Whisper Aero Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by NASA to design quiet and efficient fans for spacecraft cabin ventilation, with the possibility of extending into additional space habitat environment applications. During this six-month Phase I effort, Whisper will be working closely with NASA engineers to design the quietest fan suitable for crewed space environments in preparation for follow-on prototyping and testing efforts.

‍

Throughout the history of crewed spaceflight, there have been issues with noise from Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) systems ventilation fans. In the Apollo Command Module (CM), the crew would turn off the CM cabin fan once in orbit and use the backup suit-loop fan for ventilation because noise from the cabin fan interfered with communications and was an annoyance. On the Space Shuttle, the ventilation system underwent significant redesign, including the addition of ventilation system mufflers, with resulting noise levels that were still too high for long-duration missions. In the early years of International Space Station (ISS) operations, acoustical noise in the Russian Segment was one of the top two habitability issues, resulting in significant noise controls being implemented on-orbit (along with significant cost and crew-time impacts) on many fans. Significant noise reductions were only realized after replacing noisy fans with fans of a quieter design, funded by the ISS Program.

‍

With spaceflight vehicles and habitats currently being developed, there are again concerns with noise levels from ventilation fans. Current cabin ventilation fans, with duct-borne sound power levels of 80 dB, are too loud and require a significant amount of noise controls to meet crew-cabin acoustic requirements. In the Orion vehicle, additional duct mufflers are needed to address cabin fan noise. The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module on NASA’s Gateway lunar space station and low-Earth orbit (LEO) Freeflyer habitats face similar challenges. Unless a new fan is designed, lunar and Mars spaceflight vehicles, space suits, and surface habitats will continue to struggle with acoustical annoyances that hinder mission success.

‍

Understanding this, Whisper Aero’s effort could maximize fan efficiency and operational life while minimizing noise, weight, and size over its baseline Spacecraft Cabin Ventilation Fan.  In particular, the joint team is seeking an overall efficiency of 75% with a 61 dB Overall Sound Pressure Level, from 2 feet away. This would enable future astronauts to work together more comfortably in an environment more typical for normal conversations (30 - 60 dB) as opposed to an ambient similar to the persistent presence of a noisy washing machine or vacuum cleaner (70 - 80 dB).

‍

The selection of Whisper Aero for this program is a testament to the startup’s progress on delivering cleaner, quieter, more efficient thrust across a variety of applications. Under this contract, Whisper Aero will be applying its variable-fidelity multidisciplinary propulsive tools to design a space fan meeting or exceeding NASA’s goals. With prior experience designing, building, and testing electric ducted fans for aircraft with innovations in affordable design for manufacturing, Whisper is primed to deliver a balanced space fan solution. Whisper Aero Chief Engineer, Devon Jedamski, stated, “We’re well suited and excited to meet the stressing acoustic and reliability requirements for NASA. Our investment in a mixed-fidelity and multi-disciplinary design framework, anchored in significant test data from similar developments, has prepared us to quickly produce a bespoke solution for the needs of current and future NASA habitats.”

‍

Whisper is also leveraging its prior experiences with NASA and the US Department of Defense to ensure its designs meet stringent quality and performance standards on budget and on time. Various members of the team like Whisper Aero’s CEO, Mark Moore, have spent decades at NASA delivering earlier low noise propulsion innovations like GL-10, LEAPTech, and X-57. At Whisper, these team members have continued innovating on the next-generation of propulsion through over $2 million of small business contracts and challenges with the U.S. Air Force and other services.

‍

If successful in this Phase 1 effort, Whisper would be prepared to test a prototype of its designs in a follow-on effort in 2025 to validate the low noise and high efficiency benefits of its core technology in a space fan. The joint team would compare aerodynamic and acoustic estimates from Phase 1 with high quality measurements of its fan and a baseline NASA Spacecraft Cabin Ventilation Fan. Results from these tests would allow the team to assess commercial viability on NASA’s future programs as well as emerging commercial spacecraft. Whisper is already in talks to understand how these efforts could positively impact private commercial space customers.

‍

“Whisper is now designing the quietest, most efficient fans on Earth and in space,” said Whisper Aero COO, Ian Villa. “This program will further cement Whisper as the definitive next-generation propulsion provider of choice and accelerate Whisper’s commercialization flywheel.”