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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS2006

The Columbia Debris Loan Program; Examples of Microscopic Analysis

Following the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia NASA formed The Columbia Recovery Office (CRO). The CRO was initially formed at the Johnson Space Center after the conclusion of recovery operations on May 1,2003 and then transferred .to the Kennedy Space Center on October 6,2003 and renamed The Columbia Recovery Office and Preservation. An integral part of the preservation project was the development of a process to loan Columbia debris to qualified researchers and technical educators. The purposes of this program include aiding in the advancement of advanced spacecraft design and flight safety development, the advancement of the study of hypersonic re-entry to enhance ground safety, to train and instruct accident investigators and to establish an enduring legacy for Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew. Along with a summary of the debris loan process examples of microscopic analysis of Columbia debris items will be presented. The first example will be from the reconstruction following the STS- 107 accident and how the Materials and Pro~es~steesa m used microscopic analysis to confirm the accident scenario. Additionally, three examples of microstructural results from the debris loan process from NASA internal, academia and private industry will be presented.

Russell, Rick↗
NASA NTRS1995

STS-94 Day 10 Highlights

On this tenth day of the STS-94 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. James D. Halsell, Jr., Pilot Susan L. Still, Payload Cmdr. Janice E. Voss, Mission Specialists Michael L. Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas, and Payload Specialists Gregory T. Linteris and Roger K. Crouch are more than one week into mission. The seven crewmembers aboard Columbia are continuing their around-the-clock science investigations in the Spacelab module, focusing on how various materials and liquids change and behave in a microgravity environment.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia Avionics

Lessons Learned: a) Avionics data can playa critical role in the investigation of a "close call" or accident. b) Avionics designers should think about the role their systems might play in an investigation. c) Know your data, down to the bit level. d) Know your spacecraft - follow the data. e) Internal placement of circuit cards can affect their survivability. f) Think about how to reconstruct nonvolatile memory (e.g. serialize IC's, etc.) g) Use of external assets can aid in extracting data from avionics.

Hames, Kevin L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Digital Reconstruction Supporting Investigation of Mishaps

In support of investigations of mishaps like the crash of the space shuttle Columbia, a process based on digital reconstruction from recovered components has been developed. The process is expected to reduce the need for physical reconstruction from recovered parts, reduce the time and cost of determining the cause of a mishap, and provide information useful in redesigning to prevent future mishaps. The process involves utilization of pre-existing techniques, hardware, and software to capture sizes and shapes of recovered parts in sets of digital data. The data are manipulated to enable rendering of captured geometric information by use of computer-aided design (CAD) and viewing software. The digitization of a part and study of its spatial relationship with other parts is taken to one of three levels of successively greater detail, depending on its importance to the investigation. The process includes a trajectory-analysis subprocess in which information from the digital reconstruction is combined with locations of recovered parts to reduce the area that must be searched to find other specified parts that have not yet been recovered. The digital product of the process is compatible with preexisting CAD and solid-model-rendering software.

Macy, William D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A comparison of low-gravity measurements on-board Columbia during STS-40

The first NASA Spacelab Life Sciences mission (SLS-1) flew 5 Jun. to 14 Jun. 1991 on the orbiter Columbia (STS-40). The purpose of the mission was to investigate the human body's adaptation to the low-gravity conditions of space flight and the body's readjustment after the mission to the 1 g environment of earth. In addition to the life sciences experiments manifested for the Spacelab module, a variety of experiments in other scientific disciplines flew in the Spacelab and in Get Away Special (GAS) Canisters on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Several principal investigators designed and flew specialized accelerometer systems to better assess the results of their experiments by means of a low-gravity environment characterization. This was also the first flight of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) sponsored Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and the first flight of the NASA Orbiter Experiments Office (OEX) sponsored Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment accelerometer (OARE). A brief introduction to seven STS-40 accelerometer systems are presented and the resulting data are discussed and compared. During crew sleep periods, acceleration magnitudes in the 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -5) g range were recorded in the Spacelab module and on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Magnitudes increased to the 10(exp -4) g level during periods of nominal crew activity. Vernier thruster firings caused acceleration shifts on the order of 10(exp -4) g and primary thruster firings caused accelerations as great as 10(exp -2) g. Frequency domain analysis revealed typical excitation of Orbiter and Spacelab structural modes at 3.5, 4.7, 5.2, 6.2, 7, and 17 Hz.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Low gravity environment on-board Columbia during STS-40

