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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

The use of PLAID in the Space Station Freedom viewing analysis

The focus early in the Space Station Freedom Program was on identifying viewing requirements for both direct viewing (windows) and indirect viewing (closed-circuit television). Currently, an analysis is being conducted to address the feasibility of viewing for Space Station Freedom. The goal of this analysis is to determine the optimum location for the windows and closed-circuit television cameras in order to meet the established requirements. Additionally all viewing provisions must adequately support Space Station assembly and on-board operations once the Station is operable. PLAID, a three-dimensional graphics system developed at NASA/Johnson Space Center, was selected for use as the primary tool in this analysis. PLAID provides the capability to simulate the assembly of the Space Station Freedom, as well as to examine operations on the Station as it evolves. In addition, it is used as a tool to analyze general out-the-window viewing conditions for all Space Station components, and provides the ability to integrate an anthropometric scale-modeled person (representing a crewmember) with the Station's interior architecture.

Mount, Frances E.↗

Mariner 9 observations of the south polar cap of Mars - Evidence for residual CO2 frost

The first spacecraft observations of the south residual polar cap of Mars were obtained by the Mariner 9 orbiter during the Martian southern summer season, 1971-1972. Analyses of Viking orbiter observations obtained 3 Mars years later have shown that residual carbon dioxide frost was present at the south polar cap in 1977. In this study, Mariner 9 infrared interferometer spectrometer spectra and television camera images are used in conjuction with multispectral thermal emission models to constrain the temperatures of dark bare ground and bright frost regions within the south residual cap. The results provide strong evidence that carbon dioxide frost was present throughout the summer season despite the fact that the residual frost deposits observed by Mariner 9 were less extensive than those observed by Viking.

Paige, D. A.↗

Rocket observations of the ultraviolet spectrum of comet Austin (1989c1)

Long slit ultraviolet spectra of Comet Austin (1989c1) were obtained from a sounding rocket experiment launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on 21 April 1990 at 1015 UT. The instrument, known as the Faint Object Telescope, consisted of f/15.5 Dall-Kirkham telescope, a Rowland Circle spectrograph and a microchannel plate intensifier coupled to a Reticon diode array. An onboard television camera transmitted images to the ground during flight, which permitted real-time maneuvers in order to center the comet in the entrance slit. The comet was held near the center of the slit for approximately 270 seconds by sending six pointing corrections, all but one of which was less than 30 arcseconds. The comet's parameters at the time of observation, along with the characteristics of the instrument, are given.

Sahnow, D. J.↗

Lunar rover developments at JPL

Results of previous JPL developments are summarized and the current work related to lunar roving missions is discussed. Objectives of a long lunar transverse are reviewed and include lunar resource prospecting and base site surveys. Rover design criteria are presented, noting that payload instrumentation would include both television cameras for driving and cameras producing panoramic facsimile for high-fidelity scientific imaging and landmark navigation, as well as a multipurpose imaging system with multispectral, close-up, and microscopic capabilities. Instrumentation providing for chemical and mineral analysis, a gravimeter, and a magnetometer are also important. Rover performance requirements include a capability to support a 50 kg payload mass with a rover mass of 500 to 600 kg, powering and supporting the payload, managing the on-board resources available to each instrument, and handling all of the mission data. Desert tests of lunar roving navigation and field geology are discussed.

Burke, James D.↗

Lightning flash mensuration using video from the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-32)

Using the payload bay television cameras from various Space Shuttle missions, a study was performed to investigate the relationship between the size and duration of lightning flashes, though separated by 1-100 km, that appeared to be flashing in synchronization. The area, duration, and rate of propagation of the lightning in these storms was also studied. By employing the analytical methods described, the use of deinterlaced video of lightning observed from STS-32 provides the highest sampling rate ever utilized for this purpose from space (1 image each 16.7 m/sec).

Pitts, David E.↗

General purpose intelligent sensor interface

The long range goal is to develop an intelligent sensor system that will simplify the design and development of expert systems that use sensors of physical phenomena as a source of input data. This phase of the research concentrated on the integration of image processing sensors with expert system environments. The anticipated result of this research is the ability to design systems in which the user will not need to be an expert in such areas as image processing algorithms, local area networks, image processor hardware selection or interfacing, or television cameras selection. The user will be able to access data from video sensors through standard expert system statements without any need to know about the sensor hardware or software.

Mckee, J. W.↗

Medium resolution spectra of the shuttle glow in the visible region of the spectrum

Recent spectral measurements of the visible shuttle glow (lambda = 400 - 800 nm) at medium resolution (1 nm) reveal the same featureless continuum with a maximum near 680 nm that was reported previously. This is also in good agreement with recent laboratory experiments that attribute the glow to the emissions of NO2 formed by the recombination of O + NO. The data that are presented were taken from the aft flight deck with a hand-held spectrograph and from the shuttle bay with a low-light-level television camera. Shuttle glow images and spectra are presented and compared with laboratory data and theory.

