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It\u2019s that time again. NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) has announced six concepts that will receive funding and proceed to the second phase of development. This is always an interesting look at the technologies and missions that could come to fruition in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The six chosen ones will each receive $600,000 in funding to pursue the ideas for the next two years. NASA expects each team to use the two years to address both technical and budgetary hurdles for their concepts. When this second phase comes to an end, some of the concepts could advance to the third stage. <\/p>\n \u201cThese diverse, science fiction-like concepts represent a fantastic class of Phase II studies,\u201d said John Nelson, NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cOur NIAC fellows never cease to amaze and inspire, and this class definitely gives NASA a lot to think about in terms of what\u2019s possible in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Here they are.<\/p>\n Fluidic Telescope (FLUTE): Enabling the Next Generation of Large Space Observatories<\/p>\n Telescopes are built around mirrors and lenses, whether they\u2019re ground-based or space-based. The JWST\u2019s large mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter but had to be folded up to fit inside the rocket that launched it and then unfolded in space. That\u2019s a tricky engineering feat. Engineers are building larger and larger ground-based telescopes, too, and they\u2019re equally tricky to design and build. Could FLUTE change this?<\/p>\n FLUTE envisions lenses made of fluid, and the FLUTE team\u2019s concept describes a space telescope with a primary mirror 50 meters (164 ft.) in diameter. Creating glass lenses for a telescope this large isn\u2019t realistic. \u201cUsing current technologies, scaling up space telescopes to apertures larger than approximately 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter does not appear economically viable,\u201d the FLUTE website states. <\/p>\n But in the microgravity of space, fluids behave in an intriguing way. Surface tension holds liquids together at their surfaces. We can see this on Earth, where some insects use surface tension to glide along the surfaces of ponds and other bodies of water. Also, on Earth, surface tension holds small drops of water together. But in space, away from Earth\u2019s dominating gravity, surface tension is much more effective. There, water maintains the most energy efficient shape there is: a sphere. <\/p>\n Another force governs water: adhesion. Adhesion causes liquids to cling to surfaces. In the microgravity of space, adhesion can bind liquid to a circular, ring-like frame. Then, due to surface tension, the liquid will naturally adopt a spherical shape. If the liquid can be made to bulge inward rather than outward, and if the liquid is reflective enough, it creates a telescope mirror. <\/p>\n The FLUTE team would like to make optical components in space. The liquid would stay in the liquid state and form an extremely smooth light-collecting surface. As a bonus, FLUTE would also self-repair after any micrometeorite strike.<\/p>\n The FLUTE study is led by Edward Balaban from NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley. The FLUTE team has already done some tests on the ISS and on zero-g flights.<\/p>\n Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR): Shielded, Fast Transits for Humans to Mars <\/p>\n It takes too long to get to Mars. It\u2019s a six-month journey each way, plus time spent on the surface. All that time in microgravity, exposure to radiation, and other challenges make the trip very difficult for astronauts. PPR aims to fix that. <\/p>\n PPR isn\u2019t a launch vehicle for escaping Earth\u2019s gravity well. It would be launched on a heavy lift vehicle like SLS and then sent on its way. <\/p>\n PPR was originally derived from the Pulsed Fission Fusion concept. But it\u2019s more affordable, and also smaller and simpler. PPR might generate 100,000 N of thrust with a specific impulse (Isp) of 5,000 seconds. Those are good numbers. PPR could reduce the travel time to Mars to two months. <\/p>\n It has other benefits as well. It could propel larger spacecraft to Mars on trips longer than two months, carrying more cargo and also provide heavier shielding against cosmic rays. \u201cThe PPR enables a whole new era in space exploration,\u201d the team writes.<\/p>\n \n