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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
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NASA NTRS2019

Return of Large Scale Upper Stage Rocket Thermal-Vacuum and Altitude Hot-Fire Test Capability to the U.S.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has undertaken a project to restore full-scale thermal-vacuum and altitude hot fire rocket testing capability within the United States by the end of 2020. The restoration of the In Space Propulsion (ISP) facility at the Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky Ohio will accommodate full-scale long duration cryogenic stage testing in a simulated space environment as well as hot-fire testing at altitudes up to 120,000 ft. The reference test article for the restoration is a 30,000lb thrust LOX/LH2 stage with a 300 second burn duration. This presentation will describe the scope and progress of the restoration, current capabilities, and planned and potential uses for the facility once fully restored.

Plum Brook Station↗
NASA NTRS1999

Hardware

The full complement of EDOMP investigations called for a broad spectrum of flight hardware ranging from commercial items, modified for spaceflight, to custom designed hardware made to meet the unique requirements of testing in the space environment. In addition, baseline data collection before and after spaceflight required numerous items of ground-based hardware. Two basic categories of ground-based hardware were used in EDOMP testing before and after flight: (1) hardware used for medical baseline testing and analysis, and (2) flight-like hardware used both for astronaut training and medical testing. To ensure post-landing data collection, hardware was required at both the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) landing sites. Items that were very large or sensitive to the rigors of shipping were housed permanently at the landing site test facilities. Therefore, multiple sets of hardware were required to adequately support the prime and backup landing sites plus the Johnson Space Center (JSC) laboratories. Development of flight hardware was a major element of the EDOMP. The challenges included obtaining or developing equipment that met the following criteria: (1) compact (small size and light weight), (2) battery-operated or requiring minimal spacecraft power, (3) sturdy enough to survive the rigors of spaceflight, (4) quiet enough to pass acoustics limitations, (5) shielded and filtered adequately to assure electromagnetic compatibility with spacecraft systems, (6) user-friendly in a microgravity environment, and (7) accurate and efficient operation to meet medical investigative requirements.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Ultra-Lightweight Nanocomposite Foams and Sandwich Structures for Space Structure Applications

Microcellular nanocomposite foams and sandwich structures have been created to have excellent electrical conductivity and radiation-resistant properties using a new method that does not involve or release any toxicity. The nanocomposite structures have been scaled up in size to 12 X 12 in. (30 X 30 cm) for components fabrication. These sandwich materials were fabricated mainly from PE, CNF, and carbon fibers. Test results indicate that they have very good compression and compression-after-impact properties, excellent electrical conductivity, and superior space environment durability. Compression tests show that 1000 ESH (equivalent Sun hours) of UV exposure has no effect on the structural properties of the sandwich structures. The structures are considerably lighter than aluminum alloy (= 36 percent lighter), which translates to 36 percent weight savings of the electronic enclosure and its housing. The good mechanical properties of the materials may enable the electronic housing to be fabricated with a thinner structure that further reduces the weight. There was no difficulty in machining the sandwich specimens into electronic enclosure housing.

Tan, Seng↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ROSA and Solar Cell Module Combined Environments Test Plan

Roll-out solar array (ROSA) technology is an emerging component of the future of spacecraft photovoltaic power subsystems. Qualification and risk reduction testing are necessary to demonstrate design worthiness for spaceflight implementation of the array and solar cell modules. Maxar Space LLC and NASA have undertaken a rigorous combined environment (CE) test campaign for a ROSA design expected to be a part of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for the NASA Gateway which will be an outpost orbiting the Moon. The CE tests consist of several simulated space environment exposures associated with the planned mission: UV radiation, electron/proton radiation, xenon ion plume exposures, and vacuum thermal cycling and electrostatic discharge (ESD). These tests are conducted on small coupons consisting of the planned ROSA flight elements, and all tests are performed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. This paper discusses the test plan, requirements for each environment, and the functional testing performed. Of note is a new approach for the induced primary arc used in the ESD testing, which better simulates the plasma expansion during the ESD event. Progress on executing the test plan is presented.

