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Award ID | Description | Recipient | Total Value | Awarding Agency | Funding Agency | Set Aside | NAICS | PSC | Award Date | Start Date | End Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE OFFICE OF STEM ENGAGEMENT (OSTEM) SEEKS TO: 1. ATTRACT STUDENTS TO STEM THROUGH UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT SPARK INTEREST AND PROVIDE CONNECTIONS TO NASA S MISSION AND WORK 2. ENGAGE STUDENTS IN AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $748,280 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 26, 2025 | Aug 1, 2025 | Jul 31, 2028 | ||
| NASA STRATEGIC GOAL 4: ENHANCE CAPABILITIES AND OPERATIONS TO CATALYZE CURRENT AND FUTURE MISSION SUCCESS. NASA INVESTMENTS IN STEM ENGAGEMENT ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING A FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE, THROUGH PROGRAM ELEMENTS DESIGNED TO BOLSTER CAPACITY AND TO ATTRACT, ENGAGE AND ENABLE STUDENTS TO MOVE TOWARD STEM CAREERS THROUGH NASA-UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $3,551,980 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | May 2, 2025 | Apr 10, 2025 | May 31, 2029 | ||
| STRATEGIC APPROACHES IN SPACE MEDICINE: ASSESSING HUMAN IMMUNE T-CELL RESPONSES TO RADIATION EXPOSURE (HEOMD) | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,866 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 16, 2024 | Sep 1, 2024 | Aug 31, 2026 | ||
| RFA-078: MULTI-ALTITUDE GUIDANCE AND CONTROL SYSTEM (SMD, STMD) | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $100,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 9, 2024 | Aug 1, 2024 | Jul 31, 2026 | ||
| 24-2024 R3-0059, RFA-023: GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE INFORMED POINTING OF SHORT-GRB OBSERVATIONS (SMD) | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,091 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Jul 31, 2024 | Aug 1, 2024 | Jul 31, 2026 | ||
| 24-2024EPSCOR-0016, ARC: PROSPECTING AND PRE-COLONIZATION OF THE MOON AND MARS USING AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS WITH HUMAN-IN-THE-LOOP | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $748,245 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Jul 16, 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 | Jun 30, 2027 | ||
| 23-2023 ISS-0003, A COMPACT, NON-INVASIVE, AND EFFICIENT VISION SCREENING SYSTEM FOR LONG-TERM SPACEFLIGHT MISSIONS | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $100,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 20, 2023 | Jul 28, 2023 | Jul 27, 2026 | ||
| P-005: DEMONSTRATING DESERT LICHENS' EXTREME RESISTANCE TO UVC | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,999 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 24, 2023 | Jul 6, 2023 | Jul 5, 2025 | ||
| NEVADA MULTI-MESSENGER ASTROPHYSICS | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $747,791 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR11SPACE R&D SERVICES; SPACE FLIGHT, RESEARCH AND SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES; BASIC RESEARCH | Jun 7, 2023 | May 8, 2023 | May 7, 2027 | ||
| EO14042 APPENDIX K: PATHWAY-LEVEL, CONSENSUS ANALYSIS OF MICROBIOME PROFILING DATA | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $100,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ14GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; R&D ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES | Sep 1, 2022 | Jul 15, 2022 | Dec 31, 2025 | ||
| THE MOST RECENT NEVADA NASA EPSCOR RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT (RID) ACTIVITIES HAVE LED TO THE TEAMING OF RESEARCHERS IN THE AREAS OF BATTERY DEVELOPMENT, MATERIALS RESEARCH, AEROSOL RESEARCH, LIFE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS, ROBOTICS AND VISIO | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $1,000,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Jan 4, 2022 | Jul 1, 2022 | Jun 30, 2027 | ||
