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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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NASA NTRS2005

Spinoff 2005

Topics covered include: Lighting the Way for Quicker, Safer Healing; Discovering New Drugs on the Cellular Level; Hydrogen Sensors Boost Hybrids; Today s Models Losing Gas?; 3-D Highway in the Sky; Popping a Hole in High-Speed Pursuits; Monitoring Wake Vortices for More Efficient Airports; From Rockets to Racecars; All-Terrain Intelligent Robot Braves Battlefront to Save Lives; Keeping the Air Clean and Safe--An Anthrax Smoke Detector; Lightning Often Strikes Twice; Technology That's Ready and Able to Inspect Those Cables; Secure Networks for First Responders and Special Forces; Space Suit Spins; Cooking Dinner at Home--From the Office; Nanoscale Materials Make for Large-Scale Applications; NASA s Growing Commitment: The Space Garden; Bringing Thunder and Lightning Indoors; Forty-Year-Old Foam Springs Back With New Benefits; Experiments With Small Animals Rarely Go This Well; NASA, the Fisherman's Friend; Crystal-Clear Communication a Sweet-Sounding Success; Inertial Motion-Tracking Technology for Virtual 3-D; Then Why Do They Call Earth the Blue Planet?; Valiant 'Zero-Valent' Effort Restores Contaminated Grounds; Harnessing the Power of the Sun; Water and Air Measures That Make 'PureSense'; Remote Sensing for Farmers and Flood Watching; Pesticide-Free Device a Fatal Attraction for Mosquitoes Making the Most of Waste Energy Washing Away the Worries About Germs Celestial Software Scratches More Than the Surface A Search Engine That's Aware of Your Needs Fault-Detection Tool Has Companies 'Mining' Own Business; Software to Manage the Unmanageable; Tracking Electromagnetic Energy With SQUIDs; Taking the Risk Out of Risk Assessment; Satellite and Ground System Solutions at Your Fingertips; Structural Analysis Made 'NESSUSary'; Software of Seismic Proportions Promotes Enjoyable Learning; Making a Reliable Actuator Faster and More Affordable; Cost-Cutting Powdered Lubricant NASA s Radio Frequency Bolt Monitor: A Lifetime of Spinoffs Going End to End to Deliver High-Speed Data; Advanced Joining Technology: Simple, Strong, and Secure; Big Results From a Smaller Gearbox; Low-Pressure Generator Makes Cleanrooms Cleaner; and The Space Laser Business Model.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2017

Novel End-to-End Molecular Biology Approach for Direct Nanopore 1D cDNA Sequencing of Reverse Transcribed mRNAs Purified from Cell Cultures by the NASA ISS WetLab2 SPM

Continued space bioscience research onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and future long-duration flight missions to the Moon or Mars will require the ability to conduct on-orbit molecular analysis of biological samples independently from Earth. In the last year two new molecular analytic technologies have been installed and the technologies demonstrated onboard the ISS: The Sample Prep Module (SPM) WetLab-2 (WL2) qRT-PCR toolbox and the Oxford Nanopore MinIon Biomolecule Sequencer. Here we describe protocol development and integration into existing ISS technology for end-to-end on-orbit biological sample processing and molecular analysis with real time results generated utilizing only field offline analytic software. For this experiment we isolated primary cells from bone marrow flushes of wild type B6129SF2 mice (Jackson Labs) long bones. The cell isolate was then processed using the SPM to produce total 147nanograms of RNA. The total RNA was purified to only messenger RNA (mRNA) and transferred to Smartcycler Thermocycle ISS kit consumable tube using Eppendorf gel loading pipette tips for further processing. Complementary first strand cDNA was synthesized using OLIGO dT priming followed by addition of SuperScript II Reverse Transcriptase and thermal cycling as per manufacturers instruction. All thermal cycling was conducted using the ISS WetLab-2 Cephid Smarcycler real time thermal cycler. Our protocol takes advantage of mRNAs native poly(A) tail, synthesized in vivo to protect the mRNA from degradation by endonucleases, to eliminate end-prep for adapter ligation. The adapted library is purified using MyOne C1 Streptavidin beads before elution in buffer. The pre-sequencing library is diluted in the loading buffer and injected into the MinIon sample port, drawn into the nanopore window by capillary action, and sequenced using the MinKnown software with local basecalling. The sequencing read produced 34.5 million events and local basecalling produced 117,301 successful reads. NCBI Blast of the data for the mouse genome resulted in 2,462 successful nucleotide collection matches (gene sequences) exceeding 70 homology. These results demonstrate the viability of this novel flight ready end-to-end sample analytic methodology and provide a real time homolog for flight experimentation utilizing supply kits and technologies that have already been demonstrated on ISS.

