Tech Portfolio

A collision prediction and maneuver method determines which ones of many potential target objects have a close conjunction within a gross miss distance with a subject object by trajectory propagation, then determines which one of the conjunctive objects have a high collision probability within a critical miss distance, and then determines an optimum vehicle maneuver to reduce the probability of

An adaptive predistorter system receives and predistorts an input signal so as to linearize the output signal of a nonlinear high power amplifier amplifying the predistorted input signal using closed-loop feedback of the output signal in complex form at baseband so as to adaptively change the amount of the predistortion of the input signal in the presence of high power amplifier changing charac

A deorbiting spacecraft includes a grabber for grabbing an orbiting debris object in space and a deorbitor for deorbiting the debris object. The grabber includes inflatable fingers with loop eyes for bending inflated fingers around and to grab the space debris object using controlled motors and tension lines.

A geolocation method is applied for accurate targeting of a target using an airborne beacon as a pseudo star generated by a high altitude vehicle, and using optical sensors by a low altitude vehicle for imaging the beacon and target for generating accurate relative GPS positioning of the target for improved the geolocation of the target preferably for precise delivery of a payload to the target

An ultratight coupling method generates navigation error state information from an integration Kalman filter for updating the navigation solution based upon inertial measurement data and computes pseudorange and pseudorange rate data from the navigation solution and from ephemeris data, to generate the prompt, early and late replica signals that drive the signal correlators having quadrature ou

A microthruster having an inverted exhaust system traps burst diaphragm fragments providing a clean exhaust while an exhaust port provides increased back pressure for efficient combustion of a propellant charge in a fuel cell. A converging diverging micronozzle provides a predictable exhaust vector for improved microthrusting well suited for propulsion system on small spacecraft.

A grating lobe suppression method is applied to a phased array antenna system having antenna array elements that are grouped in regularly spaced subarrays each having a plurality of regularly spaced antenna elements within the subarrays for suppressing intermodulation grating lobes generated within a field of view of the antenna system when amplifying two modulated carrier communication signals

An address element, including a polysilicon resistor functioning as a heating element and blocking diode preventing sneak current to unaddressed elements, is selectively addressed using row and column address lines in a thin film structure having a minimum number of address lines and a minimum number of layers.

A method and processing system for determining a soft decision metric for each input symbol, including and/or performing the steps of: computing trellis branch metrics based on a received sample sequence; updating initial state metrics from time (n-1) with a Viterbi algorithm (VA); constraining M trellises differently at time n such that only state transitions caused by an input value associate

A surveillance system uses pulsed laser near infrared light to illuminate a retroreflecting tag attached to a target for providing a return image that pulsates and that can be monitored by a camera for covert tracking of a target.

A pair of patch antennas are used to form a null slit antenna pattern for receiving GPS signals from at least three GPS satellites functioning as pseudo stars for spin rate and spin axis attitude determination for a spinning space vehicle in an earth orbit below the GPS satellites.

A null slit antenna pattern receives GPS signals from at least three GPS satellites functioning as pseudo stars for spin rate and spin axis attitude determination of a spinning space vehicle in an earth orbit below the GPS satellites.

Unambiguous carrier phase estimation for frequency hop signals of a frequency hopping Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) communication system using coherent demodulation is enabled by channel zeroing bits and channel guard bits positioned between each pair a preceding data portion and a succeeding synch word, functioning as cumulative data phase zero forcing bits that force the accumulative d

A reusable spacecraft system having two substantially identically reusable return flight space vehicles, one of which is preferably a booster and the other an orbiter, each of which have identical flight control and propulsion systems and have identical but selectably installable components, such as thermal protection disposed on the orbiter but not on the booster.

A composite material is provided that includes a matrix material, and a plurality of deflectable elements or machines disposed in the matrix material, the machines acting to modify one or more physical properties of the composite material in response to forces acting upon the composite material.

A process for forming a nanocrystal nanostructure is repeated for growing the nanostructure disposed on an electron beam resist layer that is disposed on a substrate for forming an electron beam shadowmask from the nanostructure on the electron beam resist layer prior to electron beam exposure for patterning the electron beam resist layer in advance of subsequent processing steps.

A maximum power tracker maximizes the power deliverable from a power source, such as a solar array using increasing, decreasing and maintaining states controlled by a set point signal modulated by a dither signal for stabilized regular power tracking during under demand conditions and maximum power tracking during periods with over demand conditions of a load.

A predistortion method uses an extended Saleh model for linearizing the output of nonlinear high power amplifiers having inherent amplitude modulation to amplitude modulation distortion, and inherent amplitude modulation to phase modulation distortion, during conversions of an input signal to an output signal.

A generalized quadrature product subcarrier modulation system applies subcarrier modulation to quadrature modulated signals with constant envelope modulation suitable for efficient sinewave and squarewave subcarrier modulations.

A radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switch is manufactured by independent processing and subsequent bonding together of a MEMS substrate in alignment with an RF substrate.

A method for resolving interferometric ambiguities for an interferometer system with antenna elements employs multiple interferometric elements within the baseline. The overall accuracy of the interferometer system results from the interferometric elements with the longest baseline dimension; the remaining interferometric elements provide a means to correctly resolve ambiguities.

A clear thermal emissive coating, such as clear polyimide, is deposited directly upon a thin film solar cell forming a flexible thin film solar cell.

The method addresses and interrogates addressable cells having at least one element including a polysilicon resistor functioning as a heating element and blocking diode preventing sneak current to un addressed elements, for selectively addressing one of the cells using row and column address line in a thin film structure having a minimum number of address lines and a minimum number of layers.

Multiple layers of a clear insulating material, such as clear polyimide, with horizontal metalization layers therebetween and with vertical feed through metal traces therethrough form a flexible three dimension circuit printed circuit board upon which semiconductor devices, such as thin film solar cell can be directly deposited for forming a flexible electronic module, and upon which electronic