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LaRC Airborne Measurement Program — SBIR Ecosystem

Created: session 96 (2026-04-08). Data: Richard H. Moore full PM portfolio batch-retrieved via techport_find_contacts + techport_get_project.

Summary

NASA Langley Research Center runs one of NASA's most coherent SBIR instrument procurement programs: a sustained 26-project investment in small companies developing precision airborne measurement instruments for NASA's atmospheric research campaigns. Richard H. Moore (LaRC, richard.h.moore@nasa.gov) is the structural coordinator — he serves as Project Manager across essentially the entire portfolio, spanning 5+ vendors and multiple technology tracks. All 26 projects are SBIR/STTR. The program prioritizes instrument maturity (6 of 26 reach TRL 7-8) over breadth, and it funds multiple generations of the same instrument from the same vendor.

Why this is distinctive: Most SBIR portfolios are diffuse — many vendors, many technologies, few returning suppliers. The LaRC airborne measurement program is concentrated: deep multi-year relationships with 4-5 specialist companies producing instruments that actually fly on NASA airborne platforms (ER-2, DC-8/SOFIA, P-3 Orion, King Air, etc.).

Richard H. Moore Portfolio — 26 Projects

Data: techport_find_contacts(name="Richard Moore") → 26 projectIds. All batch-retrieved 2026-04-08.

Project ID Title Lead Org TRL TX (assigned)
89469 3-Color DPAS Aerosol Absorption Monitor Aerodyne 8 TX08.1.1 Detectors
93465 Electrometric Aviation Soot Monitor Aerodyne 8 TX01.1.3 (miscoded)
17794 Differential Photoacoustic Monitor Aerodyne 7 TX08.3.1 Field Detectors
112877 Airborne CFDC for Ice Nucleating Particles Handix 7 TX08.1.4 (miscoded)
125794 HoloMIE Holographic Extinctiometer Handix 7 TX08.1.1 Detectors
113090 Particle Phase Spectrometer SPEC, Inc. 7 TX08.3.1 Field Detectors
125336 TuFF Composite Manufacturing Assessment Composites Automation 6 TX12.1.1 Lightweight Materials
125367 Ultra-Wide Bandwidth Conformal Strain Sensors Nanosonic 6 TX08.1.1 Detectors
113072 Aerosol Absorption Standard Aerodyne 6 TX15.1.5 (miscoded)
112901 Aerosol Absorption Standard (II) Aerodyne 5 TX15.1.5 (miscoded)
125420 Particle Phase Spectrometer (I) SPEC, Inc. 5 TX08.1.5 Lasers
112833 Balloon-Borne CRD Spectrometer Handix 4 TX08.1.5 Lasers
112894 CINCHH — Contrail Ice Counter Handix 4 TX01.3.8 (miscoded)
113041 CINCH2 — Contrail Ice Counter Handix 7 TX01.3.8 (miscoded)
112920 Aviation Particle Composition Analyzer Aerodyne 4 TX15.1.5 (miscoded)
94488 Airborne CFDC (I) Handix 4 TX08.1.4 (miscoded)
125569 Humidity Probe for Contrail-Cirrus Avoidance (I) Aerodyne 4 TX08.3.4 Environment
154493 Humidity Probe for Contrail-Cirrus Avoidance (II) Aerodyne 4 TX08.3.4 Environment
89920 Optical System for Atmospheric Particle Measurement MetroLaser 4 TX08.1.1 Detectors
94750 Size-Resolved Phase Function Monitor Aerodyne 4 TX08.1.5 Lasers
33448 Three Color Particle Optical Extinction Monitor Aerodyne 7 TX08.1.3 Optics
89895 Electrometric Aviation Soot Monitor (I) Aerodyne 4 TX01.3.5 (miscoded)
113540 HoloMIE (I) Handix 4 TX08.1.3 Optics
125792 CPIPS — Common-Path Interferometric Particle Sizer Handix 4 TX08.1.5 Lasers
154586 Airborne Multiangle Aerosol Size Spectrometer (I) CloudSci 4 TX08.1.5 Lasers
158694 Airborne Multiangle Aerosol Size Spectrometer (II) CloudSci 4 TX08.1.5 Lasers

Note: TX miscodes (TX01.x, TX15.x) on atmospheric instrument projects are 2010-2014 era data quality artifacts — see field-completeness.md Issue 36.