MinIon↗
NASA NTRS1991

Analysis of materials from MSFC LDEF experiments

In preparation for the arrival of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) samples, a material testing and handling approach was developed for the evaluation of the materials. A configured lab was made ready for the de-integration of the LDEF experiments. The lab was prepared to clean room specifications and arranged with the appropriate clean benches, tables, lab benches, clean room tools, particulate counter, and calibrated and characterized analytical instrumentation. Clean room procedures were followed. Clean room attire and shoe cleaning equipment were selected and installed for those entering. Upon arrival of the shipping crates they were taken to the lab, logged in, and opened for examination. The sample trays were then opened for inspection and test measurements. The control sample measurements were made prior to placement into handling and transport containers for the flight sample measurements and analysis. Both LDEF flight samples and LDEF type materials were analyzed and tested for future flight candidate material evaluation. Both existing and newly purchased equipment was used for the testing and evaluation. Existing Space Simulation Systems had to be upgraded to incorporate revised test objectives and approaches. Fixtures such as special configured sample holders, water, power and LN2 feed-throughs, temperature measurement and control, front surface mirrors for reflectance and deposition, and UV grade windows had to be designed, fabricated, and installed into systems to achieve the revised requirements. New equipment purchased for LDEF analysis was incorporated into and/or used with existing components and systems. A partial list of this equipment includes a portable monochromator, enhanced UV System, portable helium leak detector for porosity and leak measurements, new turbo pumping system, vacuum coaster assembly, cryopumps, and analytical and data acquisition equipment. A list of materials tested, equipment designed, fabricated and installed, systems used, and analytical research accomplished on both LDEF flight samples and on similar materials which were lab tested for a comparative analysis to the LDEF flight samples is presented.

Johnson, R. Barry↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flight Testing of In-Time Safety Assurance Technologies for UAS Operations

Ongoing research at NASA is driven by a strategic plan defined by the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and a vision for future In-Time Aviation Safety Management Systems (IASMS) as described by the National Academies. In both visions, system safety awareness and provision are expanded through increased access to relevant data; integrated analysis and predictive capabilities; improved real-time detection and alerting of domain-specific hazards; decision support, and in some cases, automated risk mitigation strategies. One primary research focus is to develop means by which more timely (i.e., “in-time”) actions may be taken to mitigate precursors, anomalies, or trends that are observed during operations. In this paper, we describe such means as a collection of Services, Functions, and Capabilities (SFCs) that are supported by an underlying information system. For example, an integrated risk assessment capability is envisioned that continuously monitors safety-related metrics and margins and recommends timely operational changes. Assessment functions and/or services can be based on data analytics and predictive models derived from heterogeneous data sets that span relevant indicator metrics and their time histories. Likewise, on-board functions can identify and reduce susceptibility to precursor conditions that have led (and can lead) to aircraft loss-of-control or out-of-control accidents. This paper summarizes development and testing of such an information system tailored to hazards anticipated for future highly autonomous flight missions near and over densely populated areas. Testing is accomplished via simulation and by using small, unmanned aircraft operating over a test range at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Flight plans and test scenarios are defined to emulate several use-cases, including package delivery; reconnaissance; fire management; and urban air taxi vertiport operations. Two test phases are summarized with Phase 1 occurring in (2019-2020) and Phase 2 ongoing (2021-present). Results focus on SFC performance, technology readiness level assessment, and requirements discovery/validation. Companion papers are cited throughout for additional details on the recent testing.

safety management↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: 2018 Status

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) continues its dual-mode mission of scientific exploration and programmatic support. Now in its 13th year of flight (and its 12th year in its low-altitude, sun-synchronous orbit around Mars), the spacecraft continues in its normal flight mode and its science instruments continue to acquire a treasure trove of data which is being used to study the Martian environment (surface, sub-surface, and atmosphere). To date (July 2018), more than 333 TB of scientific data have been returned to Earth. Building onto the 2017 IAC paper: “The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: Continuing a Record of Exploration from Mars Orbit,” [1] this paper provides a 2018 status update on the MRO Mission. A signature event since the 2017 writing is the onset and evolution of a planet-encircling dust event (PEDE), the first such event since 2007. Additional recent science highlights for MRO include the discovery of mid-latitude ice cliffs, polar cap characterization, daily global mapping of the 2018 PEDE dust activity and the atmospheric thermal response, further characterization of the tantalizing recurring slope lineae (RSL), and continued detection of surface changes. Programmatically, UHF relay support for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity and the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) rover Opportunity continues at a pace that provides the engineers and scientists operating those surface vehicles timely information to support their mission planning and science analysis. Most of the landing site characterization requests for the NASA Mars 2020 rover and the ESA ExoMars Rover/Surface Platform (RSP) missions have been completed, with final acquisitions delayed due to the obscuring dust haze from the current PEDE. In parallel, the flight team has faced new engineering challenges as the spacecraft has aged. The team has developed and is implementing actions that are aimed at stretching spacecraft battery life. A new all-stellar capability using the spacecraft’s star trackers now allows for normal spacecraft operations without IMUs. In addition to its current relay duties, MRO will be synchronized to provide critical communications support for the InSight Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) event on November 26, 2018, and will be readied to support InSight’s critical commissioning phase with UHF relay support and environmental characterization. A new split-pass relay capability has been developed which will allow MRO to relay with two surface vehicles in “close proximity” on the same overflight, i.e. the InSight lander and the Curiosity rover. Extended for another year of operations by NASA, this paper will highlight recent scientific progress and describe actions that will extend MRO’s life well into the 2020’s as a key element of the Mars Exploration Program.

