Laboratory

A Review of

2003

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100th ANNIVERSARY OF FLIGHT
To receive more information about any of the success stories in this book or on

the CD-ROM, or for other technical activities in the Air Force Research Laboratory,

contact TECH CONNECT at (800) 203-6451.

Cleared for Public Release

Distribution is Unlimited
AFRL Success Story Program

Helping to maintain the Air Force's strong

Science and Technology foundation

one success at a time.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of powered flight and reminds us of the important role that science and

technology has always played in our Armed Forces—and especially in our Air Force. Science and Technology

represents the foundation upon which our former leaders built the Air Force more than 55 years ago, and it continues

to lead the way into the 21 st century.

Innovation and technology are key components ofthe Air Force's strong foundation. The imagination of the world's

best and brightest minds—in government, industry, and academia—are what provides the best equipment, weapon

systems, and ideas driving our organization. These success stories showcase some of the work accomplished within

the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to turn science fiction into fact.

AFRL, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,

Ohio, is the Air Force's largest employer of scientists and

engineers—about 3,000, of which more than 800 have

doctorate degrees in science and engineering disciplines.

These highly skilled and motivated personnel are critical to

our success in leading our government/industry/university

team and in making technology breakthroughs. Our scientists

and engineers push the limits of air and space, bringing critical

technologies to new heights in their scientific disciplines.

You will find in these pages some of our most noteworthy

success stories for 2003. These stories are just a sample of

AFRL technologies currently under development. This year

we have also added a CD-ROM that provides a link to the

same information showcased in this book as well as other

AFRL technology areas.

If you want to know more about a success story, please

contact our technology clearinghouse, TECH CONNECT, at

(800) 203-6451, and they will direct you to the appropriate

laboratory expert. Visit our Web site at www.afrl.af.mil.

20081009192
Introduction

The Air Force Science and Technology Success Stories herein often represent the combined

effort of several scientists and engineers working as a team. The basic and applied research,

plus the follow-on technology development described, are essential to the continued success

of the Air Force mission.

Success Stories were selected from one or more of the following categories:

Support to the Warfighter

Technology that has potential for or has achieved application on a Department of

Defense system in development or operation or that has provided "quick-reaction"

response to problems or needs of field organizations.

Emerging Technologies

Major innovative technological advancements that offer significant potential for existing

and future Air Force systems.

Technology Transfer

Technology that has transferred from the laboratory to the private sector, to include

industry, academia, and state and local governments.

Awards/Recognition

Awards or recognition by the scientific community at large, concerning technology

advancements in the areas of technology transition, technology transfer, or technical

achievement.
Support to the Warfighter

Page

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Multi-Agent Distributed Goal Satisfaction Device I

Human Effectiveness

AFRL Technology Enhances Logistics Situation Awareness

Crew Fatigue Quantified During ENDURING FREEDOM Airlift Missions

Spatial Audio Technology Reduces Risk for AWACS Transition

IPNVGS Increase View, Situational Awareness, and Protection

New Microdisplay Transitions to USAF and Industry

Active Synchrophaser Lowers C-130 Interior Noise Levels

Non-Distributed Flight Reference Off-Boresight Symbology Advances Warfighting Capability 8

Cockpit Accommodation Research Changes USAF Pilot Assignment Policy 9

Passive Head/Neck Protection System Reduces Neck Injuries During Emergency Ejections 10

HMD Visor Transmissivity Modeling Promotes Target Recognition 11

Distributed Mission Operations Effectiveness 12

Improved Laser Eye Protection Receives Safe-to-Fly Recommendation 13

Human Effectiveness Study Helps Improve USAF Information Warfare Flights 14

New Visor Offers Clear Improvement 15

Simulator Study Helps Validate Safety of PRK for Aircrew 16

Laser Range Management Software Fielded at Over 45 Ranges Worldwide 17

Visionary Technology Demonstration Supports Synchronized Air Force Operations 18

Real-Time Weather Management Information Demonstrated 19

Information

Air Force Communications Enterprise Management System 20

Flight Demonstration Showcases C2 Interoperability and Real-Time Collaboration 21

Information Directorate Helps Develop the WAVE of the Future for Exploitation of

Weather Prediction Data 22

Materials and Manufacturing

All-Purpose Remote Transport System Supports Force Protection and Active Range Clearance

Activities 23

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate Engineers Brief American Air Forces 24

Powerful Digital X-ray Flat-Panel Detector and Software Transitioned to OC-ALC for NDI

Production Use 25

Lean Value Chain Success Relieves Critical Part Shortage 26

Researchers Develop High-Performance, Metal-Polymer Hybrid Signal Wiring for Aircraft

and Spacecraft 27

Engineers Develop First Response Expeditionary Fire Vehicle 28

Engineers Rapidly Prototype and Develop Airborne Engineer All-Purpose Remote Transport

System 29

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate Researchers Validate Capabilities of Hydraulic Fluid

Purifier, Test Stand 30

Continuedon nextpage
"

IJI"w— -

Support to the Warfighter

Page

ManTech's AMP Provides Air Force Depots a Faster, Safer, Less Expensive De-paint Method 31

ManTech Savors Initial Flight Test Success for MEMS-Based IMU in Precision-Guided Munitions 32

Advances in High-Temperature Composites Lead to Bleed Air Duct Cover Solution 33

Munitions

Dynamic Two-Way Time Transfer Communications 34

Active Flow Control Enables Safe Supersonic Weapons Release 35

Automatic Air Collision Avoidance System Test Successful 36

Bio-Inspired Algorithms Allow UAVs to Act as Teams 37

AFRL Small Business Contractor Demonstrates Automated Solution to Complex Resource

Scheduling Challenges 38

Active Aeroelastic Wing Parameter Identification Flights Complete 39

Munitions Directorate Helps Develop a New High-Performance, Low-Cost Steel 40

Powered LOCAAS Hits Target in First Complete System Flight Test 41

Canada to Implement +100 Fuel Additive 42

Propulsion

Low-Cost Portable Wear Debris Monitor Developed for Turbine Engines 43

Propulsion Directorate Develops More Efficient ECU for Deployable Tents 44

Ultra-Fast Analyzer Ensures Safe Use of Jet Fuels 45

Sensors

Sensors Directorate Engineer/Technician Duo Invents Switch for AFSOC Radios 46

Compressor Research Facility Adds Heated Inlet Capability 47

Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System 48

Solar Mass Ejection Imager Launched on Space Test Program's Coriolis Satellite 49

AFRL Successfully Tests Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System 50

Low-Shock Separation System Dramatically Reduces Satellite Failures 51
Multi-Agent Distributed Goal

Satisfaction Device

PayOff The Multi-Agent Distributed Goal Satisfaction (MADGS) device, aJAVA•-based, mobile-agent system, could help ease

the burden of planning and executing large-scale missions. MADGS is a sophisticated system that fully understands how to retrieve,

analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information to commanders on and off the battlefield. MADGS also factors in incomplete or

uncertain information and addresses working with a large number of people, limited resources, external influences, and nearly every

other conceivable obstacle.

Accomplishment Dr. Eugene Santos, an Air

Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)-funded

professor of computer science and engineering at the

University of Connecticut, developed a field-sawy, Palm

Pilot-like device, called MADGS, loaded with advanced

logistics system software. Armed with MADGS, leaders

no longer have to worry about items sent to the wrong

location—a factor in determining the success or failure of

a mission.

agentTool

Provide users the ability to specify <£

design agent systems and semtautomatically generate those systems

using software synthesis and component

reuse techniques.

Background AFOSR's Mathematics and Space Sciences Directorate sponsors Dr. Santos' team of scientists. This team

includes Drs. Alexander Shvartsman and Steven Demurjian, at the University of Connecticut; Dr. Scott Deloach, at Kansas State

University; and Dr. Michael Cox, at Wright State University in Ohio.

Dr. Santos' team developed software versatile enough for a general in battle or a mayor responding to a terrorist attack by forming a

union of five components: Agent-Server (Carolina), mobile-agents, Distributed Goal Satisfaction (DGS), agentTool, and PRODIGY®.

To make it work, Dr. Santos' team injected mobile-agents into the system through the agentTool to help the user analyze missions

that require complex planning and execution. The DGS module provides users with resource alternatives to the PRODIGYconstructed master plan.
AFRL Technology Enhances Logistics

Situation Awareness

PayOlt The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Deployment and Sustainment Division recently conducted a field evaluation

of Logistics Control and Information Support (LOCIS) Spiral I and Spiral 2 technologies with the 16th Special Operations Wing at

Hurlburt Field, Florida. This evaluation demonstrated dramatically increased situation awareness of mission resources through

advanced visualization techniques, data fusion, customizable user interfaces, and threshold monitoring and reporting.

ACCOItiplishmetlt The directorate's LOCIS research

team conducted three preliminary field evaluations and a final

evaluation, analyzed the data, and reported their findings.

Personnel at Hurlburt Field widely accepted the LOCIS capabilities

and used them daily to support deployment and sustainment of

Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

The LOCIS informational views provide a quick look of wing

capability to senior decision makers and are used in lieu of briefing

charts for maintenance stand-up meetings. This saves time

searching for and assembling data into stand-up reports.

Background LOCIS is a 4-year proof of concept. The directorate's Logistics Readiness Branch developed the program, and

the Agile Combat Support Division of the Air Force Command and Control Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center

at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, officially sponsored the program.

LOCIS focuses on wing-level command and control for logistics. The program is researching and developing information

technologies that will enhance the ability of the logistics community to effectively manage mission resources and assimilate logistics

information for decision making in an Expeditionary Air Force/Agile Combat Support Command and Control environment.

The LOCIS effort consists of three yearly spirals, culminating in annual demonstrations where the team collects user feedback for

the next spiral. The LOCIS field evaluation provided valuable warfighter feedback for improving LOCIS tools and created strong

program advocates that are leading technology transition activities.
Crew Fatigue Quantified During

ENDURING FREEDOM Airlift Missions

Payoff Human Effectiveness Directorate scientists and engineers (S&Es), in conjunction with Air Force Operational Test and

Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) personnel, conducted an objective wartime aircrew fatigue assessment during C-17 missions to

Afghanistan. Directorate S&Es expect the results of this assessment to lead to decreases in the approximately $54M in personnel,

aircraft, and property lost each year in Air Force Class A mishaps related to warfighter fatigue.

Accomplishment As an integral part of the Air

Mobility Command's (AMC) Counter Fatigue program, S&Es

from the directorate's Warfighter Fatigue Countermeasures

program, at Brooks City-Base, Texas, and AFOTEC, Det.

I, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, conducted an

objective wartime aircrew fatigue assessment during the

round-trip C-17 missions supporting Operation ENDURING

FREEDOM. These extended 22+ hour missions, with

crews deployed from the continental United States, included

multiple aerial refuelings.

This effort will provide a baseline for development of the

AMC fatigue management policy. Data will also support the

ongoing operational validation of the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue,

and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE®) model that quantitatively

predicts fatigue effects on human performance.

Background Data collection during the C-17 flights included the use of psychomotor tests, activity monitors, activity

logbooks, and subjective fatigue self-assessments. Part of the analysis will include a comparison of actual aircrew work

and sleep performance with predicted cognitive effectiveness ratings generated by the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool

(FAST•).

The FAST software interface generates cognitive effectiveness predictions over time based on the SAFTE model. The SAFTE

model is a homeostatic representation of the three-process, biological mechanisms that affect cognitive and physiological

capability in humans. The model is the product of more than 12 years of extensive model development and comparisons of

the model's algorithms to laboratory data collected during the past 20 years.

Problems associated with human fatigue are not limited to military operations. Air Force fatigue countermeasures research

products also have direct application to more than 20 million Americans who perform shift work and to millions who

experience the adverse effects of jet lag or even a night of disrupted sleep.
Spatial Audio Technology Reduces Risk

for AWACS Transition

PilyOft The Human Effectiveness Directorate developed and transitioned its spatial audio knowledge and software, which

dramatically improves an operator's ability to discriminate among multiple communication channels. This software directly reduces

risk for the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Block 40/45 fleet upgrade by demonstrating a communications system

with many of the same attributes as those desired for the airborne platform. Among those who will use the system at Nellis

Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, are operators from the United States Air Force (USAF) Weapons School and the Combined Air

Operations Center supporting the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment.

Accomplishment The directorate collaborated with Compunetix, Inc., the

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania vendor selected to upgrade the communication system at the

USAF Weapons School, to transition the spatial audio capability into Compunetix's

hardware and software architecture. The 98th Operation Support Squadron at Nellis

AFB, Nevada, selected Compunetix to provide a system nearly identical to the system

previously installed at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii.

The USAF Weapons School Command and Control Operations Division at Nellis AFB

is the premier site for air battle management tactics instruction. This location will be

optimal for showcasing the new capability to the entire command and control (C2)

community.

Background AWACS controllers typically communicate in noisy

acoustic environments during mission operations that exceed 20 hrs

in duration. Battle managers routinely monitor up to five external and

four internal communications ports (radios and intercom channels),

discriminating which port is active by a combination of voice recognition

and volume setting. The spatial audio technology gives the listener the

impression that the voices on the different channels are coming from

different directions with respect to his/her location.

With a spatial audio addition, operators experience intelligibility increases

of 15-30% when azimuth separates the audio channels, as well as the

ability to discriminate between multiple simultaneous radio/intercom

communications. The directorate initiated the Virtual Air Commanders program to transition technologies that specifically benefit the

airborne C2 operator's system interface. Spatial audio is one of the technologies specifically examined and tailored to that interface.
IPNVGS Increase View, Situational

Awareness, and Protection

PayOff The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Integrated Panoramic Night Vision Goggle (IPNVG) system provides aircrew

members with increased viewing and unsurpassed situational awareness at night, offers protection from lasers, and causes less neck

fatigue during long missions. General Michael Ryan, former Air Force Chief of Staff, stated the Air Force needs panoramic night

vision goggles (PNVGs) in the field...fast! This declaration prompted the recent transition of this technology to the Aeronautical

Systems Center for system development, demonstration, and eventual production.

Accomplishment Night Vision Goggles (NVGs)

offer tactical advantages in both air and ground arenas, but

the currently fielded system—the AN/AVS-9—provides

only a limited 40° circular field-of-view (FOV). The IPNVG,

however, generates an intensified FOV that is one and onehalf times larger than the AN/AVS-9.

The IPNVG achieves increased FOV by using four smaller

(16 mm format) image intensifier (12) tubes rather than the

two traditional (18 mm format) 12 tubes. The IPNVG's

ultrawide, 95° FOV significantly improves night navigation,

targeting, weapons delivery, and search and rescue by

allowing advanced tactics during night missions.

The IPNVG integrates laser-hardening technology,

accommodates prescription and laser eyewear, and has a

highly producible straight-through optical design in all four channels. The IPNVG eliminates some current maintenance requirements,

such as purging with nitrogen every 90 days, and also incorporates numerous maintenance-friendly elements including separate but

interchangeable parts for solder-free repairs.

Background Warfighters are evaluating the operational usefulness of the new IPNVG design on various Air Force

platforms including the A-10, F-15, F-16, and HH-60. An extensive field survey showed that most pilots desire an increased

FOV, but not at the expense of reduced resolution.

Previous day and night visual studies indicate the optimal FOV should be between 80° and 100°. To meet this requirement, the

directorate initiated a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and produced a PNVG concept demonstrator.

The follow-on Phase II SBIR produced seven low-profile prototypes (PNVG Model I) designed for ejection-seat aircraft. The

Phase II SBIR also provided five more prototypes (PNVG Model II), whose traditional NVG design complements existing NVG

mounts.

Warfighters evaluated these systems on transport and rotary-wing aircraft as well as for ground personnel use. Directorate

researchers collected performance data and obtained invaluable pilot design inputs after evaluating operational utility for Air Force

warriors aboard multiple aircraft. These inputs provided the basis for the IPNVG program.
New Microdisplay Transitions

to ISAF and Industry

PayOft The Human Effectiveness Directorate transitioned a new type of microdisplay, ideally suited for use in helmet-mounted

displays (HMDs), into the United States Air Force (USAF) Strike Helmet 21, Panoramic Night-Vision Goggle (PNVG), and Digital

Knee Board programs as well as industry.

Accomplishment Current airborne military HMDs

use miniature cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) to produce the images

the pilot sees. However, these CRTs have drawbacks. They

are bulky, do not emit light efficiently, cannot easily produce

color, and require potentially hazardous high voltages.

The directorate created a microdisplay technology that

overcomes these issues. Termed active-matrix organic lightemitting diodes (AMOLEDs), these new displays are small,

thin, lightweight, low voltage, low power, and completely

self-contained with their own video controller.

AMOLED manufacturers use the same techniques as those

used to make semiconductors, so they produce displays in

one continuous, economical process. AMOLEDs occupy

minimal space and can run on battery power, maintain visibility

in bright environments, and emit the same range of colors as

a desktop CRT.

Background The directorate produced AMOLEDs through Phase III Small Business Innovation Research and Dual-Use Science

and Technology programs. According to one estimate, more than 100 companies are pursuing this technology. Since the transition of

AMOLED technology to the USAF, the US Army, and commercial contractors, far-reaching benefits are possible such as wide field-ofview PNVGs, high-definition television, three-dimensional game systems, and digital video disc players.

^"SbiR/sira
Active Synchrophaser Lowers 0130

Interior Noise Levels

PayOff The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Crew System Interface

Division completed flight tests and analyses of the C-130 Active Synchrophaser

System, which showed reduced interior noise levels by as much as 22 decibels

(dB). Now for the first time, the directorate demonstrated reduced noise levels

in four-engine propeller aircraft using a propeller synchronization technique.

ACCOmpHshment Using four-engine C-130s, directorate engineers

demonstrated that noise from one propeller could cancel out the noise from

another propeller when properly synchronized. The decrease in sound

is significant in reducing pilot and crew fatigue, in mitigating exposure to

prolonged noise and elevated noise levels, and in retaining the ability to

hear.

Background The propellers of C-I30 aircraft emit a low, resonating

tone, precipitating the need to reduce the acoustic signature. The directorate's

bioacoustics expertise was key in that effort.

The directorate conducted in-flight and ground noise measurements of the advanced synchrophaser control unit to determine if

controlling the propeller phase angles of C-130 type aircraft could reduce the noise. During the flight test, aircrew noted test points

where cockpit noise levels were so low, they had to remove their hearing protection to be assured that the engines were operating. In

fact, the directorate identified a 22 dB reduction in cockpit noise levels during that particular phase of the testing.

The directorate demonstrated a basic synchrophaser system for twin-engine aircraft in 1992, based on a manually tuned system with

no phase control. Two years later, the directorate produced the first digital synchrophaser that controlled the propeller phase by

regulating the fuel flow to obtain a 10-15 dB interior noise reduction in an OV-10 twin-engine propeller aircraft.

However, the C-130 Active Synchrophaser System uses acoustic feedback from microphones specifically arranged and mounted

to the fuselage or by a personal computer-based controller to find the correct phase for reducing noise levels. The C-130 Active

Synchrophaser System demonstrated that significant noise-level reductions can be accomplished for turboprop aircraft without

affecting the basic aircraft performance.
Non-Distributed Flight Reference

Off-Boresight Symbology Advances

Warfighting Capability

Payoff Off-boresight attitude symbology improves the warfighter's situation awareness of aircraft attitude when performing

off-boresight tasks such as air-to-air or air-to-ground maneuvers.

ACCOmpliShment The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Visual Display Systems Branch developed a small footprint offboresight attitude symbology called Non-Distributed Flight Reference (NDFR). The NDFR allows pilots to keep their attention out

of the cockpit during tactical engagements and still maintain situation awareness of their attitude, thus yielding tactical and safety

advantages. The directorate demonstrated the capabilities of the NDFR to a group of pilots at a technical information meeting and

adopted it as the off-boresight attitude symbology for the Strike Helmet 21 program.

Background The development of off-boresight

attitude symbology was an ongoing project within the

directorate's Visual Display Systems Branch. Researchers

modified NDFR by a series of in-house experiments. Each

ofthese experiments compared NDFR to other off-boresight

displays in various operationally representative tasks. In

all cases, NDFR proved to give pilots the best situation

awareness of their aircraft state.

Directorate engineers performed operational testing to

assess the utility of NDFR in a variety of tasks including

unusual attitude recovery, and air-to-air and air-to-ground

maneuvers. In all three cases, NDFR proved most effective

for giving pilots attitude awareness, allowing them to spend

more time outside the cockpit to perform their given tasks.
Cockpit Accommodation Research Changes

USAF Pilot Assignment Policy

Payoff The United States Air Force (USAF) utilized data from all USAF aircraft to assign pilot candidates of extreme body size

to particular aircraft. This process avoids potential safety problems associated with aircraft/body size accommodation mismatches

and expands flight opportunities for candidates who might otherwise have limited opportunities.

Accomplishment The Human Effectiveness Directorate

measured approximately 30 test subjects of extreme body size in

24 USAF aircraft types to determine each aircraft's accommodation

levels. Directorate researchers used these survey results, along

with extensive anthropometric measures on all subjects, to predict

the ability of people of extreme size to accomplish performance

requirements as established by each USAF command.

The prediction equations developed from this research are quite

good—accommodation levels in most high-performance aircraft are

very close to original design specifications, people outside current

entrance requirements for size should not be assigned to these

aircraft, and some heavy aircraft can accommodate pilots of extreme

size. The USAF Surgeon General's (SG) office uses these results to

match pilot candidates of extreme size with specific classes or tracks

of aircraft defined by their accommodation limits.

Background Air Force medical standards (AFI-48-123) require

USAF pilot candidates to be between 64 and 77 inches in stature and

34 and 40 inches in sitting height. Directorate researchers use this

population to set design parameters for most USAF aircraft cockpit

layouts.

However, in the mid 1990s, the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program set body size design limits for the T-6 at 58

through 77 inches for stature and 31 to 40 inches for sitting height. Initially, the USAF considered relaxing entrance requirements

to make flight training more accessible to both larger and smaller candidates.

The directorate was involved in developing cockpit design and evaluation methods for many years, typically working with program

offices on specific platform requirements and testing. The current study applied those techniques to an evaluation of all USAF fleet

aircraft with the goal of setting new pilot selection criteria.

The directorate briefed the results to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, the

commander of the Air Education and Training Command, USAF/SG, and CORONA. The directorate also presented the results at

several conferences and published those results as a USAF technical report.
Passive Head/Neck Protection

System Reduces Neck Injuries

During Emergency Ejections

PayOlf A new passive head/neck protection system should decrease major injuries and fatalities caused by aerodynamic-induced

lift forces in the head/neck area for crewmembers ejecting at airspeeds to 600 knots equivalent air speed (KEAS).

Accomplishment The Human Effectiveness Directorate successfully led the development and demonstration of a passive

head/neck protection system that deploys during emergency ejection and reduces injurious lift loads acting on the ejection seat

occupant's head and neck.

BaCkgrOUIld Directorate researchers and contractors developed

and demonstrated a seat-mounted flow stagnation design that effectively

controls the lift forces on the neck and impact of the head with the headrest

during emergency ejections to 600 KEAS. The system is stowed on the

ejection seat during normal flight operations and deploys during emergency

escape.

Directorate researchers and contractors placed emphasis on seat-mounted

concepts to avoid crew encumbrance with the addition ofaircrew-mounted

restraint straps or helmet modifications. The effort has the potential to

decrease neck lift forces to non-injurious levels during high-speed ejections

for the expanded size and weight range of crewmembers from the smallframe female to the large-frame male.
HMD Visor Transmissivity Modeling

Promotes Target Recognition

PayOlt Study of the transmissivity or see-through performance of helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) helps researchers to

identify the key parameters that affect pilot target recognition range in a combat environment.

Accomplishment The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Crew System Interface Division derived a unique equation

that describes the interaction of key parameters on see-through helmet visors. The directorate modeled, tested, and verified the

expected results in the laboratory and in field studies before transitioning them to HMD programs for use in HMD and visor designs.

The directorate's HMD test results demonstrate a very strong correlation between the model's predictions and field trial results.

Background HMD testing in recent years shows that the

reflective coatings used to enhance symbology contrast on HMDs

interfere significantly with combat pilots' tactical situation awareness—

the ability to maintain visual contact with low-contrast targets and with

allied formation members to the maximum possible visual slant range.

Luminance contrast requirements for legibility of symbology on seethrough HMDs are fairly well established. However, the directorate has

not thoroughly investigated the see-through performance for HMDs to

identify key parameters and their interaction nor determined their

effect, if any, in a combat environment.

Division researchers began a thorough investigation that presented

numerous challenges, such as deriving an accurate, useful quantitative

expression for the effect of coatings on see-through helmet visors, and established measurement procedures that would accurately

determine if the physical quantities involved would behave as described mathematically. Additionally, after receiving pilot

confirmation that the laboratory results correlated with field performance, the researchers applied the field test results with respect

to a pilot's ability to find, fix, track, identify, and maintain target identification and location during combat air maneuvers.
Distributed Mission

Operations Effectiveness

r dyOlt The Human Effectiveness Directorate Warfighter Training Research Division's Training Systems Technology Team is

providing valuable data to Air Combat Command (ACC) relating to the design and application of Distributed Mission Operations

(DMO) systems for aircrew training. These data substantially enhance the effectiveness of DMO systems for fighter pilots and air

weapons controllers by identifying the tasks and missions best suited for DMO, defining the system capabilities required for effective

distributed training and creating a strategy for developing future training programs using DMO.

Research using DMO for Flight Leader Upgrade, Instructor Pilot Upgrade, and Fighter Weapons Instructor Course training programs

is demonstrating the return on investment realized through the effective integration of learning objectives-based DMO syllabi with

existing operational academic and live-flight aircraft training.

//-#•"

Accomplishment Structured interviews with F-16

instructor pilots and unit commanders indicated that many

mission-qualified pilots lacked recent experience in four-ship

tactics due to high cost, scheduling difficulties, constrained

airspace, and very limited availability and interactions with

Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) controllers.

The directorate's Training Systems Technology Team

developed and tested DMO training syllabi and measurement

methods that augment live-flight aircraft training with highfidelity, multiplayer simulation.

The training research syllabi involve the four-ship, F-16

DMO test bed, located in Mesa, Arizona, integrated with the

AWACS simulation facility, located at the directorate's site at

Brooks City-Base, Texas, and the constructive integrated air defense system developed and operated by the Air Force Information

Warfare Center, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas. With the support of ACC's DMO office, the directorate conducted training exercises

for mission-qualified F-16 pilots, supported by an instructor pilot and AWACS controllers.

Results demonstrate that complementing aircraft training with DMO enhances warfighter proficiency and reduces the need for

repeating training flights at the home unit. In addition, the Fighter Weapons School syllabus served as the initial test and validation

for new F-16 weapons employment standards implemented in the school. Validation in the Mesa test bed resulted in significantly

more rapid evaluation and adjustment ofthe standards than possible, using live flight alone.

BflCkgrOlind The Air Force's DMO program is a major advance in ground-based training that allows pilots and other

warfighters to train for complex, multiplayer combat operations using a network of flight simulators and other systems. DMO is

a shared training environment comprised of live, virtual, and constructive simulations that allow warfighters to train individually or

collectively at all levels of war.

DMO allows multiple players at multiple sites to engage in instructional^ valid training scenarios designed to focus on individual,

team, and intra-team competencies development and refresher training within a realistic combat-oriented environment. DMO

allows participation, using almost any type of networkable training device, from each weapon system and mission area.
Improved Laser Eye Protection Receives

Safe-to-Fly Recommendation

Payoff Newly developed laser eye protection (LEP) stops a second visible threat wavelength to operational aircrews in addition

to the far red and wideband near-infrared laser protection provided by previously fielded LEP.

Accomplishment The Human Effectiveness Directorate Directed Energy Bioeffects Division's LEP Team rapidly responded

to an immediate operational need from the Air Combat Command Vice Commander (ACC/CV) to provide time-critical data, data

analysis, and conclusions critical to obtain an unrestricted safe-to-fly (STF) recommendation for new, more capable LEP devices for

the warfighter. The LEP team's quick response resulted in a provisional STF recommendation within a month and an unrestricted

STF within 4 months of an ACC/CV tasking.

Background In August 2002, ACC identified an immediate

need to expedite laser protection for aircrew and sensors.

After presenting various options, ACC asked the directorate to

accelerate ACC and Air Mobility Command aircrew evaluations

of an improved LEP designed, developed, and demonstrated by

the directorate. The improved LEP provides protection from a

second visible threat wavelength.

ACC selected two formats for accelerated evaluations: (I)

conventional spectacles for aircrew not requiring vision correction,

and (2) clip-on articles for wear over aircrew-issued spectacles for

those who do require vision correction.

Within a month after receiving the go-ahead from ACC, the

directorate's military and contractor team collated, analyzed,

and delivered results of laboratory data on physical, optical, and

human visual performance of "Block 0+" LER an enhanced version of the current Block 0 LER to the 311 Human Systems Wing (HSW)

Program Office in support of a provisional STF recommendation. The scientific data was of such quality that the 311 HSW immediately

issued a provisional STF recommendation for wear of Block 0+ LEP while they accomplished final aircrew in-flight evaluations.

The directorate's contractor and government team accomplished final simulator, ground, and in-flight evaluations of Block 0+ LEP

with C-17 and F-15E aircrews and provided the final data package and analysis to the 311 * HSW The C-17 and F-15E aircrews of the

437th and 315th Airlift Wing and the 4

th Fighter Wing most frequently rated Block 0+ LEP either "highly" or "very highly" acceptable

and never "unsafe to fly."

{

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Human Effectiveness Study Helps Improve

ISAF Information Warfare Flights

P&yOlt A recently completed baseline study of US Air Force information warfare flights (IWF) highlights IWF issues and

requirements and provides input to improve existing IWF procedures and requirements.

Accomplishment The Human Effectiveness Directorate

conducted a baseline study to gather data to help the Air Combat

Command, Air Intelligence Agency, and directorate researchers gain

an understanding of IWF's missions, roles, and personnel. The study

helped capture critical decisions, position-specific requirements, and

internal/external coordinating agencies, and it included step-by-step

procedures for many of the IWF positions.

The directorate used the data to aid the development of information

warfare (IW)-related technologies for refining IW training requirements,

standardizing IWF procedures, and creating criteria for the Air Force

Inspection Agency's management reviews and inspections. The IWF

data collection effort, including the task checklists, also received general

officer-level praise and recognition.

Background The data collection consisted of two phases conducted at five continental US and outside-continental US

IWFs. Results of the study provided input to improve existing IW tactics, techniques, and procedures; operational requirements

documents; and IW system requirements, specification, and design documents. Additionally, the task diagrams evolved into task

checklists, providing focus and guidance and prompting action for information operations planners during contingencies and

exercises.
"-"

New Visor Offers Clear Improvement

PiiyOn A newly developed visor for flight helmets permits aircrew members to vary the visor's tint from 15-65% simply by turning

a knob. The visor can also adjust itself automatically as lighting conditions change and operate for many hours off of a small battery. This

unprecedented capability will allow pilots to optimize their vision and enhance the visibility of helmet-mounted displays (HMDs).

ACCOmpH$hltient Researchers and engineers within the

Human Effectiveness Directorate's Visual Display Systems Branch

conducted a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research project with

AlphaMicron, Inc. of Kent, Ohio, and developed a visor for the HGU55/P flight helmet that varies its tint electronically.

Although the visor's original purpose was to increase the contrast

of HMD images under bright daytime viewing conditions, it is also

useful as a stand-alone alternative to conventional, fixed-tint visors.

Commercial applications of the technology include sunglasses, ski

goggles, and visors for motorcycle helmets.

DdCKgrOUnd The new visor uses a thin layer of liquid crystals to control the orientation of dichroic dye molecules. This

design provides fast switching speed, high optical quality, a wide array of available tints, and allows the visor to revert to its lightest

tint state if power is lost.

Au"JSta/sire
Simulator Study Helps Validate

Safety of PRK for Aircrew

PayOlf The Air Force (AF) Surgeon General desired a test to determine whether photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery

could obtain refractive correction without impeding visual processing of static and dynamic stimuli in low-contrast and glare

conditions. Since haze and glare effects may evolve over time, a meaningful test was needed to accommodate a longitudinal

evaluation. Scientists at the Human Effectiveness Directorate employed a simulated cockpit to validate visual performance of

aircrew after PRK laser eye surgery. Results of this study contributed to the AF Surgeon General's continued approval of PRK to

correct myopia and astigmatism in aircrew.

A(<COItipli$hrf1£nt Directorate researchers combined three visual performance experiments, using laser and broadband

glare in the simulator, with other specialized tests measuring visual performance under aerospace conditions to answer the AF

Surgeon General's question concerning aircrew safety after undergoing PRK. The simulator study helped validate the visual

performance of aircrew under operational conditions after PRK.

Background The United States Air Force (USAF) has an

ever-increasing number ofaircrew requiringthe use of spectacles

for flying duties. Spectacle wear can create some significant

compatibility issues with the unique life-support systems that

are essential for survival in the aerospace environment.

For over a decade, the AF Surgeon General has approved soft

contact lens for aircrew, but not all aircrew members can wear

soft contact lenses. PRK is another alternative to spectacles and

soft contact lenses and may offer some distinct advantages in

operational situations.

The USAF had concerns about the aeromedical and operational

effects of laser surgery on the cornea. Other types of refractive surgery, including surgical keratoplasty procedures such as radial

keratotomy, have resulted in corneal haze, diurnal refractive instability, excessive ocular glare, and change in prescription following

prolonged exposure to altitude.

Standard visual acuity tests, which still comprise the primary basis for accession and retention in the military, may underestimate or

completely overlook the potential threat from corneal haze and ocular glare. This indicated a need for new tests to evaluate the

potential duty impact on the USAF.
Laser Range Management Software

Fielded at Over 45 Ranges Worldwide

Payoff The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Optical Radiation Branch at Brooks City-Base, Texas, built a Laser Range

Management Software (LRMS) system that allows for safe, realistic engagement with directed energy systems. LRMS combines

technology and military combat tactics to identify laser surface danger zones on digital terrain range maps. The software provides

operational planners the capability to develop missions that integrate the use of safe combat laser tactics.

Accomplishment The LRMS, running from a personal computer, calculates the laser surface danger zone (LSDZ), allowing

aircrew to receive the most realistic laser delivery training. It provides visualization of LSDZs to avoid overlap of endangered species

sanctuaries, manned positions, and/or uncontrolled land on a two-dimensional

terrain map. Aircrew can effectively use laser designators and illuminators without

fear of inadvertent injury to themselves or ground personnel. LRMS provides

LSDZs for ground-to-ground and air-to-ground laser engagements so aircrews

can also train with ground-forward air controllers who designate and illuminate

targets. The software has also provided a basis for future research developments

in advanced risk analysis.

LRMS is utilized at more than 45 Department of Defense ranges worldwide. The

software is also used to perform more effective and efficient laser range safety

surveys. LRMS reduces the size of old hand-drawn range LSDZs with greater

accuracy and saves the range community $70K a year in laser range analysis time.

Savings are increased with the continual creation of additional training ranges and

drastic modifications to current ranges. During the past 10 years, the cost and time

to complete a range survey has been reduced by about 40%.

Background The use of military and commercial laser systems has grown rapidly during the last few years. Military lasers

used by friendly forces provide a significant advantage in accomplishing military missions. Laser designators are a significant force

multiplier that reduces the risk to aircrew and materiel. Laser illuminators and pointers allow aircrew, special operations, tactical

ground personnel, and others to identify targets, enhance survivability, and reduce risk in combat. Effectiveness in combat requires

realism in training.

A software solution was needed to help the range users train as they fight, using laser target designators for precision-guided

weapons. In addition, the software must allow for the effective planning of range usage and quick-test mission safety planning as

well as to act as a training tool for laser safety.
Visionary Technology Demonstration

Supports Synchronized Air Force Operations

PayOff Demonstration of integrated information extraction, sharing, and presentation technologies provides vision for

synchronized Combat Air Force (CAF) and Mobility Air Force (MAF) operations.

ACCOmplishmetlt A joint Electronic Systems

Center (ESC), AFRL, Air Mobility Command (AMC), and Air

Combat Command (ACC) Team, with support from the Air

Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance,

and Reconnaissance Center (AFC2ISRC) and the Air Mobility

Battle Lab (AMBL), conducted a demonstration that showed

enhanced Air Force operations by providing command and

control, and aircrew common situation awareness and

proactive problem identification/resolution capabilities

in accordance with the Global Strike and Global Mobility

Concept of Operations (CONOPS). This effort was called

the Global CONOPS Synchronization Demonstration.

The Human Effectiveness Directorate's Global Air Mobility Advanced Technologies, along with the Information Directorate's

Integrated Flight Management/Advanced Technology Demonstration and Portable Interactive DataWall software and display

technologies, played a central role in this demonstration. They provided new capabilities and efficiencies in information processing

and flow, innovative visualization, common situation awareness, proactive problem identification, and support for rapid resolution

to all command and control nodes and simulated aircraft.

Background Major General Craig Weston of ESC, tasked ESC to develop a visionary demonstration that would highlight

the operational benefits of improved interoperability between MAF and CAF Command Centers and airborne aircraft. A joint ESC,

AFRL, AMC, and ACC Team, with support from the AFC2ISRC and the AMBL, built and conducted a demonstration based on a

Global Strike mission scenario involving a B-2 bomber mission launched from the continental United States.

The B-2 bomber rendezvoused with multiple MAF tankers en route to the targets. Events en route (such as Notices to Airmen,

changing weather, airspace restrictions, and retargeting) required rapid replanning and retasking capabilities. Communications and

information presentation technologies enabled the synchronous coordination and retasking of both airborne assets and groundbased command and control elements.
—

Real-Time Weather Management

Information Demonstrated

P&yOff The Human Effectiveness Directorate and the Air Mobility Battle lab demonstrated the ability to proactively identify

real-time problems due to changing weather conditions and provide that information directly to in-flight operators and aircrew. The

directorate developed software called the Work-Centered Support System for Global Weather Management (WCSS-GWM), which

was loaded onto an electronic kneeboard and used for the demonstration. The demonstration was provided to various Electronic

Systems Center and Air Mobility Command (AMC) senior leaders.

ACCOmplishmetlt The WCSS-GWM was developed under the Global Air Mobility Advanced Technologies program. The

system was customized for an electronic kneeboard to demonstrate critically needed real-time weather management capabilities

for in-flight aircrews.

Background Thewcss GWM

software already provided AMC's

ground-based command and control

(C2) operators the ability to anticipate

and resolve potential impacts on

missions due to changing weather

conditions. The electronic kneeboard

was developed under the Air Mobility

Battle Lab's Real-Time Information in

the Cockpit initiative. An electronic

kneeboard is a tablet-based computer

that is envisioned to replace the paperbased kneeboard currently used by

military pilots.

The demonstration used the WCSS-GWM software, electronic kneeboard hardware, and a simulated ground-to-air link, which

reflect the typical communications link between ground-based C2 nodes and AMC aircraft. The demonstration illustrated how

this combination could be used to proactively identify and simultaneously alert AMC's C2 personnel and aircrew of "pop-up"

weather hazards. Additionally, airfield weather conditions and forecasts, as well as relevant Notices to Airmen information, were

sent to the electronic kneeboard to enable C2 operators and aircrew to rapidly identify problems and jointly carry out necessary

replanning actions.
Air Force Communications Enterprise

Management System

Payoff The Information Directorate's Air Force

Communications Enterprise Management (ACEM)

system provides a tool to display high-level status of the

entire communications enterprise, the overall status

of a mission's communications enterprise, and the

communications status for each ofthe mission's functional

areas. The ACEM manages data networks (routers,

servers, hosts) and communications systems that are not

network-aware such as flight-line systems, transmission

systems, and switching systems (voice/video switches,

multiplexers, fiber and wireline systems, radios and radio

nets, and satellite communication systems).

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This Web-enabled software system provides visibility

into the communications enterprise for any level of

interest. The ACEM alleviates the current "stovepiping"

of communications management and control tools by taking status information from these tools, consolidating and translating the

information, and presenting overall communications status in an operational context, thus allowing personnel to know the operational

impact of communications faults and attacks.

Accomplishment The ACEM builds comprehensive enterprise awareness by collecting information from existing tools

as well as directly from information provider (IP) devices when needed and from non-IP devices. The ACEM's decision support

function then allows the translation ofthis pool oftechnical data into relevant, mission-oriented views that are scalable from a Major

Command perspective to a functional support concern (logistics) and even to an individual unit's area of interest.

The ACEM provides situational awareness of the entire communications enterprise and translates technical status information into

a view of each organization's (Operations, Headquarters, Medical, and Support) communications health. This allows prioritized

restoration of service and the best possible quality of service.

An ACEM server can obtain specific technical status information from each communications management tool and combine that

with other ACEM status information to determine and present communications enterprise status in an operational, mission-oriented

context. The ACEM objective is to allow anyone from the commander to the shift worker to access the communications status and

the operational impact of faults and attacks.

Background The ACEM completed an operational demonstration at the Air Combat Command Network Operations

Security Center, where it received and translated status information from the unclassified but sensitive Internet Protocol Router

Network, the secret Internet Protocol Router Network, and non-IP devices. Currently, the directorate is integrating ACEM with

the Multi-Domain Network Manager (MDNM), the Master Caution Panel (MCP), and the AF Enterprise Defense (AFED) to form

the Command and Control Enterprise Management System (C2EMS).

The MDNM builds an integrated network management capability across multiple security domains (unclassified, secret, top

secret, sensitive compartmented information, coalition). MCP provides situational awareness of command centers and application

programs. The AFED provides intrusion detection and network defense. The C2EMS will provide situational awareness of the

status of the entire C2 enterprise.
Flight Demonstration Showcases C2

Interoperability and Real-Time Collaboration

PayOlt The Information Directorate, along with Boeing Phantom Works, recently concluded a successful flight demonstration

of emerging information technologies that enable enhanced interoperability and real-time collaboration among command and

control (C2) and strike platforms.

Accomplishment This new technology, developed under the Weapon System Open Architecture (WSOA) program

(managed by the directorate), demonstrated advances in both C2 and strike platforms' ability to operate within a network-centric

environment. Directorate engineers conducted the flight demonstration using Boeing's F-15EI Advanced Demonstrator and a 737

Avionics Flying Laboratory.

The directorate's new technology transferred pictures of targets and updated threat locations within a minute from the 737 to

the F-15E. A joint tactical terminal on the 737 provided satellite communication input for part of the simulated time-critical target

scenario.

The WSOA program provides an open system architecture bridge across

multiple legacy platforms to support timely, efficient transmission of

situational-awareness information. The WSOA architecture leverages

commercial middleware technologies and adaptive resource management

technologies, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency's (DARPA) Quorum program and the directorate, to increase

interoperability over emerging tactical data links such as Link-16.

During the flight, Boeing illustrated both imagery support and the

ability for C2 and fighter aircraft to share data in real time in order

to retask en route strike forces in response to changes in mission

priorities such as time-sensitive targets. Boeing also demonstrated full

imagery downloads over Link-16 in less than a minute.

During the demonstration, Boeing passed target imagery, threat locations, and routing information to the F-15E. The F-15 weapon

systems officer selected and downloaded target images and collaborated with the C2 operator by annotating over a common

battlespace view to identify and attack the target.

Background The Air Force originally awarded the WSOA contract in 1999 to Boeing Phantom Works and its partnersWashington University of St. Louis, Missouri; BBN Technologies; and Honeywell. The directorate's Embedded Information Systems

Engineering Branch manages the contract, sponsored by the Computer Resources Support Improvement program, DARPA, Open

Systems Joint Task Force, and the Joint Tactical Terminal Program Office.
Information Directorate Helps Develop the

WAVE of the Future for Exploitation

of Weather Prediction Data

Payoff As any warfighter can tell you, weather can be your best friend or an absolute mission breaker. To address the weather

issue, the Information Directorate helped develop a standardized Web-based interface between warfighter applications and a

weather information service, using Internet hardware and software technologies. Weather Access for Visualization and Exploitation

(WAVE) allows warfighters to incorporate weather forecasts directly within their computer-assisted, decision-making processes.

ACCOHipllMinieilt Decision-quality weather data is available, but not readily accessible, to decision-support applications. The

process involves manual input, mental ingestion, translation, and exploitation, and it is cumbersome, slow, and error-prone.

Directorate personnel, working with the Command and Control Battlelab, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, and the

Defense Information Systems Agency-chartered Joint Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (METOC) Data Standardization

Working Group, facilitated the adoption of a Department of Defense Joint METOC Broker Language. This application programming

interface (API) allows warfighter applications to automatically

obtain numerical weather prediction data, produced and stored

within the military weather weapon system.

WAVE is exploiting the new extensible markup language web

service technology to provide warfighter applications with

access to numerical weather prediction data available within the

new Joint Weather Impacts System Environmental DataCube

(EDC). The EDC is a by-product of the directorate's Joint

Environment Exploitation Segment program.

Warfighter applications requiring numerical weather forecast

data can request data from WAVE. WAVE parses the request,

retrieves the desired data from the EDC, packages the results,

and sends the reply to the requesting application.

Background The attributes and object structure of the API, designed by the WAVE program, were fully accepted. Prior to

WAVE, there were no definitive plans to design or define a common API. Now, however, the Department of Defense is well on its

way towards using a standard. As a result of implementing the standard and the attendant Web-service technologies, warfighters

can visualize and exploit weather prediction data within their decision-support applications.
All-Purpose Remote Transport

System Supports Force Protection and

Active Range Clearance Activities

Payoff The All-purpose Remote Transport System (ARTS) provides the warfighter with a robust suite of tools to accomplish

force protection and active range clearance activities. It allows the warfighter to stay out of harm's way since no human is onboard.

All of the ARTS components are commercial off-the-shelf items designed to withstand intense conditions.

The vehicle's components allow technicians to make quick and inexpensive repairs when damage does occur and move the vehicle

control computer and software package from one vehicle platform to the next, reducing duplication of effort while maximizing

commonality across all platforms. The removal of the operator from the hazard area also reduces the requirement for expensive

and bulky armor plating.

ACCOmpllShltient Engineers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate developed a low-cost, survivable platform

capable of remote operations in a variety of mission profiles. ARTS, developed in cooperation with Headquarters Air Combat

Command and the 99th Civil Engineering Group, Nevada Test Range, already established its value during range clearance operations

and demonstrated great potential for success in force protection, fire fighting, natural disaster cleanup, inclimate weather operations,

range remediation, and active range clearance.

Background Following the tragic incident at Khobar Towers in June 1996, Air Force officials identified a need for the ability

to safely remove or disable terrorist bombs. Systems used at this time were too small to remove these improvised explosive

devices or disable weapons of mass destruction in such incidents, so the directorate's Airbase Technologies Division began working

on alternatives.

The division's Robotics Research Group, part of the Office of the

Secretary of Defense Joint Robotics program, coordinates the Air

Force effort to develop robotic technologies and systems that

provide land forces with highly mobile, multi-mission, unmanned

ground vehicles to achieve leap-ahead capabilities across a wide

spectrum of mission challenges. With the support of a contract team,

the directorate immediately sought to develop technology to respond

to these critical real-world situations.

The ARTS is a modified version of a standard light construction

tractor, the Posi-Track• MD70, manufactured and distributed by

All Season Vehicle, Inc., Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The platform

has a four-cylinder, liquid-cooled diesel engine that delivers power to the 18-inch wide, Kevlar-reinforced rubber tracks through a

dual hydrostatic transmission. The tracks have over 3,000 square inches of contact area, resulting in ground contact pressure of

approximately 2 pounds-per-square-inch. This vehicle profile allows for a low center of gravity and light footprint, which makes

the rugged and reliable vehicle the perfect candidate for range operations by minimizing forces that could detonate sensitive

munitions.

The Air Force has seen significant success for ARTS, as explosive ordnance disposal specialists have used it for unexploded ordnance

clearance and remediation. The Air Force currently operates several active bombing ranges where pilots train by dropping advanced

and lethal anti-armor/antipersonnel weapons.
Materials and Manufacturing Directorate

Engineers Brief American Air Forces

PayOU The logistics officers who attended weeklong logistics conference briefings are better informed and more adequately

prepared to handle aging aircraft issues facing their nation's armed forces. They have a greater understanding of current and

emerging technologies available from the US Air Force and AFRL. The knowledge and information imparted through the briefings

will strengthen the defense of the Western Hemisphere, foster trust and respect for the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate,

and help build strong professional relationships among the participating nations.

ACCOItipliSllllH!lit Directorate engineers briefed senior Air Force logistics officers from 18 North, Central, and South

American countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, on aging aircraft and available technologies to keep them

flying. Directorate engineers translated their briefings from English into Spanish since most of the officers speak Spanish.

Background General Thomas D. White, the US Air Force chief of staff in 1961, conceived the idea to gather the commanders

of the American Air Forces to strengthen friendly relationships and plan an effective professional cooperation system. The Air Force

held the first conference in April 1961 at Randolph Air Force Base (AFB), Texas and in Washington DC under the heading Conference

of the Chiefs of the American Air Forces, or CONJEFAMER, derived from Spanish—the conference's official language.

The commanders of the American Air Forces approved the

acronym SICOFAA for the System of Cooperation among the

American Air Forces in 1965 during the fifth CONJEFAMER

gathering. Today, member nations know SICOFAA as the

Constitutional Charter of the System of Cooperation among

the American Air Forces. Membership in SICOFAA is voluntary,

and there are currently 18 member Air Forces including the US

Air Force.

CONJEFAMER, the annual decision-making conference that

provides direction to the SICOFAA and implements the spirit

of cooperation within the system, constitutes the ideal forum

for the study of subjects of professional interest to the majority

of its members. Because it brings together the highest military

authorities from each of the member and observer American Air

Forces, CONJEFAMER is the highest level meeting within the

SICOFAA. The scope of the CONJEFAMER includes discussions and commander resolutions related to the organizational structure,

missions, objectives, and functions of SICOFAA and its eight operational committees.

Mr. Bruce Rasmussen and Mr. Juan Calzada, of the directorate's Metals, Ceramics, and Nondestructive Evaluation Division; Mr. Steve

Gerken, Mr. George Slenski, and Mr. Robert Ware, of the Systems Support Division; 2

nd Lt Brian Smith and Mr. Mick Hitchcock, of

the Manufacturing Technology Division; and Ms. Sally Chaney, of the directorate's Integration and Operations Division, played key

roles in CONJEFAMER's first annual Logistics Committee Conference at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Powerful Digital X-ray Flat-Panel Detector

and Software Transitioned to OC-ALC

for NDI Production Use

Payoff Digital X-ray flat-panel detector technology offers significant advantages over image intensifier systems because it

exhibits higher resolution capability due to its enhanced software imaging tools and small size. This improves an inspector's ability

to find anomalies in the captured image.

Accomplishment Engineers from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and the Aeronautical Enterprise Program

Office (AEPO) transitioned a new high-resolution digital X-ray flat-panel detector system and its image processing software to

Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center's (OC-ALC) Advanced Composite Repair Center Real-time X-ray Inspection facility. Funded

by AEPO, OC-ALC non-destructive inspection (NDI) personnel will use this detector system for real-time and static radiographic

production inspections of B-l, KC-135, E-3 horizontal and vertical flight control surfaces and B-l structural control vanes. This

system provides image archiving capability, enhanced performance, improved productivity, and best of all, higher resolution and

sensitivity than previous digital detector systems.

Background NDI inspections are important because they eliminate

the need for unnecessary maintenance and aircraft disassembly, which are

time- intensive and can potentially create additional damage and problems

in these Air Force systems. These inspections also pinpoint specific locations

requiring maintenance actions. Therefore, better NDI systems can yield huge

maintenance and cost savings for the Air Force.

X-ray radiography is an important NDI technique used to evaluate parts and

assemblies for integrity during aircraft component manufacturing. Inspectors

also use X-ray inspection in the maintenance of aging aircraft to inspect

structures and honeycomb cores for damage, internal moisture, corrosion,

and to evaluate intricate internal geometries in turbine engine components

for cracking and inclusions.

Under a contract with AEPO and the directorate's Nondestructive Evaluation Branch, Marietta X-ray, Inc. (MXRI) evaluated and

assessed the performance of various commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software systems from several X-ray detector platforms

using aircraft components. MXRI evaluated the General Electric (GE) DXR-250RT flat-panel detector system and GE Radworks 5.1

imaging software and selected them to meet the inspection requirements of OC-ALC.

The system's transition also marks the completion of the third phase of the Digital Radiography Insertion Program (DRIP). The DRIP

program focuses on transitioning digital radiography technology to address specific Air Force depot applications and improve NDI

depot production capabilities and productivity.
Lean Value Chain Success Relieves

Critical Part Shortage

Payoff At Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC), the number of rotor overhauls the center could accomplish increased

from 84 per month to 156 per month, while the average critical part resolution time decreased from 143 days to 61 days. At the

Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), helicopter engine overhauls increased from 10 per month up to 40 per month, while the

engine cycle time through the shop decreased from an average of 326 days to just 176 days.

Management can now immediately identify inventory shortages with greater flexibility in scheduling subsystem overhauls. Lean

Value Chain (LVC) improves visibility of aircraft status and forecasting capability, and better information allows for more effective

management decisions. LVC also produced significant reductions in the number of critical parts, time wasted searching for parts,

part inventories, and holding costs.

Accomplishment The Manufacturing Technology

(ManTech) Division of the Materials and Manufacturing

Directorate, in cooperation with KBSI, Inc. of College Station,

Texas, developed an LVC program that has dramatically

decreased critical part shortages for Air Force and Army

depots. LVC's goal to reduce critical part resolution time

by 50% was exceeded, improving the mission readiness of

Air Force aircraft that use General Electric (GE) F100 series

engines and the Army's Blackhawk helicopters by returning

them to service from routine depot maintenance faster than

before.

Increasing the mission readiness of weapon systems needed

by the warfighter is the greatest payoff from the LVC

program, but it is not the only one. In addition to the rate

increase in rotor and helicopter engine overhauls, a significant cost savings was achieved. At OC-ALC, a 52% reduction in the number of

rotor repair kits on-hand (from 436 to 208) resulted in an approximate $25 million one-time savings plus $4.5 million per year in recurring

savings.

