Orion Backshell Radiometer

The largest and fastest spacecraft for Mars and Moon missions will return to earth so fast and so hot that there will be high levels of radiation from the heated shock layer. We need to measure this with radiometers and spectrometers, in order to know and predict what our spacecraft thermal protection system must handle - before we have crew on board.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.