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Cutts, James A.

Publications and source records attributed to Cutts, James A..

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Mission Architecture and Technology Options for a Flagship Class Venus In Situ Mission

Venus, as part of the inner triad with Earth and Mars, represents an important exploration target if we want to learn more about solar system formation and evolution. Comparative planetology could also elucidate the differences between the past, present, and future of these three planets, and can help with the characterization of potential habitable zones in our solar system and, by extension, extrasolar systems. A long lived in situ Venus mission concept, called the Venus Mobile Explorer, was prominently featured in NASA's 2006 SSE Roadmap and supported in the community White Paper by the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG). Long-lived in situ missions are expected to belong to the largest (Flagship) mission class, which would require both enabling and enhancing technologies beside mission architecture options. Furthermore, extreme environment mitigation technologies for Venus are considered long lead development items and are expected to require technology development through a dedicated program. To better understand programmatic and technology needs and the motivating science behind them, in this fiscal year (FY08) NASA is funding a Venus Flaghip class mission study, based on key science and technology drivers identified by a NASA appointed Venus Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT). These mission drivers are then assembled around a suitable mission architecture to further refine technology and cost elements. In this paper we will discuss the connection between the final mission architecture and the connected technology drivers from this NASA funded study, which - if funded - could enable a future Flagship class Venus mission and potentially drive a proposed Venus technology development program.

Balint, Tibor S.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Extreme Environment Technologies for Space and Terrestrial Applications

Over the next decades, NASA's planned solar system exploration missions are targeting planets, moons and small bodies, where spacecraft would be expected to encounter diverse extreme environmental (EE) conditions throughout their mission phases. These EE conditions are often coupled. For instance, near the surface of Venus and in the deep atmospheres of giant planets, probes would experience high temperatures and pressures. In the Jovian system low temperatures are coupled with high radiation. Other environments include thermal cycling, and corrosion. Mission operations could also introduce extreme conditions, due to atmospheric entry heat flux and deceleration. Some of these EE conditions are not unique to space missions; they can be encountered by terrestrial assets from the fields of defense,oil and gas, aerospace, and automotive industries. In this paper we outline the findings of NASA's Extreme Environments Study Team, including discussions on state of the art and emerging capabilities related to environmental protection, tolerance and operations in EEs. We will also highlight cross cutting EE mitigation technologies, for example, between high g-load tolerant impactors for Europa and instrumented projectiles on Earth; high temperature electronics sensors on Jupiter deep probes and sensors inside jet engines; and pressure vessel technologies for Venus probes and sea bottom monitors. We will argue that synergistic development programs between these fields could be highly beneficial and cost effective for the various agencies and industries. Some of these environments, however, are specific to space and thus the related technology developments should be spear headed by NASA with collaboration from industry and academia.

extreme environments↗
NASA NTRS2007

Extreme Environments Technologies for Probes to Venus and Jupiter

This viewgraph presentation reviews the technologies that are used to mitigate extreme environments for probes at Venus and Jupiter. The contents include: 1) Extreme environments at Venus and Jupiter; 2) In-situ missions to Venus and Jupiter (past/present/future); and 3) Approaches to mitigate conditions of extreme environments for probes with systems architectures and technologies.

probe↗
NASA NTRS2006

Mitigating Extreme Environments for In-Situ Jupiter and Venus Missions

In response to the recommendations by the National Research Council (NRC), NASA's Solar System Exploration (SSE) Roadmap identified the in situ exploration of Venus and Jupiter as high priority science objectives. For Jupiter, deep entry probes are recommended, which would descend to approx.250 km - measured from the 1 bar pressure depth. At this level the pressure would correspond to approx.100 bar and the temperature would reach approx.500(deg)C. Similarly, at the surface of Venus the temperature and pressure conditions are approx.460(deg)C and approx.90 bar. Lifetime of the Jupiter probes during descent can be measured in hours, while in{situ operations at and near the surface of Venus are envisioned over weeks or months. In this paper we discuss technologies, which share commonalities in mitigating these extreme conditions over proposed mission lifetimes, specially focusing on pressure and temperature environments.

Venus↗
NASA NTRS2006

Planning for planetary protection : challenges beyond Mars

This document summarizes the technical challenges to planetary protection for these targets of interest and outlines some of the considerations, particularly at the system level, in designing an appropriate technology investment strategy for targets beyond Mars.

astrobiology↗
NASA NTRS2005

Dual balloon concept for lifting payloads from the surface of Venus

Detailed calculations have been performed to design the two balloon vehicle and quantify its performance during all phases of the mission. This paper includes key results from trade studies for balloon sizing and mass, crossover altitude, and payload temperature

Stephens, Stuart K.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Technology for Entry Probes

A viewgraph describing technologies for entry probes is presented. The topics include: 1) Entry Phase; 2) Descent Phase; 3) Long duration atmospheric observations; 4) Survivability at high temperatures; and 5) Summary.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Exploring Mars with Balloons and Inflatable Rovers

Until now, the exploration of Mars has taken place with global coverage of the planet by satellites in orbit or with landers providing very detailed coverage of extremely limited local areas. New developments in inflatable technology, however, now offer the possibility of in situ surface and atmospheric global studies of Mars using very lightweight rovers and balloons that can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers relatively quickly and safely. Both systems are currently being tested at JPL; preliminary results show great promise. One of the balloon technologies offers the additional bonus of being able to land payloads on Mars much more gently than parachutes, yet with considerably less mass.