| ROBOTIC OR HUMAN SPACE MISSIONS ARE EXTREMELY COSTLY. THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH EXPLORATION OF SPACE MISSIONS CAN BE CURTAILED BY REDUCING THE LAUNCH MASS. THIS IS POSSIBLE BY UTILIZING IN-SITU RESOURCES. MARTIAN REGOLITH IS COMPOSED OF IRON, MAGNESIUM, ALUMINUM, CALCIUM, POTASSIUM, SILICON, CHROMIUM, MANGANESE, SULFUR, PHOSPHORUS, AND SODIUM, AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN EXCELLENT IN-SITU SOURCE OF MINERALS AND NUTRIENTS TO SUPPORT HUMAN LIVES AND ACTIVITIES. HOWEVER, THESE ELEMENTS EXIST IN THE FORMS OF STABLE OXIDES AND/ OR COMPLEXES RATHER THAN THEIR ELEMENTAL FORM. THE PROCESSING OF OXIDES AND COMPLEXES TO RECOVER HIGH PURITY ELEMENTS IS ECONOMICALLY AND TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING. SEVERAL DESERT PLANTS, SUCH AS PALOVERDE, GROW ON ROCKS IN NEVADA WITH LIMITED WATER, SIMILAR TO THE CONDITIONS ON MARS. THIS MEANS THAT THESE PLANTS ARE ABLE TO EXTRACT NUTRIENTS AND MINERALS FROM DESERT ROCKS SUCH AS BASALT. THESE PLANTS SURVIVE BY EXTENDING THEIR ROOTS DEEP, UP TO A FEW METERS INTO BASALT FRACTURES. BEING LEGUMES, THEIR NITROGEN COMES FROM NITROGEN GAS FIXING BACTERIA LIVING SYMBIOTICALLY IN THEIR ROOT NODULES. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THESE PLANTS HAVE UNIQUE MECHANISMS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF PHOSPHORUS AND MINERALS. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY LIKELY RELEASE BIOMATERIALS FROM THEIR ROOTS (ACIDIC EXUDATES) FOR THE SOLUBILIZATION OF PHOSPHORUS AND MINERALS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DELIVER A SAFE AND ECONOMICAL APPROACH TO EXTRACT PHOSPHORUS AND MINERALS FROM MARS REGOLITH VIA BIOMIMICRY OF THE GROWTH OF PALOVERDE. THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH ARE TO: 1. INVESTIGATE PHOSPHORUS AND MINERAL EXTRACTION BIOMECHANISMS UTILIZED BY PALOVERDE TO GROW ON BASALT AND MARTIAN REGOLITH SIMULANT AND 2. CHARACTERIZE BIOMATERIALS AND THEIR SOURCES AND RHIZOSPHERE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ROLES. WE EXPECT THAT THE IDENTIFIED BIOMECHANISMS CAN BE MIMICKED FOR THE EXTRACTIONS OF PHOSPHORUS AND MINERALS FROM MARTIAN REGOLITH. WE WILL CONDUCT A DETAILED INVESTIGATION ON THESE EXTRACTION BIOMECHANISMS IN A GREENHOUSE USING CRUSHED BASALT AND MARTIAN REGOLITH LIKE MATERIAL (MARS GLOBAL SIMULANTS) WITH NO NUTRIENT AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS. WE WILL MONITOR MINERALS AND PHOSPHORUS RELEASED BY BASALT AND THE SIMULANT AND UPTAKEN BY THE PLANT. THE INVESTIGATION WILL ELUCIDATE THE INVOLVEMENTS OF RHIZOSPHERE MICROORGANISMS AND PLANT EXUDATES IN PHOSPHORUS AND MINERAL DISSOLUTIONS THROUGH SEVERAL ADVANCED ANALYTICAL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES. FOR EXAMPLE, WE WILL EXAMINE THE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF THE RHIZOBACTERIA USING HIGH THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING. WE WILL CHEMICALLY CHARACTERIZE THE PLANT EXUDATES BY FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY, NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY, AND CHROMATOGRAPHY AND MASS SPECTROMETRY. THE VISION OF THE PROJECT IS NOT TO GROW PALOVERDE ON MARS BUT TO CHARACTERIZE THE BIOMATERIALS AND BIOMECHANISMS WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BE ADAPTED THROUGH BIOMIMICRY FOR THE EXTRACTION OF RESOURCES FROM MARTIAN REGOLITH AND/OR ADOPTED THROUGH GENETIC ENGINEERING FOR GROWING OTHER PLANTS ON MARS. OUR INVESTIGATOR TEAM, WHICH CONSISTS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF QUALIFIED ENGINEER AND SCIENTIST, WILL COLLABORATE WITH A WELL-RESPECTED NASA PLANETARY SCIENTIST WITH EXPERTISE ASTROBIOLOGY AND TERRAFORMING. RESEARCH RESULTS WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENTS OF TWO MAIN PROJECT DELIVERIES: 1. A VERIFIED BIOBASED APPROACH (BIOMECHANISM) TO EXTRACT PHOSPHORUS AND MINERALS FROM MARTIAN REGOLITH AND 2. BIOBASED MATERIAL(S) FOR THE EXTRACTION. RESEARCH FINDINGS WILL GENERATE A PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE IN A RESPECTABLE JOURNAL (IMPACT FACTOR > 5) AND ONE OR MORE PROPOSALS TO MAJOR FEDERAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE GOAL OF THE NASA PHYSICAL SCIENCES PROGRAM RESEARCH EMPHASIS TO DEVELOP AND INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES TO GENERATE USEFUL MATERIALS FROM LUNAR OR MARTIAN REGOLITH. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,898 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 13, 2021 | Aug 16, 2021 | Mar 7, 2024 | ||
| LIGNOCELLULOSE IS THE STRUCTURALLY COMPLEX BUILDING BLOCK OF ALL PLANTS AND WOULD BE THE DOMINANT WASTE FROM CROP MATERIALS DURING SPACEFLIGHT MISSIONS. NASA RECOGNIZES THE COMPLEX AND HIGHLY MISSION DEPENDENT NATURE OF BOTH THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF LIGNOCELLULOSE WASTES. AS SUCH, TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEGRADATION OF DIVERSE LIGNOCELLULOSE WASTE STREAMS DEPEND ON DIVERSE ORGANISMS AND ENZYMES REGARDLESS OF THE DOWNSTREAM APPLICATION (E.G., SOIL FORMATION, BIOFUELS, SPECIALTY CHEMICALS, ETC.). TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, WE PROPOSE TO EXPLORE THE ABILITY OF THE NOVEL BACTERIUM, KALLOTENUE PAPYROLYTICUM, AND ITS PURIFIED GLYCOSIDE HYDROLASE (GH) ENZYMES TO DEGRADE A VARIETY OF POLYSACCHARIDES UNDER THE BROAD HYPOTHESIS THAT THIS ORGANISM COULD BE USEFUL TO DEGRADE LIGNOCELLULOSE WASTES DURING SPACEFLIGHTS. THE PROPOSAL HAS TWO OBJECTIVES. OBJECTIVE 1 IS TO DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONS OF K. PAPYROLYTICUM GH ENZYMES. CODON-OPTIMIZED GENES WILL BE SYNTHESIZED, EXPRESSED IN E. COLI, AND SCREENED FOR ACTIVITY AGAINST BOTH DEFINED AND COMPLEX POLYMERS. ENZYME KINETIC PARAMETERS OF PROMISING GHS WILL BE DETERMINED, PARTICULARLY PRIMARY CELLULASES. THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF INDIVIDUAL GHS ARE FOUNDATIONAL FOR UNDERSTANDING POLYSACCHARIDE DEGRADATION AND TO ESTABLISH THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF K. PAPYROLYTICUM ENZYMES TO LIGNOCELLULOSE DEPOLYMERIZATION DURING SPACEFLIGHTS. OBJECTIVE 2 IS TO DETERMINE THE BROADER SUBSTRATE RANGE AND DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF K. PAPYROLYTICUM. K. PAPYROLYTICUM WILL BE SCREENED FOR GROWTH AGAINST A BROAD GROUP OF POLYMERS. FOR A FEW POLYSACCHARIDES, METABOLIC PRODUCTS WILL BE QUANTIFIED BY UNTARGETED GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY. ADDITIONALLY, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH FLAME IONIZATION DETECTION WILL BE USED TO QUANTIFY VOLATILE FATTY ACIDS AND ALCOHOLS THROUGH TIME COURSES AND TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF TERMINAL ELECTRON ACCEPTOR AVAILABILITY (I.E., LOW OR NO OXYGEN) AND SIMULATED MICROGRAVITY ON PRODUCTION OF CHEMICALS OF POTENTIAL UTILITY. KNOWLEDGE OF THE BROADER SUBSTRATE RANGE AND PRODUCTS OF POLYSACCHARIDE DEGRADATION WOULD BE CRITICAL TO ASSESS BIODEGRADATION POTENTIAL AND DIRECT PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS OR SPECIALTY CHEMICALS. THIS WORK DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE R3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE DEFINED IN APPENDIX E UNDER RESEARCH PROJECT III: SPACEFLIGHT-COMPATIBLE RECYCLING OF NON-EDIBLE BIOMASS. ALTHOUGH A VARIETY OF CELLULOLYTIC MICROORGANISMS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED, THE CURRENT CACHE OF ORGANISMS AND ENZYMES IS INSUFFICIENT TO DEGRADE THE DIVERSE AND RECALCITRANT CROP WASTES NECESSARY FOR LONG-TERM SPACE FLIGHT AND COLONIZATION. K. PAPYROLYTICUM IS A MEMBER OF THE BACTERIAL PHYLUM CHLOROFLEXI AND IS THEREFORE UNRELATED TO OTHER WELL-DESCRIBED CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA. BY FOCUSING ON A HIGHLY CELLULOLYTIC ORGANISM FROM A POORLY EXPLORED BRANCH ON THE TREE OF LIFE, THIS PROJECT HAS A STRONG POTENTIAL TO ADD TO EXISTING CELLULOLYTIC ORGANISMS AND ENZYMES TO ADDRESS NASA S SPACEFLIGHT NEEDS AND ALSO PROVIDE A TEMPLATE TO STUDY OTHER CELLULOLYTIC CHLOROFLEXI. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,998 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Aug 13, 2021 | Aug 1, 2021 | Jul 31, 2023 | ||
| HERE WE ARE PROPOSING A RENEWAL OF OUR CURRENT GRANT ENTITLED LIFE ON MARS: ALGAE CULTIVATION FOR LONG-TERM FOOD AND OXYGEN PRODUCTION. LONG-TERM HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF BOTH OXYGEN AND FOOD, AND THE ABILITY TO | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,902 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Jun 17, 2021 | May 5, 2021 | May 4, 2024 | ||
| THE RESEARCH GOAL IS TO DEVELOP SELF-ADAPTIVE LUBRICANT COATINGS FOR MOVING MECHANICAL ASSEMBLIES (MMAS), SUCH AS BEARINGS, BUSHINGS, AND GEARS, OPERATING IN EXTREME CONDITIONS. THE SUCCESSFUL OPERATION OF MMAS CRITICALLY DEPENDS ON ADEQUATE LUBRICA | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $750,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Aug 18, 2020 | Sep 1, 2020 | Aug 31, 2025 | ||
| HERE WE ARE PROPOSING A RENEWAL OF OUR CURRENT GRANT ENTITLED ROCK, H2O AND H2: ENERGY FROM WATER-ROCK INTERACTIONS ON MARS. EXTENDED HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS WILL LIKELY UTILIZE THE MARTIAN REGOLITH AS PLANT GROWTH MEDIUM. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,881 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jun 16, 2020 | Jun 1, 2020 | Dec 31, 2022 | ||
| THE NEVADA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM S (NVSGC) PRIMARY MISSION IS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUTHENTIC NASA-RELEVANT STEM EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR NEVADA STUDENTS AND FACULTY. NASA RELEVANCY FOR NVSGC HAS AND CONTINUES TO BE REQUIRED FOR ALL NVSGC. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $4,239,611 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Mar 16, 2020 | Apr 10, 2020 | Aug 31, 2025 | ||
| THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE THE NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION (NSHE) RESEARCH CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS NASA S STRATEGIC NEEDS ON RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES FOR PLANETARY SCIENCE MISSIONS. NASA HAS A LONG-TERM INTEREST IN DEVELOPING ROBUST AND LIGHTWEIGHT HIGH-ENERGY-DENSITY RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES THAT CAN OPERATE WELL AT LOW TEMPERATURES. ONE OF THE MAJOR TECHNICAL CHALLENGES SPECIFIED IN THE 2015 NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAPS IS DEVELOPING HIGH-SPECIFIC-CAPACITY ANODE NANOMATERIALS WITH IMPROVED LOW-TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE (-60 C) FOR LITHIUM-ION (LI-ION) BATTERIES. THE RESEARCH GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE POWER DENSITY, ENERGY DENSITY, AND CYCLE LIFE OF ANODES FOR LI-ION BATTERIES AT 60 C WITH A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTROLLING MECHANISMS. STUDIES HAVE REVEALED THAT THE POOR LOW-TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE OF LI-ION ANODES MAINLY RELATES TO SLOW IONIC DIFFUSION AND LIMITED LI STORAGE CAPACITY. THEREFORE, THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON GROUP-IV ELEMENTS AND (TRANSITION/BINARY) METAL OXIDES OWING TO THEIR HIGH THEORETICAL SPECIFIC CAPACITY OF LI. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT MAKING USE OF MATERIAL DOPING AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THE HIGH SPECIFIC CAPACITY CAN ADVANCE LITHIATION KINETICS, IONIC DIFFUSION, AND CAPACITY RETENTION IN ANODES AT LOW TEMPERATURES. TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS, THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL COMPLETE FOUR TIGHTLY COUPLED THRUSTS BY SYNERGISTICALLY INTEGRATING COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES. THE FOUR THRUSTS ARE (1) IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH-CAPACITY ANODE MATERIALS AND CORRESPONDING DOPING ELEMENTS THAT IMPROVE POWER DENSITY AT 60 C; (2) PREDICTION OF CAPACITY RETENTION AND CYCLING STABILITY IN DOPED HIGH-CAPACITY ANODES WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF CHEMO-MECHANICS; (3) ELECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DOPED ANODES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BATTERY PERFORMANCE AT -60 C; (4) DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LI DENDRITES AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS METAL CLUSTERS IN CYCLED CELLS FOR MITIGATION OF SHORT CIRCUITS. THE RESEARCH OUTCOMES WILL ADDRESS KEY SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS: WHAT ARE THE CONTROLLING MECHANISMS FOR THE CHARGE-TRANSFER KINETICS, LI DIFFUSION, AND ELECTROCHEMICAL DEGRADATION IN DOPED HIGH-SPECIFIC-CAPACITY ANODE NANOMATERIALS AT -60 C? AND HOW CAN DOPING IMPURITIES ENHANCE THE RATE PERFORMANCE AND CAPACITY RETENTION OF THESE HIGH-SPECIFIC-CAPACITY ANODES SIMULTANEOUSLY? COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BATTERY WORKING PRINCIPLE AT LOW TEMPERATURES, GENERATE A DATABASE CONTAINING ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE OF ADVANCED ANODE MATERIALS UNDER A VARIETY OF OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS AT 60 C, AND THUS LEAD TO A RATIONAL DESIGN GUIDANCE OF ANODES FOR FUTURE LI-ION BATTERIES FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS. THE PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE CURRENT SPACE TECHNOLOGY TOPIC OF ADVANCED POWER GENERATION, STORAGE, AND TRANSFER FOR DEEP SPACE MISSIONS IN THE SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE. THE RESEARCH ALSO ALIGNS WITH ADVANCED ENERGY AND SPACE