The first NASA Spacelab Life Sciences mission (SLS-I) flew 5 June to 14 June 1991 on the orbiter Columbia (STS-40). The purpose of the mission was to investigate the human body's adaptation to the low gravity conditions of space flight and the body's readjustment after the mission to the 1 g environment of earth. In addition to the life sciences experiments manifested for the Spacelab module, a variety of experiments in other scientific disciplines flew in the Spacelab and in Get Away Special (GAS) Canisters on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Several principal investigators designed and flew specialized accelerometer systems to characterize the low gravity environment. This was done to better assess the results of theft experiments. This was also the first flight of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) sponsored Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and the first flight of the NASA Orbiter Experiments Office (OEX) sponsored Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment accelerometer (OARE). We present a brief introduction to seven STS-40 accelerometer systems and discuss and compare the resulting data.

Rogers, M. J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A comparison of low-gravity measurements on-board Columbia during STS-40

The first NASA Spacelab Life Sciences mission (SLS-1) flew 5 June to 14 June 1991 on the orbiter Columbia (STS-40). The purpose of the mission was to investigate the human body's adaptation to the low-gravity conditions of space flight and the body's readjustment after the mission to the 1g environment of earth. In addition to the life sciences experiments manifested for the Spacelab module, a variety of experiments in other scientific disciplines flew in the Spacelab and in Get Away Special (GAS) Canisters on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Several principal investigators designed and flew specialized accelerometer systems to better assess the results of their experiments by means of a low-gravity environment characterization. This was also the first flight of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) sponsored Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and the first flight of the NASA Orbiter Experiments Office (OEX) sponsored Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment accelerometer (OARE). We present a brief introduction to seven STS-40 accelerometer systems and discuss and compare the resulting data. During crew sleep periods, acceleration magnitudes in the 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -5)g range were recorded in the Spacelab module and on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Magnitudes increased to the 10(exp -4) level during periods of nominal crew activity. Vernier thruster firings caused acceleration shifts on the order of 10(exp -4)g and primary thruster firings caused accelerations as great as 10(exp -2) g. Frequency domain analysis revealed typical excitation of Orbiter and Spacelab structural modes at 3.5, 4.7, 5.2, 6.2, 7, and 17 Hz.

Rogers, M. J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL-1)

The MSL-1 payload first flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-83) April 4-8, 1997. Due to a fuel cell problem, the mission was cut short, and the payload flew again on Columbia (STS-94) July 1-17, 1997. The MSL-1 investigations were performed in a pressurized Spacelab module and the Shuttle middeck. Twenty-nine experiments were performed and represented disciplines such as fluid physics, combustion, materials science, biotechnology, and plant growth. Four accelerometers were used to record and characterize the microgravity environment. The results demonstrate the range of quality science that can be conducted utilizing orbital laboratories in microgravity.