Space Environments Effects Testing↗
NASA NTRS2004

Hubble Space Telescope Degradation Data Used for Ground-Based Durability Projection of Insulation on the International Space Station

Ground-based environmental durability tests have indicated that exposing materials in accelerated tests to known spacecraft mission degradation sources predicted by an environmental model does not simulate the extent of damage that occurs in the space environment. The reasons for this may include the complex nature of the space environment, which is not simulated completely in any ground-based facility, the extreme differences in exposure rates in space and in ground tests, and inaccuracies in environmental models. One approach to overcoming the difficulties in simulating the space environment using ground-based testing is to calibrate the facility using data from actual space-exposed materials to determine exposure levels required to replicate degraded properties observed in space. Research was conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center to develop a ground-to-space correlation method that determines the durability of Teflon-based insulation for the International Space Station (ISS) by using data obtained in a ground facility and degraded Teflon thermal insulation retrieved from the Hubble Space Telescope.

deGroh, Kim K.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Multifunctional Bistable Ultrathin Composite Boom for In-Space Monitoring of Deployment Dynamics

A novel concept of a multifunctional deployable ultrathin composite boom with flexible electronics and circuits integrated in a highly compact configuration, which can monitor its deployment dynamics in space, is presented in this paper. This concept is particularly suitable for CubeSats with extremely limited payload volume. The multifunctional deployable boom will be flight hardware installed in a 3U CubeSat that is scheduled to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2023 as an in-space technology demonstration. The multifunctional boom consists of a bistable self-deployable ultrathin composite boom, flexible electronics and circuitry for dynamics monitoring, and embedded flexible thin wires for power delivery and data transmission. The design, materials, and fabrication methods for the multifunctional boom are presented. Tests in simulated space environments showed the survivability and stability of the flexible electronics within a temperature range of 7 °C to 50 °C and under a high vacuum level of approximately 1 × 10−6 Torr. Ground-based vibration and deployment tests demonstrated the overall design of the multifunctional boom, data acquisition system, and deployment mechanism. Analyses of the data obtained from the integrated flexible electronics successfully captured the deployment dynamics and identified the natural frequencies of the boom in the range of 0–100 Hz. These results demonstrate that the concept is a promising approach to future multifunctional ultrathin deployable space structures.

Yao Yao↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Multifunctional Bistable Ultrathin Composite Boom for In-Space Monitoring of Deployment Dynamics

A novel concept of a multifunctional deployable ultrathin composite boom with flexible electronics and circuits integrated in a highly compact configuration, which can monitor its deployment dynamics in space, is presented in this paper. This concept is particularly suitable for CubeSats with extremely limited payload volume. The multifunctional deployable boom will be flight hardware installed in a 3U CubeSat that is scheduled to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2023 as an in-space technology demonstration. The multifunctional boom consists of a bistable self-deployable ultrathin composite boom, flexible electronics and circuitry for dynamics monitoring, and embedded flexible thin wires for power delivery and data transmission. The design, materials, and fabrication methods for the multifunctional boom are presented. Tests in simulated space environments showed the survivability and stability of the flexible electronics within a temperature range of 7 °C to 50 °C and under a high vacuum level of approximately 1 × 10−6 Torr. Ground-based vibration and deployment tests demonstrated the overall design of the multifunctional boom, data acquisition system, and deployment mechanism. Analyses of the data obtained from the integrated flexible electronics successfully captured the deployment dynamics and identified the natural frequencies of the boom in the range of 0–100 Hz. These results demonstrate that the concept is a promising approach to future multifunctional ultrathin deployable space structures.

Yao Yao↗
NASA NTRS2006

Overview of Space Environment Effects on Materials and GRC's Test Capabilities

The Electro-Physics Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center has been involved with evaluating the durability of materials and understanding environment interactions for over 20 years. A combination of flight experiments, ground based exposure facilities, and environmental modeling provide a well rounded approach to material durability evaluation and prediction for future missions. Ground based testing includes atomic oxygen exposure facilities (large and small area thermal facilities and directed atomic oxygen with and without VUV radiation, VUV and NUV exposure facility, and thermal cycling facility with and without UV radiation. A lunar dust exposure facility is also being brought on-line. Material reactions in these facilities is compared to that observed in space.