Zurek, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA Hypersonic Propulsion: Overview of Progress from 1995 to 2005

Hypersonic propulsion work supported by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration had a primary focus on Space Transportation during the period from 1995 to 2005. The framework for these advances was established by policy and pursued with substantial funding. Many noteworthy advances were made, highlighted by the pinnacle flights of the X-43. This paper reviews and summarizes the programs and accomplishments of this era. The accomplishments are compared to the goals and objectives to lend an overarching perspective to what was achieved. At least dating back to the early days of the Space Shuttle program, NASA has had the objective of reducing the cost of access to space and concurrently improving safety and reliability. National Space Transportation Policy in 1994 coupled with a base of prior programs such as the National Aerospace Plane and the need to look beyond the Space Shuttle program set the stage for NASA to pursue Space Transportation Advances. Programs defined to pursue the advances represented a broad approach addressing classical rocket propulsion as well as airbreathing propulsion in various combinations and forms. The resulting portfolio of activities included systems analysis and design studies, discipline research and technology, component technology development, propulsion system ground test demonstration and flight demonstration. The types of propulsion systems that were pursued by these programs included classical rocket engines, "aerospike" rocket engines, high performance rocket engines, scram jets, rocket based combined cycles, and turbine based combined cycles. Vehicle architectures included single and two stage vehicles. Either single types of propulsion systems or combinations of the basic propulsion types were applied to both single and two stage vehicle design concepts. Some of the propulsion system design concepts were built and tested at full scale, large scale and small scale. Many flight demonstrators were conceptually defined, fewer designed and some built and one flown to demonstrate several technical advancements including propulsion. The X-43 flights were a culmination of these efforts for airbreathing propulsion. During the course of that period, there was a balance of funding and emphasis toward rocket propulsion but still very substantial airbreathing propulsion effort. The broad objectives of these programs were to both advance and test the state of the art so as to provide a basis for options to be pursued for broad space transportation needs, most importantly focused on crew carrying capability. NASA cooperated with the Department of Defense in planning and implementation of these programs to make efficient use of objectives and capabilities where appropriate. Much of the work was conducted in industry and academia as well as Government laboratories. Many test articles and data-bases now exist as a result of this work. At the conclusion of the period, the body of work made it clear that continued research and technology development was warranted, because although not ready for a NASA system development decision, results continued to support the promise of air-breathing propulsion for access to space.

Cikanek, Harry A., III↗
NASA NTRS2017

Design, Manufacture and Test of Cryotank Components

On the composite cryotank technology development (CCTD) project, the Boeing Company built two cryotanks as a means of advancing technology and manufacturing readiness levels (TRL and MRL) and lowering the risk of fabricating full-scale fuel containment vessels.1 CCTD focused on upper stage extended duration applications where long term storage of propellants is required. The project involved the design, analysis, fabrication, and test of manufacturing demonstration units (MDU), a 2.4 m (precursor) and a 5.5 m composite cryotank. Key design features included one-piece wall construction to minimize overall weight (eliminating the need for a bellyband joint), 3-dimensionally (3D) reinforced y-joint material to alleviate stress concentrations at the tank to skirt interface and a purge-able fluted core skirt to carry high axial launch loads. The tanks were made with OoA curing pre-impregnated (prepreg) carbon/epoxy (C/E) slit-tape tow (STT) that contained thin micro-crack resistant plies in the tank wall center to impede permeation. The tanks were fabricated at Boeing's Seattle-based Advanced Development Center (ADC) using RAFP and multipiece break-down tooling. The tooling was designed and built by Janicki Industries (JI) at Sedro Woolley, Washington. Tank assemblage consisted of co-bonded dome covers, one-piece fluted core skirts and mechanical fastened cover/sump. Ultrasonic inspection was performed after every cure or bond and a structural health monitoring system (SHMS) was installed to identify potential impact damage events (in-process and/or during transportation). The tanks were low temperature tested at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. The testing, which consisted of a sequence of fill/drain pressure and thermal cycles using LH2, was successfully concluded in 2012 on the 2.4 m tank and in 2014 on the 5.5 m tank. Structural, thermal, and permeation performance data was obtained. 2 Critical design features and manufacturing advancements, which helped to validate 25% weight and 30% cost reduction projections, were matured. These advancements will help to guide future composite tank integration activities on next generation long duration aircraft and space launch vehicles. Because CCTD addressed innovative design features, heavy lift size scale-up, multipiece captured tooling, new generation automated material placement (AMP) equipment and OoA materials, this chapter should be of interest to educators, students and manufacturers of composite hardware and flight vehicles.

