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Results for “SATELLITE DESIGN”

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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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Design practices for controlling spacecraft charging interactions

A design guidelines handbook prepared to provide criteria for assessing and minimizing spacecraft charging interactions is described. An evaluation philosophy of analyzing specific satellite designs in a substorm environment specification with NASCAP is proposed. Criteria for possible discharges are given and a technique for computing the discharge transients is outlined. The charging of a three axis stabilized satellite is examined to illustrate the philosophy. Possible discharge locations are found and transients computed. The effect of changing selected surface coatings is evaluated and found to substantially reduce charging levels.

Stevens, N. J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Evaluating and Addressing Potential Hazards of Fuel Tanks Surviving Atmospheric Reentry

In order to ensure reentering spacecraft do not pose an undue risk to the Earth's population it is important to design satellites and rocket bodies with end of life considerations in mind. In addition to considering the possible consequences of deorbiting a vehicle, consideration must also be given to the possible risks associated with a vehicle failing to become operational or reach its intended orbit. Based on recovered space debris and numerous reentry survivability analyses, fuel tanks are of particular concern in both of these considerations. Most spacecraft utilize some type of fuel tank as part of their propulsion system. These fuel tanks are most often constructed using stainless steel or titanium and are filled with potentially hazardous substances such as hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. For a vehicle which has reached its scheduled end of mission the contents of the tanks are typically depleted. In this scenario the use of stainless steel and titanium results in the tanks posing a risk to people and property do to the high melting point and large heat of ablation of these materials leading to likely survival of the tank during reentry. If a large portion of the fuel is not depleted prior to reentry, there is the added risk of hazardous substance being released when the tank impact the ground. This paper presents a discussion of proactive methods which have been utilized by NASA satellite projects to address the risks associated with fuel tanks reentering the atmosphere. In particular it will address the design of a demiseable fuel tank as well as the evaluation of off the shelf designs which are selected to burst during reentry.

Kelley, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Optimizing space constellations for mobile satellite systems

Designing a mobile satellite system entails many complex trade-offs between a great number of parameters including: capacity, complexity of the payload, constellation geometry, number of satellites, quality of coverage, etc. This paper aims at defining a methodology which tries to split the variables to give rapidly some first results. The major input considered is the traffic assumption which would be offered by the system. A first key step is the choice of the best Rider or Walker constellation geometries - with different numbers of satellites - to insure a good quality of coverage over a selected service area. Another aspect to be addressed is the possible altitude location of the constellation, since it is limited by many constraints. The altitude ranges that seem appropriate considering the spatial environment, the launch and orbit keeping policy and the feasibility of the antenna allowing sufficient frequency reuse are briefly analyzed. To support these first considerations, some 'reference constellations' with similar coverage quality are chosen. The in-orbit capacity needed to support the assumed traffic is computed versus altitude. Finally, the exact number of satellite is determined. It comes as an optimum between a small number of satellites offering a high (and costly) power margin in bad propagation situation and a great number of less powerful satellites granting the same quality of service.

Roussel, T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Dynamics Explorer twin spacecraft under evaluation tests

The Dynamics Explorer A and B satellites designed to explore the interactive processes occuring between the magnetosphere and Earth's ionosphere, upper atmosphere, and plasmasphere are described. Effects of these interactions, satellite orbits, data collecting antennas, solar power systems, axes, configurations, and Earth based command, control and data display systems are mentioned.

Redmond, C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An engineering database management system for spacecraft operations

Studies at ESOC have demonstrated the feasibility of a flexible and powerful Engineering Database Management System in support for spacecraft operations documentation. The objectives set out were three-fold: first an analysis of the problems encountered by the Operations team in obtaining and managing operations documents; secondly, the definition of a concept for operations documentation and the implementation of prototype to prove the feasibility of the concept; and thirdly, definition of standards and protocols required for the exchange of data between the top-level partners in a satellite project. The EDMS prototype was populated with ERS-l satellite design data and has been used by the operations team at ESOC to gather operational experience. An operational EDMS would be implemented at the satellite prime contractor's site as a common database for all technical information surrounding a project and would be accessible by the cocontractor's and ESA teams.

