior of specific MCMC&#61668; components. The primary near term defense application is light weight, high performance gun tubes for medium and large bore applications. In different configurations the MCMC&#61668; will be used for armor systems, and missile air frame and propulsion components. The low cost technology has direct application as high and low temperature corrosion resistance components for industrial applications, e.g. fluid transfer pipes for the chemical industry, and wetted components in vacuum systems and waste management equipment. Ceramic matrix and metal matrix composites (CMC and MMC) have exemplary properties but do not meet all requirements for gun tubes and other applications. Combining the two composites into a functionally gradient system has the potential to improve performance over either material independently. This could place the CMC in regions of high temperature, wear and/or corrosion while supported by MMC for enhanced structural integrity. Such composite systems including tubular geometries and rocket nozzels have been demonstrated at MER. This program will model a fiber architecture that meets gun tube requirements in the size range of 20 to 155mm. A novel low-cost CMC of SiC/SiC composite will be produced with a fully dense inside surface and porous outer surface, which will be infiltrated with aluminum that transitions into a functionally graded aluminum fiber matrix composite for structural confinement of the CMC. Since MER has the demonstrated capabilities to produce functionally graded CMC, MMC composite material the MER/WPI team will produce tubular composite systems and characterize; which will identify a select composition that will be produced in tubes for burst tests to failure, thermal shock cycling followed by burst testing and deliverable to the Army. A functionally graded ceramic matrix to metal matrix composite material with improved strength toughness/damage tolerant, wear resistant and lightweight has extensive applications in gun tubes, bearing races, armor, corrosion/erosion resistant piping, heat exchangers, etc. This Phase II STTR proposal describes the development of a prototype enzyme-containing adhesive capable of attaching biocatalytic activity directly to skin. The adhesive, when containing organophosphorus-hydrolyzing enzymes, shall serve to protect underlying skin from otherwise toxic applications of nerve agents and pesticides. Agentase, a recognized world leader in developing polymer-based carriers for enzyme catalysis, in collaboration with the Midwest Research Institute, shall demonstrate the feasibility of providing personal protection from hazardous chemicals to individuals via enzyme-based skin adhesives. The toxicity of organophosphorous (OP) nerve agents results from their penetration through the epidermis and their entry into the general circulation, from which they can reach the nervous system. To deal with this problem, protective clothing has been developed in numerous forms. Naturally occurring organophosphorous hydrolases are being incorporated into external protection systems to hydrolyze chemical agents. An alternative to incorporating the nerve agent-degrading enzymes into protective clothing would be to directly attach the enzymes to the surface of the warfighter's skin. Agave BioSystems, in collaboration with Professor George Malliaras of Cornell University, proposes to develop a unique and innovative biosensor based on induced luminescence of captured BW bacterial agents and organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology. The system would use an array of bacteriophage engineered to express fluorescent protein in infected BW agents. The specificity of the phage provides capture of only targets of interest, while the infection of the bacteria and natural replication of the expressed protein will provide the detection signal. Using novel OLED arrays, a phage array chip can be constructed similar to DNA chips for multianalyte detection. The combination of the phage array approach with OLED detection allows development of a powerful biosensing system that does not require additional labeling, sample manipulation, or sophisticated microfluidic and pumping mechanisms.Potential markets include the food processing, environmental, medical and agricultural sectors. Relevant examples include the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy foods and detection of multi-drug resistant bacteria in hospitals and clinics. All bacteria responsible for these outbreaks are susceptible to phage infection, and thus are likely candidates for detection by the phage array biosensor. An optoelectronic integrated circuit combines intersubband infrared and wide bandgap ultraviolet absorption in one pixel with an integrated output. Currently, QWIPs employ a doped multiquantum well structure sandwiched between n+ type contacts. The quantum barrier limited dark current flow requires cooling to 60K for BLIP performance and the QWIPs are hybrid bonded to a Si ROIC for electrical access. In this proposal the intersubband process occurs in a modulation-doped quantum well, so the dark current is generation across a wide-gap semiconductor. No cooling is required because the low dark current allows room temperature BLIP operation. In addition, the wideband material surrounding the quantum well enables UV detection. Thus UV and IR sensing occur in the same pixel. Both the IR and the UV detection mechanisms integrate electrons in the empty well at a inversion-channel interface which is the storage section of a CCD or active pixel with a dedicated output amplifier. The pixel is co-located for both wavelengths so that the IR and UV signals are accessed sequentially. The approach has high pixel density, low noise, reduced power dissipation, circuit size and radiation resistance and manufacturability. In this STTR the dual detector will be demonstrated as an active pixel or CCD.Uncooled CCD arrays with simultaneous IR and UV detection with seamless integrated electronic designs open the door to a wide array of low cost commercial and government product lines that include but are clearly not limited to systems for ultra-high resolution night vision, atmospheric monitoring, medical imaging, thermal sensors, photolithography, and automated manufacturing monitoring. Frontier Technology Inc. (FTI) and the University of Florida (UF) propose investigation of Morphological Neural Net (MNN) technology for applications to Automatic Target Recognition, Mine Detection, Wide Field Imagery and Target Classification. MNN technology has the potential to solve two-class pattern recognition problems of arbitrary complexity. Partnership expected with companies involved with law enforcement, environmental processing, and drug enforcement techniques. The military's traditional reliance on teams to perform vital missions has become even more pronounced as the military transforms itself into a lighter, more mobile, and more deployable force. Although the military does an exceptional job of imparting the technical skills that are required for mission performance, considerably less progress has been made in understanding other factors that make a "good team player." One goal of this project is to identify the dispositional characteristics that comprise the effective team player. In Phase I of this STTR project, we examined the construct of team orientation and defined the core personality facets or traits that underlie this construct. We presented an approach to assessing team orientation using a conditional reasoning test. In Phase II of this project, we will develop, test, and validate these assessment tools. Satisfactory completion of this work will result in the development of innovative and robust team competency assessment tools to support the Army in building the force of the future. The product will be an empirically-tested conditional reasoning test that can be used to link team competencies-specifically team member attitudes-to valued outcomes such as team performance, satisfaction, and retention. A large market exists for the commercialization of this product for individual assessment and personnel selection and placement within the public and private sectors. No satisfactory tool for the assessment of team orientation currently exists. This proposal entails the fabrication of selective permeable reverse microemulsion derived elastomeric membranes which are fabricated using rapid prototyping (RP) techniques. Rp offers a significant advantage in that it is capable of forming membranes having controlled porosity and microstructural architectures on a three dimensional level rather than the two dimensional level attained by conventional membrane fabrication routes. Furthermore, this work also details the synthesis of new, high flexibility liquid crystalline copolymer membrane materials exhibiting predicted lower permeability than conventional butyl elastomer.The ability to fabricate transparent controlled porosity and selectively permeable membranes will have tremendous commercial utility. First these materials could find use in chemical process industries as improved gas or liquid purification/separation membranes. An example of this could involve the removal of trace organics from water or water impurities from engine oil. These membranes could also be used as an effective means of separating viruses or bacteria from drinking water. Finally these selectively permeable membranes may find use as bandages for severe burn victims due to its ability to readily allow perspiration evaporation yet prevent dirt contact with the wounds while they heal. Defense against chemical weapons is a critical DOD requirement. An effective defense requires the development of unique clothing systems that are a physical barrier to toxic vapors, liquids, and aerosols. In addition, the protective material must be permeable to water to reduce incapacitating heat stress, and must be lightweight, flexible, and cost effective. Materials currently in use by DOD are effective barriers to chemical and biological weapons but they are not permeable to water vapor and produce dangerous heat stress and are bulky, severely reducing maneuverability and the overall effectiveness of the wearer. TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a breathable protective clothing material from polymerizable surfactants and butyl rubber. The surfactants will form a continuous porous structure with nanometer scale pores large enough to allow water vapor to pass while preventing chemical agents from reaching the wearer. Our approach will use a unique family of polymerizable surfactants and an innovative two step process for forming stable nano-porous structures in the vulcanized butyl rubber. The porous structure of cross-linked butyl rubber films will be characterized and the permeation of water vapor and chemical warfare agent simulants will be quantified.The development of a breathable clothing material for chemical agent protection would be a very significant benefit to the armed forces and civilian defense. Currently, individuals wearing a protective suit are very limited in the amount of physical activity they can endure without the use of a cooling vest or external air supply. The commercial application of this technology would be to manufacture clothing materials for garments produced for the armed forces and civilian defense as a means to protect against chemical warfare or terrorism. Additionally there will be markets for personal protection in industries that handle or produce dangerous chemicals. We propose to develop dual infra-red UV solar-blind AlInGaN-based photodetectors by combining our novel Strain/Energy Band Engineering (SEBE) technology, selective area growth technique, and device passivation for the leakage current reduction with the Multiple Quantum Well design for using intersubband transitions for the infrared detection and band-to-band transitions for the UV detection.Dual and/or multi-color detection/imaging systems will be developed for target recognition and commercial applications such as medicine, spectroscopy, flame sensing, etc. Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. (ACR) and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) propose to develop novel composite systems with high threshold strengths and fracture toughness for structural applications. This effort will combine our Fibrous Monolith (FM) composite processing and Rapid Prototyping (RP) expertise with UCSB's computational modeling and composite design expertise to develop a new generation of low-cost laminated ceramic-matrix composites. The proposed merger of technologies will allow fabrication of high performance structural components from computer-aided designs (CAD) without part-specific tolling or human interaction. The toxicity of organpophosphorus nerve agents results from their penetration through the epidermis and their entry into the general circulation from which they can reach the nervous system. To deal with this situation, protective clothing has been developed. Naturally occurring organophosphorus hydrolases are being incorporated into external protective systems to hydrolyze chemical agents. In this project, methods will be developed and tested to covalently couple such enzymes directly to the skin surface. This approach may provide safe and effective biodetoxicification of a number of potentially harmful agents. Successful coupling of nerve agent-degrading enzymes to the surface of skin will be of enormous value to military personnel in military conflicts. In addition, non-military commercial applications will be of significant importance for biodetoxicification of industrial, agricultural and chemical agents. Safe and effective topical skin formulations will have widespread utility for extended protection against such agents. We propose to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen production from ammonia in a mesochannel-based reactor and heat exchanger. Thermocatalytic ammonia decomposition will be demonstrated in a prototype mesochannel reactor (with approximately 0.5 mm channels). Mesochannel architecture offers substantial improvements in performance compared with the conventional thermocatalytic, packed-bed reactors used in industry. Rapid heat and mass transfer in the small channels allows for significantly smaller reactor and heat-exchanger volumes, lighter system weight, and faster startup. Mesochannel reactor surfaces will be coated with conventional and/or nanocatalysts to eliminate problematic heat-transfer resistances typical of packed-bed reactors. Because heat- and mass-transfer resistances are minimized, the reactor size and weight are reduced to the greatest extent allowed by the reaction kinetics. Our heat exchanger and reactor will include ultra-low thermal conductivity aerogel insulation to keep overall size small and weight very low while maintaining excellent thermal efficiency. Finally, we will include an evaluation of surface-modified carbon adsorbents for the adsorption of residual ammonia from the product stream. These adsorbents offer up to an order of magnitude more ammonia-adsorption capacity than acid-impregnated activated carbon. BENEFITS: A lightweight ammonia-decomposition system will facilitate deployment of hydrogen/air fuel cells as power supplies for the military. Reductions in power-supply weight will improve the effectiveness of war fighters and reduce the operating and support costs associated with battery replacement and recharging. Commercial applications for lightweight power supplies are numerous. Reactive gases such as fluorine present a significant safety and health threat. Despite this, large quantities of these gases are used in a variety of industrial, medical, military, and aerospace applications. Their toxic nature requires accurate and efficient monitoring during manufacturing, transportation, storage, and end use. In order to meet the Army's desire for a fuel-air plus batteries hybrid power pack with 1000 Whr in a 3 kg, 2000 cc unit, we propose an lC-engine starting and running on JP-8, driving a COTS, ECDC starter/generator, with typical solid-state power management and high-energy-density COTS batteries (not NiCd). The small model engine is made practical by a novel fuel-air mixture preparation system and SOTA signature control. Phase I will demonstrate the fuel-air and ignition subsystems on JP-8 with a COTS model engine, and provide quantitative conceptual design of the required configuration and construction for a high-quality small engine. Phase I Option will collapse the bench-top fuel-air and ignition subsystems into a small package for integrated electronic control and demonstration with an existing engine. Phase II will provide a novel small engine-generator subsystem, JP-8 testing, and package integration design. The novel fuel-air system has other applications in engines and burners. BENEFITS: The proposed hybrid system is the only way to meet Army goals for JP-8 predictably. The novel fuel-air system is applicable to larger military and commercial engines and burners that require high performance with liquid fuels, especially heavy fuels. This project proposes the development of a robust, low cost, high density, hybrid power system. The most important features of the proposed approach are: 1) The implementation of the best commercially available power production components with emphasis on simplicity, robustness, and low cost. The baseload and intermediate power (15 W to 50 W) will be provided by a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) commercially available from H-power and the peak power will be provided by a proven, high performance Nickel-Metal-Hydride battery available from Energizer. In phase I bottled hydrogen will be used to fuel a brass board demonstrator and in phase II one of two candidate hydrogen storage technologies will be integrated. 2) A robust and simple overall configuration which places the fuel cell and battery directly in parallel. Careful selection of cell counts in both the fuel cell and battery will lead to a system that does not draw from the battery until the power level reaches ~ 50 W but still provides enough overvoltage at baseload power (15 W) to trickle charge the battery. This simple approach is made practical by the implementation of a battery management strategy based on slight variations in fuel cell air stoichiometry (i.e. slight changes in air supply). 3) An efficient, robust, and low cost control strategy that employs the SmartGuardTM battery management technology developed at AeroVironment. The SmartGuard is a commercially available battery management system that can be slightly adapted to provide the control requirements of this system. SmartGuardTM will cost only $50 per unit. BENEFITS: The power supply proposed here will have immediate benefit/application in Army activities and if energy density targets are met other branches of the DOD would also benefit. Additionally, this type of technology could be directly used in some space applications. Other markets that could benefit from a high density energy storage device include: remote filming crews, remote communication platforms, or any remote installation that requires power. Backup power is another area where this device could have application. Backup power for hospitals, banks, fire stations, and sensitive industrial sites are target markets. This project proposes the development of a robust, low cost, high density, hybrid power system. The most important features of the proposed approach are: 1) The implementation of the best commercially available power production components with emphasis on simplicity, robustness, and low cost. The baseload and intermediate power (15 W to 50 W) will be provided by a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) commercially available from H-power and the peak power will be provided by a proven, high performance Nickel-Metal-Hydride battery available from Energizer. In phase I bottled hydrogen will be used to fuel a brass board demonstrator and in phase II one of two candidate hydrogen storage technologies will be integrated. 2) A robust and simple overall configuration which places the fuel cell and battery directly in parallel. Careful selection of cell counts in both the fuel cell and battery will lead to a system that does not draw from the battery until the power level reaches ~ 50 W but still provides enough overvoltage at baseload power (15 W) to trickle charge the battery. This simple approach is made practical by the implementation of a battery management strategy based on slight variations in fuel cell air stoichiometry (i.e. slight changes in air supply). 3) An efficient, robust, and low cost control strategy that employs the SmartGuardTM battery management technology developed at AeroVironment. The SmartGuard is a commercially available battery management system that can be slightly adapted to provide the control requirements of this system. SmartGuardTM will cost only $50 per unit. Presently deployed metal detectors can detect low-metal content mines, but cannot discriminate mines from metallic clutter. Their operation remains plagued by unacceptably high false alarm rates; 70% of remediation costs go to the excavation of shrapnel, spent bullet casings, and other clutter. Quantum Magnetics proposes a revolutionary enhancement to conventional metal detectors. Using a multi-component magnetic gradiometer as the receiver enables not only detection, but also localization, of an object. Wideband, multi-frequency excitation and advanced signal processing (collaborating with Duke University) can characterize metallic targets, discriminating mines and UXO from clutter. The system is a single tool to detect, locate and characterize both landmines and UXO. It lends itself to integration with other sensor technologies, such as ground-penetrating radar, soil conductivity anomaly sensors, and Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR). QM is the world leader in NQR for detection of bulk explosive charges in landmines. In Phase I, we will collect passive (magnetic) and active (electromagnetic) signatures of various types of simulant mines (SIMs) and clutter; we will then use these signatures to demonstrate the enhanced discrimination afforded by wideband excitation and signal processing. In Phase II, we will develop a prototype using gradiometer technology leveraged from other efforts. BENEFITS: The military and humanitarian demining market for a truly high-performance metal detector numbers in the many thousands of units, worldwide. At a projected per-unit price of no more than $10,000, this yields a demining market size of up to $100 million in sales, not counting in-service support and upgrades. The technology can be adapted for concealed weapons detection in a variety of security and law enforcement applications, and it finally has a limited sales potential in the hobbyist (beachcomber, prospector, metal scavenger) arena. Currently available handheld mine detectors are effective in detecting metal mines and pieces of metal used in the firing mechanisms of non-metallic mines. However, these detectors can have a very high false alarm rate due to an inability to discriminate targets, particularly the types and shapes of small metal-firing mechanism parts, and they are not effective at localizing small metallic targets within their electromagnetic footprint. We are proposing innovative enhancements to the technology embodied in the Army standard mine detecting unit AN/PSS-12 that will lead in subsequent SBIR phases to the development of an affordable device that can precisely locate and discriminate between mines and clutter. BENEFITS:This capability could shorten the time and risks involved in humanitarian demining operations. Consolidating nanopowders into large volume dense compacts while maintaining an ultrafine grain size has remained an elusive goal for the past decade. Part of the problem can be attributed to the unavailability of an economical and practical method for providing the additional driving force for sintering while keeping the temperature low, thus minimizing grain growth. The other aspect of this shortcoming is the close relationship between the starting nanopowders and the final sintered density; majority of the processes available today yield particles that are either aggregated or have a wide particle size distribution, leading to lower densities and exaggerated grain growth in the consolidated material. We are addressing both of these issues by (1) starting with nanopowders (produced by our patented process) that have a minimal amount of aggregation and a narrow size distribution, and (2) using microwave energy to uniformly and rapidly heat the green compact. Using this combination, cermet and ceramic nanopowder compacts have been sintered to near theoretical density without exaggerated grain growth. Furthermore, for the first time ever, microwave sintering has been used to sinter metal components (using coarse powders) with a diameter of 4 and a thickness of 1. Based upon our progress and experience on microwave sintering of nanopowder compacts, in Phase I of the program, we propose to sinter rectangular blocks (4 x 4x 2) of nanocrystalline tungsten and cylindrical discs (4 dia x 1 thick) of nanocrystalline aluminum oxide. Thus, for the first time, nanocrystalline metal and ceramic samples of such a large volume will become available for detailed mechanical property determination, which will be accomplished in Phase II along with consolidation of carbides, alloys and mixed metals. In addition, the sintering system will be further scaled in Phase II, and will be sold as commercial units in Phase III