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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 235 records · Page 13
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NASA NTRS2004

Chronic Medication and or Monitoring for Long Duration Space Flight: What Should The Policy Be?

While a private individual with a chronic medical condition could perhaps justifiably claim the right to become a "space tourist" through informed consent, NASA and other International crew members are national assets, trained at government expense to fulfill a mission considered essential to national goals. The medical requirements/policy for selection and certification of crewmembers for long duration missions to the International Space Station (ISS) should address: (1) Crewmembers with chronic conditions that require regular dosing of life-sustaining medication for the purposes of secondary or tertiary prevention (i.e. tumor suppression therapy or anticoagulation). (2) Crew members with conditions that will be worsened by spaceflight exposure, placing them at additional personal health risk though not necessarily increasing mission risk (i.e. previous radiation exposure or preflight osteopenia/osteoporosis) The following policies are recommended. A crewmember should not be assigned to an International Space Station mission who: (3) Requires medications to sustain life or who has a disease, which requires medical procedures or diagnostics to monitor and treat same. (4) Has medical condition, which would prevent participation as a candidate in many scientific and medical operational research studies, as their underlying condition would confound the collected data. (5) Requires specialized medical devices for monitoring or treatment of a medical condition, including conditions that require special provisions to conduct routine required countermeasure activities. (6) Who has a disease or requires treatment for same, and for which the effects of space travel may be deleterious to the short or long term health of the individual, An evidence-based approach will be used to provide rationale for policy recommendations under these scenarios. Operational impacts of allowing these medical conditions to fly on the ISS will also be presented.

Hamilton, Douglas R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

US data policy for Earth observation from space

Distribution of data from U.S. Earth observations satellites is subject to different data policies and regulations depending on whether the systems in question are operational or experimental. Specific laws, regulations, and policies are in place for the distribution of satellite data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operational environmental satellites and from NASA experimental systems. There is a government wide policy for exchange of data for global change research. For the Earth Observing System (EOS) and its international partner programs, a set of data exchange principles is nearing completion. The debate over the future of the LANDSAT program in the U.S. will impact policy for the programs, but the outcome of the debate is not yet known.

Shaffer, Lisa Robock↗
NASA NTRS2010

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology for Moon and Mars Missions

In support of the U.S. Space Exploration Policy, focused cryogenic fluid management technology efforts are underway within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Under the auspices of the Exploration Technology Development Program, cryogenic fluid management technology efforts are being conducted by the Cryogenic Fluid Management Project. Cryogenic Fluid Management Project objectives are to develop storage, transfer, and handling technologies for cryogens to support high performance demands of lunar, and ultimately, Mars missions in the application areas of propulsion, surface systems, and Earth-based ground operations. The targeted use of cryogens and cryogenic technologies for these application areas is anticipated to significantly reduce propellant launch mass and required on-orbit margins, to reduce and even eliminate storage tank boil-off losses for long term missions, to economize ground pad storage and transfer operations, and to expand operational and architectural operations at destination. This paper organizes Cryogenic Fluid Management Project technology efforts according to Exploration Architecture target areas, and discusses the scope of trade studies, analytical modeling, and test efforts presently underway, as well as future plans, to address those target areas. The target areas are: liquid methane/liquid oxygen for propelling the Altair Lander Ascent Stage, liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen for propelling the Altair Lander Descent Stage and Ares V Earth Departure Stage, liquefaction, zero boil-off, and propellant scavenging for Lunar Surface Systems, cold helium and zero boil-off technologies for Earth-Based Ground Operations, and architecture definition studies for long term storage and on-orbit transfer and pressurization of LH2, cryogenic Mars landing and ascent vehicles, and cryogenic production via in situ resource utilization on Mars.

Doherty, Michael P.↗
NASA NTRS2009

NASA Lunar Mining and Construction Activities and Plans

The Space Exploration Policy enacted by the US Congress in 2005 calls for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to implement a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system and beyond; Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations; Develop the innovative technologies, knowledge, and infrastructures both to explore and to support decisions about the destinations for human exploration; and Promote international and commercial participation in exploration to further U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests. In 2006, NASA released the Lunar Architecture Study, which proposed establishing a lunar Outpost on the Moon with international participation to extend human presence beyond Earth's orbit, pursue scientific activities, use the Moon to prepare for future human missions to Mars, and expand Earth s economic sphere. The establishment of sustained human presence on the Moon for science and exploration combines the design, integration, and operation challenges experienced from both the short Apollo lunar missions and the build-up and sustained crew operations of the International Space Station (ISS). Apollo experience reminds developers and mission planners that hardware must operate under extremely harsh environmental and abrasive conditions and every kilogram of mass and payload must be critical to achieve the mission s objectives due to the difficulty and cost of reaching the lunar surface. Experience from the ISS reminds developers and mission planners that integration of all hardware must be designed and planned from the start of the program, operations and evolution of capabilities on a continuous basis are important, and long-term life-cycle costs and logistical needs are equally or more important than minimizing early development and test costs. Overarching all of this is the need to implement efforts that are sustainable and affordable. One area NASA is developing that can significantly change how systems required for sustained human presence are designed and integrated, as well as potentially break our reliance on Earth supplied logistics, is In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). ISRU, also known living off the land, involves the extraction and processing of local resources into useful products. In particular, the ability to make propellants, life support consumables, fuel cell reagents, and radiation shielding can significantly reduce the cost, mass, and risk of sustained human activities beyond Earth. Also, the ability to modify the lunar landscape for safer landing, transfer of payloads from the lander an outpost, dust generation mitigation, and infrastructure placement and buildup are also extremely important for long-term lunar operations. While extra-terrestrial excavation, material handling and processing, and site preparation and construction may be new to NASA and other space agencies, there is extensive terrestrial hardware and commercial experience that can be leveraged. This paper will provide an overview of current NASA activities in lunar ISRU mining and construction and how terrestrial experience in these areas are important to achieving the goal of affordable and sustainable human exploration.

Sanders, Gerald B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Alternative Approach to Vehicle Element Processing

The National Space Transportation Policy (NSTP), describes the challenge facing today's aerospace industry. 'Assuring reliable and affordable access to space through U.S. space transportation capabilities is a fundamental goal of the U.S. space program'. Experience from the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) tells us that launch and mission operations are responsible for approximately 45 % of the cost of each shuttle mission. Reducing these costs is critical to NSTP goals in the next generation launch vehicle. Based on this, an innovative alternative approach to vehicle element processing was developed with an emphasis on reduced launch costs. State-of-the-art upgrades to the launch processing system (LPS) will enhance vehicle ground operations. To carry this one step further, these upgrade could be implemented at various vehicle element manufacturing sites to ensure system compatibility between the manufacturing facility and the launch site. Design center vehicle stand alone testing will ensure system integrity resulting in minimized checkout and testing at the launch site. This paper will addresses vehicle test requirements, timelines and ground checkout procedures which enable concept implementation.

Huether, Jacob E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Safety policy and requirements for payloads using the Space Transportation System (STS)

The Space Transportation Operations (STO) safety policy is to minimize STO involvement in the payload and its GSE (ground support equipment) design process while maintaining the assurance of a safe operation. Requirements for assuring payload mission success are the responsibility of the payload organization and are beyond the scope of this document. The intent is to provide the overall safety policies and requirements while allowing for negotiation between the payload organization and the STO operator in the method of implementation of payload safety. This revision provides for a relaxation in the monitoring requirements for inhibits, allows the payload organization to pursue design options and reflects, additionally, some new requirements. As of the issue date of this NHB, payloads which have completed the formal safety assessment reviews of their preliminary design on the basis of the May 1979 issue will be reassessed for compliance with the above changes.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

50-Year Window to Establish a Space Faring Civilization

Humankind may only have a short window of 50 years to become a space-faring civilization, after which time the opportunity to do so may become too difficult or impractical to pursue. Current policies for space exploration and infrastructure development implicitly assume a gradualistic approach to technology, budgets, and mission execution -- the common thought has been that there will be plenty of time in humankind's future to become a space-based species, and whatever we are unable to accomplish will be borne by the generations that follow. However, considering natural events, available energy, and human tendencies, the timing to make the most effective effort to achieve multi-planet status might be now, before momentum is lost and we become distracted by Peak Oil and changing energy economies -- restarting a space program after such turmoil may be more difficult than would be practical without cheap, storable, high-energy density petroleum. "Space-faring civilization" is defined as an economically profitable space-based economy that demands the presence of humans off-world in order to sustain a high level of prosperity. An initial foothold for a space-based economy that would fit within the 50-year window might include Earth dependence on rare-earth elements or other hard-to-obtain minerals mined from moons or asteroids, or a permanent settlement on another planet. Using published sources, notional mass and energy requirements for a minimal self-sustaining Mars settlement is calculated, and the number of launch vehicles discussed. Setting the launch schedule to match that of current NASA projections, it could take more than 26 years of semi-annual launches to build up such a self-sustaining human settlement -- a cost and commitment that has not been acknowledged nor planned for. Considering the time required to establish a multi-planet species, this paper frames the required window of decision that, if not taken, could condemn the species to Earth subject to whatever natural or human-made calamities that endanger single-planet civilizations.

human exploration↗
NASA NTRS2005

Advanced Sensors for NASA's Exploration Missions

This paper presents a variety of advanced sensors needed for NASA's space exploration. The topics include: 1) The vision of the President of the United States of America for Space Exploration; 2) The report of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy; 3) Exploration Systems Interim Report; 4) Major areas of sensor needs; 5) Classes of material; and 6) Variety of Sensors for Space Exploration.

Lal, Ravindra B.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Ares V: New Opportunities for Scientific Payloads

What if scientists and payload planners had access to three to five times the volume and five to nine times the mass provided by today's launch vehicles? This simple question can lead to numerous exciting possibilities, all involving NASA's new Ares V cargo launch vehicle now on the drawing board. Multiple scientific fields and payload designers have that opportunity with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, being developed at NASA as the heavy-lift component of the U.S. Space Exploration Policy. When the Ares V begins flying late next decade, its capabilities will significantly exceed the 1960s-era Saturn V or the current Space Shuttle, while it benefits from their engineering, manufacturing, and infrastructure heritage. It will send more crew and cargo to more places on the lunar surface than Apollo and provide ongoing support to a permanent lunar outpost. Moreover, it will restore a strategic heavy-lift U.S. asset, which can support human and robotic exploration and scientific ventures for decades to come. Assessment of astronomy payload requirements since Spring 2008 has indicated that Ares V has the potential to support a range of payloads and missions. Some of these missions were impossible in the absence of Ares V's capabilities. Collaborative design/architecture inputs, exchanges, and analyses have already begun between scientists and payload developers. A 2008 study by a National Research Council (NRC) panel, as well as analyses presented by astronomers and planetary scientists at two weekend conferences in 2008, support the position that Ares V has benefit to a broad range of planetary and astronomy missions. This early dialogue with Ares V engineers is permitting the greatest opportunity for payload/transportation/mission synergy and the least financial impact to Ares V development. In addition, independent analyses suggest that Ares V has the opportunity to enable more cost-effective mission design.

Creech, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2006

Science in Flux: NASA's Nuclear Program at Plum Brook Station 1955-2005

Science in Flux traces the history of one of the most powerful nuclear test reactors in the United States and the only nuclear facility ever built by NASA. In the late 1950's NASA constructed Plum Brook Station on a vast tract of undeveloped land near Sandusky, Ohio. Once fully operational in 1963, it supported basic research for NASA's nuclear rocket program (NERVA). Plum Brook represents a significant, if largely forgotten, story of nuclear research, political change, and the professional culture of the scientists and engineers who devoted their lives to construct and operate the facility. In 1973, after only a decade of research, the government shut Plum Brook down before many of its experiments could be completed. Even the valiant attempt to redefine the reactor as an environmental analysis tool failed, and the facility went silent. The reactors lay in costly, but quiet standby for nearly a quarter-century before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to decommission the reactors and clean up the site. The history of Plum Brook reveals the perils and potentials of that nuclear technology. As NASA, Congress, and space enthusiasts all begin looking once again at the nuclear option for sending humans to Mars, the echoes of Plum Brook's past will resonate with current policy and space initiatives.

Bowles, Mark D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Artemis and Ethics Workshop Lessons Learned

As NASA lays out its Artemis activities, it expects to set precedents in spaceflight for decades to come. Including ethical and social considerations in Artemis planning will improve the likelihood that the future we create is one where humanity collectively wants to live. NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) hosted an Artemis and Ethics Workshop. This workshop was held at NASA’s Mary Jackson Headquarters in Washington, DC from April 12th-14th 2023 and brought together invited experts in social science, humanities, and technical fields to discuss ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of Artemis and human exploration in general. The two key study questions that the workshop aimed to address were: 1) How should NASA consider the ELSI of the Artemis and Moon to Mars efforts?; and 2) What are the key ethical and societal implications that need consideration? After briefly summarizing the formal workshop report, this paper addresses the lessons learned from implementing an interdisciplinary workshop of this nature, and from reflecting on the complexities of societal implications long-term. Issues of breadth vs depth, preparing people to engage across cultures, and allowing for structured brainstorming of specific issues are of particular importance. We also reflect on the limits of a workshop full of experts for addressing these issues and note ways in which other participatory processes or adjustments to policy practices may be worthwhile.