McCarville, Douglas A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Results Cycling GEOS-JEDI with GSI-based Background Errors

The first phase of transitioning the NASA GMAO GEOS atmospheric data assimilation capabilities to JEDI involves the replacement of the Grid-point Statistical Interpolation (GSI) with a corresponding JEDI analysis. This includes taking JEDI's Unified Observation Operator (UFO), its underlying dependencies, and the JEDI solver that enables a hybrid 4DEnVar strategy similar to what is used in the current GEOS-GSI system. Variational analysis involves at least two main components associated with the observation and background cost function terms. The first is directly related to the UFO, which is being carefully validated in a joint collaboration between GMAO and NCEP to demonstrate consistency with corresponding observations usage in GSI. The second component is the background term, which in a hybrid system involves the ability to set up both a climatologically-based term and an ensemble-based term. JEDI provides the means to implement both terms through its BUMP component. Use of BUMP would require a complete re-tune of both climatological and ensemble, which is a non-trivial exercise we would prefer to avoid. As an alternative, the work here studies the results of interfacing the GSI-background error capability (GSIBEC) into JEDI through SABER. With this, the exact same background error covariance formulation used in GSI can be employed in JEDI without need for re-tuning. This brief summary covers the work done to interface GSIBEC into JEDI and shows preliminary results where the background error covariances of the control (GEOS-GSI) and experiment (GEOS-JEDI) are identical in corresponding cycling experiments. The cycling exercise is obviously preliminary and so much can be expected from GEOS-JEDI when compared to GEOS-GSI. There is still a number of features that need closer attention and although in some cases in principle ready to cycle have been intentionally either turned off or not fully exercised (e.g., VarBC is applied but not cycled). Other features are still pending implementation, one such example is the implementation of the Tangent Linear Normal Mode Constraint. Still, results are quite encouraging as hopefully the discussion here illustrates.

Ricardo Todling↗
NASA NTRS2016

Tethered Space Satellite-1 (TSS-1): Technical Roundabouts

In the early 1990's US and Italian scientists collaborated to study the electrodynamics of dragging a satellite on a tether through the electrically charged portion of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. An electrical current induced in the long wire could be used for power and thrust generation for a satellite. Other tether uses include momentum exchange, artificial gravity, deployment of sensors or antennas, and gravity-gradient stabilization for satellites. Before the Tethered Space Satellite (TSS-1), no long tether had ever been flown, so many questions existed on how it would actually behave. The TSS consisted of a satellite with science experiments attached to a 12.5 mile long, very thin (0.10 inch diameter) copper wire assembly wound around a spool in the deployer reel mechanism. With the Space Shuttle at an altitude of 160 nautical miles above earth, the satellite was to be deployed by raising it from the Shuttle bay on a boom facing away from Earth. Once cleared of the bay, the deployer mechanism was to slowly feed out the 12-plus miles of tether. Scientific data would be collected throughout the operation, after which the satellite would be reeled back in. Pre-flight testing system level tests involved setting up a tether receiver to catch the 12.5 mile tether onto another reel as it was being unwound by the deployer reel mechanism. Testing only the reel mechanism is straightforward. This test becomes more complicated when the TSS is mounted on the flight pallet at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The system level tests must be passed before the pallet can be installed into the Space Shuttle cargo bay. A few months before flight, the TSS payload had been integrated onto the Spacelab pallet and system level tests, including unreeling and reeling the tether, had been successfully completed. Some of this testing equipment was then shipped back to the contractor Martin Marietta. Systems-level load analyses, which cannot be run until all information about each payload is finalized, was run in parallel with the physical integration of the hardware into the Shuttle payload bay. The coupled loads analysis, as it is called, incorporates any updates to the model due to system level tests, and any changes that were found during integration. The coupled loads analysis revealed that a single bolt attaching the deployer reel mechanism to the support structure had a "negative margin" - which is an indication that it might fail during operation. Hardware certification rules do not allow for hardware to fly with negative margins, so this issue had to be resolved before the flight. Since there is conservatism in engineering analysis, there is an option to "waive" the margin requirement, and fly the experiment as is. On the other hand, a structural failure of one payload could have serious or catastrophic consequences to other payloads and possibly the mission. Minor design changes or fixes might be feasible within the payload bay prior to launch. Any major design changes that required the spooling test to validate the hardware, or for the pallet to be removed, would cause TSS not to be ready for the Shuttle launch.

O'Connor, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2018

Mars Ecopoiesis Testbed

Mars surface conditions where liquid water is absent were simulated for the purposes of laboratory research. A pressure-temperature (P-T) profile was maintained in which no combination of pressure or temperature corresponds to the liquid region of the water phase diagram. The triple point of pure water occurs at T = 0.1oC and P(H2O) = 6.01 mbar; therefore all temperatures and pressures must be kept below these values, respectively. A 35-day test was performed in a commercial planetary simulation system (Techshot, Inc., Greenville, IN) in which the minimum night-time temperature was -80oC, the maximum daytime temperature was +26oC, the simulated day-night light cycle in earth hours was 12-on and 12-off, and the total pressure of the pure CO2 atmosphere was maintained below 11 mbar. Any water present was allowed to equilibrate with the changing temperature and pressure. The gas phase was sampled into a CR1-A condensation-mirror low-pressure hygrometer, which uses liquid nitrogen (down to 77oK) to determine the dew point (Buck Technologies, Boulder, CO). Dew point was measured once every hour and recorded on a data logger, along with the varying temperature in the chamber, from which the partial pressure of water was calculated. The resulting calculated daily cycles were tracked on the water P-T diagram, and no points were found to fall within the liquid-phase region of the diagram. It is concluded that there was no liquid water present throughout the test except during the initial pump-down period when aqueous specimens were introduced on the first day (less than 1 hour). Mars regolith simulant was present during this test, and further investigation is needed to determine whether liquid water could have been present or absent in the regolith in the form of brine. Biological samples consisting of Cyanobacteria: Anabena sp., Chroococcidiopsis CCMEE171, Plectonema boryanum; Eubacteria: Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Eukaryota: Chlorella ellipsoidia were maintained in the simulator under the above-described conditions. The exposed specimens were tested for intracellular esterase activity, chlorophyll content (where appropriate) and reproductive survival. All tests yielded low-level positive results in all cases. In parallel to these terrestrial studies a planned design study was undertaken for the proposed test bed. Design requirements include compact assembly for transport and installation on the planetary surface (multiple units per mission would be expected), protective internal package for the release of organisms, a means of atmosphere exchange, access to sunlight, a means of penetrating the planetary surface, and most importantly a means of acquiring regolith while meeting the requirements of planetary protection. In consultation with advisers a design was created, and a large-scale mock-up of this design was fabricated by additive manufacturing at Techshot, Inc. with moving parts that simulated the components of the design. The mock-up assembly has been demonstrated to interested parties. A means of detecting live metabolism will also be included in the test bed. Several options were reviewed, and it is concluded that, by the time the ecopoiesis test bed is ready for testing the optimum instrument will be the equivalent of a hand-held mass spectrometer for metabolic gas analysis. This will maximize versatility and reveal much more information than could a detector of a single product (such as molecular oxygen), and the