of the program. BENEFITS: There are several applications for nanocrystalline (or nanophase/nanostructured) bulk materials in the military, including penetrators, armors, windows and ballistic protection shields. In addition, the same materials have civilian applications, such as, engine components, cutting tools, bearings and wear parts. The market for nanomaterials is growing at an explosive rate. Once the proposed technology is fully developed, it is expected to occupy a significant portion of the total market, which is estimated to become $ 6 billion by the year 2005. The objective of this phase I and eventual phase II effort is to deliver a prototype fiber-optic delay line capable of delaying an instantaneous bandwidth from 4 to 12 GHz from 0 to 30 msecs, programmable in 10 nsec steps. The Phase I effort will focus on completion of a detail simulation of the proposed delay line configuration to project system performance and determine potential problem areas before the system construction begins with phase II. A recent study involving an experimental recirculating fiber-optic delay line to 25 msecs has shown that the proposed WDM fiber-optic delay line will be completed with low risk. A problem experienced with previous very long fiber-optic delay lines has been the unacceptable side mode activity of single frequency source lasers. An additional important goal of the phase I effort is to design a high performance DFB laser bias circuit which will result in maximum side mode suppression. The delay line resulting from this effort will provide exceptionally long delays of very wide bandwidth microwave signals not previously available, which will result in substantial cost savings in applications where the delay line is used for target simulation and telemetry systems testing. BENEFITS: This research will result in a delivered prototype fiber-optic microwave delay line capable of delaying microwave signals from 0 to 30 msecs, programmable in 10 nsec steps. A substantial cost savings will result by using the delay line as a radar target simulator instead of real targets. This program proposes to develop a power source capable of producing a high-output directional transmission of acoustic energy, using piezoelectric spring-shaped drivers produced using ACR's Fibrous Monolith (FM) technology. These "springs" will consist of a piezo-electric core surrounded by a conductive metal outer layer, and will be configured to provide the desired acoustic output signal while giving consideration to device size, weight and cost. The use of FM processing technology will make it possible to rapidly provide any one of a virtually infinite number of final spring configurations. This design will also provide a method to "pole" the piezoelectric using the outer metal shell to provide both the necessary heat and electric field. The springs can be fabricated from a variety of materials, including those that provide significant high temperature resistance (i.e. >1000 øC). In addition to the above-mentioned acoustic application, these springs also have potential application as load sensors and piezoelectric actuators, especially where resistance to harsh environments is critical. This has a verity of commercial applications including load sensors, actuators and acoustic sources for stereo speakers. A need exists within the U.S. military for more accurate, rugged, rapid, and portable detection systems with reagents that can be customized to address multiple chemical and biological targets. Improved systems allow more effective site inspections, battlefield analysis, and remediation and decontamination of chemical/biological warfare agents. During the Phase II program, Luna Innovations (formerly F&S. Inc.) and its university partner propose to continue development and commercialization of optical fiber molecular microarrays for ultrasensitive chemical/biological (CB) agent detection. This program combines Luna's commercial experience in developing sensor technology with university research into a in vitro evolution and selection process to create novel oligonucletides for targets of interest. During the Phase I program, the Luna team developed a model oligonucleotide system, coupled by the oligonucleotides to hydrogel coated optical fibers, and demonstrated multiplexed mass and fluorescent detection of target. Luna has demonstrated the individual components of the target detection system and during the Phase II will integrate them into a commercially viable system with near term market impact. Luna believes this technology will benefit the U.S. military and numerous commercial applications by improving the sample time, sensitivity, flexibility, portability, and selectively of current CB sensor technologies. Research concerning optical fiber molecular microarrays for chemical/biological agent detection systems will yield high-resolution, low-cost, multi compound, affinity systems for applications in 1) chemical/biological agent detection, 2) drinking and wastewater monitoring, 3) large-scale, high-speed testing in the medical field, 4) chemical analysis, and 5) intelligent process monitoring of advanced materials. New methods are needed for the rapid detection of biological threat agents in the field. Biologically-based molecular recognition is the most promising approach to this problem; however, most threat agents are not easily recognized by natural systems and it is difficult to determine when recognition has taken place. We propose to solve these two problems by creating new threat agent binding sites and incorporating them into a biological system that undergoes changes in its optical properties during its normal biological function. When the target binds with the system, this function is inhibited, which changes its normal optical properties. This deviation from normal optical behavior after agent binding provides the basis for our sensor. The requisite binding sites for the threat agents can be developed and incorporated into the biosystem using well-established biochemical techniques. The proposed optical biosensor would permit rapid detection of the molecular recognition event with simple, inexpensive optical hardware. Laboratory proof-of-concept studies have already validated our approach. We propose to broaden the scope of species that can be detected with this technique and to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a compact, inexpensive optical biosensor for threat agents such as biotoxins. BENEFITS: The optical biosensor will have an extremely broad range of applications. The proposed method is highly adaptable and potential target species extend from small organic molecules to viruses and cells. Applications include medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. All of the elements of the biosensor are inexpensive and robust, further insuring the commercial viability of this technology. The objective of this proposed work is to develop a novel high-performance catalytic microreactor that can be used to generate hydrogen through the autothermal decomposition of ammonia. The microreactor will operate with an extremely short residence time that is on the order of a millisecond. This chemical reactor configuration has two advantages that make this route to fuel cell hydrogen attractive. First, the autothermal operation of the reactor allows for the coupling of the exothermic combustion of ammonia with the endothermic decomposition of ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen. Second, the short residence time translates into a small reactor volume with high throughputs. BENEFITS: The proposed Phase I research will be immediately applicable in any chemical process that requires the use of hydrogen. The novel reactors proposed here can be readily scaled up to provide large quantities of hydrogen. However, due to the short contact time of these reactors, they will still be substantially smaller than "traditional" chemical reactors i.e. typically 1/10 to 1/100 the size since residence times are 1/10 to 1/100 of those in "traditional" chemical reactors. Processes that would find the novel reactors proposed here useful are hydrogenation, hydrotreating, hydroisomerization, and the hydrogen enriching of syngas. A lightweight hydrogen fuel source is proposed, consisting of a reactor utilizing liquid ammonia (NH3) and solid (powdered) aluminum hydride (AlH3). The package includes a control block and a filter. This package can safely provide hydrogen to a hydrogen/air fuel cell (H/AFC) within the power range of 10-500 W, with sufficient fuel for 1 kWhr of energy. With total weight less than 1 kg and total package volume less than or equal to 1 liter, the unit is suitable for integration with a H/AFC for portable applications. The unit can be produced in sizes tailored to specific power requirements. The reaction of interest is NH3 + AlH3 = AlN + 3H2 + 45 kcal of heat. Stoichiometric reactants for production of 1 kWhr of energy are 170 g of liquid NH3 and 300 g of AlH3. The only gaseous byproduct of the reaction is hydrogen; all other byproducts are solid phase. This Phase I effort includes determination of reaction kinetics, developing controlled operation of hydrogen production, control of reaction heat release, optimization of the reaction to decrease released heat, and development of a near-optimum design for packaging the reactor components. BENEFITS: It is anticipated that the Army will gain from this R&D effort a hydrogen source which is at or near 1 Wh of energy per gram of total source mass, including reactants and packaging. This source should be easily adaptable as a fuel supply for hydrogen/air fuel cells, which can be used as portable power sources for a variety of recreational purposes. Primary recreational applications will be portable GPS systems, emergency beacons, and small portable appliances and equipment which utilizes low-power electronics. The Army has implemented multiple programs to develop and field rechargeable alternatives to currently used primary batteries. These programs are motivated by the need to reduce peacetime (MOOTW, military operations other than war) battery costs. While the performance characteristics of Army rechargeable batteries approaches the state-of-the-art relative to available battery technologies, battery capacity, shelf life and high temperature stability are significantly less than primary battery alternatives. To improve rechargeable cell chemistry to more closely meet the Army's needs, Yardney Technical Products, Inc. proposes a Phase II SBIR program to develop and demonstrate novel negative electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. In particular, the program will build upon past success with tin based anode materials and focus on materials that have the potential to enable the development of rechargeable batteries with significantly improved energy density, shelf life and high temperature stability. Anticipated benefits to the Government include longer life rechargeable batteries, facilitating reduction in Army battery costs. Further, a unique rechargeable cell chemistry that offers performance superior to currently available technologies will reduce production costs and enable the establishment of new business opportunities for battery manufacturers. Company level supply operations are complicated by frequent moves in response to changes in the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA). Each move involves extensive planning to select and layout a new site that satisfies all tactical and logistic requirements. The current process is manual. Maps, overlays, and grease pencils are primary tools. Experience and intuition are the key inputs. Many person hours are consumed. Opportunities abound for errors that can seriously impact support effectiveness and inflate operation and support costs with additional planning hours and unnecessary delays at supply nodes. Plans for the Army After Next (AAN) include a highly digitized battlefield and a Revolution in Military Logistics (RML). A tool such as LOGSPOT must be developed to ensure that these benefits become available to company level supply units. Regal proposes to integrate the positional accuracy provided by GPS with a comprehensive supply planning tool for company sized units. Phase I will develop a full set of functional requirements and system specifications. Key GPS integration features will also be demonstrated. Integration with existing and planned information resources will enable LOGSPOT to reduce planning time, lower O&S costs, increase support effectiveness, and enhance situational awareness at all levels. BENEFITS: Incorporation of LOGSPOT will improve supply effectiveness and reduce operating and support costs. The company level LOGSPOT tool can be expanded to other supply nodes in the Army supply chain. Civilian disaster relief and emergency