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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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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Uniform sampling analysis of a hybrid phase-locked loop with a sample-and-hold phase detector

Phase-locked-loop (PLL) bit synchronizers often employ integrate-and-dump type phase detectors that provide phase error information only at discrete points in time. Usually these phase detectors are followed by sample-and-hold circuits to produce a stairstep error voltage as the input to a standard analog circuit loop filter. When the loop is configured in this manner, it is referred to as a hybrid PLL. Sampled-data analysis methods (Z transforms) are used to determine the stability and transient response of this loop.

Barab, S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Similarities and contrasts in tectonic and volcanic style and history along the Colorado plateaus-to-basin and range transition zone in Western Arizona: Geologic framework for tertiary extensional tectonics

The overall temporal and spatial relations between middle Tertiary volcanism and tectonism from the Basin and Range province onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus province suggest that a single magnetic-tectonic episode affected the entire region more or less simultaneously during this period. The episode followed a post-Laramide (late Eocene through Oligocene) period of 25 million years of relative stability. Middle Tertiary volcanism did not migrate gradually eastward in a simple fashion onto the Colorado Plateau. In fact, late Oligocene volcanism appears to be more voluminous near the Aquarius Mountains than throughout the adjacent Basin and Range province westward to the Colorado River. Any model proposed to explain the cause of extension and detachment faulting in the eastern part of the Basin and Range province must consider that the onset of volcanism appears to have been approximately synchronous from the Colorado River region of the Basin and Range across the transition zone and onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus.

Young, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

US experiment flown on the Soviet biosatellite Cosmos 1667

Two male young-adult rhesus monkeys were flown on the Soviet Biosatellite Cosmos 1667 for seven days from July 10-17, 1985. Both animals were instrumented to record neurophysiological parameters. One animal, Gordyy, was additionally instrumented to record cardiovascular changes. Space capsule and environmental parameters were very similar to those of previous missions. On Cosmos 1514, which flew for five days in 1983, one animal was fitted with a left carotid artery cuff to measure blood pressure and flow velocity. An additional feature of Cosmos 1667 was a postflight control study using the flight animal. Intermittent postural tilt tests were also conducted before and after spaceflight and synchronous control studies, to simulate the fluid shifts associated with spaceflight. The experiment results support the conclusion derived from Cosmos 1514 that significant cardiovascular changes occur with spaceflight. The changes most clearly seen were rapid initial decreases in heart rate and further decreases with continued exposure to microgravity. The triggering mechanism appeared to be a headward shift in blood and tissue fluid volume which, in turn, triggered adaptive cardiovascular changes. Adaptive changes took place rapidly and began to stabilize after the first two days of flight. However, these changes did not plateau in the animal by the last day of the mission.

Hines, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Inflight Treadmill Exercise Can Serve as Multi-Disciplinary Countermeasure System

The goals of the Functional Task Test (FTT) study were to determine the effects of space flight on functional tests that are representative of high priority exploration mission tasks and to identify the key underlying physiological factors that contribute to decrements in performance. Ultimately this information will be used to assess performance risks and inform the design of countermeasures for exploration class missions. We have previously shown that for Shuttle, ISS and bed rest subjects, functional tasks requiring a greater demand for dynamic control of postural equilibrium (i.e. fall recovery, seat egress/obstacle avoidance during walking, object translation, jump down) showed the greatest decrement in performance. Functional tests with reduced requirements for postural stability (i.e. hatch opening, ladder climb, manual manipulation of objects and tool use) showed little reduction in performance. These changes in functional performance were paralleled by similar decrements in sensorimotor tests designed to specifically assess postural equilibrium and dynamic gait control. The bed rest analog allows us to investigate the impact of axial body unloading in isolation on both functional tasks and on the underlying physiological factors that lead to decrements in performance and then compare them with the results obtained in our space flight study. These results indicate that body support unloading experienced during space flight plays a central role in postflight alteration of functional task performance. These data also support the concept that space flight may cause central adaptation of converging body-load somatosensory and vestibular input during gravitational transitions [1]. Therefore, we conclude that providing significant body-support loading during inflight treadmill along with balance training is necessary to mitigate decrements in critical mission tasks that require dynamic postural stability and mobility. Data obtained from space flight and bed rest support the notion that in-flight treadmill exercise, in addition to providing aerobic exercise and mechanical stimuli to the bone, also has a number of sensorimotor benefits by providing: 1) A balance challenge during locomotion requiring segmental coordination in response to a downward force. 2) Body-support loading during performance of a full-body active motor task. 3) Oscillatory stimulation of the otoliths and synchronized periodic foot impacts that facilitate the coordination of gait motions and tune the full-body gaze control system. 4) Appropriate sensory input (foot tactile input, muscle and tendon stretch input) to spinal locomotor central pattern generators required for the control of locomotion. Forward work will focus on a follow-up bed rest study that incorporates aerobic and resistance exercise with a treadmill balance and gait training system that can serve as an integrated interdisciplinary countermeasure system for future exploration class missions.