Banks, Bruce A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A NASA Perspective and Validation and Testing of Design Hardening for the Natural Space Radiation Environment (GOMAC Tech 03)

With the dearth of dedicated radiation hardened foundries, new and novel techniques are being developed for hardening designs using non-dedicated foundry services. In this paper, we will discuss the implications of validating these methods for the natural space radiation environment issues: total ionizing dose (TID) and single event effects (SEE). Topics of discussion include: Types of tests that are required, Design coverage (i.e., design libraries: do they need validating for each application?) A new task within NASA to compare existing design. This latter task is a new effort in FY03 utilizing a 8051 microcontroller core from multiple design hardening developers as a test vehicle to evaluate each mitigative technique.

Day, John H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Performance evaluation of advanced space suit concepts for Space Station

The requirements for an advanced space suit for Space Station EVA and the methods used to evaluate candidate suit concepts are examined. Two candidate Space Station suits, the AX-5 and the Mk. III, are described and illustrated. The methods to test these suits are discussed, including, tests at the NASA/Johnson Space Center Weightless Environment Training Facility, tests in the microgravity environment of the KC-135 aircraft, CO2 washout evaluations, component torque measurements, environmental hazards protection evaluations, and component cycle life verification.

Klaus, David M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The effect of low energy protons on silicon solar cells with simulated coverglass cracks

Results of a series of low-energy proton (LEP) tests are presented. The purpose of the tests was to investigate the effect of low-energy protons on the electrical performance of solar cells with simulated cracked covers. The results of the tests were then related to the space environment. A matrix of LEP tests was set up using solar cells with simulated cracks to determine the effect on electrical performance as a function of fluence, energy, crack width, coverglass adhesive shielding, crack location, and solar cell size. The results of the test were, for the most part, logical, and consistent.

Gasner, S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Aerospace Test Facilities at NASA LeRC Plumbrook

An overview of the facilities and research being conducted at LeRC's Plumbrook field station is given. The video highlights four main structures and explains their uses. The Space Power Facility is the world's largest space environment simulation chamber, where spacebound hardware is tested in simulations of the vacuum and extreme heat and cold of the space plasma environment. This facility was used to prepare Atlas 1 rockets to ferry CRRES into orbit; it will also be used to test space nuclear electric power generation systems. The Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility allows rocket vehicles to be hot fired in a simulated space environment. In the Cryogenic Propellant Tank Facility, researchers are developing technology for storing and transferring liquid hydrogen in space. There is also a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel which can perform flow tests with winds up to Mach 7.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

By-Pass Diode Temperature Tests of a Solar Array Coupon under Space Thermal Environment Conditions

By-Pass diodes are a key design feature of solar arrays and system design must be robust against local heating, especially with implementation of larger solar cells. By-Pass diode testing was performed to aid thermal model development for use in future array designs that utilize larger cell sizes that result in higher string currents. Testing was performed on a 56-cell Advanced Triple Junction solar array coupon provided by SSL. Test conditions were vacuum with cold array backside using discrete by-pass diode current steps of 0.25 A ranging from 0 A to 2.0 A.

Wright, Kenneth H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Ground-Based Testing of TiB2 and Al2O3/TiB2 Response to Space Environment

Two materials, titanium diboride and an alumina/titanium diboride composite, exhibit characteristics favorable for use in multiple space applications. These characteristics include low mass (4.52 gm/cc), high strain rate impact resistance, high temperature use (3000oC M.P.), thermal and electrical conductivity, thermal shock resistance, and high visible-range reflectivity. Additionally, the presence of boron in these materials gives them the potential to shield against neutron radiation as well as charged radiation. These materials are flying on MISSE 6 to assess material changes resulting from exposure to the space environment. This study provides a preliminary, ground-based examination of these materials' interactions with individual components of the space environment, in particular atomic oxygen (AO) and neutron radiation, in order to better predict and understand post-flight results. Individual specimens are exposed to ground state AO and surface oxidation is measured. Equivalent exposures of up to 13 months show no rapid oxidation, however evidence indicates some surface oxidation occurring. Other samples are placed near a polyethylene moderated, one Ci Am/Be neutron source to determine their shielding capability. Comparisons between exposed and shielded indium foil, which is activated by transmitted neutrons, measure each material's ability to shield neutrons. Preliminary results indicate a significant shielding benefit provided by both materials.

Jefferies, Sharon A.↗