Vendor Ecosystem

Vendor Projects Primary Technology Max TRL
Aerodyne Research ~11 Aerosol absorption (DPAS), soot monitoring, multi-pass cells, extinction TRL 8
Handix Scientific ~8 Ice nucleating particles (CFDC), holographic cloud imaging (HoloMIE), contrail counters TRL 7
SPEC, Inc. 2 Particle phase spectroscopy TRL 7
CloudSci, LLC 2 Multiangle aerosol size spectroscopy TRL 4
MetroLaser, Inc. 1 Optical aerosol measurement TRL 4

Two structural outliers (not atmospheric measurement): - Composites Automation, LLC [125336]: TuFF (Tailorable Ultra-lightweight Fiber-placed Fabrics) manufacturing assessment, TRL 6, TX12 (lightweight structures) — LaRC materials program, different program area - Nanosonic, Inc. [125367]: Ultra-wide bandwidth conformal strain sensors for NDE, TRL 6, TX08.1.1 — may relate to aircraft structural health monitoring adjacent to the measurement program

Technology Coverage

The 26 projects collectively address the full measurement chain for NASA atmospheric aerosol science:

  1. Absorption measurement — How much light do aerosol particles absorb? (DPAS, DPAS 3-color, photoacoustic techniques)
  2. Scattering/extinction measurement — How much light do particles scatter? (Multi-pass cells, extinction monitors, phase function)
  3. Size/phase spectrometry — What sizes and phases are cloud/aerosol particles? (CFDC, HoloMIE, particle phase spectrometer, CPIPS)
  4. Aviation emissions — Soot, ice crystal formation in contrails (CINCH, CINCHH, aviation particle composition, electrometric soot)
  5. Humidity measurement — Critical for contrail-cirrus prediction (humidity probe, contrail-cirrus avoidance)
  6. Calibration standards — Aerosol absorption standards for instrument calibration across research groups

This maps to LaRC's airborne measurement program and NASA's atmospheric research priorities: black carbon radiative forcing, contrail climate effects, aerosol-cloud interactions.

TRL Success Profile

6 of 26 projects (23%) reach TRL 7+. This is notably above typical SBIR rates (LaRC atmospheric instruments: ~5-15% reach TRL 7+, based on broader SBIR surveys):

Project Vendor TRL Notes
89469 3-Color DPAS Aerodyne 8 Final summary chart confirms fieldable instrument
93465 Electrometric Soot Aerodyne 8 ICAO aviation emissions compliance tool
17794 DPAS Monitor Aerodyne 7 Phase II of DPAS generation 2
33448 3-Color Extinction Aerodyne 7 Multi-wavelength aerosol extinction
112877 CFDC Handix 7 Airborne ice nucleating particle counter
125794 HoloMIE Handix 7 Holographic cloud particle imaging
113090 PPS SPEC, Inc. 7 Particle phase spectrometer — data artifact: TRL 7 in Phase I record is inherited from Phase II intent; Phase II [125420] closed at TRL 5

Pattern: All confirmed TRL 7+ projects are Phase II completions, and most are the second or third generation of a technology. Moore's program funds the long arcs (Phase I → Phase II, often repeated) that yield mature instruments. Caveat: The SPEC [113090] TRL 7 entry is a data artifact; the real Phase II [125420] closed at TRL 5 (see SPEC Phase II analysis below). This reduces confirmed TRL 7+ from 7 to 6 projects.

Outcome Masking

0 Infused_To and 0 Transitioned_To across all 26 projects — all record only Closed_Out. This is the same commercial masking pattern seen in Aerodyne's full 35-project portfolio.

But the instruments do fly. LaRC's airborne measurement program deploys instruments on NASA platforms (ER-2, DC-8, P-3 Orion, King Air). The disconnect between TechPort outcome records and actual deployment is a structural feature: instruments purchased for internal NASA program use are not tracked as "transitions" — they are operational deployments. TechPort outcome tracking is calibrated for commercial or inter-program transitions, not internal NASA procurement.

Confidence: confirmed (all 26 projects retrieved; Aerodyne Closed_Out pattern confirmed in full 35-project Aerodyne audit per topics/aerodyne.md.)

