Project Grant NNX12AM10G

VERTICALLY ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBES (VACNTS) POSSESS NUMEROUS REMARKABLE ELECTRICAL THERMAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES INCLUDING THAT THEY ARE THE BLACKEST KNOWN SUBSTANCE TO HUMANKIND. THIS PROPERTY AS WELL AS THEIR VERY LIGHT THERMAL MASS MAKES THEM IDEAL ABSORBERS FOR RADIATION MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS. HEREIN WE DESCRIBE A DEMONSTRATION OF VACNT-BASED RADIOMETER TECHNOLOGY TO BE CARRIED ON A COMMERCIAL SUBORBITAL REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SRLV). THE RESULTS OF THIS PROPOSED WORK AND DEMONSTRATION WOULD RAISE THE TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVEL (TRL) OF THIS TECHNOLOGY FROM 3 TO 7 ENABLING THEIR PROPOSED USE IN FUTURE NASA AND OPERATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE MISSIONS. WHILE THIS EFFORT IS FOCUSED ON THE SPACE QUALIFICATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF VACNTS FOR RADIATION REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS SUCCESSFUL QUALIFICATION FURTHER ADVANCES THEIR USE FOR THE MYRIAD OF HOPEFUL APPLICATIONS OUTLINED IN THE NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP [2012] NANOTECHOLOGY AREA (TA10). WE ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO PURSUE THIS PARTICULAR APPLICATION OF VACNTS BECAUSE TWO ADVANCEMENTS ARE NEEDED TO MEASURE THE ABSOLUTE RADIATION IMBALANCE THOUGHT TO DRIVE CLIMATE CHANGE: A MINIMUM OF 20-30 WIDE FIELD OF VIEW RADIOMETER CONTINUOUSLY ENCIRCLING THE GLOBE AND AFFORDABLE-HIGHLY ACCURATE RADIOMETERS. CUBE-SATS AND HOSTED PAYLOAD OPPORTUNITIES HAVE NOW MADE FIRST REQUIREMENT RECENTLY AFFORDABLE; WE BELIEVE VACNT MAKE THE SECOND REQUIREMENT AFFORDABLE. VACNT BASED BOLOMETER RADIOMETERS PROVIDE JUST THE TYPE OF INSTRUMENT IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED TO MAKE EARTH AND SUN OBSERVING RADIOMETERS SUFFICIENTLY ACCURATE AND LOW COST TO MEASURE S EARTH S ABSOLUTE ENERGY BALANCE/IMBALANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME. THIS IS PRECISELY THE MEASUREMENT THAT IS NEEDED TO RESOLVE THE CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE AND ENABLE VASTLY SUPERIOR PREDICTIONS OF FUTURE CHANGE. THE PROPOSAL TEAM INCLUDES ALL THE CRITICAL EXPERIENCE TO MAKE THIS DEMONSTRATION A SUCCESS. H. DR. TODD SMITH THE PI HAS PIONEERED EFFORTS IN USING COMMERCIAL SRLVS FOR SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION. DR. STEVEN LORENTZ IS A WORLD LEADER IN RADIOMETRIC INSTRUMENTATION AND CALIBRATION DR. STERGIOS PAPADAKIS IS A LEADER IN LABORATORY GROWTH OF VACNT FOR NUMEROUS SPACE AND TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS. DR LARS DYRUD HAS ASSISTED DR SMITH AND IS THE PI OF AN EV-2 MISSION PROPOSAL THAT WOULD GREATLY BENEFIT FROM A SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION.