Kempf, Robert | Search NASA

NASA NTRS2008

Ventilation Transport Trade Study for Future Space Suit Life Support Systems

A new and advanced portable life support system (PLSS) for space suit surface exploration will require a durable, compact, and energy efficient system to transport the ventilation stream through the space suit. Current space suits used by NASA circulate the ventilation stream via a ball-bearing supported centrifugal fan. As NASA enters the design phase for the next generation PLSS, it is necessary to evaluate available technologies to determine what improvements can be made in mass, volume, power, and reliability for a ventilation transport system. Several air movement devices already designed for commercial, military, and space applications are optimized in these areas and could be adapted for EVA use. This paper summarizes the efforts to identify and compare the latest fan and bearing technologies to determine candidates for the next generation PLSS.

Kempf, Robert↗

NASA NTRS1995

Exploitation of rights from the US space program by NASA: Review of the process

The legal environment, and some observations on the policies, procedures, and practices developed and instituted by NASA with regard to the treatment of intellectual property rights arising out of NASA support, are presented. The allocation, protection, and exercise (or exploitation) of such rights are considered. Focus is on the exercise (or exploitation) of intellectual property rights in a manner that provides an incentive to achieve beneficial or commercial use by the private sector of technology resulting from the U.S. space program. While some emphasis is on matters unique to the U.S. space program, many of the policies, procedures, and practices supported research and development activities. The process of making the results of U.S. government supported research and development activities available to the private sector for beneficial or commercial use, whether or not subject to intellectual property rights protection, is commonly known as technology transfer. Consequently, the consideration of intellectual property rights is in the context of the broader technology transfer objectives of NASA.

Kempf, Robert↗