Solar sail mission applications and future advancement

Solar sailing has long been envisaged as an enabling technology. The promise of open-ended missions allows consideration of radically new trajectories and the delivery of spacecraft to previously unreachable or unsustainable observation outposts. A mission catalogue is presented of an extensive range of potential solar sail applications, allowing identification of the key features of missions which are enabled, or significantly enhance, through solar sail propulsion. Through these considerations a solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap is established, using each mission as a technology stepping-stone to the next. Having identified and developed a solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap, this is incorporated into a new vision for solar sailing. The development of new technologies, especially for space applications, is high-risk. The advancement difficulty of low technology readiness level research is typically underestimated due to a lack of recognition of the advancement degree of difficulty scale. Recognising the currently low technology readiness level of traditional solar sailing concepts, along with their high advancement degree of difficulty and a lack of near-term applications a new vision for solar sailing is presented which increases the technology readiness level and reduces the advancement degree of difficulty of solar sailing. Just as the basic principles of solar sailing are not new, they have also been long proven and utilised in spacecraft as a low-risk, high-return limited-capability propulsion system. It is therefore proposed that this significant heritage be used to enable rapid, near-term solar sail future advancement through coupling currently mature solar sail, and other, technologies with current solar sail technology developments. As such the near-term technology readiness level of traditional solar sailing is increased, while simultaneously reducing the advancement degree of difficulty along the solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap

Orbit transfer rocket engine integrated control and health monitoring system technology readiness assessment

The objectives of this task were to: (1) estimate the technology readiness of an integrated control and health monitoring (ICHM) system for the Aerojet 7500 lbF Orbit Transfer Vehicle engine preliminary design assuming space based operations; and (2) estimate the remaining cost to advance this technology to a NASA defined 'readiness level 6' by 1996 wherein the technology has been demonstrated with a system validation model in a simulated environment. The work was accomplished through the conduct of four subtasks. In subtask 1 the minimally required functions for the control and monitoring system was specified. The elements required to perform these functions were specified in Subtask 2. In Subtask 3, the technology readiness level of each element was assessed. Finally, in Subtask 4, the development cost and schedule requirements were estimated for bringing each element to 'readiness level 6'

"Demand Readiness Level" (DRL), a new tool to hybridize Market Pull and Technology Push approaches

Analyzing the evolution of the innovation models, from the linear process (“concept” for Schumpeter, “R&D push” for Abernathy, Utterback, “co-innovation” for Shapiro), integrated and systemic process (“coordination process” for Hardy, Iansiti, Chen, “innovative management” for Tucker) to total innovation management (3 totalities for XU) we could understand the evolution of the practices and actors of innovation. This paper identifies the importance of new tools in order to favor the technology transfer process. The author introduces the concept of "Demand Readiness Level", an additional scale to Technology Readiness Level, which will relate to the degree of maturity for the expression of a need by a customer on a given market including the lead markets for eco-innovation. The case of SMEs it will be in particularly addressed with the identification of specific "asymmetries in the innovation process" (Paun, F., 2009): risk asymmetry, cultural asymmetry and technology asymmetry.Eco-innovation, TRL, Technology transfer, SME, Demand

Definition, technology readiness, and development cost of the orbit transfer vehicle engine integrated control and health monitoring system elements

An Integrated Control and Health Monitoring (ICHM) system was conceived for use on a 20 Klb thrust baseline Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) engine. Considered for space used, the ICHM was defined for reusability requirements for an OTV engine service free life of 20 missions, with 100 starts and a total engine operational time of 4 hours. Functions were derived by flowing down requirements from NASA guidelines, previous OTV engine or ICHM documents, and related contracts. The elements of an ICHM were identified and listed, and these elements were described in sufficient detail to allow estimation of their technology readiness levels. These elements were assessed in terms of technology readiness level, and supporting rationale for these assessments presented. The remaining cost for development of a minimal ICHM system to technology readiness level 6 was estimated. The estimates are within an accuracy range of minus/plus 20 percent. The cost estimates cover what is needed to prepare an ICHM system for use on a focussed testbed for an expander cycle engine, excluding support to the actual test firings

Analisis Tingkat Kesiapan Pengguna Ensiklopedia Anak Dengan Menggunakan Metode Technology Readiness Index