Cipollone, Gregorio↗
NASA NTRS1971

Design guide for space shuttle low-cost payloads

A handbook is presented which delineates the principles of the new low-cost design methodology for designers of unmanned payloads to be carried by the space shuttle. The basic relationships between payload designs and program cost effects are discussed, and some concepts for designing low-cost payloads and implementing low-cost programs are given. The data are summarized from a payloads effects study of three unmanned earth satellites (OAO, a syneq orbiter, and a small research satellite), and the earth satellite design is emphasized. Brief summaries of space shuttle and space tug performance, environmental, and interface data pertinent to low-cost payload concepts are included.

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NASA NTRS1990

LifeSat - A new research vehicle

LifeSat is a reusable recoverable satellite that will support research in the gravitation and radiation biology fields. It can provide sustained lower gravitational levels than manned vehicles and can access orbits where specimens can be exposed to cosmic radiation. The satellite design encompasses environmental support for vertebrate, invertebrate and plant specimens ranging from cells and tissues up to small mammals. The first launch, in a series of 7 satellite flights, is planned for late 1995.

Gilbreath, William P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

RAE-B antenna aspect system

The development of a facsimile camera to serve as the antenna aspect system for the second generation Radio Astronomy Explorer Satellite designated RAE-B is summarized. The camera system consists of two cameras and a data encoder. The program deliverables were two flight cameras, a flight encoder and one spare flight encoder. The RAE-B satellite was originally intended for an earth orbit mission and the facsimile subsystem characteristics were specified with this in mind. Subsequently the flight mission was changed to orbit the moon; however the change occurred too late to significantly influence the facsimile system design. Therefore, this report considers only compliance of the system to earth orbit requirements.

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NASA NTRS1993

Rad-hard computer elements for space applications

Space Hardened CMOS computer elements emulating a commercial microcontroller and microprocessor family have been designed, fabricated, qualified, and delivered for a variety of space programs including NASA's multiple launch International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program, Mars Observer, and government and commercial communication satellites. Design techniques and radiation performance of the 1.25 micron feature size products are described.

Krishnan, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Seasat-A opens new phase in earth observations

The data output of the Seasat-A, the first satellite designed specifically for oceanographic observation, is described. Wave height and direction, ice distribution, surface wind speed and direction, ocean-surface temperature, and atmospheric water content will be monitored by the satellite. Imaging radar, microwave scatterometer, microwave radiometer and visual and infrared radiometer experiments are included in the Seasat-A observing program. Two types of orbits have been developed: a near-repeat cycle of three days, and a near-repeat cycle of 25 days. Both orbit types offer fine coverage (18.5 km crossing separations) of the earth. Synthetic aperture radar data on computer-compatible tapes and geophysical data records available through the Seasat-A mission are described.

Cutting, E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Lean spacecraft avionics trade study

Spacecraft design is generally an exercise in design trade-offs: fuel vs. weight, power vs. solar cell area, radiation exposure vs. shield weight, etc. Proper analysis of these trades is critical in the development of lightweight, efficient, 'lean' satellites. The modification of the launch plans for the Magnetosphere Imager (MI) to a Taurus launcher from the much more powerful Delta has forced a reduction in spacecraft weight availability into the mission orbit from 1300 kg to less than 500 kg. With weight now a driving factor it is imperative that the satellite design be extremely efficient and lean. The accuracy of engineering trades now takes on an added importance. An understanding of spacecraft subsystem interactions is critical in the development of a good spacecraft design, yet it is a challenge to define these interactions while the design is immature. This is currently an issue in the development of the preliminary design of the MI. The interaction and interfaces between this spacecraft and the instruments it carries are currently unclear since the mission instruments are still under development. It is imperative, however, to define these interfaces so that avionics requirements ideally suited to the mission's needs can be determined.

Main, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Specific construction tests

The technical feasibility of the Satellite Power System (SPS) is discussed. The development of feasible operational concepts and conceptualization of specific construction tasks are examined. The logic flow of functional analyses of both the rectenna and the satellite is illustrated. Constraints placed upon the construction processes and equipment by the satellite design are outlined. The construction tasks, when defined and combined into an integrated schedule establish, a time line for construction mass flow demands to be satisfied by the space transportation systems. An example of satellite constructive demands and HLLV delivery capabilities is given.