Background Management procedures for the repair parts' inventory proved inefficient at the OC-ALC and the Army's

CCAD for helicopters. Critical part resolution time in the OC-ALC GE rotor repair shop increased to an average of more than

140 days. A critical part is any component, when unavailable, that stops the repair of a major weapon system subassembly, keeping

that system out of action. Parts were critical for reasons like sole-source contract negotiation delays, delayed deliveries from the

Defense Logistics Agency, and increased part condemnation rates due to age.

These issues meant the depots were unable to anticipate and identify critical parts in advance; determine the best course for

timely, cost-effective critical part resolution; and monitor and accelerate the critical part resolution process. In response to this

situation, ManTech funded the LVC for Critical Part Procurement project and received support from OC-ALC and CCAD. The

implementation of lean principles, re-engineered processes, and advanced technologies through largely computer-based resolution

strategies proved to be the solution, since they provided a more efficient method of running the depot operation.
Researchers Develop High-Performance,

Metal-Polymer Hybrid Signal Wiring for

Aircraft and Spacecraft

PayOlt To date, researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability to combine high-strength, high-temperature polymer

fibers with conductive metal precursors, resulting in the conductive, flexible, lightweight, and durable fibers needed to produce

polymer signal and shielding wires. This technology demonstrates 300% strength and 50% weight advantage over copper wiring.

Thus, polymer wiring shows significant potential for applications where flexibility, weight savings, and mechanical durability could

increase the life, while reducing maintenance and costs associated with commercial and military aircraft and spacecraft.

Accomplishment Engineers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, working with Syscom Technology, Inc. and

Boeing under an Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer program, have developed a conductive, lightweight, mechanically

robust polymer-based wire. Manufacturers could use this wire as an alternative to thin copper signal wire, and it may have other

uses such as an alternative to aluminum braid wiring for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for aircraft and spacecraft.

Background A typical Air Force bomber or transport aircraft has nearly 150 miles of power and signal wiring. In order for

aircraft components to remain functional, wires within the system must be conductive and robust.

Aircraft maintenance workers have noticed the wiring commonly used in an aircraft's EMI shielding and signal-processing

components can lose ductility and conductivity over time. Complicating matters further, insulation damage and corrosion result

from heat generated by aircraft systems and exposure to fluids. Any malfunction within an aircraft's wiring could require untimely

maintenance and impact mission readiness.

Directorate engineers are developing advances in preventative

maintenance, interconnecting technologies, and new materials

to meet the challenges associated with aging wiring and aircraft.

Syscom Technology, Inc., along with Boeing-Phantom Works, has

developed an alternative metal-polymer hybrid wiring.

The matrix material is a polymer fiber called poly p-phenylene

benzobisoxazole (PBO), and Syscom prepares PBO from a

nematic liquid crystalline solution. Syscom electroplates the highperformance polymer fibers with silver, copper, and nickel to form

a high-strength, low-resistance, metal-polymer hybrid wire.

Syscom engineers developed the processing scheme, which is

adaptable to large-scale production, and already produced 1,500 ft of

the fiber. Directorate engineers are conducting a materials analysis

to characterize the physical and electrical properties of the polymer

wiring.

*t^iR/snra
Engineers Develop First Response

Expeditionary Fire Vehicle

PayOlt The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate-developed First Response Expeditionary (FRE) fire vehicle bridges the

gap between flight line fire extinguishers and full-sized crash and rescue fire trucks. The FRE vehicle is ideal for small aircraft and

helicopter crashes, for hot pit refueling, and for tent city or deployed-base fire protection.

Directorate engineers designed the FRE vehicle to provide firefighters with a quick-reaction capability to extinguish small aircraft or

structural fires before they become uncontrollable. Users can operate the vehicle with minimal training or experience. The FRE

system is virtually maintenance free and is adaptable to a wide variety of mission profiles and vehicle platforms. In addition, the FRE

vehicle occupies minimal pallet space on a cargo aircraft and offers reduced water requirements and equipment weight.

Accomplishment Directorate engineers have developed a deployable, lightweight vehicle that provides crash and rescue

firefighting capability in a variety of mission profiles. The FRE fire vehicle, developed to meet Air Combat Command (ACC) and

Civil Engineering requirements, has already established its value during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM when ACC deployed several

of the units to protect helicopters, aircraft, tent cities, and other bare base operations.

BdCkgrOlind The P-19 firefighting vehicle, using aqueous film fighting foam, is the standard fire truck usually deployed to remote

locations for firefighting purposes. However, the P-19 is most effective in extinguishing two-dimensional (2-D), or pool, fires. Many times,

pool fires become 3-D when fed by fuel or another flammable liquid coming from an aircraft's damaged fuel or hydraulic lines. This

phenomenon makes the fire extremely difficult to extinguish.

In response to an urgent need for an easily operable, lightweight, air transportable, highly effective firefighting system, engineers at

the directorate's Airbase Technologies Division, developed a system capable of effectively and successfully fighting both 2-D and 3-D

hydrocarbon fuel fires.

The FRE vehicle consists of a Rosenbauer ultra-high-pressure

water system with a 2-cylinder, 22-horsepower Briggs and

Stratton engine and 1,500 pounds per square inch of pressure

pump. The 60-gallon system provides 14 gallons per minute of

foam/water to the aspirated/nonaspirated nozzle, which delivers

the firefighting agents in either a mist, stream, or aspirated foam.

The unit, fabricated by directorate engineers, uses a John Deere

military gator as its vehicle platform.

Directorate engineers made several modifications to the FRE

system to increase its effectiveness. These changes include

modifying the original nozzle design to combine aspirated and

nonaspirated foam functions, increasing the engine size to accommodate a higher flow rate, exchanging the foam tank for a standard 5-gallon

foam can, adding a sump pump to draft water from alternative sources, and adding a I kW generator to operate additional tools.

The directorate delivered six prototype units to ACC and to the US Central Command Air Forces. They plan to provide two more units

to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The directorate is transitioning this technology to Rosenbauer America, who will make the

system available for additional fire protection and crash and rescue efforts.
Engineers Rapidly Prototype and Develop

Airborne Engineer All-Purpose Remote

Transport System

PayOU The Airborne Engineer All-purpose Remote Transport System (AE-ARTS)

is a low-cost, survivable platform that augments explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)

so personnel can easily, safely, and effectively clear unexploded ordnances (UXOs)

and other debris from training ranges, air fields, and threat areas. AE-ARTS provides

users a robust suite of tools with which they can accomplish force protection and

active range clearance activities.

Accomplishment Working with Applied Research Associates, Inc., engineers from the Materials and Manufacturing

Directorate modified the standard ARTS platform to support new requirements of the AE. The directorate rapidly prototyped,

developed, and delivered the AE-ARTS to Headquarters Air Combat Command's

Airborne Engineering Teams during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM for EOD, active

range clearance, and debris-clearing activities.

Directorate engineers configured the AE-ARTS with new attachments including the

Harley Box Rake and a remotely operated Enhanced Standoff Munitions Disruption

system to dispose of small UXOs. The directorate developed and adapted a

new laptop Operator Control Unit (OCU) with situational awareness and Global

Positioning System tracking/location capabilities for the system. Each AE-ARTS also

comes with a remotely operated clamshell bucket for clearing larger debris and

obstacles from aircraft and other operating surfaces.

Background Engineers from the directorate's Air Expeditionary Forces Division developed the first-generation ARTS and

shipped the unit to the Southwest Asia area of responsibility just after Operation DESERT STORM. The first-generation ARTS,

a modified version of a standard light-construction tractor, had Kevlar-reinforced rubber tracks with over 3,000 square inches of

contact area, resulting in ground contact pressure of approximately 2 pounds per square inch.

The vehicle profile allows for a low center of gravity and light footprint, which makes the rugged and reliable vehicle the perfect

candidate for clearance operations by minimizing forces that could disturb a UXO. The VERTEK robotic conversion enables remote

operation of all tractor functions including engine start/stop, propulsion, lights, and tool operation.

The standard configuration includes fixed video cameras and digital radios, which transmit command signals from the OCU to the

vehicle, and an independent transmitter/receiver pair communicates audio and video from the vehicle to the OCU. The standard

ARTS operator control station includes the operator console with command-input device (joysticks and switches) and video

monitor, control station data encoder and transmitter, data and video receivers and antennas, and video/audio recorder.
Materials and Manufacturing Directorate

Researchers Validate Capabilities of

Hydraulic Fluid Purifier, Test Stand

rayOlt Hydraulic fluid purification could reduce the source of the Air Force's second largest waste stream by 75 to 90% without

negatively affecting the maintainability of aircraft hydraulic systems. Air Force implementation of purification processes should provide

millions of dollars per year in savings by eliminating procurement and hazardous waste disposal costs.

The Air Force expects additional savings due to the simplification of the life cycle of the fluid and a reduction in quality-assurance testing.

Using cleaner purified hydraulic fluid in aircraft hydraulic systems should improve reliability and extend the life of hydraulic system

components in the aircraft.

Accomplishment Scientists and engineers from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Nonstructural Materials

Branch, recently participated in a collaborative program with program managers at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; the Aeronautical

Systems Center's Aging Aircraft and Pollution Prevention offices; and Malabar International to validate a new piece of hydraulic ground

test and support equipment. Researchers verified that the system, a combination hydraulic ground test stand with a built-in hydraulic

fluid purification system, is capable of reducing air, moisture, dirt, and solvent contaminants in used hydraulic fluid to acceptable levels

in the required amount of time, and that used fluid can be reused rather than replaced.

Background Hydraulic fluids are critical safety components of flight

materials for all Air Force aircraft. Hydraulically actuated mechanisms are

responsible for a large number of aircraft functions ranging from highly

sophisticated flight controls to accessory door actuation. The Air Force alone

uses approximately 1,500,000 gallons of hydraulic fluid per year, costing more

than $15 million in procurement and disposal costs.

Currently, during routine aircraft maintenance, Air Force mechanics drain

and dispose of used fluid from aircraft and components. Recently, the Air

Force changed the technical order covering hydraulic fluids to allow the

reintroduction of purified fluid from an Air Force-approved purifier into the

aircraft if the aircraft is authorized to use purified hydraulic fluid and if the

hydraulic fluid has been purified.

Malabar International, a company based in Simi Valley, California, developed four similar hydraulic ground test and support purifier

combination systems to meet varying Air Force requirements. Because every aircraft has redundant hydraulic systems, Malabar

developed both two- and three-system test stands.

In aircraft with four hydraulic systems, as found in the B-2, Air Force mechanics can use 2 two-system test stands simultaneously to

accomplish maintenance. To meet varying deployment requirements, they developed separate test stands that run on either diesel or

electricity.

Electromagnetic interference testing of the test stand is the next step towards validation, followed by operational testing and evaluation

of the test stand and purifier. If the tests are successful, Malabar will build and deliver 600 separate systems for the Air Force.
ManTech's AMP Provides Air Force

Depots a Faster, Safer, Less Expensive

De-paint Method

Payoff The Aerial Multi-axis Platform (AMP) creates a 40 to 50% reduction in the de-paint flow time and a 70 to 100%

reduction in operator stress/injury, which results in a 20% reduction in overall cost associated with production paint stripping on

large cargo airframes like the KC-135 Stratotanker. Using the current Air Force workload of more than 200 aircraft per year, with

an average cost for de-paint of $200,000 per large aircraft, AMP has the potential to save more than $8 million per year.

Accomplishment The Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Division ofthe

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, with the cooperation of private companies

and the Department of Commerce, is developing AMR a revolutionary new process

for the stripping, or de-painting, of large airframes like the KC-135 Stratotanker.

BaCkgrOUIld The Air Force process for de-painting (stripping) large airframes, such as a KC-135, C-5, and C-17, has always

posed problems, especially with workers and their equipment accessing every part of the aircraft. The existing equipment used for the

process is difficult and time-consuming to accurately maneuver, causing frequent collisions with the aircraft. Additionally, environmental

regulation changes over time have caused increased blasting time, leading to operator fatigue and increased risk of injury.

ManTech managed and co-funded the program under a cooperative agreement with

US Technology Corporation, a noted leader in advanced de-painting technologies.

US Technology integrated the program, partnering with AeroSystems, a manufacturer

of overhead crane systems who used a technology, called the RoboCrane, developed

at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

US Technology constructed and installed the prototype unit in a production facility

at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. They suspended the RoboCrane from existing

hangar ceiling structures by six cables driven by six motorized winches, providing

coordinated motion for the enclosed control booth.

The operator can move the sealed booth in six different directions: up, down, forward, backward, right, and left, reducing flow time

by eliminating ground-based scaffolding, hoses, and other clutter that inhibits efficient movement and access around the aircraft.

AMP will significantly improve the entire working environment of the de-paint program to include required preparation, and depaint and de-prep tasks from the RoboCrane. Controlling the multiple (ganged) nozzles of the manipulator with a joystick, the

operator can perform the abrasive blasting on large airframes faster, more safely, and at less cost.
ManTech Savors Initial Flight Test

Success for MEMS-Based IMl in

Precision-Guided Munitions

PaVOn The HG-1900 Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)-based Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), chosen for the

NetFires Precision Attack Missile (PAM) program, represents reduced size and weight, needs less power, and is easier to produce

and more affordable than any other existing tactical-grade IMU. This proven IMU is suitable for a wide variety of smart missiles and

munitions of a smaller size, making it more appealing in improving surgical strike capabilities.

Accomplishment Officials from the Manufacturing Technology (ManTech)

Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, have scored a huge success in

the joint Air Force/Navy ManTech program—Affordable MEMS-based IMUs for Missiles

and Munitions. The Army High-G MEMS IMU program builds on the success of the

ManTech program by developing a G-hardened MEMS IMU, which will ultimately meet the

performance requirements of 90% of Department of Defense (DoD) tactical munitions

and missiles. NetFires PAM, when implemented, will provide the Army with extendedrange precision munitions for deployable ground forces against hard targets such as tanks

and command and control vehicles.

Specific Army ManTech successes include the transition from the HG-1900 to a high-G

hardened HG-1920, the qualification of a new MEMS foundry, and reduction in overall

piece part count and, thereby, price of the current IMU. By jointly working this program,

the Army takes advantage of early Air Force/Navy successes and advances the MEMS IMU

to DoD-wide applications.

During the 75-second flight, the PAM flew to an altitude of approximately 20,000 ft and successfully executed a number of test

maneuvers using the navigation unit that consisted of the HG-1900 (MEMS-based) IMU, integrated with a Global Positioning System

receiver. The demonstration also included success in updating the missile's guidance point in mid-flight, resulting in a successful

intercept. With the success of this flight test, the Army's PAM developer, Raytheon, named the ManTech program's HG-1900,

developed by Honeywell, as the baseline IMU for the NetFires PAM program.

Background Manufacturers use micromachining techniques to produce electrically

driven, miniature mechanical structures called MEMS. In the case of silicon-based MEMS, such

as those used in the HG-1900, the manufacturer performs micromachining using standard

integrated circuit (IC) fabrication techniques. This allows silicon-based MEMS to leverage the

existing IC industry, enabling the mass production of precision devices.

The MEMS-based HG-1900 is suitable for a variety of commercial guidance and navigation

systems. A prime goal of the ManTech program has been to develop a MEMS process

that allows for wider adoption and implementation through technology transition into the

commercial arena as well as into additional military applications.
Advances in High-Temperature Composites

Lead to Bleed Air Duct Cover Solution

PiiyOn Breakthroughs in high-temperature polymer matrix composites and a legacy of applying advanced composite technology

to solve aircraft structural and service life challenges allowed researchers from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate to

quickly design an air duct cover to replace the older cover, which was degrading in the B-1 B's high-temperature environment.

Researchers provided a material solution that is lightweight and performs successfully in a high-temperature environment. The new

polyimide wrap is applied as a field-level repair during regular maintenance intervals, and it also provides the Air Force cost savings

over the current practice of replacing the entire air duct structure when degradation in the old composite material threatens the

integrity of the aircraft.

ACCOinpllShltient Directorate research scientists and engineers, along with the B-1B System Program Office (SPO) and

Ogden Air Logistics Center (ALC), designed and prototyped a replacement cover for B-1B bleed air ducts. The ducts connect the

aircraft's engine bleed air to a heat exchanger, and the cover is critical to keep volatile fluids from reaching a duct's hot surface, a

situation that could prove catastrophic to flight operations. The new polyimide shell resolves duct cover degradation problems with

the current duct cover.

Background The basic construction of a B-IB bleed air duct

includes a metal duct structure, which is surrounded by a layer of insulation.

Surrounding the insulation layer is a polymer composite shell made with a

polymide resin. Air flowing through the ducts regularly reaches temperatures

between 800° and 1,200°F. The shell is essential to operating the aircraft

safely because it keeps volatile fluids separated from the duct's hot surface.

B-1B systems' engineers at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, contacted

specialists at the directorate's Advanced Composites Office (ACO) at Hill Air

Force Base, Utah, after they noticed that resin in the cover was deteriorating

at the flanges where the polyimide material turns inward. This deterioration

caused a significant and costly problem for aircraft maintainers because

no repair procedure for the polyimide cover existed, so any duct in poor

condition was condemned or replaced.

After consulting with experts from the directorate's Nonmetallic Materials Division, engineers at the ACO suggested that recently

developed resin (AFR-PE-4) material characteristics qualified it as a candidate replacement for the degrading polyimide material.

AFR-PE-4, a polyimide class material, is lightweight and has good thermal oxidative stability, which keeps it from degrading or burning

at the elevated temperatures encountered in this application.

An ACO representative visited the directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to receive technical guidance and hands-on

experience with the AFR-PE-4 material and its processing techniques. Using specific technical data gathered during collaboration

with the directorate, ACO engineers used their expertise to design a new duct cover.

Ogden ALC at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, will manufacture and produce the air duct covers at their unique high-temperature-capable

production facility. The B-1B SPO authored instructions that will enable air force maintainers to apply the new covers as a field-level

repair during the B-1 B's regular maintenance intervals.
Dynamic Two-Way Time

Transfer Communications

PayOfl Research in time synchronization performed by the Sensors Directorate extends current methodologies, such as

the dynamic two-way time transfer (DTWTT), to airborne platforms using multiple communications scenarios. The specific

implementation of the system lends itself to integration with standard and tactical communication links. It requires limited

bandwidth and provides precise timing information without the need for costly equipment dedicated solely to time recovery.

ACCOmpllShment In conjunction with Timing Solutions

Corporation, the directorate successfully demonstrated a wireless

DTWTT system having the first sub-nanosecond synchronization

between an airborne clock and a reference clock on the ground.

Implementations of the system included using satellite relays and

line-of-sight communication links in the demonstration.

The system is Global Positioning System (GPS)-independent

and a significant step forward for airborne timing users, nearly

doubling current capabilities. Users can insert this technology

into any architecture with communications links.

Background Static satellite time transfer, operational for nearly 20 years, required a dedicated communications channel.

For approximately 6 years, the technology of time-based communications (TBC) embedded timing information into the background

of active data communication channels to provide precise static time synchronization to those users with stringent timing

requirements.

Users can implement TBC over most communication links, and it is applicable to both existing and planned communication systems.

TBC is particularly attractive because it requires less than 4.8 kbps of bandwidth and typically occupies a minimal portion of the

overall channel bandwidth.

In addition to its background capability, DTWTT is a wireless technology connecting ground-to-air platforms, and it only requires

general knowledge of a platform's position and velocity. Researchers use this information in computing corrections to the timing

data related to the motion of the platforms and rotation of the earth.

However, accuracies provided by GPS are not necessary, and the system demonstrated sub-nanosecond precision, using only the

inertial navigation system of the aircraft. This represents a significant milestone in the fielding of an operational time synchronization

system independent of GPS.
Active Flow Control Enables Safe

Supersonic Weapons Release

PaVOn Future generations of strike aircraft will almost certainly require the ability to release weapons at high supersonic and/or

hypersonic speeds. This requirement demands the development of technology that will help stabilize the release of stores at these

high-speed regimes. Through its groundbreaking experimental efforts, the Long Range Strike Aero experiment (LRSAe) has taken

a huge step in proving the viability of active flow control as a solution to this problem.

Accomplishment The Air Vehicles Directorate, in cooperation

with Boeing Phantom Works, successfully demonstrated the safe

supersonic release of 10%-scale, 500 lb Joint Direct Attack Munition

(JDAM) models from a rectangular bay using active flow control

technology. The directorate conducted free-drop tests at Boeing's

Polysonic Wind Tunnel in St. Louis, Missouri.

Through these experiments, LRSAe established a clear improvement of

separation characteristics when they applied active flow control (AFC).

The JDAM models in the baseline drops invariably changed direction

immediately after leaving the bay, subsequently striking the bay while

the runs with AFC consistently provided safe separation over a range of

Mach numbers.

Background At supersonic flight conditions, the dynamic and unpredictable environment around the aircraft includes strong,

unsteady shock systems and expansion fans—features which are not present at lower velocities. This is in addition to the turbulent

shear layers, boundary layers, and separated flow that influence store separation at all flight regimes. These forces may alter the

trajectory of the store towards the aircraft and cause a potential hazard to both the store and the releasing aircraft.

LRSAe's purpose is to develop flow control technologies that will eventually overcome the technical challenges associated with

weapons integration on a supersonic platform. It has included several types of wind tunnel experiments using a 10%-scale weapons

bay model and scaled Mk-82JDAM models.

The directorate performed testing to demonstrate significant acoustic reductions achieved using several kinds of AFC devices. Grid

survey testing showed significant differences between the baseline and AFC cases in the pitching moments applied to the store

outside the bay.

Directorate researchers validated the results of this grid testing by a free-drop experiment where high-speed video captured the

behavior of 12 stores released into the supersonic flow. The success of this wind tunnel entry prompted the addition of another

test in which 40 weapon models were released. The combined results of all this experimentation show AFC as undeniably effective

technology for enabling supersonic weapons integration efforts.
Automatic Air Collision Avoidance

System Test Successful

PdyOlt The automatic Air Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) uses Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL) data to determine

if a collision is imminent and, if so, temporarily takes control of the aircraft away from the pilot for a very short time and steers each

aircraft into an optimal escape maneuver. As soon as the aircraft begin to diverge, the system returns control to the pilot. If one of

the aircraft involved is an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), then the UAV will always give ground unless otherwise necessary.

ACCOItipliShl11£llt The Air Vehicles Directorate successfully tested the auto ACAS in two flight sessions held at Edwards

Air Force Base (AFB), California. This particular block of tests focused on the SADL data link, a component of the ACAS located

inside the aircraft that transmits data between itself and surrounding aircraft.

In all cases, the F-16 and the virtual target aircraft established the necessary data link and transmitted data between the two aircraft,

and overall SADL performance improved during the course of the two sessions. Both US and Swedish pilots who have flown the

auto ACAS simulations agree that it has potential as a valuable tool because it activates at the right time. They find it most beneficial

during times when pilots lose sight of each other and do not realize a collision may be imminent.

Background The directorate developed ACAS as the first fully automatic air collision avoidance system for use in military

aircraft. Previous collision avoidance systems were always manual—a tone gave the pilot a collision warning and the pilot performed

a quick assessment and evasion maneuver.

However, a manually operated system would not work with fighter

aircraft since normal pilot reaction time is too slow. The collision

alarm would sound constantly during a typical, close-in, air combat

scenario with multiple enemy and friendly aircraft. The ACAS allows

rapidly maneuvering fighters to operate together without the concern

of pilot reaction time.

The effort to develop the ACAS started in 2000 when officials from

the US Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, wanted

to look into the possibility of an automatic anti-collision system to

prevent fighter mishaps. The safety center asked the directorate's

Control Sciences Division to undertake this task because of its success

in developing the automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System.

Other ACAS development team members included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research

Center and Sweden's Forsvaret Materielverk. Sweden is looking into implementing the system into their Gripen fighter.

Restrictions on where UAVs can currently operate in the US are leading the effort to get unmanned aircraft outfitted with the

ACAS. Currently, UAVs can only operate in limited areas or at very high altitudes over the country. In order for UAVs to be a fully

operational part of the Air Force, they must fly to where they are needed and not depend on other transportation to get them there,

even if it means flying in the same airspace used by private and commercial aircraft.
Bio-Inspired Algorithms Allow

lAVs to Act as Teams

PayOlt Just like geese, humans do not need complicated formulas to fly formations. Both geese and humans rely on simple rules

coupled with simple communications and location information that interact to emerge the desired formation. The leader is the only

vehicle that needs to know where its location is and where it is going; all other vehicles fly positions from the leader determined by

simple rules, leaving their throughput free to run other algorithms such as threat locating or weapons management.

New bio-inspired algorithm technologies will allow groups of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to act as teams, similar to current

manned aircraft. Embedding teaming capabilities will increase the UAV operator's span of control, decrease communication

bandwidths, and increase operational flexibility.

Accomplishment The Air Vehicles Directorate's futuristic program exploring UAV strike package teaming is the Integrated

Tactical Aircraft Control (ITAC) program, which has successfully demonstrated formation flight capability using biologically inspired

multi-UAV control algorithms. These algorithms simplistically and elegantly capture how pilots fly formations while reducing system

throughput and communication requirements, easing integration into real-world systems.

Formation management software agents collect the algorithms and

integrate them into the greater ITAC architecture. The formation

steering agent manages these steering modes, switching intelligently

between them as commanded or as the situation requires.

The rejoin mode determines a trajectory for one vehicle to

efficiently maneuver into formation with another vehicle and

provides steering commands to the vehicle along that trajectory.

The UAV operators switch between different turn modes to

perform more energy-efficient maneuvering while in formation.

Its creator received the prestigious Perkin's Award for in-house

research excellence for this work.

Background ITAC is the directorate's international, collaborative, autonomous control development program for multiple

combat UAVs. Boeing and Dassault Aviation, in conjunction with the directorate and the French Ministry of Defense, jointly pursued

the development of autonomous control technologies for combat UAVs.

The directorate is responsible for several of the software agents making up the ITAC software architecture. Besides the Formation

Management Agent described above, the directorate also built the Vehicle Integrity Manager and System-Wide Integrity Manager, and

they are currently transitioning these to other laboratory autonomous control technology development efforts.
AFRL Small Business Contractor

Demonstrates Automated Solution to

Complex Resource Scheduling Challenges

Payoff The Space Vehicles Directorate tasked Quantum Leap Innovations (QLI) of Newark, Delaware, with developing an

intelligent software scheduling solution capable of solving complex scheduling problems in almost any domain. As a demonstration

of the software's power and flexibility, the company developed prototype scheduling solutions for the Air Force Satellite Control

Network (AFSCN) and the Space Lift Range System (SLRS).

Accomplishment The directorate awarded Phases I and II of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to QLI to

develop an artificial intelligence-based software tool capable of rapidly creating solutions to complex resource scheduling problems.

The Scheduling and Planning Framework (SPF) provides an interactive graphical environment that allows the modeler to specify

scheduling problems using scheduling concepts like jobs,

resources, requirements, constraints, and objectives.

QLI integrated their patented optimization engine, the

Problem Solving Engine, with the SPF to solve the resulting

model. By comparing the trade-offs associated with the

top five schedules, the scheduler can select a schedule that

meets his changing priorities and constraints.

For the AFSCN, SPF scheduled 80-90% of one day's

ground antenna-to-satellite contact requests in less than

I hour. SLRS schedules are particularly complex, but SPF

scheduled 50-60% of the requested launch range assets in

less than 10 minutes.

In recognition of QLI's work, the company received the Small Business Administration's Tibbetts Award. The Air Force gives this

award annually to approximately 65 companies out of thousands of SBIR program participants.

Background The SLRS consists of ground-based surveillance, navigation, flight operations and analysis, communications,

and weather assets located at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB), Florida and at Vandenberg AFB, California. This mission provides

the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and commercial customers with

a highly reliable, integrated system to support spacecraft launch, ballistic missiles, and aeronautical testing. The launch range

scheduler must correctly allocate support personnel, fuel and fire trucks, tracking antennae, transmit frequencies, and even volumes

of air space.

The AFSCN is a worldwide network of remote tracking stations that offers real-time satellite tracking, command relay, and

telemetry reception for DOD, NASA, and commercial customers. The schedulers at Schriever AFB, Colorado, must attempt to

provide support for 450-500 ground antenna-to-satellite contacts per day.

'tlfelR/SirR
•

Active Aeroelastic Wing Parameter

Increases Aerodynamic Efficiency

Payoff Active aeroelastic wing (AAW) technology can benefit future aircraft designs including unmanned air vehicles, advanced

transports, and advanced fighter concepts such as future strike. Design studies have shown that the technology can decrease aircraft

weight 5-20%, depending on the mission.

When applied to fighters, the AAW design approach enhances maneuverability by increasing wing control power and improves

roll rate at higher dynamic pressures. AAW wings provide large amounts of roll power using conventional control surfaces while

controlling air loads and reducing overall aircraft drag. In high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, AAW technology can be used to

alleviate gust loads and manage wing warping to increase aerodynamic efficiency.

Accomplishment The Ar Vehicles Directorate, in cooperation

with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight

Research Centers and Boeing Phantom Works, successfully completed

the first phase of flight research for the AAW. The test platform was an

F/A-18A modified with a split, leading-edge flap drive system, a modified

flight control computer, and a flexible wing with thinner skins that allowed

the outer wing panels to twist up to 5°.

More than 1,600 sensors on the F/A-ISA measured parameters

such as control surface positions, wing deformation, structural strain,

frequency response, and accelerations. Engineers will use this parameter

identification data to develop new AAW flight control laws and design

guidance for future AAW applications.

Background AAW is a multidisciplinary, synergistic technology that integrates air vehicle aerodynamics, active controls, and

structures together to maximize air vehicle performance.

The concept turns wing aeroelastic flexibility into a net benefit through the use of multiple leading and trailing edge control surfaces

activated by a digital flight control system. AAW techniques use air stream energy to achieve this desirable wing twist with very little

control surface motion. The wing then creates the needed control forces with outstanding effectiveness. When AAW technology

is applied correctly, the wing will twist less (although in an opposite direction) than a conventional wing twists during maneuvering.

AAW technology will enable future designers to consider higher aspect ratio and thinner wings with less structural weight than

current wing designs.
Munitions Directorate Helps Develop a New

High-Performance, Low-Cost Steel

PaVOn The patented Eglin Steel alloy, developed for hard-target penetrator purposes, has far-reaching military potential

applications, ranging from missile parts to tank bodies to any weapon system whose main structural components require high

strength and toughness. The commercial implications are numerous as well, since the alloy's high strength and toughness

characteristics can increase the overall endurance of machine parts, allowing for much greater periods between replacements than

conventional materials.

Eglin Steel alloy is easy to weld, making it an attractive choice for a wide variety of built-up sections. The future looks bright

for this high-performance, low-cost composition as a very viable candidate for the Guided Bomb Unit-28 pre-planned product

improvement warhead case material.

Accomplishment Using funding from the Dual Use Science

and Technology program, Dr. Morris Dilmore, from the Munitions

Directorate, and Mr. James Ruhlman, consultant for Ellwood

National Forge Company, developed and institutionalized a new

high-performance, low-cost steel, named Eglin Steel, along with the

associated melting, forging, and heat-treating processes required to

deliver superior mechanical properties. This material has great potential

for both military and commercial use and already exhibits increased

depths of penetration and improved stability over conventional

materials in scaled testing of hard-target penetrators.

Eglin Steel is outstanding not only because it exhibits superior strength

and toughness (the ability of the material to absorb energy without

fracturing) to that of conventional penetrator materials that are currently used for warhead cases, but also because its cost is equal

to or less than that of these traditional, lower-performance casing materials. In today's environment, cost is an important factor

for all military systems, and Eglin Steel will allow potential contractors to realize a reduction in their material cost estimates, while

increasing the material performance necessary to ensure program success.

Background Defeat of hard and deeply buried targets continues to be of great interest to the United States Air Force

due to the ever-increasing challenge of destroying enemy assets housed either in tunnels or in deeply buried bunkers. In general,

two avenues are available for destroying targets of these types: (I) an increase in the sectional pressure (weight per unit area) of a

penetrator, and (2) an increase in penetrator impact velocity.

Increasing penetrator weight (cross-sectional pressure) is not an attractive choice, since the trend is toward smaller, more mobile

weapon systems; therefore, an increase in impact velocity is the more desirable alternative. To survive high-velocity impact and

destroy a hard or deeply buried target, the casing materials must exhibit excellent measurements of ultimate and yield tensile

strengths, elongation, and toughness values.

About 4 years ago, the directorate, located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, initiated a program to develop a penetrator steel

material having mechanical properties similar to current materials, with a corresponding cost reduction of up to 85%. Directorate

engineers helped develop Eglin Steel with mechanical properties necessary to meet weapon performance requirements.
Powered LOCAAS Hits Target in First

Complete System Flight Test

PiiyOff The Munitions Directorate successfully flight tested its powered Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS),

equipped with a multimode warhead. This marked the first time the system autonomously located, attacked, and fired a warhead

at a target, meeting all test objectives.

ACCOmpHshmeilt The successful LOCAAS flight test represents

a significant step in demonstrating an autonomous wide-area-search,

miniature-munition capability for the warfighter. The technology

demonstrated today offers the potential to transform the battlefield in the

near term.

In this test, a test aircraft released LOCAAS over the Eglin Air Force Base,

Florida range. After release and flying under its own power, LOCAAS

used its onboard Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System to

navigate to two waypoints prior to searching for the target—a relocatable

surface-to-air missile (SAM) launcher. The Laser Radar (LADAR) seeker,

automatic target acquisition algorithms, and guidance and control software worked together to provide the multimode warhead and

fuze with information to time the arming sequence and mode selection, and time to detonate.

In the target area, LOCAAS rejected a non-target military vehicle intended to confuse the system, as could occur in an actual battlefield

scenario. The LOCAAS acquired and correctly identified the target, tracked it, and detonated the warhead above the target at the

appropriate time and location. Fragments from the warhead impacted and penetrated the SAM transporter/launcher/radar system.

Background Developed in conjunction with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, LOCAAS is compatible with F-16,

F-22, Joint Strike Fighter, B-1, and B-2 aircraft. The LOCAAS is a miniature, autonomous, powered munition, capable of broad-area

search, identification, and destruction of a range of mobile ground targets.

LOCAAS is a low-cost LADAR sensor coupled with a multimode warhead and a maneuvering airframe to produce a highperformance submunition. LOCAAS can detonate the warhead as a long-rod penetrator, an aerostable slug, or as fragments, based

on the hardness of the target. The LADAR allows LOCAAS to automatically determine target aimpoint and warhead selection. The

powered LOCAAS uses a small turbojet engine to power the vehicle.
Canada to Implement +100 Fuel Additive

PaVOlt The +100 additive, developed by the Propulsion Directorate's Fuels Branch, minimizes maintenance associated with fuel

degradation in aircraft engines and fuel systems. The +100 additive significantly reduces fuel-related maintenance costs for a wide

range of military and commercial systems.

ACCOmpliShment Canadian Forces recently announced their

intentions to convert their ground-based air operations from North Atlantic

Treaty Organization (NATO) F-40 (military JP-4) fuel to NATO F-37, also

known as JP-8+100 fuel. This shift will make Canada the third NATO

member to adopt the +100 thermal stability fuel additive following the lead

of the United States and Denmark.

Background At the end of Canada's transition period, from F-40 to F-37, current F-40 suppliers in Canada, which include

Shell and Petro-Canada, will stop producing F-40/Jet B-type fuel.

Canada is currently putting the infrastructure in place to supply fuel with

the +100 additive to aircraft. Their planning provides for various means of

injecting the additive into the fuel including injection at the loading rack, on

refueling vehicles, or with a portable unit.

Canada will not put +100 additive into storage tanks since aircraft not

converting to the +100 additive will not be able to use the fuel. Canadian

Forces will retain the flexibility to use both fuels. They will provide F-34

(JP-8) without the +100 additive to non-program or transient aircraft and

will retain the F-44 (JP-5) fuel for shipboard operations.
Low-Cost Portable Wear Debris Monitor

Developed for Turbine Engines

PayOlt The Propulsion Directorate and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) can now diagnose potential engine

bearing failures more reliably and quickly with cheaper and less bulky commercial off-the-shelf monitoring equipment, thanks to

recent experiments. Flight line use of unwieldy and costly scanning electron microscope (SEM) systems may be a thing of the past

with UDRI's more cost-effective alternative.

ACCOmpllShment The directorate's Mechanical Systems Branch and UDRI developed a portable wear debris monitor that

detects and identifies bearing wear debris in turbine engines. The device, based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology, provides

visual imaging, size measurement, and alloy composition determination. This detailed information allows flight-line personnel to

track and identify wear debris taken from the engine's bearings and take appropriate maintenance actions to prevent lubrication

system failures.

Background The XRF instrument is benchtop size and could potentially replace SEM technology

currently in use for bearing debris analysis by the Air

Force. The XRF would cost approximately 80% less

than SEM instruments and weigh 72% less, while

providing essentially the same capability.

The new commercial off-the-shelf system is also less

expensive to maintain. Annual maintenance costs

are approximately 85% less than the bulky SEM

system.

Technicians could use the XRF system for commercial

engine debris analysis as well as other industrial

failure critical applications where metallic wear

debris is available for examination. The directorate recently demonstrated the XRF for the Propulsion Product Group at Oklahoma

City Air Logistics Center. The Air Force is considering the device for field demonstration in the upcoming Patriot 2003 exercise.
Propulsion Directorate Develops More

Efficient ECU for Deployable Tents

PaVOn A new environmental control unit (ECU), a field-deployable tent cooler that heats or cools military tents in the most

extreme temperatures, promises a 28% boost in performance while reducing weight and volume by 56%. The ECU improves

reliability and maintainability in a deployed environment, reduces generator requirements, saves fuel, and will cut the total power

consumption at deployed airbases.

Accomplishment A Cooperative Research and Development

Agreement between the Propulsion Directorate and Mainstream Engineering

Corporation resulted in the building and testing of a more lightweight and

efficient ECU for deployable tents. The directorate and Mainstream

Engineering Corporation developed the new ECU to provide comfort for

US troops and to keep vital operational equipment running smoothly under

the most extreme conditions. During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, US

troops used less efficient and bulkier tent coolers for relief from the 125°F

heat of the Iraqi desert and to protect military equipment stored in tents

from harsh weather conditions that could degrade performance.

The current design features improved maintainability, performance, and

cost, while the training required to maintain and operate the unit was

simplified. The unit also uses standard commercial parts, and there are no

exotic components or materials.

The Department of Defense deems the new tent cooler environmentally

friendly with no ozone-depletion potential since the unit uses Puron (R-41OA)

refrigerant. The existing "-39" version ECU operates at low power, is bulky,

and uses an ozone-depleting refrigerant (R-22).

Background The directorate recently tested the new unit at Fort Drum, New York during Patriot Exercise 2003. The

directorate designed the second-generation prototype to operate in nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) mode or non-NBC

mode.

The ECU can act as either a heater or an air conditioner and can be operated with a remote control. Compared to previous models

that took up to 10% of the airbase deployment weight, the current ECU would reduce that by more than half.
Ultra-Fast Analyzer Ensures

Safe Use of Jet Fuels

Payoff The Propulsion Directorate, in partnership with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), developed a rapid

investigative tool using commercial off-the-shelf equipment that can characterize key fuel properties in less than 5 minutes. The

equipment was developed to support the Air Force Petroleum Office deployed laboratories.

The ultra-fast gas chromatographic method determines the fuel's "fingerprint" and uses the information to predict distillation range,

freeze point, flash point, and sulfur content. The fingerprint also helps to identify potential fuel contamination.

Accomplishment Directorate chemical

research engineers in the Fuels Branch and UDRI

created a fast gas chromatograph (GC) that runs a

fuel recognition process in only 5 minutes versus a

standard GC that takes about I -2 hours. The new

GC quickly detects off-spec fuel and identifies fuels

differently than they were originally labeled.

The directorate developed the equipment to reduce

the transportation footprint and time required to

run four different tests using four separate instruments. The unit is also field-deployable and relatively inexpensive, at an estimated

$35,000 for each instrument. The instrument gives warfighters rapid distillate fuel recognition of Jet Propellant (|P)-8, JP-7, Jet A, Jet

Propellant Thermally Stable, diesel, and aviation gas along with composition-property relationships for flash point, distillation range,

freeze point, sulfur content, heat combustion, and others.

Background The fast GC is an instrument that examines different fuel types by separating the complex petroleum mixtures

and determines whether or not they are safe for military use. The GC creates a very accurate "fingerprint" depiction of each fuel

type. Samples of fuels are placed in a computer-controlled auto sampler that places the bottle containing the fuel under a syringe

that extracts the fuel. The fuel in the syringe is then injected into a glass tube, the inside of which is slightly larger than a human

hair. The smaller the dimensions of the tube, the faster the analysis. Inside the tube, the fuel separates into its volatile and nonvolatile components. The most volatile components evaporate first and the least volatile ones last longer. From this process, a gas

chromatogram is formed that can then be related to various properties of fuel.
Sensors Directorate Engineer/Technician

Duo Invents Switch for AFSOC Radios

rayOlt Sensors Directorate personnel invented a lightweight, durable, user-friendly switch, called the Kessler-Coates (KeCo)

switch, that is easily operated with gloves or in the dark. The KeCo switch enables ground-to-ground, as well as ground-to-satellite,

communications with existing radio equipment used by Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Now forward-deployed

troops do not have to manually switch antennas, which could have put Air Force personnel at extreme risk.

Accomplishment Lieutenant Colonel Don Kessler and Master Sargent Dave Coates, both of the Sensors Directorate,

responded to the AFSOC commander's request to provide a solution to a problem the command had with their special operations

radios. They invented a lightweight, durable switch that allows AFSOC soldiers to instantly switch back and forth between a satellite

antenna and an omni-directional, line-of-site antenna.

Background Forward-deployed AFSOC forces carry more than 100 lbs of

equipment, not including food or water. Vital to a successful mission are the special

operations radios to keep in contact with satellite and ground communications systems.

These radios are lightweight and use as little power as necessary; however, they are short

one antenna port.

Troops must physically switch modes between ground-to-ground and ground-to-satellite

capabilities. This means every time troops switch antennas, they have to break off

communications, then try to re-establish them. The delays caused by manually switching

the antennas left troops exposed to gunfire and delayed contact with aircraft to abort or

change a mission.

Within 3 months of the request, the directorate developed and delivered to AFSOC

the KeCo switch that allows for quick switching between satellite communications and

air-to-air communications. The KeCo is an antenna switch specifically tailored to several

communications radios used by AFSOC forces in combat and is another directorate

attempt to meet an urgent need for support to the warfighter community.

AFSOC plans to produce 1,300 devices for Air Force units. The directorate anticipates

that Department of Defense customers may order more than 10,000 devices within the

next year or two for use throughout the world.
—

Compressor Research Facility Adds

Heated Inlet Capability

PayOlf A new heated inlet capability in the Propulsion Directorate's Compressor Research Facility (CRF) will allow researchers

to operate fans and compressors undergoing testing at the actual mechanical speeds experienced in operational engines. Testing

with the heated inlet allows researchers to continue matching aerodynamic parameters while matching the actual mechanical speeds

encountered in an engine environment more closely. This increases the quality of aeromechanic data collected and is important for

evaluating new materials and structures for use in fans and compressors.

Accomplishment Directorate engineers successfully demonstrated a new heated inlet capability during a test of an

advanced military fan developed as part of the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program. This

new capability recirculates hot exhaust gas from the test compressor back into the incoming atmospheric air, resulting in elevated

inlet temperatures up to 750°F and enhancing CRF's ability to simulate engine conditions more realistically.

Background The CRF is a steady-state facility capable

of testing full-scale fan and compressor hardware-simulating

engine properties based on aerodynamic similarities. It is

used to determine the performance of the most advanced

compressors and fans in the world, while enhancing the

understanding of their complex internal flow physics.

Previously, fans and compressors were tested at aerodynamically

corrected conditions. These tests resulted in lower rotational

speeds than would be experienced in actual engine environments,

although these test conditions correctly matched the aerodynamic

performance.

The heated inlet was first used in the structural evaluation

of the highly successful Pratt & Whitney XTE67 Fan Test

program. It was used to elevate the mechanical speed of the compressor to investigate potential flutter conditions. With the new

heated inlet capability, the CRF can more fully support the compression system objectives and goals of IHPTET and turbine engine

affordability initiatives of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines program. Aeromechanical data collected in the CRF is

also important to increase the performance of engines as well as increase understanding of high-cycle fatigue requirements.
Communication/Navigation Outage

Forecasting System

PayOlt The Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS)

instrument payload will make global equatorial measurements to understand

and forecast naturally occurring ionospheric scintillation that causes outages

in communication and navigation data links. The C/NOFS program will sense

and predict system outages caused by scintillation to improve the warfighter's

capability to perform mission-essential communication and navigation tasks.

C/NOFS combines data from space- and ground-based sensors in advanced

computer models to predict ultra-high-frequency satellite communications and

Global Positioning System (GPS) outages due to scintillation in the ionosphere.

ACCOmpliShlTient The Instrument Development Team, composed of

the Space Vehicles Directorate, the Naval Research Laboratory, the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center, Aerospace

Corporation, and the University of Texas at Dallas, recently fabricated the C/NOFS

flight hardware for the space-based instrument payload. They delivered the first

instrument flight unit to the directorate's Aerospace Engineering facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, for integrated payload

testing. The flight hardware for the six C/NOFS instruments includes the electric field instrument, the planar langmuir probe, the ion

velocity meter, the neutral wind meter, the GPS occultation receiver, and the radio frequency beacon.

Background The team designed and fabricated the instruments to fly on a low-altitude, low-inclination satellite and make in-situ

and remote-sensing measurements of the equatorial ionosphere. The C/NOFS payload is very unique because it is the first dedicated

instrument suite to measure the key ionospheric parameters needed to answer the question "What triggers scintillation?"

The C/NOFS payload will also demonstrate a new data-driven, physics-based forecasting system for predicting when and where

scintillation events will disrupt communication and navigation data links. Following integrated payload testing, the team will transfer the

instruments to the Space and Missile Center's Detachment 12 and the spacecraft contractor for integration onto the spacecraft bus.
Solar Mass Ejection Imager Launched on

Space Test Program's Coriolis Satellite

PayOlf Distinguishing faint coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the bright celestial background is

difficult, requiring the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) to achieve 0.1% photometry. Detection and

tracking of earth-directed CMEs will help protect space assets and communications.

CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms on earth, and fast CMEs can drive shock waves. These phenomena

initiate effects adverse to military and civilian spacecraft and ground-based systems including increases in

trapped magnetospheric particles, degraded satellite communication and surveillance systems, increased

drag, and destructive surges in power grids. Advanced warning will permit preventive measures to

mitigate their effects.

Accomplishment The Space Vehicles Directorate's Space Weather Center of Excellence previously launched the SMEI

on the Space Test program's Coriolis Satellite (see photo on left) to detect and track CMEs propagating from the sun to the earth.

Since CMEs are a major cause of space weather effects on earth, SMEI's successful operation will significantly improve space weather

forecasts. SMEI images the entire sky in white light every orbit with three baffled charge-coupled-device cameras, while occupying a

circular, sun-synchronous (830 km) polar orbit.

Since launch, SMEI has detected over a dozen CMEs including some

earth-directed, "halo" CMEs that caused geomagnetic storms. SMEI will

produce I- to 3-day forecasts of geomagnetic storms by tracking CMEs

from the sun to the earth. SMEI's all-sky images will also aid astronomers

and astrophysicists in understanding solar processes and detecting

astronomical phenomena.

The photo on the right is the first all-sky image produced from SMEI data.

Additional SME images are available on the Web at http:llsmei.nso.edu

Background A team of scientists and engineers from the directorate, the University of California at San Diego, and the

University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, designed and constructed the SMEI experiment. The US Air Force, the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the University of Birmingham are providing financial support for SMEI.
AFRL Successfully Tests Miniature Satellite

Threat Reporting System

Payoff The Space Vehicles Directorate's Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System (MSTRS) protects a spacecraft from hostile

radio frequency (RF) threats by providing a detailed analysis of the threat including the source of the threat. This capability is critical

for future satellites.

Accomplishment The directorate launched the MSTRS aboard the Space

Shuttle Columbia as a payload on the STS-107 mission. During flight, a directorateled ground team and the space shuttle crew performed an experiment to verify the

performance of MSTRS by characterizing ground-based RF emissions. The MSTRS

experiment successfully demonstrated functionality of recently developed AFRL

technology.

Background Directorate engineers mounted the MSTRS antenna array on top of a SPACEHAB module on Columbia, which

had an unobstructed view of earth when Columbia's crew turned the shuttle cargo bay in that direction. The assemblies consisted

of two separate three-antenna interferometer baselines with the receiver electronics mounted inside the SPACEHAB module in a

shuttle mid-deck locker.

The experiment involved flying over participating ground-based

emitters with known characteristics. By comparing the measured

signal parameters with those reported by the ground-based emitters,

the MSTRS experiment team determined that MSTRS performed

properly.

The team transmitted data to the MSTRS ground control computers

at Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, during flight. The team

consisted of personnel from the directorate, Air Force Space

Command, Space & Missile Systems Center, Northrop Grumman

Corporation, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Naval Research

Laboratory, Joint Spectrum Center, and Schafer Corporation. The MSTRS experiment team declared the MSTRS mission successful

at the completion of operation.
Low-Shock Separation System Dramatically

Reduces Satellite Failures

PayOlt The shock of separation of satellites from the launch system (normally a rocket) causes many failures, requiring

development of a satellite low-shock separation system. The Lightband system is 25% lighter, 50% smaller, 40% cheaper, and

generates <5% of the shock of existing conventional pyrotechnic separation systems. The Lightband provides a capability that

reduces on-orbit failures, the cost of design and redesign, and launch costs. This technology could save spacecraft programs several

million dollars in life-cycle costs per spacecraft.

Accomplishment Using technology explored under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Space

Vehicles Directorate successfully developed and transitioned the country's next-generation, small spacecraft separation system,

called the Lightband. Operating with limited SBIR funding, a directorate team developed, designed, tested, and successfully flew the

world's first reusable, non-discrete point, low-shock, non-pyrotechnic separation system.

This Lightband system successfully separated the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Starshine-3 primary

satellite from Lockheed Martin's Athena I launch vehicle on the first orbital launch out of Kodiak, Alaska. For the Starshine-3

spacecraft, the low-shock separation system reduced the shock-induced loading from 8,000 g-force (typical pyrotechnic separation

system) to 300 g's.

Background During the past decade, NASA lost billions of dollars due

to satellite malfunctions, resulting in total or partial mission failure. These

malfunctions are often directly attributable to vibration loads during launch and

satellite separation from the rocket.

Low-shock separation systems are an enabling technology for small (< 100 kg)

Department of Defense satellites and for the launching of fragile spacecraft

components such as advanced optical systems. Small satellites are particularly

susceptible to shock-related failure because of the close proximity of sensors

and instruments to the shock source, necessitating a low-shock separation

system.

The Air Force required a low-risk small satellite launch system that was

compatible with existing systems. Due to the program's success, this

separation system is baselined into AFRL's University Nanosatellite program,

the Technology Satellite of the 21 st century, Experimental Small Satellite-11, the

Space and Missile Center's Space Test Satellite, Multiple Space Vehicle 05 (the

first evolved expendable launch vehicle secondary payload adapter flight), the

Naval Postgraduate School Satellite, and the university's "CubeSat."