POWER GENERATION INTERESTS AT SEVERAL NASA CENTERS INCLUDING GRC, KSC, JSC AND JPL THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRATEGIC GOALS 1, 2&4 IN 2018 NASA STRATEGIC PLAN BY GENERATING NEW KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPING LOW-TEMPERATURE RECHARGEABLE BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF NEAR- AND MID-TERM PLANETARY SURFACE MISSIONS. IN VIEW OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION, AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH STEM, THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRATEGIC GOAL 3 IN 2018 NASA STRATEGIC PLAN. THE PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE RESEARCH CAPABILITIES AND COMPETENCE OF NSHE IN THE AREA OF BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES AND ADVANCE EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN NEVADA. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP COLLABORATION BETWEEN NSHE FACULTY AND NASA SCIENTISTS, AND CREATE INTELLECTUAL ADVANCES WITH COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $748,110 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Aug 3, 2019 | Jul 1, 2019 | Jun 30, 2024 | ||
| IT IS KNOWN THAT SPACEFLIGHT CAN HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON ASTRONAUT'S HEALTH AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS. AS GENOMICS DATA RAPIDLY POPULATE PUBLIC REPOSITORIES, INCLUDING NIH GEO AND GENELAB, WE HAVE SUFFICIENT DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE IMMUNE COUNTERMEASURES TO ENSURE ASTRONAUT HEALTH. HOWEVER, CONVENTIONAL ANALYSIS METHODS THAT FOCUS ON A SINGLE COHORT ARE PRONE TO STUDY BIAS AND DATA HETEROGENEITY, LEADING TO INCONSISTENT CONCLUSIONS. IN ADDITION, MOST ANALYSES FOCUS ON DIFFERENTIAL ANALYSIS AT THE GENE LEVEL, EXACERBATING THE INCONSISTENCY. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT A PHENOMENON CAN BE TRIGGERED BY A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT EVENTS, THROUGH DIFFERENT GENES, BUT STILL INVOLVE COMMON MECHANISM(S). AS SIGNALS PROPAGATE ALONG A PATHWAY, THE GENES THAT ARE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED (DE) CHANGE OVER TIME, WHILE THE PATHWAY INVOLVED REMAINS THE SAME. THEREFORE, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON DE GENES, WE PROPOSE TO CHARACTERIZE SPACEFLIGHT DISORDERS USING PATHWAY SIGNATURES. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A MULTI-COHORT TECHNIQUE TO IDENTIFY THE PATHWAY SIGNATURES OF SPACEFLIGHT DISORDERS USING TRANSCRIPTION PROFILING. THE LONG-TERM GOAL (BEYOND THIS PROJECT) IS TO IDENTIFY TREATMENTS THAT PROVIDE IMMUNE COUNTERMEASURES BY REPURPOSING EXISTING DRUGS. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ASTRONAUT HEALTH, WHICH IS THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF NASA SPACE MEDICINE...TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVE, WE WILL DEVELOP AN R STATISTICAL PACKAGE THAT CAN: I) PERFORM MULTICOHORT ANALYSIS; AND II) IDENTIFY AND VISUALIZE PATHWAY SIGNATURES (IMPACTED PATHWAYS, SIGNALING CASCADES, AND EXIT INTERFACES AND STATISTICS). THIS WORK WILL BE PERFORMED BY THE SCIENCE PI DR. TIN NGUYEN, HIS PH.D. STUDENT HUNG NGUYEN, AND THE CO-PI DR. HUNG LA, IN COLLABORATION WITH NASA SCIENTISTS DRS. JONATHAN GALAZKA AND SYLVAIN COSTES. THE PROJECT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WITH NASA CONTACT DR. DAVID TOMKO. . | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,914 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jul 12, 2019 | Aug 1, 2019 | Dec 2, 2020 | ||
| THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO EVALUATE AND REDUCE THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF SELECTIVE LASER MELTING (SLM) MANUFACTURED COMPONENTS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE "ADDITIVE COMPONENT INTERNAL FEATURE SURFACE ROUGHNESS REDUCTION" RESEARCH PRIORITY SET BY THE NASA COMMERCIAL SPACE CAPABILITIES OFFICE. THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO IMPROVE COMPONENT FABRICATION FOR PROPULSION AND POWER CONVERSION APPLICATIONS. TO MEET THIS NEED, WE PROPOSE A NOVEL ULTRASONIC ASSISTED ELECTROCHEMICAL POLISHING APPROACH, WHICH IS HIGHLY SCALABLE, TO REDUCE THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF INTERNAL FEATURES OF COMPONENTS FABRICATED BY SLM. WE WILL DEVISE AN ELECTROCHEMICAL SETUP IN WHICH THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE AS-BUILT COMPONENT WILL ACT AS AN ANODE WHILE A STAINLESS STEEL ROD WILL BE THE CATHODE. AN OPTIMIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL SOLUTION WILL BE DEVELOPED DEPENDING ON THE MATERIAL OF INTEREST. THE INTERNAL SURFACE WILL BE ELECTROCHEMICALLY POLISHED UNDER ULTRASONIC AGITATION CONDITIONS USING THE SETUP DEVELOPED IN THIS RESEARCH. ..DURING ELECTROCHEMICAL POLISHING, DIFFERENT-SIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL INERT ABRASIVE MEDIA, SUCH AS SILICON CARBIDE (SIC) AND/OR ALUMINA (AL2O3), WILL BE ADDED TO THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOLUTION. UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ULTRASONIC AGITATION AND ELECTROCHEMICAL POLISHING CONDITIONS, THESE ABRASIVE MEDIA GENERATE A SYNERGISTIC EFFECT TO REMOVE THE SURFACE LAYER AND THUS EFFICIENTLY REDUCE SURFACE ROUGHNESS. TO OBTAIN UNIFORM SURFACE ROUGHNESS, WE WILL INTERMITTENTLY ROTATE THE SETUP 180 DEGREES COUNTER-CLOCKWISE AND CLOCKWISE. SURFACE ROUGHNESS PARAMETERS WILL BE MEASURED USING AN OPTICAL PROFILOMETER AFTER A SELECTED NUMBER OF CYCLES TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF CYCLES REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED ROUGHNESS. THE SURFACES WILL BE MASKED WITH POLYMERIC MATERIAL AT LOCATIONS WHERE POLISHING IS NOT REQUIRED, SUCH AS CHANNEL INLETS AND OUTLETS WITH SHARP TURNS. AFTER THE DESIRED ROUGHNESS IS ACHIEVED, THE INTERNAL SURFACE WILL BE POLISHED WITH FINE ABRASIVE MEDIA IN DEIONIZED (DI) WATER FOLLOWED BY ETHANOL CLEANING WITH AN ULTRASONICATOR TO REMOVE ANY RESIDUE. THE POST-FABRICATION STEP PROPOSED HERE IS UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE IN ITS USE OF TRIBOCORROSION PROPERTIES TO REDUCE THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF THE INTERNAL FEATURES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (AM) METALLIC COMPONENTS. IT IS A SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD METHOD THAT CAN EASILY BE SCALED UP. . | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,955 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jul 12, 2019 | Aug 1, 2019 | Jun 30, 2022 | ||
| HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT SUPPLIES OF BOTH OXYGEN AND FOOD. THE ABILITY TO GROW PHOTOSYNTHETIC ORGANISMS ON MARS WOULD POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO BOTH OF THESE NEEDS. WE HERE PROPOSE TO GROW ALGAE ADAPTED TO EXTREME TERRESTRIAL CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS EDIBLE ALGAE, UNDER A SERIES OF CONDITIONS RELEVANT TO MARS. ..SNOW ALGAE GROW VERY WELL IN CHALLENGING HIGH UV, LOW TEMPERATURE, AND LOW NUTRIENT SNOW ENVIRONMENTS. WE HAVE GROWN THESE ORGANISMS UNDER LOW-NUTRIENT CONDITIONS, AND WE PROPOSE TO EXPAND UPON OUR PREVIOUS WORK TO GROW SNOW ALGAE UNDER A RANGE OF PRESSURES, ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, TEMPERATURES, AMOUNTS OF WATER AND LIGHT, AND NUTRIENT SOURCES, TO DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THESE ORGANISMS AS POTENTIAL OXYGEN SOURCES ON MARS. WE WILL SIMILARLY GROW EDIBLE ALGAE SPECIES UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS TO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL FOR ALGAE TO PROVIDE BOTH NUTRIENTS AND OXYGEN. IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS WORK, WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH NASA SCIENTIST DR. DOUG MING, WHO HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN LIFE SUPPORT, AND DR. JAMES RAYMOND, WHO IS A SNOW ALGAE EXPERT. THE PROPOSED WORK HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WITH DR. WARREN RUEMMELE, AND WILL FILL IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN THE PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN AND NUTRIENTS ON MARS. . | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,929 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jul 12, 2019 | Aug 26, 2019 | Apr 1, 2021 | ||
| IN LATE 2018, OUR NASA COLLABORATORS, VENKATESWARAN AND SINGH, REPORTED THE PROLIFERATION OF THE DOMINANT BSL-2 PATHOGEN, KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE, ON ISS SURFACES OVER A THREE FLIGHT TIME COURSE (1). HERE WE PROPOSE TO UTILIZE THE SAME GENELAB DATASET (GLDS-69), SUPPLEMENTED WITH A GROUND-BASED MUTIGENERATIONAL CULTIVATION STUDY OF ISS K. PNEUMONIAE ISOLATES, TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE THREAT THESE OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS MAY POSE TO ASTRONAUT HEALTH. THIS OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED BY MINING GLDS-69 TO RECONSTRUCT METAGENOME-ASSEMBLED GENOMES (MAGS) FOR K. PNEUMONIAE USING THESE TO ASSESS STRAIN-LEVEL DIVERSITY AND POTENTIAL CHANGES IN PATHOGENIC POTENTIAL. IN PARALLEL, K. PNEUMONIAE ISOLATES FROM THE JPL ISS CULTURE COLLECTION WILL BE SUBJECTED TO MULTIGENERATIONAL SELECTION USING STRESSORS CONSISTENT WITH EXTENDED SPACE TRAVEL AND TRACKED FOR CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS (E.G. VIRULENCE GENE COMPLEMENT). SELECTION IN THE LABORATORY (E.G. DIRECTED EVOLUTION) WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE PRESENCE OF DISINFECTANTS USED ON THE ISS, FOLLOWED BY A SURVEY OF GENE EXPRESSION OF EVOLVED AND UNEVOLVED STRAINS UNDER SIMULATED MICROGRAVITY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN COLLABORATION WITH JPL AND GENELAB SCIENTISTS, TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF STRAIN-LEVEL SUCCESSION OF A DOMINANT POTENTIAL PATHOGEN ON THE ISS AND ASSESS POTENTIAL STIMULATION OF VIRULENCE FACTORS UNDER SELECTIVE PRESSURE FROM RELEVANT DISINFECTANTS AND MICROGRAVITY. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,991 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jul 10, 2019 | Aug 1, 2019 | Jul 31, 2022 | ||
| HYDROGEN, PERCHLORATE, AND ELEMENTS SUCH AS MG AND FE WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE FOR EXTENDED HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS BECAUSE THEY COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF FUEL AND KEY RAW MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING. EXTENDED HUMAN STAYS ON MARS WILL ALSO LIKELY UTILIZE THE MARTIAN REGOLITH AS PLANT GROWTH MEDIUM, WETTING THE INITIALLY DRY REGOLITH WITH LIQUID WATER TO FORM SOIL. THIS INITIAL WETTING OF THE MARTIAN REGOLITH CAN RELEASE VERY VALUABLE MATERIALS FOR IN SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION. PREVIOUS WORK ON EARTH HAS SHOWN THAT INTERACTIONS OF LIQUID WATER WITH FRESH, FE-RICH MINERAL SURFACES PRODUCES HYDROGEN, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BE USED AS A FUEL SOURCE ON MARS. PERCHLORATE IS WIDELY PRESENT ON MARS, AND COULD ALSO BE ISOLATED AS PART OF THE WETTING PROCESS THAT WOULD OCCUR IN SOILS BECAUSE IT IS EASILY SOLUBILIZED. IN ADDITION, MANY LOCATIONS ON MARS CONTAIN ABUNDANT METALS AND NON-METALS THAT COULD BE UTILIZED IN SITU, INCLUDING FE, MG, CL AND S. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $99,708 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Mar 11, 2019 | Jan 1, 2019 | Oct 20, 2020 | ||
| THIS PROPOSAL IDENTIFIES OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE NEVADA S RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL RESULT IN SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH PROGRAMS RELEVANT TO BOTH NASA AND THE STATE S INTERESTS. THE OVERALL GOALS OF THE NEVADA NASA EPSCOR PROGRAM ARE: CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND/OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NEVADA; IMPROVE THE CAPABILITIES OF NEVADA FACULTY/RESEARCHERS TO GAIN SUPPORT FROM SOURCES OUTSIDE THE NASA EPSCOR PROGRAM THAT ARE MOST RELEVANT TO NASA RESEARCH AND MISSIONS; DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS AMONG RESEARCHERS AT NSHE, NASA CENTERS, AND INDUSTRY; AND WORK IN COORDINATION WITH THE NASA SPACE GRANT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN NEVADA. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES THAT HAVE BEEN TARGETED TO MEET NEVADA NASA EPSCOR RID PROGRAM GOALS INCLUDE: OBJECTIVE 1: ENHANCE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE BY COMPETITIVELY AWARDING AT LEAST TWO SIGNIFICANT RID SEED GRANTS EACH YEAR. GRANTS WILL BE RELEVANT TO BOTH NASA AND NEVADA STRATEGIC SCIENCE PLANS, AS WELL AS THE NASA CENTER AND MISSION DIRECTORATE SCIENCE PRIORITIES PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL NASA EPSCOR PROJECT MANAGER. A REQUIREMENT OF THE SEED GRANT SOLICITATION IS THE SUBMISSION OF AT LEAST ONE COMPETITIVE PROPOSAL. OBJECTIVE 2: PROMOTE THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAINING AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS THAT WILL FOSTER COLLABORATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO IMPROVE NEVADA RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE. FUNDING FOR AT LEAST ONE WORKSHOP PER YEAR IS BUDGETED. AN EXPECTED OUTCOME FROM THE WORKSHOPS IS THE SUBMISSION OF A COMPETITIVE RESEARCH PROPOSAL. OBJECTIVE 3: FACILITATE NEW RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS AMONG NASA CENTERS AND NSHE FACULTY BY AWARDING TRAVEL GRANTS. AS MANY TRAVEL SUB-AWARDS AS POSSIBLE WITH REMAINING RID FUNDS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE EACH YEAR. AN EXPECTED OUTCOME IS THE SUBMISSION OF A COMPETITIVE AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROPOSAL AMONG NSHE FACULTY AND NASA CENTER SCIENTISTS. THE SCIENCE PRIORITIES FOR THIS PROPOSAL ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE NASA CENTER AND MISSION DIRECTORATE PRIORITIES PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL NASA EPSCOR PROJECT MANAGER, THE 2018 NASA STRATEGIC PLAN, THE 2015 NSHE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PLAN AND THE GOVERNOR S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN ENTITLED 2012-2014 MOVING NEVADA FORWARD: A PLAN FOR EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT . IN PREPARATION FOR THIS PROPOSAL, THE NV RID TAC COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOPED A SUBSET OF SCIENCE PRIORITIES AS A FOCAL POINT FOR FUTURE NEVADA NASA EPSCOR ENDEAVORS BASED ON THE ABOVE DOCUMENTS, NSHE CURRENT AND EMERGING RESEARCH AREAS AND BUSINESS MEMBER PERCEPTIONS OF CURRENT FOCUS AREAS FOR NASA. THE TAC IDENTIFIED SUBSET OF SCIENCE PRIORITIES IS LISTED BELOW BY NSHE, STATE, AND BUSINESS FOCUS AREAS. NSHE RESEARCH FOCAL AREAS THAT ARE NASA RELEVANT: SPACE EXPLORATION MATERIALS; SPACE PSYCHOLOGY; MATERIALS AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING; ROBOTICS (EMERGENCY SERVICES; HUMAN SERVICES, CONSTRUCTION AND MINING TECHNOLOGIES) UAS (MATERIALS, HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, COMMAND/CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS); BIG DATA; RADIATION PROTECTION; RENEWABLE ENERGY AND PHOTOVOLTAICS; SOFTWARE ENGINEERING; CYBERSECURITY; ELECTRONICS; 3D PRINTING; CUBESAT; MARS GEOCHEMISTRY; ASTROBIOLOGY/EXOBIOLOGY; ASTROPHYSICS AND PLANETARY SCIENCES (JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE LAUNCHING IN 2020); SAMPLE SCIENCE, CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY; PLANT BIOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS; MICROBIAL BIOFILMS WILL SHED LIGHT ON HOW BIOFILMS FORM AND IDENTIFY MATERIALS AND WAYS TO CONTROL BIOFILM FORMATION. WATER RESOURCES; HYDROMETEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE MODELING; DRY LAND AGRICULTURE; EARTH SCIENCE; AND FORM NRESS-300 VERSION 3.0 APR 09 AEROSOLS AND ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTANTS AND PROPERTIES STATE OF NEVADA FOCAL AREAS FOR NSHE: MORE STEM-RELATED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; UAS AND AUTONOMOUS GROUND VEHICLES; AEROSPACE; AND CRYPTO/CYBER SECURITY | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $448,736 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Mar 1, 2019 | Jul 1, 2019 | Jun 30, 2022 | ||
| HYDROGEN, PERCHLORATE, AND ELEMENTS SUCH AS MG AND FE WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE FOR EXTENDED HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS BECAUSE THEY COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF FUEL AND KEY RAW MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING. EXTENDED HUMAN STAYS ON MARS WILL ALSO LIKELY UTILIZE THE MARTIAN REGOLITH AS PLANT GROWTH MEDIUM, WETTING THE INITIALLY DRY REGOLITH WITH LIQUID WATER TO FORM SOIL. THIS INITIAL WETTING OF THE MARTIAN REGOLITH CAN RELEASE VERY VALUABLE MATERIALS FOR IN SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION. PREVIOUS WORK ON EARTH HAS SHOWN THAT INTERACTIONS OF LIQUID WATER WITH FRESH, FE-RICH MINERAL SURFACES PRODUCES HYDROGEN, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BE USED AS A FUEL SOURCE ON MARS. PERCHLORATE IS WIDELY PRESENT ON MARS, AND COULD ALSO BE ISOLATED AS PART OF THE WETTING PROCESS THAT WOULD OCCUR IN SOILS BECAUSE IT IS EASILY SOLUBILIZED. IN ADDITION, MANY LOCATIONS ON MARS CONTAIN ABUNDANT METALS AND NON-METALS THAT COULD BE UTILIZED IN SITU, INCLUDING FE, MG, CL AND S. | BOARD OF REGENTS, NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION | $0 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Feb 12, 2019 | Jan 1, 2019 | Feb 21, 2019 |