Anapedia is a new technology so it requires measurement of the level of readiness of its users. The measurement aims to determine the success rate of anapedia application. The method used to measure the level of readiness of users is the Technology Readinesss Index (TRI). TRI is an index used to measure the readiness of users to accept and use new technology to achieve goals in their daily lives and work. The research variables used are optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity. Data analysis used is inferential statistics namely statistical methods to collect, process, present and analyze quantitative data. The research data was obtained from the distribution of questionnaires to 108 respondents consisting of 97 students and 11 teachers at SDN 2 Bandungrejosari Malang. Based on the results of the analysis carried out, the TRI value is 3.6 which means that the user is in the level of high technology readiness. Users are ready to implement anapedia

Readiness of BIM: a case study of a quantity surveying organisation

Building Information Modelling (BIM), as an emerging enabling technology, is widely promoted in the UK. For Quantity Surveyor, BIM has the potential to remove many mundane elements of traditional quantity surveying, such as taking off and the production of Bills of Quantities (BoQ), by automating or assisting in these tasks removing human error, increasing efficiency and promoting collaboration. However implementation of BIM in the Construction Industry is not an easy task. This research aims to investigate the readiness of quantity surveying (QS) firms in the UK in implementation of BIM. The paper presents a case study of a SME QS organisation analysing its readiness to adopt BIM and evaluating perceived potential benefits. The case study is analysed at both organisation level and project level to explore the challenges the SME organisation facing inside and out. The key barriers are discussed and identified for SME quantity surveying organisations to implement BIM

Ares Project Technology Assessment: Approach and Tools

Technology assessments provide a status of the development maturity of specific technologies. Along with benefit analysis, the risks the project assumes can be quantified. Normally due to budget constraints, the competing technologies are prioritized and decisions are made which ones to fund. A detailed technology development plan is produced for the selected technologies to provide a roadmap to reach the desired maturity by the project s critical design review. Technology assessments can be conducted for both technology only tasks or for product development programs. This paper is primarily biased toward the product development programs. The paper discusses the Ares Project s approach to technology assessment. System benefit analysis, risk assessment, technology prioritization, and technology readiness assessment are addressed. A description of the technology readiness level tool being used is provided

Prospects for Interstellar Propulsion

In recognition of the increasing prospects for Earth-like exoplanet discoveries and its significance for spurring future interstellar voyages of discovery, the United States Congress recently directed NASA to undertake an interstellar mission technology assessment report. In response to this legislative charge to action, NASA has undertaken a series of extramural interstellar workshops aimed at identifying and evaluating technology concepts for enabling an interstellar scientific probe mission, associated technical challenges, technology readiness level assessments, risks, potential near-term milestones, and funding requirements. This paper summarizes these activities and discusses the scientific and technical rationale for a long-term program consisting of incremental, staged technical developments that are extensible for interstellar travel to a nearby star system over many decades

Analisis Kesiapan Humanware Pada Proses Transfer Teknologi (Studi Kasus: Kampung Batik Laweyan, Surakarta)

One of the world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO is in Indonesia, the legacy is batik. In the process of making batik fabrics require many processes that must be passed step by step with great patience and thoroughness. This must be owned by batik employees, especially at the stage of the production process. The majority of batik employees who are in the scope of Kampung Batik Laweyan Forum (FKBL) Surakarta is already old age. The level of productivity of batik cloth is currently very high, so it must be able to compete with the competitors. The touch of technology will help facilitate the employees during the production process in completing the manufacture of batik cloth. Without abandoning the cultural aspects of the process of making it, the macro ergonomics work system approach can achieve the company's goals effectively. Sociotechnical macro ergonomics is applied as a whole from top to bottom in a system. This research uses Delphi method as a way to compose a structured communication role in facing technology transfer process towards batik business continuity which is incorporated in Forum Kampung Batik Laweyan (FKBL). The process of implementing this technology transfer is needed readiness from the side of technoware, orgaware, humanware and infoware. This research is more concentrated on the readiness of humanware in the face of a technology transfer process. Measuring the level of humanware readiness on Laweyan batik business on the readiness of the technology transfer process showed a result of 2.3886. The supporting criteria of the humanware aspect that shows the highest value is the Orientation Efficiency with the result of 0.2146, while the lowest criterion is the Time Orientation where the result is 0.1223