A

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Emerging Technologies

Page

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Breakthrough Optical Technology—Optical Coherence Tomography I

Breakthroughs in Group Ill-Nitrides 2

Improving Digital Signal Processing Through Holographic Recording and Storage 3

New Silicon-Based, Light-Emitting Technology Sets a World Record for Efficiency 4

LES Used to Design Future Aero Propulsion Combusters 5

Research Leads to Lighter Weight UAV Nozzle 6

Looking In from the Outside: Antimatter Atoms 7

Molecular Recombination 8

Air Vehicles

Rapid Model Fabrication for Responsive Aerodynamic Testing 9

Linking Computational and Experimental Methods 10

Directed Energy

Directed Energy Directorate Demonstrates High-Accuracy Orbit Updates for

Low-Earth-Orbiting Satellites 11

Directed Energy Directorate Produces a 7.5 Magnitude Sodium Guidestar for Adaptive-Optics

Atmospheric Turbulence Correction 12

Directed Energy Directorate Captures AFSPC GT-32PA Mission 13

Human Effectiveness

Evaluation Reduces Risk for AWACS Interface 14

Human Effectiveness Directorate Research Sparks Industry Milestone 15

Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Separator Breadboard Successfully Demonstrated 16

New Cell Cultures Key to Experimental Verification of Laser Eye Damage 17

Information

AFRL Software Agents Address AMC Needs 18

High-Productivity Computing Systems 19

Polymorphic Computing Architectures 20

Materials and Manufacturing

Engine Supplier Base Initiative Casting Sector Program 21

CoRTM Process Reduces Fabrication and Assembly Costs for Composite Structures 22

Title III Titanium Matrix Composite Turbine Engine Component Project 23

Technologies Imitating Life Could Enhance Performance and Lower Costs of Critical

Defense Technologies 24

Researchers Explore Microbial Hydrogen Production as Key to Alternative Energy Source at

Bare Base Facilities 25

Composites Affordability Initiative Test Database Opens Information Flood Gates 26

Viper• Mid-IR Laser Aircraft Defense System Returns Huge Savings on Investment 27

Continuedon nextpage
Emerging Technologies

Page

Polyurethane Elastomer Coating Shows Promise for Strengthening Buildings Against Terrorist

Explosions 28

Revolutionary Test Method for Kissing Bonds Ensures Strong Adhesion for High-Performance

Aircraft and Civil Structures 29

Lean Production Approaches Benefit Space Vehicle Integration and Test 30

LHMEL Simulates Space Environment for Advanced Materials and Space Systems Testing 31

Advanced Development of High-Performance LWIR FPAs for Space-Based Global Missile Defense 32

Researchers Develop Ceramic Materials and Manufacturing Methods to Improve Hall Thruster

Insulators for Spacecraft 33

Researchers Develop Integrally Woven Ceramic Composite Structures to Reduce Weight

of Nozzles for Liquid-Fueled Rocket Engines 34

Advances in Net-Shape Powder Metallurgy 35

Organic Solar Cells Increase Potential for Flexible, Lightweight Power Source and High-Efficiency

Satellite Arrays 36

Nickel Nanostrands• Expand Nanotechnology Engineering Capabilities 37

Advanced Composites Carry Olympic Hopeful to National Sled Racing Title 38

Munitions

Low-Cost All-Electronic Penetration Fuze Exceeds Penetration Testing Objectives 39

Reconfigurable Computing Software Enables Easy Programming of Hardware 40

Propulsion

Composite Bearing Cages Show Great Promise for Advanced Turbine Engines 41

Test Modification Prevents IHPTET Delays 42

Integrated Powerhead Demonstration Project Enters Fast-Paced Test Phase 43

First Evaluation of Particulate Mitigation Additives Completed 44

New +100 Additive Passes the Test 45

Improved Compressor Research Facility Ready to Meet IHPTET and VAATE Goals 46

Edwards Research Site Evolves New Class of Fluorinated POSS Polymers 47

Space-Survivable Materials Get Boost with New Polymers 48

Explosive Safety Detonation Test Successful 49

Large Rocket Test Stand Reactivated at Edwards Research Site 50

XTE67 Achieves 100% Design Performance 51

Liquid Oxygen Turbopump Testing Successful 52

Compliant Foil Bearings for Advanced Oil-Free Turbomachinery Successfully Tested 53

XTC67 Jet Engine Core Test Successfully Completed 54

Sensors

PEAPRS is a Low-Cost Supplement for Aircraft Communication 55

PACTS Provides Sensors Directorate a More Reliable VFT Capability 56

Fighter Aircraft Evaluate Real-Time Information Capability 57

Mixed-Signal Design Center 58

Sensors Directorate Develops Model for See-and-Avoid System 59

Continuedon nextpage
Emerging Technologies

Page

Mobile Trailer System Permits Missile Firing in a Safe Control Area for Sensor Research 60

Sensors Directorate Successfully Tests DIAL System 61

New Technology Provides Powerful Security Protection for Wireless Communications 62

Algorithm Decreases Computational Time to Perform Combat Identification 63

Laser Sensing Capability Enhances Target Ranging and Identification 64

Space Vehicles

Improved Multiwaveband Infrared Arrays 65

Lightband Separation System 66

Space Vehicles Directorate Delivers ISMET Software 67

XSS-10 Microsatellite Demonstration Program 68

High-Performance Solar Cells 69

AFRL Provides Key SCA Characterization Conclusions and Revised SCA Screening Protocol for

SBIRS High Program 70

320 x 256 Pixel, Dual-LWIR Waveband FPA Development 71

New Dualband Focal Plane Array Interconnect Technology for Jet Propulsion Laboratory Quantum

Well Infrared Photodetector Technology 72

PowerPC• Processors Fly On Air Force Missions 73

AFRL Demonstrates New Nonvolatile Memory Technology 74

Low-Shock Separation System Dramatically Reduces Satellite Failures 75

Low-Shock Clamp-Band Satellite Separation System 76

Qwknut Low-Shock Separation Device 77
Breakthrough Optical Technology-Optical

Coherence Tomography

Payoff Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) can provide high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging similar to that of ultrasound,

but it uses light instead of sound. OCT, an emerging technology based on fiber optics, often uses a compact diode light source similar

to those used in compart disc players.

Accomplishment An Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)-sponsored scientist, Dr. James Fujimoto, is the

inventor and leading researcher of OCT, a new optical imaging tool for creating images used in medical diagnostics, materials science,

and microscopy. Dr. Fujimoto, sponsored by AFOSR's Physics and Electronics Directorate, is a professor in the department of

Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Background OCT is a robust, portable, low cost

technology that is readily interfaced with optical fiber

techniques to catheters, endoscopes, laparoscopes, and

surgical probes. These attributes make it very attractive for

medical and surgical diagnostics.

Ophthalmology, the study of the eye, is an area of medical

research to benefit tremendously from this new technology

and the first area to have commercial instrumentation

introduced. Researchers performed studies investigating the feasibility of using OCT for the diagnosis and monitoring of retinal

diseases such as glaucoma, macular edema, macular holes, central serous chorioretinopathy, age-related macular degeneration,

epiretinal membranes, optic disc pits, and choroidal tumors.

Other AFOSR-funded researchers developed valuable extensions and applications of OCT. Dr. Zhongping Chen, of the University

of California, Irvine, developed Doppler OCT, which observes moving surfaces and is particularly valuable for studying blood vessel

function and fluid flow, generally in small structures.

Dr. Johannes de Boer, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), developed polarization-sensitive OCT and applied it to

diagnosing burns. Drs. Brett Bouma and Guillermo Tierney at MGH, both former members of Dr. Fujimoto's group, developed

very portable, high-performance OCT systems for clinical diagnostic studies. The US Army Institute for Surgical Research in San

Antonio, Texas, is currently collaborating with several AFOSR-funded scientists to apply OCT to military medical needs.
Breakthroughs in Group Ill-Nitrides

dyOll Group Ill-Nitrides, such as gallium nitride (GaN), are promising candidates for a variety of Air Force applications. They

possess excellent physical and electrical properties to operate in harsh environments. Scientists predict that devices based on GaN

materials will have numerous Air Force and Department of Defense applications and an enormous impact on high-power radars

such as those employed on remote-sensing platforms. Other applications include displays and indicators based on light-emitting

diodes, laser diodes for optical data storage, and sensor and detector surveillance systems.

Shmetlt Important research and significant advances by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)-funded

scientists are attracting worldwide attention in the area of semiconductors. Several institutes in Korea and Japan, working in

conjunction with the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, are conducting semiconductor research in Group Ill-Nitrides such

as GaN.

jdCKgrOUFld Due to a widespread increase in Asian research in the area of nitride semiconductors, the Asian Office of

Aerospace Research and Development sponsored initiatives with several institutions in Asia to address efficient device performance.

AFOSR managers capitalized on tapping into the burgeoning field, especially in Korea and Taiwan, largely because of the astounding

achievements of a single researcher, Dr. Shuji Nakamura, the world's foremost expert in nitrides. Dr. Nakamura, formerly of Japan,

is a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB).

While Dr. Nakamura was the first to successfully establish

the means for growing crystalline GaN layers for devices,

many characteristics of nitrides remain unclear. This is

because the world lacks a viable GaN substrate upon

which to grow high-quality crystal lattice-matched

structures and subsequently fabricate high-performance

devices.

Korea's Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology

found an effective alternative substrate or template

upon which to grow good material. These latticematched structures characterize and optimize important

material system parameters and allow AFRL researchers

to understand and thereby minimize the performancelimiting defects that plague these materials.

Other improved nitride material projects involve collaborations between Japanese researchers at Tsukuba University and UCSB

Professors Steven DenBaars and Shuji Nakamura. Since 1996, this US-Japan team worked together to champion the basic physics

and preparation of GaN crystal layers.

Another effort to understand and ultimately control defects is the collaboration between Science University of Tokyo (Ohkawa) and

UCSB (Dr. Nakamura). This partnership establishes the interfacial physics involved in the chemistry of nitrides, particularly how

nitrides behave in chemical reactions.
Improving Digital Signal Processing Through

Holographic Recording and Storage

PayOft Identifying enemy aircraft and missile threats may become easier thanks to the efforts of two Air Force Office of Scientific

Research (AFOSR)-funded scientists. Working on related but separate projects, Professors Dmitri Psaltis and Selim Shahriar

discovered different methods of improving digital signal processing (DSP) through holography.

Lrrnmnlichi (It Professor Psaltis teamed with

fellow California Institute ofTechnology electrical engineering

professors, Zhiwen Liu and Gregory Steckman, to develop

a holographic system to record fast events. The resulting

performance is comparable to the current state of the art

for a multi-camera system. Professor Shahriar and fellow

researchers at Northwestern University joined scientists at

the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology and Digital Optical

Technologies in Somerville, Massachusetts, to improve DSP

speeds by using a simple holographic optical corrrelator.

Holographic Super Correlator: Basic Concept

i ^HN*a MUD ii>

I l^.i*Mpi*imla>

Background Holography allows users to search in a parallel fashion. If users are trying to track and identify an enemy plane,

the plane could appear at different distances and in different orientations, requiring as many as 10,000 pictures in the database for

all possible orientations of just one plane. In simplest terms, Professor Shahriar's approach deals with massive storage for image

processing applications such as satellite pictures. Professor Psaltis' approach looks at recording extremely fast events, which causes

an issue of storage capacity versus speed.

Professor Psaltis and his colleagues developed a holographic method for recording fast events on nanosecond timescales. They

extended their technique by using shorter pulses and generating the signal beam pulse train through wavefront division or nonlinear

optics.

While Professor Psaltis' and Shahriar's holographic methods have obvious military applications, their research might also benefit

biologically based identification processes such as fingerprinting or comparison of dental images. The AFOSR's Physics and

Electronics Directorate currently supports Professors Psaltis' and Shahriar's research.
New Silicon-Based, Light-Emitting Technology

Sets a World Record for Efficiency

ayofl STMicroelectronics' new silicon-based, light-emitting technology sets a world record for efficiency. It traces its creative

origins back to important research funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and conducted jointly in 1993 by the Air

Force Research Laboratory, at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team's

work in rare-earth-doped, light-emitting diodes leads the nation and inspired STMicroelectronics' innovation that implants ions of

rare-earth metals, such as erbium or cerium, in a layer of silicon-rich oxide.

Accomplishment STMicroelectronics discovered groundbreaking technology that allows silicon-based light emitters to

match the efficiency of traditional light-emitting compound semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide. STMicroelectronics

is the world's third largest semiconductor manufacturer.

This new technology opens up many potential applications to combine optical and electrical functions on a single silicon chip.

Although silicon is ideal for building memories, microprocessors, and other complex circuits, this was not previously possible

because it could not act as an efficient light emitter.

Background Mr. GianGuido Rizzotto, STMicroelectronics director of Corporate Technology Research and Development,

identified a number of promising applications and solved key manufacturing issues to rapidly move this technology into production.

One of the first applications is building power control

devices in which the control circuitry is electrically

isolated from the power-switching transistors. Currently,

manufacturers achieve electrical isolation, mandatory in

many applications for safety reasons, by using external

devices such as relays, transformers, or discrete

optocouplers.

STMicroelectronics patented a novel structure in which

two circuits, built on the same chip but electrically

separated from each other by insulating silicon dioxide,

communicate via optical signals using integrated silicon

light emitters and detectors. These devices will have

numerous important applications including motor

control, power supplies, solid-state relays, and similar

applications where the power circuit needs to handle

much higher voltages than the control circuit.
LES Used to Design Future Aero

Propulsion Combusters

PfiyOft Urge Eddy Simulation (LES), developed by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)-sponsored research,

represents the next generation of models that offers the promise of delivering quantitatively accurate assessments of combustor

behavior in a computationally tractable manner. Using the LES approach, future propulsion systems will offer stable performance

over a wide range of flight conditions, while meeting the stringent requirements for fuel economy and emissions for both military

and civilian communities.

Product

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Filtered Mass Density Function Prediction

Experimental Measurements

Hydrogen-Fluorine Mixing Layer

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Accomplishment Dr. Sunil James, of the Rolls-Royce Corporation in

Indianapolis, Indiana, is currently testing and incorporating an LES-based combustor

design modeling capability he created. Many regard this as the next major step in

computational tools for aero propulsion system design. Dr. James took fundamental

aspects of an LES model for turbulent combustion, formulated by AFOSR-sponsored

research of his former professor Dr. Peyman Givi, at the State University of New

York at Buffalo, to design combustors for future aircraft propulsion.

BilCkgrOUnd In the past 20 years, engineers used computational modeling as an essential methodology for gas turbine

combustor design, as well as for the design of combustors used in other chemical propulsion systems including ramjets, scramjets,

and chemical rockets. Previous design approaches, based on trial-and-error testing, proved costly, time consuming, and incapable of

achieving optimum performance.

Current computational modeling approaches use variations of the ReynoldsAveraged Navier Stokes (RANS) approach to predict temporally averaged

parameters associated with combustor performance. RANS models are

very useful for qualitative analysis of an engine's performance; however, they

do not allow for a true quantitative predictive capability.

The combustion research community is actively pursuing LES models for

turbulent combustion. LES solves the conservation equations for mass,

momentum, energy, and chemical species at the largest physical scales of

the combustor.

LES predicts the behavior of these parameters at the smaller scales of the flows below the resolution limits of the computational grid

with approximate models—subgrid-scale (SGS) models. Dr. Givi contributed a unique approach for SGS through a statistical treatment

of the mass-weighted, small-scale properties of combustion in a scalar-filtered mass density function. Dr. Givi demonstrated both the

accuracy and computational efficiency of this approach by comparing his prediction with experimental measurements for a turbulent

mixing layer.

The Rolls-Royce Corporation produced aero propulsion system designs used on several items in the Air Force's inventory. Among

those are the AE2100D3 turboprop used in the C-130J transport, the AE3007H turbofan on the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, and

the F136 turbofan for use on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Research Leads to Lighter Weight LAV Nozzle

n,11A«

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)-funded research is yielding computerbased models for fluid flows that are key enablers for developing new capabilities for the Air

Force. Thanks to advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

engineers are developing fluidic thrust control for aircraft that provides thrust vectoring with no

moving nozzle parts.

Many future unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are tailless and will depend on thrust vectoring for flight control. The F119 nozzle achieves

conventional thrust vectoring using a mechanical system with moving flaps. Fluidic "fixed-geometry" thrust vectoring can result in

substantial weight savings for aircraft. Lockheed Martin studies show that fluidic thrust control could boost control power for tailless

UAVs, while slashing nozzle weight and cost in half.

Accomplishment Under AFOSR sponsorship, the University of Calgary and Lockheed

Martin collaborated on the development of CFD simulation methodologies used to identify

promising concepts for nozzle flow control. Engineers used the CFD simulations to study the effect

of pulsed fluidic control jets on the nozzle stream.

These fluidic injection techniques rely on the use of small control jets located in the nozzle wall to

alter the flow direction of the nozzle stream by creating a "virtual" aerodynamic nozzle surface. The

performance of this flow control technique depends on relationships among numerous geometric

and fluid properties that were poorly understood.

BdCkgrOlind The University of Calgary and Lockheed Martin undertook a systematic study of

both steady and pulsed-injection jets blowing into a nozzle crossflow using CFD methods. The CFD

methodology involves dividing a flowfield into discrete volumes, or grid cells, and then applying a numerical

algorithm with mathematical relationships governing fluid motion and a model of turbulent flow physics.

Prior research from AFOSR grants with Princeton's Professor George Mellor and Stanford's Professor

Parviz Moin led to the development and use of physical models for turbulent flow in these studies. The

CFD tools allowed these researchers to explore parameters such as injection momentum, frequency, and geometry, more rapidly and

less expensively than possible in a purely experimental approach.

The researchers compared the computational results to experimental data taken at the University of Calgary. Those comparisons also

guided the choice of computational methods, thus ensuring accurate predictions.

AFRL is currently investigating thrust vectoring in structurally fixed nozzles based on this research effort. These tests demonstrated

thrust vector angles of greater than 10° with good thrust efficiency.

The predictive capability of CFD was vital, since experimental evaluation of the many possible concepts

would cost an estimated $ I million more in the preliminary design phase. The researchers transitioned the

critical features of the control jet and nozzle design to General Electric and Allison for an Integrated High

Performance Turbine Engine Technology effort to build large-scale hardware for an engine demonstration

of fluidic thrust control. The Air Vehicles Directorate estimated a 30-50% nozzle weight reduction using

fixed nozzles with this technology.
Looking In from the Outside:

Antimatter Atoms

ayOft The antimatter atoms collaboration, known as the ATRAP Collaboration, developed a novel field-ionization technique

that permits direct observation of antihydrogen atoms that eliminate residual background signals. ATRAP can detect more

antihydrogen atoms in an hour than the sum of all antimatter atoms ever reported.

Accomplishment Dr. Gerald Gabrielse, a Harvard University professor of physics, worked with scientists from Germany,

England, and the United States to observe the internal structure of antimatter atoms. Since 1988, the Air Force Office of Scientific

Research's (AFOSR) Physics and Electronics Directorate helped sponsor Dr. Gabrielse's efforts at the European Laboratory for

Particle Physics, also known as CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland.

DitK hgrOlHlfl AFOSR's support permitted CERN to build the antiproton decelerator (AD) storage ring in order to observe

cold antihydrogen. Antihydrogen is an atom composed of two antimatter particles, an antiproton and a positron; a normal hydrogen

atom is composed of a proton and an electron.

The antiparticles have the same mass as their normal counterparts,

but they carry the opposite charge. Current theories predict that

antihydrogen and hydrogen should have the same properties

including their internal structure.

The ATRAP Team creates antihydrogen atoms by colliding

antiprotons with cold positrons. The team creates antiprotons

from CERN's AD and positrons from a radioactive source. They

cool them both and gently collide them to form antiatoms, namely

antihydrogen. The antihydrogen forms in a nested Penning trap,

a device developed by ATRAP scientists. Then the team studies

them spectroscopically.

The ultimate goal of ATRAP is to trap neutral cold antihydrogen atoms and study their spectra with the same precision as plain

hydrogen atoms. Researchers hope that the antihydrogen atoms will create enough atoms to allow lasers to probe for any tiny

differences between antihydrogen and hydrogen atoms. Such measurements would test fundamental theories of physics and might

even provide some information about the mystery of why our universe is composed of matter rather than antimatter.

Antihydrogen—and antimatter in general—has many potential benefits to the military and defense of our nation. It is a potential

candidate for extremely high-energy-density applications including ultra-lightweight satellite and unmanned air vehicle power

supplies, high specific impulse engines, and missile defense interceptors.
Molecular Recombination

ayOlt The research of Dr. Raymond Flannery, an Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded physicist, may lead to important

advances in the Air Force's ability to detect missiles during their boost phase. By studying the molecular recombination within

and around a rocket's exhaust plume and the detailed signature information it gives off, scientists can improve missile detection

capabilities. Dr. Flannery's research will also enhance the detection of satellites, warheads, and missiles re-entering the atmosphere;

and it will improve techniques to counter enemy detection of friendly missiles.

ACCOItipliShment Dr. Raymond Flannery, Regent's Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, developed a

microscopic theory of three-body recombination processes of electrons and ions in gases. His work gives scientists a better

understanding of collisions between atoms and molecules in highly excited states.

Background The Propulsion Directorate plans to use Dr. Flannery's research to aid in their understanding of the interactions

that take place in plasma deposition and etching—the processes most often used in manufacturing large-scale integrated circuits.

His work is also helpful in understanding conduction of electricity through plasmas and gases, ignition of flames, and other processes

relevant to the development of advanced air and space propulsion systems.

Dr. Flannery's work will also help the Air Force continue its environmental

efforts. His research will enable scientists to better understand how pollutants

influence atmospheric recombination and help environmentalists to develop

new methods of effectively dealing with the mitigation of these pollutants.

The Division of Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics of the United

Kingdom's Institute of Physics, recently awarded Dr. Flannery the 2002 Sir

David Bates Prize in recognition of his work in the field of theoretical atomic

physics and for his studies of recombination processes with applications to

astrophysics and plasma physics. He was also the winner of the 1998 Allis Prize,

awarded by the American Physical Society, for his work on ionized gases.

His current research includes development of theories of Rydberg plasmas and

the formation of antihydrogen by three-body recombination. In particular, he

recently helped solve, a 40-year-old problem explaining the mixing of angular

momentum substates of a Rydberg atom by the time-dependent electric field

generated by collision with a charged ion—a process known as collision Stark

mixing. The process is of basic significance to Rydberg plasmas, whether at

high-temperature or ultra-cold energy regimes.
Rapid Model Fabrication for Responsive

Aerodynamic Testing

PayOlt Rapid prototyping (RP) is a robust, accurate, and affordable method to support aerospace research and development

throughout Department of Defense organizations, industry, and academia involved in experimental ground testing. In the past, it

took months to manufacture models for ground testing. Recent innovations in RP have made it possible to produce models within

days. Rapid fabrication results in a faster and better response to the warfighter's needs by permitting concurrent study of new

concepts in the wind tunnel and via computer simulation.

Accomplishment Using the Air Vehicles Directorate's Subsonic Aerodynamic Research Laboratory, the Air Vehicles (VA)

and Materials and Manufacturing (ML) Directorates collaborated to modify and test a model of the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air

Vehicle fabricated by Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory. Scientists used state-of-the-art RP methods to modify

the model, and its testing improved understanding of the application of RP technology.

Background VA conducts aerodynamics research at a variety of

in-house test facilities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The

capabilities of these facilities range from very-low-speed subsonic flows to

very-high-speed hypersonic flows. VA's history of aerodynamic research

and development began in the 1920s when the United States Army Signal

Corps established the Technical Services Office at McCook Field, Dayton,

Ohio. Since that time, testing has evolved from being developmental in

nature to supporting basic and applied research programs. RP will play an

essential part in this role.

RP is a highly useful tool in today's experimental environment, leading

to innovative technologies, significantly compressed design cycle times,

and reduced costs. Current RP technologies include stereo lithography,

selective laser sintering, laser engineered net-shaping, and fused deposition

modeling. VA and ML collaborated to compile information on several of

these techniques and their respective applicability to the suite of ground

testing research facilities operated by VA.

The resulting information database matches research facility operating

conditions with RP material capabilities and will provide the basis for other

organizations to pursue and implement RP Current wind tunnel model

manufacturing techniques are slow, resulting in a lag between physical configurations tested by ground testing methods in the wind

tunnels and configurations modeled with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, RP manufacturing techniques are maturing

rapidly and enable the engineer to quickly fabricate a test article from the same digital model used for computer simulations done

with CFD.
Linking Computational and

Experimental Methods

ayOlf A collaborative effort in rapid technology assessment between the Air Vehicles Directorate, Innovative Scientific

Solutions, Inc., and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Langley Research Center successfully demonstrated the

ability to provide a near-real-time comparative evaluation of experimental and computational simulations. The process eliminated

the significant time lag between numerical analysis and the acquisition of experimental test data to validate the analysis, which

impedes aerospace technology breakthroughs.

Accomplishment The directorate initiated a joint

Computational Fluid Dynamic/Experimental Fluid Dynamic

(CFD/EFD) test program to investigate and analyze the

aerodynamic flow field of the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air

Vehicle at the Subsonic Aerodynamic Research Laboratory.

The testing involved a multitude of cross-functional specialties

ranging from experimental global measurement techniques

and computational fluid dynamics to state-of-the-art material

manufacturing technologies.

Researchers strategically employed rapid technology assessment

tools, such as pressure sensitive paint, projection moire

interferometry, Doppler global velocimetry, and virtual diagnostics

interface to take real-time measurements. In turn, these

measurements were compared to computational results in near

real time and used to alter the test matrix, better understand

the flow physics, and improve the fidelity of the numerical code

simulation.

Fundamental Sciences

Integrated Element!

Background Advanced technology assessment strategies that exploit simulation-based research and development rely

heavily on the accuracy and fidelity of numerically based predictive methods. Ensuring reliable technology assessment requires

validating computational methods with experimental measurements. These measurements are made using a model fabricated to

contain multiple components such as pressure ports and cavities to house measurement and telemetry hardware, electronic systems,

and tubing. This fabrication is time consuming and costly. Furthermore, in conventional EFD, individual measurement systems are

deployed sequentially, which significantly increases the time and cost associated with acquiring the necessary information. Without

simultaneously deployed global diagnostics, understanding and modeling aerodynamic cause-and-effect relationships are difficult.

Ideally, measurement techniques would be deployed simultaneously to minimize wind tunnel occupancy with comprehensive

parallel data reduction in near-real-time. This process would provide a mechanism to confirm spurious results, identify the source

of unpredicted behavior, and provide on-line comparisons of CFD/EFD data sets. Rapid technology assessment is making this ideal

a reality.
Directed Energy Directorate Demonstrates

High-Accuracy Orbit Updates for

Low-Earth-Orbiting Satellites

ayoff Directed Energy Directorate scientists and engineers used the 3.6- and 1.6-meter telescopes at the Air Force

Maui Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) site to track orbiting satellites and provide high-accuracy trajectory updates. This

capability is a combination of state-of-the-art telescope pointing accuracy as well as world-class astrodynamics expertise unique

to the AMOS facility.

Accomplishment Directorate scientists made highaccuracy observations of low-earth-orbiting satellites at the oneto two-arcsecond levels with the 3.6- and 1.6-meter telescopes.

The resulting calculation of satellite trajectories showed a

significant decrease in orbit error from several hundred meters

to tens of meters. This high-accuracy orbit update capability

represents an unprecedented achievement in orbital prediction.

Directorate scientists then fed this data into a Kalman filter to

update the calculated satellite trajectories showing a decrease in

orbit error from the several-hundred-meter levels to the tensof-meter levels. While normal satellite catalogue maintenance

focuses mainly on achieving required accuracy for all satellites,

this approach provides high accuracy for any specific satellite.

Background Directorate scientists and engineers rebuilt the research and development capability of the AMOS site since

taking oversight of the facilities from the Air Force Space Command. The directorate's Metrics Research and Development

program made great strides in the last year due to continued sensor development, high-accuracy data collection, and the arrival of

data exploitation expertise. This combination makes AMOS a national asset to the Department of Defense for space surveillance,

and orbit determination and prediction research.

The directorate's AMOS Branch recently worked with the Missile Defense Agency Theater High-Altitude Area Defense program

as part of a risk-reduction effort for the augmented recursive dual-channel estimator for registration (ARCHER) algorithm

demonstration. For missile defense, it is critical that sensors sharing data provide the data in an unambiguous manner; otherwise,

inaccurate data will result in miscorrelations between actual radar tracks and externally supplied information.

ARCHER is an innovative approach for radar data registration in support of missile defense sensor networks. Directorate engineers

used the high-accuracy orbit update capability at AMOS to develop "truth" orbits for this risk-reduction effort. In addition, the

high-accuracy orbit update capability has applications to space control, space situational awareness, active tracking, and for Air Force

missions requiring precise knowledge of satellite trajectories.
Directed Energy Directorate Produces a

7.5 Magnitude Sodium Guidestar for

Adaptive-Optics Atmospheric

Turbulence Correction

Directed Energy Directorate scientists, from the High-Power Solid-State Lasers Branch and the Starfire Optical Range

(SOR), produced an artificial guidestar in the mesosphere (90-kilometer altitude) with the radiance of a 7.5-magnitude star by

exciting atomic sodium resident at that altitude with just 10 watts (W) of projected power into the sky. Large ground-based

telescopes equipped with adaptive optics can use a sodium guidestar to measure atmospheric turbulence and remove its distortions,

enabling high-quality, ground-based observations of space objects and propagation of laser beams through a turbulent atmosphere.

Astronomical imaging, using this technology, can rival the imaging capability of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Accomplishment Directorate scientists designed and built a solid-state laser system that produces world-record 20 W of

continuous power in a high-quality (diffraction-limited) beam at a wavelength of 589.159 nanometers—far exceeding the previous

record of 0.4 W. They achieved this by combining two infrared lasers (1064- and 1319-nanometer wavelengths) within an optical

cavity containing a nonlinear-optical crystal of lithium triborate. The crystal added the frequencies of the two beams by a process

known as sum-frequency generation.

Scientists then used this laser system to create the world's brightest continuous sodium guidestar in the mesosphere. The beam

is highly visible in the photo as it leaves the SOR's beam director due to Rayleigh scattering from air molecules. The separate inset

photo, obtained from a telescope camera view, shows the decrease in the Rayleigh scattering as the beam leaves the atmosphere

and the guidestar. Future efforts include a high-power source designed to produce 50 W. The project goal is to have a facility-class

sodium guidestar pump laser operational on the SOR telescope by late 2004.

Background The directorate's SOR at Kirtland Air Force Base,

New Mexico, is researching the use of large ground-based telescopes to

propagate laser beams through the atmosphere and to image satellites.

To attain high intensity at the destination with the projected laser beam,

the effects of the earth's atmospheric turbulence must be removed.

Scientists can achieve this by using an adaptive-optics system that

observes an artificial guidestar to measure the atmospheric distortions

and compensate for them. The mesospheric sodium guidestar is

especially useful for greater than 3-meter-diameter, ground-based

telescopes because of its higher altitude compared to Rayleigh beacon

guidestars.

Development of this laser attracted the attention of the international

astronomy community, and the directorate plans to transition this

guidestar technology to large ground-based telescopes around the

world. For example, the Gemini Observatory, a 7-nation partnership

including the US, built two 8-meter, world-class telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and at Cerro Pachon, Chile, to provide complete sky

coverage of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Each will require at least one sodium guidestar to achieve full imaging resolution

potential.
Directed Energy Directorate Captures

AFSPC GT-32PA Mission

ayOlt Directed Energy Directorate scientists and engineers,

using the 3.6 m, 1.6 m, and 1.2 m telescopes at the Air Force Maui

Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) site, acquired, tracked, and

collected critical data on a Peacekeeper missile launched from

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. They gathered the data

during the latest Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Glory Trip

mission-GT-32PA.

Over the past several years, AMOS used the Glory Trip missions

to collect valuable data and improve site operations. The focus of

AMOS activities was to passively acquire and track the target, colled

visible/infrared imagery, collect metric data, and provide AMOS missile

operations crews a training opportunity in tracking a ballistic target.

ACCOmplishmetlt Directorate scientists used AMOS to successfully track

GT-32PA with all three telescope mounts beginning at 30° elevation as the target

rose, to 1° elevation as the target descended. The target's maximum elevation

(culmination) was at 51.2° at a range of 1200 km.

AMOS acquired the post-boost vehicle using information from the Pacific Missile

Range Facility radars. Directorate engineers witnessed re-entry vehicles (RVs)

during the deployment phase of the mission.

The directorate considers this AMOS mission an outstanding success with

numerous firsts for the site. Some of these firsts include tracking an RV down to

1° of elevation, tracking multiple RVs with the 3.6 m telescope, using Vandenberg's

interrange vectors in the mount control systems, tracking hand-over from the 3.6

m to the 1.2 m telescopes, and verifying enhanced long wave infrared detectors

developed for associated Missile Defense Agency (MDA) projects.

Background The directorate's AMOS site has tracked missiles since the late 1960s. However, when AFSPC took command

of the site in 1995, missile support operations dwindled with the focus shifting to satellite tracking.

The directorate resumed command in 2000, and AMOS has since rebuilt and enhanced its missile support program. Over the past

year, the MDA chose to exploit the site's capabilities and entered into numerous collaborative efforts with AMOS.
Evaluation Reduces Risk for

AWACS Interface

ayOfl The Human Effectiveness Directorate developed a better-designed human-machine interface (HMI) to produce a future

Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that is more mission effective while minimizing errors.

A( •( OlIiplishmt'Ni Directorate researchers recently conducted a critical test to help determine the future HMI of the AWACS

Block 40/45 aircraft. The directorate's historical strengths in HMI evaluation techniques and tools were vital in producing an evaluation

procedure that directly contrasted two interface designs to each other and to the current AWACS Block 30/35 interface design.

The results of the performance evaluation answered critical questions regarding interface vendor selection. This process culminated with

the announcement that the Air Force will use Interface B for the AWACS Block 40/45 interface.

Bd( kijrOlllHl There were two main contenders for the AWACS Block 40/45 HMI, referred to here as Interface A and Interface B.

Directorate researchers worked closely with the AWACS user community to provide timely input to AWACS Block 40/45 decision makers

by designing and conducting the interface evaluation.

The directorate centered the evaluation on the performance

and subjective workload associated with 15 common

AWACS operator HMI actions. They based the interface

comparison on the ease of use for typical AWACS operators'

interface tasks.

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Steps

Time

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14 15

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The results showed that Interface A performance was

not improved relative to the current AWACS Block 30/35

interface. In contrast, not only was Interface B substantially

improved compared to the AWAG Block 30/35 baseline, it

was also much better than Interface A

The directorate presented the results ofthe performance evaluation in the form ofascorecard for easy interpretation ofthe overall pattern of

results. The scorecard (see picture) summarizes Interface B versus Interface A results. Interface B won 79% of the direct comparisons.
Human Effectiveness Directorate Research

Sparks Industry Milestone

ayOlt The ability to conduct operations regardless of terrain or weather conditions is critical to the warfighter and commercial

pilots. Synthetic vision technology provides crews with greater situation awareness regarding terrain, threats, and navigation.

ACCOmpliShmetlt As part of a Dual-Use program, research by the Human Effectiveness Directorate, in conjunction with

Rockwell Collins, led to the first-ever industry demonstration of low-level military approaches using synthetic vision technology.

Directorate personnel conducted the first flight tests using synthetic vision technology displays for a zero decision-height/zerovisibility approach to landing blind at an assault airstrip.

Background Military applications of synthetic vision technology include flying complex approaches using satellite-based

navigation systems to facilitate landing at austere locations in reduced visibility conditions. Other military applications include

reducing controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) incidents, avoiding noise abatement areas, and increasing air traffic throughput at

airports.

The directorate's flight evaluation of synthetic vision technology

had a twofold objective: (I) enable US Air Force aircraft to fly

in instrument meteorological conditions as precisely and with as

much terrain awareness as in visual meteorological conditions,

and (2) prevent CFIT accidents. The directorate's technical

approach was to develop and demonstrate in flight a headsup display, incorporating primary flight information, command

path guidance, and synthetic terrain suitable for flying complex

precision approaches in varying visibility conditions.

While synthetic vision technology has military applications, it

also allows the blending of sensor and synthetic imagery for the

commercial success of civil applications. With the recent award

of two Dual-Use program contracts for the topic "Integration

of Real-time Information with Synthetic and Enhanced Vision

Displays," the directorate will continue its collaborative

research efforts with industry.
Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Separator

Breadboard Successfully Demonstrated

A newly developed Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Separator (SEOS) breadboard device uses a heated ceramic membrane to

separate oxygen from ambient air to produce an oxygen flow with a purity of >99.9%. SEOS technology does not require an air

compressor, can produce purities of >99.9%, can guarantee protection from chemical and biological agents, and has only one

moving part to improve reliability.

Researchers believe this revolutionary technology will eventually replace molecular sieve-based technology. This Human

Effectiveness Directorate 6.2 Science and Technology Congressional Add program milestone represents significant progress

towards an oxygen generation at point-of-use capability for the Department of Defense aircrew and passenger breathing systems.

SEOS systems have a wide range of potential applications such as aeromedical evacuation, battlefield oxygen, deployed medical

facilities, trickle charging of aircraft oxygen systems, and aircraft oxygen-generating systems.

Accomplishment Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. ofAllentown, Pennsylvania, teamed with Ceramatec, Inc. of Salt Lake City,

Utah, to demonstrate an SEOS breadboard device that represents the highest verified flow rate achieved to-date for a ceramic-based

oxygen generator. The breadboard produced >99.9% purity oxygen

at a flow rate of 5 liters/minute and pressure of 5 pounds/square inch,

meeting all objectives of the directorate's 6.2 Science and Technology

Congressional Add program to advance SEOS oxygen-generation

technology for military ground-based and airborne applications. Air

Products and Chemicals, Inc. demonstrated the SEOS breadboard

device at their Allentown facility to representatives from the US Army,

US Navy, and US Air Force.

SEOS uses a heated ceramic electrolyte material and direct current

voltage. Ambient air passes over the electrolyte where oxygen molecules

are ionized, and negatively charged oxygen ions pass through the

crystalline structure of the electrolyte. Upon reaching the opposite side

of the electrolyte, the oxygen ions recombine to form molecular oxygen.

jdCkgrOUnd Aircrews must breathe oxygen to prevent hypoxia. Currently, aircrews receive oxygen from one of three

systems: liquid oxygen, high-pressure gaseous oxygen, and onboard oxygen-generating systems (OBOGS). Both liquid and

high-pressure gaseous oxygen systems require pre-flight filling. However, the military desires to eliminate the costly and bulky

infrastructures associated with these systems.

At this time, some aircraft have OBOGS that use molecular sieve technology to separate oxygen from engine bleed air. However,

molecular sieve technology has some limitations: ground-based systems (such as aeromedical systems) require a separate air

compressor, airborne systems require significant amounts of engine bleed air, oxygen purity is limited to 93%, and molecular-sieve

based systems cannot guarantee chemical and biological protection.
New Cell Cultures Key to Experimental

Verification of Laser Eye Damage

Scientists from the Human Effectiveness Directorate demonstrated the capability of using artificially pigmented ocular

cells, cultured in vitro, to assess eye damage resulting from both acute and chronic laser exposure. This cell culture, when coupled

with novel biomolecular assays, can assess damage mechanisms and thresholds for exposure to lasers without having to conduct

live animal testing.

The directorate's laser bioeffects team,

headed by Dr. Ben Rockwell and Dr. Michael Denton of Northrop

Grumman, developed a novel »n vitro assessment for determining retinal

damage endpoints. Studies of laser bioeffects performed in vivo, especially

in the eye, have led standard-setting bodies to treat laser pulses arriving

at a rate faster than 20 kHz (50 kHz for near infrared) as equivalent to a

continuous wave (CW) exposure.

Using a newly developed artificially pigmented cell culture system, the laser

bioeffects laboratory confirmed that damage threshold is experimentally

equivalent for a CW and quasi-CW exposure, but the mechanisms for

damage are different. Knowledge from this analysis will provide valuable

insight for laser safety in battlefield situations involving the application of

mode-locked femtosecond and picosecond lasers.

jdCH^rOllIld Previous data shows that within the visible wavelength region, a pulsed laser with a repetition rate greater than

20 kHz (quasi-CW) damages the retina at the same total energy as one with the energy distributed evenly over the exposure (i.e.,

CW exposure). Fundamentally, femtosecond mode-locked (MHz) beams deliver energy differently than CW beams, depositing

discrete packets of very high energy (peak power) followed by periods of no photon delivery (nanosecond timescale). These high

peak powers do; however, average over time as overall lower total energy is delivered.

Because thermal relaxation in biological tissues requires longer timescales than that provided between pulses of a femtosecond

mode-locked beam, incoming pulses deposit their energy faster than the tissue can dissipate the heat generated. This leads to

heating of the tissue at rates similar to those achieved by CW laser exposure. Earlier experiments proved this to be true in live

animal testing but noted differences in retinal pathology.

To test the theory in an in vitro setting, scientists chose the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line hTERT-RPE I, which is

immortalized by the introduction of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene. The hTERT-RPE I cells were proven to be

highly efficient at cellular uptake (phagocytosis) of isolated melanosome particles and stably retain the pigment granules. Because

melanosome-dependent laser bioeffects are known, the use of the artificial pigmentation of hTERT-RPE I cell cultures as a defined

system for analyzing the effects of pigmentation in laser-tissue interaction were proposed.
AFRL Software Agents Address AMC Needs

ayoff Generating an Air Mobility Command (AMC) flight schedule requires the collaborative efforts of many individuals, each

with specific responsibility and authority. Individuals may control both required and requested tasks as well as resources needed to

accomplish those tasks.

SRI, Inc. developed agents technology and will apply work on dynamic mediation (developed under the Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency Autonomous Negotiating Teams [ANTs] program) to AMC scheduling issues. Dynamic mediation is a real-time

negotiation protocol that is adaptive and incremental. SRI will integrate this technology with a dynamic scheduler.

The Information Directorate's

Information Technology Division performed the technical

management of the ANTs program. The directorate

recently awarded SRI's effort as part of the Information

Systems Division's Integrated Flight Management (IFM).

The transfer of ANTs technology to the IFM is reflective

of the ongoing collaboration between the two projects.

Ideally, the agents-based scheduling work will continue

on the transition path to AMC via the same successful

process used for both the worldwide aeronautical route

planner and the intelligent distribution of notices to

airmen.

>d( RgrOUIld SRI, Inc. will identify a set of representative scenarios from the AMC problem domain that requires automated

support for collaboration among schedulers. SRI will develop methods to support collaboration, as proof of concept, using those

scenarios as motivation.

For example, when AMC is resource-restrained, it may be useful to negotiate with the wings for more assets. The wings are

scattered around the world. Consequently, the negotiations may occur during initial scheduling of the requirement or during

schedule modification in response to events during execution.

The negotiation that occurs between the wings and AMC involves resolution of issues such as who should provide extra capacity

or whether or not to drop missions. Factors that can influence those decisions include mission priority, the degree to which the

wing is already over contact level, physical constraints at the wing (such as availability of the proper type of plane and distance from

the mission destination), and the priority of other requirements on unused capacity at the wing.

Once such issues are settled, the barrel allocator assigns missions to wings, and the scheduler sends orders to wings. The wings

can then assign the exact number of planes and crews. SRI will support collaboration in two dimensions: first, by providing

automated support of the negotiation of resource conflicts, and second, by monitoring local state information for helpful actions

that can further the scheduling activities of another user of the aggregate team activity.
High-Productivity Computing Systems

ayOlt Recent Department of Defense (DoD) studies indicate a national security requirement for high-productivity computing

systems (HPCS). For DoD, revolutionary change in HPCS means making supercomputing resources easier to use and easier to

program. It means accessing large data repositories located around the world and merging scientific computing with pervasive

computing on the battlefield.

HPCS requires ever-present multiple levels of security, autonomous systems management, and the application of real-world

requirements to the challenges of HPCS to make everything work. The Information Directorate, serving in its role as the Air Force

member of the review panel, will provide transition opportunities and challenge problems.

Surveillance/Reconnaissance IntelUgence/CryptanalysIs Military Platform Analysis

Airborne Contaminant Modeling Biotechnologies Command, Control

and Communications

Applications

The Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency (DARPA)-sponsored HPCS program is a

three-phase program scheduled to extend to 2010. Current

Phase I tasks include industry research and development

(R&D), technology component development, and application

analysis and performance assessment of a broad spectrum of

potential HPCS applications.

The challenge for industry R&D is to develop a productive

system with the ability to double in value every 18 months

(Moore's Law) over the next 2 decades. Throughout this

task, DoD operational and research software applications will

serve as the requirements driver for architecture and software research and systems assessment. DARPA and the directorate envision

industry adoption of the architectures as a central strategy to ensure cost-effective solutions are available to the national security

community.

The major technology areas requiring development in support of the next generation of productivity systems are system architecture,

programming models, software technology, and hardware technology. This task demands an industry whole-system perspective.

It is vital that researchers analyze a broad spectrum of potential HPCS applications to extract the key HPCS system design characteristics,

parameters, constraints, and programming environments. Researchers are currently studying applications that include operational

weather and ocean forecasting; planning exercises related to analysis of the dispersion of airborne contaminants; cryptanalysis; military

platform analysis; survivabiIity/stealth design; intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance systems; virtual manufacturing/failure analysis of

large aircraft, ships, and structures; emerging biotechnologies; and command, control, and communications applications.

)Und The HPCS program will provide DoD with significant technology and capability advancements for the national

security and industrial user communities by filling a high-end computing gap that exists between today's HPCS, based on late 1980s

technology, and the promise of quantum computing. The end product will be economically viable computing systems with both

scalable vector and commodity system functionality for the national security as well as commercial, research, and industrial user

communities.
Polymorphic Computing Architectures

Today's embedded computing systems, developed for fixed mission scenarios, cannot provide the robust embedded

processing capability necessary to fully support retargetable and multi-mission systems. This lack of versatility to dynamic mission

requirements and the reduced performance or poorly matched processing performance result in degraded capabilities for our

fighting forces and can dramatically limit the military's ability to effectively project forces around the world.

Polymorphic Computing Architectures (PCA) will institute a paradigm shift from static-open-loop to reactive-closed-loop mission

algorithms, application software, and hardware implementation. The processing capability is mission and technology invariant yet

highly optimizable for each specific in-mission and multi-mission and/or technology instantiation, providing for tactical and strategic

tempo opportunities as well as technical upgradability.

The Information Directorate's PCA program is developing a family of novel malleable microarchitecture

processing elements including computer cores, caches, memory structures, data paths, network interfaces, network fabrics with

incremental instructions, operating systems (OS), and network protocols. These elements will have the ability to reconfigure to

match changing mission and scenario demands.

To support the use of polymorphous computing systems, directorate

researchers are creating a model-based software framework for

reactive monitoring, optimization, modeling, resource negotiation and

allocation, regeneration, and verification. Specific PCA goals allow

post-silicon optimization through the incorporation of polymorphous

concepts within commercial processing research and development, and

fabrication infrastructure.

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Other goals include developing an environment that provides resource

allocation, negotiation, and monitoring; implementing verification and

validation at multiple system levels; developing test beds and conducting

proof-of-concept experiments; facilitating technology transitions using

strategic teaming; and establishing benchmark and standards groups

to create community standards that enable broad application and

commercial support of polymorphic computing architectures. The PCA program is concentrating on four critical research areas:

polymorphic system characteristics, scenarios, constraint metrics, and abstraction test suites; polymorphous computing research;

proof-of-concepts experimental test beds; and morphware stable interfaces.

jflCiigrOUnd The PCA program is a 5-year Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-sponsored program. Phase I

is pursuing the identification of high-value dynamic embedded computing mission characteristics, application functionality, initial

polymorphous computing concepts and implementations, and early concept experimentation and prototyping. Phase 2 research

will investigate innovative approaches and techniques leading to or enabling revolutionary advances in the state of the art.

Polymorphic architectures break the current failure-prone development approach of hardware first and software last by moving

beyond conventional silicon to flexible polymorphous computing systems. This is possible through the development of a family of

novel malleable microarchitecture processing elements including computer cores, caches, memory structures, data paths, network

interfaces, network fabrics with incremental instructions, OS, and network protocols.
Engine Supplier Base Initiative

Casting Sector Program

D iff The Engine Supplier Base Initiative (ESBI) Casting Sector program produced a better than five-to-one return on investment

of more than $ 100 million. The program met or exceeded five of the six program goals. ESBI met the goal of a 50% reduction in airfoil

tolerance, exceeded a 50% reduction in structural rework, met a 50% reduction in single crystal scrap, exceeded a 25% reduction in tooling

procurement time, and exceeded a 30% reduction in structural production cycle time. ESBI achieved a 44% reduction in new part design

and process development time compared to the program goal of 50%.

Shltient The Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, under a

cooperative agreement with Howmet Corporation, successfully completed the ESBI Casting Sector program. In addition to ManTech and

Howmet, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Precision Castparts Corporation, and

Rolls-Royce Corporation were key players in the success of ESBI. The success ofthe program illustrates that competitors can work together

for the common good of an industry sector.

Background In the past 20 years, the cost of advanced military engines has risen approximately fivefold. Affordability of advanced

weapons systems is of paramount importance to the Department of Defense.

A cost breakdown reveals that precision investment cast airfoil and large structural components of nickel-based and titanium-based alloys for

man-rated gas turbine engines comprise about 40% ofthe total weight and 34% of the total cost of an advanced military fighter engine. The

directorate established the ESBI Casting Sector program to identify, implement, and deploy manufacturing technology that would improve

the US industrial base and enhance US international competitiveness in the man-rated turbine engine industry. The directorate expanded

the activities to include the F-22 Raptor's aft side of body titanium casting that keeps each wing attached to the fuselage.

ESBI addressed the total value chain from raw materials to finished products.

The casting industry, workingjointlywith the original equipment manufacturers

and the Air Force, performed joint prioritization of projects.

ESBI allowed for immediate implementation of favorable results, while a

sector-wide approach allowed for the solution of common problems not

solved by individual companies. The directorate executed ESBI as a first

attempt at combining collaboration with a competitive aspect.

ESBI achieved cost reductions through component manufacturing cycle- time

reductions and through product and process quality improvements brought

about through technical advances. These steps also included the application

of lean business practices.
CoRTM Process Reduces Fabrication and

Assembly Costs for Composite Structures

ayofl The cocuring of the substructure and skin by means of the Cocuring of an uncured skin to a Resin Transfer Molded

(CoRTM) process is an effective way to reduce the cost of composite fabrication and assembly. The CoRTM process reduces part

count, tool count, weight, and cost. The dimensional precision and repeatability of the resin transfer molding process also enables

the use of Z-reinforcement technologies such as Z-pins and three-dimensional preforms, increasing the potential applications by

enhancing structural performance.

Accomplishment The Composites Affordability

Initiative (CAI) Team, consisting of the Materials and

Manufacturing Directorate, the Air Vehicles Directorate,

the Office of Naval Research, Boeing, Lockheed Martin,

and Northrop Grumman, demonstrated a process that can

dramatically reduce the costs of composite fabrication and

assembly. The CoRTM process, developed by Northrop

Grumman, produces large, integrated, weight-efficient,

precise, and repeatable structures.

The CAI Team used a vertical stabilizer from the Joint Strike Fighter (jSF) to demonstrate the technology. Using CoRTM to

manufacture that part could lead to nearly $ 14,000 in savings derived through a 52% reduction in part count, a 38% reduction in

tool count, a 7% reduction in weight, and a 17% overall cost reduction when compared to the typical JSF construction process and

the associated fit-up, liquid shimming, and surface mold line treatments for air vehicles.

Background Traditional aircraft structures consist of multiple piece assemblies that manufacturers pre-fit together, filling

gaps between mating surfaces with shim materials to create a snug fit, and then mechanically fastening in place. This results in very

lengthy manufacturing flow times and high acquisition costs.

Through CAI, the CoRTM process is a viable and promising alternative for affordable composite structures. CoRTM combines

two cost-effective processes: fiber placement (the automated placement of bands of high-strength fibers combined with resin

onto a tool) for skin structures, currently used on JSF, F-18, V-22, F/A-22, etc.; and resin transfer molding (the injection of highstrength resin into a mold containing high-strength fibers formed to a specified shape) for substructures currently used on the

F/A-22 Raptor and other aircraft.

Instead of fastening the skin to the substructure, the CoRTM process designs and fabricates the skin and the substructure as a

single component, eliminating the need to fasten them together. After the fiber placement process lays up the uncured skin, the

manufacturer builds up the substructure by placing and tooling dry fiber preforms on top of the uncured skins. The manufacturer

then injects the preforms with resin and cures the whole assembly to form the structure.
Title III Titanium Matrix Composite

Turbine Engine Component Project

ayOfl A viable titanium matrix composite (TMC) supplier base for military and commercial applications with affordable TMC

products provides commonality and volume production. Also, TMC provides improved engine performance of range, payload, and

fuel efficiency in support of the warfighter.

ACCOmpllShmetlt A Title III project with the Manufacturing Technology Division of the Materials and Manufacturing

Directorate, under a cooperative agreement with the Titanium Matrix Composite Turbine Engine Component Consortium

(TMCTECC), established a viable supplier base and reduced the cost of manufacturing TMC components for military and

commercial applications. This marked the first production of a TMC component in aircraft gas turbine engines. General Electric

Aircraft Engines will use a TMC Nozzle Compression Link in the General Electric-built Fl 10 engine for the F-16.

Background TMC is an advanced composite material

of titanium reinforced with either silicon carbide particulate

or filament. Parts fabricated with TMC are significantly

stronger, lighter, and considerably more resistant to the

stress of extreme temperatures than conventional titanium

or superalloys. They also provide increased performance

(range, payload, and fuel efficiency).

This technology is key to improvements in propulsion

systems for the next generation of commercial and

military aircraft. The directorate expects substantial cost,

performance, and durability benefits from the use of TMC

components in transport and fighter aircraft engines. Other

potential applications for TMCs include airframes, medical

equipment, and chemical processing.

TMCs are very expensive, and the production base did not exist to routinely produce affordable, high-quality components. The

directorate's Title III program objective was to ensure the TMC supplier community was self-sustaining without the need for

government subsidy. Under the Title III project, the TMCTECC aim was to mature the TMC fabrication industry and deploy advanced

gas turbine engines in the form of fan blades, fan frames, actuators, rotors, vanes, cases, ducting, shafts, and liners.

A major step in that direction was to reduce the cost of manufacturing the nozzle compression link by more than 66%. While its

competing metal part remains less expensive, continuing cost reduction actions and improvements in manufacturing processes will

make TMC components more economically attractive for a broader range of military and commercial applications.
Technologies Imitating Life Could Enhance

Performance and Lower Costs of Critical

Defense Technologies

Continued research in biotechnology and biomimetics could lead to the development of dynamic materials, devices, and

processes that directly support the warfighter. Advancements in the understanding of the natural world benefit science, provide

opportunities for innovative commercial applications never before possible, and could heighten the performance of vitally important

military technologies while reducing costs.

ACCOttipli$hmetlt Scientists in the Materials

and Manufacturing Directorate's Survivability and

Sensor Materials Division, working with the Air Force

Office of Scientific Research and researchers at various

universities, made significant advancements in the areas

of biotechnology and biomimetics, which means literally

to imitate life. Materials researchers continue to be

intrigued by various organisms' ability to sense infrared

(IR) radiation using the readily available elements carbon,

hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Their efforts support the Air Force goal of producing

hybrid materials with properties superior to those made

of either entirely synthetic or biological alternatives. This research increases the understanding of living creatures possessing unique

properties and abilities that could someday enhance the performance and affordability of critical defense technologies.

Biological

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jdCkgrOUIld Directorate scientists have advanced the understanding of how certain biological organisms sense

electromagnetic radiation outside the visible-light region. This phenomenon is important to the Air Force due to the proliferation

and reliance upon sensors and detection systems that operate in the IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The quest for

understanding this phenomenon escalated even further as a result of the extreme sensitivity reported in biological IR/thermal

detection and because biology achieves this without cryogenics.

In a practical sense, biomimetics refers to interdisciplinary efforts to understand biological principles, then applying them to

improve existing technologies or create new ones. Technologies imitating life could have a profound impact on national defense.

Investigations have yielded critical insights and helped scientists progress toward the development of bio-inspired and bio-derived

technologies.

The biological processes associated with biotechnology and biomimetics are enormously complex and multistep, and they often

operate nonlinearly. Also, the molecules involved in these processes are sometimes fragile, and integration with other systems can

be problematic.