Ecopoiesis↗
NASA NTRS2014

Evaluation of the First Transport Rotorcraft Airframe Crash Testbed (TRACT 1) Full-Scale Crash Test

In 2012, the NASA Rotary Wing Crashworthiness Program initiated the Transport Rotorcraft Airframe Crash Testbed (TRACT) research program by obtaining two CH-46E helicopters from the Navy CH-46E Program Office (PMA-226) at the Navy Flight Readiness Center in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Full-scale crash tests were planned to assess dynamic responses of transport-category rotorcraft under combined horizontal and vertical impact loading. The first crash test (TRACT 1) was performed at NASA Langley Research Center's Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR), which enables the study of critical interactions between the airframe, seat, and occupant during a controlled crash environment. The CH-46E fuselage is categorized as a medium-lift rotorcraft with fuselage dimensions comparable to a regional jet or business jet. The first TRACT test (TRACT 1) was conducted in August 2013. The primary objectives for TRACT 1 were to: (1) assess improvements to occupant loads and displacement with the use of crashworthy features such as pre-tensioning active restraints and energy absorbing seats, (2) develop novel techniques for photogrammetric data acquisition to measure occupant and airframe kinematics, and (3) provide baseline data for future comparison with a retrofitted airframe configuration. Crash test conditions for TRACT 1 were 33-ft/s forward and 25-ft/s vertical combined velocity onto soft soil, which represent a severe, but potentially survivable impact scenario. The extraordinary value of the TRACT 1 test was reflected by the breadth of meaningful experiments. A total of 8 unique experiments were conducted to evaluate ATD responses, seat and restraint performance, cargo restraint effectiveness, patient litter behavior, and photogrammetric techniques. A combination of Hybrid II, Hybrid III, and ES-2 Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) were placed in forward and side facing seats and occupant results were compared against injury criteria. Loads from ATDs in energy absorbing seats and restraints were within injury limits. Severe injury was likely for ATDs in forward facing passenger seats, legacy troop bench seats, and a three-tiered patient litter. In addition, two standing ATDs were used to evaluate the benefit of Mobile Aircrew Restraint Systems (MARS) versus a standard gunner's belt. The ATD with the MARS survived the impact, while fatal head blunt trauma occurred for the standing ATD held by the legacy gunner's belt. In addition to occupant loading, the structural response of the airframe was assessed based on accelerometers located throughout the airframe and using three-dimensional photogrammetric techniques. Analysis of the photogrammetric data indicated regions of maximum deflection and permanent deformation.