Bloomberg, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A 10 micron heterodyne receiver for ultra high resolution astronomical spectroscopy

An improved CO2 laser heterodyne spectrometer is examined. The present system uses reflective optics to eliminate refocusing at different wavelengths, and the local oscillator is a line-center-stabilized isotopic CO2 laser. A tunable diffraction grating makes possible easy and rapid selection of over 50 transitions per isotope of CO2. The IF (0 to 1.6 GHz) from the HgCdTe photomizer is analyzed by a 128-channel filter bank, consisting of 64 tunable 5-MHz filters and 64 fixed 25-MHz RF filters. These filters provide resolving powers of about 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 and velocity resolution of 50 to 250 m/sec; their output is synchronously detected, integrated, multiplexed and stored in a buffer memory for the desired integration period. Kitt Peak observations show the wide spectral coverage, wide mixer and electronics bandwidth, and high sensitivity of the system.

Buhl, D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Single Bubble Sonoluminescence in Low Gravity and Optical Radiation Pressure Positioning of the Bubble

Several groups of researchers have demonstrated that high frequency sound in water may be used to cause the regular repeated compression and luminescence of a small bubble of gas in a flask. The phenomenon is known as single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL). It is potentially important because light emitted by the bubble appears to be associated with a significant concentration of energy within the volume of the bubble. Unfortunately, the detailed physical mechanisms causing the radiation of light by oscillating bubbles are poorly understood and there is some evidence that carrying out experiments in a weightless environment may provide helpful clues. In addition, the radiation pressure of laser beams on the bubble may provide a way of simulating weightless experiments in the laboratory. The standard model of SBSL attributes the light emission to heating within the bubble by a spherically imploding shock wave to achieve temperatures of 50,000 K or greater. In an alternative model, the emission is attributed to the impact of a jet of water which is required to span the bubble and the formation of the jet is linked to the buoyancy of the bubble. The coupling between buoyancy and jet formation is a consequence of the displacement of the bubble from a velocity node (pressure antinode) of the standing acoustic wave that drives the radial bubble oscillations. One objective of this grant is to understand SBSL emission in reduced buoyancy on KC-135 parabolic flights. To optimize the design of those experiments and for other reasons which will help resolve the role of buoyancy, laboratory experiments are planned in simulated low gravity in which the radiation pressure of laser light will be used to position the bubble at the acoustic velocity node of the ultrasonic standing wave. Laser light will also be used to push the bubble away from the velocity node, increasing the effective buoyancy. The original experiments on the optical levitation and radiation pressure on bubbles in water by Unger and Marston noted above were carried out using a continuous wave (CW) beam of an Argon laser. For lateral stability the beam had a intensity minimum along its axis. Calculations of the optical radiation force on an SBSL bubble indicate that ion laser technology is a poor choice for providing the magnitude of the average optical radiation force required. Consequently it is necessary to examine various diode-pumped solid state laser technologies. The approach for this part of the research will be to achieve optical levitation of a quiescent bubble based on contemporary laser technology and then to strobe the laser synchronously with the SBSL bubble oscillations.

