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Defense Intelligence Reference Document Aerospace Applications of Programmable Matter

Defense Intelligence Agency · 20 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency under its Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program and dated 14 December 2009, is a white paper on programmable matter and smart materials. It covers quantum dots, metamaterials, liquid crystals, dynamic windows and spacecraft thermal management, and describes a future space station scenario. It concludes that even partial realization could bring significant gains in spacecraft energy efficiency, safety and mission flexibility.

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Denver Five-Year Cumulative Savings
(holding energy prices constant)
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RavenWindow + Low-E
-- Pilkington K-Glass
Oldcastle Sunglass
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------- 99% Reflective Low-E
Figure 6. RavenWindow Smart Window Film Performance vs. Leading Incumbent Window Filters.
Assuming a retail cost of $25 per square foot, for large buildings across multiple climate
zones, the payback period is 5-10 years. Even faster return on investment is possible if
the retail cost can be reduced, which seems likely given the relative simplicity of the
technology. The payback period does not include capital cost reduction on HVAC
systems, reduction in the cost of window coverings, and the tax and building permit
savings associated with Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) certification.
Thermal Management of Spacecraft
The three laws of thermodynamics, in their simplest form, are (1) you cannot win, (2)
you cannot break even, and (3) you cannot quit the game. Energy is never free, and
nanostructured dynamic materials are of course subject to the same laws as natural
materials. However, while energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, it can be
moved around, changed in form, and also stored. Thus, for thermal management of
spacecraft, dynamic materials have much more to offer than simply regulating solar
heat gain.
One example is active heat transport. A Peltier junction is a solid-state heat pump
made from two dissimilar semiconductors. When a current is passed through the
junction, one face grows hot while the other grows cold.
9
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 20 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.