Despite these drawbacks, the research is very promising. Biotechnology and biomimetics frequently use composite materials that

provide combinations of properties not achievable by any single material. This allows researchers to detect minute differences such

as distinguishing nearly identical compounds and different inorganic crystal faces.
Researchers Explore Microbial Hydrogen

Production as Key to Alternative Energy

Source at Bare Base Facilities

PayOtf When successful, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate researchers will have demonstrated that hydrogen production

from bare base waste streams is a feasible alternative source of energy for fuel cells. Fuel cells driven by hydrogen will lower diesel fuel

consumption and will lessen the logistical burden at the bare base.

The hydrogen generation from waste will be an environmentally friendly process, reducing noise and air pollution created by current diesel

energy generators and reducing the removal and treatment of sewage waste by the nation hosting the base. Success of the project will

expand opportunities to develop the process as an alternative energy source for other industrial operations.

ACCOmpllShltient Directorate researchers are developing a biological method of producing hydrogen from waste streams

created by base dining halls, kitchens, latrines, hospitals, laundry facilities, and showers at bare base facilities. The directorate will

develop a two-reactor system to produce a clean source of hydrogen for fuel cells while reducing waste disposal and treatment

needs, in addition to the logistical and pollution burdens associated with using current diesel energy generators for energy

production.

Background Bare base facilities have as

many as 1, 100 personnel who live in temporary

housing. Their mission often requires the base

to function for several years with the host nation

providing little or no services. Currently, missionessential power (MEP)-I2 diesel generators

produce the electrical power needs of the base.

The MEP-12 generators require 4,000 gallons of

diesel fuel per day, which require transportation

to and storage at the facility.

The personnel at bare base facilities produce

various waste streams from dining hall waste,

sewage sludge, and wastewater. Researchers

from the directorate's Weapons Systems Logistics

Branch initiated a project that may make it possible to exploit waste streams to produce hydrogen needed to supplement base

energy needs. The possibility of using hydrogen as an alternative fuel is an exciting option due to its high conversion efficiency and

nonpolluting nature.

Though hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth, it is bound to other elements and must be separated before it can be

used in energy generation. Using sunlight as an energy source, specific enzymes contained in microorganisms can produce hydrogen

from waste materials, providing a seemingly inexhaustible source of material for hydrogen production. Hydrogen production from

waste materials will encourage additional waste recycling and waste management in bare base operations.
Composites Affordability Initiative Test

Database Opens Information Flood Gates

The Composites Affordability Initiative (CAI) test database will provide company designers, engineers, and weapon

system program offices with the data they require to consider introducing advanced technologies into future and current weapon

systems. The directorate expects the database to minimize the financial burden of testing required to implement a new technology

as well as reduce the risk and accelerate the transition.

ACCOmpMshmen The CAI Team, consisting of AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and Air Vehicles

Directorate, the Office of Naval Research, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, developed a relational database to

archive all test data and make the data accessible to all team members for current and future use.

jdCkgrOlind The vast majority of composites development

and demonstration efforts develops data to support technology

transition. This data is critical to support the transition, and the

contractor often only shares the data with the weapon system

program office.

More successful programs organize their data to support additional

transition opportunities. In consideration of the large CAI Team,

it was imperative to generate data that is trusted by all the

organizations and data that is available to aid in current and future

technology transition opportunities to reduce the duplication of

testing.

To accomplish this task, team participants first came to an agreement

on test standards to follow. For the first time, the entire industrial

base of aerospace prime contractors, as well as the Air Force and the Navy, agreed to a single set of testing standards to validate the

performance of composite structures created with new materials and processes.

The CAI test database contains mechanical property test data that is traceable back to the process that produced it including

processing parameters used as well as the material and its integrity. This interrelationship between materials, processes, and

performance produces a legacy of data that elevates the integrity of the data and facilitates the transition of materials and

processes.

The first 18 months of CAI generated data for more than 7,000 tests. Data from full-scale development projects resulted in

transition to real systems, such as the F-35, while participants continue adding technology maturation efforts to the database. These

data offer the potential to minimize testing, thus supporting additional technology transition opportunities.
Viper• Mid-IR Laser Aircraft Defense System

Returns Huge Savings on Investment

ayOlt Northrop Grumman, under contract with the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Manufacturing Technology

(ManTech) Division, successfully developed significant cost-saving procedures in the manufacture and assembly of the Viper MidInfrared (IR) Laser. The directorate estimates a net savings of $4.2 million for the first 250 units, as well as a dramatic increase in yield

and reliability improvements in life-cycle costs and increased system availability, without degrading the performance of the Viper.

The Viper Mid-IR Laser is one of the primary

components in the Large Aircraft IR Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system,

designed to protect C-17s, C-130s, and other large aircraft from IR-guided

surface-to-air missiles. The LAIRCM will autonomously detect and signal

the flight crew when the aircraft is threatened. It will track and then jam

the missile's guidance system, saving both aircrew and aircraft.

ManTech and Northrop Grumman representatives reduced costs for

the Viper by addressing manufacturability, maintainability, reliability,

supportability, and availability issues. These cost reductions would, in

turn, save money on the LAIRCM program.

Background One example of the steps taken by ManTech and Northrop Grumman representatives to accomplish cost

reductions was the insertion of lean practices and principles to increase yield, reduce rework, and touch labor costs. In general, they

made design and manufacturing process changes that reduced deficiencies and the number of assembly and adjustment steps for the

electronic and optical components.

Another example was the high-value electronics, optics, and other materials that were available only from a single supplier. ManTech

obtained multiple supplier sources, creating more competition and driving down the cost by substituting standardized components

for specialized ones.
Polyurethane Elastomer Coating Shows

Promise for Strengthening Buildings

Against Terrorist Explosions

ayOlt A polyurethane elastomer coating applied to exterior walls will prevent blast fragments or pieces of the wall from

penetrating the inside of Department of Defense (DoD) facilities where they can cause harm to personnel. Materials and

Manufacturing Directorate researchers cannot harden some facilities in conventional ways due to economic or political restrictions.

They expect the new coating process to overcome these restrictions, while providing significant cost savings, as compared to

hardening a facility with thick concrete walls, reinforcing steel, and composite materials and fabrics.

Directorate engineers developed

a coating for concrete block walls, common nonload bearing

walls, and lightweight manufactured structures that provides

additional protection for people inside during a terrorist

explosion. The directorate's full-scale explosive testing

on those structures coated with a polyurethane elastomer

revealed that the samples expanded to twice their thickness,

demonstrating that the elastomer coating will allow a concrete

wall to flex, thus preventing blast fragments or pieces of the

wall to penetrate the inside of a building.

jdCkgrOUnd For more than 20 years, the DoD has faced the global threat of terrorists who cause injury and death to many

innocent people and serious damage to important assets. In fact, in the last 15 years, 80% of the DoD's total casualties were the

result of terrorist activities.

The directorate's Force Protection Branch, part of the Airbase Technologies Division at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, has an

impressive record for developing effective methods of retrofitting existing structures to improve resistance to a blast. To better

determine the mechanical properties of the elastomer, the engineers conducted several tests using only the elastomer and

discovered it was, by itself, a highly effective alternative to the high-strength fabric retrofitting technique. Directorate engineers

conducted several tests overseas as part of a joint international cooperative program.

As part of the test program, force protection engineers studied 25 commercially available polymers to determine their range of

mechanical properties. Typically used in pickup truck bed liners, the lining for municipal water tanks, and in commercial food

preparation areas, elastomers constitute a large commercial enterprise.

Of the 25 tested, directorate engineers found one product yielded the most favorable results and contained the desired range

of properties needed for blast protection. The main benefits to the technology are the availability, and quickness and ease of

application, which provide rapid response capabilities. The Air Force has released the technology to the engineering community to

provide guidance for upgrading lightweight structures to protect people and facilities from explosive blasts.
Revolutionary Test Method for Kissing

Bonds Ensures Strong Adhesion for HighPerformance Aircraft and Civil Structures

aVOn A revolutionary test method will speed up certification of adhesively bonded composite materials for widespread usage

in aircraft construction. This certification will allow adhesively bonded structures to compete economically with traditional riveted

aluminum structures.

Additionally, this new technology allows aircraft designers to use the distinctive properties of composite materials to great advantage

in highly original and efficient aircraft designs. New lighter, stronger, and more efficient adhesively bonded design concepts are no

longer constrained by traditional joining methodologies.

Accomplishment Dr. Robert L. Crane, a scientist in the

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, found a way to detect both

nonexistent bonds, or kissing bonds, and weak or low-strength bonds

while performing research on the detection of high-cycle fatigue

damage in the first-stage compressor blades of an F100 jet engine.

Dr. Crane's discovery will allow technicians to test adhesive bonds for

mechanical performance nondestructive^ during manufacturing and

depot-level repair.

The technology employed in the new testing method works wherever

manufacturers use adhesive bonding, with composite and metal as well

as hybrid composite and metal structural components. This new testing

method is so effective at identifying kissing bonds, it could easily make

composites the material of choice for most high-performance aircraft

and civil structures. Other major application areas for composite

materials affected by this technological advance are spacecraft,

automobiles, prostheses, and sports equipment.

BaCkgrOUlid A kissing bond refers to a condition in adhesive bonding where there is intimate contact between the adhesive

and the structure or component, but no adhesion between these two entities. Inspectors traced a sizeable number of premature

service failures to kissing bonds. Consequently, aircraft designers were reluctant to use adhesive bonding in primary or flight-critical

structures, despite the advantages of this joining technique.

Since the 1950s, the nondestructive inspection community within the United States searched intently to find any technique capable

of predicting bond performance and detecting kissing bonds. Two challenges stopped progress towards this goal.

First, manufacturers most often use methods restricted to areas that carry little or no structural loads when detecting these defects.

Second, from an ultrasonic inspection point of view, there is no difference between a kissing bond and a coherent bond because both

are in intimate contact and; therefore, undetectable with ultrasonic methods. Even if inspectors can detect kissing bonds, it is still

possible for a low-strength bond to slip through the inspection process and result in unexpected structural failures.

The directorate and The Boeing Company, which is currently patenting the technology, jointly conducted the research that validated

this concept. Since the discovery of this new testing approach, several organizations have expressed intense interest in using the

new method for the inspection of primary or critical bonds.
Lean Production Approaches Benefit

Space Vehicle Integration and Test

&yOff Under contract with the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Manufacturing

Technology (ManTech) Division, researchers at Northrop Grumman developed a lean production

approach to produce multiple unique space vehicles faster and in a more cost-efficient manner.

Applying this production approach to multiple space vehicle builds can save up to 50% in costs

and 70% in cycle time related to mechanical build cycles.

Manufacturers realize savings through simplified operations and reduced learning curves, defect

occurrences, span times, and capital equipment requirements. Additional significant savings are

possible through design reuse as a result of electronics packaging hardware developed on this

program.

Accomplishment ManTech and Northrop Grumman created the Flexible Space Vehicle Production Line (FSVPL) program

for flexible, or variable, production volumes for the high-performance military and civilian satellite market. FSVPL focused its efforts

in two primary areas.

The first area—a design for lean production—focused on developing designs that could be more readily producible in a volume

environment modeled after the "lean production" methodology developed by Toyota and used throughout the automotive and

aviation industries for decades. The second area—standardized electronics packaging—designed, developed, produced, and

qualified a mechanical package to house electrical components. This package, commonly referred to as the electronic "box,"

includes all the mechanical housings inside the box that hold critical electrical components.

ManTech and Northrop Grumman then demonstrated the program's technical efforts in a pilot plant demonstration. They ran

full-scale mock-ups of space vehicles through a simulated factory environment to validate program designs and approaches.

BflCKgrOUnd Space vehicle integration and test (l&T) is a very costly and time-consuming

portion of any satellite program, with cycle times ranging from 6 months to several years in duration.

The increasing need to quickly launch new technology resulted in a focus upon reducing all aspects

of space vehicle development and build cycles including l&T

In the area of design for lean production, the FSVPL Team developed a flexible architecture approach

to accommodate many missions and orbits with a variety of configurations. This modular and

scaleable approach focuses on populating panels with equipment, so that the panels can be built up

in parallel with structural and other subsystem elements.

This parallel build approach means that several teams of workers can produce different components

of the space vehicle in separate areas concurrently, instead of one team of workers building

everything in sequence. The architecture approach reflected in FSVPL design guidelines translates

lessons learned to all new programs.

The crowning achievement of the FSVPL Team was the standard electronics packaging design. This design accommodates a highly

robust mechanical package, allowing for easy installation, access, troubleshooting, and removal and replacement.
LHMEL Simulates Space Environment

for Advanced Materials and

Space Systems Testing

ayOft The collaboration between the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Hardened Materials Branch and the Air Force

Space Battlelab provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with the capability to test articles in a simulated space environment

prior to launch and activation. The joint venture enabled the Laser Hardened Materials Evaluation Laboratory (LHMEL) to activate

a highly capable, 27 ft tall, 20 ft diameter, cryogenically shrouded vacuum chamber.

The speed at which the chamber "pumps down" and the addition of a ctyogenic and vacuum-compatible turntable, which is used to

mount and rotate samples in the chamber without breaking the vacuum, allow researchers to conduct multiple experiments daily.

The directorate values these research capabilities, used to simulate the high-vacuum, cryogenic temperature, and solar radiation

effects of the space environment on materials and systems, at over $25 million.

j»hm£llt A cooperative effort between the directorate and the Space Battlelab recently resulted in an upgrade

of the LHMEL, a world-class material characterization facility. The directorate expanded the capability of the facility beyond laser

effects testing to include large-scale, thermal testing and space environment simulation.

Background Originally built by the Propulsion Laboratory,

now the Propulsion Directorate, in the early 1960s, researchers

used the vacuum chamber for space materials and systems

qualification work. When the Space Battlelab, which operates

under the direction of the Air Force Space Command, required

a large-scale vacuum for testing a satellite, engineers at LHMEL

began making the modifications required to make the chamber

operational. The directorate's Hardened Materials Branch, which

oversees LHMEL operations, and the Space Battlelab shared the cost

of the modifications.

The LHMEL, a one-stop infrared testing resource, provides the

Air Force with basic material response data, optical material

characterization, hardening concept validation, and thermal

simulation capabilities using a unique collection of laser wavelengths, power levels, and operating modes. LHMEL supports the

directorate's mission to provide laser protection materials and hardening expertise for DoD personnel and systems.

The directorate's LHMEL offers nationally unique material testing and laser processing opportunities to accommodate a wide

variety of testing. Operated by Anteon Corporation, LHMEL supports laser and space simulation testing for almost any user on a

reimbursable basis, whether that user is a DoD organization, a government-sponsored contractor, or an industry-funded entity. In

recent years, facility use has nearly doubled, increasing income and allowing the Air Force to maintain the multimillion dollar facility

at a fraction of the annual operating cost and at a reduced economic burden to the Air Force.
T

Advanced Development of High-Performance

LWIR FPAs for Space-Based Global

Missile Defense

ayofl Infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) are critical components to space sensor payloads because they enable detection,

tracking, and discrimination of long-range tactical and strategic missiles. The research and development effort of the Materials

and Manufacturing Directorate and Rockwell Scientific Corporation (RSC) improves the performance of the arrays and ensures

both timely delivery and high-quality products at an affordable cost. Continued success could lead to significant reductions in both

payload costs and the number of satellites required for global coverage.

>hm6m Scientists at the directorate and RSC have made significant advancements in the development of

high-performance, long-wavelength infrared detectors needed to produce IRFPAs to build a space-based global defense system.

The directorate completed fabrication of the first focal plane array (FPA) demonstration lot and used screening techniques and

best growth techniques to fabricate and evaluate FPAs. A detector array (SCM1250-64) had extremely high performance against

space test criteria. These performance results are state of the art for long-wavelength infrared (LWIR), low-background detection

applications and demonstrate the success of the processes developed to date.

jftCkgrOUfld The directorate made significant progress during

the first year of this program by developing compositional control, waferscreening techniques including infrared, dark field, and Normarski contrast

microscopy as well as laser profilometry. The directorate and RSC also

employed automated defect counting techniques with automated framegrabber software.

These techniques demonstrate that the substrate precipitates are the

primary source of voids and microdefects in molecular beam epitaxial

mercury cadmium telluride layers that limit their performance. Researchers

developed and implemented routine nondestructive wafer mapping of

composition and layer thickness to improve yield in detector cutoff.
Researchers Develop Ceramic Materials and

Manufacturing Methods to Improve

Hall Thruster Insulators for Spacecraft

aVOfl Materials and Manufacturing Directorate researchers, along with industry partners, identified erosion-resistant ceramic

materials that could increase the life of Hall thruster components as part of the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology

program. In addition, the directorate expects to lower the cost of the components' manufacturing process by adapting advanced,

rapid prototyping techniques, which they expect will shorten the materials' evaluation cycle and allow flexibility in component

configuration.

Accomplishment Directorate scientists and engineers identified ceramic materials that could increase the life of Hall

thruster insulators for spacecraft including satellites and microsatellites.

Background Hall thrusters are low-thrust electric propulsion

devices used on satellites to keep them in the correct orbit and to

make orientation adjustments for proper alignment of telescopes and

antennas. Electric propulsion is an attractive alternative to chemical

propulsion for these applications because, although it produces less

thrust, it is more efficient.

Unlike chemical rocket thrusters, which rely on the combustion of

propellants and the expansion of hot combustion gases through a

nozzle to produce thrust, Hall thrusters use a gaseous Xenon propellant

ionized through collisions with electrons emitted from a cathode. An

electromagnetic field accelerates and expels the charged Xenon ions

from the chamber at high velocity to produce thrust.

Erosion of the ceramic insulators that make up the walls of the discharge chamber currently limits the lifetime of Hall thrusters.

The high-velocity Xenon ions expelled from the thruster collide with and erode the insulators, eventually degrading thruster

performance. Current Hall thruster insulators are composed of boron nitride or boron nitride-silica mixtures, which have good

mechanical and thermal properties, but only marginal erosion resistance.

In laboratory-scale screening tests, directorate scientists and engineers identified two ceramics that eroded at rates two to four

times less than the current boron nitride materials. The directorate's next step is to fabricate insulators from the erosion resistant

ceramics and test them in an actual Hall thruster.

To manufacture prototype insulators from the erosion-resistant ceramics, the directorate partnered with Javelin 3D, a small business

located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Javelin 3D will use a rapid prototyping technique, called the Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

method, to fabricate the prototype insulators. LOM is one of a variety of techniques developed to produce parts directly from

computer-aided drawings.
Researchers Develop Integrally Woven

Ceramic Composite Structures to

Reduce Weight of Nozzles for LiquidFueled Rocket Engines

Integrally woven ceramic matrix composites for liquid-fueled rocket engine nozzles have the potential to reduce the

weight of the nozzle by up to 50% and reduce the cost of the nozzle by up to 20%. Current nozzles, made from conventional

stainless steel and nickel-based alloys, are very heavy structures. They are also expensive, using costly tube-forming operations, and

brazing and welding processes in their construction.

metI Scientists and engineers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate partnered with the Rockwell

Scientific Company and Boeing-Rocketdyne to develop ceramic materials and manufacturing processes as part of the Integrated

High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program for use in actively cooled rocket nozzles for next-generation, reusable

launch vehicles. Directorate researchers expect nozzles constructed from advanced ceramic composites to have high strength at

high temperatures and to be lightweight and reusable for multiple launches.

jdCkgrOlind In a liquid-fueled rocket engine, the engine injects a fuel and oxidizers into a thrust chamber where they mix

and react. The fuel/oxidizer reaction produces high-temperature gases, which expand through a bell-shaped nozzle to produce

thrust. Manufacturers currently make nozzles from conventional stainless steel and nickel-based alloys.

Nozzle walls consist of many small tubes through which coolant can flow to keep the nozzle materials from melting. The nozzles

are heavy, complex, and expensive and require large amounts of cooling. Researchers collaborating as part of this IHPRPT program

expect to demonstrate high-temperature materials that can significantly reduce

the weight and cost of nozzles.

The directorate partnered with Rockwell Scientific Company to fabricate

lightweight nozzle sections. The nozzle sections consist of a silicon carbide matrix

reinforced with a carbon fiber preform.

A key attribute of this technology is the special weaving process that allows

optimum placement of the carbon-reinforcing fibers. The Rockwell Scientific

Company integrally weaves the fibers into an entire tube-wall panel in a single

piece, as opposed to single tubes constructed separately and then joined together

as is the case for the conventional metallic tube-wall nozzles. This simplifies

nozzle construction and results in a strong component with fewer joints.

In the future, Rockwell Scientific Company will join the separate nozzle sections together to form a small-scale, bell-shaped nozzle.

Researchers will test the nozzle in an actual rocket environment at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn

Research Center's rocket test facility.

The goal of the current effort is to make the bell-shaped, tube-wall nozzle structure from a lightweight ceramic composite. Not

only will the nozzle be lightweight, but because ceramics can withstand higher temperatures than metals, the nozzle will require less

cooling, thereby improving performance.
Advances in Net-Shape Powder Metallurgy

Successful development of powder metallurgy (PM) bladed disk or "blisk" fabrication methods, incorporating highstrength, environmentally compatible superalloys, enables revolutionary advances in turbopump rotating-element materials and

designs. New materials and fabrication methods enable the aerospace industry to manufacture cryogenic-compatible turbine blisks

combining the highest performing nickel-based superalloy turbine materials, normally reserved for airbreathing gas turbine engines,

with the high reliability and low maintenance of the typical low-strength superalloys.

Continuing research is leading to important innovations in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology for net-shape PM parts. These

include extensive use of very-high-strength alloys difficult to produce using conventional manufacturing methods, avoiding welds,

and providing functionally optimized local alloy composition variations.

$hmeilt The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, working

with industry, has made significant advancements in the development of new

fabrication methods and protective coating processes for high-performance, low-cost,

net-shape PM components for aircraft and rocket engines. Net-shape PM has intrigued

researchers and industry for more than 40 years because it eliminates complex

machining operations, thereby reducing costs.

Working with Boeing Rocketdyne and LNT USA, the directorate's Metals, Ceramics,

and Nondestructive Evaluation Division is developing rotating pump component

materials and processes for turbine engines that can trim parts' weight by 35%, reduce

production costs by 45%, and lower the projected costs of fabricating a net-shape PMmanufactured blisk by more than 40%.

Background Manufacturers fabricate turbine rotors used to propel jet aircraft and rockets from forged disks with

mechanically attached cast blades, or they machine them from one-piece forgings. The state-of-the-art method for manufacturing

the disks is to build them from either conventional high-strength, nickel-based superalloys and coat them for environmental

protection or manufacture them from moderate strength alloys fully compatible in the applicable environment.

Coatings introduce reliability and cost issues, while the moderate strength alloys sacrifice performance. Net-shape PM is a method

for "casting" with solid metal powder and consolidating to a net shape, which combines inherent design and processing benefits with

the performance benefits of forgings to produce parts with structure and properties comparable to forgings.

Boeing Rocketdyne, supported by the directorate and LNT USA, has developed a technology for fabricating a high, specific-strength

blisk made via selective net shape (SNS) PM processing with an environmentally compatible HIP-bonded surface layer. The SNS PM

process uses a precision-machined, low-carbon steel mold, analogous to an investment-casting mold.

LNT USA machines the part details into a mold, which are assembled, welded into a capsule, and then filled with metal powder,

evacuated, and undergoes HIP to compact the powder. LNT USA then uses conventional machining and chemical milling to remove

the carbon steel tooling.
Organic Solar Cells Increase Potential

for Flexible, Lightweight Power Source

and High-Efficiency Satellite Arrays

Organic photovoltaic devices are flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive and will support both the Air Force and broad

commercial applications. The incorporation of nanotubes during development and testing of the solar cells shows a fivefold

improvement in charge transport capabilities. In addition, the introduction of alternative electron-accepting materials yields a

threefold improvement in solar cell efficiency.

Accomplishment Scientists and engineers at the Materials

and Manufacturing Directorate have made significant advancements

in developing flexible, organic-based solar cells and photodetectors

for use in a variety of Air Force systems. One of the devices

developed under contract during the basic research phase of this

effort is a flexible, dye-sensitized solar cell with greater than 10%

power conversion efficiency.

The directorate's Polymers Branch and the Airbase Technologies

Division collaborated to explore a diverse range of near-term

applications such as power generation for military tent structures

and mobile military units. Potential long-term applications include

providing power for satellites and communication systems.

Background A variety of potential Air Force systems need highly efficient, flexible solar cells to convert solar energy to

electrical power. Historically, the development of solar cells and photovoltaic devices was limited to the use of crystalline silicon

wafers or thin film deposition of other inorganic materials, a process that typically requires expensive manufacturing technologies.

The Airbase Technologies Division is working on replacing conventional electrical power generators at deployed airbases with a

more distributed system of power generation. By incorporating the new solar cell technology in tent structures, researchers expect

to lighten the logistical burden of deployment and to facilitate agile combat.

Special operations personnel could benefit from the lightweight,

flexible solar cell technology through reduced weight of equipment and

supplies carried into the field. By combining solar cell technology with

rechargeable batteries, the overall weight of the required supplies and

their electrical power systems will decrease.

Solar arrays and photodetectors for space satellites yield longer-term

applications provided they overcome the most stringent requirements

of the space environment. The directorate, in collaboration with the

Space Vehicles Directorate, has initiated preliminary space irradiation

and durability testing on organic materials for photovoltaic devices.
Nickel Nanostrands• Expand

Nanotechnology Engineering Capabilities

ayOTl Manufacturers can engineer nickel nanostrands to meet the diameter and length specifications in many fields of submicron

and nanostructure design. They have produced diameters ranging from 50 nanometers (nm) up to 2 microns with aspect ratios

generally in the 50:1 to 500:1 range.

Researchers hope to produce nanostrands in the range of 10-30 nm in diameter. Further development could lead to advancements

in nanotechnology directly benefiting the Air Force, aerospace community, and industry at large.

Researchers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, working with Metal Matrix Composites

of Heber, Utah, developed a new form of nanostructured nickel that dramatically expands nanotechnology design engineering

capabilities. The new materials are called nickel nanostrands and were developed under Phase I of an Air Force Small Business

Innovation Research program.

Nickel nanostrands are strands of submicron-diameter nickel particles linked in chains—microns to millimeters in length. They are

very similar to carbon nanofibers but provide the additional properties of nickel, significantly expanding the variety of options available

for developing tomorrow's nanostructure technologies.

Background Nickel nanostrands are analogous to carbon nanofibers

(or multiwall carbon nanotubes) but bring the additional electromagnetic,

chemical, catalytical, and metallurgical properties associated with nickel

to the nanostructure design engineer's toolbox. These new materials

demonstrated their utility in creating conductive resins, paints, adhesives,

and thermoplastics for a wide range of conductive polymer and conductive

composite applications. Researchers at Metal Matrix Composites, for

example, have created paints with a sheet resistance of less than I ohm per

square, and adhesives and thermoplastics with conductivities of 40 Siemens

per centimeter (S/cm) and 150 S/cm, respectively.

Nickel nanostrands can also further enhance the conductivity of fiberor particle-reinforced composites, thus providing a three-dimensional

conductive lattice in the otherwise insulating polymer resin matrix. A loading of only 2% of volume in an otherwise standard prepreg,

for instance, doubles the conductivity of a carbon-fiber composite. This is important for the Air Force and industry because infiltrated

carbon composites have proven highly useful in lightning strike protection for aircraft and other composite structures.

Additionally, when manufacturers add nickel nanostrands to elastomers, the resulting composite material exhibits remarkable changes

in conductivity with respect to tensile or compressive strain. Since nickel nanostrands are a magnetic material, researchers can

magnetically align them while the carrier is still in the liquid phase, yielding a whole range of unique applications such as magnetically

oriented inks or magnetically aligned conductive fibers. The unique microstructure and chemistry of nickel nanostrands could also

lead to important advancements in filtering, catalysis, energy storage, and nanometallurgy.

"I'StaR/snra
Advanced Composites Carry Olympic

Hopeful to National Sled Racing Title

ayoff Engineers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Advanced Composites

Office (ACO) at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, redesigned the aerodynamic component of skeleton

racing sleds raced by world-class Air Force athletes vying for positions on the US Men's Winter

Olympic Team. ACO engineers used the techniques learned and perfected during redesign

of the skeleton sleds to build a horizontal tail advanced technology demonstrator, several

elevator skin prototypes for the A-10, and subscale composite spars for composite design and

manufacturing classes.

Accomplishment Major Brady Canfield won a bronze medal at the World

Championships in Nagano, Japan, and the 2003 US Men's National Skeleton Championship

using the new design. The redesign effort provided hands-on, computer-aided design (CAD)

and three-dimensional (3-D) modeling experience for new engineers at ACO, resulting in

improved lay-up techniques.

jdCkgrOUnfl Skeleton racing originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland, during the late 1800s and is the oldest known competitive

downhill sled racing sport in the world. The sled is composed of steel chassis, steel runners, and a steel (sometimes fiberglass) sheet

or pod affixed to the underside of the chassis to provide aerodynamic benefits similar to the underside of Formula One race cars.

The athlete lies face down on top of the sled in a head-first position and whips through a curving, ice-coated track for fastest time,

sometimes at speeds exceeding 80 mph.

A hand-built model of the sled pod was used to generate a 3-D representation,

which was then placed into the CAD program used to change the shape of the

part. To optimize the airflow contour of the part, ACO engineers made two

different part designs, each conforming to the standard 2-feet wide by 3-feet

long dimensions. Next, they downloaded the model to a five-axis router and

cut a wooden master. They used the master to make a fiberglass female mold

and then produced a hand lay-up part from the mold using the same graphite

epoxy sometimes employed on aircraft. Finally, they autoclave-cured the new

pod to provide the needed strength and stability.

The ACO manufactured a total of five graphite/epoxy sled pods for the Air

Force skeleton racing athletes. During the 2002 Winter Olympics qualifying

races, Maj Canfield won fourth place and Senior Airman Trevor Christy finished in the top 10. These results demonstrated significant

improvement in the race times of both athletes using the ACO composite pods. Using the new composite sled design, Maj Canfield

achieved an overall World Cup ranking of 11 th place, which qualified him for the World Championships in Japan. Canfield finished

third, winning the bronze medal. He further solidified his standings by winning the Men's National Skeleton Championship in Lake

Placid, New York.
Low-Cost All-Electronic Penetration Fuze

Exceeds Penetration Testing Objectives

ayOli Fuzes that survive high-impact conditions increase the ability of penetrating munitions to defeat underground bunkers.

The Multiple Event Hard-Target Fuze (MEHTF) provides an accurate and low-cost solution to fuzing for hard-target defeat.

Accomplishment The Munitions Directorate developed

the first low-cost, all-electronic penetration fuze with an improved

ability over existing fuzes to survive rigid body deceleration shock.

The MEHTF smart penetrator fuze uses an accelerometer to measure

distance traveled in order to initiate weapon activation at the desired

depth. Directorate engineers also demonstrated control of multiple

fuzes for multiple warhead events through static testing.

-*-

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1 x*^^^B"! ^J^^E

2 inch 00

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jaCri^rOUnd The directorate initiated the MEHTF program to address anticipated fuzing needs for future penetrating

weapons. Directorate researchers identified several future applications requiring a smart penetration fuze.

Directorate engineers identified specific technology limitations and structured the program to address these limitations. These

limitations include (I) surviving the severe shock environment associated with high-speed penetrator impact, (2) reduced fuze size

to facilitate use in small penetrators, (3) low cost to be competitive with time-delay fuzing, (4) accurate target media discrimination

capability, and (5) providing a multiple-event capability for complex multiple-function warheads.
Reconfigurable Computing Software Enables

Easy Programming of Hardware

Government and industry have invested many

millions of dollars over the past decade to develop a way

to easily program algorithms into field programmable

gate array (FPGA) integrated circuits to meet the

changing requirements of their users. Reconfigurable

computing (RC) technologies enable lower integration

cost, faster fielding of systems, in-field upgrading of

systems, and longer system life. Traditional approaches

to programming algorithms in FPGAs are laborious and

time consuming. Star Bridge Systems® of Midvale,

Utah, developed an electronics design automation tool

called Viva® that solves these problems.

>.«•»•••. . .._*«••• -tHo

VIVA Software to Hardware

The Munitions Directorate (MN) and Star Bridge Systems formed a Cooperative Research and

Development Agreement (CRADA) to test and demonstrate the Viva tool for munitions applications. This CRADA demonstrated

the capability to program third-party commercial off-the- shelf hardware with Viva.

Until now, Star Bridge Systems only demonstrated Viva on the company's FPGA boards called Hypercomputers®. Directorate

engineers chose to demonstrate the inexpensive XESS XSV-300/800 Virtex prototyping board, which has a XILINX's Virtex FPGA

embedded in a framework for processing video and audio signals. Directorate engineers will use the XESS prototyping boards

for cooperative control and automatic target recognition research at the RC laboratory at North Carolina A&T (NCAT) State

University.

jdCkgrOlind Star Bridge Systems developed their reconfigurable computer technology for desktop high-performance

computing with real-time processing. The directorate began investigating RC technology under its Revolutionary Technology

program and, through this effort, helped create the RC laboratory at NCAT University (a historically black university).

Since RC was a new area for directorate scientists, they also began collaborating with the Information (IF) and Space Vehicles

(VS) Directorates due to their previous research in the RC area. This collaboration led to a joint MN-IF Small Business Innovation

Research (SBIR) RC effort. It also brought forth a leveraged VS-MN SBIR RC effort.

MN is also collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center, Los

Alamos National Laboratory, and the National Security Administration (NSA). NSA and NASA are using Star Bridge Systems'

Hypercomputers, which are programmed with Viva, for high-performance scientific computing, research, and national security

applications; whereas MN is using Viva for embedded hardware applications implemented in various FPGA hardware systems

including the XESS XSV-300/800 Virtex prototyping board used by MN on this project.

H

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Composite Bearing Cages Show Great

Promise for Advanced Turbine Engines

ran Engineers from the Propulsion Directorate and Allcomp, Inc.,

developed carbon-carbon (C-C) composite cages that demonstrate significant

payoff in high-performance, marginally lubricated bearing applications. The most

recent success involves their use in bearings, evaluated by Williams International

(Wl), for small aircraft turbine engines.

SlMient Wl recently conducted full-scale bearing tests using C-C composite cages under an independent

research and development effort. C-C composite cages demonstrated significant performance advantages over cageless and steelcage bearing designs in over 1,000 hours of accumulated test time.

jftCKgrOlind Wl is considering the composite cages for small turbine engines such as the XTL 87 and WJ24 8 engines.

Researchers transitioned composite cages into the Allison Advanced Development Company (MDC) XTL 16 Joint Expendable

Turbine Engine Concept technology demonstrator engine and are planning to

transition them into the AADC XTL 17 and AADC/General Electric Aircraft

Engines (GEAE) XTC 77/1 demonstrator engines.

GEAE and Pratt & Whitney are considering the technology for large fighterclass turbine engines such as the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine

Technology and the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine demos.

Hamilton-Sundstrand is also considering this technology for the Miniature Air

Launched Decoy TJ30 production engine. Directorate engineers Drs. Nelson

Forster and Lewis Rosado, along with Mr. Wei Shih, of Allcomp, Inc., jointly

developed C-C cages (Patent No. 5,752,773, May 1998).
Test Modification Prevents IHPTET Delays

aVOff A team of engineers and scientists in the Propulsion Directorate's Turbine Engine Fatigue Facility (TEFF) kept a national

collaborative program on track by expanding and modifying their test hardware to measure a one-of-a-kind engine component, all

without significant cost. The TEFF Team completed the entire test program in

the 2 weeks between engine tear down and required delivery to the machine

shop for modification.

The team's quick response in making the necessary modifications to the

test and data acquisition systems provided high-fidelity data to the program

without any adverse effects on the planned schedule. The TEFF Team

maintained the test schedule for the XTC 76/3 B, which is critical to reaching

Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) Phase 3

goals as demonstrated through the XTE 77/1.

Accomplishment The TEFF Team of engineers and scientists developed and implemented a redesign to their traveling

wave excitation system in order to support the third phase of the IHPTET program. The team used the excitation system to

measure high-response resonant modes with laser scanning vibrometry and test the unique core-driven fan stage (CDFS) of the

XTC 76/3 demonstration engine.

In less than 6 weeks, directorate engineers redesigned and expanded the excitation system electronic circuitry from 18 to 37

necessary channels for the experiments. They also expanded the laser scanning vibrometry capability—in both number of excitation

channels and laser scan field-of-view—to enable coverage of the 40-inch bladed disk (blisk).

jdCk^rOlind The CDFS is a unique integrally machined blisk stage incorporating two distinct stacked blade rows in a single

stage. This design is unique to General Electric Aircraft Engines and Allison Advanced Development Company and is one of only

two components of this type ever produced.

Due to its geometric features and unique design, conventional finite element analysis

and laser vibrometry produced inconsistent results. Since large amplitude vibrations

were experienced in the 1st flex (trailing-edge dominated) mode at partial power

and the 2nd stripe mode near maximum power during engine testing, directorate

engineers needed insight into the structural dynamics characteristics of the entire

blisk to ensure proper redesign and modification by the manufacturer. Directorate

engineers required complete testing to avoid large amplitude resonances when the

engine returns to test as the XTC 76/3B in early fiscal year 2003.

Using acoustic excitation, directorate engineers performed chirp tests covering a

frequency range of 0 to 9000 Hz on both the fan and the core airfoils. The engineers

used the scanning vibrometer to obtain the dynamic response characteristics of all airfoils, on both inner and outer panels, for all

resonant modes that exist in the operating range of the engine.

Directorate engineers also measured mistuning patterns, stress localization, and phase relationships between inner and outer

panels. The data obtained in this test program validated the intended modifications to the blisk and permitted the return to the

demonstrator engine safely and expeditiously.
Integrated Powerhead Demonstration

Project Enters Fast-Paced Test Phase

ayOll Testing of critical components for integration into the world's first full-flow-cycle hydrogen/oxygen boost engine is under

way. A recent test of the Propulsion Directorate's Integrated Powerhead Demonstration (IPD) project in California established a

technical first for the US and marks the first advancements in boost engine technology since the initial development of the Space

Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) in the 1970s.

SlMient Testing of the Department of Defense's (DoD's) IPD project is under way at the Aerojet E-Complex

test facilities in Sacramento. Directorate engineers successfully tested the IPD fuel preburner to 50% power, satisfying all pretest

predictions and meeting all test objectives. The fuel preburner will eventually deliver hot hydrogen drive gas to power an advanced

hydrogen turbo pump in the engine system.

This successful test kicks off a new stage in the IPD program where directorate engineers will test combustion and turbo machinery

components at both Aerojet and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Following this test phase, directorate engineers will integrate all components into the world's first full-flow-cycle hydrogen/oxygen

boost engine.

Background The IPD program supports the DoD Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program.

The goal of this program is to double the capability of boost engines for access to space. The IPD program is also a very successful

partnership between AFRL and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, which provides additional technical

expertise and program support.

IPD's full-flow staged combustion engine is a technical first

for the US. The program brings together combustion device

components from Aerojet, and turbo machinery and system

integration expertise from Boeing-Rocketdyne of Canoga

Park, California. This combination will extend the life cycle of

boost engines and reduce the amount of maintenance between

missions. IPD is also the first cryogenic boost engine technology

program since the development of the SSME.

The IHPRPT program is a DoD/NASA/industry-coordinated

effort to develop revolutionary and innovative technologies

by the year 2010. This effort will double rocket propulsion

capabilities over early 1990s state-of-the-art technology.
First Evaluation of Particulate

Mitigation Additives Completed

ayOtl The Propulsion Directorate recently completed the first evaluation of fuel additives to mitigate soot particulate emissions

from turbine engines. The directorate's experimental detergent-type additive reduced particulate number density by 67%, resulting

in a calculated particulate mass reduction of 53%.

The Turbine Engine Division's Fuels Branch

tested 17 additives originally designed to reduce emissions and/or

improve combustion characteristics in internal combustion engines

in a T63 helicopter engine. Directorate engineers analyzed engine

particulate exhaust using a suite of state-of-the-art instrumentation

to characterize particulate number density (number of particles per

cubic centimeter), size distribution, mass, and particulate chemical

composition.

jdCkgrOUtlQ Directorate experiments show that commercial additives and cetane improvers are ineffective in reducing

particulate emissions or altering particle size distribution. However, researchers observed dramatic reductions in particulate

emissions with one of the experimental proprietary additives. Further research into this and other additives of similar chemistry is

ongoing to help explain the mechanisms by which the additive reduces particulate emissions in the T63.
New +100 Additive Passes the Test

ftVOfl A second source for a newly formulated JP-8 thermal stability fuel additive successfully completed a rigorous thermal

stability test regimen laid out by the Propulsion Directorate's Fuels Branch. This is a major milestone for fielding the additive in JP-8

fuel—the primary fuel for many US military aircraft and commercial systems—and is an important step in creating competition that

should reduce the cost of the additive to the Air Force and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries.

SlWient The directorate developed the +100 additive to minimize maintenance associated with fuel degradation

in aircraft engines and fuel systems and increase the heat sink of the fuel. The BP/Lubrizol Team developed the formulation and

successfully completed its rigorous thermal stability test regimen.

)d('h£*I'OllHO In order to gain approval, an additive must

pass a series of thermal stability tests. Directorate scientists

and engineers verified that the BP/Lubrizol additive successfully

completed the required thermal stability testing. The additive

will now go to the original equipment manufacturers for engine

testing and to the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (ML)

for materials compatibility testing. The engine manufacturers

and ML agreed to create a cooperative process to field the

additive.

The fielding of the original +100 additive manufactured by

BetzDearborn has been a major success; it significantly reduced

fuel-related maintenance costs for a wide range of military and

commercial systems. The Danish and Canadian military have

adopted the +100 additive.

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Improved Compressor Research Facility

Ready to Meet IHPTET and VAATE Goals

The Propulsion Directorate successfully integrated a new state-of-the-art HighPerformance Data Acquisition System (HPDAS) in the directorate's Compressor Research Facility

(CRF). The HPDAS provides a 75% increase in channel count measurement capability over the

original 25-year-old system.

HPDAS meets the demands of the Integrated High Performance Turbine

Engine Technology (IHPTET) program and expected requirements of the Versatile Affordable

Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) technology program.

Background The new data acquisition system

allows direct connection of the sensors to the signal

conditioners, eliminating the need for patch panels. This

reduces set-up time and improves accuracy and reliability

in comparison to the old system.

The footprint of the new system is only 10% that of

the old system, making more than 300 sq ft available for

special test equipment anticipated for future CRF testing.

The old system was nearing the end of its life cycle and required an inordinate amount of maintenance. The new system reduces

the maintenance burden by $250K/year, which results in a payback of the new system's cost in only 3 years.

Previously, the directorate calibrated each channel using a dedicated standard, each of which was calibrated against a National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-traceable standard. Calibrating all channels directly with one NIST-traceable standard

eliminated the intermediate calibration step and the associated loss in accuracy as a result of that step.

The new system exhibits a consistent 100% availability, while the failure rate of the older system was 2-3%. The directorate will use

the new system to effectively and accurately evaluate the advanced technology developed under the IHPTET and VAATE National

Turbine Engine Technology programs.

The IHPTET program is a national collaborative effort among the Air Force, Navy, Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency, and industry to double aircraft propulsion capability by 2005. The VAATE program is focused on achieving a 10-times

improvement in turbine engine affordability.
Edwards Research Site Evolves New Class of

Fluorinated POSS Polymers

ayOft Researchers at the Propulsion Directorate's Edwards Research Site are helping meet the Air Force's demand for

a new generation of lightweight, high-performance polymeric material. The research led to the development and large-scale

production of the first new polymer feedstocks in the past 40 years. For the past decade, the Edwards Research Site pursued the

development of new chemical feedstock technologies based on polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS).

Because of its chemical nature, POSS technology is easily incorporated into common plastics via copolymerization, or blending,

and requires little or no alteration to existing manufacturing processes. POSS additives radically upgrade the thermal and physical

properties of most plastics.

$hlHetlt A new class of POSS compounds evolved from research at Edwards Space and Missile Propulsion

research facilities. These compounds are fluorinated and have the highest molecular weight yet produced in POSS research.

Fluoroalkyl and fluoroaryl POSS compounds have the potential to

blend with various fluoropolymers used in spacecraft coatings and

low-creep seals.

POSS-enhanced plastic polymers allow users to produce products

with capabilities not previously possible. The POSS technologyderived polymers are revolutionary in their ability to mimic

ceramic class attributes.

In addition to their greater strength and space-survivable features,

they may also demonstrate abrasion resistance. As additives,

POSS may be useable in heat-abrasion-resistant paints, coatings,

and fire retardants. In plastics, POSS is useable in medical

materials, space-resistant resins, packaging/coatings, resins, and

elastomers.

POSS research at the Edwards facilities is a rapidly evolving area of dual-use technology development that

provides innovative plastic polymer materials to military and industrial users. The plastics industry is interested in POSS research,

and R&D Magazine recognized POSS as one of the top 100 most significant products for 2000. The nanotechnology publication,

Small Times Magazine, recently selected the directorate's POSS spin-off company, Hybrid Plastics, as one of five finalists for their

2002 Best of Small Tech Award.
Space-Survivable Materials Get

Boost with New Polymers

ayOfl Hybrid inorganic and organic polymer research at the Propulsion Directorate's Edwards Research Site demonstrated

the ability to prevent damage from a simulated space environment. Test samples are currently flying on the International Space

Station.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) technology research is bridging the gap between ceramics and plastics. Directorate

scientists and engineers believe that the incorporation of POSS into polymers could increase the survivability of polymeric materials

in low-earth orbit (LEO) indefinitely. This would result in increased satellite lifetimes.

Shttiem Directorate analysis of POSS-copolymers exposed to a simulated LEO environment revealed the

formation of a protective silica layer on the surface of the polymer. This layer prevented degradation of the underlying polymer

when exposed to atomic oxygen flux.

In fact, tests showed that exposure to simulated LEO conditions healed microcracks initially present in certain POSS-copolymer

samples. The dispersion of POSS throughout the polymer matrix provided efficient self-healing of damaged areas. The Materials for

the International Space Station Experiment is currently testing POSS materials in space, with plans to test other samples on future

missions.

Background POSS technology research at the

directorate is a rapidly evolving area of dual-use technology

development. The Edwards Research Site provides military

and industrial users with innovative polymer materials that

will double or triple satellite lifetimes.

POSS-copolymer materials technology is a revolutionary

step toward the development of space-survivable materials

and will enhance the long-term deployment of spaceinflatable structures, antennas, solar arrays, and solar

sails. Polymeric materials offer many advantages for LEO

applications including ease of processing and reduced

payload-to-orbit costs from the reduction in weight.

However, polymers currently used in the construction of

space vehicles undergo severe degradation, resulting in reduced spacecraft lifetimes since they must endure high fluxes of atomic

oxygen, bombardment by low- and high-energy charged particles, extreme temperature changes, and solar radiation. Degradation

of these materials may also be detrimental to electrical components on spacecraft.
Explosive Safety Detonation Test Successful

Researchers from the Propulsion Directorate's Edwards Research Site conducted an explosive safety test involving two

small intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stages. By using real rocket motors, researchers designed the test to enhance storage

and launch safety procedures for strategic missiles and space boosters.

The test provided Air Force

system safety organizations full-scale blast and fragment

data for validating proper storage and explosive safety of

national assets. It used nearly 25,000 lbs of a solid rocket

fuel, equivalent to 14 tons of Trinitrotoluene, commonly

known as TNT. Space and Missile Propulsion Division

researchers provided test data to Lawrence Livermore

National Laboratory and other interested organizations

to help validate Air Force and industry explosive hazards'

computer models.

The test data also supported efforts to validate new North

Atlantic Treaty Organization explosive hazard classifications

for insensitive munitions. The high-powered, ground-level

explosion provided seismic calibration to the US Geological

Survey seismic measurement activities at Caltech.

jdCkgrOUtld The purpose of the test was to provide simultaneous detonation or reaction between two rocket motors, in

this case, a first and third stage of small ICBM motors. Directorate researchers separated the motors at representative distances

found in storage bunkers positioned in worst-case scenario conditions and instrumented the motors to provide scientific data for

numerous users.

Caltech measured the seismic force of the test, which dug a 20-foot-deep crater at the test site, at a 1.61 magnitude. The test also

provided experimental data on shock-to-detonation initiation pressures and fragment throw data.
Large Rocket Test Stand Reactivated at

Edwards Research Site

aVOfl The Propulsion Directorate reactivated Test Stand I -D, one of its largest and most historic rocket test stands at Edwards

Air Force Base (AFB), California, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in January 2003. The liquid oxygen and kerosene-based, 15-story

test stand is considered state of the art and capable of testing rocket engines and components with millions of pounds of thrust.

Accomplishment With Test Stand l-D's refurbishment, the directorate's Space and Missile Propulsion Division scientists,

engineers, and technicians are ready to help validate innovative technologies for current and future rocket engines. Originally built

as an Apollo-era FI rocket engine test facility, the directorate took Test Stand I -D from a mothballed storage state in the dry desert

climate and, in less than 18 months, modernized it to increase national rocket engine test and research capabilities.

The $12 million modernization cost, which included state-of-the-art data acquisition and control systems, was much less than the

estimated $500 million needed to build a new test stand from scratch. The directorate met or exceeded environmental standards

for fuel tanks and plumbing as well as cooling waters for the rocket test stand.

itt( kgrOUIld The test stand's capabilities fit into the overall

Department of Defense (DoD) National Rocket Propulsion program

called Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT). The

directorate's Space and Missile Propulsion Division coordinates the program

that encompasses liquid rocket engine, solid rocket motor, and advanced

propulsion technologies. IHPRPT's future large liquid rocket propulsion

demonstrations can now use the stand's massive thrust capabilities.

The program's DoD/National Aeronautical and Space Administration/

industry partnership is working toward a national doubling of propulsion

capability. That means more thrust, fewer parts, improved manufacturing,

and innovative materials application.

The stand is part of the directorate's nearly $3 billion worth of test facilities

at Edwards AFB. Nearly every American rocket can trace its research

and testing to the Edwards facilities, which have given the nation rocket

propulsion research, development, and test capabilities for over 50 years.
XTE 67 Achieves 100% Design Performance

dyOlt The Integrated High-Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) XTE 67 three-stage fan achieved its 100%

design performance goals in recent testing at the Propulsion Directorate's Compressor Research Facility. By achieving its design

goals, the program demonstrated that Pratt and Whitney (P&W) design tools are mature enough to provide fan designs that achieve

advanced technology goals without reworking the fan designs after testing.

The IHPTET XTE 67 three-stage

fan compressor achieved its predicted efficiency, mass flow,

and stall margin at design pressure ratio and speed. This

significant achievement resulted from the close teamwork

between the directorate's Turbine Engine Division's test team

and P&W personnel.

In the next phase of testing, directorate engineers will install

the fan in an engine, incorporating other IHPTET technologies

to demonstrate component interaction engine environment

readiness. Advanced technologies demonstrated on this fan

test are directly applicable to the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

F135 propulsion system.

jflCkgrOUfld The IHPTET program is a national collaborative effort among the Air Force, Navy, Army, National Aeronautics

and Space Administration, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the aerospace industry to double aircraft propulsion

capability by 2005. The program began in 1987, and the Air Force has already transitioned many of the advancements made to-date

into the F/A-22 Raptor and the Air Force's newest fighter, the F-35 (JSF).

Joint service technology demonstrator engines like the XTE 67, built by P&W, have validated improvements in advanced design,

performance, and cost. These demonstrators provide low-risk technology transition, resulting in high readiness and increased safety

and performance for the warfighter.

P&W is the propulsion system prime contractor for all three variants of the JSF aircraft. The F135 for the JSF evolved from the F119

engine that powers the F/A-22 Raptor. P&W will deliver the first production engine for operational service in 2007, and the Fl 35

engine will cost 35% less to own than legacy systems (engines in service for decades).

The engine will have three times the hardware and software reliability and will require 30 to 50% fewer maintenance technicians

and 50% fewer airlift assets in deployment. The F135 is also designed to reduce the time for fault detection and repair by 94% and

increase the time between shop visits by 225% over legacy systems.
Liquid Oxygen Turbopump

Testing Successful

The Propulsion Directorate successfully completed testing of critical components for integration into the world's first full

flow cycle hydrogen/oxygen boost engine. The Integrated Powerhead Demonstration (IPD) technology development provides the

world's first hydrogen-fueled rocket engine with oxygen-rich staged combustion. IPD is currently the only hydrogen boost rocket

engine development program in existence today.

Directorate tests of the IPD

program were completed at the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration's (NASA) Stennis Space Center test

facilities in Mississippi. These tests mark the first advancements

in boost engine technology since the space shuttle's main

engine was initially developed in the 1970s. IPD technology

is the first American-designed and -fabricated oxygen-rich

turbine drive pump. The series of tests finished with a hotfire test that demonstrated a steady-state run of 95% power,

which is considered the most challenging of the series.

NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology program is also

a cornerstone of the IPD technology. The program provides

technology advances needed to overcome two major

technical problems: turbine life and bearing wear. Hydrostatic

bearings are the key innovations in the high-performance

turbomachinery that fully supports the rotor of both the fuel

and oxidizer pump.

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jiiCkgrOlind The IPD program is part of a national program known as the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion

Technology (IHPRPT) program involving all Department of Defense services, NASA, and American rocket industry partners.

IHPRPT's intent is to double the performance and capabilities of rocket propulsion systems over the 1993 state-of-the-art systems

and to decrease costs of access to space for military and commercial customers.
Compliant Foil Bearings for Advanced

Oil-Free Turbomachinery

Successfully Tested

PayOlt Compliant foil bearings support the rotor on a hydrodynamic air film, eliminating the need for rolling element bearings

and the associated liquid lubrication system. Potential benefits for turbomachinery include increased rotational speed and operating

temperature, improved storability, reduced maintenance, decreased life-cycle costs, and a 30% reduction in cruise missile engine

cost and weight.

Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc.

