Engineering topics

Soffen, Gerald A.

Publications and source records attributed to Soffen, Gerald A..

10 records

NASA NTRS1995

Research & Technology Report Goddard Space Flight Center

The main theme of this edition of the annual Research and Technology Report is Mission Operations and Data Systems. Shifting from centralized to distributed mission operations, and from human interactive operations to highly automated operations is reported. The following aspects are addressed: Mission planning and operations; TDRSS, Positioning Systems, and orbit determination; hardware and software associated with Ground System and Networks; data processing and analysis; and World Wide Web. Flight projects are described along with the achievements in space sciences and earth sciences. Spacecraft subsystems, cryogenic developments, and new tools and capabilities are also discussed.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

R and T report: Goddard Space Flight Center

The 1993 Research and Technology Report for Goddard Space Flight Center is presented. Research covered areas such as (1) flight projects; (2) space sciences including cosmology, high energy, stars and galaxies, and the solar system; (3) earth sciences including process modeling, hydrology/cryology, atmospheres, biosphere, and solid earth; (4) networks, planning, and information systems including support for mission operations, data distribution, advanced software and systems engineering, and planning/scheduling; and (5) engineering and materials including spacecraft systems, material and testing, optics and photonics and robotics.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The 1989 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program in Aeronautics and Research

The 1989 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Goddard Space Flight Center was conducted during 5 Jun. 1989 to 11 Aug. 1989. The research projects were previously assigned. Work summaries are presented for the following topics: optical properties data base; particle acceleration; satellite imagery; telemetry workstation; spectroscopy; image processing; stellar spectra; optical radar; robotics; atmospheric composition; semiconductors computer networks; remote sensing; software engineering; solar flares; and glaciers.

Boroson, Harold R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

The Earth Observing System

NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) is a prospective program for earth observation from space using various unmanned, sun-synchronous polar orbit sensor platforms in conjunction with the Space Station to conduct measurements over a period of 15 years. The most important instruments will be the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, the High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, a large-area coverage SAR, the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder, the Atmospheric IR Sounder, and a Geodynamics and Laser-Ranging System.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Water - The key to global change

The role of water in processes of global change is discussed. The importance of water in global warming, the loss of biological diversity, the activity of the El Nino southern oscillation, and the melting of polar ice are examined. Plans for a mission to measure tropical rainfall using a two frequency radar, a visible/IR radiometer and a passive microwave radiometer are noted. The way in which global change is affected by changes in patterns of available water is considered.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The human quest in space; Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Goddard Memorial Symposium, Greenbelt, MD, Mar. 20, 21, 1986

Papers are presented on the Space Station, materials processing in space, the status of space remote sensing, the evolution of space infrastructure, and the NASA Teacher Program. Topics discussed include visionary technologies, the effect of intelligent machines on space operations, future information technology, and the role of nuclear power in future space missions. Consideration is given to the role of humans in space exploration; medical problems associated with long-duration space flights; lunar and Martian settlements, and Biosphere II (the closed ecology project).

Burdett, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Visions of tomorrow: A focus on national space transportation issues; Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Goddard Memorial Symposium, Greenbelt, MD, Mar. 18-20, 1987

The present conference on U.S. space transportation systems development discusses opportunities for aerospace students in prospective military, civil, industrial, and scientific programs, current strategic conceptualization and program planning for future U.S. space transportation, the DOD space transportation plan, NASA space transportation plans, medium launch vehicle and commercial space launch services, the capabilities and availability of foreign launch vehicles, and the role of commercial space launch systems. Also discussed are available upper stage systems, future space transportation needs for space science and applications, the trajectory analysis of a low lift/drag-aeroassisted orbit transfer vehicle, possible replacements for the Space Shuttle, LEO to GEO with combined electric/beamed-microwave power from earth, the National Aerospace Plane, laser propulsion to earth orbit, and a performance analysis for a laser-powered SSTO vehicle.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

FASAC Technical Assessment Report: Soviet Space Science Research

This report is the work of a panel of eight US scientists who surveyed and assessed Soviet research in the spare sciences. All of the panelists were very familiar with Soviet research through their knowledge of the published scientific literature and personal contacts with Soviet and other foreign colleagues. In addition, all of the panelists reviewed considerable additional open literature--scientific, and popular, including news releases. The specific disciplines of Soviet space science research examined in detail for the report were: solar-terrestrial research, lunar and planetary research, space astronomy and astrophysics, and, life sciences. The Soviet Union has in the past carried out an ambitious program in lunar exploration and, more recently, in studies of the inner planets, Mars and especially Venus. The Soviets have provided scientific data about the latter planet which has been crucial for studies of the planet's evolution. Future programs envision an encounter with Halley's Comet, in March 1986, and missions to Mars and asteroids. The Soviet programs in the life sciences and solar-terrestrial research have been long-lasting and systematically pursued. Much of the ground-based and space-based research in these two disciplines appears to be motivated by the requirement to establish long-term human habitation in near-Earth space. The Soviet contributions to new discoveries and understanding in observational space astronomy and astrophysics have been few. This is in significant contrast to the very excellent theoretical work contributed by Soviet scientists in this discipline.

Lanzerotti, L. J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

NASA's life sciences program

NASA space missions from the Mercury through the Shuttle program have provided successively more data on the ability of humans to function in space for progressively longer periods of time. The Skylab program encouraged cooperation between medical and engineering personnel in the design of space suits, diet, food preparation, and cleanliness procedures and equipment, and the man-machine interface. Research is now concentrated on supporting man in space, evaluating the effects of the microgravity environment on humans, and modeling encounters with extraterrestrial life and the effects of human activities on terrestrial biota. Current levels of understanding of the physiological causes of human health problems produced by long-duration spaceflight are summarized. Experiments planned for the Shuttle, Spacelab, and the Space Station are outlined, noting the long-term goal of configuring the Space Station so that only food and hydrazine are needed to complete the life support system cycle.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Is there a single origin of life?

The emergence of the first life on the earth is now established as an early event, closely related to the evolving earth. Lack of knowledge of the primitive terrestrial conditions contemporary with the evolving prebolic organic chemistry limits reconstruction techniques. The primitive earth's aqueous history is essential to unraveling this problem. Based on current knowledge of other planets of the solar system, no close analog to the early earth can be expected. It is still not known if there was a second origin or if only earth has life. This may depend upon the question of the survival of information-bearing chemical systems in a dynamic or chaotic environment and the chemical protection afforded within such a system. Water is the central molecule of controversy: the blessing and the curse of the chemist. New and novel chemical mechanisms and systems abound.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