Robinson, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Loss of Signal, Aeromedical Lessons Learned from the STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap

Loss of Signal, a NASA publication to be available in May 2014 presents the aeromedical lessons learned from the Columbia accident that will enhance crew safety and survival on human space flight missions. These lessons were presented to limited audiences at three separate Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) conferences: in 2004 in Anchorage, Alaska, on the causes of the accident; in 2005 in Kansas City, Missouri, on the response, recovery, and identification aspects of the investigation; and in 2011, again in Anchorage, Alaska, on future implications for human space flight. As we embark on the development of new spacefaring vehicles through both government and commercial efforts, the NASA Johnson Space Center Human Health and Performance Directorate is continuing to make this information available to a wider audience engaged in the design and development of future space vehicles. Loss of Signal summarizes and consolidates the aeromedical impacts of the Columbia mishap process-the response, recovery, identification, investigative studies, medical and legal forensic analysis, and future preparation that are needed to respond to spacecraft mishaps. The goal of this book is to provide an account of the aeromedical aspects of the Columbia accident and the investigation that followed, and to encourage aerospace medical specialists to continue to capture information, learn from it, and improve procedures and spacecraft designs for the safety of future crews. This poster presents an outline of Loss of Signal contents and highlights from each of five sections - the mission and mishap, the response, the investigation, the analysis and the future.

Stepaniak, Phillip C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Loss of Signal, Aeromedical Lessons Learned for the STS-I07 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap

Loss of Signal, a NASA publication to be available in May 2014, presents the aeromedical lessons learned from the Columbia accident that will enhance crew safety and survival on human space flight missions. These lessons were presented to limited audiences at three separate Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) conferences: in 2004 in Anchorage, Alaska, on the causes of the accident; in 2005 in Kansas City, Missouri, on the response, recovery, and identification aspects of the investigation; and in 2011, again in Anchorage, Alaska, on future implications for human space flight. As we embark on the development of new spacefaring vehicles through both government and commercial efforts, the NASA Johnson Space Center Human Health and Performance Directorate is continuing to make this information available to a wider audience engaged in the design and development of future space vehicles. Loss of Signal summarizes and consolidates the aeromedical impacts of the Columbia mishap process-the response, recovery, identification, investigative studies, medical and legal forensic analysis, and future preparation that are needed to respond to spacecraft mishaps. The goals of this book are to provide an account of the aeromedical aspects of the Columbia accident and the investigation that followed, and to encourage aerospace medical specialists to continue to capture information, learn from it, and improve procedures and spacecraft designs for the safety of future crews.

Patlach, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2008

Pervasively Altered Hematite-Rich Deposits Southeast of Home Plate, Gusev Crater, Mars

The investigation of Home Plate and its surroundings in the Inner Basin of the Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater has added substantially to the water story on Mars. Textural, morphological, and geochemical evidence from Home Plate point towards an explosive origin, probably a hydrovolcanic explosion [1]. High silica deposits in the immediate vicinity of Home Plate suggest hydrothermal alteration [e.g. 2,3]. Pervasively altered deposits rich in hematite were investigated to the southeast of Home Plate. Of these, the target Halley, the target KingGeorgeIsland on the GrahamLand outcrop, and the targets Montalva and Riquelme on the Troll outcrop were investigated in situ with the Alpha Particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS), the Microscopic Imager (MI), and the Moessbauer (MB) spectrometer (Fig. 1).

Schroder, C.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS)

This document reports the results and analyses presented at the Life and Microgravity Spacelab One Year Science Review meeting. The science conference was held in Montreal, Canada, on August 20-21, 1997, and was hosted by the Canadian Space Agency. The LMS payload flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-78) from June 20 - July 7, 1996. The LMS investigations were performed in a pressurized Spacelab module and the Shuttle middeck. Forty scientific experiments were performed in fields such as fluid physics, solidification of metals, alloys, and semiconductors, the growth of protein crystals, and animal, human, and plant life sciences. The results demonstrate the range of quality science that can be conducted utilizing orbital laboratories in microgravity.