(MiTi®) of Albany, New York, and Williams International (Wl)

jointly funded an Independent Research and Development effort to

demonstrate a compliant air foil journal bearing in a WJ24-8 turbojet

engine. This bearing is similar to the one developed for Wl's Joint

Expendable Turbine Engine Concept (jETEC) engine demonstrator

(XTL87).

The WJ24-8 is a 240-pound thrust single-spool turbojet that

provides propulsion for the US Navy BQM-74 target drone. Fuel

lubricates the WJ24-8's forward bearing, while oil mist normally

lubricates the aft bearing.

In the demonstration test, Wl engineers replaced the aft bearing and oil mist system with a MiTi airfoil journal bearing. The ongoing

engine test program has accumulated over 12 hrs of cyclic and mission simulation testing with operation to maximum design speed and gas

temperature and 70 start-stop cycles.

A preliminary post-test analysis of bearing hardware revealed no evidence ofwear. Testing will continue to quantify benefits, such as reduced

power loss, and investigate bearing life issues. Wl estimates that this modification could reduce the cost of the WJ24-8 by as much as 20%.

Propulsion Directorate researchers and Wl engineers may use this test data to assess the applicability of foil bearings to other gas turbine

engines for both military and commercial systems.

jaCkgrOUtlfl The directorate recently completed a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research program called "Compliant

Foil Bearings for Advanced Oil-Free Turbomachinery" with MiTi. This program successfully developed and rig-tested a high-speed

foil bearing for demonstration in Wl's Integrated High-Performance Turbine Engine Technology Phase III JETEC XTL 87.

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XTC 67 Jet Engine Core Test

Successfully Completed

dyofl The Pratt & Whitney (P&W) XTC67/1 core demonstrator recently demonstrated the highest steady-state turbine rotor

inlet temperature (TJ ever achieved by a P&W engine. The high T4| operating temperatures provide increased engine thrust levels

and are key to meeting the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program goal of doubling jet engine

thrust-to-weight ratio. The hot section technologies of the core engine have excellent technology transition potential to the Joint

Strike Fighter F135 engine and the F/A-22's F119 engine.

hmenl Propulsion Directorate engineers recently completed 96 hrs of testing at the Arnold Engineering and

Development Center, validating improvements in thrust-to-weight ratios and decreases in production and maintenance costs

for the P&W XTC67 turbine engine core technology demonstrator.

The XTC67 core engine, part of the IHPTET program, met the

required test objectives and clears the way for testing the full engine

demonstrator, or XTE67/1.

This XTC67 core engine demonstrator also verified the highest steadystate fuel/air ratio ever run in a P&W engine. Key technologies tested

include a four-stage high-pressure compressor with gamma titaniumaluminide stators that incorporate mistuning techniques to help reduce

material failures due to high-cycle fatigue; high fuel-air ratio floatwall

combustor; thinwall supercooled turbine blades; and micro-circuit

turbine blade outer air seals.

jflCngrOUnd The IHPTET program is a national collaborative effort among the Air Force, Navy, Army, the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the aerospace industry to double

aircraft propulsion capability by 2005. Joint service technology demonstrator core engines, like the XTC67/1, validate improvements

in advanced design, performance, life, and cost.
PEAPRS is a Low-Cost Supplement for

Aircraft Communication

ayOft The Precision Emergency Automated Position Reporting System (PEAPRS) is a low-cost supplement to the standard

method of aircraft communication. During an emergency airborne situation, this system is triggered with a sensor, or pilots or other

crew members can activate it by pressing a button, which automatically engages the PEAPRS equipment.

SiiniWlt In an effort to discover alternative ways to communicate with aircraft in trouble, the Sensors

Directorate planned and conducted an experiment using amateur radio operators within the international Automated Position

Reporting System (APRS) network. Directorate researchers measured the timeliness and accuracy of the amateur community's

reports. The directorate received reports from over 200 amateur radio operators from across the country and around the world

via telephone, APRS message, and e-mail within one minute of transmission ofthe first emergency beacon.

Background The directorate's test involved an aero club aircraft with a simulated emergency flying over upstate New

York. The test demonstrated that aircrew members could use the APRS system to supplement the current communications that

either commercial or private aircraft use to convey an emergency

in progress.

APRS, a form of packet radio, sends packets of digital information

via high frequency, very high frequency (VHF), or ultra high

frequency (UHV) radio across the country and around the world

using digital repeaters. The packets in APRS contain position data,

weather data, and sometimes a text message.

The directorate's test simulated a simple mechanical or electrical

defect that required the pilot to make an emergency landing. This

technology is also useable during a catastrophic disaster or terrorist

hijacking, which occasionally makes the primary communications,

generally VHF or UHF airband radios and interchange file format

transponders, intentionally or unintentionally inoperative.
PACTS Provides Sensors Directorate a

More Reliable VFT Capability

ayOft The Sensors Directorate developed a controller called Programmable Attenuator Control and Test System (PACTS)

that uses basic logic and inexpensive integrated circuits (under $5) to make the directorate's virtual flight test (VFT) capability more

reliable. The PACTS provides output signals to an attenuator in the same mode and timing that the radio frequency (RF) controller

uses to control the attenuators in the VFT simulation.

A bank of programmable attenuators

caused significant RF glitches in the directorate's Advanced

Concepts Exploration Global Positioning System's (GPS) VFT

simulation. Attenuators use RF signals generated from the GPS

and threat simulators to reduce the power to simulate real-world

terrain effects and propagation losses observed at the platform.

Mr. Ron Franks, a 2002 Cedarville University co-op student,

analyzed these wavelengths in the time domain (milliseconds)

versus the traditional frequency domain (sine wave). Running

direct current voltage through the attenuator demonstrated a

notable pause as the internal relay switched, causing the attenuator

to spike. To address this, Mr. Franks constructed PACTS and

created the solution within 3 days.

jdCk^rOUnd For over 4 years, significant RF glitches in the VFT simulation led to occasional spikes, which caused antijamming systems undergoing testing to see this phenomenon and, at times, invalidate the testing. Directorate engineers analyzed

the data extensively in the frequency, but not in the time domain.

Directorate engineers investigated several possible hardware fixes over time, but found them far too costly and time-consuming as

viable options. The PACTS provided output signals to an attenuator in the same mode and timing as used by the RF controller, thus

solving the problem.
Fighter Aircraft Evaluate Real-Time

Information Capability

ayoft The Integrated Real-Time Information into the Cockpit

(RTIC)/Real-Time Information Out of the Cockpit (RTOC) for

Combat Aircraft (IRRCA) program made F-l 17 history when

the aircraft sent its first-ever attack sequence images via satellite

data link during IRRCA Phase II flight testing. Personnel from

the Sensors Directorate, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems,

and the F-l 17 Combined Test Force in Palmdale, California,

conducted the flight testing.

The ability to send images of an attack sequence to a command

and control element within minutes of the attack allows

commanders to assess the effectiveness of an attack and rapidly

redirect an attack against the target, if necessary. This capability

is essential for time-critical targeting operations.

ACCOItipli$hnient The IRRCA program developed an onboard mission manager (OMM) that facilitates the transfer of

RTIC and RTOC. The OMM also contained a modified version of the common low-observable auto-router (CLOAR) that allows

a dynamic, signature-managed replan of the F-117's flight path in response to target retasking messages and pop-up threats. The

IRRCA avionics configuration also supports sending selected images with mission reports via satellite data links that provide beyond

line-of-sight communication with the aircraft.

tackgrOUnd The directorate initiated the IRRCA program in 1998 and restructured it in January 2000, adding extended hot

mock-up (HMU) testing. HMU testing, completed in June 2001, allowed for additional configuration testing and consisted of mission

updates, text, and image messages sent from the Raytheon, Ft. Wayne, Indiana location to the F-117A HMU facility in Palmdale,

California, over ultra high frequency demand-assigned multiple access satellite communications (UHF DAMA SATCOM).

The multimission advanced tactical terminal received threat updates transmitted on the national threat broadcasting system and

passed the threat updates to the OMM. The CLOAR replanned the route, which was dependent upon the mission updates and

threat information passed to the OMM. During the attack phase of the mission, the HMU captured a series of images from the

infrared targeting system and sent them via UHF DAMA SATCOM to a simulated air operations center.
Mixed-Signal Design Center

dyOtl The Sensors Directorate's Aerospace Components and Subsystems Technology Branch developed a mixed-signal design

center that is capable of rapidly solving the challenges associated with mixed-signal integrated circuit design, synthesis, fabrication,

and characterization.

I £1 £ * £\ ninlicl imAMi Over a period of 18 months, the directorate's mixed-signal design center developed prototype

synthesis tools and novel on-wafer characterization methods as a means to evaluate new mixed-signal integrated circuits developed

by the Department of Defense (DoD), commercial businesses, and universities. Through direct team participation in multiproject

fabrications, directorate engineers assisted radio frequency developments to technologies such as fully depleted silicon-on-insulator

complementary metal oxide semiconductor and 7HP silicon germanium.

The mixed-signal design center represents a

parallel approach to merge advanced design tools with appropriate

analysis methods so their combined paths lead to more complex

and highly functional integrated circuits. Working with other

DoD agencies, industry, and academia, the state-of-the-art center

represents over $2 million in shared investment. The resulting

microelectronics are capable of mixed-signal operation, and

directorate engineers can feed the highly accurate models back

into system-level architectures to perform more complicated tasks

such as receiver-on-a-chip operation.

The mixed-signal design center resources comprise an invaluable

piece of the larger directorate and DoD technology push for

increased functionality to multibandwidth receiver applications.

The mixed-signal design environment possesses the capability

for partnerships as novel opportunities arise, and the knowledge

gained through research projects allows our scientists and

engineers to act in the capacity of intelligent technology brokers.
Sensors Directorate Develops Model for

See-and-Avoid System

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) see-and-avoid requirement is qualitative and provides no clear success

criterion. FAA Directive 7610.4J states that unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) must provide an "equivalent level of safety, comparable

to see-and-avoid requirements for manned aircraft" to operate in the national air space.

The Sensors Directorate's Electro-Optic Threat and Target Detection Technology Branch, in conjunction with Defense Research

Associates, through a Small Business Innovation Research program, developed a model that quantifies "the equivalent level of safety"

requirement. This model has successfully compared capabilities of manned and unmanned aircraft.

Directorate engineers developed a

model in MATLAB® for calculating the detection range required

to avoid a collision for both manned and unmanned aircraft.

The model allows variation in sensor and target velocities;

initial separation and look angle; latencies associated with

communications, decisions, and maneuvers; a safety factor (final

miss distance); and specific UAV maneuvering capabilities (flight

speeds, climb rates, and turn rates as a function of altitude).

Directorate engineers applied this model to the Global Hawk

and Predator UAVs to determine the detection requirements

for a see-and-avoid system placed on each of these platforms.

After completing the requirements definition phase and flight

demonstration of an aircraft detection system, directorate engineers compared the results of both. The UAV air traffic detection

system performance exceeded that of a trained human pilot.

SacK^rOUIld The FAA defines "equivalent level of safety" detection range requirement with a single constraint: a see-andavoid system must detect and avoid air traffic with at least the same capability as a human pilot. To determine the "equivalent level

of safety" detection range requirements for the Global Hawk and Predator UAVs, directorate engineers performed an analysis as if a

human pilot was onboard, using human response inputs from the Human Factors Directorate, Aeronautical System Center's Global

Hawk and Predator System Program Offices, and studies by the FAA.

In addition, directorate engineers used the Optical Encounter model to determine the range at which a trained pilot would detect

an F-16 from a co-altitude, nose-on perspective under various atmospheric conditions and sun positions. Directorate engineers

developed a prototype system that went beyond this constraint. The system can detect approaching aircraft at a sufficient range to

allow a maneuver that avoids a collision.

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Mobile Trailer System Permits Missile Firing

in a Safe Control Area for Sensor Research

dyOtl The ability of Sensors Directorate engineers to control a missile's flight via a cable improves the research potential to

investigate the sensor's ability to detect missiles in a high-clutter, urban environment. This cable apparatus is a low-cost solution;

however, at the same time, it provides high returns in research capability.

Directorate engineers demonstrated an innovative mobile trailer system, which allows them to fire

missiles in a safe, controlled area for sensor research. This improves the research scientists' ability to test and evaluate sensor

systems against missile threats.

rOUnd Directorate engineers have used smokey surface-to-air missile (SAM) training rockets during testing for several

years, primarily as a low-cost simulator for missile-warning sensor testing in both static firings and free-flight launches. The large

cleared area required for free-flight tests limited the sites available to accomplish this testing, mainly to expensive test ranges.

Open test ranges are also usually low-clutter environments. However, to thoroughly test the missile-warning sensor's capability,

scientists need to examine how the sensor picks out missiles in a high-clutter, urban-type environment.

Directorate scientists determined that by launching a smokey

SAM along a cable, they could control the flight and reduce the

safety footprint. They further examined ways to assemble the

apparatus onto a mobile trailer with a telescoping tower where

it could be transported, set up, and fired in any high-clutter

urban environment.

Directorate engineers recently demonstrated this concept at

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. They used a crane

to raise the cable to about 70 ft, with the other end of the

1/8 in., 2,000 ft aircraft cable attached to a pickup truck. The

engineers drove the anchor truck forward to pull tension on

the cable until the cable was a sufficient height off the ground.

The rockets traveled 1,500 to 1,800 ft.
Sensors Directorate Successfully

Tests DIAL System

rdyOlf The Differential Absorption Ladar (DIAL) system detects and measures concentrations of gasses, such as environmental

contaminants and chemical agents in the atmosphere, and may be useful operating in the differential scatter mode for bio-aerosol

discrimination. This lightweight, small, and flight-capable system selects the minimum number of wavelengths to provide the maximum

probability ofidentifying a chemical or group of chemicals in a complex chemical environment.

The Sensors Directorate's Multi-Function Electro-Optical

Branch successfully tested Lidar II, a frequency-agile DIALsystem designed and assembled

byLaSen, Inc. Lidar II is the second-generation device based on the environmental laser

mappingsystem—a DIAL-based, high-speed, multi-chemical mappingsystem. Directorate

researchers successfully tested this sensor on theground and on a helicopter platform, with

detection limits of < 1.5 parts per million (ppm).

An Air Force Small Business Innovation Research program

funded the initial effort to construct a midwave active laser chemical remote system

with potential application as a base remediation sensor. LaSen, Inc. designed Lidar I, a

100 lb sensor with detection limits of <5 ppm at ranges up to 2.0 km in a topographic

reflector mode, to map volatile organics (methane, toluene, benzene, etc.) associated

with Air Force base environmental cleanups, dumpsites, and underground diesel fuel

leaks.

Lidar II is a compact (<40 lbs) version of Lidar I, engineered to operate from a

helicopter during flight. This new device is less than half the size and weight of Lidar I,

with improvements in receiver design performance.

Initial flights proved that the vibration and temperature fluctuations encountered during flight operations did not affect performance of the

system. Subsequent flights demonstrated the sensor's ability to detect, from the air, natural gas leaks at pipeline valve stations.

Directorate researchers are currently upgrading the system to include a video tracker and Global Positioning System/lnertial Navigation

System to confirm and geo-reference actual sampling locations on theground. They will further demonstrate sensor capabilities in a number

of blind tests against underground pipeline tests during subsequent flights and investigate the sensor's potential to detect and identify hard

targets on the ground, based on spectral differences in material reflectivity.

^^R/^ira
'• "i

New Technology Provides Powerful Security

Protection for Wireless Communications

dyOfl The Sensors Directorate sponsored new technology developed by Robert Gold Comm Systems, Inc. (RGCS) under a

Phase II Fast Track Small Business Innovation Research program. This technology provides powerful security protection for wireless

computer networks, cell phones, and other radio communications. Benefits include highly secure communications with the overhead

of encryption and selective addressability of receivers, individually or in groups.

ACCOmpllShment Dr. Gold developed a self-synchronizing and selective addressing algorithm based on times-of-arrival (TOA)

measurements of a frequency-hopping radio system. These algorithms allow a monitor to synchronize to a frequency-hopping radio in a

network by making relatively brief observations of the TOAs on a single frequency.

RGCS designed the algorithms for integration into spread-spectrum, frequency-hopping systems widely used for wireless communications

such as wireless fidelity computer networks, cellular phones, and two-way radios used by the military, police, firefighters, ambulances, and

commercial fleets.

BdCk^rOUnd Although very convenient for users, wireless communication

is extremely vulnerable to eavesdropping. For example, hackers frequently access

wireless computer networks (laptop computers linking to the network).

Encrypting the data increases the security of these networks, but encryption is

complex, inconvenient, time consuming for users, and adds a significant amount

of overhead information that reduces data throughput. In frequency-hopping

(spread-spectrum) networks now in wide use, users protect the data by sending

it in brief spurts, with the transmitter and receiver skipping in a synchronized

pattern among hundreds of frequencies. An intruder without knowledge of the

synchronization pattern would just hear static.

A major vulnerability of many spread-spectrum networks involves compromising

the network security by intercepting unprotected information. Originators must

send the sync pattern information to authorized receivers, often unprotected.

The Gold algorithms support code-division multiple access, frequency-hopping multiple access, and ultra-wideband spread-spectrum

communication systems. They are designed for incorporation into enhanced versions of existing products, most of which already include

circuitry that manufacturers can adapt to implement the technology.

Ai,I^m/snra
Algorithm Decreases Computational Time

to Perform Combat Identification

The Sensors Directorate Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) Team has invented a revolutionary detection and recognition

process that matches potential battlefield targets to known targets in Air Force databases in a fast, automated process.

Database

Template 1

Template 2

template 3

template 4

Template 5

Template 0

Template 7

Template 8

Template S

Today

iCIass 2'

jOb) A |0>J B||Ob).C|Ob(.

I Database

By understanding the fundamental

relationship between objects and images and constructing a

metric or measurement for comparing objects to images, the

ATR Team created an algorithm that dramatically decreases the

amount of computational time necessary to perform combat

identification (CID). CD is the process of attaining an accurate

characterization of detected objects in the joint battlespace to the

extent that high confidence, timely application of military options

and weapons resources can occur. A computer will watch all

video cameras, radars, and other Air Force sensor platforms,

aiding the pilot or intelligence analyst by letting them concentrate

on the task at hand.

Object-image relations (OIRs) indicate when an object and image are consistent. OIRs help to answer questions about which objects

could have produced a specific image. An object-image metric indicates how to measure the distance between images, the distance

between objects, and the distance between an object and an image. This metric will affect both the overall ATR algorithm approach

as well as the implementation of many components of the algorithm.

51:31"

jdCk^rOU11(1 The new process avoids item-by-item searches through huge databases in order to find a match for a potential target.

Past systems comprised very large databases of pictures and objects that were created, maintained, and searched sequentially for potential

matches. The new system will hold the same amount of information as the original database but will be dramatically smaller.
Laser Sensing Capability Enhances

Target Ranging and Identification

ayofl A new technique, based upon pulse modulation of a mode-locked laser source, enhances target identification and ranging

capability with a smaller laser that will support transition of laser sensing capability to tactical aircraft and unmanned air vehicles. This

technique easily provides a resolution of better than 25 cm and eliminates the need for high-energy pulses that are difficult to generate

and can damage optics.

>hment The Sensors Directorate's Electro-Optical Countermeasures Technology Branch at Wright-Patterson

Air Force Base, Ohio, recently demonstrated a novel technique for target ranging and identification based upon pulse modulation of

a mode-locked laser source. The mode-locked laser is a compact, rugged, room-temperature source well suited to multifunctional

use.

Directorate engineers used a passively mode-locked, 0.5-watt

(W) neodymium laser with electro-optic modulation and a I

GHz bandwidth detector to determine range-to-target and target

depth information in the laboratory with a resolution of better

than 25 cm. The engineers simultaneously ranged multiple targets

with the same 25 cm resolution.

EO

modulator

t_M

pulse

delay

ir I l/'i'

0 1 0 0 1

odulatjon applied

1 Modulation code

signal

delay

i^utgoing puise irain i^—a ;

II III I •<

—ii III i >m '

Return signal from target

Cross-correlatjon

The 40 ps laser pulsewidth translates into high peak power at the

target, and the MHz-level repetition rate permits signal averaging

over many pulse trains, yielding accurate results at signal-tonoise ratios below 0.1. Modeling suggests laser average power

requirements remain a challenge for airborne laser radar applications, with upwards of 100 W likely needed for extension of this

technique to ranges over 10 km. Directorate engineers expect ongoing advances in both laser sources and detectors to boost overall

system throughput to allow realization of its potential.

01111(1 The mode-locked target identification (ID) approach exploits the technique of pulse position modulation, long

used in radio frequency applications and more recently applied to optical communications. The mode-locked target ID approach

directs the mode-locked laser output at the target in pulse trains of fixed length, modulated with a known pseudo-random pattern

where it delays some pulses by a small fraction of the pulse period and transmits others without delay.

In the absence of modulation, each pulse looks like the next, but the known modulation pattern enables the detection system to

recognize a specific pulse train upon its return. The mode-locked target ID approach determines range-to-target by measuring the

pulse train's round trip time and obtains the target depth information from the degree to which the pulses are smeared out in time.

The mode-locked target ID approach performs comparison of the scattered return signal with the known outgoing pattern by means

of a mathematical cross-correlation, then averages many pulse trains to pull the signal out of the noise. The approach can use multiple

range measurements to obtain target velocity information.
Improved Multiwaveband Infrared Arrays

ayOli The Space Vehicles Directorate's Improved Multiwaveband Infrared Array (IMIRA) program's long wavelength infrared

(LWIR) dual band focal plane arrays (FPA) have wavelength cutoffs approaching the difficult 12 micron region. This region is where

the mercury cadmium telluride energy gap is relatively narrow, making high performance harder to achieve.

These LWIR FPAs also allow for the demonstration of a novel hyperspectral concept for which a target interferogram, rather than

a spectrum, is created and dispersed across one axis of the array. Such a novel hyperspectral sensor benefits greatly from the high

percentage (99%+) of operable pixels in the 256 x 256 pixel arrays, since inoperable pixels lead to deviations in the sampling of the

interferogram and lowered fidelity of the recovered spectrum.

SO 100 130 200 250

Column

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Apparent Radiance (W/cmA2/sr)

Column

•P 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60

Apparent Radiance (W/cmA2/sr)

The directorate's IMIRA program

demonstrated superb LWIR FPA performance as part of

a progressive effort to develop two- and three-waveband

capabilities. The range of application of this technology includes

space hyperspectral concepts as well as the more traditional

imaging sensor, which benefits from the improved target to

background discrimination of dualband phenomenology. In either

case, savings in volume, mass, and cryogenic cooling is obtainable,

relative to the more traditional approaches involving two singlewaveband FPAs and beam-splitting optics.

jftCK^rOUnd The directorate awarded the IMIRA program to DRS Infrared Technologies in Dallas, Texas, in support of the

Category 2B Advanced Technology Demonstration of the same name and also as a vehicle for executing customer and research

initiative efforts for dualband and longer LWIR cutoff wavelengths, respectively. Directorate researchers evaluated the FPAs

delivered under IMIRA in the directorate's characterization facility and verified the manufacturer's performance claims.
Lightband Separation System

ayOll Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) of Silver Spring, Maryland, developed a system called Lightband, under a Small

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the Space Vehicles Directorate, to provide a low-cost, low-mass, non-pyrotechnic

separation system for small spacecraft. Directorate engineers flight-demonstrated the Lightband system on the Kodiak Star Mission

in Kodiak, Alaska. The Department of Defense will use the Lightband system in over 10 spacecraft missions including the Space

Test program's CAPE small satellite launch system, XSS-II, and the University Nanosat program.

PSC developed and demonstrated a low-shock separation system for use with small satellites. Recent

activities improved and expanded the initial design. As a result, the Lightband separation system has become the baseline for many

future Air Force and National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions.

background Existing pyrotechnic clamp-band separation

systems are not suited for small satellite applications; their highshock separation event is too close to the sensitive electronics

on a small satellite. The PSC SBIR effort demonstrated a new

class of non-pyrotechnic, low-shock separation systems for small

satellite applications.

The standard Lightband system uses a tensioned line and hinged

leaf retaining latches to join the Lightband upper and lower rings.

When the latches are released, a set of separation springs push

the rings apart with the desired velocity.

PSC added, through the use of simple design features, the benefits of low mass and low cost. Typical side-by-side comparisons with

traditional bolt pyrotechnic separation systems result in a shock load reduction with less total and flyaway mass at approximately

half the cost.

In addition, as part of an ongoing enhancement to the Lightband separation system, PSC is developing a motorized activation

mechanism. Once completed, this will allow for virtually unlimited testing of the actual flight hardware with no consumable parts—a

feature that is currently not available in any spacecraft separation systems.

"llfem/sira
Space Vehicles Directorate

Delivers ISMET Software

The Space Vehicles Directorate's Integrated Sensor Modeling and Effectiveness Tool (ISMET) software package allows

users to simulate advanced vehicle technology target scenes, sensor target acquisition, and effectiveness/lethality analyses.

Ballistic Missile Technology,

working with Applied Research Associates, recently

received the directorate's ISMET user's manual and

software. Infrared, ladar, and synthetic aperture radar

sensor models; ladar automatic target recognition (ATR);

as well as ground-fixed and ground-mobile target lethality

are available for the user. The terminal stage flight

dynamics of the vehicle is included to search and acquire

the target.

The main software runs on Windows® personal

computers. However, directorate engineers designed

the tool to run over a network and link to sensor models

and ATR software located on other platforms since some

of the tools are UNIX® operating system based. Users

can change the sensor or scene's characteristics to help

determine the required sensor characteristics for the

vehicle, target, and scenes of interest.

V •:•: F~ ~3F3»> i A- »•.£•

Olind The ISMET allows trade studies on sensor target acquisition and weapon effectiveness for advanced vehicle

technology. The directorate developed the tool using commercial geographic information system software.

ISMET integrates several existing government and commercial off-the-shelf sensor modeling, ATR, and weapon effectiveness/

lethality tools into a single cohesive product. Future plans for the tool include addition of more sensor models and ATR software,

better flight dynamics, and more realistic scenes with clutter and terrain.
XSS-10 Microsatellite

Demonstration Program

The successful completion of a miniature, 68 lb satellite's experimental mission earlier this year was an important

first step in the development of a technology that promises to dramatically decrease launch costs and extend the capabilities of

space vehicles. The XSS-10 microsatellite, recently launched as a secondary payload with Global Positioning System Mission IIR-8,

achieved all primary objectives and transitioned important lessons learned to XSS-11 and other future microsatellite initiatives.

Accomplishment The Space Vehicles Directorate's XSS-10

demonstration program was the first on-orbit flight demonstration of an

autonomous microsatellite used to track and inspect a remote space object.

Using the second stage of a Delta II rocket as its remote space object, the

microsatellite acquired, photographed, and maneuvered to five different

positions around the Delta II. XSS-10 relayed real-time photographs from

each position as it maneuvered through space without support from ground

personnel.

XSS-10 also demonstrated critical new technologies including lithium

polymer batteries, a miniature propulsion system, and an integrated visual

camera system. The XSS-10 had capabilities similar to larger satellites,

but its 3 ft long by 18 in. circumference required developers to shrink its

communication system from 12.5 to 2 lbs and reduce its power needs to

one-tenth that of previous model requirements.

The team was successful in completing the XSS-10 mission objectives including inspections, powering the spacecraft on and off,

and communicating with the vehicle's computer via its own ground-based control center rather than a central control center. The

scientific results of the XSS-10 mission provided a critical first step towards autonomous satellite operations.

iiiCkgrOUnd This demonstration marks the first in a series of future microsatellites for important missions. XSS-10

is a building block for future space operations and may lead to rapid, responsive space systems that enhance space situational

awareness. Microsatellites bring affordable new capabilities to revolutionize space missions through reduced costs for development

and launch.
High-Performance Solar Cells

The high-efficiency solar cell Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) program has developed single crystal solar cells

with higher efficiencies and lower dollar-per-watt costs than any previous solar cells. These cells are baselined on all US military

spacecraft now in the acquisition cycle.

The Space Vehicles Directorate, Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency, Spectrolab, and EMCORE team performed work from

fiscal year (FY) 99-03 to develop the highest possible efficiency space solar cells. The

EMCORE start-up company bid successfully on the DUS&T program and, within a

year, provided a competitive product. This re-established the historical dual sources of

domestic solar cells, with the associated risk and cost-reduction benefits.

By mid-FY02, both Spectrolab and EMCORE were offering 27.5% production cells and

29-30% best-cell efficiencies. In addition to these performance improvements, better

production processes resulted in a 20% reduction in dollars/watt cost of the cells.

These solar cell products are, by far, the best in the world, completely dominating the domestic military, civilian, and commercial

markets as well as being selected for many foreign spacecraft. Their rapid insertion into current US military satellite programs

attests to their mission-enabling qualities.

For example, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Wideband Gapfiller systems, the follow-on programs to the Military

Strategic and Tactical Relay Satellite, along with certain classified programs, are spacecraft that were required to transition to the

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle class of launchers from the Titan IV used by their predecessors. The high-performance solar

cells developed by this DUS&T program enabled that transition without a loss in available power that would have otherwise resulted

from the necessary decrease in solar array area.

When this program began, the state of the art in multijunction

solar cells was 24% efficiency in production lots and approximately 25.5% best-cell

efficiency. A Manufacturing Technology program funded Spectrolab and TECSTAR

to develop these first triple-junction solar cells. The directorate worked jointly

with Sandia National Laboratory to identify further improvements for adjustment

of the subcell bandgaps. The directorate initiated the DUS&T program with the

goal of achieving 35% efficiency cells through development of new materials with

more optimal bandgaps and compositional tailoring of the existing materials.
AFRL Provides Key SCA Characterization

Conclusions and Revised SCA Screening

Protocol for SBIRS High Program

aVOn Assessing performance levels of sensor chip assemblies (SCAs) in the

presence of ionizing radiation provides key information on SCA performance,

pointing the way towards understanding failures observed in a significant

percentage of SCA assets.

i The Space Vehicles Directorate's Infrared Radiation

Effects Laboratory (IRREL) characterization facility conducted a characterization

campaign to assess performance levels of scanning SCAs in the presence of

ionizing radiation. They extracted key information on SCA performance from

the data sets for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High program.

This increased level of understanding allows the development of a screening

process wherein the "go/no go" decision on ionizing radiation survivability is

determined in the laboratory without performing actual radiation testing. As

a result of these efforts, the fabrication did not require additional lots of SCAs,

thereby saving the directorate's systems program office the costs and schedule

delays associated with such fabrication runs.

jdCKgrOUnd The directorate constituted the IRREL in 1987 to address challenging issues of characterizing the performance of highsensitivity, lower (space) background focal plane arrays (FPAs) under development for the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (now the Missile

Defense Agency). The IRREL characterization facility provides a broad range of capabilities, including operating temperatures (4 Kelvin and

upwards), background levels (I09 photons sec'1 cm"2 and higher), ionizing radiation environments (Cobart-60 gammas, protons, neutrons,

X-rays), and infrared (IR) wavelengths (visible to 30 microns), for all visible and IR FPA (detector array and cryogenic multiplexer) types.

The execution of the IRREL mission required reconfigurable cryogenic Dewars in a timely fashion to meet various electrical requirements

of diverse SCAs and FPAs, and an FPA drive and data acquisition system with very low levels of system noise. Portability of the test system

for use at remote radiation source locations and low levels of radioactivity after exposure were also key requirements. The personnel

performing these tests have more than 90 years combined experience that is unrivaled anywhere in the Department of Defense.
320 x 256 Pixel, Dual-LWIR

Waveband FPA Development

aVOn Dualband focal plane arrays (FPAs) allow for systems applications with savings in volume, mass, and cryogenic cooling,

relative to the more traditional approaches involving two single waveband FPAs and beam-splitting optics.

Responsivrty (MV/W)

50 100 160 200 260 300

Toul Delects =17485 Operability=78 656

The Space Vehicles Directorate evaluated

dualband FPAs developed recently as part of Lot 4 for the Missile Defense

Agency/Advanced Sensors (MDA/AS) technology program that show the

better FPAs achieve good imagery in both wavebands, with values of

pixel response operability in the 90% regime. The shorter waveband

(with cut-off wavelength near 8 microns at the 60 Kelvin operational

temperature) also exhibits similarly high values in sensitivity operability.

Sensitivity operability is indicative of both pixel response (and noise)

uniformity with respect to the FPA mean and becomes increasingly

challenging for the longer wavebands of the dualband technologies. A

derivative of the technology forms the basis of risk reduction for the Navy

Standard Missile 3, Sea-based Midcourse Seeker.

Illd MDA/AS provided funding for the

directorate's Improved Multi-waveband IR Array (IMIRA)

program to develop high-sensitivity, dualband FPAs. The

directorate awarded the IMIRA program to DRS Infrared

Technologies of Dallas, Texas, as a vehicle for executing

research initiative efforts for dualband and longer longwavelength infrared cutoff wavelengths.

Pixel Column

Mean = -31 521

SMDev=40 23

Median =0 359

»!•• •- •'• 64 149

SoflHtgti = 0

• (MV/W)

GdMMn = -35 507

GdSId- 39 185

Od Mad = -19 068

MU = 1226 945

Directorate researchers evaluated the FPAs delivered by HariJHigh= 31280

DRS Infrared Technologies under the IMIRA program in

the directorate's characterization facility, largely verifying the performance claims of the manufacturer. DRS Infrared Technologies

developed the high-density, vertically interconnected photodiode (HDVIP) process for single waveband FPAs in response to the

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Infrared FPAs Flexible Manufacturing program.

The processing begins with tellurium-rich, liquid-phase epitaxial growth of p-type detector material diced and epoxied onto cryogenic

multiplexers. DRS Infrared Technologies makes interconnects to the multiplexer pads with the etching of vias, followed by their

metallization (with this step representing a substantial deviation from the indium bump interconnection used by most other infrared

FPA manufacturers). At the time of the via etching process, DRS Infrared Technologies converts the axial region surrounding the via

from p- to n-type, thereby forming the photodiode.

The advantages of the HDVIP process for dualband applications include high values of optically active area for all wavebands and exact

collocation of pixels for each band, high cryogenic reliability, and reduced probability of a pixel outage in one band affecting its spatial

counterpart.
New Dualband Focal Plane Array

Interconnect Technology for Jet Propulsion

Laboratory Quantum Well Infrared

Photodetector Technology

'ayoff A dualband Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array (FPA) (with band centers near 9 and 14

microns) provides for simultaneous dualband imaging. When operated in an integrated camera assembly, the image quality is

sufficiently high to see both temperature variations on an individual's hand as well as the radiation from the hand reflected from a

metallic optics table. The technology shows great promise in allowing future hybridization using more closely spaced interconnects

needed for smaller pixel pitches and multiple wavebands and using metals more robust than indium.

Ongoing Small Business

Innovation Research (SBIR) at Microwave Bonding

Inc. (MBI), monitored by the Space Vehicles

Directorate, demonstrates the feasibility of a

new hybridization approach for QWIP detector

arrays and their associated cryogenic multiplexers.

Working closely with Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(jPL) QWIP personnel, MBI has demonstrated

the first-ever hybridization of an infrared detector

array with its cryogenic multiplexer through the

Before

"First-ever" improvement

of m-bump interconnects

with 'microwave heating'

(SBIR)

fusing of indium interconnects with microwave energy. MBI localizes the microwave energy deposition to the indium bumps,

preventing elevated temperatures from damaging the detector array structures.

QWIP FPA development at JPL has been under way for several years, with some programs having joint

technical oversight with the directorate. Interconnect technology advances, made possible under the directorate's SBIR, will allow

future JPL devices to achieve larger FPA dimensions and multi-waveband capability.

AirlUfem/sira
PowerPC• Processors Fly On

Air Force Missions

dyOlt As spacecraft perform increasingly complex tasks, more onboard processing power is required. AFRL's latest generation

of space processors, based on PowerPC, is becoming the architecture of choice for major Air Force and civil satellites.

ACCOmplishmeni AFRL's Space Vehicles Directorate set

out in 1998 to develop a space microprocessor with 10 times the

throughput of current state-of-the-art spacecraft computers. During

the next year, two projects, based on PowerPC architectures, were

started. These projects were aimed at both the military market and

expected commercial telecom applications. Based on the commercial

expectations, both projects were heavily cost-shared by the development

contractors chosen.

During the next 2 years, both projects achieved technical successes with

the Honeywell RHPPC• passing verification test suite for the Motorola

603e and the BAE Systems RAD750• demonstrating equivalence

to the IBM PowerPC 750. Both processors have been delivered to

flight programs. These programs range from small AFRL experiments

like XSS-11, to the Air Force's biggest operational programs like

MILSATCOM and GPS-III, which will soon be flying in space. Even

though the commercial prospects have been postponed following the delay of systems like Teledesic and Iridium Next, both

contractors continued their cost sharing and delivered prototype units within cost and schedule baselines.

j3CKgrOUI1(j Outside of the protection offered by the earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, satellite electronics must be

adapted to the space radiation environment using both circuit layout and special processing techniques. The size and complexity

of these chips drove designers to use the most aggressive foundry facilities available. Designers also had to harden new structures

such as phase lock loops that had never before been integrated into hardened chips. This project also pioneered the use of special

circuit design techniques at a commercial foundry to achieve radiation tolerance for most space missions at reduced cost.
"""""

AFRL Demonstrates New Nonvolatile

Memory Technology

ayOlt The Space Vehicles Directorate's Space Electronics and Protection Branch recently announced the "first-pass success"

of a 64 kbit nonvolatile memory array. This chalcogenide-based random access memory (C-RAM) is an electrically nonvolatile,

solid-state memory with significant advantages over other nonvolatile memory types. Most military satellites are highly dependent

upon nonvolatile memory.

This C-RAM solution offers the only known manufacturable route to radiation-hardened, nonvolatile memory well beyond the

I Mbit level. The higher densities have the advantage of reduced power and weight.

The directorate and its contractors, BAE SYSTEMS

and Ovonyx, Inc., designed, fabricated, and tested test chips to demonstrate full

integration of a chalcogenide-based memory element into a radiation-hardened

complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process.

Electrical test results on the first packaged parts indicate full functionality of the 64 kbit

memory arrays—unprecedented for such new and unique material integration. Test

results also confirmed that the insertion of a chalcogenide manufacturing flow had no

effect on measured CMOS transistor parametrics and did not change the total dose

response of the base technology.

MM1

4 V ^B W

W /. // ^-/-T<x>Bedrode

^JL/' Chakxxjenote

/ Bottom Bedrode

J I - "Transistor

While chalcogenide refers to any alloy containing a majority of

a Group VI element (sulfur, selenium, and tellurium), the chalcogenide alloy in this

application is a carefully crafted combination of germanium, antimony, and tellurium.

This alloy can change between two room-temperature phases—a highly ordered

polycrystalline phase and a disordered amorphous phase—by appropriate heating and

cooling.

There are both optical and electrical differences between the phases. The polycrystalline

phase has about 14% higher reflectance and 2-6 orders of magnitude greater electrical

conductivity than the amorphous phase.

Manufacturers of the nonvolatile memory chip use conventional semiconductor memory

fabrication methods to deposit a tiny volume of chalcogenide material for each bit location. The phase of the chalcogenide is then

changed by electrically heating and cooling the material at a controlled rate. The power required is a function of volume; directorate

researchers demonstrated currents as low as \0^A at 5V per bit, making the memory as good or better than other memory

technologies for low-power applications.

The nonvolatile memory chip senses the state of the bit (one or zero) from the very large resistance difference. Since the

information is stored in the phase of the material at each bit location, no power is required to maintain the data on the chip. Also,

the material itself is intrinsically highly resistant to radiation from natural space or nuclear environments, so that simply starting with

a radiation-hardened semiconductor process may develop radiation-hard memory chips.
Low-Shock Separation System Dramatically

Reduces Satellite Failures

The shock of separation of satellites from the launch system (normally a rocket) causes many failures, requiring

development of a satellite low-shock separation system. The Lightband system is 25% lighter, 50% smaller, 40% cheaper, and

generates <5% of the shock of existing conventional pyrotechnic separation systems. The Lightband provides a capability that

reduces on-orbit failures, reduces the cost of design and redesign, and reduces launch costs. This technology could save spacecraft

programs several million dollars in life-cycle costs per spacecraft.

Shmeri- Using technology explored under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Space

Vehicles Directorate successfully developed and transitioned the country's next-generation, small spacecraft separation system

called the Lightband. Operating with limited SBIR funding, a directorate team developed, designed, tested, and successfully flew

the world's first reusable, non-discrete point, low-shock, non-pyrotechnic separation system.

This Lightband system successfully separated the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Starshine-3 primary

satellite from Lockheed Martin's Athena I launch vehicle on the first orbital launch out of Kodiak, Alaska. For the Starshine-3

spacecraft, the low-shock separation system reduced the shock-induced loading from 8,000 g-force (typical pyrotechnic separation

system) to 300 g's.

During the past decade, NASA lost billions of dollars

due to satellite malfunctions, resulting in total or partial mission failure. These

malfunctions are often directly attributable to vibration loads during launch and

satellite separation from the rocket.

Low-shock separation systems are an enabling technology for small (< 100 kg)

Department of Defense satellites and for the launching of fragile spacecraft

components such as advanced optical systems. Small satellites are particularly

susceptible to shock-related failure because of the close proximity of sensors and

instruments to the shock source, necessitating a low-shock separation system.

The Air Force required a low-risk small satellite launch system that was compatible

with existing systems. Due to the program's success, this separation system is

baselined into AFRL's University Nanosatellite program, the Technology Satellite of

the 21st Century, Experimental Small Satellite-11, the Space and Missile Center's

Space Test Satellite, Multiple Space Vehicle 05 (the first evolved expendable launch

vehicle secondary payload adapter flight), the Naval Postgraduate School satellite,

and the university's "CubeSat."

AirIlfoiR/sira
Low-Shock Clamp-Band

Satellite Separation System

ayOlt The Space Vehicles Directorate and Starsys Research Corporation developed a low-shock satellite release technology

to separate spacecraft from a launch vehicle with a clamp-band system while imparting very low shock loads to the spacecraft. A

Starsys Research and Saab-Ericsson Space commercial system using the technology claimed the first-flight heritage when it released

the Rainbow-1 satellite from an Atlas V rocket.

*llllU'll I Under a Small Business Innovation Research contract with the directorate, Starsys Research developed

a clamp-band opening device that uses the patented Fast Acting Shockless Separation Nut (FASSN) technology to restrain the

clamp-band tension bolts with a double helix, flywheel nut. A pyro-compatible pulse releases the flywheel nut, which spins up and

ejects the tension bolts.

The strain energy in the clamp band is

then converted to rotational energy in the

flywheel nut, allowing the two mating halves

of the structure interface to separate with

extremely low shock. The successful use

of this system in the Atlas V/Rainbow-I

mission confirms its commercial and military

potential.

mCkgrOlind These new low-shock release mechanisms can support heavier payloads while imparting shock loads on the

order of tens of g's, as opposed to thousands, when compared to classical spacecraft release mechanisms with pyrotechnic-based

technology. Because they can be reset and reused, these mechanisms will also decrease life-cycle costs.

According to Mr. Scott Tibbitts, the president of Starsys Research, the low-shock release mechanism will change the way spacecrafts

are released from launch vehicles. Shock has always been a problem for spacecraft designers. In a conventional release system,

shock is created when the energy in a highly tensioned bolt is instantaneously released.

Sensitive spacecraft electronics must be built to withstand this release shock, which adds significantly to the cost of the spacecraft.

In contrast, the FASSN technology provides an instantaneous shock-free release. Over the next several years, Starsys Research and

Saab-Ericsson Space expect this revolutionary device to become the industry standard.

Air

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Qwknut Low-Shock Separation Device

ayOlf Starsys Research Corporation Qwknut low-shock release devices were flown as part of the Delta-ll/GPS 2R-8 mission.

Scientists used them to deploy the Swales Aerospace Sconce Secondary Payload Platform to release the XSS-10 satellite.

The Starsys Research Qwknut system eliminates pyrotechnic safety concerns, is lightweight (under half a pound), has a 50%

reduction in mass over current systems, and performs low-shock separation. A typical shock level for separation is under 150 g's,

an order of magnitude lower than the thousands of g's imparted by traditional pyrotechnic release bolts.

The Space Vehicles Directorate

and Starsys Research developed the Qwknut low-shock release

technology under a Small Business Innovation Research contract.

Swales Aerospace developed the Sconce Payload Platform for

XSS-10 as an interface between the XSS-10 microsatellite and

the Delta-ll 2nd Stage, procuring Starsys Research Qwknuts for

use as part of the system. Two Qwknuts were installed on the

Sconce to hold the deployment table vertical for flight through the

vibration-intense ascent. On-orbit and upon receiving an initiation

command from the 2nd stage, the XSS-10 experiment "fired" the

Qwknuts (in parallel) and rotated the deployment table outward

where it was released to begin its mission.

Dopioymoit Jabio Ttvtmai Isolators (61

The Starsys Research Qwknut is a fast-acting separation nut for release of loads up to 3,000 Ibf. The Qwknut

may be reset in under a minute by pushing an integral reset lever, allowing mission engineers to functionally test the same hardware

to be flown. Its extremely fast release time, less than 35 milliseconds, is possible through redundant shape memory alloy triggers.

The device responds to a standard pyrotechnic firing pulse, enabling retrofit for existing systems.

"l^fem/sira
Technology Transfer

Page

Directed Energy

IDASS Chosen for Space Situational Awareness Test Bed I

Phillips Research Site Establishes New Mexico-Wide Weather Monitoring Network with Pinpoint

WeatherNet Project 2

Information

MEMS Technology Design Evaluation Test Bed 3

Space Shuttle Releases Two Pico Satellites 4

SoRDS: A Platform for Voice/Video/Network Radio 5

Information Directorate's WebTAS Technology Aids in Shuttle Probe 6

Autonomous Negotiating Team's Software a Transition Success 7

Joint Defensive Planner Transitioned 8

Human Effectiveness

Human Effectiveness Directorate Transfers Revolutionary Display Technology to Industry 9

FASAT Technologies Support Homeland Defense 10

CART Transitions Advanced Human Modeling Architecture 11

Microlasers Illuminate Phase IISBIR 12

Materials and Manufacturing

Life-Saving Vein-Viewing Technology Delivered to Medical Community 13

High-Resolution Digital Flat Panel X-ray Detector and Software Transitioned to OC-ALC 14

ALON• Material Successfully Scaled up for Military and Commercial Applications 15

ManTech's AMU Program Drives Down Costs, Weight, and Size in Vital Defense Satellite Program 16

Composite Patch Vacuum-Mold Repair System Transferred to Commercial Industry 17

Microwave Reactor Technology Demonstrates Success at Eliminating Hazardous Materials

from Spacecraft 18

Munitions

KHILS Facility Transitions Infrared Scene Projection Systems 19

Propulsion

YBCO-Coated Conductor Gets Go-Ahead for Full Development 20

Propulsion Directorate Makes Major Advances in Capacitor Technology 21

Propulsion Directorate Develops Lithium-Ion Battery to Power Mars Rovers 22

Revolution in National Radar Cross Section Measurement Standardization by Signature

Technology Office 23

GPS Jammer Detection Location System 24

AFRL Develops Airspace Operations Sensing Requirements for UAV and Transfers Technology

to Civilian Users 25

Air Vehicles Directorate Helps Recruiting Squadron 26

Technology Transfer for Education Program 27

AFRLHotStar 28
IDASS Chosen for Space Situational

Awareness Test Bed

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Payoff The Directed Energy Directorate's Intelligence Data

Analysis System for Spacecraft (IDASS) software provides visualization

and analysis tools to fuse sensed data and space object models to

aid assessment of space object health and status. IDASS supports

the workflow of surveillance system operators with efficient data

management and familiar data presentations.

IDASS also supplies the needs of researchers with generalized data

representations and flexible processing. The software supports

simulated three-dimensional viewing to enhance space situational

awareness (SSA) by providing an improved picture of the mission

payload status and on-orbit damage assessments of both friendly and

potentially hostile space objects.

ACCOItipHshment The directorate's Satellite Assessment

Center (SatAC) recently transitioned a mature SSA software

technology into an operational test bed environment at Air Force

Space Command (AFSPC). The 14th Air Force (AF) requested AFSPC

to include this technology in the test bed to provide a more useful,

fused space common operational picture (Space COP).

The SatAC worked for 5 years to develop a revolutionary SSA workstation to fuse 21st century technological information from

diverse sources into a more formidable Space COR The 14th AF recognized this accomplishment and solicited AFSPC's support

in inserting this software into a highly visible and challenging test bed environment with the hopes of greatly augmenting the space

warfighters' information and insight into the space battlespace.

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Background The directorate's SatAC, an AFRL Center of Excellence in space object assessment technologies, developed

IDASS from the ground up in order to fuse diverse types of satellite information from various stove-piped sources. The directorate

successfully demonstrated IDASS at the Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiment 1999 and 2000 and has a growing user base

throughout the space intelligence community.

The IDASS software runs on lntel®-based workstations under the Microsoft® Windows® NT/2000 operating system, Silicon

Graphics, Inc. workstation computers under the IRIX® 6.5 operating system, and Sun• UltraSPARC® workstations under the

Solaris• operating system.
—

Phillips Research Site Establishes New

Mexico-Wide Weather Monitoring Network

with Pinpoint WeatherNet Project

Payoff The AFRL Phillip's Research Site (Directed Energy and Space

Vehicles Directorates), in collaboration with local television channel KOB-TV4,

is involved in the Pinpoint WeatherNet project establishing a statewide weather

monitoring network. The weather stations comprising this network are located

at over 50 schools throughout the state of New Mexico.

As part of the KOB-TV4 news format, this technology transfer partnership

between AFRL and its partnership intermediary, New Mexico Tech University,

is highlighted during the on-air weather portion of all news segments. The value

of this airtime for AFRL and New Mexico Tech University is greater than $6.2M

in advertising and promotional dollars.

Accomplishment KOB-TV4, in a partnership with AFRL since 1994 under a Cooperative Research and Development

Agreement (CRADA), collaborates on meteorological monitoring and forecasting. Recently, the Pinpoint WeatherNet project

became part of a national partnership with the National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS uses AFRL-provided technology as part of Homeland Security, providing the capability for real-time and localized prediction

of the path and velocity of airborne hazardous materials, possibly released by a terrorist group or the result of a natural or accidental

disaster. As a result, the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) awarded KOB-TV4

with their 2002 Mid-Continent Regional Partnership Award.

KOB-TV4 prominently highlights AFRL and its other technology transfer partners

on its Web site. This Web site generates more than 200,000 hits per month

and features the ability to download free Eyewitness News 4 WeatherBug

software. This software provides the user with real-time access to data from the

weather stations located at the schools. In February 2003, the KOB-TV4 Web

site recorded the 10,000th download of this software. The New York Times also

recognized the national WeatherBug site as among the top ten most visited sites

by 12-17 year olds.

Background The KOB-TV4 CRADA is a cornerstone of the AFRL Technology Transfer for Education (TTE) program for

students in grades K-12. Since its inception, the AFRL TTE Office has been responsible for 190 Education Partnership Agreements with

public and private education institutions. Over 60,000 students from more than 200 schools in New Mexico have benefited from the

AFRL TTE program to date.

The AFRL TTE program has received the following awards and acknowledgements: Team Kirtland Award for the Air Force

Materiel Command Director's Excellence Award for Community Relations; FLC Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer;

Commendation from the entire New Mexico Congressional Delegation; legislative memorial of appreciation for education outreach

in New Mexico; General Ronald Yates Team Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer; Phillips Laboratory Mission Support

Team Award; and over 2,500 letters of appreciation from students, teachers, parents, principals, and legislators. The Air Force and

Department of Defense view this program as a national model of technology transfer for education.
MEMS Technology Design

Evaluation Test Bed

PflyOff An Information Directorate-developed microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

test bed technology is enabling the development of a new generation of low-power, rugged

smart sensors and actuators that integrate mechanical, optical, fluidic, and electronic devices on

a single chip. This unique new MEMS test bed is capable of rapid, accurate characterization of

MEMS prototypes and products.

TM ACCOmpllShment Interscience, Inc. ofTroy, New York, developed the MEMSPEC

product by incorporating a directorate-developed software that contains a patented

blur synthesis matching image-processing technique. This instrument can measure both

horizontal and vertical displacements with nanometer resolutions in a vacuum or controlled

atmospheric environment. The directorate's method enables characterization of MEMS

motions at significantly higher frequencies than prior art.

Background This MEMS technology evolved from MEMS program work co-sponsored by the directorate and the Defense

Advanced Research Projects Agency/Microsystems Technology Office. The directorate was the agent for this program and

contributed in-house work focused on the design, evaluation, and improvement of MEMS resonators.

Interscience developed the MEMSPEC instrument as the first commercial

MEMS tester. Previously, this instrument was capable of only coarse

(I ^m), slow (150 kHz) horizontal measurement capability, and prior

methods used in other instruments were constrained to measuring the

motions of MEMS below about 200 kHz.

Use of the new AFRL-developed measurement method removes that

frequency limit. Directorate researchers expect the availability of the

new instrument to speed the refinement of future generations of highfrequency MEMS systems.

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Space Shuttle Releases Two

Pico Satellites

Payoff Scientists and engineers at the Information

Directorate, using funding from the Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency of Arlington, Virginia,

developed the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-

based pico satellite (PICOSAT) inspector (MEPSI)

experiment. MEPSI is a significant step forward in the

development of an onboard autonomous inspection

capability.

The miniature self-inspection system provides decision

makers with a rapid feedback capability for detection

and response to spacecraft anomalies for maintaining

ultimate satellite longevity. Directorate engineers can

develop the miniature self-inspection system for a

particular space system or for carrying aboard virtually

any host vehicle.

A(('OnipllShltl©nt In December 2002, the Space Shuttle Endeavor, enroute from the International Space Station, successfully

released two PICOSATs from a specialized spring-loaded launcher assembly mounted on the sidewall of the space shuttle. They

weighed slightly less than 2 lbs each.

The PICOSAT is the smallest functional satellite in the world and the smallest satellite payload ever carried on the space shuttle.

