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NASA NTRS1994

Cardiac output and cardiac contractility by impedance cardiography during exercise of runners

Most of the solid state electronic engineering of the system now generally known as the Minnesota Impedance Cardiograph was performed with the support of a five-year contract, NAS9-4500, with the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. This contract ran from 1965 to 1970. In addition to the engineering design and development of the hardware, the contract called for testing on both animals and human subjects. This project also provided funds to construct twenty impedance cardiographs and place them in selected research and clinical facilities for further evaluation. This, then, led to the First Symposium on Impedance Cardiography, held at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 2-4 June 1969. Twenty-four excellent papers were presented.

Kubicek, W. G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Space Station Freedom - Status of the U.S. segment

An overview of the Space Station Freedom program is given. The results of a technical audit of the U.S. program, and the reorganization taking place at NASA HQ are discussed. Some areas resolved in the past year such as the type of power to be delivered to each pressurized module and the definition of common payload interfaces within all modules are reviewed. The utility of the Space Station Freedom is emphasized.

Bartoe, John David F.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Assessment of Uncertainty-Based Screening Volumes for NASA Robotic LEO and GEO Conjunction Risk Assessment

Conjunction Assessment operations require screening assets against the space object catalog by placing a pre-determined spatial volume around each asset and predicting when another object will violate that volume. The selection of the screening volume used for each spacecraft is a trade-off between observing all conjunction events that may pose a potential risk to the primary spacecraft and the ability to analyze those predicted events. If the screening volumes are larger, then more conjunctions can be observed and therefore the probability of a missed detection of a high risk conjunction event is small; however, the amount of data which needs to be analyzed increases. This paper characterizes the sensitivity of screening volume size to capturing typical orbit uncertainties and the expected number of conjunction events observed. These sensitivities are quantified in the form of a trade space that allows for selection of appropriate screen-ing volumes to fit the desired concept of operations, system limitations, and tolerable analyst workloads. This analysis will specifically highlight the screening volume determination and selection process for use in the NASA Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis process but will also provide a general framework for other Owner / Operators faced with similar decisions.

Narvet, Steven W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Activities of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Work accomplished by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) under contract to NASA in 1985 is described. The work took place in the areas of flight projects, space science, geodynamics, materials science, advanced technology, defense and civil programs, telecommunications systems, and institutional activities.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

Characterization of lunar surface materials for use in construction

The Workshop on the Concept of a Common Lunar Lander, which was held at the NASA Johnson Space Center on July 1 and 2, 1991, discussed potential payloads to be placed on the Moon by a common, generic, unmanned, vehicle beginning late in this decade. At this workshop, a variety of payloads were identified including a class of one-meter (and larger) optical telescopes to operate on the lunar surface. These telescopes for lunar-based astronomy are presented in an earlier section of this report. The purpose of this section is to suggest that these and other payloads for the Common Lunar Lander be used to facilitate technology development for the proposed 16-meter Aperture UV/Visible/IR Large Lunar Telescope (LLT) and a large optical aperture-synthesis instrument analogous to the Very Large Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Johnson, Stewart W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evaluation of the Paratrend Multi-Analyte Sensor for Potential Utilization in Long-Duration Automated Cell Culture Monitoring

BACKGROUND: Compact and automated sensors are desired for assessing the health of cell cultures in biotechnology experiments. While several single-analyte sensors exist to measure culture health, a multi-analyte sensor would simplify the cell culture system. One such multi-analyte sensor, the Paratrend 7 manufactured by Diametrics Medical, consists of three optical fibers for measuring pH, dissolved carbon dioxide (pCO(2)), dissolved oxygen (pO(2)), and a thermocouple to measure temperature. The sensor bundle was designed for intra-vascular measurements in clinical settings, and can be used in bioreactors operated both on the ground and in NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) experiments. METHODS: A Paratrend 7 sensor was placed at the outlet of a bioreactor inoculated with BHK-21 (baby hamster kidney) cells. The pH, pCO(2), pO(2), and temperature data were transferred continuously to an external computer. Cell culture medium, manually extracted from the bioreactor through a sampling port, was also assayed using a bench top blood gas analyzer (BGA). RESULTS: Two Paratrend 7 sensors were used over a single cell culture experiment (64 days). When compared to the manually obtained BGA samples, the sensor had good agreement for pH, pCO(2), and pO(2) with bias (and precision) 0.005(0.024), 8.0 mmHg (4.4 mmHg), and 11 mmHg (17 mmHg), respectively for the first two sensors. A third Paratrend sensor (operated for 141 days) had similar agreement (0.02+/-0.15 for pH, -4+/-8 mm Hg for pCO(2), and 24+/-18 mmHg for pO(2)). CONCLUSION: The resulting biases and precisions are com- parable to Paratrend sensor clinical results. Although the pO(2) differences may be acceptable for clinically relevant measurement ranges, the O(2) sensor in this bundle may not be reliable enough for the ranges of pO(2) in these cell culture studies without periodic calibration.