management require similar planning that can benefit from the features offered by LOGSPOT at national, state, and local levels. The ability to rapidly adapt mission plans is key to operational success on the modern battlefield. Although particularly true for front-line forces, long-term success also requires capable and aware force sustainment. Therefore, this ability is equally critical for Combat Service Support (CSS). On the digital battlefield, the technologies necessary to allow rapid planning and adaptation include: 1) data fusion, 2) analysis automation, 3) battlefield visualization, and 4) collaborative planning. A prototype Logistics Site Planning And Operation Tool (LOGSPOT) that planners can use to optimize site layouts and plan daily operations will be developed. This tool, based on the concept development version developed during Phase 1, will be fully digital: capable of integrating information from electronic intelligence reports, radio frequency (RF) supply tags, digital terrain databases (vector, raster and imagery), and tabular logistic knowledge and rules. The requirement for LOGSPOT to co-register geographic data and provide high-quality map products implies the need for embedded Geographic Information System (GIS) functionality. However, additional requirements for efficiency and minimal training imply a customized, easy to use tool. TSC proposes to combine the extensive functionality of ESRI's commercial ArcView GIS with the customized algorithms and interface required for intuitive logistics planning. The objective of this proposed Phase I study is to examine and evaluate primarily though simulation tools such as CADSI and more specific higher level DTI developed programs, the advantages of integrating leading edge subsystems into a modular trailer concept compatible with future AAN requirements. The concept proposed is a logistically flexible, high mobility trailer platform utilizing active suspension/in-wheel drive swing arm modules with hybrid electric power and a control system that will provide an autonomous platform where an intelligent system determines desired steering, braking and power commands. The study will investigate the hierarchical control methodology, performance and logistical utility gain of using a umbilical power control cable system that will couple vehicles and trailers together in a combination of variants and provide dynamic control and appropriate movement of coupled vehicles as they relate to each other. Performance optimization of the Integrated suspension/drive swing arm module and fuzzy logic controls will be explored and independent in-wheel propulsion drive configurations will also be selected for simulation and study. This concept has the potential to achieve greater trailer performance levels in mobility, and logistics. The information and preliminary design produced will provide a solid foundation for a successful phase II program. BENEFITS: It is expected that the new technologies examined in this program when applied to the proposed modular trailer concept could yield substantial performance breakthroughs for utilization of independent electric drive for traction control and skid steer capability, and an advanced suspension to increase load capacity and high mobility. These technologies developed and validated during the HMT program should be equally applicable to commercial, recreational and military interest. Once matured the commercial and recreational markets should drive future technology advancements for the military to further reducing operating and support cost of mobility for the military. Defense Planning Guidance (DPG), FY2000-2005 requires the United States (U.S.) Military to develop the capability to rapidly project a dominant ground force anywhere in the world within days. The Army Vision and draft Army Strategic Environments (Draft FM 525-5) reinforce the DPG by requiring the right mix of mission tailored, combat-ready land forces and capabilities, including support and sustainment, to any point in the globe to achieve full spectrum force effectiveness and overmatch thoughout the spectrum of operations. A program is proposed to evaluate the feasibility of using low-cost microturbines to meet the U.S. Army future requirements for small, lightweight engines (less than 10 kW power) that operate on heavy fuel and achieve very high power per cubic foot of engine volume. The program will accomplish this evaluation in two tasks; the basic program using today's technology, and an option that will evaluate innovative technology advances.In the basic program today's state-of-the-art microturbine capability will be demonstrated through both analysis and test. A very simple, low-cost turbojet developed for the model aircraft industry will be modified into a shaft engine and tested to determine it's capabilities, including it's power density. Along with the test evaluation, analysis will be conducted to provide an engineering understanding of the engine demonstration. Analysis will include performance, thermal and stress analysis, sealing/leakage evaluation, dynamic behavior, and life projections.In the program option a microturbine in the power range of interest will be conceptually designed using advanced technology features and innovative component arrangements to maximize the volumetric power density.This program will provide the U.S. Army with an engineering evaluation of the suitability of an important class of engines (microturbines less than 10 kW) for use in air/ground unmanned vehicles and to supply power needs for the Army footsoldier. Commercially, this will provide a heavy-fuel, lightweight alternative to small gasoline engines for smooth and safe aero, marine, business, or home application. Yardney Technical Products proposes to develop a novel type of dual-use Li-ion cell optimized for future Army applications. In addition to offering specific energy, energy density and low temperature performance beyond that possible with current Li-ion technology, the program will focus on the development of a technology that offers high temperature performance, pulse power capability and cost consistent with the Army's anticipated battery needs. The batteries will achieve these performance goals through development and incorporation of improved cathode, anode, electrolyte and ancillary materials that address materials limited criteria, including high temperature stability and pulse power capability. The metallic anode material to be developed and optimized in this program will be based on a material that offers unparalleled capacity density, 3.8 times that of carbon. This program will address the material's optimization for high power application and use in extreme temperature environments. The proposed mixed metal oxide cathode material offers high capacity, long cycle life, and low cost. The proposed electrolyte system permits extended life, high pulse power, and improved low temperature capability. These innovations will yield a new generation of Li-ion cells that offer improved energy density, electrical performance, and meet projected Army rechargeable battery performance criteria. BENEFITS: The proposed program will develop a new type of Li-ion battery that offers performance beyond that possible with current technology. This power source will permit the development of new apparatus currently not possible due to the lack of a viable power source. Commercial applications of the proposed technology include commercial aircraft batteries, radios, power tools and cameras. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are a candidate to fill the Army's need for high-energy lightweight power sources. Methanol is a more convenient fuel source than gaseous hydrogen, but requires advanced membrane materials and alternative processing. A polyphosphazene-based PEM processed with electron beam has the potential to meet the Army's portable fuel cell requirements. Preliminary experiments have shown enhanced conductivity, low methanol crossover and good structural properties. Electron beam crosslinking is an efficient, cost-effective processing method for fuel cell membranes, with chemical and fabrication advantages. The prevailing low-cost electrochemical capacitor technology consists of carbon electrodes in an organic electrolyte. To increase the energy storage of this system, it is proposed to functionalize the carbon surface with a group which undergoes reversible electron transfers in organic electrolytes. The procedure for attaching this group to carbon has already been demonstrated, and the electrochemistry of the group itself is known. Its associated faradaic processes should provide a two-electron pseudocapacitance, and based on our past experience with another pseudocapacitive system, this is expected to increase the carbon's energy storage by 80 to 400%. The greatest enhancements are anticipated when certain varieties of nanofiber carbon are functionalized. The proposed surface-modification procedure involves no special equipment; it is straightforward and practical. The Phase I work includes the preparation and testing of carbon materials enhanced with this pseudocapacitive scheme. BENEFITS: The proposed pseudocapacitance may well double the capacitance of the original carbon, and it would be applicable to almost all varieties of carbon. The greatest potential benefits will come from enhancing tailored carbon nanofibers which exhibit high frequency capacitance. We have evidence that pseudocapacitance can add energy even at high frequencies in some nanofibers (at >1000 Hz in aqueous systems), so that a relatively high-frequency pseudocapacitance may also be realized in organic electrolytes when nanofiber substrates are used. The result would be enhanced power as well as energy from surface functionalization. Paratroopers have been among those in the Army at the highest risk of serious injuries. These injuries are due to excessive impact forces and moments, and are a great concern for military operations. The overall goal of this Phase II program is to reduce these injuries. Two avenues will be taken to achieve this goal by using a combined approach involving biomechanical modeling and laboratory testing. One is to provide guidelines of landing techniques for paratrooper training. The other is to reduce landing impact forces and moments through protective devices. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to investigate integrated optic gas sensors (IOGS) for real-time monitoring of hazardous gaseous combustion/pyrolysis chemicals in a fire/thermal/smoke environment. A sensor array will be fabricated upon a silicon substrate using waveguide splitter geometry. The light source and detector array will be fabricated onto a GaAs or InP substrate and will be integrated into a single substrate with the sensor array by using newly developed wafer fusion technology. Each splitter arm will be coated with polymers specific to different gaseous chemicals. The same chip will contain an RF system for remote control monitoring of the IOGS. To identify and quantify gaseous mixtures, user-friendly software based on POC's existing neural network (NNW) technology will be developed. The IOGS will be retrievable, highly sensitive (ppbv) and fast. Because of its small size and rugged package, the IOGS can be easily placed on clothing or protective clothing items. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, using several military listed chemicals with the IOGS prototype. In Phase II, a workable pocket size prototype will be demonstrated for all 17 chemicals listed by the military. BENEFITS: This project will provide a compact, highly efficient, extremely rugged, cost effective, fire/thermal/smoke resistant semiconductor waveguide based IOGS. It will be combined with a laser source and detecting system onto a single substrate for hazardous gaseous chemicals detection on military battlefields. It is practical in all areas where chemical and biological toxins require control or monitoring. Over half a million military and civilian personnel are annually, in the course of performing their duties, exposed to toxic combustion and pyrolysis byproducts. Greatly reducing the impact of such exposures, or avoiding them altogether, is the purpose of a fast, rugged, "early warning" system Implant Sciences proposes to develop. This "sensor-on-a-chip" employs a matrix of tiny catalyzed-semiconducting-oxide elements for simultaneous, nearly instant identification and quantification of the constituent gases present in an airborne mixture. The sensor takes advantage of gas composition - and concentration - dependent surface conductivity changes in oxide films carried on submicron-thick bridges to create a very fast instrument capable of analyzing for a wide range of gases and combustion products with parts-per-billion sensitivity. Because the heart of the instrument, the sensor chip, is fabricated using high-volume microelectronics technology, both its cost and the cost of the finished instrument will be low. The project's ultimate objective is a device sufficiently compact and inexpensive to serve as a personal combustion monitor carried in a pocket or on a belt, from which location it measures toxic gas concentration, sounds an alarm if hazardous levels are exceeded, logs data, and upon interrogation transfers these data to medical personnel for analysis and interpretation. BENEFITS: The principal of catalyzed-oxide chemical sensing is readily extended beyond its potential as a personal combustion-product monitor for combatants, firefighters, miners, and oil-field workers to household and automotive applications such as inexpensive, reliable, CO, CO2, NOx, and hydrocarbon measuring instruments. A broad variety of military environments subject soldiers to severe shocks, vibrations, and rapid sharp motions on a regular basis that can contribute strongly to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and other repetitive stress injuries (RSIs). In order to understand the causes of MSDs, particularly to the head and neck, it is necessary to determine the forces and stresses imposed upon the head and neck and correlate the results with the response of the major muscle groups as measured by electromyographic (EMG) activity. Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop a Compact Upper Extremity Tracking and EMG Recorder (CUE-TER) system, with wired and wireless capability, in which microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors measure the accelerations and rotations of the head and torso while simultaneously sensing the EMG activity of the major muscle groups of the neck and upper back. The resulting data is relayed from these sensors to a solid state recorder, which compresses and stores the results in non-volatile flash memory. From the recorded data, military personnel can extract the forces, torques, and stresses on the head and neck, and the associated muscle activity. This information can then be used to identify and ameliorate the causes of MSDs, and to design laboratory simulations. The objective is the development of a high power microwave antenna to operate with 100 megawatts pulsed input at L band. Unfortunately, the present dish antennas capable of achieving this objective are too large for use on Army land vehicles (HMMV) and air platforms (Blackhawk). With recent antennas in dielectric materials, ferrolectric materials, semiconductors, and plasmas, coupled with advances in numberical and analytic prediction techniques, it should be feasible to accomplish a miniaturized antenna which will meet the Army's objectives. BENEFITS: The miniaturization of antennas will find wide applications in the civilian wireless, PCS, and portable telephone market. The objective is the development of a high power microwave antenna to operate with 100 megawatts pulsed input at L band. Unfortunately, the present dish antennas capable of achieving this objective are too large for use on Army land vehicles (HMM) and air platforms (Blackhawk). With recent antennas in dielectric materials, forrelectric materials, semiconductors, and plasmas, coupled with advances in numerical and analytic prediction techniques, it should be feasible to accomplish a miniaturized antenna which will meet the Army's objectives. The commercial power grid within the CONUS is potentially susceptible to severe interruption and damage resulting from Geomagnetic Storm Induced Currents (GIC) and from the Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD/E3) component of a High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) event. Under the recently completed Phase I SBIR program, SARA has successfully developed and experimentally demonstrated an innovative "sense and isolate" concept named "TWIST" for protection of NMD and C4I facilities against MHD and GIC threats. "TWIST" is a unique and innovative technique for sensing and mitigating the electrical transients that are induced on power lines as a result of (MHD/E3) and GIC. SARA's revolutionary technique is a multi-stepped technique that discriminates between "real" MHD events and other non-destructive electrical transients and reacts to protect the system by isolating it from the power distribution system. The Phase II program will develop, fabricate, and demonstrate a full scale engineering prototype of the protection concept for the NMD facilities. A set of non-flammable electrolytes composed of a lithium salt and a mixture of carbonate and carbonate-like solvents is proposed for Li-ion batteries. Some of these specifically designed solvents, which are not commercially available, will be prepared in a single step from readily available starting materials. These electrolytes are expected to exhibit superior battery performance, including improved safety and wider temperature ranges for operations. This proposal is a combined effort between a growing small business company and a leading academic institution in the area of lithium battery technology. BENEFITS: The developed electrolytes will significantly promote the emerging EV battery market, as well as in other high-power energy storage areas sponsored by the private sector, such as cellular phone and power tool industries. Recent advances in programmable Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) have lead to their use in optical processing systems for high-speed target recognition. Unfortunately the state-of-the-art in SLMs still limits the overall performance of the optical correlators. These limitations include operating speed and optical efficiency. Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) proposes to draw on its expertise in the development of high-speed SLMs to develop a high-speed bipolar multi-level SLM. The key is developing a very high-speed SLM that also has high optical efficiency when used as a bipolar multi-level modulator. During Phase I we will utilize new Liquid Crystal (LC) materials with our existing 128x128 multi-level SLM to determine the feasibility of obtaining highly efficient bipolar modulation. We will also take this information, combined with our expertise in developing high-speed liquid crystal SLMs, and develop a conceptual design for a high-speed, high-efficiency bipolar multi-level SLM. The conceptual design will be based on availability of silicon foundry processes and of off-the-shelf driver components. During Phase II, the high-speed, high-efficiency bipolar multi-level SLM and associated drivers will be fully developed. As the only supplier of high-speed multi-level LC SLMs BNS is highly qualified to complete this program. BENEFITS: BNS has built substantial business around our SLMs because we have designed them exclusively for optical processing applications. This focus of design objectives has so far resulted in three successful SLM products, the 128x128 binary SLM, the 256x256 binary SLM, and the 128x128 multi-level SLM. The 512x512 multi-level SLM has yet to be released as a final product pending the completion of the current development efforts on the small pixel pitch and high-speed drive electronics. There is a great deal of interest in high resolution, high-throughput multi-level SLMs from the space, military, commercial, and academic communities in our country as well as abroad. With the successful completion of the proposed Phase I and II efforts, we will be in a position to offer this high-efficiency bipolar multi-level SLM as a product, the likes of which cannot currently be found anywhere. The objective of this product is to increase the ability of existing Army lithium prismatic battery types to meet future equipment battery footprints and decrease the chances of future battery type proliferation in the logistics system. The proposed battery system is a dual voltage, multiconfigurable design that can be inserted into a BA-5847/U lithium battery configuration by using the specially designed adapter. Without the adapter the proposed battery system can form four(4) physically distinct battery types, each capable of providing two(2) electrical configurations. BENEFITS: Potential post applications exist both in the defense and commercial markets. In the defense, we see this product to become as the "power on demand" application for the handheld applications, such as infrared or GPS guided, in vehicular applications such as communications, microprocessors/computers. In the commercial sectors, camcorder cameras, handheld computers, laptops, monitors, communications, microprocessors or computers. The objective of this product is to increase the ability of existing Army lithium prismatic battery types to meet future equipment battery footprints and decrease the chances of future battery type proliferation in the logistics system. The proposed battery system is a dual voltage, multiconfigurable design that can be inserted into a BA-5847A/U lithium battery configuration by using the specially designed adapter. Without the adapter the proposed battery system can form four(4) physically distinct battery types, each capable of providing two(2) electrical configurations. The intelligence community is interested in extracting tactical situation knowledge of current and planned enemy activities from the automated monitoring of battlefield radio communications. The limiting factor in the successful application of these emerging language based interpreters is the poor quality of the speech captured from these tactical radio intercepted transmissions. Natural Language Understanding (NLU),language identification, language translation, speaker identification, keyword spotting, gisting, language parsing and context interpretation are emerging technologies to be developed to achieve this automated intelligence processing. Innovative wide-band signal recovery techniques, are used for accurate extraction of captured speech from the severely degraded transmission intercepts, incorporating methods most beneficial for natural language algorithm performance and to discount radio specific signatures. Unique to this research opportunity is the ability to merge our recent technology breakthroughs for identifying and tracking speakers by stripping away radio channel masking and multipath degraded tactical radio transmitted speech. TRI has demonstrated highly accurate speech extraction algorithms are possible in noise environments with a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of minus 10dB. These TRI emerging signal recovery and speech extraction algorithms are designed to work as a front-end processor for NLU recognition and interpretation algorithms. TRI is also developing and integrating a superior speech interpretation and understanding system for information extraction from tactical transmissions using syntactic, semantic and tactical dialog context understanding algorithms. The real-time speech intelligibility enhancement technology is to be embedded with the next generation radio audio processing schema to effect a processing efficient and low-power consumption solution, by merging duplicative speech processing and memory requirements. BENEFITS: Speaker identification and natural language understanding that are communications media independent, represents the next generation interface between humans and electronic devices. Consumer product applications include; personal data assistants, computers, appliances, radios, cell-phones, vendor kiosks, ATMs, web-site browsers, information fusion and decision aids. Asbestos containing materials have been used in buildings in many applications for insulation and fire proofing such as pipe insulation, vinyl asbestos tiles, transite boards. Asbestos fibers are hazardous and EPA in No. 