PICOSATs will eventually orbit near a spacecraft to monitor for maintenance and failure detection or perhaps to serve as a protection

against natural or man-made threats to the spacecraft.

These small satellites will independently monitor the status of the spacecraft and communicate that data directly to earth. The

shuttle deployment was the latest in a series of experiments that will lead to demonstrating these taskable miniaturized autonomous

spacecraft companions.

Background Objectives of the mission include demonstration of a launcher assembly approved for use in the shuttle cargo

bay, establishment of communications and data exchange between the two PICOSATs and the ground station, exercise of onboard

MEMS inertial measurement system, and improved transmitting power. Directorate researchers envision MEPSI to enhance satellite

command and control operations by providing active, onboard imaging capability to assess spacecraft damage, monitor launch and

deployment sequences, and augment servicing operations.
SoRDS: A Platform for Voice/Video/

Network Radio

Payoff The demand for smarter communications led to software reconfigurable radios, and the need for more robust data led

to new compression algorithms. Sending more data over the same communication link requires a more integrated communication

system with data throughput, link parameters, and communications parameters, all tied together and controlled as a unified

system.

The Information Directorate created the Software Radio Development System (SoRDS) to support test and evaluation of

communications techniques dealing with voice, video, and networking applications. SoRDS' modular architecture consists of a

signal processing system, adaptive computing system, and radio frequency (RF) transmit/receive system.

Accomplishment The directorate's Information Grid Connectivity

Branch teamed with PAR-Rome Research Corporation to design, develop,

and implement a wireless test bed, incorporating reprogrammable software

and reconfigurable hardware. SoRDS, recently used to establish a wireless

video link, allows evaluation and comparison of various video compression

techniques and algorithms.

SoRDS is a portable platform that enables rapid development and

demonstration of wireless communication applications. The full SoRDS

package includes the Beowulf cluster computer system (a multiprocessor,

high-performance computer where each processor is connected by highspeed Ethernet), plus a network switch module, an input/output (I/O) chassis

(including data and audio I/O and the RF module), and a host computer

providing a graphical user interface and system control.

BaCli^rOUnd The future of US military communications is the software-based Joint Tactical Radio System (|TRS). The SoRDS

test bed provides a means to design, develop, and test communication techniques in a flexible, state-of-the-art laboratory test bed

before insertion into the JTRS.

SoRDS offers waveform designers the ability to develop techniques that may be too advanced or in need of advanced components

that are not available in present JTRS-capable systems. Waveforms in the queue for implementation on SoRDS include high-data rate

waveforms, wideband waveforms, low probability of intercept/low probability of detection/antijam waveforms, and other advanced

communication techniques.
Information Directorate's WebTAS

Technology Aids in Shuttle Probe

rayOlt The Information Directorate-developed, Web-based Timeline Analysis System (WebTAS) allows users to rapidly connect

to diverse data sources and combines the data in multiple analytical/visualization tools, with the goal of providing alerts/warnings

of developing situations. For example, the WebTAS query tool allows users to build ad-hoc queries with a simple point-and-click

interface. WebTAS can display the results in tables, timelines, maps, graphs, histogrids, and Web browsers.

ACCOinpliShllieflt The Air Force Space Command's (AFSPC's) Space Analysis Division Team, part of the Department of Defense

(DoD) Columbia Investigation Support Team, needed to pinpoint exactly when the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia began to break apart on

its return to earth I February 2003. The team is using WebTAS to correlate, validate, and visualize multiple databases of DoD sensors and

related information from a wide variety of data from different orbital analysis tools to visualize the dynamic nature of Orbiter events across

the mission timeline.

AFSPC's Space Analysis Division officials indicated the Columbia project might be the first of several useful applications for WebTAS within

the center. The directorate installed WebTAS at the AFSPC Space Analysis Division's Colorado Springs, Colorado facility. AFRL Commander,

Major General Paul D. Nielsen, offered WebTAS to members of the Air Force investigative board assisting the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration in the Columbia investigation.

Background WebTAS, a set of analytical tools, allows

users to site configure, connect to, and query across multiple

databases and other data sources. WebTAS combines data

queried across multiple sources in Map, Timeline, Graph, and

other displays for analysis.

WebTAS can also set up criteria to aggregate activities over time

and space and automatically generate e-mail alerts of unfolding

situations. WebTAS is operational at several sites in support of

the Global War On Terrorism, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM,

Homeland Security/Defense, Air Operations Planning, Special

Operations/Special Forces, and other mission areas.
Autonomous Negotiating Team's

Software a Transition Success

PayOlf The Autonomous Negotiating Team's (ANTs) software improves warfighter capabilities in the areas of flight and

maintenance scheduling. ANTs intelligent software agents have internal problem-solving abilities for the scheduling components,

which allow them to continuously collect specific information and determine when to obtain new information to remain current in

support of decision makers.

Agent technology has the potential to assist users with informational changes and uncertainty associated with strategy and tactics

for battlefield command and control as well as peacetime crisis management situations. Negotiation techniques allow the agents to

coordinate between the operations and maintenance systems for optimized solutions.

Accomplishment The Information Directorate's Information Awareness and Understanding Branch, the lead technical

agent for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ANTs program, recently conducted the final demonstration of

the ANTs software. The ANTs scheduling tools were successfully wed during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

Background The objective of the ANTs program

is to provide technology that enables the development

of information systems that autonomously negotiate the

allocation of resources to tasks in real-time, distributed

systems. The scheduling tools are currently in use at

Marine Air Group 13 for four squadrons of Harrier

jets. The Marine Corps plans to use ANTs for the entire

Marine Corps pending Marine Air Board approval.

The directorate signed a Technology Transfer Agreement

to provide the ANTs scheduling software to the Joint

Strike Fighter program through the prime contractor,

Lockheed Martin. The Navy is funding the ANTs

contractors through the Future Naval Capabilities

program to expand the tools available to additional

aircraft types.

AFRL's Integrated Flight Management Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) is currently using ANTs scheduling algorithms on Air

Mobility Command scheduling problems. The directorate is also integrating theANTs technology with the Human Effectiveness Directorate's

Logistics Control and Information Support ATD, where an initial prototype will solve C-130 maintenance scheduling problems at Air Force

Special Operations Command. DARPA and AFRL are continuing to pursue numerous transition avenues for the ANTs scheduling tools.
Joint Defensive Planner Transitioned

PayOlf The Joint Defensive Planner (JDP) is the first automated tool that supports operational users during the defensive planning

process and provides the necessary analysis tools to compare various defensive designs. The results are better, faster campaign

planning inside the enemy's decision-making process and an increased pace of command and control for a higher operations tempo.

JDP is a Theater Battle Management Core System mission application as well as a Global Command and Control System segment that

supports planning for joint service and coalition forces' active defense against aircraft (manned and unmanned), cruise missiles, and

ballistic missiles in a theater of operations.

Accomplishment The Information Directorate manages

the JDP program that assists those individuals responsible for

planning, evaluating, and implementing theater air and missile

defense (TAMD). JDP is capable of supporting in-garrison, longterm deliberate planning, short-term contingency planning, intheater plan refinement, and continuous plan repair. JDP provides

service interoperability through collaboration with an Army

planning system Air and Missile Defense Workstation (AMDWS)

and other external systems through the use of Enterprise Java

Beans•(EJB).

Through this technology, JDP exposes the objects necessary

for remote access by all external systems such as AMDWS.

EJB allows the JDP object to be deployed anywhere within the

network, reused within other applications running on disparate

platforms, and managed from a remote console. EJB hides the complexities of making the JDP objects persistent, finding them over

the network, securing them, isolating them from sharing conflicts, protecting them from failures, managing their lifecycle, and ensuring

their scalability and availability.

BaCKgrOlind The Missile Defense Agency and the Air Force jointly funded the JDP research and development program.

The objective was to develop a single, joint area air and missile defense plan to support the Combatant Commander, Joint Force Air

Component Commander, and Area Air Defense Commander's battlestaffs across all phases of a campaign. JDP assists the planners on

these staffs in utilizing limited defensive resources tasked to counter projected enemy courses of action against rank-ordered strategic

and operational assets.

JDP through the use of the Alternative Options Generator, is able to automatically develop up to four different defense designs for

consideration by the TAMD planner. The real-world situation is transformed into a mathematical framework of selected sets. The

first set consists of the elements to be covered (defended assets); the second set consists of the pairings of threats to defended

assets (enemy courses of action); and the third set consists of defense options of an active defense system together with the threat

incidences it can counter through defensive tasks. The JDP distributed architecture permits it to make defense designs available to

external high-fidelity simulation systems for detailed analysis that can then be used to update the defense design.
Human Effectiveness Directorate

Transfers Revolutionary Display

Technology to Industry

PaVOn The Human Effectiveness Directorate created key technology for a breakthrough electronic display and transferred it to an

industrial consortium led by the Universal Display Corporation (UDC) in Ewing, New Jersey.

Accomplishment Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs)

are a new class of displays with properties that make them highly

attractive for a broad array of military and commercial uses. OLEDs

are thin, flat, and lightweight; emit bright light with little power;

are readable at very wide viewing angles; and are flexible and

transparent.

The directorate-managed, Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency (DARPA)-funded High-Definition System (HDS) program

helped create materials, devices, and fabrication processes essential

to OLED production. UDC will produce prototypes for evaluation in

military avionics by L3 Communications in Marietta, Georgia, and will

establish economic viability via partnerships with several companies

pursuing consumer electronic applications.

Background Princeton University, the University of Southern California, Hughes Research Laboratory, and UDC performed

the project, which was possible through agrant as part ofthe HDS program. DARPA provided $5.5M to fund the HDS program, which

focused on creating a variety of affordable display technologies capable of displaying digital high-definition television.
FA8AT Technologies Support

Homeland Defense

Payoff The Human Effectiveness Directorate-sponsored Fast Access Situational Awareness Toolkit (FASAT) allows organizations

to monitor, track, and communicate information that directly affects operations by providing the means to deliver the right data to

the right people at the right time, anywhere, and on any device. Thus, distributed team members can make decisions more quickly,

more intilligently, and more efficiently. FASAT technologies support homeland defense capabilities by enhancing the probabilities of

saving lives, time, and money.

Accomplishment FASAT is a Web-based enterprise

solution for monitoring, managing, and mitigating incidents through

a unique two-way alert notification, response, and graphical

tracking capability. The capstone of FASAT technologies is a new

commercialized product called IncidentPortal. IncidentPortal

meets the requirements of the Pentagon's security system and is

a candidate for deployment in fiscal year 2004.

Other C4I

Tools Models

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Equip & Personnel

Tracking

Background Directorate researchers worked with mobi/eFOUNDATIONS engineers to develop the FASAT technologies

through directorate-sponsored Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and Phase II contract awards. FASAT's software

development combines state-of-the-art advanced automation, situational awareness tools, collaboration tools, and wireless

technologies into a seamless environment for distributed operations to occur in a manner that maintains user situation awareness.

The creativeness and quality of FASAT technologies came to the attention of the Pentagon's Security Office while attending a

demonstration where mob/leFOUNDATIONS' engineers used IncidentPortal for nationwide counterterrorism activity. The

directorate subsequently invited Mr. Jeff Fox, mob/leFOUNDATIONS' Chief Executive Officer, to demonstrate FASAT's

IncidentPortal at the Pentagon's annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Response Drill. The success of

FASAT technologies during the 2002 Pentagon CBRN Response Drill resulted in IncidentPortal's consideration for deployment into

the Pentagon's security system.

tllfoK/SITR
CART Transitions Advanced Human

Modeling Architecture

PaVOn The Human Effectiveness Directorate created the Combat Automation Requirements Test bed (CART) to assess the

effects of alternative crew system interfaces using modeling and simulation (M&S). Now Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD)

analysts, engineers, and researchers can rapidly and inexpensively create and tailor interoperable operator models for specific project

simulation objectives.

ACCOinpliShrneilt The CART Team successfully developed and demonstrated a state-of-the-art modeling architecture capable

of realistically representing warfighter decision making, performance, and tactics. The directorate recently transitioned this modeling

architecture and graphical user interfaces, developed under the CART program, to over 60 model developers across all of DoD,

industry, and academia in the form of Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT) version 6.40c. This technology

transition culminates more than 4 years of research, development, and demonstration using real-world Air Force missions.

Background M&S tools used today in the military typically contain

limited crew behaviors that are insensitive to emerging missions, breakthrough

technologies, or new crew system interface concepts. The results are studies

and analyses that could provide erroneous conclusions regarding a system's

effectiveness and survivability.

The CART software represents the next logical step in operator modeling

tools. The directorate's team leveraged IMPRINT—a manpower and personnel

analysis tool developed by the Army Research Lab—and enhanced the

underlying architecture to include goal orientation and distributed simulation

protocols. Goal orientation provided a better representation of how crews

shift their task loads across different goal states—from attacking targets to

avoiding threats.

The team added an interface to the DoD-mandated, high-level architecture

to connect realistic operator models by using CART software and wargame

simulations that drive modeled crew behavior. This capability can save Air Force program offices, operational researchers, and

studies and analysis shops valuable time and money in conducting their simulations, while greatly improving the credibility and

realism of their results.

The CART Team assessed the efficacy of this technology on two different occasions by using highly complex crew models. The first

test compared actual pilots to pilot models when attacking mobile time-critical targets.

The second test verified that nine crewmembers worked together as a team within an air operations center to find, track,

and destroy time-sensitive targets. These critical experiments verified the feasibility of the architecture's capability to emulate

warfighter behavior, which led the way to software transition. Next, the CART Team will be applying this technology to major

command-sponsored simulations to help reduce the cost, time, and effort of integrating Air Force operator representations in

geographically dispersed exercises.
Microlasers Illuminate Phase IISBIR

PayOff A recently developed color helmet-mounted display (HMD) produces images bright enough for aircrew members to see them

clearly during daytime flight. The ability to present color symbology on HMDs enhances information transmission to pilots.

The microlaser HMD will mitigate risk in the Multi-Spectral Helmet-Mounted Display 6.3 program if its color, active-matrix, organic lightemitting diode display is unavailable or cannot meet daytime luminance requirements. Further, the microlaser system can illuminate other,

non-HMD cockpit liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Accomplishment A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

collaboration between the Human Effectiveness Directorate's Visual Display

Systems Branch and several contractors, developed a breadboard LCD HMD lit

by a compact microlaser system. This color HMD is the first in the world that

produces images bright enough for pilots to see clearly during daytime flight and

provides a new option for programs like the Joint Strike Fighter, which currently

calls for replacing the heads-up display with an HMD.

Background The microlaser HMD is rooted in the technological

expertise of scientists and engineers (S&Es) within the directorate's Visual

Display Systems Branch. During the Phase I SBIR, the S&Es and contractors

demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of using solid-state microlasers

to illuminate LCD-based HMDs. During Phase II, the team produced and

integrated the microlaser system, fiber-optic input and output assemblies,

compatible HMD optics, and an LCD, and then tested the system.

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Life-Saving Vein-Viewing Technology

Delivered to Medical Community

PaVOn Manufacturing the vein viewer device will provide both the Air Force

and the medical community with a solution to the need for a reliable, accurate, and

inexpensive point-of-care device for viewing a patient's veins rapidly and accurately, in

conditions where the lighting is less than optimal. On the battlefield, in hospitals, and

at the scene of accidents, prompt intravenous (IV) administration has the potential of

saving countless lives.

During the course of this project, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate scientists

and engineers developed contacts and working relationships with researchers in

the medical imaging community, the venture capital community, and the inventor/

entrepreneurial communities in Ohio. These contacts help the directorate learn

of new inventions and solutions, for transfer to the Air Force community, to solve

expensive or difficult problems at minimum cost or disruption to traditional business

practices.

ACCOmpliShment Directorate scientists invented, developed, patented, and

licensed a vein viewing device that can see beneath the skin and through body sections

to show the vasculature (the network of blood veins in the body) in a broad range of

lighting conditions. The device dramatically shortens the time between occurrence

of a wound and the IV administration of life-sustaining fluids—a factor that could save

the lives of severely wounded soldiers as well as auto accident victims and trauma

victims.

Due to the technology's potential for a broad range of civilian medical uses, the

directorate established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with

InfraRed Imaging Systems, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. They will manufacture and market

the technology to the medical industry and expand the technology to solve other

critical medical challenges.

Background The vein viewer device, which uses night vision goggles (NVGs) equipped with special filters developed by the

Air Force, sees infrared light as it passes through a patient's body. Directorate scientists used a television remote control infrared

light source and standard military NVGs to clearly detect the partial absorption of infrared light by blood in veins.

This device provides users with a clear view of the network of veins in fingers, hands, lower arms, and feet. Research showed that

the capability to view veins is due to the absorption of infrared light by deoxygenated hemoglobin traveling in veins, while bone,

muscle, and other tissue transmit or scatter the infrared light rather than absorbing it. Additional experiments proved that a needle

beneath the skin would also be visible because metal blocks infrared light.

Directorate scientists demonstrated a prototype device at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical

Center, and Columbus Children's Hospital, all in Ohio. Physicians involved in the demonstrations suggested the technology could be

used effectively to alleviate a great deal of suffering by patients including infants, the elderly, and patients who must undergo painful

medical procedures requiring repeated access to veins such as chemotherapy or dialysis.
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High-Resolution Digital Flat Panel

X-ray Detector and Software

Transitioned to OC-ALC

rayOlt The transition of the high-resolution digital flat panel detector system provides Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OCALC) personnel with improved nondestructive inspection (NDI) tools for evaluating complex aircraft engine components. Digital

radiography (DR) technology offers higher resolution detection capability that users can enhance with software imaging tools to

improve an inspector's ability to find anomalies in the captured image. Technicians will use these images to precisely locate and

diagnose the defect before initiating the repair process.

DR technology increases the probability of defect detection due to its enhanced resolution and sensitivity over the previous intensifier

detector system. Digital X-ray flat panel detector systems can achieve this higher resolution because image intensifier systems have

significant blurring due to X-ray scattering, whereas digital flat panel detector systems significantly reduce this X-ray scatter due to

the detector elements' compact design.

ACCOmpllShment Researchers from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate transitioned a new high-resolution digital

flat panel X-ray detector system and its respective image processing software to the OC-ALC Engine Tank and Cooler Inspection

Facility for real-time radiographic inspections of TF33, FIOO, and Fl 10 engine oil tanks and coolers used on C-141, B-52, F-15, and

F-16 aircraft. This system provides image archiving capability, enhanced performance, improved productivity and, best of all, higher

resolution and sensitivity over the previous image intensifier detector system.

Background Inspectors use X-ray radiography inspection extensively

throughout the life cycle of the aircraft. Aircraft manufacturers use this type

of NDI during component manufacturing and during aircraft structural

assembly to evaluate the integrity of welded joints for porosity and voids.

Depot workers use X-ray inspection during the maintenance of aging aircraft

to inspect internal structures and honeycomb material for core damage,

internal moisture, corrosion, and to evaluate internal geometries in turbine

engine components for cracking and weld anomalies. NDI inspections are

useful because they eliminate the need for unnecessary maintenance and

aircraft disassembly, which are time-intensive and can potentially create

additional damage and problems in aging Air Force systems.

The directorate's Nondestructive Evaluation Branch recently contracted with Marietta X-Ray, Inc. (MXRI) to evaluate and assess the

performance of various commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software systems from several X-ray detector platforms using aircraft

components. MXRI of Marietta, Georgia, chose the General Electric DXR-250RT flat panel detector system and the General Electric

Radworks 5.1 imaging software to best meet the inspection requirements of the Engine Tank and Cooler Facility at OC-ALC.

The system's transition marks the completion of the first phase of the Digital Radiography Insertion Program (DRIP) that focuses on

specific Air Force depot applications for DR to improve overall depot NDI production capabilities and productivity. The Aeronautical

Systems Center's Aeronautical Enterprise Program Office and OC-ALC's NDI production unit manage the DRIP program.
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ALON• Material Successfully Scaled up for

Military and Commercial Applications

PayOFl Polycrystalline aluminum oxynitride, known commercially

as ALON, offers performance and scaling not otherwise possible for

large, lightweight, infrared (IR) transparencies. This new technology

could play a significant role in the development of affordable,

transparent armor including windows for military aircraft, where

trimming life-cycle costs could save millions while providing greater

protection for flight crews.

Other primary military applications include forward-looking infrared

windows, missile domes, underwater sensors, and personnel

protection. Promising commercial applications include supermarket

scanner windows, semiconductor equipment components, vehicle

transparent armor, various types of lighting, and scratchproof lenses.

ACCOmpliShmeilt Engineers at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, working with Raytheon Electronic Systems,

completed an advanced development effort to evaluate forming techniques and optimize fabrication processes for a tough,

lightweight, transparent ceramic material that offers outstanding potential for both military systems and commercial products.

ALON addresses a wide range of technological interests throughout the Department of Defense and other federal agencies as well

as private industry.

As part of the advanced development effort, the engineers fabricated several 14 in. x 20 in. ALON plates for flight testing, ballistics

testing, and transparent armor applications. Their efforts demonstrate that ALON has excellent mechanical and optical properties

and provides a number of advantages when compared to conventional transparent armor including dramatic life-cycle cost savings.

BaCK^rOlind ALON, a polycrystalline ceramic material comprised primarily of aluminum oxynitride, is a very durable optical

material with a high degree of transparency from the ultraviolet through the mid-IR wavelengths. ALON is equivalent to sapphire

in terms of optical quality, low density, high strength, and high durability, but it is also an isotrophic ceramic, making it scalable by

conventional powder-processing methods.

ALON has a number of significant advantages, as previously mentioned, over conventional materials currently used to make

windows for reconnaissance aircraft, missile domes, protection shields and lenses, and other products that support the warfighter.

A potential market for its use already exists in supermarket scanner windows, which are manufactured in quantities of tens of

thousands of units per year. Field testing is under way for this technology transfer.

ALON demonstrated outstanding ballistic impact resistance for safeguarding motor vehicle occupants. As a result of these findings,

engineers are evaluating ALON for possible insertion into ground-based transparent armor. Raytheon Electronic Systems at

Lexington Laboratories, Lexington, Massachusetts, owns the patent. However, Surmet Corporation of Burlington, Massachusetts,

recently acquired ALON from Raytheon and is manufacturing the ceramic for commercial and military applications.
ManTech's AMU Program Drives Down

Costs, Weight, and Size in Vital

Defense Satellite Program

PayOff The Affordable Millimeter Wave Units (AMU) program has shown a 90% reduction in hardware, a 65% reduction in parts

cost, a 50% reduction in board size and weight, and a module yield of greater than 95% in 19 GHz boards with 37 modules and 64

connectors. The production improvements provided through the AMU program will produce significant cost avoidances for critical

Air Force satellite programs. It will make the difference in availability of specific systems and military capabilities to the warfighter.

\i'ilOni pi ishmeilt The Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, under

a cost-sharing contract with Northrop Grumman, applied new forms of automated packaging radio frequency (RF) modules and

millimeter wave units that drive down the cost, while also decreasing the size and weight of each unit. The AMU program now allows

a rapid and highly repeatable automated assembly of module and board-level AMUs, with minimal labor and no hand tuning.

Background Microwave and millimeter wave units for

defense satellites are extremely expensive—sometimes totaling

more than 20% of the cost of a satellite. Typical applications use

these units in high quantities, although they are very expensive

individually—as much as $50,000 per pound.

Defense satellite systems scheduled over the next few years will

include more microwave hardware than ever before. Phased

arrays will use thousands of microwave modules per satellite,

and some satellite constellations will consist of as many as 20-30

satellites. Without less expensive microwave hardware, some of

these key Air Force mission systems are unaffordable.

AMU's objectives were to sharply reduce the assembly and test costs of satellite microwave units by as much as 60% as well as

reduce the size and weight of each unit by at least 10%. Early results indicate that this technology will typically meet and surpass all

objectives. Under the new automated process, AMU's modules and units require no hand tuning due to precise assembly procedures

and an optimum RF design. The new AMUs also include more printed components that further reduce cost.

The AMU program successfully demonstrated hardware designed specifically for three major defense satellite system programs. For

near-term space systems, such as the Transformational Satellite, the Space-Based Infrared System Low, and the Advanced Extremely

High Frequency (AEHF) systems, researchers estimate AMU technologies will save 50-80% of the cost of tens of thousands of

modules, which previously would have cost several thousand dollars apiece. For example, the AEHF is now in development, and it

has adopted and inserted AMU technologies in more than 100 RF board assemblies and nearly 10,000 RF modules.
•

Composite Patch Vacuum-Mold Repair

System Transferred to Commercial Industry

Payoff Vacuum-mold repair system (VMRS) technology dramatically reduces the time required to undertake multiple contour,

metal aircraft structure repairs at field locations. The process uses a quick, reusable mold for transferring the contour of an

equivalent undamaged metal structure and laying-up of a graphite-epoxy composite patch.

The new system also incorporates an integral heating device and other equipment that, when packaged together, provide a

complete composite repair kit. VMRS can replicate the contour of a damaged aircraft part in less than 10 minutes versus several

hours required by current splash molds, which are not reusable. As a result, technicians are able to complete their repairs and

return the aircraft to flying status much faster.

Accomplishment The VMRS, a revolutionary composite patch repair

system developed by the Air Vehicles Directorate (formerly the Flight Dynamics

Laboratory) and built by Lockheed Martin Corporation, reduces the amount of

time required to complete metal aircraft structure repairs at field locations. The

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Materials Integrity Branch refined

the VMRS technology, demonstrating promising results during extensive testing

before transferring the technology to commercial industry. Airtech Advanced

Materials Group obtained a license to produce and sell this new technology, which

they have entitled the Impression Master®.

Background Prior to the development of vacuum-mold repair, the most

effective way to repair metal aircraft structures depleted from excessive wear and

fatigue or damaged in combat was to fly the aircraft to a maintenance depot or

complete the repairs at a field location using conventional splash-mold techniques.

Splash-mold techniques, using plastic or ceramic curing compounds, are effective

in repairing multiple contour structures; however, they are also costly and timeconsuming, since they require one-time use molds.

Splash-mold techniques require large quantities ofrepair materials to complete several repairs. They also necessitate an unacceptably

long downtime of an equivalent undamaged aircraft while the mold is curing.

Another disadvantage of splash-mold techniques is that the composite material handling and processing methods employed

require cold storage of materials using "clean room" equipment that is bulky, heavy, expensive, and requires extensive training

and experience. Transport of aircraft to maintenance depots for metal aircraft structure repair is vety expensive and often creates

logistics problems, since maintenance workers work the repairs in around periodic maintenance already scheduled or in progress.

VMRS employs a mechanically hardened tooling technique that uses a sealed rubber bag containing lightweight granular filler. Once

positioned over the damage location of an equivalent aircraft, the maintenance technician draws a vacuum within the bag, which

causes the rubber skin to constrict on the filler, locking it in a firm arrangement and replicating the surface geometry of the damage

location.
Microwave Reactor Technology Demonstrates

Success at Eliminating Hazardous

Materials from Spacecraft

Payoff Full-scale laboratory testing of prototype versions of the microwave reactor revealed that the technology was greater

than 99% efficient in the destruction of waste oxidizers and fuels. Testing also demonstrated that the reactor system does not

generate any of the additional hazardous waste by-products associated with current treatment systems and methods. Successful

implementation of the microwave reactor destruction system is expected to eliminate one of the largest waste streams at Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; Kennedy Space Center complex, Florida; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

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Accomplishment A team of scientists and engineers, including

experts from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, developed a

prototype technology capable of reducing or eliminating hazardous waste

generated during the treatment of oxidizers and fuels used during operation of

Air Force and National Aeronautics and Space Administration launch vehicles.

During the collaboration between AFRL's Pollution Prevention Research and

Development Team, Air Force Materiel Command's Pollution Prevention

Integrated Product Team, Science Applications International Corporation

(SAIC), and CHA Corporation, the team developed, tested, and validated the

highly effective microwave reactor's capability to eliminate waste.

Background AFRL conducted a research and development requirements

survey for Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) to identify processes where

hazardous materials could be reduced or eliminated. AFSPC identified eliminating

hazardous waste by-products generated by spacecraft as a top priority.

The current treatment, a dual extraction method that uses a vacuum sweep, air

stripping, and catalytic oxidation, is used for hazardous waste site remediation.

Catalytic oxidation requires a significant amount of supplemental fuel, and it also

produces secondary air pollutants including nitrogen oxides and dioxins. Using

this treatment, hydrazine fuels and an oxidizer (dinitrogen tetroxide) used in

spacecraft and launch vehicles still generate more than 300,000 lbs of hazardous

waste by-product annually.

Under a contract between the directorate and SAIC, CHA Corporation was

subcontracted to demonstrate and validate a technology to treat the oxidizer

and fuels while significantly reducing or eliminating the hazardous waste by-product. CHA Corporation used microwave energy to

treat and destroy the waste oxidizer and fuels without producing any hazardous waste by-products. AFSPC began efforts to design,

develop, and test a production-scale microwave reactor unit.
KHILS Facility Transitions Infrared Scene

Projection Systems

rilyOlt The ability to evaluate the performance of infrared-guided munition seekers with dynamic imagery at multiple Department

of Defense facilities will greatly enhance the development of future munitions while reducing the cost of test and evaluation.

Accomplishment The Munitions Directorate is transferring a new generation of infrared scene projector systems to a

number of government facilities. These devices are key components necessary to provide accurate dynamic imagery for missile

seeker, hardware-in-the-loop testing. These systems enable greatly improved operation of both the Honeywell and Santa Barbara

Infrared, Inc. emitter arrays under development at the directorate's Kinetic Kill Vehicle Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator (KHILS)

Facility for the last decade.

Background KHILS teamed with seven agencies on the project to fund

the development, design, and fabrication of the custom electronics called the

personal computer-based array control electronics (PACE). The team included

the Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense Team, the Air

Force's Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator Facility and Guided Weapons

Evaluation Facility, the Sensors Directorate's Dynamic Infrared Missile Evaluator

Facility, the Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division, the Defense Investigative

Agency's Missile and Space Intelligence Center, and the US Army's Space and

Missile Defense Command upgrade at Arnold Engineering Development Center's

Decade Facility.

Over 20 projection systems are in varying stages of fabrication. Many of these systems include both emitter arrays from residual

directorate contracts with Honeywell and the new PACE electronic drive systems. Besides transition to government facilities, the

directorate recently transferred PACE systems to industry in support of contracts developing next-generation emitter arrays.
YBCO-Coated Conductor Gets Go-Ahead

for Full Development

PftyOlt A novel flat wire conductor, prepared by coating a metal substrate with yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO), produces

a significantly higher current-carrying capacity over conventional copper wire. It is the next-generation, high-temperature

superconducting wire necessary for the development of Air Force directed energy weapons and the Navy's Electric Warships &

Combat Vehicles programs. System components benefiting from the conductor include power generators, high-frequency source

magnets, transformers, and motors.

Liquid cryogens are not used to cool the superconductors because highly reliable commercial refrigerators are available to provide

the necessary cooling. Specific commercial advantages include three to five times more power capacity than conventional power

cables and elimination of cooling oil in transformers to reduce fire and environmental hazards. Superconducting motors and

generators will be much more efficient and less expensive than their conventional counterparts.

ACCOmpllShmeilt Mr. Pete Aldridge, Under Secretary of Defense, recently gave final approval for full development of

YBCO-coated conductors under Title III of the Defense Production Act. The Department of Energy Office of Power Technologies

and the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Production Act-Title III Office are currently setting aside $12 million in federal

funds to combine with $ 12 million in industrial funding to ensure availability of YBCO-coated conductors in long-length sections.

The Title III approval sets in motion private sector production capabilities to support manufacturing of the YBCO-coated conductor.

Propulsion Directorate scientists are actively involved in furthering development of YBCO-coated conductors.

BdChgrOU HO The need for compact, lightweight, high-power

generators and magnets is critical to new defense applications. DoD

needed a superconductor that operates at higher temperatures to

reduce the cooling requirement of conventional machines or

cryogenic refrigerators for low-temperature superconductors,

which are 10 to 100 times larger. The new high- temperature

superconducting technology competes with both conventional and

low-temperature superconducting rotating machines.

By simply substituting the YBCO-coated conductor technology

for today's conventional copper/iron core technology or lowtemperature superconductor technology, high-speed, hightemperature superconducting generators can produce megawatts of electrical power while weighing up to 80% less. These size and

weight reductions enable high-power-dependent weapon systems on air or mobile platforms, opening the door to airborne applications

such as directed energy weapons.

Tremendous benefits also exist for commercial applications. Establishing an industrial manufacturing capability for the YBCO-coated

conductor will lead to commercialization in electric power applications such as transformers, transmission cables, motors, and

generators.
Propulsion Directorate Makes Major

Advances in Capacitor Technology

PaVOn A Propulsion Directorate-led team recently produced the biggest improvement in decades in electrical and thermal

properties of capacitor dielectrics. The Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Capacitor Team successfully optimized DLC plasma

deposition parameters to produce capacitors with energy density and temperature capability three times the current state of the

art. These improvements are crucial for airborne applications of directed energy weapons (DEW) because they offer considerable

savings in system weight as well as superior performance.

Team members appearing from left to right in the photo are Mr. Kosai Hiroyuki, from K Systems; Mr. Jacob Diemer and Ms. Sandra

Fries-Carr, both from the directorate's Power Division; Mr. Vic McNier, from the University of Dayton Research Institute; and

Mr. Richard Wu, from K Systems.

Accomplishment In addition to tripling the energy

density and temperature capabilities of current capacitors, the

team recently demonstrated continuous and uniform deposition

of DLC over a large area by manufacturing a 25 ft length of the

DLC capacitor film. As a result, the Army and Navy committed

funding to develop capacitor films for their own pulsed-power

weapon applications.

Furthermore, an extensive collaborative effort exists with

the Army and Navy to create an aggressive DLC Technology

Transfer program with the goal of having a commercial

product available by 2005. Scaling-up this technology will

enable compact pulsed-power systems for pulsed high-power

microwave applications. Both the aerospace and the DEW

community identified this as a critical enabling technology.

Background Capacitors are a critical component in nearly every military and commercial high-performance system. Military

and commercial aircraft manufacturers, power supply manufacturers, the medical industry, and power utilities use high-temperature,

high-energy-density capacitors.

The objective of the Diamond Thin Film Capacitor Development program was to fabricate DLC film capacitors for hightemperature and high-voltage applications that were superior to state-of-the-art devices. DLC has unique properties such

as high dielectric strength, very high resistivity, high-temperature stability, high thermal conductivity, exceptional mechanical

strength, and chemical inertness. These properties make it attractive for use in advanced power management and distribution

systems where engineers expect temperatures above 300°C (approximately 570°F).
Propulsion Directorate Develops Lithium-Ion

Battery to Power Mars Rovers

PaVOn Lithium ion technology offers a three- to four-fold increase in gravimetric (watt-hours/kg) and volumetric (watt-hours/

liter) energy densities and produces voltages in excess of three times the value of typical nickel-based battery systems such as nickel

cadmium and nickel hydrogen. These advantages make lithium ion an attractive choice for energy storage systems where weight,

volume, power, and mission duration are critical issues.

Accomplishment The Propulsion Directorate will complete another

milestone in its development and transition of high-energy-density, rechargeable

lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries when the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration's (NASA's) Mars Exploration Rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity"

power up their solar array power subsystem for the first time on the red planet in

January 2004. The world will see their success when the rovers begin collecting

geological science data as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover project.

The deployed solar array power subsystem onboard the rover is driven by two

8 Amp-Hr Li-Ion batteries. Directorate scientists and engineers developed the

technology, while the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Lithion, a division of

Yardney Technical Products, developed the batteries. These jointly developed

batteries will keep the rover "alive" at night and provide additional power during

intensive daytime operations.

Background Since its initiation, the Li-Ion program has attracted the attention and support of major aerospace firms and

other Department of Defense components. The Air Force and NASA Glenn/JPL combined expertise and resources to address the

many energy storage requirements facing future space missions.

The joint effort resulted in four contracts with major military battery developers, which address numerous mission applications.

Battery developers will design, fabricate, and test cells and batteries for military and NASA low-earth-orbiting and geosynchronous

satellites, advanced high-voltage aircraft applications, and unmanned air vehicles.
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Revolution in National Radar Cross Section

Measurement Standardization by Signature

Technology Office

PayOll Working in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD) Range Commanders Council, the US Navy and

Army, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and academia, the

Sensors Directorate's Signature Technology Office developed and implemented the first national calibration and measurement

standardization process for DoD and industrial radar cross section (RCS) measurement facilities.

Based on the commercial American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-Z540 standard and demonstrated initially on the directorate's

Advanced Compact Range, 6 of the approximately 20 major RCS test and evaluation sites in the US adopted this standard. The

remaining sites are working for compliance by 2004.

ACCOmpllShment The directorate established baseline parameters for concrete and quantifiable calibration and

measurement procedures for RCS facilities in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This rigorous and methodical approach for

establishing standard measurement processes helps commercial and DoD facilities deliver quantifiable and repeatable RCS data for

a number of developmental weapon system programs, thereby reducing the risk and cost of inserting low-observable technology

into common weapon systems.

Background Prior to the implementation of the ANSI-Z-540

standard, minimal communication existed between national RCS

facilities regarding quality of measurement. Since RCS measurements

are a product of extremely complex electromechanical systems

containing complex hardware and software subsystems, solving

system-level problems was difficult without a standard to measure

them and a forum to exchange ideas.

The directorate conceived a national certification program

because it not only developed a standard in cooperation with its

industry peers, but it also implemented a peer review system that

assured the standard would be fairly and uniformly enforced. The

certification process has three phases and normally takes 6 months

to a year to complete depending on the quality of documentation

maintained by the facility.

The directorate-developed standard, adopted as RCC Standard 804-01, calls for a 5-year migration plan. It will require US government

and industrial RCS ranges to comply with the standard for DoD contractors performing RCS measurements for the directorate.

National RCS Certification

Many Ranges - One DoD Common Standard

NATIONAL RCS RANGE CERTIFICATION

• Ranges In Preparation

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AFRL Advanced Compact Range - Dayton

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Boeing 977 Range (Seattle. WA)

Lockheed-Heiendale, CA

Lockheed F.ST Orlando. FL

US Navy Patuxent River ATR MD
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GPS Jammer Detection Location System

rayOfl The Sensors Directorate managed a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III project with NAVSYS Corporation

of Colorado Springs, Colorado, to develop a Global Positioning System (GPS) jammer location (jLOC) system. The JLOC system's

architecture is a method of accurately locating interference sources in a timely and efficient fashion. This qualifies the GPS system

to be used for safety of life-critical applications. It also provides a solution that offers situational awareness on navigation warfare

threats in a tactical environment.

ACCOmpliShment The directorate's research and development efforts, along with NAVSYS, resulted in significant

technological advancements and product development. The GPS JLOC system architecture solves interference problems through a

network-centric approach where data is collected from conventional GPS user equipment acting as jammer sensors. Current GPS

user equipment generates diagnostic data on the quality of the received GPS signals. This data is relayed to a JLOC master station

where it is processed to deduce the location of the jammer or interference source.

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JLOC Concept of Operations

Background GPS performs a crucial role in enhancing

national defense. Due to low broadcast signal architecture, the

GPS signal is particularly susceptible to intentional and unintentional

interference. Under such circumstances, detecting and locating the

interference in a timely manner would greatly minimize this risk.

This also is significant in light of the growing interest by certain

countries to explore low-cost, low-power methods of disrupting

the GPS signal.

GPS interference also is a significant concern to the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), as the air transportation system is becoming

increasingly reliant on the use of GPS. Before GPS can be approved

for use in approach and landing, any GPS interference sources in the

vicinity of an airport must be located and disabled. Currently, there

is no cost-effective method for the FAA to detect and locate these

sources.

In addition, the JLOC system architecture will support the civil need

for an interference detection and location system. Civilian users

are increasingly dependent on GPS for navigation (including aircraft

landing), power grid synchronization, and communications synchronization (including the cellular phone system). It is critical that

researchers and engineers develop receivers to promptly identify and locate GPS jammers, which may pose potential disruptions

to these operations.

AirIlfem/sira
AFRL Develops Airspace Operations Sensing

Requirements for UAV and Transfers

Technology to Civilian Users

PaVOn The Air Vehicles Directorate has transferred unmanned air vehicle (UAV) sensing system requirements for airspace

operations to civilian users and UAV developers, providing design goals on which to base future sensing subsystem designs and filling

a glaring omission in UAV technology planning. The directorate is developing technologies that enable future UAVs to coexist as

safely as manned aircraft in both military and civilian airspace.

Using these requirements ensures that UAVs will detect possible conflicts, such as midair collisions and runway excursions, so

users can take the appropriate action to avoid the conflict. The technology transferred forms a worldwide baseline for the UAV

community.

Accomplishment Working with engineers from Northrop

Grumman Corporation, AFRL engineers established, iterated, and

finalized sensing system performance requirements for the broad range

of future US Air Force missions. Throughout the process, directorate

engineers noted that many mission elements are similar to civilian

airspace operations tasks, and that the requirements were directly

applicable to civilian UAV technology.

The engineers also noted that no compendium or report existed

that defined and expressed these requirements. To transfer this

technology, the directorate coordinated report writing with the

American Institute forAeronautics and Astronautics focal point for UAV

airspace integration, transitioning the groundbreaking report in time for

presentation at the UAV airspace integration meeting. The far-reaching

insight of the directorate's research is directly impacting the airspace

operations sensing systems for current and future UAVs.

[nlCk£POlind In order to share airspace with manned aircraft, UAVs must detect conflict situations effectively as manned

aircraft. Because this is not currently the case, the Air Force segregates UAVs from manned airspace—placing a significant restriction

on UAV operational usefulness.

To eliminate this segregation, UAVs need to sense the presence of other aircraft in their operating environment. For this reason,

directorate researchers identified a need to replicate the human see-and-avoid capability onboard UAVs for acceptance into the

National Air Space. Not all aircraft have air traffic transponders, so UAVs cannot rely on those alone. UAVs must use onboard

sensors to detect aircraft and fuse that with available transponder information to give UAVs and UAV operators situational awareness

of the airspace around the vehicle to ensure that unmanned aircraft are as safe as our manned aircraft.
Air Vehicles Directorate Helps

Recruiting Squadron

PayOfT The 345th Recruiting Squadron from Scott Air Force Base (AFB), Illinois, has a new tool—a flight simulator nicknamed the Draco

Simulator Interceptor Experience (SIX)—to help them in their mission of recruiting and retention. Simple to set up by as few as two people

and easily transportable, the simulator is intended for use at various recruiting events where people with an interest in the Air Force can

experience what it is like to fly an Air Force jet.

ACCOmpllShment A team of six engineers and co-op

students from the Air Vehicles Directorate worked for 5 months

designing and building a fully mobile flight simulator from the

ground up, utilizing old parts from around the directorate. The

directorate even produced the software in-house, which helped

to make the total cost of the unit less than one-fifth that of a

comparable commercially produced item.

The directorate presented the Draco SIX to the 345th Recruiting

Squadron to help educate potential Air Force recruits in a style that

is more appealing to today's youth. With this in mind, the Draco

SIX has an active schedule planned as the centerpiece at several

events in the upcoming months. In exchange for the simulator,

the recruiting squadron has agreed to show an AFRL video before

running the simulator to illustrate the opportunities available in the

laboratory.

BdCh£rOUnd The 345th Recruiting Squadron asked the directorate for help creating a hands-on tool they could take with them to

schools, festivals, and other venues to attract people interested in aviation. Along with three directorate engineers, the production team also

consisted of students from a co-op program that recently resumed after 15 years of inactivity. Mr. Gary Hellmann, the Control Simulation

and Assessment branch chief and a former co-op student himself, wanted to challenge the current class of co-op students to best utilize

their potential.

The simulator was first unveiled during TechFest 2003 at Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio, where it received very positive

feedback from 200 people who tested it. Thanks to the success of the first project, the directorate plans to build a second simulator for the

Educational Outreach program at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Technology Transfer for Education Program

PayOlf Of all the technology transfer activities, education outreach most directly impacts and benefits those who are the

future—today's students. The Office of Technology Transfer for Education (TTE) program, located at the AFRL Phillips Research

Site, brings the technology and expertise of Air Force scientists and engineers into classrooms throughout the state of New Mexico

and beyond.

Over 60,000 students from more than 200 schools in New Mexico have benefited from TTE program efforts to date. Currently,

TTE has 163 Education Partnership Agreements (EPA) processed or pending and 18 Cooperative Research and Development

Agreements (CRADA) processed or pending with local school districts.

Accomplishment The Space Vehicles and Directed

Energy Directorates' TTE program received a 2001 Federal

Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology

Transfer. One of the most coveted awards in the tech transfer

field, this award recognizes individuals within federal labs (and

their industry partners) who have done outstanding work in

transferring federally developed technologies.

AFRL SPACE

The TTE has a proven track record of effective leveraging with

outside sources. The Pinpoint WeatherNet project CRADA with

KOB-TV4 generated over $6.2 million of promotional airtime.

More than 13% of mentors supporting the AFRL TTE program

are from the private sector.

The TTE team fulfills four out of five congressional mandates for technology transfer. The Office of the Secretary of Defense and

the Secretary of the Air Force acknowledged TTE's activities as a model for all of the Department of Defense and highlighted TTE

in testimony to Congress in 2000 and 2001.

In 2002, the TTE managed the Space Rocks! kids festival for the 2002 World Space Congress. In 2000 and 2001, the TTE received

commendations from the entire New Mexico Congressional Delegation. Also in 2001, the TTE received the Legislative Memorial

of Appreciation for Education Outreach in New Mexico.

BaCKgrOUnd The TTE program consists of five technology-based education outreach projects. These projects include the

AFRL Mars Missions project for 5th graders, a classroom-based simulation adapted from the Challenger Center for Space Science

Education's Marsville® project.

Another project, the AFRL Providing Engineering and Technology Experiences for Students project, bridges the transition from

elementary to middle school and middle school to high school by fostering student mentorship in AFRL technologies. The Pinpoint

WeatherNet project is a CRADA with KOB-TV4, which provides high-quality weather stations and on-line curriculum for New

Mexico middle schools.

The AFRL Students Planning and Conducting Engineering project helps high school student teams design and conduct year-long,

real-world research and development projects. The AFRL Technology Equipment for Kids project includes an EPA between the

directorates and New Mexico Technet, Inc., which ensures students receive educationally useful, AFRL-donated technology tools.
• pnpp^

AFRL HotStar

PayOlT Higher-operating-temperature, staring focal plane arrays (FPAs) is a program to develop medium waveband infrared (MWIR)

FPAs, which meet the stringent requirements of space-based missile warning programs, with cooling at higher operating temperatures

provided by passive space radiators.

ACCOmpHshment The Space Vehicles

Directorate awarded the Ho6tar program

to DRS Infrared Technologies of Dallas, Texas,

as a vehicle for developing higher-operatingtemperature MWIR FPAs. DRS Infrared

Technologies delivered standard (copperdoped) FPAs under Ho6tar to the directorate

to evaluate in the directorate's characterization

facility for level of performance and to establish

a technology baseline prior to improving the

technology.

E . JWU31_SMcc b^ingb

\=5.2Mm(77K)

p = 5x10i5cm-3

9.5 Mm thick

•j 40 Mm pitch

8 Mm via

200 400

VOLTAGE (mV)

As part ofthe solution to meeting these stringent

performance requirements, achieved in the past only with cryogenic (sub-100 Kelvin) operating temperatures, a revision (at DRS Infrared

Technologies) in the standard doping process replaces copper with gold atoms toachieve the p-type dopingside ofthe photodiode junctions.

The lower dark currents associated with the new doping approach allow Ho6tar to meet its performance objectives and also benefit Navy

programs that have adapted the gold-doping technology for ship-based defense technology.

DdCkgrOlind DRS Infrared Technologies developed the high-density, vertically interconnected photodiode (HDV1P) process for

single waveband FPAs in response to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Infrared Focal Plane Array's Flexible Manufacturing

program. The processing begins with tellurium-rich, liquid-phase epitaxial growth of p-type detector material diced and epoxied onto

cryogenic multiplexers.

DRS Infrared Technologies makes interconnects to the multiplexer pads with the etching of vias, followed by their metallization (with this

step representing a substantial deviation from the indium bump interconnection used by most other infrared FPA manufacturers). At the

time ofthe via etching process, DRS Infrared Technologies converts the axial region surrounding the via from p- to n-type, thereby forming

the photodiode. Another advantage ofthe HDVIP process for the Ho6tar application is its compatibility with microlensing approaches to

reduce the ratio of photodiode junction to pixel optical areas.
Awards and Recognition

Page

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Dr. Bruce W. Suter Wins Arthur S. Fleming Award I

Dr. Edmond M. Dewan Receives the Harold Brown Award 2

AFOSR Helps Fund Two 2002 Nobel Laureates 3

Dr. Lyle H. Schwartz Receives Honorary Membership to ASM International 4

Air Vehicles

Dr. Miguel Visbal Receives ASC Outstanding Engineer and Scientist Award 5

Dr. David Moorhouse Receives Senior Scientist Appointment 6

Ms. Charlotte Gerhart Receives AFMC Junior Civilian Engineer Award 7

Directed Energy

AFRL Names Seven New Fellows 8

Human Effectiveness

Ultrashort Laser Bioeffects Team Named AFOSR Star Team 9

Dr. Benjamin Rockwell Named Laser Institute of America Fellow 10

Dr. Daniel W. Repperger Wins Distinguished John Paul Stapp Award 11

Dr. James T Webb Receives AsMA Paul Bert Award for Physiological Research 12

Dr. Michael Murphy Receives the Air Force Science and Engineering Award 13

Dr. Michael Haas Receives Fritz J. Russ Bio-engineering Award 14

Materials and Manufacturing

Dr. Ajit K. Roy Honored as ASME Fellow 15

Dr. Edmund Moore Honored as Black Engineer of the Year 16

Dr. Gail Brown Earns Air Force Basic Research Award for Superlattice Materials Research 17

CAI Phase 2 Team Earns Defense ManTech Achievement Award for 2002 18

Award-Winning Polymer Physicist Selected to Attend Leading Engineers Symposium 19

Metals Processing Group Led by Dr. Lee Semiatin Earns Coveted Star Team Award 20

Materials Researcher Recognized by Affiliate Societies Council for Outstanding Contributions

to Air Force and Industry 21

High-Temperature Materials Research Team Receives Star Team Award for Outstanding Contributions..22

SAMPE Honors ManTech's Dr. Abrams with Fellow Status 23

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate Manages Technical Handbook Under Successful CRADA 24

Dr. Charles E. Browning Receives 2002 Presidential Rank Award 25

Engineer Selected as One of 50 Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology 26

Scientist Earns Air Force Basic Research Award Honorable Mention for Contributions in Conductive

Polymer Cladding Research 27

Air Force Honors Senior Materials Engineer for Pioneering Research on Fiber Coatings 28

Materials Researcher Appointed Senior Scientist for Contributions to Structural Materials Life

Prediction 29

Continuedon nextpage
Awards and Recognition

Page

Nanotechnology Research Team Earns AFOSR's Star Team Award 30

AFOSR Recognizes Award-Winning Biologist and His Research Team for Contributions to National

Defense 31

Chief Scientist Named ASME Life Fellow 32

Munitions

Munitions Directorate's SBIR Manager Receives Tibbetts Award 33

Munitions Directorate Scientist Receives Honor for Life's Work 34

Plans and Programs

AFRL Presents Century of Flight Awards at 2003 Dayton Air Show 35

Propulsion

Propulsion Directorate Scientist Named ASME Fellow 36

Dr. Garscadden Wins 2002 Will Allis Prize 37

Aerospace Propulsion Chief Named Chairman of Interagency Committee 38

Propulsion Directorate Engineer Honored with Top Air Force Award 39

National ACS Honors Propellant Chemist 40

New Microtube Patent Issued to Propulsion Researchers 41

Propulsion Scientist Named SEM Fellow 42

Academic Partnerships Advance POSS Technology Payoff 43

Sensors

Ms. Kathy Catalano Named Wright-Patterson Senior-Level Security Specialist of the Year 44

Mr. Joseph Koesters Honored by Association of Old Crows 45

Mr. Donald Tomlinson Receives the Red Cross 2002 All-Ohio Hero Award 46

Dr. Richard Soref Elected IEEE Fellow 47

Dr. Brian Kent Elected IEEE Fellow 48

Mr. Ray Hitt Receives AOC Clark Fiester Command and Control Warfare Award 49

Mr. William E. Austin Receives AOC Modeling and Simulation Award 50

Sensors Directorate Donates Surplus Computer Components to Local Schools 51

Modern-Day Technology Leader Honored 52

Three Sensors Directorate Research Scientists Receive 2003 Pioneer Award 53

Two Sensors Directorate Engineers Receive Association of Old Crows Award 54

Space Vehicles

Dr. Yolanda Jones King Named AIAA Fellow 55

Dr. Arup Maji Named ASCE Fellow 56

Professor Mark Balas Named AIAA Fellow 57

Dr. Peter Wegner Receives the Harold Brown Science and Technology Award 58
•P"*

Dr. Bruce W. Suter Wins

Arthur S. Fleming Award

Payoff Dr. Bruce W. Suter, a principal researcher in the Information Directorate, sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific

Research, received the 2002 Arthur S. Fleming Award for achievements in both technical and managerial issues. Dr. Suter was one

of 12 outstanding public servants working in the federal government to receive this award in 2002.

ACCOmpliShment Dr. Suter, the directorate's principal researcher in information signal processing technology,

consistently pushes the fundamental principles of science through extensive personal study and collaboration with his peer group.

Dr. Suter's peer group includes professionals at the National Research Council, the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute, and

many nationally recognized researchers in academia. These arrangements resulted in formal publication of advanced concepts in

Hankel and Tchebyshev transforms and their application to a broad spectrum of scientific applications for improved information

signal processing.

Background Dr. Suter was instrumental in the establishment of the

directorate's Center for Integrated Transmission and Exploitation (CITE) and currently

serves as director and principal researcher of CITE. CITE is an organization whose

goal is to explore the system-level issues involved by simultaneously considering both

communications and exploitation.

