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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Demonstration of the Low-Cost Virtual Collaborative Environment (VCE)

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of a low-cost approach of remotely controlling equipment. Our demonstration system consists of a PC, the PUMA 560 robot with Barrett hand, and commercially available controller and teleconferencing software. The system provides a graphical user interface which allows a user to program equipment tasks and preview motions i.e., simulate the results. Once satisfied that the actions are both safe and accomplish the task, the remote user sends the data over the Internet to the local site for execution on the real equipment. A video link provides visual feedback to the remote sight. This technology lends itself readily to NASA's upcoming Mars expeditions by providing remote simulation and control of equipment.

Bowers, David↗
DOE OSTI2020

A cleanroom in a glovebox

The exploration of new materials, novel quantum phases, and devices requires ways to prepare cleaner samples with smaller feature sizes. Initially, this meant the use of a cleanroom that limits the amount and size of dust particles. However, many materials are highly sensitive to oxygen and water in the air. Furthermore, the ever-increasing demand for a quantum workforce, trained and able to use the equipment for creating and characterizing materials, calls for a dramatic reduction in the cost to create and operate such facilities. To this end, we present our cleanroom-in-a-glovebox, a system that allows for the fabrication and characterization of devices in an inert argon atmosphere. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to perform a wide range of characterization as well as fabrication steps, without the need for a dedicated room, all in an argon environment. Finally, we discuss the custom-built antechamber attached to the back of the glovebox. This antechamber allows the glovebox to interface with ultra-high vacuum equipment such as molecular-beam epitaxy and scanning tunneling microscopy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1983

Evolution of integrated panel structural design and interfaces for PV power plants

The evolution of integrated photovoltaic (PV) panel design at ARCO Solar is discussed. Historically, framed PV modules of about 1 x 4-ft size were individually mounted in the field on fixed support structures and interconnected electrically with cables to build higher-power arrays. When ARCO Solar saw the opportunity in 1982 to marry its PV modules with state-of-the-art heliostat trackers developed by ARCO Power Systems, it became obvious that mounting individual modules was impractical. For this project, the framed modules were factory-assembled into panels and interconnected with cables before being mounted on the trackers. Since then, ARCO Solar made considerable progress and gained substantial experience in the design and fabrication of large PV panels. Constraints and criteria considered in these design activities included static and dynamic loads; assembly and transportation equipment and logistics, structural and electrical interfaces, and safety and grounding concerns.

Arnett, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Hitchhiker: Customer Accommodations and Requirements Specifications (CARS)

In 1984, NASA Headquarters established projects at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to develop quick-reaction carrier systems for low-cost 'flight of opportunity' or secondary payloads on the Space Transportation System (STS). One of these projects is the Hitchhiker (HH) Program. GSFC has developed a family of carrier equipment known as the Shuttle Payload of Opportunity Carrier (SPOC) system for mounting small payloads such as HH to the side of the Orbiter payload bay. The side-mounted HHs are referred to as Hitchhiker-G (HH-G). MSFC developed a cross-bay 'bridge-type' carrier structure called the Hitchhiker-M (HH-M). In 1987, responsibility for the HH-M carrier was transferred to and is now managed by the HH Project Office at the GSFC. The HH-M carrier now uses the same interchangeable SPOC avionics unit and the same electrical interfaces and services developed for HH-G. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has created this document to acquaint potential HH system customers with the facilities NASA provides and the requirements which customers must satisfy to use these facilities. This publication defines interface items required for integrating customer equipment with the HH carrier system. Those items such as mounting equipment and electrical inputs and outputs; configuration, environmental, command, telemetry, and operational constraints are described as well as weight, power, and communications. The purpose of this publication is to help the customer understand essential integration documentation requirements and to prepare a Customer Payload Requirements (CPR) document.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Opportunities for research on Space Station Freedom

NASA has allocated research accommodations on Freedom (equipment, utilities, etc.) to the program offices that sponsor space-based research and development as follows: Space Science and Applications (OSSA)--52 percent, Commercial Programs (OCP)--28 percent, Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST)--12 percent, and Space Flight (OSF)--8 percent. Most of OSSA's allocation will be used for microgravity and life science experiments; although OSSA's space physics, astrophysics, earth science and applications, and solar system exploration divisions also will use some of this allocation. Other Federal agencies have expressed an interest in using Space Station Freedom. They include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Geological Survey, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy. Payload interfaces with space station lab support equipment must be simple, and experiment packages must be highly contained. Freedom's research facilities will feature International Standard Payload Racks (ISPR's), experiment racks that are about twice the size of a Spacelab rack. ESA's Columbus lab will feature 20 racks, the U.S. lab will have 12 racks, and the Japanese lab will have 10. Thus, Freedom will have a total of 42 racks versus 8 for Space lab. NASA is considering outfitting some rack space to accommodate small, self-contained payloads similar to the Get-Away-Special canisters and middeck-locker experiment packages flown on Space Shuttle missions. Crew time allotted to experiments on Freedom at permanently occupied capability will average 25 minutes per rack per day, compared to six hours per rack per day on Spacelab missions. Hence, telescience--the remote operation of space-based experiments by researchers on the ground--will play a very important role in space station research. Plans for supporting life sciences research on Freedom focus on the two basic goals of NASA 's space life sciences program: to ensure the health, safety, and productivity of humans in space and to acquire fundamental knowledge of biological processes. Space-based research has already shown that people and plants respond the same way to the microgravity environment: they lose structure. However, the mechanisms by which they respond are different, and researchers do not yet know much about these mechanisms. Life science research accommodations on Freedom will include facilities for experiments designed to address this and other questions, in fields such as gravitational biology, space physiology, and biomedical monitoring and countermeasures research.

Phillips, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Spacecraft subsystem checkout by minicomputer

The minicomputer, with its large capacity in a small and inexpensive package, can be an important component in special-purpose test equipment. The Voyager spacecraft flight data subsystem support equipment is an example of computer-based test gear. The subsystem to be tested is a major control and data acquisition element of the Voyager spacecraft, with a large number of interfaces to several other onboard subsystems. This equipment was designed to meet spacecraft subsystem testing requirements while making maximum use of off-the-shelf commercial components. Careful consideration was given to design tradeoffs in the areas of commercial versus specially built hardware and hardware versus software problem solutions. The resulting system is an integrated package of commercial and special-purpose hardware plus software.

Andersen, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2011

High-Speed Isolation Board for Flight Hardware Testing

There is a need to provide a portable and cost-effective galvanic isolation between ground support equipment and flight hardware such that any unforeseen voltage differential between ground and power supplies is eliminated. An interface board was designed for use between the ground support equipment and the flight hardware that electrically isolates all input and output signals and faithfully reproduces them on each side of the interface. It utilizes highly integrated multi-channel isolating devices to minimize size and reduce assembly time. This single-board solution provides appropriate connector hardware and breakout of required flight signals to individual connectors as needed for various ground support equipment. The board utilizes multi-channel integrated circuits that contain transformer coupling, thereby allowing input and output signals to be isolated from one another while still providing high-fidelity reproduction of the signal up to 90 MHz. The board also takes in a single-voltage power supply input from the ground support equipment and in turn provides a transformer-derived isolated voltage supply to power the portion of the circuitry that is electrically connected to the flight hardware. Prior designs used expensive opto-isolated couplers that were required for each signal to isolate and were time-consuming to assemble. In addition, these earlier designs were bulky and required a 2U rack-mount enclosure. The new design is smaller than a piece of 8.5 ~11-in. (.22 ~28-mm) paper and can be easily hand-carried where needed. The flight hardware in question is based on a lineage of existing software-defined radios (SDRs) that utilize a common interface connector with many similar input-output signals present. There are currently four to five variations of this SDR, and more upcoming versions are planned based on the more recent design.

Yamamoto, Clifford K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

User's Manual for RESRAD-BUILD Code Version 4: Vol. 2 - User's Guide for RESRAD-BUILD Code Version 4

The RESRAD-BUILD computer code is designed to assess radiological doses to individuals who live or work in a building contaminated with radioactive material. The code is equipped with a user-friendly interface that has many features to facilitate using the computer code and understanding the results. The design of the interface provides various options, from entering data and performing calculations to displaying calculation results. General and context-specific help are available, providing information on editing and viewing the radionuclide database, the definitions of input parameters and their use in the calculations, and the selection of the calculation results for placement into other applications. Two types of sensitivity analysis are supported by the code, i.e., deterministic and probabilistic, that can be used to study the influence of input parameters on the calculation results. This user’s guide provides instructions to help users on how to install the RESRAD-BUILD code, navigate the interface, and use the various features to set up a dose/risk analysis and to view/print the results in text and graphical outputs.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
NASA NTRS1972

Acoustical analysis system

Integrated system is described which replaces several instruments normally used to analyze acoustical data in failure detection of mechanical or fluid systems. Analysis system extracts and measures repetitive waveforms superimposed on noisy background and compares amplitude with internally stored waveforms. Equipment used in system may be interfaced with general purpose digital computer.

Tatge, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Space shuttle propulsion systems on-board checkout and monitoring system development study (extension). Volume 2: Guidelines for for incorporation of the onboard checkout and monitoring function on the space shuttle

Guidelines are presented for incorporation of the onboard checkout and monitoring function (OCMF) into the designs of the space shuttle propulsion systems. The guidelines consist of and identify supporting documentation; requirements for formulation, implementation, and integration of OCMF; associated compliance verification techniques and requirements; and OCMF terminology and nomenclature. The guidelines are directly applicable to the incorporation of OCMF into the design of space shuttle propulsion systems and the equipment with which the propulsion systems interface. The techniques and general approach, however, are also generally applicable to OCMF incorporation into the design of other space shuttle systems.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1974

The role of manned extravehicular activity in reducing the cost of space payloads

Substantial cost savings and performance improvement will result by the use of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to supplement or replace automation. Taking an all-pallet version of Langley Research Center's Advanced Technology Laboratory payload as an example, $54.5 million should be saved by EVA over automation, considering deployment and stowing only. Additional savings should accrue when reduced-reliability equipment (where permitted) is substituted for high reliability equipment and EVA is used for repairs. More comprehensively, launch and operation costs could also be reduced by elimination of the need to return to the ground for repairs; and production spending might be reduced when an entire vehicle was saved by manned EVA repair not feasible via automation. Potential disadvantages include increased cost due to development and manufacture of EVA equipment, payload provisions to enable EVA interfaces, training, orbiter modification, and prevention of EVA-caused contamination. Possible applications to the Space Shuttle missions are discussed.