Annett, Martin S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

GMI-IPS: Python Processing Software for Aircraft Campaigns

NASA's Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) seeks to understand the impact of anthropogenic air pollution on gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Four flight campaigns are being deployed on a seasonal basis to establish a continuous global-scale data set intended to improve the representation of chemically reactive gases in global atmospheric chemistry models. The Global Modeling Initiative (GMI), is creating chemical transport simulations on a global scale for each of the ATom flight campaigns. To meet the computational demands required to translate the GMI simulation data to grids associated with the flights from the ATom campaigns, the GMI ICARTT Processing Software (GMI-IPS) has been developed and is providing key functionality for data processing and analysis in this ongoing effort. The GMI-IPS is written in Python and provides computational kernels for data interpolation and visualization tasks on GMI simulation data. A key feature of the GMI-IPS, is its ability to read ICARTT files, a text-based file format for airborne instrument data, and extract the required flight information that defines regional and temporal grid parameters associated with an ATom flight. Perhaps most importantly, the GMI-IPS creates ICARTT files containing GMI simulated data, which are used in collaboration with ATom instrument teams and other modeling groups. The initial main task of the GMI-IPS is to interpolate GMI model data to the finer temporal resolution (1-10 seconds) of a given flight. The model data includes basic fields such as temperature and pressure, but the main focus of this effort is to provide species concentrations of chemical gases for ATom flights. The software, which uses parallel computation techniques for data intensive tasks, linearly interpolates each of the model fields to the time resolution of the flight. The temporally interpolated data is then saved to disk, and is used to create additional derived quantities. In order to translate the GMI model data to the spatial grid of the flight path as defined by the pressure, latitude, and longitude points at each flight time record, a weighted average is then calculated from the nearest neighbors in two dimensions (latitude, longitude). Using SciPya's Regular Grid Interpolator, interpolation functions are generated for the GMI model grid and the calculated weighted averages. The flight path points are then extracted from the ATom ICARTT instrument file, and are sent to the multi-dimensional interpolating functions to generate GMI field quantities along the spatial path of the flight. The interpolated field quantities are then written to a ICARTT data file, which is stored for further manipulation. The GMI-IPS is aware of a generic ATom ICARTT header format, containing basic information for all flight campaigns. The GMI-IPS includes logic to edit metadata for the derived field quantities, as well as modify the generic header data such as processing dates and associated instrument files. The ICARTT interpolated data is then appended to the modified header data, and the ICARTT processing is complete for the given flight and ready for collaboration. The output ICARTT data adheres to the ICARTT file format standards V1.1. The visualization component of the GMI-IPS uses Matplotlib extensively and has several functions ranging in complexity. First, it creates a model background curtain for the flight (time versus model eta levels) with the interpolated flight data superimposed on the curtain. Secondly, it creates a time-series plot of the interpolated flight data. Lastly, the visualization component creates averaged 2D model slices (longitude versus latitude) with overlaid flight track circles at key pressure levels. The GMI-IPS consists of a handful of classes and supporting functionality that have been generalized to be compatible with any ICARTT file that adheres to the base class definition. The base class represents a generic ICARTT entry, only defining a single time entry and 3D spatial positioning parameters. Other classes inherit from this base class; several classes for input ICARTT instrument files, which contain the necessary flight positioning information as a basis for data processing, as well as other classes for output ICARTT files, which contain the interpolated model data. Utility classes provide functionality for routine procedures such as: comparing field names among ICARTT files, reading ICARTT entries from a data file and storing them in data structures, and returning a reduced spatial grid based on a collection of ICARTT entries. Although the GMI-IPS is compatible with GMI model data, it can be adapted with reasonable effort for any simulation that creates Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) files. The same can be said of its adaptability to ICARTT files outside of the context of the ATom mission. The GMI-IPS contains just under 30,000 lines of code, eight classes, and a dozen drivers and utility programs. It is maintained with GIT source code management and has been used to deliver processed GMI model data for the ATom campaigns that have taken place to date.

Damon, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Investigation Of Carbon Contamination And Sputtering Effects Of Xenon Ion Thrusters

The Electro-Physics Branch of the NASA Glenn Research Center investigates the effect of atomic oxygen, environmental durability of high performance power materials and surfaces, and low earth orbit. One of its current projects involves the analysis of ion thrusters. Ion thrusters are devices that initiate a beam of ions to a target area. The type of ion thruster that I have been working with this Summer of 2004 emits positively charged Xenon (Xe(+)) atoms through two grids, the screen grid and the accelerator grid, after it enters an ionization chamber. Insulators are used to mechanically hold and separate these two grids. A propellant isolator, an instrument that closely resembles insulators, is placed in front of the ionization chamber. Both the insulator and isolator are made with a ceramic compound and filled with insulating beads. The main difference between the two devices is that the propellant isolator allows gas to flow through, in this case, the gas is Xe(+) and the insulators do not. In order to avoid carbon deposits and other contaminating chemicals to settle on the insulators and propellant isolator, a metal shadow shield is placed around them. These shadow shields function as a protectant and can be shaped in numerous configurations. Part of my job responsibility this summer is to investigate the effectiveness of different shadow shields that are utilized on three different ion engines: the NSTAR (NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Application Readiness), JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter), and NEXIS (Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System). Using calculus and other mathematical tactics, I was asked to find the total flux of carbon contamination that was able to pass the protectant shadow shield. I familiarized myself with the software program, MathCad2004, to help perform some mathematical computations such as complex integration. Another method of studying the probability of contamination is by experimental simulation. After attaining the precise parameters of the actual shadow shields, I created replicas of three types of shadow shielding to be used to undergo testing. It will be placed in a machine that produces carbon atoms at a high temperature of 200 C. or beam is aimed at a targeted material. As a result of this collision, atoms and other particles are ejected out of the target surface. Another part of my internship consisted of research on sputter ejection, or the angle distribution of sputtered material. This research entailed finding the past results of sputter ejection investigation as well as creating another type of mock simulation. Other minor projects include calculating the path of Xe(+) gas through the insulating beads of the isolators and assisting my mentor in collecting data for his paper for the Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit to be held July 11-14,2004 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Prak, Moline K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Pterodactyl: Integrated Control Design for Precision Targeting of Deployable Entry Vehicles

Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs) enable in-situ scientific exploration at destinations with atmospheres across the solar system. Because they stow in a compact form and deploy only when ready to enter the atmosphere, DEVs relax the volume constraint imposed by rigid aeroshells. This work seeks to do for a DEV what the Wright Brothers did to propel modern day aviation: develop the guidance and control (G&C) methods that will make maneuvering and precision landing of DEV a reality. The Pterodactyl project objective is to deliver an integrated G&C methodology for a DEV, based on a detailed analysis that utilizes a Multi-disciplinary, Design, Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) framework. The current state-of-the-art for blunt body entry, G&C is rooted in the precision landing of vehicles such as Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Apollo, which used a propulsive reaction control system (RCS) to steer. Recent research has taken a particular interest in non-propulsive control for DEVs, including direct force control (angle of attack modulation via control surfaces or mass movement) and drag modulation (discrete change in ballistic coefficient). Using the MDAO framework that includes a guidance and control model to explore multiple control concepts for a DEV will shed light on the best design approach for these vehicles. In Pterodactyl, we will complete this study for a novel DEV concept, and then we will fabricate a functional prototype to help validate the design. The project is expected to down-select to a final control architecture by the end of 2018, and complete fabrication of the prototype by the end of 2019.The DEV chosen for detailed study in this project is the Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT). ADEPT uses a revolutionary 3D-woven carbon fabric that is foldable, can serve as primary structure, and can survive the extreme heating environment of atmospheric entry. The specific configuration of ADEPT under investigation is called Lifting Nano-ADEPT (LNA). LNA is designed for secondary payloads missions that require precision landing either for scientific objectives at a target destination or for payload recovery at Earth.The MDAO framework being created through this research, called COBRA-Pt (Composite Beam Roll-Up Solar Array-Prototype), will combine three critical elements of the system design: a guidance algorithm with Monte Carlo, a parametric control model, and vehicle geometry details. Novel control models being studied are deployable aerodynamic surfaces as well as shape morphing. These concepts will be compared at the system level with a more traditional propulsive RCS by comparing several key performance parameters. Upon completion of the design study, a functional prototype of LNA will be fabricated that will include the integration of guidance software and relevant control actuators. We expect this study will provide critical data that could feed into the development of an Earth-based flight test of LNA. The COBRA-Pt framework will provide a modular system by which to study any DEV concept in any atmosphere.

Smith, Brandon↗
NASA NTRS2019

Overview of Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET)

The objective of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) projects is to mature a 3-D Woven Thermal Protection System (TPS) to Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support future NASA missions to destinations such as Venus and Saturn. Destinations that have extreme entry environments with heat fluxes > 3500 W/cm2 and pressures up to 5 atmospheres, entry environments that NASA has not flown since Pioneer-Venus and Galileo. The scope of the project is broad and can be split into roughly four areas, Manufacturing/Integration, Structural Testing and Analysis, Thermal Testing and Analysis and Documentation. Manufacturing/Integration covers from raw materials, piece part fabrication to final integration on a 1-meter base diameter 45-degree sphere cone Engineering Test Unit (ETU). A key aspect of the project was to transfer as much of the manufacturing technology to industry in preparation to support future mission infusion. The forming, infusion and machining approaches were transferred to Fiber Materials Inc. and FMI then fabricated the piece parts from which the ETU was manufactured. The base 3D-woven material consists of a dual layer weave with a high-density outer layer to manage recession in the system and a lower density, lower thermal conductivity inner layer to manage the heat load. At the start of the project it was understood that due to weaving limitations the heat shield was going to be manufactured from a series of tiles. And it was recognized that the development of a seam solution that met the structural and thermal requirements of the system was going to be the most challenging aspect of the project. It was also recognized that the seam design would drive the final integration approach and therefore the integration of the ETU was kept in-house within NASA. A final seam concept has been successfully developed and implemented on the ETU. The structural testing and analysis covers from characterization of the different layers of the infused material as functions of weave direction and temperature to sub-component level testing such as 4pt bend testing at sub-ambient and elevated temperature and culminates in testing of the ETU results from which will validate the structural models developed using the element and sub-component level tests. Given the seam has to perform both structurally and aerothermally during entry a novel 4pt bend test fixture was developed allowing articles to be tested while the front surface is heated with a laser. These tests are being utilized to establish the systems structural capability during entry.A broad range of aerothermal tests (arcjet tests) were performed to develop material response models for predicting the required TPS thickness to meet a missions needs and to evaluate failure modes and establish the capability of the system. The final aspect of the project is to develop a comprehensive Design and Data Book such that a future mission will have the information necessary to adopt the technology. This presentation will provide an overview for each of these areas and argue that HEEET has successfully achieved TRL 6.