Dr. Suter also serves as a technical consultant in the area of data compression for

the Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab. He recently completed a very extensive

wavelet-based video compression consulting activity entitled "Global Information

Compression Methodology and Implementation for Enhanced Command Control,

Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

System Integration."

Dr. Suter has authored an advanced technical monograph, Mukirate and Wavelet

Signal Processing (Academic Press 1998), together with over 100 conference and

journal publications, demonstrating exceptional ability and superior performance

continuously in his career. His publications include papers on multirate and wavelet

signal processing, numerical linear algebra, transform theory (Fourier, Hankel,

Radon Wavelet), neural networks, parallel processing, and computer arithmetic.

Dr. Suter received a US patent for the fastest fast Fourier transform implementation ever devised. The Air Force Materiel Command

(AFMC) recognized Dr. Suter in 2001 for his work in the technology transfer of his patent by honoring him with one of the highest

awards of the AFMC-the 2000 General Ronald W. Yates Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer.

The Arthur S. Fleming Award program, established in 1948 by the Downtown jaycees, educates the public about the contributions

young civil servants make to America. To date, just 400 people have received this honor. Past Fleming honorees include Senator

Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1965); Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1971); and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for

Allergies and Infectious Diseases (1979).
Dr. Edmond M. Dewan Receives

the Harold Brown Award

PayOlf Dr. Edmond M. Dewan recently received the prestigious Harold Brown Award for creating the template used to

determine atomospheric weather conditions. The Harold Brown Award was named for Dr. Harold Brown, a renowned nuclear

engineer, mathematician, public servant, and the former Secretary of Defense under President Jimmy Carter. Dr. Brown was also

a former Secretary of the Air Force.

ACCOffipliShmeill Dr. Dewan, a researcher with the Space Vehicles Directorate's Spacecraft Technology Division, whose

work is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, created an optical turbulence model that converts vertical profiles of

atmospheric winds and temperature into vertical profiles of the optical turbulence parameter. The Airborne Laser (ABL) Missile

Defense System Program Office selected the Dewan Model for incorporation into the Atmospheric Decision Aid (ADA) to operate

with the ABL Missile Defense System.

Background Dr. Dewan's model is especially significant to the

Air Force because of its impact on the ABL theatre missile defense

system scheduled for deployment this decade. The effectiveness of this

system is strongly dependent upon atmospheric optical turbulence in the

upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. For this reason, there is a

requirement for an optical turbulence forecaster.

The Air Force designed the ABL system to destroy a theatre missile in the

boost phase by means of a high-energy laser, but turbulence can diffuse,

distort, and deflect the laser beam. In a worst case scenario, turbulence

could make the ABL inoperative.

The Air Force positions the ABL relative to the target in a manner to avoid

as much turbulence as possible, using an ADA. For this reason and for use

with future tactical high-energy systems, it is imperative to have a method

to relate atmospheric weather parameters (like temperature, pressure,

and wind profiles) to atmospheric turbulence.

The Air Force used Dr. Dewan's model, in conjunction with meteorological

balloon observations in the Persian Gulf and Korean Peninsula, to reveal a peak of optical turbulence associated with subtropical jets.

Dr. Dewan's model and its future improved versions show promise crucial to future Air Force optical turbulence prediction systems

for many years to come as the Air Force develops new high-energy laser systems. Dr. Dewan has published 111 scientific papers,

given more than 145 presentations, and recently received the Guenter Loeser Memorial Award for lifetime achievement.
AFOSR Helps Fund Two 2002

Nobel Laureates

.

PayOff Building on its legacy of funding Nobel Prize-winning scientists, the Air

Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) recently added two additional laureates,

Dr. Daniel Kahneman (pictured left) and Dr. John Fenn (pictured right), to its list of

distinguished researchers. For the past 50 years, AFOSR has identified a significant

number of researchers who have gone on to win Nobel Prizes in their respective fields.

With the addition of Drs. Fenn and Kahneman to that list, AFOSR has enhanced a legacy

of Nobel Prize-winning research that results in world-class scientific contributions that

support the Air Force's mission of supremacy in the air and on the battlefield.

Accomplishment Dr. Kahneman, of Princeton University, is one of the winners

of the Nobel Prize in economic sciences and Dr. John Fenn, of Virginia Commonwealth

University, shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry. AFOSR has sponsored 48 Nobel Prize

researchers since 1955; 45 were funded before they received the prize.

Background AFOSR began funding Dr. Kahneman in 1971 when the Life

Sciences Directorate supported his groundbreaking work on human perception,

attention, and decision making. Dr. Kahneman studied the determinants of human

choice in risky situations with psychologist Amos Twersky.

Dr. Kahneman and Mr. Twersky's research shows that a person's decisions depend

on how the person frames or describes the decision problem, and this dependence

results in decisions that deviate in predictable ways from the rational choice strategy.

This research directly supported one of the long-standing goals of the directorate for

advancement in improved human performance.

Dr. John Fenn also began his relationship with AFOSR in the early 1970s when AFOSR

funded his work on molecules seeded in atomic beams. AFOSR continued to support

Dr. Fenn during the 1980s, while he worked at Yale University, with several contracts

dealing with molecular collision processes.

Dr. Fenn used these studies and other associated systems to research fundamental chemical reaction dynamics, which substantiated

the Nobel Prize for chemistry for Herschbach, Lee, and Polanyi in 1986. Dr. Fenn received the 2002 Nobel Prize in chemistry for

his work in electrospray mass spectroscopy that grew out of his experience and expertise from earlier molecular research.
Dr. Lyle H. Schwartz Receives Honorary

Membership to ASM International

PayOff The American Society for Metals, commonly referred to as ASM International, is the society for materials engineering

and scientists, which boasts nearly 40,000 members from 100 countries and selects just one honorary member each year. Honorary

membership in ASM International recognizes distinguished service to the materials science and engineering profession, to ASM

International, and to the progress of mankind. Honorary membership is among the most prestigious awards of the society.

Accomplishment ASM International selected Dr. Lyle H. Schwartz,

the director of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), for honorary

membership to ASM International. ASM recognized Dr. Schwartz for his innovative

and effective leadership in planning, prioritizing, and administering materials research

and development within the federal government and industrial/government

partnerships. The society also honored Dr. Schwartz for his outstanding work in

X-ray and neutron diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and for his service to ASM

International.

BaCK^rOUnd As AFOSR'S director, Dr. Schwartz leads a staff of more than 150 scientists, engineers, and support personnel in

Arlington, Virginia, and two foreign technology offices in London and Tokyo. Dr. Schwartz, who received his doctorate of philosophy

in materials science from Northwestern University, helps AFRL maintain the technological superiority of the Air Force.
Dr. Miguel Visbal Receives ASC Outstanding

Engineer and Scientist Award

Payoff The Affiliate Societies Council (ASC) of the Engineering and Science Foundation recently recognized Dr. Miguel Visbal, a

principal research engineer in the Air Vehicles Directorate, for scientific achievements in the computational simulation of unsteady

aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, aeroacoustics, and electromagnetics. His selection enhances AFRL's reputation as a world leader in

aerospace research and recognizes the skill and professionalism of directorate scientists and engineers.

ACCOIlipliShllient The ASC of the Engineering and Science Foundation recognized Dr. Visbal as one of the recipients of

the 2003 Outstanding Engineers and Scientists Award. The ASC presented the award at the 44th Annual Awards Banquet during

Engineers and Scientists Week in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Visbal was one of four awardees that received special recognition for his

ingenious contributions in the Research category.

Background The ASC of the Engineering and Science Foundation consists of members from nearly 50 professional science

and engineering organizations whose combined membership in Dayton exceeds 15,000. The mission of the ASC includes continuing

professional education, career guidance, outreach for technology and knowledge sharing in the community, and administrative services

for affiliated groups. Each year during Dayton's Engineers and Scientists Week, the ASC honors outstanding contributors in the areas of

Research, Technical Leadership, Education, and Engineering Design and Development.

Dr. Visbal is the team leader for Multidisciplinary Computational Research in the

directorate's Computational Sciences Center of Excellence. During his career, he

obtained and published significant first-ever results for the fundamental physics that

dictate unsteady, separated aerodynamic flows including vortex breakdown and

dynamic stall.

Dr. Visbal recently conducted pioneering research in the formulation of accurate,

high-order numerical schemes for computational fluid dynamics. Researchers are

using his developments in the computational simulation of fluid-structure interactions,

turbulence, and magneto-gas dynamics.

Dr. Visbal is a recognized contributor in his field as evidenced by his membership on

international committees and review teams. The National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA) invited him to serve on a NASA Peer Review Panel, and he

also served as a general chairman during an international conference. He is a reviewer

for numerous international journals and served as a National Science Foundation

consultant as well as an adjunct faculty member at the Air Force Institute ofTechnology,

Wright State University, and Ohio Aerospace Institute.

Dr. Visbal's basic research team receives nearly $1M annually from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) as well as hundreds

of thousands of computer processor hours from the Department of Defense High-Performance Computing Modernization program

resources. His team received renewal status as a prestigious AFOSR Star Team for the period 2002-2004.
• •

Dr. David Moorhouse Receives Senior

Scientist Appointment

Payoff In a ceremony officiated by Major General Paul Nielsen, Dr. David Moorhouse was recently appointed senior scientist and

named chief of the Multidisciplinary Technologies Center (MDTC). Dr. Moorhouse's previous position was senior research engineer at

the MDTC. The center will greatly benefit from Dr. Moorhouse's extensive experience in vehicle design and system integration, which

are major parts of the center's mission.

Accomplishment The MDTC is one of the Air Vehicles Directorate's centers of excellence. As chief of the MDTC,

Dr. Moorhouse will lead the center in its mission to identify, develop, and improve critical, military-specific air vehicle technology design

tools, methods, and processes to support innovative and affordable military aerospace vehicle development. The mission supports the

Air Force by quickly identifying innovative, viable aerospace vehicle concepts.

Background The MDTC'S research covers five different areas. In all five areas, the focus is to exploit the synergistic interactions

of multiple technologies to yield system benefits in support of innovative, fully integrated vehicles.

The first area, Efficient Design and Analysis Tools, is developing physics-based

modeling tools and processes for design, analysis, and increased analytical

certification of aerospace vehicles. Second, Uncertainty Quantification is developing

rules and tools for understanding variability in system properties and the operating

environment on air vehicle response. Third, Adaptive Structures is developing

structural design with integration of mechanization and actuation for beneficial

shape changes. Fourth, Energy-Based Method focuses on a multidisciplinary design

framework for system-level optimization. The fifth area, A New Thrust, centers on

flight experimentation to validate scientific methods with realistic data.

During his distinguished career, Dr. Moorhouse authored 65 journal articles, papers,

and technical reports. His awards include the following: Dr. Courtland D. Perkins

In-House Engineering Award, Directorate Engineer of the Year, Air Force High-Value

Invention/Suggestion Award, Air Force Systems Command Science and Technology

Achievement Award, Aviation Week and Space Technology Laurels Award, Fellow

of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Associate Fellow of the American Institute for

Aeronautics and Astronautics, Invited Member of the Aerospace Engineering School

Advisory Council for Georgia Tech, and Invited Member of the PhD Committee at

Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands.
mmmmmm

Ms. Charlotte Gerhart Receives AFMC

Junior Civilian Engineer Award

rdyOlt The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) awarded Ms. Charlotte Gerhart, of the Space Vehicles Directorate, the Junior

Civilian Engineer Award, which recognizes individuals with less than 10 years of engineering experience for technical contributions

to the sustainment, testing, and advancement of Air Force weapons systems. AFMC will also forward the winner in this category as

a nominee for the Air Force Outstanding Engineer Awards.

ACCOfflpliShltient Ms. Charlotte Gerhart received the AFMC Junior Civilian Engineer Award for program manager of the

year for her work on the Vibro Acoustic Launch Protection Experiment (VALPE) and other research projects. Her efforts will save

the Air Force hundreds of millions of dollars during the next decade.

Background The VALPE project, launched on two Terrier Improved

Orion sounding rockets, consisted of five separate experiments that

demonstrated vibration isolation, acoustic mitigation, and energy recovery.

These technologies are key to decreasing design requirements and improving

overall reliability for future space missions.

In addition to coordinating the VALPE Team, Ms. Gerhart is a recognized expert

in the area of spacecraft thermal management and continues to direct and

coordinate research, design, and analysis in that field. Keeping all components

of a satellite within their individual temperature limits is critical for operation and

is difficult in the harsh environment of space.

Ms. Gerhart is also responsible for overseeing the development of novel

technologies that will eventually result in the capability to perform autonomous

on-orbit servicing of satellites. The ability to refuel, repair, and upgrade satellites

on orbit has the potential to revolutionize the way the Air Force and the

Department of Defense currently use satellites, much the way mid-air refueling

has changed aircraft operations.
AFRL Names Seven New Fellows

PaVOn The AFRL Fellows program recognizes and rewards the laboratory's most outstanding in-house scientists and engineers for

their accomplishments and technical excellence in support of our nation's air and space forces. Each Fellow receives a special $ 100,000

grant for the first 2 years following selection. The grant serves to assist in further self-development and additional research.

ACCOmpli$hmeilt AFRL recently selected the following

as AFRL Fellows (pictured left to right): Mr. Wayne Bonser,

Information Directorate, Rome Research Site, Rome, New

York; Dr. Gail Brown, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate,

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio; Dr. Raymond

Gordnier, Air Vehicles Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio;

Dr. Kirk Hackett, Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB,

New Mexico; Mr. Wlliam McQuay, Information Directorate,

Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Dr. Robert Pugh, Space Vehicles

Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; and Dr. Jeffrey Zabinski,

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright Patterson

AFB,

transition

Mr. Bonser

Ohio.

of commercial

contributed

and

to the

military

development,

software radio

leadership,

technology.

and Mi

Dr. Brown is a leader in cutting-edge research on superlattice materials. Her accomplishments have made a tremendous impact on

programs for new infrared detector materials. Dr. Gordnier is an expert in multidisciplinary computational sciences whose research in

unsteady aerodynamics and fluid-structure interactions are critical to the understanding of air vehicle performance and sustainment.

Dr. Hackett, a leader in the areas of high-power microwaves and non-lethal weapons development, performed research crucial to

the development of Active Denial Technology. Mr. McQuay has a distinguished record of contributions in modeling and simulation

technologies going back to the early days of computer-based simulation of electronic phenomena through today's use of simulation

to support operational decision makers. Dr. Pugh has a record of distinguished contributions in the research and development of

space electronics, resulting in affordable, leading-edge, radiation-hardened electronics that are used in over 90% of the Department

of Defense satellites. Dr. Zabinski has pioneered research discoveries that have shifted the paradigms of lubrication and coating

technology at AFRL, nationally, and abroad.

Background Military and civilian scientists and engineers, comprising about 55% of AFRL's workforce, are eligible for selection

as an AFRL Fellow. Eligible participants must be assigned to AFRL for the past 3 consecutive years and have at least 7 years of active

federal service. Participants must perform the recognized work at the laboratory or one of its predecessors.
Ultrashort Laser Bioeffects Team

Named AFOSR Star Team

PayOlt The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) recently selected the Advanced Ultrashort Laser Bioeffects Team, of

the Human Effectiveness Directorate, as an AFOSR Star Team. This is the second 2-year term for this team's selection as an AFOSR

Star Team. Star Team status substantiates the directorate as a world leader in helping the Air Force evaluate the mission impact of

escalating laser threats, and it affirms the directorate's reputation as a world-class center for laser-tissue interaction research.

Accomplishment The directorate's Advanced Ultrashort

Laser Bioeffects Team, recently selected as an AFOSR Star Team, will

provide information that will play an important role in establishing

new national, international, and military laser safety standards used

for the development of appropriate concepts-of-operation for laser

weapons.

Background Over the past decade, the directorate conducted basic research to determine the threshold levels at which

ocular exposures to short-pulsed (sub-nanoseconds in duration) laser light will produce retinal damage. The research team

identified three new mechanisms for retinal damage from laser exposure.

The team performed other basic research and developed biological databases to demonstrate that nonlinear physical mechanisms

are generally responsible for producing lesions on retinas exposed to these extremely short pulses of laser light. Information

obtained from this research played an important role in establishing new national, international, and military laser safety standards

used for the development of appropriate concepts-of-operation for laser weapons. The biological databases developed provide the

foundation for validating future models of ocular damage from new generations of military lasers.
Dr. Benjamin Rockwell Named Laser

Institute of America Fellow

PiiyOit The Laser Institute of America (LIA) recently selected Dr. Benjamin Rockwell, a senior research biophysicist with the

Human Effectiveness Directorate, as a Fellow at the International Congress on the Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics in

Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Rockwell's selection as a Fellow strengthens the directorate's reputation as a world-class center for lasertissue interaction research and as a world leader in determining the safety of laser threats.

The LIA is a professional membership society dedicated to promoting lasers, laser applications, and safety worldwide, serving the

industrial, medical, research, and military communities. The LIA recognizes those members, who make seminal contributions to

the fields of laser applications and safety with the distinction of Fellow.

ACCOItiplishment Dr. Rockwell investigated laser damage

to the retina, conducting groundbreaking experimentation on the

nonlinear optical phenomena that are responsible for the lowest

energies ever to damage retinal tissues. These nonlinear effects

occur when ultrashort laser pulses (shorter in duration than one

nanosecond) impinge the retina.

This research included the lowest single-pulse damage of the

retina, measurement of the nonlinear optical properties of the

eye, and determination of three new damage mechanisms of the

retina from laser exposure. These damage mechanisms are not

only important for determining safe exposure levels and weapons

effectiveness, but may also help in developing new treatments of

retinal diseases such as macular degeneration.

BaCKgrOlind Dr. Rockwell served for 3 years as a senior member of the LIA and was elected in 2001 to serve a 3-year term

on both the board of directors and the executive board. During his tenure at AFRL, Dr. Rockwell published a book chapter, 31

journal articles, and 72 proceedings articles. He served on many conference committees and has one patent.

Dr. Rockwell also serves as the Secretary of the American National Standards Institute's Z136 Committee, the National Laser Safety

Committee, and as US delegate to and on the Technical Area Group for Laser Bioeffects for the International Electrotechnical

Commission. His research team defines the safe exposure levels for ultrashort laser pulses and the resulting protective requirements

for personnel protection.
Dr. Daniel W. Repperger Wins Distinguished

John Paul Stapp Award

PayOlf The Aerospace Medical Association gives the John Paul Stapp Award annually to individuals in recognition of their

outstanding contributions in the field of aerospace biomechanics and to promote progress in protection from injury resulting from

ejection, vibration, or impact.

ACCOflipliSllllieill The Aerospace Medical Association recently presented the John Paul Stapp Award to Dr. Daniel W.

Repperger, an AFRL Fellow from the Human Effectiveness Directorate's Human Interface Technology Branch. Dr. Repperger has

made fundamental contributions to aerospace biomechanics and human protection for more than 30 years. The results have been

innovative technology and new knowledge regarding human performance in high-g, high-turbulence, and weightless environments.

Background Dr. Repperger originally developed patented technology in

1985 for a force-reflecting "haptic" control stick that can assist and help protect

a pilot in a high-turbulence environment. The control stick uses virtual force to

augment the pilot's neuromuscular control, resulting in improved tracking control

and disturbance rejection. Because these unique interfaces involve neuromuscular

biomechanics and employ control theory methods, their application is essential to

the medical rehabilitation of convulsive individuals.

Dr. Repperger's wide range of career achievements exemplifies his leadership in

the scientific community. In addition to his duties as an AFRL Fellow, he serves

as associate editor for numerous journals and as an adjunct professor at nearby

colleges and universities.

As demonstrated by his 12 US patents, 21 Air Force inventions, and 65 journal

articles, Dr. Repperger enhanced United States Air Force state-of-the-art

technology. His selection for the John Paul Stapp Award highlights the talent, dedication, and professionalism that strengthen the

directorate and the aerospace community as a whole.
Dr. James T. Webb Receives AsMA Paul Bert

Award for Physiological Research

PayOff The Aerospace Physiology Society ofthe Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) established the Paul Bert Award for Physiological

Research in 1969 and presents the award annually for outstanding research contributions in the field of aerospace physiology. The AsMA

named the award in honor of the famous French physiologist and "Father of Pressure Physiology."

A€COHipliShni£nt The Aerospace Physiology Society of the AsMA recently awarded Dr. James T Webb the Paul Bert Award for

Physiological Research for his contributions to the field of aerospace physiological research. Dr. Webb, a Fellow ofAsMA since May 1994, is

the altitude lead scientist with the Human Effectiveness Directorate's Biodynamics and Protection Division Protective Systems Branch.

His method of prebreathe enhancement was instrumental in saving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) more than

$3 million. It also kept two pilots flying the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, who otherwise would have been reassigned to different

airframes at considerable expense to the United States Air Force (USAF).

Background Dr. Webb's career spans over 20 years in high-altitude

protection research for civilian, Department of Defense, and North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) aircrews. A recognized expert, Dr. Webb advises Special

Operations Forces, NATO, the Air Force Special Operations Command, and the

Air Combat Command in matters pertaining to decompression sickness (DCS),

exercise-enhanced prebreathe, and unpressurized high-altitude missions.

As one member of a three-man team and coinvestigator for more than 44

studies, his expertise is invaluable in DCS prevention research. Hired in 1987, as

a contract scientist with Wyle Laboratories, his extensive knowledge and attention

to detail garnered him the position of lead scientist in 1994. During his tenure, he

coauthored more than 100 publications and was lead author on 68 publications.

AsMA, considered the international leader in aviation, space, and environmental

medicine, applies and advances scientific knowledge to promote and enhance

the health, safety, and performance of those involved in aerospace and related

activities. From the 1929 organizational meeting of 29 aeromedical examiners, the

association has grown to its present strength of more than 3,500 members from

76 countries. The AsMA formed the Aerospace Physiology Society in 1965 and

serves physiologists working with crewmembers from the USAF, US Navy, NASA,

and NATO.
Dr. Michael Murphy Receives the Air Force

Science and Engineering Award

PayOII The Science and Engineering Award recognizes "working-level" Air Force personnel for their outstanding contributions

in research, development, or engineering.

ACCOmpHshment The United States Air Force (USAF) presented

Dr. Michael R. Murphy, Chief of the Human Effectiveness Directorate's

Radio Frequency Radiation Bioeffects Branch, the USAF 2002 Science

and Engineering Annual Award for Achievement in areas of exploratory

or advanced technology development. Dr. Murphy directed efforts to

document human- effects data in support of nonlethal weapons (NLWs) and

is the chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Technology Group on

the human effects of nonlethal technologies.

Dr. Murphy provided Air Force capabilities and expertise in support of the

Department of Defense (DoD) executive agent for NLWs through the Joint

Nonlethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD). Dr. Murphy led research and

risk communication efforts in support of the human effects of a unique

microwave-based, antipersonnel, nonlethal weapon called the Active Denial

System (ADS).

Dr. Murphy simultaneously enhanced the international service and scientific

reputation of the group conducting the ADS research. Due to his technical

expertise and support of expanded human-effects research of nonlethal

weapons, his group earned the designation and funding as the Joint

Nonlethal Human Effects Center of Excellence in the DoD.

Background Dr. Murphy oversaw field studies of ADS effectiveness and development with emphasis on human effects.

Using the results of those studies, he initiated a campaign to overcome the potential suspicion, fear, and misunderstanding of DoD's

first antipersonnel radio-frequency NLW

Dr. Murphy developed and executed a plan to communicate human-effects research internationally to support scientific and military

acceptability for the program. This plan included presentations on ADS at foreign and domestic venues.
Dr. Michael Haas Receives Fritz J. Russ

Bioengineering Award

PayOff The Fritz J. Russ Bioengineering Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions in

research, development, teaching, or management for at least 3 years. The selection of Dr. Michael W. Haas is a prime example of

the Human Effectiveness Directorate's bioengineering expertise and quality research that supports the Air Force mission and the

local community.

ACCOmpli$hltient Dr. Michael W. Haas, a Human Effectiveness Directorate engineer, received the FritzJ. Russ Bioengineering

Award during the annual banquet of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Haas' work in the

Human Interface Technology Branch of the Crew System Interface Division represents a unique combination of bioengineering,

systems engineering, and exceptional management for the advancement of bioengineering and Air Force objectives.

BaCKgrOtind Dr. Haas'accomplishments epitomize the guiding

principle of his work—to understand the biological and psychological

opportunities and constraints that underlie the optimal integration

of humans and machines and then to develop the technology to

capitalize on that understanding. One example is his application

of synthetic spatial audio technology to enhance the perception of

multichannel communication. Dr. Haas' work in this area virtually

assures the transition of spatial audio technology to the Airborne

Warning and Control System (AWACS) Block 40/45 communication

system and to several ground-based tactical control facilities.

Dr. Haas made similarly exceptional contributions in his basic research

program. His work enabled numerous improvements in flight control,

navigation, and targeting by tailoring cockpit display modalities to the

momentary sensory and attentional capacity of the users.

Additionally, Dr. Haas provided exceptional management leadership.

His Virtual Air Commanders Team was invited to participate directly in

a series of interface evaluations that played a major role in the design

of the Block 40/45 crew stations. His leadership yielded increased

funding and led to new research and development opportunities.

Dr. Haas' contributions extend throughout the United States Air Force and into the local community. By leveraging area university

resources, he generated several hundred thousand dollars in cost savings for the Air Force while providing a unique mentoring

environment for graduate students.
Dr. Ajit K. Roy Honored as ASME Fellou

PdyOlf The American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) recently selected Dr. Ajit K. Roy, of the Materials and

Manufacturing Directorate, as an ASME Fellow for his leadership, technical contributions, and research in composite materials. His

work in a wide variety of composite technologies has advanced the state of the art.

ACCOmpllShni6nt Dr. Roy received the award in recognition of over 20 years of groundbreaking research in advanced

analytical modeling and test method development for organic matrix composite materials. His selection as an ASME Fellow

recognizes his individual achievement and contributions and enhances the directorate's reputation as a world leader in materials and

materials testing-related research and development.

KraCKgrOUnd Dr. Roy, a researcher in the directorate's Structural

Materials Branch, is responsible for conducting and managing basic research

activities in mechanics of composite materials, particularly in the area of novel

material forms and analytical tools for failure analysis of composite materials.

He is responsible for managing a technology portfolio to develop advanced

composite materials technology in organic matrix composites and complex

materials forms.

Dr. Roy served as the Department of Defense focal point for carbon-foam

technology. Carbon foam is atailorable, ultra-lightweight, and high- temperature

multifunctional material.

Dr. Roy's staff developed an analytical/numerical tool to perform stress analysis

of three-dimensionally reinforced composites. This software provides the first

comprehensive fracture mechanics methodology for failure analysis of textile

composites by explicitly modeling the complex and curved interface surface

stress and displacement continuity of intricate textile reinforcements.

Dr. Roy also initiated and led an integrated analytical and experimental program

on predicting three-dimensional, thermo-elastic behavior of thick laminated

composites and carbon-carbon composites. His development of unique test

methods for characterizing matrix-dominated properties is key to enhancing

performance of carbon-carbon composites.

Dr. Roy has published over 75 papers in peer-reviewed journals and proceedings and coauthored two chapters in a composite design

book. He received a best paper award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his work on wave attenuation

in periodic structures.
• •* -••"—i^-i-w: ': - 

:

Dr. Edmund Moore Honored as

Black Engineer of the Year

Payoff Selection for the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) is a highly sought after and prestigious honor given to black

engineers recognized as front-runners and leaders in the engineering, science, and technology career fields. During the last 17 years,

the BEYA selection panel selected only 8% of more than 3,000 nominations for awards.

Accomplishment A panel of representatives from industry, government, and national organizations recently selected

Dr. Edmund Moore, a Materials and Manufacturing Directorate engineer, to receive a 2003 BEYA for his career achievements,

personal accomplishments, and commitment to helping others succeed in the engineering, science, and technology career fields.

Dr. Moore, a basic research program manager, materials research scientist, and assistant to the director for the directorate's

collaboration program with historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), will receive the award in the Special Recognition

category during the 17th Annual BEYA Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Moore's career accomplishments and leadership, particularly during the nomination period, provided profound, long-term

contributions to the placement of African-Americans and other minorities in the Air Force's most challenging scientific research and

development areas.

Background Dr. Moore began his career with the directorate in 1991,

attending the University of Florida for both a master's degree and a doctorate

in materials science and engineering while on staff. He previously earned

undergraduate degrees in mathematics and physics from Florida Agricultural

and Mechanical University and his first master's degree in materials science

and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Previously, Dr. Moore assumed the added responsibility of implementing

a program to increase the quantity of technical work, of interest to the

directorate, performed by HBCUs, while increasing the number of AfricanAmericans and other minority scientists in the directorate. Dr. Moore

continues to organize, implement, and manage the directorate's collaboration

program with HBCUs and minority institutions.

Dr. Moore will soon assume responsibility for the System Support Division's

quick reaction evaluation contract—a high-visibility, 6-year $20 million basic

research program that includes corrosion support, electrical and structural

materials, materials testing and evaluation, rain erosion, failure analysis,

nondestructive inspection, composite testing, and electrical static discharge

research and development activities at the directorate. In addition, he will assume materials research duties in the areas of carbon

foam technology, ceramics, and ceramic coatings.
Dr. Gail Brown Earns Air Force Basic

Research Award for Superlattice

Materials Research

PayOlt Dr. Gail J. Brown's research resulted in significant advancements in the fundamental physics, design, parameters, and

growth processes for Type-ll superlattice materials. Her achievements and selection for the Air Force Basic Research Award

advance the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's reputation as a world leader in materials research and development and

recognize AFRL's efforts in supporting Air Force operational requirements. Dr. Brown's work supporting the warfighter could lead

to several millions of dollars in savings for the Air Force and Department of Defense.

ACCOmpHShmeni Dr. Gail J. Brown, a research leader and principal research physicist in the directorate's Survivability and

Sensor Materials Division, Sensor Materials Branch, recently earned the Air Force Basic Research Award for cutting-edge research

on superlattice materials for next-generation infrared sensing. The award also recognizes Dr. Brown for exemplary leadership in

coordinating the research project from computational modeling and growth of the superlattice materials to initial device testing of

the new materials' system.

Background A number of Air Force weapon systems incorporate

infrared (IR) detector arrays operating in the long and very long wave infrared

(VLWIR) wavelengths. For space-based sensors, the issues of sensor system

weight, power, and reliability are critical factors as well as the increasing

demands for more capability and higher performance.

Dr. Brown specializes in the development of materials for improving the

performance of sensors on advanced IR systems. The international IR technical

community recognizes Dr. Brown as a leading expert and advocate for this

science and its application to Air Force needs in space. She performed and led

the defining research in the science of semiconductor superlattice materials for

IR sensing, with a special focus on application to space-based VLWIR sensors.

Dr. Brown's research concentrates on the design, assessment, and

demonstration of new semiconducting materials capable of outperforming

industry standards. Her pioneering research on semiconductor superlattices

helped make them available for Air Force IR detector applications. Dr. Brown

led a team of researchers, composed of government, university, and industry

researchers, to cover every aspect of superlattice materials' research from

computational modeling to atomic layer-by-layer growth of the material to

electrical and optical characterization.

The comprehensive, fundamental research accomplished by Dr. Brown and her colleagues demonstrated the viability of superlattices

and showed that these advanced materials can vastly improve IR-sensitive semiconductor performance. In vital Air Force systems,

sensors made with these materials offer greatly improved performance, high uniformity over large areas, and wavelength tunability,

while significantly improving satellite launch costs, operational reliability, and life-cycle costs.
"" ' ' CAI Phase 2 Team Earns Defense ManTech

Achievement Award for 2002

PayOlf The Composites Affordability Initiative (CAI)-developed suite of tools and technologies are reaping benefits across the

industry. The Department of Defense (DoD) documented more than $5 million per aircraft in cost avoidance for the F-35 as a direct

result of CAI's efforts. Thus far, CAI Phase 2 tools and technologies benefited other military aircraft, such as the unmanned combat air

vehicle, the V-22, F-16, F/A-18, F/A-22, and RAH-66, along with engines such as the F110-132, GE90-115, and CF34.

The CAI cost analysis tool, an industry standard, resulted in more accurate affordability trades in one-tenth the time. A single application

of a bonded joint analysis tool resulted in more than a $2 million cost avoidance for the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet program.

ACCOmpliShment A team of engineers representing the best and brightest from the Air Force, Navy, and aerospace industry,

known as the CAI Phase 2 Team, recently won the prestigious Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Achievement Award for

a variety of successes. Two that stood out were the $200 million in cost avoidance for the initial 2,000 F-35s produced and the more

than $2 million in savings in the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet program.

Background The CAI Phase 2 Team includes more

than a dozen organizations with over 50 key players nominated

for the award. Primary team members include the Air Force

Materials and Manufacturing and Air Vehicles Directorates, the

Office of Naval Research ManTech Detachment, theJoint Strike

Fighter Program Office, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop

Grumman, and Anteon Corporation. Representing Air Force

ManTech at the ceremony were Drs. John Russell and Frances

Abrams; Mr. Dennis Hager, Deputy Chief of the ManTech

Division; and Mr. Paul Hauwiller, Anteon Corporation.

COMPOSITES

CAI

AFFORDABILITY INIT1ATIVE

a government-industrypartnership

The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for

Science and Technology and the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel sponsor the award. Together, they recognize and

honor those individuals or groups most responsible for outstanding technical accomplishments in achieving the vision of the DoD's

ManTech program. That vision is to "realize a responsive, world-class manufacturing capability to affordably meet the warfighter's

needs throughout the defense system life cycle."

CAI Phase 2 was a 54-month technology maturation effort funded by a 50/50 cost-share arrangement with industry. The CAI Team did

not focus on a single technology, but focused on elevating the state of the art in design and manufacturing across the entire aerospace

industrial base for composite structures.

Unprecedented cooperation and exchange of pre-competitive data throughout the aerospace industry has had a tremendous impact

on accelerating the advancement of technology across the industrial base. The collaborative nature eliminated the historical difficulties

encountered in transferring technology to other contractors.
Award-Winning Polymer Physicist Selected to

Attend Leading Engineers Symposium

rayOlT The National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Symposium introduces the nation's top young engineers to each other, challenges

them to think about developments and problems at the frontiers of areas different from their own, and facilitates collaborative work and the

transfer of new techniques and approaches across various fields. The program also helps establish contacts among the next generation of

leaders in engineering.

Dr. Timothy J. Bunning, an award-winning polymer physicist with the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, contributes to the collective

knowledge of the directorate. His appointment enhances AFRLs reputation as a world leader in materials research and development and

highlights the talent, dedication, and professionalism of the men and women who work there.

ACCOmpllShment Dr. Bunning was one of 80 leading young engineers in the United States selected to attend the NAE's

8th Annual Frontiers of Engineering Symposium at the academy's Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. This

3-day symposium covered a wide range of topics including chemical engineering, human factors engineering, nuclear energy, and

quantum information technology.

The symposium brought together engineers ages 30 to 45, who are performing leading-edge engineering research and technical

work. Fellow engineers or organizations nominated participants from industry, academia, and government.

Background Dr. Bunning, recognized internationally for significant contributions in

a variety of polymer-based optical materials areas, conducts research in polymer-dispersed

liquid crystals, polymeric side-chain liquid crystals, laser-resistant polymers, and active and

passive polymer photonic structures. A primary focal point of his research is increasing

understanding ofthe very complex nature of nanoscale structure development in holographic

polymer-dispersed liquid crystals—polymer-based optical elements that have broad-based

applications potential in a number of topical areas such as display and telecommunications

technology.

Working with his colleagues in the directorate's Survivability and Sensor Materials Division,

Dr. Bunning successfully demonstrated the one-step fabrication of electrically switchable

reflection and transmission holograms using holographic photopolymerization. His

research efforts increased the understanding of the complex, dynamic balance between

polymerization kinetics, diffusion, and phase separation using high-resolution electron

microscopy techniques and real-time X-ray and light-scattering measurements. His efforts

help advance the development of comprehensive structure/property relationships for a

relatively new class of materials.

Dr. Bunning is a recipient of the 2001 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer and the John H. Dillon

Medal, presented each year by the 40,000-member American Physical Society for outstanding contributions to science and national security.

He leads a research and development effort aimed at developing new responsive materials and approaches for optical sensing, laser beam

control, and filtering applications. The research he performs directly supports the Air Force and the Department of Defense and, in some

instances, benefits commercial industry.
mwmmvsm Mum—11 .n I.

Metals Processing Group Led by

Dr. Lee Semiatin Earns Coveted

Star Team Award

Payoff Dr. Lee Semiatin's leadership of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's Metals Processing Group led to a

number of improvements in existing processes and the successful development of several new processes for high-temperature

alloys. His team's selection for an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Star Team Award recognizes team and individual

achievements, as well as the vital contributions of the directorate, in support of Air Force operational requirements.

Accomplishment The directorate's Metals Processing Group, led by internationally renowned scientist Dr. Semiatin,

recently received AFOSR's Star Team Award. The award recognizes teams of researchers who demonstrate world-class status and

excellence in their chosen research areas. AFOSR previously

recognized Dr. Semiatin's teams as Star Team recipients in

1992, 1995, and 2000.

AFOSR recognized Dr. Semiatin, a senior scientist in the

directorate's Metals, Ceramics, and Nondestructive Evaluation

Division, and his research team for significant achievements

in four major areas: wrought processing of titanium, nickel,

and advanced intermetallic alloys; solidification processing

of titanium (Ti) including permanent mold casting and laser

deposition; advanced modeling techniques for processing; and

novel processes for making fine grain, high-strength aerospace

alloys including development of innovative processing methods

for cryomilled aluminum alloys.

Background AFOSR recognized Dr. Semiatin and his research team for a number of achievements including development

of integrated material behavior models for constitutive behavior, deformation mechanisms, and microstructure evolution during

hot working of colony microstructure Ti and Ti aluminide alloys (with applications to the breakdown of ingot microstructures);

successful development of models for microstructure and texture evolution during solidification processing of Ti; development

and implementation of advanced modeling and simulation techniques for deformation and solidification processes including cellular

automata, texture models, and phase-field models; and development of workability criteria and validation of a novel method for

producing fine-grain, defect-free, aerospace alloys, referred to as the upset/equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) technique.

AFOSR also recognized Dr. Semiatin's research team for development of fundamental understanding of workability and methods

for extrusion and ECAE of nanophase aluminum alloys for space applications; establishment of workability and demonstration of

wrought processing of an advanced molybdenum-silicon-boron alloy for advanced turbine airfoils; increased understanding and

successful demonstration of wrought processing of low-cost, laser-deposited Ti forging preforms; and successful development of a

fundamental understanding of mold wear during permanent mold casting of Ti (a lower-cost alternative to conventional investment

casting and wrought-processing approaches).
Materials Researcher Recognized by

Affiliate Societies Council for Outstanding

Contributions to Air Force and Industry

PayOlt The Affiliate Societies Council of Dayton, Ohio, recognized Dr. Loon-Seng Tan, from the Materials and Manufacturing

Directorate, for outstanding contributions in science and engineering for his ideas, leadership, and motivation toward high

achievement in materials research required for current and future Air Force systems. His selection enhances AFRL's reputation

as a world leader in materials research and development and recognizes the skill and professionalism of directorate scientists and

engineers.

ACCOItipllShllieilt The Affiliate Societies Council recognized Dr. Tan, from the directorate's Nonmetallic Materials Division,

for contributions supporting both operational and future Air Force systems as well as his expertise in high-temperature synthetic

polymer chemistry. His individual efforts and technical leadership working with benzocyclobutene (BCB) and aromatic heterocyclic

polymer systems led to numerous successes in the directorate's Polymers Branch and were critical to the transitioning of research

breakthroughs for industrial development.

Background Each year, the 15,000-member Affiliate Societies

Council recognizes engineers and scientists from throughout the Greater

Dayton/Miami Valley area for outstanding technical accomplishments in

their research field. Dr. Tan was one of 11 individuals honored at the

organization's 44th Annual Awards Banquet in conjunction with National

Engineers' Week.

Dr. Tan is a principal research chemist and the directorate's research

group leader for polymer synthesis and characterization. In addition to

leading and conducting in-house research in structural, opto-electronic

and multifunctional materials, he also initiates and monitors research and

development contracts complementary to the directorate's in-house

research programs.

Dr. Tan's achievements cover a diverse range of scientific and technological areas. He discovered a new addition cure chemistry

that led to the development of BCB materials; conceived and demonstrated a chemical route to improve the toughness and use

temperature of bismaleimide resins using addition chemistry; and successfully developed a family of new rigid-rod, high-molecularweight, pseudo-ladder polymers.

Dr. Tan designed and synthesized acid-stable thermoset monomers for use as a matrix resin in molecular composite technology. He

also conceived and experimentally proved a route to control the semiconductivity of high-temperature polymers by incorporating

triarylamino and diphenylamino functions into rigid-rod backbones.

Dr. Tan's credits include 92 published articles, 65 presentations, and 39 patent actions. He is a leading expert in his field and

recognized nationally and internationally for his work. Dr. Tan earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Harvey Mudd

College, in Claremont, California, in 1976 and received a doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry at Indiana University in 1981. He is

a former assistant professor of chemistry at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a former research scientist for the University

of Dayton Research Institute, also in Dayton, Ohio.
High-Temperature Materials Research Team

Receives Star Team Award for

Outstanding Contributions

PayOit The selection of Dr. Dennis M. Dimiduk's High-Temperature Materials Research Team for an Air Force Office of

Scientific Research (AFOSR) Star Team Award recognizes group and individual achievement and highlights the contributions of the

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. The team's selection exemplifies the technical expertise, professionalism, and dedication

of the men and women in the directorate and also enhances the directorate's key role as the last remaining domestic center of

excellence investing in the development of titanium aluminide (TiAl) base alloys.

ACCOinpllShltieflt AFOSR recently presented a Star Team Award to Dr. Dimiduk and his team for outstanding contributions

to the Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD) including 19 published, accepted, or submitted journal articles; 3 invention

disclosures and patents; 7 conference proceedings; and 12 invited talks in 2002. The award recognizes teams of researchers and

leaders who demonstrate world-class excellence in their chosen areas of research. The combined effort clearly impacts the hightemperature materials science and engineering community at large and directly supports several immediate objectives of the Air

Force and DoD.

Background Dr. Dimiduk is an internationally recognized scientist and leader in advanced metals and intermetallic alloys. His

contributions include pioneering research that enabled the successful development of a revolutionary class of advanced gamma TiAl for

Air Force applications; patenting an ultra-high-strength, fully-lamellar gamma alloy that served as an enabling technology for rotors in the

Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology Phase III program; and patenting intermetallic alloys for first-stage turbine airfoils in

support of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine studies.

The High-Temperature Materials Research Team played a critically important

role in defining the mechanisms controlling the processing-structure-property

relationships in gamma TiAl alloys. Their effort focused on developing an

understanding and control of nanometer-scale microstructural effects on

strengthening and development of advanced high-temperature materials with

a unique balance of strength, high-temperature creep resistance, and fracture

properties.

This research helps with the design of advanced fracture-critical engine

components from these lightweight, revolutionary materials. Continuing

research using these new materials could lead to revolutionary levels of turbine

engine performance, attainable through expanded utilization of the outstanding

properties in rotors, low-pressure turbine blades, and engine casings.

Dr. Dimiduk's team has a profound influence on the design concepts and development of advanced aerospace systems, hypersonic vehicles,

and advanced aircraft engines. He has received several high-level awards for his outstanding accomplishments including the 1991 Alan T

Waterman Award for Science. AFOSR has named Dr. Dimiduk a Star Team Leader twice before. He is a recipient of the Outstanding

Engineers and Scientists Award presented annually by the Affiliate Societies Council of Dayton, Ohio.
SAMPE Honors ManTech's Dr. Abrams

with Fellow Status

PiiyOlI The Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE) elected Dr. Frances L. Abrams, of

the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, as a Fellow of the society. The Fellow award represents prestigious recognition of a

SAMPE member for distinguished contributions in the fields of materials and processes.

ACC0ltipliShni6llt SAMPE elected Dr. Abrams a Fellow of the society for her long history of exemplary public service to

her country through the application of her knowledge in composite processes that improve, sustain, and decrease manufacturing

costs of Air Force weapon systems. SAMPE considers her a role model for many of today's composite technology specialists.

Induction of new Fellows takes place during the annual International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition each May in Long Beach,

California.

Background Dr. Abrams, a senior engineer for the Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Division, is one of the leading

experts in the world in the processing of advanced composites. Government and industry experts hold Dr. Abrams in high regard

for her work in phenolic (a resin) processing as well as advanced ablative (a protective coating) and carbon-carbon propulsion

materials and components. She served as a materials and process consultant to

numerous Air Force and National Aeronautics and Space Administration systems,

solving real-time process control issues.

She planned for, performed research in, and managed many of the leading composite

materials and processing initiatives over the past two decades. Currently, Dr. Abrams

is the program manager for the Department of Defense and industry's Composites

Affordability Initiative's Systems Engineering Team, providing leadership and technical

expertise to the Air Force, Navy, and the US airframe industry.

A native of Oregon, Dr. Abrams received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry

from Colorado State University in 1975, a second Bachelor of Science Degree in

Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton (UD) in 1981, and completed her

doctorate work in materials engineering from UD in 1995. Dr. Abrams began work

with the directorate in 1979 under a co-op program for engineering students at UD and

accepted a full-time position as a materials engineer with the laboratory in 1980.
• •• • ••• ';!•:< "

Materials and Manufacturing Directorate

Manages Technical Handbook Under

Successful CRADA

PayOlt The Aerospace Structural Metals Handbook (ASMH), produced under a Cooperative Research and Development

Agreement (CRADA), provides information and data benefits to the Air Force, Department of Defense, and the aerospace

community at no cost to the Air Force. The ASMH serves as a transition tool for emerging materials and facilitates the transfer of

technology through timely selection of materials supporting research and development, maintenance and operations, and systems

planning. The Air Force uses the annual royalties for laboratory activities complementary to its mission.

ACCOmpHshltient The Materials and Manufacturing

Directorate successfully managed the production of the

ASMH and two other technical publications frequently used

throughout the aerospace world for more than a decade.

The directorate added anew volume to theASMH, combined

with periodic updates to all three major publications, under

a CRADA initiated more than 10 years ago. Managed by the

directorate's Systems Support Division, the agreement helps

ensure proper selection and understanding of materials used

across the entire aerospace spectrum.

Background The ASMH is a unique source for referenced alloy data of special interest to all users of high-performance

metals. The handbook permits researchers to select an alloy for a particular application with a working knowledge of typical

physical and mechanical properties and, at the same time, allows consideration of the limiting load-carrying factors associated with

the service condition or metallurgical history of the alloy. The handbook covers such materials as wrought steel, cast iron, wrought

stainless steel, cast steel, cast stainless steel, structural steels, wrought and cast aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, magnesium, and

titanium.

Information and data contained in the ASMH assist materials' properties users. Individual chapters on each alloy describe such

factors as commercial designations, specifications, composition, heat treatment, physical properties, and environmental effects.

The handbook also provides critical information and data on each alloy's mechanical properties and performance at various

temperatures, in formats geared for engineering applications. The directorate also makes revisions quarterly with assistance from

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In 1991, the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) at Purdue University, entered into a

CRADA with the directorate for the continued technical maintenance, publication, and distribution of the handbook. Since then,

the directorate has managed the ASMH program along with two other important publications—the Structural Alloys Handbook and

the Composites Failure Analysis Handbook—all at no cost to the Air Force for principal expenses such as distribution, maintenance,

and marketing. The ASMH is available for purchase from CINDAS in either hard copy or compact disc format.
Dr. Charles E. Browning Receives 2002

Presidential Rank Award

PayOlf The selection of Dr. Charles E. Browning, of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, for the 2002 Presidential

Rank Award in the Meritorious Category exemplifies his dedication, professionalism, and contributions to the Air Force and the

United States. It recognizes his mission-critical role in support of the warfighter and US national security.

The award also celebrates the directorate's revered status as an internationally recognized center of excellence for materials

research and development and manufacturing technology. Only a very small percentage of the Senior Executive Service/Senior

Intelligence Executive Service Corps is eligible for this honor each year.

ACCOmpllShment Dr. Browning, Director of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, received the 2002 Presidential

Rank Award for sustained extraordinary accomplishments and results and for outstanding contributions to the nation and the

American people. Dr. Browning was one of only 12 senior executives in the Air Force to earn the award, presented by the Secretary

of the Air Force, Dr. James G. Roche, in Washington DC.

Background Each year, the President ofthe United States recognizes

a small group of exceptional senior executives with Presidential Rank

Awards. Winners of this prestigious honor are strong leaders, professionals,

and scientists who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength,

integrity, and diligence as well as a relentless commitment to excellence in

public service.

Award winners are chosen through a rigorous selection process. Agency

heads nominate award winners, boards of private citizens evaluate them, and

the President approves the winners. The criteria focus is on leadership and

results. All recipients receive a framed certificate signed by the President.

The directorate develops materials, processes, and advanced manufacturing

technologies for military aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and groundbased systems and their structural, electronic, and optical components.

Under Dr. Browning's leadership, the directorate directly supports Air

Force product centers, logistic centers, and operating commands through

expertise in metallic and nonmetallic structural materials; nondestructive

inspection; materials used in aerospace propulsion systems; sensor materials;

laser-hardened materials; systems support; and advanced manufacturing

methods designed to solve system, expeditionary deployment, and

operational challenges.

Dr. Browning is responsible for the planning and execution of the Air Force's advanced materials, processes, and manufacturing

technology programs that support all elements of Air Force acquisition and sustainment. He is also responsible for interfacing these

specific areas throughout the corporate Air Force and Department of Defense, while leading an organization of approximately 530

government employees with a yearly budget of nearly $350 million.
wupwpil

Engineer Selected as One of 50 Most

Important Hispanics in Business

and Technology

Payoff Ms. Mayra Martinez's dedication and skill have led to improvements in the financial execution of the Materials and

Manufacturing Directorate's entire $ 14 million laboratory operation budget and its marketing and information dissemination efforts.

Her efforts directly resulted in program management improvements and paid off with top-notch candidates desiring collaboration

and employment opportunities at the directorate.

Her selection for this honor recognizes both individual achievement and the scientific contributions of personnel at AFRL. It also

enhances the directorate's reputation as a world leader in materials research and development and highlights the directorate's

efforts to support Air Force operational requirements.

ACCOmpliShmeilt The Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine recently selected a materials engineer from

the directorate as one of the country's most important Hispanic executives in technology and business. The magazine selected

Ms. Martinez, a team leader in the Integration and Operations Division, from hundreds of candidates in government, academia, and

industry, based on her outstanding management and leadership of directorate laboratory operations, technology transfer, public

affairs, marketing, and educational outreach programs.

Background Ms. Martinez earned her undergraduate degree in mechanical

engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, and her master's degree in materials

engineering from the University of Dayton. In 1988, she began her career with

Wright Laboratory, AFRL's predecessor, where she was a project engineer highly

involved in the formation, development, and management of technology programs.

Ms. Martinez joined the directorate's Nonmetallic Materials Division's Structural

Materials Branch in 1995, lending her significant leadership skills and technical

expertise to a variety of programs. In 1996, Ms. Martinez became the program

manager for the directorate's Basic Research Development program, where she led

the financial execution of a $ 13 million program and ensured prompt execution of

33 tasks through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. In this capacity, she

managed, tracked, and reported funding execution and financial information to the

directorate's director and chief scientist.

In 2000, Ms. Martinez became the team leader for the directorate's Programs

Group, where she manages the directorate's laboratory operations, technology

transfer, public affairs, marketing, procurement, dual use, small business, and

education outreach programs. Ms. Martinez also manages the directorate's

Technology Information Center. In addition, she coordinated efforts with the Plans and Programs branch chief to develop new civilian

personnel position descriptions, which yielded positive results.
Scientist Earns Air Force Basic Research

Award Honorable Mention for Contributions

in Conductive Polymer Cladding Research

PayOlt Dr. James G. Grote's conductive polymer cladding research, adopted by all nonlinear optic (NLO) polymer device

fabricators including industry, universities, and Department of Defense laboratories, rendered these devices viable for both

ground and space-based, high-performance Air Force systems, potentially including polymer-based lasers. His research enables

the development of not only new devices with world-record operating performance, but also of state-of-the-art NLO polymer

materials with diverse applications for both the military and the private sector. Dr. Grote's research could also lead to significant

reductions in associated fabrication and manufacturing costs.

Accomplishment Dr. Grote, a senior research scientist at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, received an

Air Force Basic Research Award Honorable Mention for outstanding contributions in conductive polymer cladding. This award

recognizes Dr. Grote, of the directorate's Survivability and Sensor Materials Division, for pioneering work in the theory and

materials processing of NLO polymer-based electro-optic (EO) devices, which can support current and future systems.

The award also recognizes Dr. Grote for advancing the fundamental understanding, design, development, assessment, and

performance of electronics. His research enables the Air Force to meet its high bandwidth, low operating voltage and performance

goals in a relatively short time and advances the potential for NLO polymer-based EO devices becoming the industry standard.

Background Dr. Grote received the coveted Air Force Basic Research

Award Honorable Mention for several outstanding accomplishments in the field of

opto-electronics and, in particular, his contributions in optical interconnects for multichip module integration. His research focuses on high-performance semiconductor,

polymer, and ferro-electric-based opto-electronic interconnects and devices as well

as optical lithography for interconnect and device fabrication.

Dr. Grote's team investigated the shortfall in actual performance achieved, relative to

theoretical performance, for NLO polymer-based EO devices for Air Force systems.

NLO polymer-based devices offer numerous attractive advantages over EO devices

based on alternative materials.

NLO polymers have low dielectric constants and demonstrate a tolerance to high

levels of irradiation for potential use in space-based applications. Also, Dr. Grote and

his research team synthesized the NLO polymers with tailorable, high non-linearity to

demonstrate the first sub-1 volt operating voltage for an NLO polymer EO device. It

was, in fact, the lowest operating voltage reported for any EO device. Potential sub-1 volt

device operation is required for integration into Air Force systems and is also useful for

commercial applications.