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61 regulates asbestos-containing material (ACM). Currently the ACM are encapsulated in place, which merely postpones the final solution, which is removal of ACM. In situ treatment using acids and fluoride ions has been used successfully in the laboratory for chemical digestion of ACM. However, in bulk construction material, other constituents such as gypsum, vermiculites are also present. The presence of these materials makes the acid digestion more difficult. It is proposed in this research that microwave-coupling compounds will be added to the chemical digestion process to enhance the chemical reaction because of local heat. The feasibility of using ultrasonic vibration in conjunction with microwave energy to enhance the chemical digestion of ACM in construction materials will be investigated. BENEFITS: At present the cost of asbestos removal is prohibitive. Current techniques for removing asbestos containing materials (ACM) require the construction of airtight barriers, labor intensive scraping of the ACM and costly environmental and worker protection. Development and testing of an in situ chemical digestion process for ACM will greatly reduce the cost of asbestos abatement. The DoD owns more than 2 billion square feet of buildings and structures, which have some ACM. It is estimated that the cost to the DoD for asbestos inspection, training, in place management, and abatement will exceed $ 1 billion. In situ digestion by chemicals has the potential of cost avoidance of 20 percent, or $200 million. Specifically CREI hopes to achieve the following during Phase III. The monitoring and analysis of the structural integrity of buildings, bridges, and machines is increasingly important as the average age of these structures increases. Structural monitoring can be accomplished through the addition of a magnetostrictive phase to the construction material. Changes in the structure are reflected by changes in the magnetic signature of the magnetostrictive phase allowing prediction of structural problems well before they become catastrophic. The sheer volume of existing infrastructure requires large arrays of inexpensive magnetic sensors to accomplish the monitoring. Magnetic fluxgates have the required sensitivity for this application, but at present are either too bulky or too expensive for practical use. In Phase I of this SBIR, micromagnetic fluxgates will be fabricated using common, inexpensive techniques on rigid substrates, and compared to Hall effect sensors with regard to sensitivity. In the Phase I follow on, fabrication on flexible substrates will be investigated. In Phase II, integration of drive and sense circuitry will be completed and arrays of sensors will be fabricated. In Phase III, an inexpensive, off-the-shelf microfluxgate sensor system will be commercially produced and marketed. BENEFITS: Completion of this research will allow the production of inexpensive microfluxgate systems for use in monitoring structural integrity resulting in prevention of catastrophic failure saving both lives and money. In addition to this application, this microfluxgate system would be used in personal compasses, artillery shell spin sensors, vehicle detection, commercial compasses, proximity detection, ink and code scanners, and current sensing. Total sales in 5 years following Phase II are projected to be $40,000,000. DoD personnel and domestic first responders have an immediate and pressing need for a lightweight, man-portable system for rapid detection and quantification of CBW agents in the environment. The MesoSystems/Micronics/UW/SRI team combines the following key capabilities to create a unique opportunity for revolutionary advancement of miniaturized biodetection systems: With limited display luminance, the contrast of see-through head mounted display (HMD) systems can be degraded calamitously in the presence of high-luminance scenes, or bright ambients. Moreover, the visibility of a HMD is often impeded due to localized flares in the ambient. An ideal solution to the problem is an active ambient attenuator with adaptive optical density in the pixel level. This Phase I proposal addresses the design and fabrication of such an active ambient attenuator. The adaptive function of the proposed system is based on a nonlinear attenuation mechanism installed near the focus plane. A scene is first focused onto the focus plane near the adaptive attenuator. The adaptive attenuator is made to vary its optical density spatially in such a way that greater density is created in areas where more intense light impinges. Through such spatial filtering, the image is re-collimated for the viewer. With this system, the image of the ambient is altered to have a more uniform and suitable level of luminance for HMDs. In Phase I, a preliminary device will be made according to the described principles. A bench-top demonstration of the adaptive attenuation function will be performed. BENEFITS: A successful implementation of the proposed adaptive optical attenuator will greatly improve the effectiveness of the HMD systems. Devices of this kind can also be used for eye protection for personnel in war or for patients of macular degeneration. Welders and other personnel exposed to sun glare and intense laser irradiation may also benifit from the protection of the proposed adaptive attenuator. Recent advances in programmable Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) have lead to their use in optical processing systems for high-speed target recognition. Unfortunately the state-of-the-art in SLMs still limits the overall performance of the optical correlators. These limitations include operating speed and optical efficiency. Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) proposes to draw on its expertise in the development of high-speed SLMs to develop a high-speed bipolar multi-level SLM. The key is developing a very high-speed SLM that also has high optical efficiency when used as a bipolar multi-level modulator. During Phase I we have analyzed new Liquid Crystal (LC) materials, and developed a conceptual design for a high-speed, high-efficiency bipolar multi-level 256x256 SLM. During Phase II, the new 256x256 SLM and associated drivers will be fully developed. In addition, we will develop an optical correlator system utilizing the new bipolar high-speed 256x256 multi-level SLMs. This optical correlator system will be delivered at the end of the Phase II. As the only supplier of high-speed multi-level LC SLMs, and a developer of optical processing systems for over 10 years, BNS is highly qualified to complete this program. A state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamic/Large Eddy Simulation (CFD/LES) methodology that has well established aero-acoustic capabilities will be implemented for investigating flow induced oscillations of cavity flowfields and a theoretical understanding of cavity acoustic suppression via leading edge jet blowing will be developed. Numerical investigations will be conducted using the three-dimensional, finite volume CFD code, CRAFT, which utilizes a fully implicit, characteristic based upwind scheme with higher order spatial and temporal accuracy to provide for accurate shock capturing while simultaneously preserving acoustic accuracy. Prior applications of CRAFT (in conjunction with LES) to various cavity/ducted problems have demonstrated its ability in providing accurate representation of unsteady flowfields characterized by pressure oscillations, periodic vortex shedding, acoustic feedback and instability modes. The ability of open-loop leading edge jet blowing to provide suppression of acoustic loads in a cavity will be systematically investigated and optimization of leading edge jet blowing will be conducted. Varied spectral analysis techniques will be employed to identify acoustic source location. The proposed research also provides the foundation for evaluation of cavity suppression via closed-loop leading edge jet blowing. BENEFITS: The proposed research is directly relevant to design of acoustic suppression techniques for future combat aircraft (F-22, JSF, etc.) and UCAV which feature internal bays. The research also supports development of novel technologies for abatement of jet engine and industrial equipment noise. Within the energy sector, cavity analysis technique finds application in the design of boilers, furnaces, incinerators, etc. where combustion instability is a major concern. Because of severe limits to the surface available to antenna apertures on many platforms, there is an emphasis on the use of very wide instantaneous bandwidth phased array antennas that can be used for both communication and radar purposes. In addition, many current and proposed systems require support for very wide band waveforms. Phased array antennas that meet this need must employ time delay control on top of phase control for proper beam forming and steering. The rapidly developing Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology is currently providing components such as controllable Time Delay Units (TDUs) that promise to meet the wide band phased array need. In addition, these promise to be low cost, light weight, and reliable in operation. Technology Service Corporation proposes to design and fabricate a Ku band beam steerable active array antenna using MEMS based TDUs that will have an instantaneous bandwidth greater than 10%, with beam widths of 2 o x 5 o . In addition the design will utilize a new layering architecture that will significantly reduce size, weight, and cost. BENEFITS: Wide band phased array antennas that use MEMS based time delay control for beam forming and steering together with a new layering architecture will significantly reduce their size, weight, and cost. This will result in a wider range of phased array applications to military and commercial communication and radar systems where cost, weight, and size are currently prohibitive. The Army has a need for a variable-volume, closed-batch process for making gelled propellants. The gelled propellant is produced by mixing fumed silica (sub-micron, low-density solids) with Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid (IRFNA a toxic, corrosive volatile liquid). Gelled propellants are being developed as a safer and more cost-effective alternative to liquid propellants. A mixing process is needed to produce consistent and in-specification gelled propellants for research and development purposes. The developed system should scale up to accommodate production quantities. A Phase I program is proposed to investigate the feasibility of developing a Gelled Propellant Mixing (GPM) system. The program defined includes and an in depth study of the existing laboratory scale process to determine the complete system requirements including technical, regulatory, safety and site. Four key issues will be investigated, fumed silica conveyance, silica and IRFNA mixing, Gel degassing and Gel displacement. A Phase I prototype design will be completed. Testing of the prototype is planned at an Army facility during an optional task. BENEFITS: A GPM system would reduce the development costs of Gelled Propellants by reducing the number of out of specification batches, reducing the process time and increasing safety to the users, facilities and the environment. The development of the GPM system will accelerate R&D Capabilities in Gelled bipropulsion. Improved mixing technology would find application in any number of commercial markets that require the blending fine particulates in liquids. This proposal details use of an innovative new technology called Time Modulated Ultra Wideband radio, in conjunction with autonomous micro air vehicles to provide reliable, robust, high bandwidth communication between any number of ground stations and any number of unmanned ground vehicles. When two TM-UWB radios communicate, each accurately learns their relative distance. In our system, this range data is used by the micro air vehicles for self organization and self healing of the communications network. TM-UWB radios do not transmit continuous radio waves like conventional radio. Only pulses are transmitted, and power is used only during the short duration of those pulses. Pulses in the time domain result in very wideband signals in the frequency domain, which make them almost impossible to intercept and difficult to jam. The lower frequency component of the signal allows the signals to penetrate foliage, walls, and other obstacles, and TM-UWB is almost totally unaffected by multipath interference. The TM-UWB output stage is a single transistor which is ON or OFF, there is no intermediate frequency, and no up-conversion and no down-conversion. This simplicity is critical for realization of the micro air vehicle, where even a few grams makes a difference in the design. In a fiber optic telecommunications field that is rapidly moving towards wavelength multiplexed systems, a means of converting signals from one wavelength to another is needed. In this application organic materials can be combined with the second-order nonlinear optical process of parametric frequency conversion to produce novel state-of-the-art devices. Our goal is to develop wavelength conversion devices based on parametric frequency mixing with poled polymers. Previous work has shown that the critical parameter in polymeric waveguides is propagation loss at the second harmonic wavelength. Consequently, the first phase will consist of finding a polymeric system which has both small propagation losses (<3 dBtcm) in the wavelength range 750-800 nm and potentially large nonlinearities of 50-100 pm/V. Then, to take full advantage of this nonlinear material, it will be teamed with two other transparent linear polymers, to realize highly nonlinear waveguide structures that can be phase matched for efficient SHG around 1550 nm. If successful, this will open the door to the