Validation Studies↗

NASA NTRS2012

The Next Landsat Satellite: The Landsat Data Continuity Mission

The Landsat program is one of the longest running satellite programs for Earth observations from space. The program was initiated by the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972. Since then a series of six more Landsat satellites were launched and at least one of those satellites has been in operations at all times to continuously collect images of the global land surface. The Department of Interior (DOI) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) preserves data collected by all of the Landsat satellites at their Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This 40-year data archive provides an unmatched record of the Earth's land surface that has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades due to the increasing pressure of a growing population and advancing technologies. EROS provides the ability for anyone to search the archive and order digital Landsat images over the internet for free. The Landsat data are a public resource for observing, characterizing, monitoring, trending, and predicting land use change over time providing an invaluable tool for those addressing the profound consequences of those changes to society. The most recent launch of a Landsat satellite occurred in 1999 when Landsat 7 was placed in orbit. While Landsat 7 remains in operation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the DOI/ USGS are building its successor satellite system currently called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). NASA has the lead for building and launching the satellite that will carry two Earth-viewing instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The OLI will take images that measure the amount of sunlight reflected by the land surface at nine wavelengths of light with three of those wavelengths beyond the range of human vision. T1RS will collect coincident images that measure light emitted by the land surface as a function of surface temperature at two longer wavelengths well beyond the range of human vision. The DOI/USGS is developing the ground system that will command and control the LDCM satellite in orbit and manage the OLI and TIRS data transmitted by the satellite. DOI/USGS will thus operate the satellite and collect, archive, and distribute the image data as part of the EROS archive. DOI/USGS has committed to renaming LDCM as Landsat 8 following launch. By either name the satellite and its sensors will extend the 40-year archive with images sufficiently consistent with data from earlier Landsat satellites to allow multi-decadal, broad-area studies of our dynamic landscapes. The next Landsat satellite and ground system are on schedule for a January, 2013 launch.

Rons, James R.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Overview of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Program

NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance sponsors an Agency-wide NDE Program that supports Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology, Human Exploration and Development of Space, Earth Science, and Space Science Enterprises. For each of these Enterprises, safety is the number one priority. Development of the next generation aero-space launch and transportation vehicles, satellites, and deep space probes have highlighted the enabling role that NDE plays in these advanced technology systems. Specific areas of advanced component development, component integrity, and structural heath management are critically supported by NDE technologies. The simultaneous goals of assuring safety, maintaining overall operational efficiency, and developing and utilizing revolutionary technologies to expand human activity and space-based commerce in the frontiers of air and space places increasing demands on the Agencies NDE infrastructure and resources. In this presentation, an overview of NASA's NDE Program will be presented, that includes a background and status of current Enterprise NDE issues, and the NDE investment areas being developed to meet Enterprise safety and mission assurance needs through the year 2009 and beyond.

Generazio, Edward R.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Semi-Automated Diagnosis, Repair, and Rework of Spacecraft Electronics

NASA's Constellation Program for Exploration of the Moon and Mars places human crews in extreme isolation in resource scarce environments. Near Earth, the discontinuation of Space Shuttle flights after 2010 will alter the up- and down-mass capacity for the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is considering new options for logistics support strategies for future missions. Aerospace systems are often composed of replaceable modular blocks that minimize the need for complex service operations in the field. Such a strategy however, implies a robust and responsive logistics infrastructure with relatively low transportation costs. The modular Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) used for ISS requires relatively large blocks of replacement hardware even though the actual failed component may really be three orders of magnitude smaller. The ability to perform in-situ repair of electronics circuits at the component level can dramatically reduce the scale of spares and related logistics cost. This ability also reduces mission risk, increases crew independence and improves the overall supportability of the program. The Component-Level Electronics Assembly Repair (CLEAR) task under the NASA Supportability program was established to demonstrate the practicality of repair by first investigating widely used soldering materials and processes (M&P) performed by modest manual means. The work will result in program guidelines for performing manual repairs along with design guidance for circuit reparability. The next phase of CLEAR recognizes that manual repair has its limitations and some highly integrated devices are extremely difficult to handle and demand semi-automated equipment. Further, electronics repairs require a broad range of diagnostic capability to isolate the faulty components. Finally repairs must pass functional tests to determine that the repairs are successful and the circuit can be returned to service. To prevent equipment demands from exceeding spacecraft volume capacity and skill demands from exceeding crew time and training limits, the CLEAR project is examining options provided by non-real time tele-operations, robotics, and a new generation of diagnostic equipment. This paper outlines a strategy to create an effective repair environment where, with the support of ground based engineers, crewmembers can diagnose, repair and test flight electronics in-situ. This paper also discusses the implications of successful tele-robotic repairs when expanded to rework and reconfiguration of used flight assets for building Constellation infrastructure elements.

