Means have been developed for enabling fiber optic cables of the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometer instrument to survive ground operations plus the nominal 670 Martian conditions that include Martian summer and winter seasons. The purpose of this development was to...

A simple new way of obtaining absolute wavefront measurements with a laboratory Fizeau interferometer was recently devised. In that case, the observed wavefront map is the difference of two cavity surfaces, those of the mirror under test and of an unknown reference surface on...

A solid-state light source combines an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with advanced electronic control and stabilization over both the spectrum and overall level of the light output. The use of LEDs provides efficient operation over a wide range of wavelengths and power levels, while electronic...

High temperatures have been used to dissociate water, but in many cases, the oxygen and hydrogen recombine when temperatures drop. A new device magnetically separates hydrogen from oxygen at elevated temperatures. Steam enters a reaction chamber, heats to over 150 °C in a focused solar beam, and...

Using a piezo-actuated valve and an integral, closed-loop pressure control circuit, a modular controller maintains the pressure of non-corrosive to mildly corrosive gases. The Active Pressure Controller (APC) consumes minimal power (

Although there are highly sensitive methods for pathogen detection in donor blood, the risk of infection via transfusion remains. A customer seeks methods to inactivate all known and unknown blood-borne pathogens in blood products, especially where those technologies can be used for whole blood or red blood cells....

A non-destructive test mechanism is needed to detect fracture toughness, hardness, and microstructure properties of 1/8" steel weld zones. The device must measure the characteristics of flash upset welding of steel. In addition, the standalone technology should not function in a continuous, in-line...