Thiessen, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2006

AIRS Observations of DomeC in Antarctica and Comparison with Automated Weather Stations (AWS)

We compare the surface temperatures at Dome Concordia (DomeC) deduced from AIRS data and two Automatic Weather Stations at Concordia Station: AWS8989 , which has been in operation since December 1996, and AWS.it, for which data are available between January and November 2005. The AWS8989 readings are on average 3 K warmer than the AWS.it readings, with a warmer bias in the Antarctic summer than in the winter season. Although AIRS measures the skin brightness temperature, while the AWS reports the temperature of the air at 3 meter above the surface, the AIRS measurements agree well with the AWS.it readings for all data and separately for the summer and winter seasons, if data taken in the presence of strong surface inversions are filtered out. This can be done by deducing the vertical temperature gradient above the surface directly from the AIRS temperature sounding channels or indirectly by noting that extreme vertical gradients near the surface are unlikely if the wind speed is more than a few meters per second. Since the AIRS measurements are very well calibrated, the agreement with AWS.it is very encouraging. The warmer readings of AWS8989 are likely due to thermal contamination of the AWS8989 site by the increasing activity at Concordia Station. Data from an AWS.it quality station could be used for the evaluation of radiometric accuracy and stability of polar orbiting sounders at low temperatures. Unfortunately, data from AWS.it was available only for a limited time. The thermal contamination of the AWS8989 data makes long-term trends deduced from AWS8989 and possibly results about the rapid Antarctic warming deduced from other research stations on Antarctica suspect. AIRS is the first hyperspectral infrared sounder designed in support of weather forecasting and climate research. It was launched in May 2002 on the EOS Aqua spacecraft into a 704 km altitude polar sun-synchronous orbit. The lifetime of AIRS, estimated before launch to be at least 5 years is, based on the latest evaluation, limited by the amount of attitude control gas on the EOS Aqua spacecraft, which is expected to last through 2015.

atmospheric↗
NASA NTRS2014

Using Mean Orbit Period in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Maneuver Design

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has provided communication relays for a number of Mars spacecraft. In 2016 MRO is expected to support a relay for NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft. In addition, support may be needed by another mission, ESA's ExoMars EDL Demonstrator Module's (EDM), only 21 days after the InSight coverage. The close proximity of these two events presents a unique challenge to a conventional orbit synchronization maneuver where one deterministic maneuver is executed prior to each relay. Since the two events are close together and the difference in required phasing between InSight and EDM may be up to half an orbit (yielding a large execution error), the downtrack timing error can increase rapidly at the EDM encounter. Thus, a new maneuver strategy that does not require a deterministic maneuver in-between the two events (with only a small statistical cleanup) is proposed in the paper. This proposed strategy rests heavily on the stability of the mean orbital period. The ability to search and set the specified mean period is fundamental in the proposed maneuver design as well as in understanding the scope of the problem. The proposed strategy is explained and its result is used to understand and solve the problem in the flight operations environment.

Chung, Min-Kun J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Conic Sector Analysis of Hybrid Control Systems

A hybrid control system contains an analog plant and a hybrid (or sampled-data) compensator. In this thesis a new conic sector is determined which is constructive and can be used to: (1) determine closed loop stability, (2) analyze robustness with respect to modelling uncertainties, (3) analyze steady state response to commands, and (4) select the sample rate. The use of conic sectors allows the designer to treat hybrid control systems as though they were analog control systems. The center of the conic sector can be used as a rigorous linear time invariant approximation of the hybrid control system, and the radius places a bound on the errors of this approximation. The hybrid feedback system can be multivariable, and the sampler is assumed to be synchronous. Algorithms to compute the conic sector are presented. Several examples demonstrate how the conic sector analysis techniques are applied. Extensions to single loop multirate hybrid feedback systems are presented. Further extensions are proposed for multiloop multirate hybrid feedback system and for single rate systems with asynchronous sampling.

Thompson, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

LASSO, two-way, and GPS time comparisons: A (very) preliminary status report

The first results are presented on the time transfer experiments between TUG (Graz, Austria) and OCA (Grasse, France) using common view Global Positioning System (GPS) and two-way stations at both sites. The present data, providing arms of the clock offsets of 2 to 3 nanoseconds for a three month period, have to be further analyzed before any conclusions on the respective precision and accuracy of these techniques can be drawn. Two years after its start, the Laser Synchronization from Stationary Orbit (LASSO) experiment is finally giving its first results at TUG and OCA. The first analysis of three common sessions permitted researchers to conclude that the LASSO package on board Meteosat P2 is working satisfactorily, and that time transfer using this method should provide clock offsets at better than 1 nanosecond precision, and clock rates at better than 10(exp -12) s/s in a 5 to 10 minutes session. A new method for extracting this information from the raw data sent by LASSO should enhance the performances of this experiment, exploiting the stability of the on-board oscillator.