Mcrae, W. V., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Sound Guard

Lubrication technology originally developed for a series of NASA satellites has produced a commercial product for protecting the sound fidelity of phonograph records. Called Sound Guard, the preservative is a spray-on fluid that deposits a microscopically thin protective coating which reduces friction and prevents the hard diamond stylus from wearing away the softer vinyl material of the disc. It is marketed by the Consumer Products Division of Ball Corporation, Muncie, Indiana. The lubricant technology on which Sound Guard is based originated with NASA's Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO), an Earth-orbiting satellite designed and built by Ball Brothers Research Corporation, Boulder, Colorado, also a division of Ball Corporation. Ball Brothers engineers found a problem early in the OSO program: known lubricants were unsuitable for use on satellite moving parts that would be exposed to the vacuum of space for several months. So the company conducted research on the properties of materials needed for long life in space and developed new lubricants. They worked successfully on seven OSO flights and attracted considerable attention among other aerospace contractors. Ball Brothers now supplies its "Vac Kote" lubricants and coatings to both aerospace and non-aerospace industries and the company has produced several hundred variations of the original technology. Ball Corporation expanded its product line to include consumer products, of which Sound Guard is one of the most recent. In addition to protecting record grooves, Sound Guard's anti-static quality also retards particle accumulation on the stylus. During comparison study by a leading U.S. electronic laboratory, a record not treated by Sound Guard had to be cleaned after 50 plays and the stylus had collected a considerable number of small vinyl particles. The Sound Guard-treated disc was still clean after 100 plays, as was its stylus.

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NASA NTRS1985

The GLOMR satellite payload G-308

This paper describes the Global Low Orbiting Message Relay (GLOMR) Satellite and its participation in the pioneering development of a Get-Away-Special (GAS) satellite launch capability. The GLOMR is a data relay communication satellite designed and built by Defense Systems, Inc. (DSI), a private company located in the Washington, D.C. area. Experiment objectives are to demonstrate the store-forward relay of data/messages and the communication to ground user equipment. satellite, powered by lead-acid batteries and solar cells, includes processing, control and RF electronics for data message handling and storage. mounted through a Marman clamp ejection/retention pedestal to a five cubic foot GAS canister bottom plate. The GAS canister includes a Full Diameter Motorized Door Assembly (FDMDA) lid which is opened remotely by astronauts for satellite launch.

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NASA NTRS1990

Satellite sound broadcast propagation studies and measurements

Satellite Sound Broadcasting is an attractive satellite application. Before regulatory decisions can be made in 1992, the propagation effects encountered have to be characterized. The Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory has nearly completed a system which will allow amplitude measurements to be made over 10 MHz bandwidths in the 800 to 1800 MHz frequency range. The system uses transmission from a transportable tower, and reception inside buildings or in the shadow of trees or utility poles. The goal is to derive propagation models for use by systems engineers who are about to design satellite broadcast systems. The advance of fiber-optics technology has helped to focus future development of satellite services into areas where satellites are uniquely competitive. One of these preferred satellite applications is the broadcasting of high-quality sound for stationary or mobile reception by listeners using low-cost, consumer-grade receivers. Before such services can be provided, however, the political hurdles of spectrum allocation have to be surmounted and the technical questions of standardization for world-wide compatibility have to be resolved. In order to arrive at an optimal system design, efficient in the use of our scarce spectral resources, affordable both to the broadcaster and the listener, and providing predictable performance, the propagation effects to which the service is subjected have to be characterized. Consequently, the objective of the research project is to make basic propagation measurements for direct Satellite Sound Broadcasting Service (SSBS). The data obtained should allow the development of propagation models to be used by communications engineers designing the operational systems. Such models shall describe the effects of shadowing and multipath propagation on SSBS receivers operating in a specified environment, such as inside commercial or residential buildings of various construction and also in the shadow of trees or utility poles as might be encountered by transporting or mobile listeners.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