United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Geoffrey L Bland

Joseph Bretthauer

Ted K Miles

Kay Rufty

Richard Cairncross

Ted Miles

Douglas Stout

Richard Craincross

A kite-based line climber apparatus includes a fuselage; a wing assembly connected to the fuselage; an elevator assembly connected to the fuselage; and a line attachment assembly. The line attachment assembly has a pylon extending through and connected to the wing assembly and one or more coupling members disposed on the mast member. A kite line of the kite is configured to be coupled to or run along the coupling member(s). The apparatus provides a light weight aerodynamically efficient design for a line climber that enables a high level of altitude control as well as climb/decent speed.

Line climber for kite-based atmospheric profiling and remote sensing

Embodiments may provide a kite system that incorporates a highly efficient lifting surface combined with aerodynamic control surfaces while using only a single tether. Such a kite having a lifting surface combined with aerodynamic control surfaces while using only a single tether may be referred to as a 'controllable kite'. Embodiments may include a controllable kite configured to operate aloft connected to only a single tether, the kite including a lifting surface that is heavier-than-air, an aerodynamic surface control system configured to adjust an attitude of the lifting surface while the kite is aloft, and an attachment point connecting the single tether to the kite.

Controllable kite configuration

Disclosed are watercrafts with rotatable air propulsion steering units and retractable measurement instruments. The watercraft can include a substantially flat bottom, a top deck, a rotatable air propulsion steering unit configured to propel the watercraft and to rotate in order to steer the watercraft when the watercraft is submerged in a liquid body without requiring a submerged rudder steering system under the substantially flat bottom. The watercraft can also include a retractable measurement deck configured to alternatively raise measurement instruments above the liquid body and lower into the liquid body.

Advanced remotely operated vehicle for education and research

A suspension apparatus for suspending instrumentation from an airborne platform may include a generally longitudinal boom having a payload end and a tail end. Yaw and pitch stabilizers may be disposed at the tail end of the boom. A mast that may be selectively translatable on the boom may connect the boom to a tether line of the airborne platform. The payload may be attached to the payload end of the boom. The mast may be positioned axially along the boom at the center of gravity of the combination of the payload, boom, pitch stabilizer, and yaw stabilizer.

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Parksley, VA, United States of America

Geoffrey L Bland