This is a $293,801.98 training grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to the Regents of the University of Michigan, operating as the University of Michigan. The grant supports an experimental and theoretical research project to develop a more refined model of the underlying physics of magnetic nozzles, which are a key component of in-space propulsion technologies. The research will be conducted at the University of Michigan's...
This is a $276,259.12 training grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Regents of the University of Michigan to conduct research on improving the lifetime and reducing the erosion of hollow cathodes in Hall effect thrusters. The research aims to address key technology gaps identified by the National Research Council (NRC) to enable next-generation space exploration missions, such as asteroid retrieval and human missions to Mars. The research will use...
This is a $317,243.86 grant awarded by NASA to the Regents of the University of Michigan for a research project utilizing Laser Thomson Scattering (LTS) plasma diagnostics to explore electron dynamics in Hall-effect thrusters. The award has an initial performance period through July 31, 2024. The University of Michigan is a prominent U.S. state government-owned educational institution with a strong track record of receiving federal research grants and contracts across a wide range of...
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $523,449.00 grant to the Regents of the University of Michigan, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Division (doing business as the University of Michigan) to develop advanced physics-based models and numerical algorithms to enable predictive simulations of plume-surface interactions under relevant landing conditions. This award does not have a set-aside designation. The University of Michigan is a leading public...
The Regents of the University of Michigan was awarded a research grant valued at $312,985 on August 30, 2021, to address the development of radiation-resistant, mechanically strong, and easily manufactured structural materials for space-based nuclear power systems. This civilian grant, funded through a federal agency's Shared Services Center, is scheduled for completion by August 29, 2025, and will be performed at the university's Ann Arbor, Michigan campus. The award was not designated as a...
The Regents of the University of Michigan, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, doing business as the University of Michigan, was awarded a $77,246 grant for research by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on January 25, 2005. The grant, identified as NNC04GA36G, was to fund the "USE OF ELECTROSTATIC PROBES TO CHARACTERIZE THE DISCHARGE CHAMBERS OF THE NSTAR AND NEXT ION THRUSTERS" and had an ultimate completion date of January 24, 2006. The University of...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $134,516.39 training grant to the Regents of the University of Michigan, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (doing business as the University of Michigan) to conduct research focused on disentangling the fundamental plasma physics of the inner heliosphere that governs the evolution of the solar wind. The research aims to develop analysis techniques to filter out the net heating caused by stream interactions in the solar...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $306,446 training grant contract to the Regents of the University of Michigan, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (doing business as the University of Michigan), to support research on hollow cathode assemblies (HCA) used in electric propulsion devices. The goal is to better understand HCA performance at high current levels, in order to enable reliable, robust HCA designs that can extend the lifetime of electric propulsion...
This is a $286,546.76 training grant awarded by NASA to the Regents of the University of Michigan to conduct research and develop a model for understanding and mitigating the charging behavior of next-generation complex and active spacecraft. The research aims to address challenges associated with spacecraft charging, which can limit the capabilities of high-power solar electric propulsion systems. The project will leverage data from the International Space Station and the Defense Satellite...
The Regents of the University of Michigan was awarded a training grant valued at $327,137 for the project "Optimizing Experiments for Characterizing Pressure Related Facility Effects on High-Power Hall Thruster Testing," effective August 29, 2022, with completion targeted for August 28, 2026. The award supports research activities to be conducted at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus through the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects. This competitive award includes no...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $303,968.88 training grant to the Regents of the University of Michigan, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, to conduct computational research into the stability and heat transfer of gas core nuclear thermal rockets. This technology has the potential to greatly reduce trip time to Mars by operating at extremely high temperatures and providing high thrust and specific impulse levels. The research aims to investigate instabilities that could lead to fuel erosion, and will be validated through experimental modeling of a vortex-stabilized uranium plasma surrogate. Findings will be used to refine gas core reactor designs and advance NASA's technology roadmap for advanced fission in-space propulsion. No set-aside was used for this award.