Dr. Grote holds a doctorate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton. He is a former Avionics Directorate Engineer

and Scientist of the Year and an adjunct professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Dayton as well

as an advisor for graduate students there and at the University of Cincinnati. He is a 2002 recipient of the directorate's prestigious Charles

J. Cleary Award for Scientific Achievement.
Air Force Honors Senior Materials Engineer

for Pioneering Research on Fiber Coatings

PayOit Dr. Randall S. Hay, of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, was honored for his efforts to understand the

complexities of the fiber coating process and eliminate fiber strength degradation on coatings with advanced chemistries, eliminating

a key obstacle to the development of these materials for use in severe operational environments. Subsequent work has proceeded

rapidly and shows substantial benefits in terms of real composite properties.

Dr. Hay's discovery of the cause of strength degradation has broad implications in ceramic corrosion in nearly all high-temperature

systems. His selection for Honorable Mention helps recognize the contributions of men and women of the AFRL community and

enhances the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's reputation as a world leader in materials research and development.

Accomplishment Dr. Hay, a senior materials research engineer in the

Metals, Ceramics, and Nondestructive Evaluation Division recently received an

Air Force Basic Research Award Honorable Mention for pioneering research

supporting the continued development of fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix

composites for critical air and space applications. Dr. Hay identified the

mechanisms causing strength degradation of coated fibers (stress corrosion

cracking by surface decomposition products of the coating precursors). He and

his coworkers then devised a set of experiments to prove these mechanisms

existed and found an efficient way to eliminate the problem, while improving

high-temperature strength retention.

Background Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) provide significant performance and durability benefits

through the combination of temperature capability and mechanical integrity for a diverse range of critical Air Force applications.

Examples of these applications include turbine and rocket engine components as well as thermal protection materials on currently

fielded, developmental, and future air and space platforms. CMC materials have the potential to operate at temperatures in excess of

2,200° F, well above the operating capabilities of most metals.

Dr. Hay's research concentrates on fiber-matrix interface development, with an emphasis on fiber coating processes, characterization,

solid-state reactions, sol-gel thin film development and basic interface science, and on identifying interface chemistries that possess the

mechanical behavior and capability to withstand very high temperatures under severe conditions. Working with other members of

the directorate's Ceramics Research Group, Dr. Hay led a concentrated research effort on oxidation-resistant, fiber-matrix interfaces.

By solving the fiber corrosion problem, Dr. Hay and his colleagues removed a major barrier to the development of future, revolutionary,

high-temperature composites for a wide range of Air Force applications. The directorate expects Dr. Hay's improved coating process

to apply to other oxide-coating chemistries as well.

Dr. Hay earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry, mechanical engineering, and geomechanics from the University of Rochester, and

received his doctorate degree in geophysics from Princeton University. He completed postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology. Dr. Hay holds several patents related to fiber coating and thin films and has published 55 articles on phase

transformations, microstructural development, and fiber coating. He is a 1997 recipient of the directorate's highest scientific honor,

the Charles J. Cleary Award, and is an associate editor of theJournal ofthe American Ceramic Society.
Materials Researcher Appointed Senior

Scientist for Contributions to Structural

Materials Life Prediction

PayOlf The senior scientist (ST) position is one of the highest a civilian scientist can achieve and is comparable to the rank of

brigadier general. Dr. James Larsen's appointment reflects his dedication to in-house research, his participation in key Materials

and Manufacturing Directorate contractual research programs, his important technical leadership on numerous flagship efforts, and

his reputation as an expert in materials science and engineering. His selection also enhances AFRL's reputation as a world leader in

materials research and development and recognizes the skill and professionalism of directorate scientists and engineers.

ACCOmpllShment The directorate recently appointed Dr. Larsen as ST for structural materials life prediction. The

appointment is the result of Dr. Larsen's outstanding technical, professional, and scientific achievements including supporting

operational and future Air Force systems as leader of an in-house research group focusing on life prediction and durability of

metallic and ceramic materials. His individual in-house research efforts and technical leadership working with monolithic alloys,

intermetallics, metal matrix composites, and ceramic matrix composites led to numerous successes in the directorate's Metals,

Ceramics, and Nondestructive Evaluation Division including new analytical and computational models for material life prediction.

Background Currently, Dr. Larsen is the directorate's research leader

for life prediction and durability of metallic and ceramic materials. In this

capacity, Dr. Larsen has full responsibility and authority for the direction

and productivity of his research team, which consists of approximately 45

government and contract scientists, engineers, technicians, and graduate and

undergraduate students.

In-house research performed by Dr. Larsen's group addresses the full spectrum

of life-prediction problems of current and future aerospace materials. Dr. Larsen

conceives and develops goals for the effort and initiates, advocates, and conducts

research programs to cover a diverse range of scientific and technological areas.

In his personal research, Dr. Larsen identifies problems, performs experiments,

analyzes and interprets data, and develops new analytical and computational

models for life predictions. His individual and group research efforts have had

a decisive effect on development of the science and technology of mechanical

behavior and life prediction of advanced aerospace materials. He has been a

major influence on the activities of colleague researchers in government and

industry.

Dr. Larsen is a critical participant in the directorate's contractual research program, having provided key technical leadership

on numerous contracts. He also served as a key member for various technical teams throughout the directorate as well as the

Propulsion and Air Vehicles Directorates. His significant expertise has helped in the areas of materials science, fracture mechanics,

mechanical behavior and life prediction of metallic and ceramic matrix composites, and statistical and numerical analysis.
Nanotechnology Research Team Earns

AFOSR's Star Team Award

PayOff The selection of Dr. Richard Vaia's Nanostructured Polymers and

Nanocomposites Team for an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Star Team Award recognizes group and individual achievement and highlights

the contributions of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. Their

selection exemplifies the technical expertise, professionalism, and dedication

of the men and women of the directorate and enhances the organization's

key role as a center of excellence in nanotechnology and materials research

and development.

ACCOmpllShment The directorate's Nanostructured Polymers and

Nanocomposites Team, led by Dr. Vaia, earned an AFOSR Star Team Award

for important contributions to the Air Force and national defense. The award

recognizes teams of researchers who demonstrate world-class status and

excellence in their chosen areas of research.

AFOSR recognized Dr. Vaia's team for helping to create a fundamental knowledge base required to develop polymer-based

nanostructured materials' technologies for a diverse range of Air Force applications. Their research expands the understanding

needed to establish predictable structure-processing-property relationships for polymer-based nanostructured materials and also

helps demonstrate the feasibility of using these revolutionary materials to address unique military needs.

Background The Star Team Award fosters excellence throughout the research community and highlights the critical role of basic

research within the Air Force's broad technology spectrum. AFOSR recognized the Nanostructured Polymers and Nanocomposites

Team for advancing the fundamental knowledge base required for the intelligent selection, design, and utilization of nanostructured

polymer and nanocomposite materials used to support Air Force objectives. This knowledge base encompasses coordinated efforts in

theory and modeling, successful development of cost-effective synthesis and fabrication schemes that users can tailor to match specific

needs, clarification of structure-processing relationships, and determination of value-added properties such as shape recovery, random

lasing, and self-passivation.

Team members included Dr. Vaia, Dr. Hilmar Koerner, Dr. Rachel Jakubiak, Dr. Fatma Vatansever, Dr. Wansoo Hsu (a visiting scientist

and professor from South Korea), Dr. Mark Pender, Dr. Kelly Anderson, Mr. Shane Juhl, Ms. Abigail Cooley, and Mr. Gary Price. Student

participants included Mr. Nate Pearce, Mr. Dean Brown, and Mr. Dave Jacobs. Key government collaborators (and their groups)

included Dr. Tim Bunning and Dr. Morley Stone, of the directorate's Survivability and Sensor Materials Division; Mr. Max Alexander and

Dr. Loon-Seng Tan, of the directorate's Nonmetallic Materials Division; and Dr. Barry Farmer, the directorate's chief scientist.

The potential military utility for nanostructured polymer and nanocomposite materials is vast, ranging from the ground soldier to satellite

systems. Potential applications include plastic propellant storage tanks; elastomeric conductive caulks; high-strength, conductive matrix

resins for space structures; flexible conductive films for radar substrates; next-generation matrix resins for aircraft; space durable,

lightweight films and structures; and reconfigurable space membranes for antennas, solar collectors, and space-based radar.
AFOSR Recognizes Award-Winning Biologist

and His Research Team for Contributions

to National Defense

Payoff Presented annually, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Star Team Award recognizes teams of

researchers who have effectively demonstrated, through their track record, world-class status and excellence in their chosen areas

of basic research. The Star Team Award recognizes the talent, professionalism, and dedication of the men and women in AFRL and

enhances the laboratory's reputation as a leader in research and development.

ACCOmpliShmeilt AFOSR recently selected a directorate team of research scientists, engineers, and technicians led by

Dr. Morley 0. Stone, a research biologist, to receive a Star Team Award from AFOSR for outstanding contributions to science and

national defense. AFOSR recognized Dr. Stone's research team for significant advances in biomimetics and biotechnology, which

could have a far-reaching impact on scientific research and applications supporting the Air Force.

Background Dr. Stone is the principal research biologist and biotechnology

direction leader in the directorate's Survivability and Sensor Materials Division.

The research emphasizes and focuses on how best to combine the revolution in

recombinant deoyxribose nucleic acid (DNA) technology with traditional materials

science applications in areas such as biomimetics, materials science, bioMEMS, and

bioNEMS (micro- and nano-electromechanical systems).

Biomimetics looks at how nature organizes materials or uses biological

macromolecules to gain a particular function; for example, how biology senses

electromagnetic radiation outside of the visible region. Materials science uses

biotechnology to create unique polymeric materials and to better understand

processes like biomineralization.

BioMEMS/NEMS consider the interface of biological macromolecules with microand nano-fabrication. Biologically derived molecules, for example, serve as catalysts,

motors, and/or binding agents. Dr. Stone and his associates explore ways to apply

these activities to traditional silicon-based MEMS devices.

Dr. Stone graduated with honors from Wright State University in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, and he earned

a doctorate degree in biochemistry from Carnegie Mellon University in 1997. He is a recipient of the Charles J. Cleary Award (the

directorate's most prestigious scientific achievement honor) and the Air Force Basic Research Award Honorable Mention.

Dr. Stone won the highly coveted AFRL Commander's Cup in 2002 and was nominated for the Arthur S. Fleming Award for scientific

achievement. Dr. Stone is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University, an advisor to the National Research Council, and was

nominated for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review 100, recognizing top professionals in the nation. His

work appeared in numerous publications, and he is an invited speaker at symposiums and other scientific gatherings nationwide.
Chief Scientist Named

ASME Life Fellow

Payoff The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) recently awarded Dr. Bob Sierakowski, the chief scientist of the

Munitions Directorate, with the prestigious honor of ASME Life Fellow. ASME promotes and enhances the technical competency

and professional well-being of its members and, through quality programs and activities in mechanical engineering, better enables its

practitioners to contribute to the well-being of humankind.

Accomplishment The ASME honored Dr. Sierakowski, a Fellow

since 1985, for his long-term contributions to the society including chair of

Structures and Materials Committee of the Aerospace Division, chair of the

Aerospace Division, and service on the national nominating committee. As the

directorate's chief scientist, Dr. Sierakowski advises the director, as well as the

commander of AFRL, on research plans and programs in conventional weapon

systems and armament basic research. He advises on the relative status of

scientific and technical competence within the directorate, the employment

of consultants and experts, and the state of technology available from sources

outside the directorate.

Dr. Sierakowski functioned in several positions within the engineering

community, but his forte is as an educator and consultant/advisor to military

organizations. Due to his superior abilities in these areas, the directorate chose

him to fill his present position in 1997. The Connecticut native has authored or

co-authored more than 150 publications including 3 technical books.

Background Founded in 1880, ASME is a nonprofit educational and technical organization serving a worldwide membership

of 125,000. The member-elected Board of Governors and its 5 councils, 44 boards, and hundreds of committees in 13 regions

throughout the world perform ASME's work. Four hundred combined sections and student sections serve ASME's worldwide

membership.
Munitions Directorate's SBIR Manager

Receives Tibbetts Award

PaVOn Mr. Richard "Dick" Bixby, the Munitions Directorate's Small Business

Innovation Research (SBIR) program manager, recently received the United States Small

Business Administration's highest national recognition for research and development in

support of the SBIR program. The award, named for Mr. Roland Tibbetts who led the

federal effort to create the SBIR program, marks the accomplishments of people and

businesses that work with or on behalf of the SBIR program.

Accomplishment As the directorate's SBIR focal point for 10 years,

Mr. Bixby provided administrative oversight for more than $100 million in SBIR

resources, representing 10 to 12% of the directorate's total budget. Involved in

many different activities, he brings a unique vision to the directorate's SBIR program.

He understands not only the government's point of view, but also that of businesses,

both large and small.

Background Mr. Bixby's leadership in the SBIR program allows the directorate to advance numerous enabling technologies

that are important in the development of future munitions systems for the Air Force. These technologies range from material

processing, explosives, fuzing, guidance, weapons effectiveness, and seeker development.

The success in developing innovative technology through SBIR projects makes them highly valued within the directorate. These

projects are fundamental components of the directorate's mission to develop and transition affordable weapons technology.

Mr. Bixby's efforts helped position the directorate to provide a fully integrated weapons concept with options for enhancing the

warhead package lethality based on innovations in material science. Enhancing the lethal package provides a unique national defense

capability for systems like the Powered Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System.

MrFdKt ^

..shiR/sira
Munitions Directorate Scientist

Receives Honor for Life's Work

PayOlt The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS) and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers

recently honored Dr. Ronald W. Armstrong, a senior scientist in the Munitions Directorate, for his lifetime achievement by

sponsoring a symposium in his honor at the TMS' 132nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition symposium held in San Diego, California.

ACCOmpliShment Dr. Armstrong is responsible for contributing technical

leadership to the Air Force basic research mission of sustaining superiority in

the science and engineering of energetic and related materials properties and

performances. He provides technical reviews, assesses programs, establishes

research strategies for new study areas, and performs theoretical and experimental

research while interacting with other Air Force and government agencies.

Dr. Armstrong is also a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical

Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park. His lifetime contributions

to these and related fields were honored through this recognition.

Background Dr. Armstrong's main efforts relate to energetic material technologies and promoting collaboration with

foreign governments/organizations, other services and agencies, universities, and industry, as relevant to the directorate thrusts

and long-range goals involving energetic materials and their uses. Dr. Armstrong's research topics include fundamental aspects of

the mechanics, physics, and chemistry of high explosives; the mechanical/initiation behavior of nanoparticle systems; and the highdeformation rate/shock behavior of condensed matter.

At TMS symposia, attendees can join more than 4,000 science and engineering professionals, representing more than 70 different

countries, who come together for the opportunity to add to their own store of knowledge by capitalizing on the expertise and

experience of their colleagues. The symposia features more than 200 sessions with more than 1,900 individual presentations

scheduled on topics in precious metal extraction, aluminum processing, high-temperature superconductors, or just about any other

materials field or metallurgical discipline.
•

AFRL Presents Century of Flight Awards

at 2003 Dayton Air Show

PilyOn Five high school students from the United States edged out more than 170 in a national science fair competition to win prize

money and an expense-paid trip to Dayton to attend the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight celebration for both themselves and a

parent. The winners clearly demonstrated great potential to become members of the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Accomplishment Major General Paul Nielsen,

AFRL Commander, presented Century of Flight Awards at

the 2003 Dayton Air Show to Ms. Lauren Hansen of Midway,

Utah; Mr. Eric Mueller of Granbury, Texas; Mr. Stephen

Kennedy of Indianapolis, Indiana; Ms. Laura Wong of Yardley,

Pennsylvania; and Mr. Ray He, of Landisville, Pennsylvania.

Ms. Hansen and Mr. Mueller each won $2,000; Mr. Kennedy

won $3,000; Ms. Wong won $4,000; and Mr. He won the

grand prize of $6,000. AFRL recognized these five students

for their outstanding papers based on their research and

possible aerospace applications.

(Left to right: Major General Paul Nielsen, Mr. Ray He, Mr. Eric Mueller,

Mr. Stephen Kennedy, Ms. Laura Wong, and Ms. Lauren Hansen)

Background AFRL, which manages the Air Force Science Fair program, has a long history of involvement in both local and

national science fairs. The Centennial of Flight celebration was an opportunity to link science fair participants to the importance of

aerospace research. AFRL conducted the contest as a one-time event in 2003 as part of the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight

celebration to highlight Dayton's anniversary activities and help encourage young people to pursue aerospace science.

AFRL gave approximately 800 students, who competed in regional and state science fairs across the United States, the opportunity

to submit a 10-page paper based on their science fair research and possible aerospace applications. From that group, 175 stepped

forward to meet the challenge.

AFRL required the students to demonstrate the potential positive impact of their research on Air Force capabilities. Scientists from

AFRL technology directorates evaluated the entries, and the AFRL Research Council determined the final selection of winners.
Propulsion Directorate Scientist

Named ASME Fellow

PayOfi The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) honors its distinguished

members with the title of Fellow for promoting the art, science, and practice of mechanical

engineering throughout the world. The Fellow grade is the highest elected grade of

membership within ASME, the attainment of which recognizes exceptional engineering

achievements and contributions to the engineering profession.

Accomplishment The ASME recently named Dr. William M. Roquemore, a senior

research scientist for the Propulsion Directorate, an ASME Fellow for 2002. The honor

recognizes Dr. Roquemore's significant achievements and contributions to the engineering

profession in his role as senior research scientist in the field of air-breathing combustion,

diagnostics, and fuels technologies.

Background Dr. Roquemore has nearly 40 years of research to his credit and is a Wright Laboratory Fellow (1989), an

AFRL Fellow (1991), and also an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow (1999). He has published more than

150 research and technical articles that identified technical barriers and then formulated innovative and pioneering approaches to

overcome them.

Dr. Roquemore made significant contributions to air-breathing combustion with his work on the revolutionary Trapped Vortex

Combustor (JVC), which he coinvented. TVC demonstrates significant improvements in performance while drastically reducing

engine emissions.

With this groundbreaking approach to combustor design, the TVC

has the potential to expand the flight envelope ofAir Force aircraft by

reducing lean blowout while significantly reducing oxides of nitrogen

and volatile organic compound emissions. The TVC concept won

the 2001 Pollution Prevention Program of the Year Award from

the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program

Office.

Dr. Roquemore also has patents for a fiber optic device that measures

temperature remotely and for materials designed to prepare vertical

takeoff and landing sites. His body of work also includes research

efforts involving the development and application of laser diagnostic

techniques to combustion, thermally stable jet fuels, integrated fuel

system technologies, and soot-reducing additives for jet fuel.
Dr. Garscadden Wins

2002 Will Allis Prize

PfiyOff The Propulsion Directorate's Chief Scientist, Dr. Alan Garscadden, received the 2002 Will Allis Prize for the study of

ionized gases. The American Physical Society (APS) bestows this prestigious award, established in 1989, in recognition of outstanding

contributions to the study of ionized gases for gaseous electronics phenomena. Dr. Garscadden serves as technical advisor on a wide

spectrum of aeronautical research including many facets of propulsion, aerospace power, hypersonics, laser physics, combustion, and

plasma phenomena and applications.

ACCOmpHshment The APS recognized Dr. Garscadden for his distinguished

career in gaseous electronics, marked by a sustained creativity in linking fundamental

processes to the macroscopic properties of gas discharges and plasmas, and for

his dedicated role as an advocate for the field of gaseous electronics. He is

known for his work in theoretical and experimental basic and applied research in

nonequilibrium plasmas and energized gas flows, lasers, laser-based measurements,

plasma processing of thin films, optical and mass spectroscopic measurements,

electron impact cross sections and their influence on electron transport, and the

derivation of collision cross sections from transport data.

BdCkgrOlind Dr. Garscadden has authored more than 250 publications and presentations and served on many organizing

committees for both national and international meetings and symposiums. He has served on various technical committees and

several professional societies, reviewed more than 100 publications, authored several book chapters, and conducted approximately

120 invited lectures and presentations to peer audiences including plenary talks at international meetings. He also served as thesis

adviser and adjunct professor for several local and national universities.

The APS represents more than 40,000 members. The society develops and implements effective programs in physics education

and outreach to foster the health of the profession through its career and development initiatives. The APS named the award

in honor of Dr. William R Allis, who spent more than 40 years on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty conducting

theoretical research on plasmas in magnetic fields and the behavior of partially ionized gases.
Aerospace Propulsion Chief Named

Chairman of Interagency Committee

PayOff Mr. Parker L. Buckley, Chief of the Propulsion Directorate's Aerospace Propulsion Office, now heads the executive

committee of an interagency propulsion team designed to enhance missile, gun, and space propulsion research, development, and

applications across the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Accomplishment The Joint Army, Navy, NASA, and Air Force

(JANNAF) Committee recently named Mr. Buckley as the new chairman of

the JANNAF Executive Committee. He will oversee the governing body of

JANNAF and its interagency propulsion committee, which exists to promote

and facilitate the exchange of technical information; establish standards; and

affect coordination of research, exploratory development, and advanced

development programs in the areas of missile, gun, and space propulsion.

Mr. Buckley and his team, in the directorate's Aerospace Propulsion

Office, work on the development of ramjet and supersonic combustion

ramjet (scramjet) technology and integration into combined-cycle engines.

Applications ofthis technology include high-speed weapon systems and lowcost, on-demand access to space.

Background The JANNAF Interagency Propulsion Committee is composed of representatives from DoD and NASA and

consists of technical subcommittees and ad hoc committees. JANNAF's work includes propulsion systems based upon chemical

or electrical energy release intended for use in missiles, rockets, boosters, spacecraft, satellites, or guns. Technical areas of interest

include air-breathing propulsion, combustion, exhaust plumes, propellant development, rocket nozzle technology, safety and

environmental protection, and structures and mechanical behavior.

Mr. Buckley received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1972 and a Master

of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1981. He flew KC-135 Stratotankers as a reservist

in the Ohio Air National Guard for 22 years and flew in Operation DESERT STORM.
Propulsion Directorate Engineer Honored

with Top Air Force Award

PayOtt The Air Force recently awarded Ms. Kathleen Sargent, a Propulsion Directorate engineer, with the 2002 Air Force

Science and Engineering Award for Manufacturing Technology. She was recognized for her exceptional work in the development

of turbine engine composite components and materials as well as the successful demonstration of a new design concept—a metal

matrix composite (MMC) remote ring compressor rotor.

ACCOmpHshment Ms. Sargent was responsible for bringing the

design concept of the remote ring rotor to fruition by creating and leading a

government and industry panel to address the shortcomings of this technology

area. As a result of her efforts, the directorate devised a new method for

fabricating the rings and successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the remote

ring compressor rotor concept.

This concept, which allows the use of two MMC rings at the bore without

embedding them into the monolithic rotor material, has a number of advantages

over the state of the art. Among these advantages are dramatic increases in

material strength and temperature capability, reduced weight, and a major

fabrication simplification that reduces production and maintenance costs by

more than 10%. This technology is vital to meeting the Phase III goals of the

Integrated High-Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program.

Background The IHPTET program is an ongoing national program aimed at doubling the US military's 1988 propulsion

capability. IHPTET is successfully completing its second of three phases toward achieving very aggressive goals.

To date, through coordinated Department of Defense and industry effort, IHPTET has validated numerous revolutionary propulsion

technologies that provide durable performance with low production and maintenance costs for the US military's newest fighter

systems. These technologies also provide significant upgrade potential for currently fielded systems.

IHPTET is radically changing the way industry designs and manufactures engine components. Structural design innovation is necessary

to take full advantage of the advanced materials under development.

The challenge is to produce affordable structures that maintain their robustness while operating at increased temperatures.

Designers require aluminides and new alloys that extend the operating temperatures of metallics to meet these challenges, along

with advanced composite and non-metallic materials like the titanium metal matrix composite remote ring compressor rotor.
National ACS Honors Propellant Chemist

PayOlf The American Chemical Society (ACS) recently presented

Dr. Karl 0. Christe (pictured center) with their 2003 Inorganic

Chemistry Award. ACS awards recognize individual accomplishments

in diverse fields of chemistry and are valued as pretigious awards.

Dr. Christe is a research chemist and senior staff advisor at the

Propulsion Directorate's Edwards Research Site.

Accomplishment ACS selected Dr. Christe for the 2003

Inorganic Chemistry Award based on his lifetime achievements in

chemistry. Described by his colleagues as an unusually creative,

imaginative, and highly skilled chemist, he has tackled some of the

most difficult and challenging synthesis problems in chemistry.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) currently fund Dr. Christe's studies, identified as high-energy density matter. He has

earned a reputation for finding answers to chemical problems unsolvable by others. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed

papers and holds more than 60 patents.

Background Dr. Christe and his coworkers are best known for their discovery of the N5+ cation in 1999. This was the

first demonstration of a stable and energetic nitrogen species in 110 years and only the second ever discovered. The Chemical

& Engineering News magazine recognized Dr. Christe's discovery as one of the top five chemistry achievements for the year.

Dr. Christe is also active as a research professor at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the University of Southern

California, with funding from the National Science Foundation, AFOSR, and DARPA.

In 1986, Dr. Christe was also responsible for a process thought impossible—the preparation of elemental fluorine by chemical

means. For almost 200 years, researchers unsuccessfully attempted this chemical process.

Dr. Christe won numerous honors for his scientific work including the 2000 Prix Moissan—an international chemistry prize

named in honor of Henri Moissan, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906 and discoverer of the element fluorine by

electrochemical means. The ACS also awarded Dr. Christe the 1986 ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry.
New Microtube Patent Issued to

Propulsion Researchers

PilyOft Two Propulsion Directorate scientists recently received a patent for a new procedure for creating microscopic coils as

well as free-standing microscopic tubes with any cross-sectional or axial shape. Drs. Phillip Wapner (left) and Wesley Hoffman

(right) explored new ways to fabricate components used in miniature rocket engines, heat exchangers, and fluid separators as well

as medical, dental, and scientific instruments. Until directorate scientists conceived this invention, it was impossible to fabricate

many of the components this technology enables.

ACCOItiplishment Drs. Phillip G. Wapner and Wesley P Hoffman,

researchers in the Propulsion Directorate's Propulsion Materials Applications

Branch, recently received a US patent entitled "Method of Making Microtubes

with Axially Variable Geometries." This patent describes a technique for

manufacturing microtube devices, which have peripheral geometries that

are not uniform along the microtube or microdevice axis.

Background The new process for manufacturing microtubes involves forming

a complex mandrel, or core, around which the material is coated, cast, extruded, or

pultruded. One or more metallic and/or nonmetallic materials surround the complex

mandrel before the manufacturer removes the core by appropriate chemical or

physical means, leaving a microtube structure with an axial profile duplicating that of

the mandrel.

This technique overcomes some limitations associated with conventional processes

such as lithographic techniques that use planar semiconductor material to manufacture

microscopic channels. For instance, manufacturers can use this technique to make

microtubes with a circular cross section, which is essential for many applications.

Microtubes manufactured by this process have numerous applications including heat

exchangers, bellows, and actuators. There is particular interest in this technology for

the manufacture of microelectromechanical, microfluidic, and micro-optical systems.
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Propulsion Scientist Named SEM Fellow

PflyOlt The Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) selected Dr. Chi-Tsieh (Jimmy) Lui (left), the Propulsion Directorate's

recognized expert in solid rocket propulsion, as an SEM Fellow. Mrs. Lui (center) was on hand as Dr. Arun Shukla (right), President

of the SEM and Dean of the Engineering School at the University of Rhode Island, presented the award.

The SEM annually selects individuals as Fellows who distinguish themselves in some field in which the society has interest, who are

members of the society for at least 10 consecutive years, and whose contributions to the society and the technical community justify

this honor. SEM, an international society established in 1943, has selected 101 Fellows since 1975.

ACCOItipliShm6Hl SEM selected Dr. Liu as a Fellow for his distinguished work and expertise in the fields of solid rocket

propellant fracture mechanics and service-life predictions. Within the solid rocket propulsion world, Dr. Liu is the expert the

Department of Defense and industry request for assessments and answers.

BflCk^rOUnd Dr. Liu, a retired directorate researcher, is an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IRA) appointee to the directorate's

Propulsion Material Applications Branch. His appointment in 2001 is through the Material Technology Center of Southern Illinois University

at Carbondale. The IRA program enables the government to utilize the expertise of professionals in many fields.

The initiation as an SEM Fellow adds to Dr. Liu's prestigious list of awards.

Among them is one of the Air Force's top research awards, the Harold

Brown Award, named for the former Secretary ofthe Air Force who later

served as the Secretary of Defense. This award, presented by the Air

Force chief scientist's office to researchers who have made a substantial

improvement to the operational effectiveness of the Air Force, recognizes

significant achievements in research and development.

Dr. Liu received the Harold Brown Award for his research in solid rocket

propellant behavior and service-life predictions. Dr. Liu's research enabled

and validated measures used to improve the lifetime of space boosters,

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, and tactical missiles, preventing launch

delays and replacement costs and saving the nation at least $ 100 million.
Academic Partnerships Advance

POSS Technology Payoff

Payoff The National Academies administer postdoctoral and senior research awards through its associateship programs. Each

year there are an average of 800 scientists and engineers in the national program with 200 of the overall awards made to senior

doctoral-level scientists. Federal laboratories and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's research centers sponsor

research associateship programs at over a hundred locations in the United States and overseas.

Accomplishment The National Academies

selected Professor Stanley Edward Anderson, a member

of Westmont College's Department of Chemistry,

for a National Research Council Senior Research

Associateship Award. The Air Force Office of Scientific

Research and the Propulsion Directorate at Edwards

Air Force Base, California, is sponsoring Prof Anderson

for this internationally competitive award. The award

will help him conduct studies of polyhedral oligomeric

silsesquioxane (POSS) monomers during his sabbatical

at the University of California Santa Barbara Chemistry

Department.

Dr. Anderson's study of the nanoscale structure of POSS

will help explain the unusual reinforcement or strength

these molecules demonstrate. He has matched experimental crosssections of many POSS monomers with theoretical structures, using

molecular modeling/molecular dynamics calculations.

Analyzing molecular structures of these special high-performance polymers, using ion chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques,

should show, for the first time, the complex shapes of this family of polymers on a molecular level. It will provide greater understanding

of their material attributes and the evidence that POSS is a complex nanostructure rather than a simple sphere.

Background POSS technology is an exciting new area of material science. POSS is a silicon-based super-plastic or polymer

with ceramic-like material characteristics that provide thermal stability, flame retardation, abrasion resistance, and greater strength

to a large family of plastics.
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Ms. Kathy Catalano Named Wright-Patterson

Senior-Level Security Specialist of the Year

PayOll Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, named Ms. Kathy Catalano, of the Sensors Directorate's Security Office, as the

base's Senior-level Security Specialist of the Year for her contributions in protecting the directorate's workforce and information.

Accomplishment Ms. Catalano transformed a bare-bones security office

into a comprehensive and proactive program through her superb technical and

managerial expertise. Her hard work resulted in the on-time occupancy of a

new 63,000 square foot, multilevel security addition to the directorate's research

complex. She was also instrumental in upgrading the directorate's force protection

and operations security programs.

Background Ms. Catalano personally managed all of the security issues for

the new $ 12.2 million addition to the directorate's main complex. She continuously

reviewed secure facility regulations and requirements during all stages of installation

and accreditation for the laboratories and offices that have multiple levels of

security.

In response to the September 11 th terrorist attacks, Ms. Catalano quickly integrated

new directives and guidance, while rewriting new force protection procedures. She

also recognized the need for better force protection for the directorate's people

and resources.

Using an operational risk management approach, she assembled a team to determine critical upgrades to enhance the security

posture including improved lighting, video surveillance monitoring, alarms, protective fencing, and a new mail delivery procedure.

One of her main accomplishments was the creation of the automated public release system.

This restructuring of the directorate's operational security document public release process was in response to heightened

concerns to protect United States technological superiority. Under her leadership, a team created, tested, and implemented a

computer-automated process to support operational security peer reviews for all documents submitted for public release. The

unit compliance inspection cited this process as a best practice.
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Mr. Joseph Koesters Honored

by Association of Old Crows

Payoff Mr. Joseph Koesters, of the Sensors Directorate's Electro-Optical (EO) Sensor Technology Branch, received the

Association of Old Crows (AOC) 2002 EO/lnfrared (IR) Award for his outstanding efforts as a supervisor and mentor. His significant

developments in advanced technology programs include the areas of threat warning, expendable countermeasures, and deceptive

jamming.

ACCOmpHshment Mr. Koesters received the AOC's 2002 EO/IR Award for his outstanding work guidingaccomplishments in

the Laser Infrared countermeasures Flyout Experiment (LIFE) Advanced Technology program, the EO/IR Tracker Countermeasures

Advanced Technology program, and Multifunction EO Defense of United States Aircraft (MEDUSA) program.

Background LIFE is a premier program developing advanced

laser-based deceptive jamming technologies for transition to large aircraft.

Under Mr. Koesters direction, the LIFE program conducted a series of

outstanding live fire tests, demonstrating superior capability to detect and

jam infrared threat missiles.

The goal of the EO/IR Tracker Countermeasures Advanced Technology

program is to replace reactive directed IR countermeasures (DIRCM)

with new laser-based capability, allowing early detection of seekers

and acquisition/tracking systems prior to weapons employment. This

technology program pushes technology to defeat emerging imaging

threats as well as the scanning, reticle-based seekers in the current

DIRCM implementations.

The MEDUSA program is investing in a 5-year effort to develop and demonstrate enabling technology to protect fighters, bombers,

and low-observable aircraft from the growing EO threat. Solid-state conformal optical transceiver arrays, powerful search-and-detect

lasers, and damage-level countermeasures are just a few ofthe enabling technologies under investigation.
Mr. Donald Tomlinson Receives the Red

Cross 2002 All-Ohio Hero Award

PayOfl The American Red Cross (ARC) recently awarded Mr. Donald Tomlinson, of the Sensors Directorate's Integration and

Operations Branch, with the ARC 2002 All-Ohio Everyday Hero Award during the ARC State Conference. The All-Ohio Everyday

Hero Award recognizes volunteers who, through their volunteer support, help the Red Cross accomplish its mission. A total of 11

Ohioans received this prestigious honor from 68 ARC chapters throughout the state.

Accomplishment The ARC recognized Mr. Tomlinson

for his volunteer efforts in creating, installing, and maintaining an

up-to-date computer network system for the Northern Miami

Valley Chapter. For more than a year, Mr. Tomlinson volunteered

for the Red Cross when it was undergoing radical information

technology changes and at a time when two chapters were trying

to merge.

Background Mr. Tomlinson spent countless hours assisting the chapter to ensure it had an adequate, up-to-date, and viable

computer system. He volunteered his time to provide technical support to the chapter.

His expertise in computer systems allowed the Red Cross staff to be more efficient and effective in providing their programs to

the public. Services improved because ofthe elimination of downtime due to computer, server, and printer problems. All ofthis

enhances the overall productivity of Red Cross office volunteers and department staff.
Dr. Richard Soref Elected IEEE Fellow

PftyOfl The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) recognized

Dr. Richard Soref, of the Sensors Directorate, by electing him as an IEEE Fellow

for his contributions as research scientist in the field of silicon-based photonic and

optoelectronics. Each year IEEE recognizes the achievements of its members

by selecting a distinguished group of recipients to become IEEE Fellows.

ACCOmpllShmeilt Dr. Soref helped bring into existence a new

and commercially important technology with his contributions to silicon

optoelectronics (SiOE). Prior to his SiOE work, the technical community was

not aware of the practical integrated-photonics aspects of silicon. His efforts

ensured a much faster and more complete development of SiOE technologies.

Background Dr. Soref invented and developed a new family of silicon-based photonic and optoelectronic components for

direct integration with electronic circuits on a silicon chip or wafer. Construction of the circuits, like the photonics, would involve

using silicon-germanium alloys. The photonic components include several types of low-loss optical waveguides—some made with

alloys, others made with silicon resting upon a buried insulating layer. Dr. Soref also developed several active components: an

optical switch for routing optical signals, a photodetector integrated on a waveguide, a single-mode waveguide that couples well to

a glass fiber-optic line, and an electronically pumped laser that consists of a stack of silicon-germanium quantum wells. Dr. Soref

designed the laser to emit in the far infrared region. Most of these components are world firsts.

Dr. Soref performed many of these projects collaboratively, but his leadership in the field of Silicon research and development was

instrumental in the success of the collaborations. Over a 16-year period, he expertly advocated Silicon-based optoelectronics at

universities, the Department of Defense, corporations, and at international conferences. Worldwide growth of this technology

resulted, in part, from his efforts and stimulation.
Dr. Brian Kent Elected IEEE Fellow

rSiyOff Dr. Brian Kent, from the Sensor Directorate's Signature Technology Office, recently received Fellow status from the

Society of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for leadership in the development and application of radar

cross-section (RCS) measurement technologies. Each year the IEEE recognizes the achievements of its members by selecting a

group of recipients to become IEEE Fellows.

Accomplishment Dr. Kent serves as the internationally recognized

expert on low-observable RCS test and evaluation technologies. He directs

the planning and execution of many multimillion dollar research programs

designed to significantly improve the state of the art for international

government and industrial RCS facilities. IEEE recognized Dr. Kent's

contributions in this area and selected him as a Fellow ofthe society.

Background Dr. Kent develops and implements precision RCS measurement programs for world-class RCS facilities, which

supply crucial RCS data for international air vehicle development programs. He transitioned advanced RCS measurement techniques

to industry and fostered frequent technical interchanges between competing national RCS measurement facilities. Dr. Kent also

developed a common international quality standards program for RCS ranges.
Mr. Ray Hitt Receives AOC Clark Fiester

Command and Control Warfare Award

PayOll Mr. Ray Hitt, of the Sensors Directorate's Electronic Warfare Branch, received the Association of Old Crows (AOC)

Clark Fiester Command and Control Warfare Award. He demonstrated expertise and technical leadership by cutting across

organizational lines to obtain critical technology for the Compass Call program—the AFRL and the Air Force command and control

warfare mission.

Accomplishment Mr. Hitt received the AOC Clark Fiester Award for his role as the EC-I30H Compass Call systems

engineer. He was instrumental in replacing the aging compressive receiver with a modern digital receiver upgrade, removing a

significant reliability and maintainability nuisance while at the same time providing superior capability.

Background Mr. Hitt applied his Compass Call weapon system experience

as he looked across the directorate for key technologies with application to

command and control warfare. He strengthened the ties between the laboratory

and the system program office to transition useful technology to the warfighter.

Within the laboratory, Mr. Hitt investigated leading-edge research in siliconcarbide, high-power, solid-state devices with potential for use in jammer

applications. He steered advanced research in areas of fratricide avoidance that

will increase the survival of friendly forces in the proximity of strong jamming.

Mr. Hitt applied his background in spread spectrum technology, working with

other divisions within AFRL to help transition advanced development in these

areas to benefit operational capability. He monitored the direction of modern

communications and steered new technical efforts to keep Compass Call effective

against these modern communications in the future.

Mr. Hitt also provided technical guidance to the Compass Call System Program

Office that directly supported the effort in Afghanistan. He provided assistance in

transitioning special receiver technology to the Special Operations Forces, using

Combat Talon and Spectre Gunship aircraft.
Mr. William E. Austin Receives AOC

Modeling and Simulation Award

PayOlt Mr. William E. Austin, from the Sensors Directorate's Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory, received

the Association of Old Crows (AOC) Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Award for making significant contributions to M&S capabilities

required to effectively demonstrate and evaluate electronic warfare (EW) technology through the use of multispectral synthetic

battlespace simulation. Mr. Austin's technical expertise and leadership improved the realism of synthetic battlespace environments

generated to evolve and evaluate leading-edge EW input/output technology.

ACCOmpliShmeilt Mr. Austin, the directorate's program manager for Joint Synthetic Battlespace (JSB) demonstration

projects and recent recipient of the AOC M&S Award, recently directed the integration of diverse models (joint modeling and

simulation system fJMASS] real-time surface-to-air missile, F-16 cockpit, and an uninhabited air vehicle simulation) into the first JSB

prototype federation.

Background The JSB provides a persistent common framework of

simulations and models for operations, training, experimentation, and analysis.

It is a crucial warfighter portal for collaborating with engineers and analysts.

Mr. Austin's leadership allowed the Air Force to fully demonstrate the JSB

prototype at the Interservice/lndustry Training, Simulation, and Education

Conference in Orlando, Florida.

He applied his experience with EW system analysis laboratories to lead

a team that demonstrated the JMASS architecture could operate in a

deterministic real-time mode. His efforts culminated in a chain of successful

demonstrations that integrated real-time surface-to-air missile models with a

manned cockpit, radio frequency (RF) threat simulator, and operational EW

avionics equipment.

Key decisions to the successes achieved during this 18-month project included

the selection of a real-time operation methodology (rate monotonic algorithm

implemented) and the integration technology used to combine traditional

constructive models with a manned aircraft player and RF simulator (an

innovative application of Link Agent technology). Mr. Austin also provides

key support to the JMASS real-time requirements development group.
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Sensors Directorate Donates Surplus

Computer Components to Local Schools

Payoff The Educational Partnership Agreements (EPAs) program

provides the opportunity to give resources back to the community

through Sensors Directorate donations of outdated computer

components to area schools. Additionally, this program encourages

students to pursue scientific and engineering careers by directly

fostering the study of science and math. With the implementation of

additional computer equipment to existing curriculums, children from

all over the Miami Valley region, who may otherwise obtain minimal

experience in computer technology, will now have the opportunity to

explore the technology on a broader scale.

Accomplishment The directorate donated more than 60 pallets of surplus computer components to local schools to

enhance the study of math and science for tomorrow's scientists and engineers. With the execution of EPA, the laboratory can

donate computer components to educational institutions, directly into the hands of future Air Force engineers.

BaCKgrOUnd The directorate routinely upgrades and/or replaces its computers. This practice is critical to provide the best

environment for engineers to perform innovative research with state-of-the-art computer equipment. However, computers that

are obsolete by high-tech science and engineering standards still have much to offer students.

Teachers involved with the program say the computer components are exactly what they need. In school districts with high

numbers of student population, the gain is immediate and direct in the classroom.

Bringing high-tech components into schools is just one part of the equation. Programs that allow students to certify in basic

computer fabrication, networking, and repair have also benefited greatly. By using components to build computers from scratch,

future engineers learn how the computer's internal process operates.
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Modern-Day Technology Leader Honored

PayOII The US Black Engineer magazine recognized Mr. Roderic C. Perry as a modern-day technology leader for his singularly

outstandingcontributions in theareaof real-time person/hardware-in-the-loop electronic warfare simulation technology development.

His technical efforts and personal dedication in this area were critical in establishing a foundation to make great strides in increasing

AFRL's overall level of capability to accomplish simulation-based acquisition, an important Department of Defense area of emphasis.

Accomplishment The US Black Engineer magazine

recently honored Mr. Perry as a Modern-day Technology

Leader during the 2003 US Black Engineer of the Year Awards

Conference. Mr. Perry serves as program manager of the

Advanced Threat Alert Advanced Technology Demonstration

and program manager of Real-Time Infrared Scene Simulator,

Situation Awareness and Real-Time Information into the

Cockpit system technologies in the Sensors Applications and

Demonstrations Division of the Sensors Directorate.

Background Mr. Perry is a recognized national leader in the development, testing, and demonstration of advanced user/

customer needs and emphasizes transition of the hardware/software for follow-on engineering development. His duties include

planning, coordinating, reviewing, directing, and implementing real-time man/hardware-in-the-loop technology effectiveness

evaluation and electronic warfare simulator developments/modifications/upgrades for the Integrated Demonstrations and Applications

Laboratory.

Mr. Perry holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and has completed more than a dozen specialized courses in

technical and managerial subjects while serving as a civilian employee of the Air Force. Mr. Perry has authored numerous articles

and presentations.
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Three Sensors Directorate Research

Scientists Receive 2003 Pioneer Award

PayOlf The Pioneer Award is the highest award presented by the Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society (AESS) ofthe Institute

of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE bestows this award not only to individuals who made contributions 20 years

ago but also to systems still in existance. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems, based on the work of the 2003 Pioneer Award

winners, are now operational in numerous Air Force combat aircraft.

Accomplishment The AESS of the IEEE presented the 2003 Pioneer Award to three

research scientists associated with the Sensors Directorate for their technical contributions and

leadership roles in establishing fine-resolution SAR. The recipients were Sensors Directorate Chief

Scientist Dr. William M. Brown (right); Mr. William R. (Russ) Boario (left), retired from Avionics

Laboratory; and Dr. Jack L. Walker (bottom right), retired from Environmental Research Institute

of Michigan (ERIM). ERIM was the successor organization to Willow Run Laboratories (WRL) at the

University of Michigan.

Background In 1960, when Dr. Brown became head ofthe Radar and Optics Laboratory

at WRL, he committed his research team to improving SAR resolution from 100 ft to better than

I ft. By the late 1960s, the state of the art was 5 ft, and the major challenge was to coherently

process data over long time intervals during which points in the target field moved (relative

to the radar) through many range and cross-range resolution cells. Dr. Brown conceived

and demonstrated a concept that circumvented this problem. The basic idea recorded and

processed the range dimension in the Fourier transform domain rather than in the usual timedelay variable.

From the 1950s into the 1970s, Mr. Russ Boario led Air Force research and development efforts

in SAR systems. He sponsored and collaborated with the WRL, where focused SAR was first

demonstrated. Within the Air Force and Department of Defense, Mr. Boario established advocacy

and maintained funding for fine-resolution SAR programs.

As a technical leader at ERIM, Dr. Walker went on to establish Spotlight SAR with polar format

processing in the Fourier transform domain. He extended and perfected the theory, conducted

definitive ground-based demonstrations, and designed and completely specified an airborne system.

In addition, he managed the Air Force-sponsored program that fully demonstrated the technical

performance and high military utility of spotlight-mode SAR that had better than I ft resolution.

The first successful flights were conducted at ERIM in 1974.
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Two Sensors Directorate Engineers Receive

Association of Old Crows Award

PayOlt Lieutenant Colonel (now retired) Donald J. Kessler (right) and Master Sergeant David N. Coates (left) received the

Association of Old Crows Command and Control Award for their contributions to US combat effectiveness and survivability with

the invention of a revolutionary new radio antenna switch. In less than 3 months, they designed, tested, produced, and fielded

nearly 100 Kessler-Coates (KeCo) switches.

ACCOmpHShment Two Sensor Directorate engineers were honored by the Association of Old Crows for their quick

response to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) commander's request for a solution to a problem the command

had with their special operations radios. The innovative switch allows forward-deployed troops to keep in direct contact with both

satellite and ground communications systems.

Background The KeCo switch solved a potentially

life-threatening limitation of the Special Operations tactical

radio that required sharing the single antenna port with

both satellite communications and line-of-sight antennas

while allocating and coordinating coalition strike forces.

This process originally required repeated and quick

disconnect and reconnect of antennas when switching

back and forth between aircraft/weapon allocation tasks

and terminal control of inbound aircraft, often while the

combat controller was under fire from ground forces.

The KeCo is a custom radio-frequency switch that enables

rapid switching between these two antennas, utilizing the

radio's single antenna port.

By working directly with Special Operations personnel

to identify and incorporate human factors and

environmental requirements into the design, they were

able to share evolving prototypes with users to optimize design and ensure the ultimate success of KeCo with the warfighters. KeCo

was demonstrated to senior leadership under field conditions and was featured at the AFSOC Applied Technology Council.

The KeCo switch completely eliminated lengthy radio communication interruptions between combat controllers by providing rapid

switching between satellite communications (command and control connectivity) and the line-of-sight antenna (directing inbound strike

aircraft), and it significantly reduced combat controller workload. Currently, more than 1,500 switches have been ordered.
Dr. Yolanda Jones King Named AIM Fellow

PayOTf The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world's largest professional society devoted to

the progress of engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. The AIAA elects only one Fellow each year for every 1,000

voting members, making Fellows part of a select group. The AIAA honors Fellows for making notable contributions to the arts,

sciences, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.

ACCOmpliShment The AIAA recently named Dr. Yolanda Jones King, Technical Advisor in the Space Technology Division,

Space Vehicles Directorate, a Fellow for 2003. Dr. King serves as technical advisor for the directorate's Spacecraft Technology

Division on a wide spectrum of space research including many facets of active and passive sensing and processing, cryogenic cooling,

hyperspectral and polarimetric imaging, active and passive means to eliminate/mitigate man-made and natural threats to space

systems, and development/transition of space power and structures

Background Dr. King has a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a doctorate

in physical chemistry from the University of New Mexico. Her doctoral research

was in chemical kinetics for high-energy laser systems.

Dr. King spent 7 years at the (now) AFRL-Phillips Site in directed energy research

obtaining a patent in beam sensing. She then managed the Strategic Defense

Initiative Technology program ($300M/year) within the USAF laboratories and

served as the division chief for that activity within the Air Force Space Technology

Center and then Phillips Laboratory.

Dr. King served as a Congressional Fellow for Representative Ron Dellums advising

on science and technology. She is currently the US lead for the North Atlantic

Treaty Organization's Sensors & Electronics Technology Panel.

Dr. King led the space-based radar integrated product team (the directorate in

conjunction with the Space & Missile Systems Center) and the United States/

United Kingdom/Canada coalition space-based surveillance program. She also

served as director of AFRL's International Office in Arlington, Virginia (at the Air

Force Office of Scientific Research), for a 2-year period.

Dr. King has authored more than 30 publications and presentations and served on many organizing committees for both national and

international meetings and symposiums. She has also served on several technical committees of professional societies.
Dr. Arup Maji Named ASCE Fellow

PflyOlf The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently bestowed Fellow status on Dr. Arup Maji, a senior research

scientist and project manager with the Space Vehicles Directorate. The association recognized Dr. Maji's outstanding contributions

in the areas of precision smart materials and structures, nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of civil and aerospace structures and

materials, acoustic wave propagation and laser interferometry, test design, and data acquisition and instrumentation.

ACCOinpli$hm6nt As a senior research scientist, Dr. Maji made it possible to develop new laser interferometry techniques

for NDE of structures. The ASCE honored Dr. Maji for his contribution to the understanding of material behavior in civil and

aerospace structures through innovative applications of engineering mechanics.

BflCkgrOlind Dr. Maji obtained a patent on a new NDE technique for

inspecting large steel structures and pipelines based on acoustic wave propagation.

During the past 7 years, Dr. Maji and individuals under his supervision have

extended the applications of structural mechanics to improve the understanding

of processing aerospace composite structures. More specifically, the causes of

curvature and residual stresses during filament winding and pultrusion have been

quantified, and their detrimental effects have been minimized.

Concurrent research projects on smart materials (shape-memory alloy, piezoceramics, piezo-polymers) have demonstrated new applications in satellites and

have helped quantify how these materials behave individually and in conjunction

with other materials. The understanding of advanced materials processing and

smart materials enabled the precise control of structural shape, necessary for

space-based sensors. Dr. Maji has authored 40 journal papers and more than 100

papers in proceedings of international conferences.
Professor Mark Balas Named AIM Fellow

Payoff The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) named Professor Mark Balas, of the Space Vehicles

Directorate, a Fellow. The AIAA honors Fellows for making notable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics

or astronautics.

ACCOmpllShment Prof Mark Balas, a world-renowned control systems expert, was named an AIAA Fellow. The AIAA is

the world's largest professional society devoted to the progress of engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. Since the

AIAA elects only one Fellow each year for every 1,000 voting members, Fellows are part of a select group.

Background Prof Balas made theoretical contributions in linear and nonlinear

systems, especially in the control of distributed and large-scale systems. His results

in low-order control of infinite-dimensional systems are the key to practical

controller design and operation for many new engineering system applications such

as large aerospace structures and flexible mechanical systems, high-precision optics,

and high-precision aircraft.

He was one of the founders of aerospace structure control. His work in reducedorder control and the alleviation of instability via residual mode filtering is well known

throughout the field of active aerospace structures. Prof Balas also developed

controllers for many space systems, including the Hubble Telescope, Teledesic

Communications Satellite Array, and the United States Air Force Deployable Optical

Telescope Demonstration Project.

Prof Balas produced many control theories and applications, and has a textbook

in progress: Control Theory for Finite and Infinite Dimensional Systems—A Unified

Approach. His survey article, "Trends in Large Space Structure Control Theory:

Fondest Hopes, Wildest Dreams," is often one of the most cited papers in the field

of aerospace structure control. He was a plenary lecturer on adaptive control for

the International Federation of Automatic Control held in Bologna, Italy.
Dr. Peter Wegner Receives the Harold

Brown Science and Technology Award

PayOlt Dr. Peter Wegner, of the Space Vehicles Directorate, received the Harold Brown Science and Technology Award for

his outstanding contributions in the area of space vehicles structures. His extraordinary accomplishments directly improved the

operational effectiveness of the Air Force by providing important new capabilities that significantly enhance space vehicle performance

and save operational costs.

Accomplishment Dr. Wegner's vision and creativity resulted in the

development, fabrication, flight qualification, delivery, and transition of a new

capability that will utilize excess/unused evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV)

payload margins. The EELV secondary payload adapter (ESPA), the first and only

system of its kind available on a US launch system, has the capability to deploy up to

seven satellites on a single EELV

Building on the success of the ESPA effort, Dr. Wegner directed his team to move

aggressively to develop five additional spacecraft and launch vehicle structural

technology programs. In addition to these contributions, Dr. Wegner has been

actively developing new spacecraft component technologies for precision space

systems including surveillance systems and directed energy weapons.

Background Dr. Wegner is responsible for directing, coordinating, and planning a comprehensive set of technology programs

that support more than 30 near-term space systems. His 18-person team performs both basic and applied research and manages

20 spacecraft and launch technology transitions/transfers, flight experiments, numerous ground-based demonstration programs, and

over 100 contractual efforts. His tremendous leadership, engineering, and program management skills have distinguished him as a

top performer.