Struk, Peter M.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evaluation of a Multi-Parameter Sensor for Automated, Continuous Cell Culture Monitoring in Bioreactors

Compact and automated sensors are desired for assessing the health of cell cultures in biotechnology experiments in microgravity. Measurement of cell culture medium allows for the optirn.jzation of culture conditions on orbit to maximize cell growth and minimize unnecessary exchange of medium. While several discrete sensors exist to measure culture health, a multi-parameter sensor would simplify the experimental apparatus. One such sensor, the Paratrend 7, consists of three optical fibers for measuring pH, dissolved oxygen (p02), dissolved carbon dioxide (pC02) , and a thermocouple to measure temperature. The sensor bundle was designed for intra-arterial placement in clinical patients, and potentially can be used in NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station biotechnology program bioreactors. Methods: A Paratrend 7 sensor was placed at the outlet of a rotating-wall perfused vessel bioreactor system inoculated with BHK-21 (baby hamster kidney) cells. Cell culture medium (GTSF-2, composed of 40% minimum essential medium, 60% L-15 Leibovitz medium) was manually measured using a bench top blood gas analyzer (BGA, Ciba-Corning). Results: A Paratrend 7 sensor was used over a long-term (>120 day) cell culture experiment. The sensor was able to track changes in cell medium pH, p02, and pC02 due to the consumption of nutrients by the BHK-21. When compared to manually obtained BGA measurements, the sensor had good agreement for pH, p02, and pC02 with bias [and precision] of 0.02 [0.15], 1 mm Hg [18 mm Hg], and -4.0 mm Hg [8.0 mm Hg] respectively. The Paratrend oxygen sensor was recalibrated (offset) periodically due to drift. The bias for the raw (no offset or recalibration) oxygen measurements was 42 mm Hg [38 mm Hg]. The measured response (rise) time of the sensor was 20 +/- 4s for pH, 81 +/- 53s for pC02, 51 +/- 20s for p02. For long-term cell culture measurements, these response times are more than adequate. Based on these findings , the Paratrend sensor could offer automated, continuous monitoring of cell cultures with a temporal resolution of 1 minute, which is not attainable by sampling via handheld blood analyzer (i-STAT). Conclusion: The resulting bias and precision found in these cell culture-based studies is comparable to Paratrend sensor clinical results. Although the large error in p02 measurements (+/-18 mm Hg) may be acceptable for clinical applications, where Paratrend values are periodically adjusted to a BGA measurement, the O2 sensor in this bundle may not be reliable enough for the single-calibration requirement of sensors used in NASA's bioreactors. The pH and pC02 sensors in the bundle are reliable and stable over the measurement period, and can be used without recalibration to measure cell cultures in rn.jcrogravity biotechnology experiments. Future work will test additional Paratrend sensors to provide statistical assessment of sensor performance.

Pappas, D.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Statistical analysis of turbulence data from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center atmospheric boundary layer tower array facility

Statistical properties of atmospheric turbulence near the Earth's surface are presented. Emphasis is placed on the probability density distribution two point spatial correlation, length scale, and two point and single point spectrum. Comparison of the data with isotropic homogeneous models is made. In general, agreement with the models is poor. For the design of aircraft during operations in the lower levels associated with approach, takeoff, and terrain following, it appears necessary to improve existing models or develop new nonisotropic turbulence models.