HEEET↗
NASA NTRS2018

Overview of Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Project

The objective of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) projects is to mature a 3-D Woven Thermal Protection System (TPS) to Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support future NASA missions to destinations such as Venus and Saturn. Destinations that have extreme entry environments with heat fluxes up to 5000 watts per square centimeter and pressures up to 5 atmospheres, entry environments that NASA has not flown since Pioneer-Venus and Galileo. The scope of the project is broad and can be split into roughly four areas, Manufacturing/Integration, Structural Testing and Analysis, Thermal Testing and Analysis and Documentation. Manufactruing/Integration covers from raw materials, piece part fabrication to final integration on a 1-meter base diameter 45-degree sphere cone Engineering Test Unit (ETU). A key aspect of the project was to transfer as much of the manufacturing technology to industry in preparation to support future mission infusion. The forming, infusion and machining approaches were transferred to Fiber Materials Inc. and FMI then fabricated the piece parts from which the ETU was manufactured. The base 3D-woven material consists of a dual layer weave with a high density outer layer to manage recession in the system and a lower density, lower thermal conductivity inner layer to manage the heat load. At the start of the project it was understood that due to weaving limitations the heat shield was going to be manufactured from a series of tiles. And it was recognized that the development of a seam solution that met the structural and thermal requirements of the system was going to be the most challenging aspect of the project. It was also recognized that the seam design would drive the final integration approach and therefore the integration of the ETU was kept in-house within NASA. A final seam concept has been successfully developed and implemented on the ETU and will be discussed. The structural testing and analysis covers from characterization of the different layers of the infused material as functions of weave direction and temperature, to sub-component level testing such as 4-pt bend testing at sub-ambient and elevated temperature. ETU test results are used to validate the structural models developed using the element and sub-component level tests. Given the seam has to perform both structurally and aerothermally during entry a novel 4-pt bend test fixture was developed allowing articles to be tested while the front surface is heated with a laser. These tests are intended to establish the system's structural capability during entry. A broad range of aerothermal tests (arcjet tests) are being performed to develop material response models for predicting the required TPS thickness to meet a mission's needs and to evaluate failure modes. These tests establish the capability of the system and assure robustness of the system during entry. The final aspect of the project is to develop a comprehensive Design and Data Book such that a future mission will have the information necessary to adopt the technology. This presentation will provide an overview and status of the project and describe the status of the tehnology maturation level for the inner and outer planet as well as earth entry sample return missions.

Ellerby, Don↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Low SWaP Onboard Satellite Navigation, Guidance, and Control Technology

Onboard autonomy is a necessity for responsive space operations. Autonomous navigation, guidance, and control (NGC) enables space missions to reduce their dependence on high demand ground assets and costly ground personnel. It also allows for in-situ decision making and higher return on mission data. A flight software and hardware system providing this capability, called “autoNGC,” is currently being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for infusion into multiple future missions. The first build of autoNGC, providing autonomous navigation for lunar orbiting spacecraft, is targeted for completion by Fall 2024. It provides sensor fusion of multiple measurement types including pseudo-range from a weak signal Global Navigation Satellite Service (GNSS) receiver, 1-way and 2-way direct to Earth (DTE) range and Doppler, bearing and range from optical camera sensed images, and an accelerometer. AutoNGC is also being targeted for future missions that involve small body proximity operations, Sun Earth Libration point orbits, and distributed systems missions (DSMs) including those at outer planets. AutoNGC flight software is being built upon the plug-and-play architecture of the core Flight System (cFS) [Ref. 1]. Figure (Slide 7) shows the message-based software bus layout of various software applications (“apps”) consisting of the standard cFS apps and autoNGC interface apps and libraries. Accurate onboard navigation and timing is obtained through the Goddard Enhanced Onboard Navigation System (GEONS) software library [Ref. 2], which fuses different measurement types through an extended Kalman filter (EKF) framework. Optical measurements that are ingested in GEONS are provided by the cFS Goddard Image Analysis and Navigation Tool (cGIANT) app [Ref. 3]. This app processes optical images to extract the bearing angles of the centroid of the imaged body (near or far), the range to the imaged body, and/or of the features on the surface of a body to perform terrain relative navigation (TRN). Measurement of range to the body’s center of mass can also be derived from the detection of the limb. The first build of autoNGC for a lunar orbiting spacecraft is a minimal size, weight, and power (SWaP) hardware design allowing for inclusion into CubeSats and SmallSat-size class buses. Advancements in miniaturized space processors, such as the SpaceCube 3.0 Mini and the SpaceCube Mini-Z [Ref. 4] are utilized for low SWaP while maintaining a high level of performance. Figure (Slide 11) shows the composition of the first autoNGC build. The current enclosure design has dimensions 12 cm x 17 cm x 13.5 cm. The box mass is expected to be less than 2 kg, and the nominal power is 21 W. The hardware interfaces are designed for flexibility with a variety of sensor inputs. The achievable navigation performance depends on the sensors utilized, including the onboard clock for 1-way pseudo-range measurements. Analysis using a configuration that consists of weak signal GPS, TRN, and 1-way DTE has shown position and velocity accuracies of 10 meters and 2 cm/s (3-σ ) RSS, respectively, with onboard time knowledge estimated to better than 13 ns (3-σ ), for a spacecraft in a representative 12-hour eccentric lunar orbit. Other measurement types such as x-rays from known pulsars (called XNAV) and cross-links can also be processed in GEONS. With the plug-and-play architecture of autoNGC, cFS apps can easily be added and replaced, even after launch. Goddard is actively seeking partners to collaborate in the development of additional capabilities for autoNGC, including industry, academia, and others across the US Government. Plans are being formulated to make the autoNGC software platform available for use by any US government organization to leverage the non-recurring engineering associated with the development of onboard autonomous NGC 3 capabilities. As advancements in space qualified sensors, microprocessors, and algorithms are made, the autoNGC platform provides a ready starting point for inclusion of these technologies.

C. J. Gramling↗