Veillet, Christian J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

New features of different frequency generating systems due to the use of electrodeless rigidly mounted VBA quartz crystal resonator

The BVA 5 MHz crystal equipped frequency sources exhibit a new blend of performances such as 10 to 11 daily stability, 5x10-13 short term stability (1 to 30 s time intervals) and close to the carrier low phase noise (1 Hz : -120 dBc, 10 Hz : -140 dBc), whereby retaining the customary crystal oscillator benefits of small volume, high reliability and low price, as opposed to more sophisticated frequency generators which would be required to achieve comparable performances. Examples illustrating the impact of the Oscilloquartz BVA oven-controlled crystal oscillator in different frequency generating systems are presented: cesium frequency standards; hydrogen frequency standard; a precision distribution sub-system for satellite ground stations; and high hierarchy exchanges of digital networks, synchronized by the master-slave method are discussed.

Jendly, A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An operating 200 kW horizontal axis wind turbine

Output from the 200-kilowatt machine will be enough to meet the power requirements of about 60 families. The experimental wind turbine generator (WTG) is a two-bladed, horizontal-axis, rotor system driving a synchronous electric generator through a step-up gear box located within a nacelle. The nacelle is mounted on top of a 100-foot tower with the rotor located downwind from the tower. The 200-kilowatt rated power output of the wind turbine is achieved at a turbine rotor speed of 40 rpm and a rated wind speed of 18.3 mph. The rated wind speed is defined as the lowest wind speed at which full power is achieved. Attention is given to operational details, aspects of blade design, blade fabrication, the use of strain gages, questions of aeroelastic stability, and an early analysis of test data.

Hunnicutt, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The development and test of a long-life, high reliability solar array drive actuator

To meet the life and reliability requirements of five to ten year space missions, a new solar array drive mechanism for 3-axis stabilized vehicles has been developed and is undergoing life testing. The drive employs a redundant lubrication system to increase its reliability. An overrunning clutch mechanism is used to permit block redundant application of two or more drives to a common array drive shaft. Two prototype actuator and clutch assemblies, in continuous vacuum life test under load at 10 to the minus 8th power torr for more than sixteen months, have each accumulated more than 34,000 output revolutions without anomaly, the equivalent of more than seven years of operation in a 1000 km orbit or nearly ninety-five years at synchronous altitude.

Kirkpatrick, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

LEOMAC: A Future 'Global Atmospheric Composition Mission' (CACM) Concept

Resolution of important outstanding questions in air quality, climate change and ozone layer stability demands global observations of multiple chemical species with high horizontal and vertical resolution from the boundary layer to the stratopause. We present a mission concept that delivers the needed atmospheric composition observations, along with cloud ice and water vapor data needed for improvements in climate and weather forecasting models. The mission comprises ultraviolet and infrared nadir and microwave limb viewing instruments observing wide swaths each orbit. We review the scientific goals of the mission and the measurement capabilities this concept will deliver. We describe how precessing orbits offer significant improvements in temporal resolution and diurnal coverage compared to sun-synchronous orbits. Such improvements are needed to quantify the impact of critical 'fast processes' such as deep convection on the composition and radiative properties of the upper troposphere, a region where water vapor and ozone are strong but poorly understood greenhouse gases. This concept can serve as the 'Global Atmospheric Composition Mission' (GACM) recently recommended by the National Academy of Sciences decadal survey as one of 17 priority earth science missions for the coming decade.

chemistry↗
NASA NTRS2020

Progress in Interferometric Rayleigh Scattering to Measure Fluctuations Spectra of Velocity and Temperature in High Speed Flows

A new, spectrally-resolved, Rayleigh scattering setup at NASA Ames is further developed to measure fluctuations in velocity and temperature. Using a combination of a continuous-wave laser, a stabilized Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI), an EMCCD camera, and a photo-multiplier tube, the setup was demonstrated to provide fairly accurate measurements of time-averaged velocity, temperature, density and spectrum of density fluctuations in a high-speed free jet (Panda & White, 2018). This paper describes further progress in fast measurement of the Rayleigh-Brillouin spectrum via a 16-anode linear-array of photo-multiplier tube and a multi-channel, photo-electron counter. Rayleigh scattered light from a 0.4mm long probe volume was directly imaged through the FPI and was imaged on the linear array. Synchronous photo-electron counting over a series of short, contiguous gates provided time-evolution of the fringes at a 10 kHz sampling rate. Sample spectra collected from a Mach 0.98 jet show spectral content floating on high noise-floor. Efforts to collect longer time series of data and different schemes of extracting velocity and temperature information are now in progress.