Artemis↗
NASA NTRS2009

CEOS Contributions to Informing Energy Management and Policy Decision Making Using Space-Based Earth Observations

Earth observations are playing an increasingly significant role in informing decision making in the energy sector. In renewable energy applications, space-based observations now routinely augment sparse ground-based observations used as input for renewable energy resource assessment applications. As one of the nine Group on Earth Observations (GEO) societal benefit areas, the enhancement of management and policy decision making in the energy sector is receiving attention in activities conducted by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). CEOS has become the "space arm" for the implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) vision. It is directly supporting the space-based, near-term tasks articulated in the GEO three-year work plan. This paper describes a coordinated program of demonstration projects conducted by CEOS member agencies and partners to utilize Earth observations to enhance energy management end-user decision support systems. I discuss the importance of engagement with stakeholders and understanding their decision support needs in successfully increasing the uptake of Earth observation products for societal benefit. Several case studies are presented, demonstrating the importance of providing data sets in formats and units familiar and immediately usable by decision makers. These projects show the utility of Earth observations to enhance renewable energy resource assessment in the developing world, forecast space-weather impacts on the power grid, and improve energy efficiency in the built environment.

Eckman, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Potential Future Shuttle Improvements

NASA has just recently completed the 104th flight of the Space Shuttle. Each of the four Orbiters in the Shuttle fleet have a design life of 100 flights each. Thus the fleet is capable of almost 300 more flights, and at current flight rates could potentially operate well past 2020 if necessary. This paper addresses some of the potential Shuttle system improvements that could be considered if the decision is made to continue operations of this vehicle for such an extended period. The national space transportation policy envisions a decision around 2005-2006 concerning readiness to start development of a Shuttle replacement system. Leading up to that decision point NASA is investing in the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) to reduce the development risks associated with key technologies needed for the next generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV). The Shuttle replacement could be a new design RLV or could be based on a Shuttle derived design: i.e., a vehicle based on the current Shuttle but with major design changes. The technology investment strategy of SLI is supportive of either approach. However, if NASA and industry are not ready to develop a replacement vehicle in the 2006-2012 timeframe, then another option would be to continue to make important, but evolutionary changes, to the existing Shuttle fleet. The overall strategy for next generation RLV planning, including possible Shuttle evolution, is captured in Figure 1.

Henderson, Edward↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Artemis and Ethics Workshop Lessons Learned

As NASA lays out its Artemis activities, it expects to set precedents in spaceflight for decades to come. Including ethical and social considerations in Artemis planning will improve the likelihood that the future we create is one where humanity collectively wants to live. NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) hosted an Artemis and Ethics Workshop. This workshop was held at NASA’s Mary Jackson Headquarters in Washington, DC from April 12th -14th 2023 and brought together invited experts in social science, humanities, and technical fields to discuss ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of Artemis and human exploration in general. The two key study questions that the workshop aimed to address were: 1) How should NASA consider the ELSI of the Artemis and Moon to Mars efforts?; and 2) What are the key ethical and societal implications that need consideration? After briefly summarizing the formal workshop report, this paper addresses the lessons learned from implementing an interdisciplinary workshop of this nature, and from reflecting on the complexities of societal implications long-term. Issues of breadth vs depth, preparing people to engage across cultures, and allowing for structured brainstorming of specific issues are of particular importance. We also reflect on the limits of a workshop full of experts for addressing these issues and note ways in which other participatory processes or adjustments to policy practices may be worthwhile.

Artemis↗
NASA NTRS1989

Space station: A step into the future

The Space Station is an essential element of NASA's ongoing program to recover from the loss of the Challenger and to regain for the United States its position of leadership in space. The Space Station Program has made substantial progress and some of the major efforts undertaken are discussed briefly. A few of the Space Station policies which have shaped the program are reviewed. NASA is dedicated to building a Station that, in serving science, technology, and commerce assured the United States a future in space as exciting and rewarding as the past. In cooperation with partners in the industry and abroad, the intent is to develop a Space Station that is intellectually productive, technically demanding, and genuinely useful.

Stofan, Andrew J.↗