Researcher Honored for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology

Dr. Oscar Custance, an AFRL-funded researcher working at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, earned the 2009 Feynman Prize for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology for contributions in the area of atomic-scale precision. These research results may eventually lead to more effective catalysts for producing hydrogen fuel. (AFRL image)

Air Force Research and Development Award Goes to AFRL Lieutenant

First Lieutenant Sean R. Majo, of the AFRL Sensors Directorate, won the Air Force Research and Development Award for 2009. (AFRL image)

AFOSR: New Propulsion Systems for Mini Satellites

A prototype of a miniature electrospray thruster with four rows of ion emitters is shown here. The thruster is contained within two black plates each measuring about one square inch. (Credit: Dr. Paulo Lozano, MIT)

SBIR-Enabled Propulsion Technology Enjoys "R&D 100" Acclaim

AFRL propulsion research partner Synchrony, Inc., produced the Fusion compact radial and axial magnetic bearing with AFRL Small Business Innovation Research funding support. The technology has since earned R&D 100 Award acclaim from R&D Magazine. (AFRL image)

FalconSAT-5

(From left to right) U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets Matthew Knutson, Joseph Ulisse, and Bill Percoski study data from FalconSAT-5 tests at the Air Force Research Lab at Edwards Jan 21. According to a U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Astronautics press release, the primary mission of the FalconSAT-5 is to perform space weather measurements with on-board sensors in collaboration with remote ground sites. (Air Force photo/2nd Lt Belena Marquez)

Cryo Cooler

Under an AFOSR, MURI grant, a team led by University of New Mexico professor, Dr. Mansoor Sheik-Bahae and graduate student, Dr. Denis Seletskiy created the first-ever cryo (temperatures that can only be obtained by liquefying gases) cooler that can be applied to airborne and spaceborne sensors.(Credit: Sheik-Bahae, University of New Mexico)

Cadets brief senior AFSPC and AFRL officials on FalconSAT-5 status

Cadets and contractors prepare FalconSAT-5 for a battery of environmental tests at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Nov. 12, 2009, prior to declaring the satellite spaceflight-worthy. Cadets briefed senior officials from the AFRL and Air Force Space Command on the status of FalconSAT-5 as well as FalconSAT-3, which has been on orbit since March 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo)

SBIR-Enabled Technology Holds Nothing Back From Aircrew Safety

AFRL's SBIR-enabled UMARS technology will undergo delivery to Navy customers in the form of CMARS, a variable-restraint system that responds based on the severity of maneuvers or crashes, while still enabling aircrews to perform their duties.

Senior Toxicologist Appointed 2009 Academy Fellow

Dr. Saber Hussain, senior toxicologist in AFRL's 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Biosciences and Performance Division, Biological Interaction Group was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. (Air Force photo)

Live-Virtual-Constructive Contributions Earn FLC Tech Transfer Award

Kristen Schario (pictured far left), regional coordinator for the Federal Laboratory Consortium Midwest Region, presented an FLC Excellence in Technology Transfer award to AFRL's Live-Virtual-Constructive technology team. Pictured left to right are Kristen Barrera, LVC program manager, and AFRL collaborators Brian Schreiber (LUMIR Research, Inc.) and Rod Powers (Cubic Applications, Inc.) (Photo by Amanda Snyder, FLC)

Gotcha Radar Dishing, or 'Desching,' Up Meaningful ISR

'Desch,' AFRL's newest supercomputer, will translate Gotcha real-time radar data into high-resolution, three-dimensional video images to provide persistent situational awareness for troops, particularly in urban areas, any time of day or night and in all weather conditions. The superfast, super-storage-capacity machine takes its name from Dayton, Ohio, codebreaker and computer pioneer Joe Desch, who was instrumental in cracking Nazi codes during World War II.

Tuning In to Multispectral and Polarimetric Target Detection

Applied NanoFemto Technologies has completed AFRL Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and started Phase II of an effort to produce a full-scale sensor for integration into small unmanned aerial system platforms. The SBIR-produced infrared focal plane array imager incorporates spectral tunability and polarimetric sensing technology to improve target detection in cluttered environments.