Nasa has selected 152 proposals for phase 2 contract negotiation for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme.

Under the SBIR programme, Nasa selects ventures that address research and technology needs for agency programmes and projects.

Innovative research areas covered by the selected projects include advanced aerospace adhesives to minimise aging and increase the durability of aircraft, new computational tools to improve designs of future hypersonic spacecraft and new approaches to fire suppression in spacecraft environments.

The projects also include research areas such as technologies to monitor crew health and well-being using very small scale testing devices.

Research on new instruments for small lunar rovers or landers for critical mineralogical analysis for moon studies and moon and advanced transmitters for deep space communications are also included under SBIR projects.

The SBIR programme uses a three-phase award system involving a feasibility study in the first phase, developing on the study in the next phase and commercialisation in the last.

Out of the 152 proposals, Nasa will award the contracts, with a total value of $91m, to just 126.