Open Threads

  1. Handix Scientific vendor profile — DONE (session 97, 2026-04-08). See organizations/handix-scientific.md. 5 technology tracks, 3 at TRL 7 (CFDC-IAS, CINCH², HoloMIE). Key finds: CFDC-IAS confirmed flight-deployed (photo); HoloMIE dual-wavelength holographic imager in PMS canister form factor; CINCH² is a contrail formation simulator (not just a counter). 50% taxonomy miscoding rate.
  2. SPEC Inc. document read — DONE (session 97, 2026-04-08). PPS (Particle Phase Spectrometer) [113090] Phase I read. Key innovation: 10ns laser pulse (vs. 50ns in prior Cloud Particle Imager) eliminates particle motion blur at 120 m/s flight speed — hexagonal ice crystal shapes resolve cleanly. Three integrated components: (1) 1µm-pixel camera with custom PZ3 lens, (2) 2D-Gray array probe (10µm, multi-gray-level), (3) forward scattering probe (2-50µm). Phase I imagery matches 400X lab microscope for ice and salt crystals. Data quality note: [113090] shows TRL 7 but is a 6-month Phase I ("will design and test in laboratory" scope). TRL 7 is likely a data artifact inherited from the Phase II [125420] closeout — actual Phase I endpoint was TRL 4-5. PI: Paul Lawson (SPEC). Two NASAPMs: Richard Moore + Keith Woodman (LaRC).
  3. CloudSci, LLC — DONE (session 98, 2026-04-08). See below for full CloudSci profile.
  4. SPEC Inc. Phase II [125420] — DONE (session 98, 2026-04-08). See SPEC Phase II analysis below.
  5. Structural outliers (Composites Automation, Nanosonic) — DONE (session 99, 2026-04-08). Both projects have richard.h.moore@nasa.gov as co-PM alongside domain specialists (Ray Grenoble for composites [125336]; William Wilson for NDE [125367]). Moore serves a dual role: primary technical PM for atmospheric instruments, and secondary co-PM for broader LaRC SBIR projects in composites and NDE. See Moore Portfolio Scope section below.
  6. What aircraft are these instruments on? LaRC's airborne fleet is not in TechPort — the deployment context is invisible. A cross-reference to LaRC's airborne science programs (e.g., ACTIVATE, CAMP²Ex, ARCSIX) would link TechPort instrument maturation to actual measurement campaigns.

SPEC Inc. — Phase II Analysis (session 98)

Project: 125420 — "A Particle Phase Spectrometer for Cloud Microphysics Research" Period: 2022-05-04 – 2025-05-03 | Outcome: Closed_Out May 2025 | TRL begin: 5, TRL end: 5

The Phase II PPS promised to deliver a flight-ready prototype "at no cost to NASA" for installation on the NASA P-3B research aircraft for the ARCSIX (Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface-Interaction Experiment) field campaign in summer 2024. It also targeted the DC-8 and WB-57.

What Phase II was supposed to build: Three integrated components — (1) 1-µm pixel CPI with custom PZ3 lens + 200W / 10ns pulse laser, (2) 2D-Gray optical array probe with 5-µm pixels, (3) forward scattering probe (2-50µm). The full instrument would discriminate water drops from ice crystals as small as 20-30 µm in mixed-phase clouds.

What actually happened (from documents): - Phase II briefing (381663): Re-uses Phase I result images (PPS vs. lab microscope comparison). No new Phase II progress imagery at kickoff. - Final summary (381664): Shows the 2D-Gray electronics board on a lab bench (oscilloscope attached, wires exposed) + a CAD render of the proposed airborne housing + realtime 2D-Gray data dated 2024-04-12. The 2D-Gray component was generating real particle data (large 195-µm drops visible; 5-µm resolution demonstrated). But this is bench-test data, not airborne.

Assessment: The 2D-Gray component was validated in the lab (TRL 5 = component validated in relevant environment). But the full integrated PPS — with all three subsystems packaged into the airborne housing and Learjet flight-qualified — was never completed. ARCSIX launched summer 2024 without the PPS, or with a partial instrument. The project Closed_Out May 2025 with TRL unchanged from start.

