Aerospace Grade Carbon Felt Preform, Phase I

Fiber Materials, Inc. (FMI) will develop an aerospace-grade carbon felt preform by employing application specific materials with effective processes and fabrication technologies. Innovative combinations of materials and processes will result in thermal protection system (TPS) preforms that will enable a range of end applications. Future mission flight environments and designs, such as those anticipated for Mars EDL missions, will require a variety of TPS options to accommodate entry system designs. The capability of the developed carbon felt preform solutions will address various vehicle shapes, integration methods and the ability to deploy a flexible TPS. Testing for mechanical and thermal robustness will be conducted in a two phase program approach. The Phase I program will assess materials, designs and processing options to be developed, and cost effective manufacturing and assembling methodologies. The material approaches, design options, fabrication/assembly methods, Phase II work plan, Phase II proposal and final report are delivered at the conclusion of the Phase I program. During the Phase II program, a mission-applicable preform utilizing the developed material system will be demonstrated. The proposed materials, designs and methods are currently TRL < 3. It is anticipated that TRL > 5 will be achieved at the conclusion of a successful Phase I and Phase II program.

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.

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