Viereck, R. A.↗

A Remote Laser-mass Spectrometer for Determination of Elemental Composition

Determination of the elemental composition of lunar, asteroid, and planetary surfaces is a major concern for science and resource utilization of space. The science associated with the development of a satellite or lunar rover laser-mass spectrometer instrument is presented here. The instrument would include a pulsed laser with sufficient energy to create a plasma on a remote surface. Ions ejected from this plasma travel back to the spacecraft or rover, where they are analyzed by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, giving the elemental and isotope composition. This concept is based on the LIMA-D instrument on board the former Soviet Union Phobos-88 spacecraft sent to Mars. A laser-mass spectrometer placed on a rover or satellite would substantially improve the data return over alternative techniques. The spatial resolution would be centimeters, and a complete mass spectrum could be achieved in one laser shot. An experiment is described that demonstrates these features. A 400 mj Nd:YAG laser is focused, to an intensity of 10(exp 11) w/sq cm, onto a Al, Ag, Cu, Ge, or lunar simulant target. A plasma forms from which ions are ejected. Some of these ions travel down an 18-m evacuated flight tube to a microchannel plate detector. Alternatively, the ions are captured by an ion trap where they are stored until pulsed into a 1-m time-of-flight mass spectrometer, giving the elemental composition of the remote surface. A television camera monitors the plasma plume shape, and a photodiode monitors the temporal plasma emission . With this system, ions of Al, Ag, Cu, Ge, and lunar simulant have been detected at 18 m. The mass spectrum from the ion trap and 1-m time-of-flight tube will be presented.

Deyoung, R. J.↗

Measurements of the time constant for steady ionization in shaped-charge barium releases

Quantitative measurements of three solar illuminated shaped-charge barium releases injected at small angles to the magnetic field were made using a calibrated color television camera. Two of the releases were from 1989. The third release, a reanalysis of an event included in Hallinan's 1988 study of three 1986 releases, was included to provide continuity between the two studies. Time constants for ionization, measured during the first 25 s of each release, were found to vary considerably. The two 1989 time constants differed substantially, and both were significantly less than any of the 1986 time constants. On the basis of this variability, we conclude that the two 1989 releases showed evidence of continuous nonsolar ionization. One release showed nonsolar ionization which could not he attributed to Alfven's critical ionization velocity process, which requires a component of velocity perpendicular to the magnetic field providing a perpendicular energy greater than the ionization potential.

Hoch, Edward L.↗

PULSAUR 2: A sounding rocket project to study pulsating aurora and related phenomena

The second pulsating aurora (PULSAUR 2) rocket was a comprehensively instrumented rocket for the study of the generating mechanisms of pulsating auroras and their related atmospheric and ionospheric effects. It carried instruments to measure electrons and ions over a wide range of energies and pitch angles, optical emissions and X-rays, direct currents and alternating currents, magnetic fields, electron densities and temperatures. The rocket was flown from Andoeya, Norway on 9 February 1994, during good auroral and optical conditions, and reached an altitude of 291.5 km. Coordinated measurements were made from the rocket range by television cameras, photometers, magnetometers, riometers and very low frequency receivers. Ionospheric parameters were measured by the EISCAT radar. The main objectives and performance of the project are discussed, and some of the data obtained are mentioned.

Maaseide, K.↗

STS-78 Flight Day 15

On this fifteenth day of the STS-78 mission, the 4th of July, Cmdr. Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Payload Cmdr. Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Charles E. Brady, Jr., and Payload Specialists Jean-Jacques Favier, Ph.D. and Robert B. Thirsk, M.D., are awakened with Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' and Lee Greenwood's 'I'm Proud to be an American' to begin another a day on orbit. Mission Commander Tom Henricks responded to Mission Control's wake up call by saying that the five US-born crew members were very proud to be Americans, particularly on the day America celebrates its 220th anniversary. Work in the Spacelab module will continue with investigations into the effects of microgravity on muscle strength and endurance, lung function, and adaptation of the neurovestibular system to a microgravity environment. Henricks and Pilot Kevin Kregel will complete work with a laptop computer designed to test the crew's critical thinking skills and reaction time. They also will test a voice control system that allows them to reposition Columbia's closed-circuit television cameras with verbal cues, keeping their hands free to perform other tasks.

Source record↗

The TIROS II Radiation Experiment

The TIROS II meteorological satellite was placed into orbit on November 23, 1960. It contains two television cameras and equipment for a family of electromagnetic radiation experiments, including a medium resolution radiometer. The medium resolution radiometer is a cluster of five sensors which have their optical axes inclined 45 deg. to the spin axis of the satellite. The spin of TIROS II provides the scanning motion. The five radiometer channels are sensitive to the following spectral bands: 6 to 6.5; 8 to 12; 0.2 to 6; 8 to 30; and 0.55 to 0.75 microns.