SPEC PPS Phase II final summary — 2D-Gray bench test and CAD housing

Comparison to Handix (same PM, same program): | | SPEC PPS Phase II | Handix CFDC-IAS Phase II | |---|---|---| | PM | Richard Moore (LaRC) | Richard Moore (LaRC) | | Target | Flight demo on P-3B (ARCSIX 2024) | Airborne deployment | | Duration | 3 years (2022-2025) | 3 years (2019-2022) | | TRL start | 5 | 4 | | TRL end | 5 (no advance) | 7 (flight deployed) | | Outcome | Closed_Out | Closed_Out (but instruments fly) | | Evidence | Lab bench data, April 2024 | In-flight rack photo confirmed |

Data quality note: [113090] (SPEC Phase I) shows TRL 7 — this is an artifact. Phase II [125420] started at TRL 5, confirming Phase I never reached TRL 7. The Phase I record appears to have inherited the Phase II's intended final TRL.

CloudSci, LLC — Phase II Profile (session 98)

Active Project: 158694 — "The Airborne Multiangle Aerosol Size Spectrometer: A next generation aerosol probe" Period: 2024-07-18 – 2026-07-17 | Status: Active | TRL: 4→7 (target) | PI: Matt Freer (mfreer@cloudsci.io)

What's being replaced: The current state-of-the-art airborne aerosol sizing instrument is "almost 50 years old" — consistent with the PCASP (Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe), developed in the 1970s. It's difficult to maintain and at risk of causing measurement gaps.

Measurement principle: Integrated side scattering for accurate sizing of submicron particles — a different paradigm from absorption-based instruments (DPAS, photoacoustic). Measures aerosol optical properties via angular scattering cross-sections. Targeted size range: submicron particles (PM2.5 and below).

Phase II objectives (7 deliverables): 1. Integrated scattering measurement optical system 2. Improved aerosol nozzle design/fabrication 3. Probe inlet system 4. Electronics system development 5. Data acquisition and display software 6. Full aircraft prototype instrument build 7. Laboratory evaluation and environmental testing

CloudSci airborne aerosol probe — CAD concept

CAD render: yellow cylindrical probe body with hemispherical pink inlet nose; wing-mount fins; standard aircraft probe form factor.

NASA applications: PACE satellite validation (ocean biology/aerosols/clouds), upcoming ACCP Mission (aerosols/clouds/convection/precipitation), TEMPO (geostationary air quality), CAMP2Ex (tropical meteorology).

Non-NASA market: DOE, NCAR, NOAA, DLR (Germany), FAAM (UK), SAFIRE (France) — international research aircraft community. Core optical technology adaptable for ground-based air quality monitoring and clean room monitoring.

Status: Mid-project (July 2024 – July 2026). No closeout documents yet. CloudSci is the newest vendor in Moore's portfolio and has no prior TRL advancement track record in TechPort — watch for Phase II final documents after July 2026.

Moore Portfolio Scope — Dual Role Analysis (session 99)

Richard H. Moore (richard.h.moore@nasa.gov, LaRC) manages projects beyond the 26-project atmospheric instrument cluster. Two outliers confirmed:

Project Lead Org TX Moore role Co-PM
125336 TuFF Composites Composites Automation LLC (Newark, DE) TX12.1.1 Lightweight Structural Materials Co-PM Ray Grenoble (LaRC, composites specialist)
125367 Conformal Strain Sensors Nanosonic Inc. (Pembroke, VA) TX08.1.1 Detectors and Focal Planes Co-PM William Wilson, Keith Woodman (LaRC, NDE/electronics specialists)

Finding: On atmospheric measurement projects, Moore is the primary (often sole) technical PM. On these outlier projects, Moore appears as co-PM alongside domain specialists who are the technical leads. This suggests Moore serves dual functions at LaRC SBIR:

  1. Technical domain lead — atmospheric/cloud physics instrument development (his primary expertise)
  2. Portfolio co-PM — assigned alongside domain specialists for broader LaRC SBIR solicitations, likely as a coordination or administrative role

Implication for KB: The 26-project atmospheric cluster is the cohesive unit. The outlier projects do not expand Moore's domain — they indicate that LaRC SBIR PM assignments are sometimes shared. The atmospheric program boundary remains well-defined.

Taxonomy note on [125367]: Nanosonic's Phase I (113568) was correctly coded TX13.2.7 "Test Instruments and Sensors" — appropriate for NDE strain sensors. Phase II [125367] was coded TX08.1.1 "Detectors and Focal Planes" — weaker fit (thinks of the semiconductor nanomembrane as a detector element rather than as an NDE tool). Neither the human coder nor the ML prediction caught the shift. Both phases are: co-authored by William Wilson (LaRC NDE specialist) and Hang Ruan (Nanosonic PI).

Cross-references