Blog

The space environment poses significant challenges to technology platforms, space exploration, and mission assurance. Mission planners are continually striving to push technologies further to explore new and environmentally harsh regions of the universe. Highly charged environments can exist at Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Polar Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) owing to solar winds/storms and charged particles trapped in Earth’s radiation belts.1-3 Just…Read More

Ethan Thompson, Kevin Farinholt Approximately 4,000 ballast tanks across the U.S. Navy’s fleet must be inspected annually to determine their structural health and identify the presence of corrosion (Figure 1). These inspection efforts cost approximately $200 million dollars a year, with about 50% of the cost attributed to unexpected or unplanned repairs. The U.S. military is looking to transition from time-based inspection practices to condition-based…Read More

  Dealing with electrical threats in the aerospace community is an extremely difficult and challenging problem.  Electrostatic discharge (ESD) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) can catastrophically damage critical aircraft electronics and jam radio and radar signals. Similarly, ESD and EMI threats can render expensive and mission-critical satellites inoperable. At joints, gaps, and fastener locations it is very important to have continuous electrical conductivity to protect against…Read More

The availability of fresh water is recognized as a global issue of strategic relevance, with demand increasing due to factors like population growth and agricultural and industrial demands. Many conventional technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO) work well in established communities with infrastructure and wealth to fund their operation but are not cost-effective for poor or remote communities or when traditional infrastructure is down, as…Read More

Recent Advances Have Revolutionized Prosthetics Significant advances in materials, sensors, and electronics, coupled with improved understanding of the nervous system, have resulted in prosthetics that are able to mimic the natural movement and function of the lost limb of an amputee. New research has demonstrated the ability for these devices to communicate directly with the brain and provide the sensation of touch via the insertion…Read More

Brad Brooks and Zhiguo Zhou, Luna Labs Venomous snakes are found all over the world.  In the tropical world, where they are most abundant and there is limited access to emergent medical care, they are a significant threat to public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated “snakebites” as a Neglected Tropical Disease, seriously injuring 2.7 million men, women and children, and claiming some…Read More

Reducing the Costs of Aircraft Corrosion Corrosion prevention and control represents a significant driver of costs for the United States Armed Forces.  For the Air Force alone, multi-billion dollar annual expenditures are needed to combat corrosion of aircraft.  The most effective means of corrosion control is through protective coatings.  In partnership with the Air Force though the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program Luna has…Read More

Lauren Costella, Research SpecialistChristopher Tison, PhD, Team LeaderBiomedical Technologies Group Postoperative Adhesions Prevention Remains a Critical Problem Adhesions typically form following surgery when normal wound healing is interrupted by contact between injured and neighboring tissues. This results in the formation of fibrous connections that permanently attach neighboring tissues and typically causes pain, bowel obstruction, infertility, and increased difficulty in subsequent surgical procedures. With 44% of…Read More

Forensic Swabs Do Not Perform as Needed in Criminal Investigations Forensic swabs are routinely used by crime scene investigators and forensic scientists for the collection of a wide range of evidence types for analysis (Figure 1). Collecting biological samples for subsequent DNA analysis is one of the primary uses for forensic swabs. These swabs are used to adsorb blood, saliva, sexual assault evidence, and what…Read More