Progressive Failure Analysis and Plasma Etch Studies

The principal investigator is partnering with the Aerospace Corporation to advance all composite joint technologies, which have not been applied to spaceflight applications because of testing costs and adhesive failure. The goal is to better predict performance and reliability and demonstrate plasma etch, a repeatable and automated surface-preparation technique that shows great promise compared with more common methods, including hand abrasion and solvent wipes.

Composite materials are often stronger and lighter; however, they remain untested in a space environment. Efforts such as this one advance the material's potential use in spaceflight applications, allowing NASA to take advantage of its structural strengths.

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.