Panda, J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Repeat Ground Track Lunar Orbits in the Full-Potential Plus Third-Body Problem

A high degree and order Lunar gravitational field is superimposed on the Earth-Moon Restricted Three Body model to capture the dominating forces on a spacecraft in the vicinity of the Moon. For the synchronously rotating Moon, periodic orbits in this model map repeat ground tracks and represent higher order solutions to the frozen orbit problem. The near-circular, stable or near-stable solutions are found over a wide range of defining characteristics making them suitable for long-lifetime parking applications such as science orbits, crew exploration vehicle parking orbits, and global coverage constellation orbits. A full ephemeris is considered for selected orbits to evaluate the validity of the time-invariant, simplified model. Of the most promising results are the low-altitude families of near-circular, inclined orbits that maintain long-term stability despite the highly non-spherical Lunar gravity. The method is systematic and enables rapid design and analysis of long-life orbits around any tidally-locked celestial body with an arbitrarily high degree and order spherical harmonic gravity field. .

periodic↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Review of the MLAS Parachute Systems

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) is developing the Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) as a risk-mitigation design should problems arise with the baseline Orion spacecraft launch abort design. The Max in MLAS is dedicated to Max Faget, the renowned NASA spacecraft designer. The MLAS flight test vehicle consists of boost skirt, coast skirt and the MLAS fairing which houses a full scale boilerplate Orion Crew Module (CM). The objective of the flight test is to prove that the CM can be released from the MLAS fairing during pad abort conditions without detrimental recontact between the CM and fairing, achieving performance similar to the Orion launch abort system. The boost and coast skirts provide the necessary thrust and stability to achieve the flight test conditions and are released prior to the test -- much like the Little Joe booster was used in the Apollo Launch Escape System tests. To achieve the test objective, two parachutes are deployed from the fairing to reorient the CM/fairing to a heatshield first orientation. The parachutes then provide the force necessary to reduce the total angle of attack and body angular rates required for safe release of the CM from the fairing. A secondary test objective after CM release from the fairing is to investigate the removal of the CM forward bay cover (FBC) with CM drogue parachutes for the purpose of attempting to synchronously deploying a set of CM main parachutes. Although multiple parachute deployments are used in the MLAS flight test vehicle to complete its objective, there are only two parachute types employed in the flight test. Five of the nine parachutes used for MLAS are 27.6 ft D(sub 0) ribbon parachutes, and the remaining four are standard G-12 cargo parachutes. This paper presents an overview of the 27.6 ft D(sub 0) ribbon parachute system employed on the MLAS flight test vehicle for coast skirt separation, fairing reorientation, and as drogue parachutes for the CM after separation from the fairing. Discussion will include: the process used to select this design, previously proven as a spin/stall recovery parachute; descriptions of all components of the parachute system; the minor modifications necessary to adapt the parachute to the MLAS program; the techniques used to analyze the parachute for the multiple roles it performs; a discussion of the rigging techniques used to interface the parachute system to the vehicle; and a brief description of how the evolution of the program affected parachute usage and analysis. An overview of the Objective system, rationale for the MLAS approach and the future of the program will also be presented. We hope to have flight test results to report at the time of the Conference Presentation.

Taylor, Anthony P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft flight simulation overview

The Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) is a variable stability, variable control law flying simulator used by NASA/JSC to train astronauts in the final landing phase of a Space Shuttle Orbiter. A general outline is given for the STA flight simulation system. An overview is given of the software generation and verification process through the Advanced Validation System (AVAS). The flight test techniques for software verification will be reviewed and the process for releasing the software for flight training will be covered. The astronaut STA training syllabus is examined. Parameter matching with the Orbiter in the final approach phase of de-orbit and landing is briefly examined. Simulation performance will be assessed against flight data, performance measurement, and cue synchronization.

Justiz, Charles R.↗