This project will build upon recent in-space manufacturing advances by the proposing team to measure thermophysical, thermochemical, and structural properties of alloys derived from regolith simulant,…

NASA's Shared Services Center awarded a $99,960 cooperative agreement to the Louisiana Board of Regents, with a place of performance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, effective through August 31, 2025. The contract supports advanced materials research focused on in-space manufacturing applications by characterizing thermophysical, thermochemical, and structural properties of iron-silicon and aluminum-silicon alloys derived from regolith simulant. The awardee will employ multiple analytical methodologies including electrostatic levitation to measure melting range, heat capacity, viscosity, and density; sessile drop contact angle measurements for surface and interfacial energy; in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction for phase evolution analysis; and physical property measurement system testing for thermal and electrical transport properties across various temperatures.

The research builds upon the proposing team's prior in-space manufacturing advances and will involve iterative experimentation with optimized alloy compositions and environmental conditions based on feedback from NASA's in-space manufacturing team to validate computational models. This work directly supports the development of sustainable feedstock materials and processes applicable to in-space resource utilization and manufacturing, while establishing a collaborative foundation for future studies that will enhance both process development and simulation capabilities. No set-aside designation was applied to this award.

This project will build upon recent in-space manufacturing advances by the proposing team to measure thermophysical, thermochemical, and structural properties of alloys derived from regolith simulant, namely FE-XSI and AL-XSI alloys. Methods for quantifying material properties will include thermophysical properties (melting range, heat capacity, viscosity, density) via electrostatic levitation at msfc, surface and interfacial energy through sessile drop contact angle measurements, phase evolution through in-situ high temperature XRD, and thermal and electrical transport properties as a function of temperature through ppms measurements. Based on feedback with the ISM team, experiments will be repeated with optimized compositions and environmental conditions needed for model validation. This work will support the investigation into the applicability of these materials for in-space manufacturing processes, through the comprehensive characterization of feedstock properties, and will facilitate development of a sustainable collaboration conducting future studies directly impacting isru and ISM process and simulation improvements.