Downey, James Patton↗
NASA NTRS1989

Human mononuclear cell function after 4 C storage during 1-G and microgravity conditions of spaceflight

To investigate the possibility of restoring immune competence of crewmembers during a prolonged spaceflight by infusions of autologous blood components, the effect of storage at 4 C aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (Mission 61-c) on the activity of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs), stored as leukocyte concentrates in autologous plasa, was investigated. The results of preflight storage at 4 C demonstrated a progressive daily loss in mitogen-stimulated protein synthesis, and thymidine uptake, as well as a progressive reduction in the percentage of PBMNCs expressing cell-surface phenotype markers. The ability of PBMNCs stored at 4 C for 8 d in Columbia's middeck, to become activated and proliferate in vitro was similar to that of cells that remained for 7 d on ground.

Meehan, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1985

Electron and ion density depletions measured in the STS-3 orbiter wake

The third Space Shuttle flight on Columbia carried instrumentation to measure thermal plasma density and temperature. Two separate investigations, the Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) and the Vehicle Charging and Potential Experiment (VCAP), carried a Langmuir Probe, and the VCAP also included a Spherical Retarding Potential Analyzer (SRPA). Only those measurements made while the PDP is in the payload bay are discussed here since the VCAP instrumentation remains in the payload bay at all times and the two measurements are compared. The wake behind a large structure (in this case the Space Shuttle Orbiter) flying through the ionospheric plasma is discussed. Much theoretical work was done regarding plasma wakes. The instrumentation on this mission gives the first data taken with a large vehicle in the ionospheric laboratory. First, the PDP Langmuir Probe and its data set will be presented, then the VCAP Langmuir Probe and SRPA with associated data. The agreement between the two data sets is discussed and then followed by some other PDP data which infers an even lower wake density.

Murphy, G. B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

"X-Ray Transients in Star-Forming Regions" and "Hard X-Ray Emission from X-Ray Bursters"

This grant funded work on the analysis of data obtained with the Burst and Transient Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The goal of the work was to search for hard x-ray transients in star forming regions using the all-sky hard x-ray monitoring capability of BATSE. Our initial work lead to the discovery of a hard x-ray transient, GRO J1849-03. Follow-up observations of this source made with the Wide Field Camera on BeppoSAX showed that the source should be identified with the previously known x-ray pulsar GS 1843-02 which itself is identified with the x-ray source X1845-024 originally discovered with the SAS-3 satellite. Our identification of the source and measurement of the outburst recurrence time, lead to the identification of the source as a Be/X-ray binary with a spin period of 94.8 s and an orbital period of 241 days. The funding was used primarily for partial salary and travel support for John Tomsick, then a graduate student at Columbia University. John Tomsick, now Dr. Tomsick, received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in July 1999, based partially on results obtained under this investigation. He is now a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of California, San Diego.

Halpern, Jules P.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Challenger and Columbia Lessons Learned

The Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia accidents resulted in tragic loss of life and national assets, and investigations into both accidents produced important lessons to prevent future accidents

Hoffman, William C., III↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA Medical Response to Human Spacecraft Accidents

Manned space flight is risky business. Accidents have occurred and may occur in the future. NASA's manned space flight programs, with all their successes, have had three fatal accidents, one at the launch pad and two in flight. The Apollo fire and the Challenger and Columbia accidents resulted in a loss of seventeen crewmembers. Russia's manned space flight programs have had three fatal accidents, one ground-based and two in flight. These accidents resulted in the loss of five crewmembers. Additionally, manned spacecraft have encountered numerous close calls with potential for disaster. The NASA Johnson Space Center Flight Safety Office has documented more than 70 spacecraft incidents, many of which could have become serious accidents. At the Johnson Space Center (JSC), medical contingency personnel are assigned to a Mishap Investigation Team. The team deploys to the accident site to gather and preserve evidence for the Accident Investigation Board. The JSC Medical Operations Branch has developed a flight surgeon accident response training class to capture the lessons learned from the Columbia accident. This presentation will address the NASA Mishap Investigation Team's medical objectives, planned response, and potential issues that could arise subsequent to a manned spacecraft accident. Educational Objectives are to understand the medical objectives and issues confronting the Mishap Investigation Team medical personnel subsequent to a human space flight accident.

Patlach, Robert↗