Frost, W.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Wavefront Analysis of Adaptive Telescope

The motivation for this work came from a NASA Headquarters interest in investigating design concepts for a large space telescope employing active optics technology. Current and foreseeable launch vehicles will be limited to carrying around 4-5 meter diameter objects. Thus, if a large, filled-aperture telescope (6-20 meters in diameter) is to be placed in space, it will be required to have a deployable primary mirror. Such a mirror may be an inflatable membrane or a segmented mirror consisting of many smaller pieces. In any case, it is expected that the deployed primary will not be of sufficient quality to achieve diffraction-limited performance for its aperture size. Thus, an active optics system will be needed to correct for initial as well as environmentally-produced primary figure errors. Marshall Space Flight Center has developed considerable expertise in the area of active optics with the PAMELA test-bed. The combination of this experience along with the Marshall optical shop's work in mirror fabrication made MSFC the logical choice to lead NASA's effort to develop active optics technology for large, space-based, astronomical telescopes. Furthermore, UAH's support of MSFC in the areas of optical design, fabrication, and testing of space-based optical systems placed us in a key position to play a major role in the development of this future-generation telescope. A careful study of the active optics components had to be carried out in order to determine control segment size, segment quality, and segment controllability required to achieve diffraction-limited resolution with a given primary mirror. With this in mind, UAH undertook the following effort to provide NASA/MSFC with optical design and analysis support for the large telescope study. All of the work performed under this contract has already been reported, as a team member with MSFC, to NASA Headquarters in a series of presentations given between May and December of 1995. As specified on the delivery order, this report simply summarizes the material with the various UAH-written presentation packages attached as appendices.

Hadaway, James B.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Physiological Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE): 04 Flight Support

Rats were shipped to Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on day 2 of gestation [(G2) (day 1 = morning on which spermatozoa are present in the vagina)] and laparotomized on G7 to determine the number of implantation sites in each uterine horn. On G8, ten pregnant rats meeting flight criteria (at least five implantation sites each horn) were placed into NASA flight cages (animal enclosure modules, AEMS, five rats per cage), loaded onto the mid-deck of the space shuttle Atlantis, and on G9 (November 3, 1994) they were launched into orbit. On gestation day 20, (November 14, 1994) the shuttle returned to Edwards Air Force Base, California and the flight animals were recovered from the shuttle and subjected to unilateral hysterectomy to provide fetal material from one horn to investigators identified by NASA to study selected fetal parameters. After unilateral hysterectomy, the animals were allowed to recover and deliver vaginally. There were three groups (n = 10 each group) of control animals housed at KSC in the study. A synchronous control group, delayed 24 hours with reference to the flight group, received the same surgeries and was housed five rats per AEM and exposed to all flight conditions (identical temperatures, lighting and humidity) except microgravity. Vivarium control group I did not receive any surgery and was housed in the vivarium in clear polycarbonate cages. Vivarium control group 2 received only a unilateral hysterectomy on day 20 of gestation but otherwise was housed like the vivarium control group 1. Control groups were allowed to complete their pregnancy and deliver fetuses from the remaining horn (Synchronous control and vivarium control group 2) or horns (Vivarium control group 1). After surgery, the dams were euthanized and tissues recovered, and the neonates were assigned to foster dams.

Burden, Hubert W.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media

A long-term space mission requires efficient air revitalization performance to sustain the crew. Prefilter and particulate air filter media are susceptible to rapid fouling that adversely affects their performance and can lead to catastrophic failure of the air revitalization system, which may result in mission failure. For a long-term voyage, it is impractical to carry replacement particulate prefilter and filter modules due to the usual limitations in size, volume, and weight. The only solution to this problem is to reagentlessly regenerate prefilter and filter media in place. A method was developed to modify the particulate prefilter media to allow them to regenerate reagentlessly, and in place, by the application of modest thermocycled transverse or reversed airflows. The innovation may allow NASA to close the breathing air loop more efficiently, thereby sustaining the vision for manned space exploration missions of the future. A novel, self-cleaning coatings technology was developed for air filter media surfaces that allows reagentless in-place regeneration of the surface. The technology grafts thermoresponsive and nonspecific adhesion minimizing polymer nanolayer brush coatings from the prefilter media. These polymer nanolayer brush architectures can be triggered to contract and expand to generate a "pushing-off" force by the simple application of modestly thermocycled (i.e. cycling from ambient cabin temperature to 40 C) air streams. The nonspecific adhesion-minimizing properties of the coatings do not allow the particulate foulants to adhere strongly to the filter media, and thermocycled air streams applied to the media allow easy detachment and in-place regeneration of the media with minimal impact in system downtime or astronaut involvement in overseeing the process.