Alton, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Oxygen boost pump study

An oxygen boost pump is described which can be used to charge the high pressure oxygen tank in the extravehicular activity equipment from spacecraft supply. The only interface with the spacecraft is the +06 6.205 Pa supply line. The breadboard study results and oxygen tank survey are summarized and the results of the flight-type prototype design and analysis are presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

Investigation of a Space Delta Technology Facility (SDTF) for Spacelab

The Space Data Technology Facility (SDTF) would have the role of supporting a wide range of data technology related demonstrations which might be performed on Spacelab. The SDTF design is incorporated primarily in one single width standardized Spacelab rack. It consists of various display, control and data handling components together with interfaces with the demonstration-specific equipment and Spacelab. To arrive at this design a wide range of data related technologies and potential demonstrations were also investigated. One demonstration concerned with online image rectification and registration was developed in some depth.

Welch, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Spacecraft radio frequency subsystem

The historical background for the development of the planetary (RFS) is reviewed, and the performance capabilities of the various functional subassemblies are described. The flight radio frequency subsystem is a valid component for the three spacecraft telecommunications functions of tracking, command, and telemetry. It is the radio and the signal processing equipment residing in the spacecraft that interfaces with the control & data subsystem and performs two-way communications with the Earth-based Deep Space Network. The RFS consists of all the elements for RF reception, demodulation, modulation, and transmission, including those for command detection and telemetry modulation.

Tam, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

NASA's life sciences program

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

Soffen, Gerald A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Portable computing - A fielded interactive scientific application in a small off-the-shelf package

Experience with the design and implementation of a portable computing system for STS crew-conducted science is discussed. Principal-Investigator-in-a-Box (PI) will help the SLS-2 astronauts perform vestibular (human orientation system) experiments in flight. PI is an interactive system that provides data acquisition and analysis, experiment step rescheduling, and various other forms of reasoning to astronaut users. The hardware architecture of PI consists of a computer and an analog interface box. 'Off-the-shelf' equipment is employed in the system wherever possible in an effort to use widely available tools and then to add custom functionality and application codes to them. Other projects which can help prospective teams to learn more about portable computing in space are also discussed.

Groleau, Nicolas↗
NASA NTRS1999

Assessment of Human Factors

Human Factors Engineering, often referred to as Ergonomics, is a science that applies a detailed understanding of human characteristics, capabilities, and limitations to the design, evaluation, and operation of environments, tools, and systems for work and daily living. Human Factors is the investigation, design, and evaluation of equipment, techniques, procedures, facilities, and human interfaces, and encompasses all aspects of human activity from manual labor to mental processing and leisure time enjoyments. In spaceflight applications, human factors engineering seeks to: (1) ensure that a task can be accomplished, (2) maintain productivity during spaceflight, and (3) ensure the habitability of the pressurized living areas. DSO 904 served as a vehicle for the verification and elucidation of human factors principles and tools in the microgravity environment. Over six flights, twelve topics were investigated. This study documented the strengths and limitations of human operators in a complex, multifaceted, and unique environment. By focusing on the man-machine interface in space flight activities, it was determined which designs allow astronauts to be optimally productive during valuable and costly space flights. Among the most promising areas of inquiry were procedures, tools, habitat, environmental conditions, tasking, work load, flexibility, and individual control over work.

Mount, Frances↗
NASA NTRS2013

Unique Offerings of the ISS as an Earth Observing Platform

The International Space Station offers unique capabilities for earth remote sensing. An established Earth orbiting platform with abundant power, data and commanding infrastructure, the ISS has been in operation for twelve years as a crew occupied science laboratory and offers low cost and expedited concept-to-operation paths for new sensing technologies. Plug in modularity on external platforms equipped with structural, power and data interfaces standardizes and streamlines integration and minimizes risk and start up difficulties. Data dissemination is also standardized. Emerging sensor technologies and instruments tailored for sensing of regional dynamics may not be worthy of dedicated platforms and launch vehicles, but may well be worthy of ISS deployment, hitching a ride on one of a variety of government or commercial visiting vehicles. As global acceptance of the urgent need for understanding Climate Change continues to grow, the value of ISS, orbiting in Low Earth Orbit, in complementing airborne, sun synchronous polar, geosynchronous and other platform remote sensing will also grow.

Cooley, Victor M.↗