full development and implementation of polymeric wavelength conversion devices based on parametric processes. In particular, we will then realize frequency shifters for the 1.5 Am band that can operate at low optical powers. The rising demand for the Internet ls driving the telecommunication! industry to an all-optical network architecture. To meet the requirements of this strategy further development and improvement of the| components are necessary. Currently the commercially available photonic devices, including Wavelength Division Multiplexers (WDM's) - widely regarded as a crucial building block of the anticipated all optical telecommunications network - are based on inorganic materials. Polymeric materials for optical applications have recently reached a performance maturity to compete with these inorganic optical materials. The stability and nonlinearity of these polymers are high enough to be considered for commercial applications in optoelectronics. The physical and chemical flexibility of modern polymeric materials make them strongly advantageous over other materials for these types of applications. They provide a large inventory of photonic materials that have low dielectric constant and can be chemically modified to suite specific applications. Hence, we propose to construct a novel device that can perform several critical tasks for telecommunication industry and can be manufactured with a fraction of the cost of the silicon based devices. The proposed tests and approaches of this Phase I project are chosen to sample a range of functionalities required of such optical devices and to touch on areas of future commercial interest. This way we hope to ensure development of one or more prototypes as proof of principle and as a point of entry into phase II. Recently a great deal of work has been directed at the growth of epitaxial layers of the group III nitrides because of their potential application in the manufacture of blue LEDs and laser diodes. These layers have been deposited on such materials as sapphire and silicon carbide. Because of the large lattice mismatch of these materials with the nitrides, a large number of defects are generated. If large single crystals of the group III nitrides could be grown, they could be used as bulk devices or substrates for thin film based devices, resulting in a significant improvement in efficiency. The objective of our proposal is to use our new growth technique, the growth of single crystals of GaN in a gel, to grow large crystals of GaN. This technique can also be used for the other group III nitrides, such as AIN and InN as well as for other materials that are difficult to grow. A new and innovative high-speed, polarization independent, integrated optical switch matrix is proposed. The goal is to realize a state-of-the-art optically transparent switch capable of high speed switching (<< 1 microsecond) with no polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and no polarization dependent loss (PDL). The basic 2x2 switch will have very low-insertion loss (<3 dB) and very low crosstalk (<-40 dB). The 2x2 basic switch is scalable and can be integrated to form a larger NxN switch matrix. At present there is no viable high-speed optical cross-connect switch element, which limits the performance and implementation of the next generation optical switching network. This type of high-speed optical switch is a critical building block for the next-generation of fiber-optic "cross-connect" switching networks for ultra-wideband multi-gigabit/sec optical communication systems. This switching element is also a key enabling element for ultra-wideband optical signal processing applications. These include programmable single mode fiber-optic switched delay lines and optical transversal filters for wideband true-time-delay (TTD) elements as well as optical filters for microwave electronic surveillance and radar phased-array antenna beam forming. A high-speed, optically transparent, polarization independent switch with low insertion loss and very low-crosstalk is the key optical building block for the next generation of ultra-broadband, multi-gigabit/sec fiber-optic Internet "switch cross-connect" networks. This switching element is also a key enabling element for ultra-wideband optical signal processing applications, including programmable single mode fiber-optic switched delay lines and optical transversal filters for wideband true-time-delay (TTD) elements in addition to optical filters for microwave electronic surveillance and radar phased-array antenna beam forming. The development of this advanced state-of-the-art switch element will greatly increase the feasibility of these systems applications. The switch can leverage the potential implementation of these cross-connect systems which are expected to be worth billions of dollars per year. Optical interconnects are required for high speed opto-electronic packaged computing systems for fast image processing for missile interception and fast target identification. However, existing free space optimal interconnection suffers from diffraction limitation of interconnect line density and requires many large and sophisticated beam collimation, focusing, interconnect reconfiguration elements. It is preferred to have small interconnection beams and with Large interconnection Hesitance. Such requirement is not possible to achieve by conventional Gaussian optical beams propagating in free space. New Span Opto-Technology Inc. proposes herein high-density optical interconnection based on free-space non-diffracting beams. The diffraction contribution of the non-diffracting bean permits the bean to propagate in free space for a substance wily Large distance without significant beam size broadening. The non-diffracting beam is like a confined been in free space. It is like using an invisible fiber in free space. It offers s~n~taneously the advantages of free space interconnects and guided-wave interconnects incll~;ng cross-over interconnection, low propagation and coupling loss, and high interconnect line density. Using the Nun non-diffracting beam makes the laser tr~n~nitter packaging compact. It further eliminates the need for focusing lenses at photodetectors. Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed non-diffracting beam concept. The Theseus Logic/SUNY-Stony Brook team is proposing to develop, demonstrate and commercialize Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) circuit designed using NULL Convention Logic (NCL). Phase I of this program will demonstrate, by simulation and modeling, the feasibility of implementing logic gate structures in RSFQ technology which can exploi the effective delay insensitivity of NCL. In Phase II the team will build and demonstrate NCL-based RSFQ circuits for high-frequency broad band front ends for radar and communication digital receivers. Theseus Logic has developed and demonstrated the viability of a proprietary new logic family, NCL, which produces inherently clockless data driven, and effectively delay insensitive curcuits and systems. This technology produces circuit designs without concern for the detailed timing issues which make the prospects of global synchron-ization with clocks so difficult with frequencies in the 1-100 GHz range. Theseus is focused on the commercialization of its proprietary technology. The State University of New York at Stony Brook is a world leader in developing superconducting RSFQ device technology. RSFQ circuits have demonstrated the capability of LSI circuits running at clock speeds well above 100 GHz and power dissipation approaching four orders of magnitude less than CMOS Research and development is proposed of a miniature low capacity cooler capable of reliable achieving and sustaining cryogenic temperatures for very long periods without maintenance and providing low capacity refrigeration to cryogenic sensors and cold electronic systems. The cooler has no moving parts of any kind and very long life (10 - 20 years) is anticipated. The unit operates without noise and because there are no moving parts, mechanical vibration is eliminated. There are no lubricants or other contaminants in the working fluids. Further the cryocooler is simple in form and may be made at low cost. The objective of the proposed BMDO SBIR program is to demonstrate the feasibility of electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) processes for the integration of multiple functionalities into nanostructured organic/inorganic thin film actuator materials for spacecraft structural control. The ESA process consists of alternately adsorbing cationic and anionic molecules, nanoclusters, fullerenes, nanorods and other materials, onto substrates at room temperature and pressure, to build up multilayer material structures. Electromechanical actuation, semiconductor junction-based signal processing, thermal transport, optical switching and modulation, and other functionalities may be achieved, combined and spatially-graded throughout the material, and at its surface, by proper selection of the material species adsorbed into each monolayer, and the sequence of the monolayers used to form the total nanocomposite. NanoSonic has demonstrated piezoelectric and electrostrictive behavior, light emission and detection, ultrahigh electrical conductivity and other properties, in thin films of such self-assembled materials. During the Phase I program, NanoSonic will demonstrate the ESA synthesis of conformal, self-assembled piezoelectric thin film actuator devices with conducting electrodes and external packaging, in cooperation with a major U.S. manufacturer of polymer-based actuator materials and devices. This will lead to the cooperative Phase II development and Phase III commercialization of self-assembled sensor, actuator and other materials and devices. Multifunctional thin film materials and devices based on self-assembly methods have applications as sensors, actuators and MEMS devices, in thermal control, as atomic oxygen degradation mitigating coatings for space structures, in active optical and electronic devices, and other areas. The Phase I program focuses specifically on fabricating piezoelectric thin film actuator materials for space system structural control using ESA processing. An innovative solution for the design of solid-state, spatial, scaleable high-performance active mechanisms is proposed. When developed, this device class will find use in various military, commercial and medical applications to provide mobile control surfaces for manipulating, pointing and tracking tasks. The first target application is a high resolution (<10 nm linear motion), automated alignment solution for reducing the cost of optical components assembly. To be innovative and viable, this device class must demonstrate characteristics such as the ability to provide sufficient control authority, to withstand high dynamic loads, and to provide sufficient rigidity while offering the necessary mobility to accomplish a specified task. DSM proposed to achieve this through the development of a compliant, three-dimensional parallel manipulator to serve as a scaleable pointing system or platform manipulator. This effort combines innovative technology developments in the area of compliant mechanism research as well as parallel manipulator research supported by flexure-based, solid-state pivots or other zero-play joints. This manipulator technology will be, at a minimum, capable of rotational motion about two axes and translational motion about a third axis. This effort will create the optimal synthesis and design tools for establishing families of compliant manipulators that combine the characteristics of parallel manipulators with the low cost, scaleable capabilities resulting from a compliant structure design. Candidate applications of scaleable, compliant, spatial manipulators include alignment solutions for optical components assembly, miniature tracking and pointing systems for mirrors and solar arrays, view stabilization and lens focusing for surveillance cameras, remote inspection, microsurgical augmentation and teleoperation, and microdispense applications (adhesives, combinatorial chemical analysis and screening assays, etc.) This SBIR proposal is to develop the first low-cost fabrication technique for high performance nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. By enabling the first low cost, all-optical, high bandwidth, low latency switch this innovation will have a tremendous impact on worldwide telecommunications. Reveo proposes the first viable fabrication method for oriented organic NLO crystal films. The technique uses the self-ordering mechanism of the liquid crystal host to align the `guest' NLO molecules and field-poling to remove the centro-symmetry. With additional processing, the guest concentration is increased a thousand-fold and oriented