Phase I Design Study of Collapsible Cryogenic Storage for In-situ Resource Utilization

We are asking for $50k for four personnel to work for three months to complete a Phase I design study on the adaptability of inflatable softgoods materials technology for collapsible cryogenic storage tanks. As the technical expertise for such a study is dispersed across multiple disciplines and organizations within Marshall Space Flight Center, formulating a cross-discipline team from the spacecraft propulsion and inflatable habitat organizations will uniquely build MSFC's expertise for In-situ Resource Utilization. The team will research past studies and tests to identify technological gaps and inform best practices for future design, material selection, and testing that will consider the unique integration of Cryogenic Fluid Management systems such as thermodynamic venting, the use of multi-layered insultation, and cryocooler integration. This will provide a roadmap for implementing collapsible propellant tanks for future mission to Mars along with a preliminary design schematic and assessment of feasible propellant tank packaging ratio (Expanded Volume : Stored Volume).

This project seeks to perform a design trade study on the feasibility of adapting inflatable habitat technology for use in storing cryogenic propellants and will assess material compatibility, soft to hard good interfaces, and integration with CFM.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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.