Hanel, R. A.↗

Infrared and Reflected Solar Radiation Measurements from the TIROS 2 Meteorological Satellite

TIROS II contains instrumentation for measuring infrared and reflected solar radiation from the earth and its atmosphere. A medium resolution scanning radiometer and a low resolution non-scanning radiometer are employed. The satellite's spin provides the scan line of the medium resolution radiometer which is then advanced by the orbital motion. The spatial resolution is about 40 miles square when the earth directly beneath the satellite is viewed. The five channels employ bolometer detectors and filters to limit the spectral responses to five bands: 6 to 6.5 microns, 8 to 12 microns, 0.2 to 6 microns, 8 to 30 microns, and 0.55 to 0.75 microns. These five bands study, respectively: radiation in the water vapor absorption band; day and nighttime cloud cover; albedo; thermal radiation; and visual maps for comparison with satellite vidicon pictures. The low resolution non-scanning radiometer measures the earth's black-body temperature and albedo. Its field when viewing directly below is a circle of 450 miles diameter, covering part of each frame from the wide-field television camera. This radiometer consists of two thermistors, each in the apex of a reflective cone which provides optical gain. One thermistor is black and responds to both thermal and reflected solar radiation. The second responds to thermal but reflects solar radiation. The design, calibration, performance, and data reduction for both systems are discussed herein.

Bandeen, W. R.↗

STS-99 Crew Training

Live footage of the STS-99 crew members shows Commander Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri, and Gerhard P.J. Thiele going through various training exercises. These exercises include Post Landing Egress, SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) Deploy and Mapping Activities, HDTV (High Definition Television) Camera Training, and Ascent Simulation. Footage also includes the six-member crew participating in a photo session.

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STS-99: Post Flight Presentation

Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-99, Commander Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, and Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri, and Gerhard P.J. Thiele, arriving at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in the T-38 aircraft. Crewmembers are seen speaking to the welcoming crowd at KSC, suiting-up, walking out to the Astro-van, being strapped in the shuttle, and performing various activities while in orbit. Scenes include the astronaut training process, main engine ignition, liftoff, solid rocket booster separation, mast deployment and retraction, and the changing of the mapping tapes. Footage also includes the crewmembers sleeping, eating, exercising, dancing and having fun in zero gravity. The High Definition Television Camera (HDTV) picks up images from the Earth. These images includes Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Bahamas, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Mount Fuji, Tokyo Bay, Southern Russia, the Black Sea, Equador, Northern Peru, the Mediterranean Sea, Malta, Sicily and Italy. The crewmembers of STS-99 each took a turn to narrate the scenes and events as they occur.

Source record↗

STS-110 Flight Day 2 Highlights

The second flight day of the STS-110 mission begins with Pilot Stephen Frick, and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa and Jerry Ross shown in the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Ellen Ochoa answers questions about the goals of the mission which are to install the S(0) truss segment on the International Space Station. Television cameras are attached to the robotic arm to take pictures of the truss in orbit. Commander Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Frick talks about the physical condition of the robotic arm.

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STS-112 Flight Day 6 Highlights

On the sixth flight day of STS-112 (Atlantis crewmembers include Dave Wolf, Mission Specialists; Sandy Magnus, Mission Specialists; Pam Melroy, Pilot; Jeff Ashby, Commander; Piers Sellers, Mission Specialists; Fyodor Yurchikhin, Mission Specialists), Wolf and Sellers are seen preparing for an EVA (extravehicular activity) during which they will service the ISS (International Space Station) to which Atlantis is docked. This will be the 45th EVA in support of ISS assembly and maintenance and the 20th conducted from the ISS. While the astronauts prepare, video footage is shown of the Sahara desert, over which the ISS is passing in a track that will take it over North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. During the EVA, the External Television Camera Group will be brought out of the station and attached to the station. As the astronauts work, their helmet mounted cameras provide excellent footage of the ISS with the Shuttle docked at the Destiny Laboratory Module. Multiple shots of the station show several modules including Destiny, Quest, Unity and Zarya, as well as Canadarm 2 and Atlantis. The video closes with a wide angle shot of the ISS.

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Implementing Recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board - Development of on-Orbit RCC Thermography

One of NASA s Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight (RTF) efforts has been to develop thermography for the on-orbit inspection of the Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) portion of the Orbiter Wing Leading Edge (WLE). This paper addresses the capability of thermography to detect cracks in RCC by using in-plane thermal gradients that naturally occur on-orbit. Crack damage, which can result from launch debris impact, is a detection challenge for other on-orbit sensors under consideration for RTF, such as the Intensified Television Camera and Laser Dynamic Range Imager. We studied various cracks in RCC, both natural and simulated, along with material characteristics, such as emissivity uniformity, in steady-state thermography. Severity of crack, such as those likely and unlikely to cause burn through were tested, both in-air and in-vacuum, and the goal of this procedure was to assure crew and vehicle safety during re-entry by identification and quantification of a damage condition while on-orbit. Expected thermal conditions are presented in typical shuttle orbits, and the expected damage signatures for each scenario are presented. Finally, through statistical signal detection, our results show that even at very low in-plane thermal gradients, we are able to detect damage at or below the threshold for fatality in the most critical sections of the WLE, with a confidence exceeding 1 in 10,000 probability of false negative.

Ottens, Brian↗