nano-crystallites are formed within the film. The NLO properties of the nano-structured films are expected to approach those of the bulk crystal, typically much higher than that of poled polymer films. Preliminary experiments demonstrate the viability of the proposed technology. These films will exhibit higher NLO effect, lower scattering losses, and substantially improved long-term stability compared to poled organic NLO materials. In Phase I, the film preparation and characterization techniques will be further developed and optimized. In Phase II, the technology will be expanded to a variety of nonlinear materials, and prototype devices will be developed and characterized. These devices will ultimately lead to dual-use applications in Phase III. The proposed technique represents a fundamental improvement over existing NLO crystal film fabrication techniques, and as such will enable the commercial viability of NLO devices for optical switching and signal processing. Highly integrated devices such as high-speed light modulators and switches will find an immediate market in telecommunications and optical computing. Other applications include all-optical logic devices (light-controlled switches) and wavelength conversion devices (second/third harmonic generation and parametric oscillator). Reveo will leverage its successful SBIR commercialization strategy and existing industry contacts to accelerate the process of bringing this technology to all of these markets. One of the primary processes used for device patterning in the electronics industry is deep ultaviolet photolithography. However, the highly reflective substrates require reduction of this reflectivity to minimize standing waves and to maintain tight dimensional control. Most of te industry uses anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) which are applied using the spin coating technique. Unfortunately, spin coating is not a conformal coating and tends to planarize complex geometries, essentially filling in the holes and rounding the features. This results in erosin of feature sidewalls and loss of dimensional integrity. The industry requires a new process for application of ARCs which is highly conformal, has low defect density and is equally applicable to substrates up to 12" diameter. Chemical Vapor Deposition of parylene is a biocompatible coatings. Parylene, however, also has many properties desirable for ARCs, such as, excellent thickness control and uniformity, absorbance in the deep UV regime, low defect density, and superior conformality. During the PhaseI program, we successfully demonstrated parylene's suitability for use as an ARC used in deep UV photolithography in comparison to spin-coated ARCs. Continuing into Phase II we will develop processes and processing equipment to tailor materials properties to enable the use of parylene coatings as fully-functional high performance ARCs. In additition, we will also expanding the scope of its research prograzm by incorporating low-k and multi-layer materials to be used in the semiconductor and communication industries, respectively. The availability of highly conformal (non-planarizing) anti-reflective coatings is essential for continued improvements in deep ultaviolet photolithographic processes used by the electronics industry. As the market for high performance ARCs grow toward 100 million, it is expected that CVD deposited parylene coatings, with superior conformality and low defectivity, will provide chip makers with high performance ARCs to enable them to meet continuing size reduction and production demands. This project addresses unit cost reduction for processing of carbon-carbon (C-C) composites from pitch-based precursors. Pitch matrices, which exhibit excellent char yield and produce graphitic rather than amorphous carbon, must currently be stabilized with a problematic oxidation step prior to carbonization, or be carbonized at high pressures. The project objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing composites using pitch-based precursors without the need for an oxygen stabilization step. This innovation is enabled through the dissolution of a chemical ingredient in the pitch, which prevents bloating during carbonization. The Phase I effort explores the effect of varying percentages of the active ingredient on the pitch viscosity as a function of temperature, and contrasts the mechanism of bloating inhibition versus that provided by conventional oxygen stabilization. Concept viability is demonstrated through the fabrication of carbonized pitch-matrix composites. The ability to use pitch as a carbon matrix precursor without requiring oxygen stabilization may revolutionize the way carbon-carbon is produced. Since the chemical additive is distributed throughout the matrix, stabilization is not dependent on diffusion of a gaseous reactant from the outside of a formed object. With an effective chemical stabilizer, one can envision the forming of thick sections prior to carbonization without fear of bloating. Injection molding of pitch/chopped fiber compound or vacuum assisted pitch transfer molding of continuous fiber preforms may become standard pre-carbonization forming steps for mass-produced C-C parts. Employing the sol-gel technology, the Phase II program intend to realize compact multimode interference (MMI) beam splitters integrated with semiconductor diode lasers on silicon for multi-channel pumping of Er3+ doped fiber amplifiers. The MMI splitters will be designed for the 980-nm window in such a way that the pump-shared outputs will be achieved through a cavity formed between a diode laser and a Bragg reflector at the input port. The milestones of the Phase I In the manufacturing of electronic modules, microvias have enabled significant improvements in module performance, weight, and size by allowing much denser interconnects in multi-layer circuits. The microvia generating technology used to drill the vias determines not only the ultimate device density but also the economics of the entire manufacturing process. Conventional microvia generation technologies suffer from either very low speeds, or very expensive additional process steps. This proposal presents a program for developing a novel, optimized microvia generation system technology capable of via formation rates that are one hundred times or more faster than the best current technologies. This throughput improvement can be achieved without loss of the benefits of a maskless, direct-write technology which eliminates additional costly process steps. It is expected that the combined benefits of higher throughputs and direct-writing will dramatically reduce the manufacturing costs for a variety of advanced electronic modules. In Phase I we will investigate several new system concept designs, carry out performance projections, and demonstrate technical feasibility. In Phase II we will design, build and test a fully operational prototype system, which will be developed into a product to be introduced to market in Phase III. The proposed microvia generation system technology will enable significantly higher - on the order of 100X - microvia formation rates than current technologies without sacrificing the benefits of direct writing. These advances will have tremendous benefits to military and commercial advanced electronic module manufacturing, allowing significantly reduced costs. We propose to develop a rocket engine injector and combustion chamber that will not only allow and engine to meet performance and durability requirements, but also will enable plume-signature tailoring. This tailoring ability would be extremely valuable for surrogate targets, as it will enable the production of low-cost, surrogate targets that could imitate the plume signatures of SCUD's and SCUD family missiles. The technology developed here will improve: liquied rocket target-missile fidelity; analysis capability for combustion processes in liquid rocket engines; and plume diagnostic tools for determining rocket engine performance. It will also assess advanced hydrocarbon fuels for their ability to increase density-specific impulse, and improve the mission capability of future space vehicles. This effrot will fabricate and fire a sub-scale combustion chamber, the design of which will demonstrate the capability of varying plume signature while meeting performance and durability requirements. A hydrocarbon-fuels test-bed will also be designed, fabricated, and tested under the project. The project will create a liquid-rocket engine diagnostic instrumentation capable of determining mixture-ratio striations across the exit-plane, and improve combustion modeling tools. Development of ballistic missile defense will require target missiles for training. This project will improve the fidelity of those targets by creating a target exhaust plume signature that look like a SCUD. Sierra Engineering will be situated to supply the combustion chamber devices for these target missiles. Furthermore, Sierra Engineering is likely to see substantial commercial benefits from this project even if BMDO does not produce a large liquid surrogate target demand. This is apparent from work that has come to Sierra Enineering as a direct result of the Phase I project, including combustion modeling ( for both future and current designs) and Plume signature modeling. The Phase II effort will help establish Sierra Engineering not only as a diagnostic and modeling leader, but also as a producer of combustion devices. And as environmental requirements drive commercial combustion devices to higher efficiency/lower pollution, the lessons learned through this proposal will poise Sierra Engineering to enter new, non-aerospace commercial fields. Development of a stereolithography-based fabrication technique is proposed that will enable lower cost fabrication of complex shaped, high strength rhenium components. In addition, an innovative design approach will be developed that utilizes the capability of stereolithography to fabricate complex internal structures. Cellular architectures will be designed based on predicted thermal and mechanical stresses in use and will be built such that the mass efficiency of the rhenium component is optimized. Lightweighting of rhenium components by 30% - 70% is anticipated. Phase I will focus on achieving strengths in test specimens comparable to conventionally processed rhenium. Sample characterization will include density, tensile strength and microstructure. BMDO has a continuing need for advanced propulsion technologies for both TMD and NMD applications. A particularly critical requirement is for rocket propellants with higher performance than state-of-the-art materials. The ability to intercept ballistic or tactical missiles puts a premium on the accelerating power of propulsion systems. It is known that the difluoramino group is superior to other common oxidizing functional groups as a source of combustion energy in combination with hydrocarbon or metallic fuels. With boron-based fuels, BOF is formed, which is non-condensable. The elimination of two-phase flow losses can result in 3-4% increase in performance. It has been difficult, however, to devise synthetic schemes for the preparation of propellant ingredients containing difluoramino groups that have sufficient overall content of oxidizing groups to meet formulation requirements. Under the proposed program, a little-studied method for the preparation of compounds with difluoramino and nitro groups will be elaborated for the synthesis of practical propellant ingredients. The overall simplicity of the approach means that useful target compounds can potentially be attained at substantially lower cost than those using methods currently under intensive study The goal of this project is to develop an entirely new polymer/inorganic nanocomposites. New polymer melt processing technology which incorporates conventional extrusion processes will be developed for producing these new polymer/inorganic nanocomposites. The new process will involve organophilic modification of layered minerals, promotion of polymer melt intercalation, and reaction processing to produce the nanocomposites. The new materials will be thoroughly characterized by morphological analysis and mechanical testing. The new nanocomposites will be especially useful for both of cryogenic and high temperature applications, can be inexpensively produced, and will offer important improvements in polymer composite material's mechanical, thermal and chemical properties. There is an immediate application for these composites in liquid rocket engine components if they can be shown to meet the cryogenic and permeability requiremetns. The Phase I will aim to demonstrate feasibility of the innovative materials and new process, test properties of these new materials, and provide a baseline leading toward commercialization.