Jones, Jack A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mars Aerobot Micromission

The Mars Aerobot Micromission is almost a factor of 10 smaller than earlier concepts for a Mars balloon. A key goal is to achieve high payload mass fraction in a small total systems mass and to maximize the scientific potential of that payload. Scientific objectives include studies of the surface with a high resolution stereo imaging magnetometer and investigations of the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere with an in situ meteorology payload.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Venus Aerobot Multisonde Mission

Robotic exploration of Venus presents many challenges because of the thick atmosphere and the high surface temperatures. The Venus Aerobot Multisonde mission concept addresses these challenges by using a robotic balloon or aerobot to deploy a number of short lifetime probes or sondes to acquire images of the surface. A Venus aerobot is not only a good platform for precision deployment of sondes but is very effective at recovering high rate data. This paper describes the Venus Aerobot Multisonde concept and discusses a proposal to NASA's Discovery program using the concept for a Venus Exploration of Volcanoes and Atmosphere (VEVA). The status of the balloon deployment and inflation, balloon envelope, communications, thermal control and sonde deployment technologies are also reviewed.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mars Aerobot Micromission

The Mars Aerobot Micromission is almost a factor of 10 smaller than earlier concepts for a Mars balloon. A key goal is to achieve high payload mass fraction in a small total systems mass and to maximize the scientific potential of that payload. Scientific objectives include studies of the surface with a high resolution stereo imaging magnetometer and investigations of the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere with an in situ meteorology payload.

Greeley, Ronald↗
NASA NTRS1995

Programmable hyperspectral image mapper with on-array processing

A hyperspectral imager includes a focal plane having an array of spaced image recording pixels receiving light from a scene moving relative to the focal plane in a longitudinal direction, the recording pixels being transportable at a controllable rate in the focal plane in the longitudinal direction, an electronic shutter for adjusting an exposure time of the focal plane, whereby recording pixels in an active area of the focal plane are removed therefrom and stored upon expiration of the exposure time, an electronic spectral filter for selecting a spectral band of light received by the focal plane from the scene during each exposure time and an electronic controller connected to the focal plane, to the electronic shutter and to the electronic spectral filter for controlling (1) the controllable rate at which the recording is transported in the longitudinal direction, (2) the exposure time, and (3) the spectral band so as to record a selected portion of the scene through M spectral bands with a respective exposure time t(sub q) for each respective spectral band q.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Astronomical observatories on the Moon

The Space Exploration Initiative presents an opportunity to construct astronomical telescopes on the Moon using the infrastructure provided by the lunar outpost. Small automatically deployed telescopes can be carried on the survey missions, be deployed on the lunar surface and be operated remotely from the Earth. Possibilities for early, small optical telescopes are a zenith pointed transit telescope, a student telescope, and a 0.5 to 1 meter automatic, fully steerable telescope. After the lunar outpost is established the lunar interferometers will be constructed in an evolutionary fashion. There are three lunar interferometers which have been studied. The most ambitious is the optical interferometer with a 1 to 2 -km baseline and seven 1.5 aperture elements arranged in a 'Y' configuration with a central beam combiner. The Submillimeter interferometer would use seven, 5-m reflectors in a 'Y' or circular configuration with a 1-km baseline. The Very Low Frequency (VLF) array would operate below 30 mHz with as many as 100 elements and a 200-km baseline.

Swanson, Paul N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

More About The PHIMAP

Report discusses some engineering problems arising in implementing system described in "Programmable Hyperspectral Imaging Mapper" (NPO-17794), a conceptual generic advanced spectral imaging system scanning in "pushbroom" fashion along ground track of airplane or orbiting spacecraft.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Programmable Hyperspectral Imaging Mapper

Programmable hyperspectral imaging mapper (PHIMAP) is conceptual generic advanced spectral imaging system that scans swath along ground track from airplane or spacecraft in orbit. Features include spectrally agile filters and processing on focal-plane array. Provides both high spatial resolution and large number of spectral channels. Can be programmed to trade spectral resolution andspectral coverage flexibly against signal-to-noise ratio to optimize utility of image data from scenes of spectrally and spatially varying brightness.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Astrotech 21: A technology program for future astrophysics missions

The Astrotech 21 technology program is being formulated to enable a program of advanced astrophysical observatories in the first decade of the 21st century. This paper describes the objectives of Astrotech 21 and the process that NASA is using to plan and implement it. It also describes the future astrophysical mission concepts that have been defined for the twenty-first century and discusses some of the requirements that they will impose on information systems for space astrophysics.

Cutts, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Multi-Quantum-Well Spatial Light Modulators On Si Substrates

Proposed new class of two-dimensional spatial light modulators (SLM's) based on fabrication of multi-quantum-well (MQW) structures (e.g. of AlGaAs and InGaAs) on silicon substrates. Concept makes two-dimensional SLM arrays by taking advantage of mature technology of silicon charge-coupled devices (CCD's). Features include short response times, high resolution, and low switching energies.

Cutts, James A.↗