Weber, Olivia↗

NASA NTRS2016

Design Status of the Capillary Brine Residual in Containment Water Recovery System

One of the goals of the AES Life Support System (LSS) Project is to achieve 98% water loop closure for long duration human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. To meet this objective, the AES LSS Project is developing technologies to recover water from wastewater brine; highly concentrated waste products generated from a primary water recovery system. The state of the art system used aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has the potential to recover up to 85% water from unine wastewater, leaving a significant amounts of water in the waste brine, the recovery of which is critical technology gap that must be filled in order to enable long duration human exploration. Recovering water from the urine wastewater brine is complicated by the concentration of solids as water is removed from the brine, and the concentration of the corrosive, toxic chemicals used to stabilize the urine which fouls and degrades water processing hardware, and poses a hazard to operators and crew. Brine Residual in Containment (BRIC) is focused on solids management through a process of "in-place" drying - the drying of brines within the container used for final disposal. Application of in-place drying has the potential to improve the safety and reliability of the system by reducing the exposure to curew and hardware to the problematic brine residual. Through a collaboration between the NASA Johnson Space Center and Portland Status University, a novel water recovery system was developed that utilizes containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation allowing free surface evaporation to take place in a microgravity environment. A notional design for an ISS demonstration system was developed. This paper describes the testing performed to characterize the performance of the system as well as the status of the system level design.

Sargusingh, Miriam J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

An investigation of transitional management problems for the NSTS at NASA, executive summary

A summary is given of the work of the University of Houston research team for the third quarter of effort in a yearly grant for the National Space Transportation System (NSTS). As such it serves as a resting place for the ideas and concepts developed this quarter with the collaboration of the Management Integration Offices of NASA. Another objective is the hope that the report will help to stimulate the healthy problem solving process already present at NASA. The main goal of the contractual work is to help NASA to find ways and means of moving into a truly operational era with the shuttle program. This work is a continuation of early work and the reader is encouraged to read the final reports of earlier years. Chapter One of the report is an introduction. Chapter Two deals with industrial adaptation and is in two parts: theory and application. In the theory section, impressions of the management system immediately after reflight are discussed. A key issue, in the author's opinion is the seeming lack of purpose of the program. The application section has six appendices: 1988 Demographic Survey, Field Notes of Interview with HL/P South Texas Nuclear Project, a comparison of the Agendas of the current manager with that of a previous manager, a note on compartmentalization to assist in manifesting, a study on launch prediction for STS-26, and a discussion of a statistical decision-making course for upper level managers. Chapter Three deals with theoretical results returned on flow shop scheduling which will be of use downstream. Chapter Four deals with a statistical model developed to predict the flight rate in future years and indicates the program will have trouble making its schedule. Chapter Five covers the constructural effort and shows the work to be on schedule.

Hunsucker, John↗

NASA NTRS2016

Design Status of the Capillary Brine Residual in Containment Water Recovery System

One of the goals of the AES Life Support System (LSS) Project is to achieve 98% water loop closure for long duration human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. To meet this objective, the AES LSS Project is developing technologies to recover water from wastewater brine; highly concentrated waste products generated from a primary water recovery system. The state of the art system used aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has the potential to recover up to 85% water from unine wastewater, leaving a significant amounts of water in the waste brine, the recovery of which is a critical technology gap that must be filled in order to enable long duration human exploration. Recovering water from the urine wastewater brine is complicated by the concentration of solids as water is removed from the brine, and the concentration of the corrosive, toxic chemicals used to stabilize the urine which fouls and degrades water processing hardware, and poses a hazard to operators and crew. Brine Residual in Containment (BRIC) is focused on solids management through a process of "in-place" drying - the drying of brines within the container used for final disposal. Application of in-place drying has the potential to improve the safety and reliability of the system by reducing the exposure to crew and hardware to the problematic brine residual. Through a collaboration between the NASA Johnson Space Center and Portland Status University, a novel water recovery system was developed that utilizes containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation allowing free surface evaporation to take place in a microgravity environment. A notional design for an ISS demonstration system was developed. This paper describes the concept for the system level design.

Callahan, Michael R.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Initial operational capability of the ASTREX large space structures test bed

Future DOD, NASA, and SDI space systems will be larger than any spacecraft flown before. The economics of placing these large space systems (LSS) into orbit dictates that they be as low in mass as possible. The combination of very large size and relatively low mass produces systems which possess little structural rigidity. This flexibility causes severe technical problems when combined with the precise shape and pointing requirements associated with many future LSS missions. Development of new control technologies which can solve these problems and enable future LSS missions is under way, but a test bed is needed for demonstration and evaluation of the emerging control hardware (sensors and actuators) and methodologies. In particular, the need exists for a facility which enables both large angle slewing and subsequent pointing/shape control of a variety of flexible bodies. The Air Force Astronautics Laboratory (AFAL) has conceived the Advanced Space Structures Technology Research Experiments (ASTREX) facility to fill this need. An overview of the ASTREX facility is given.

Norris, G. A.↗