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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 NTRS1997

Optical Design of the Developmental Cryogenic Active Telescope Testbed (DCATT)

In the summer of 1996, three Study teams developed conceptual designs and mission architectures for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). Each group highlighted areas of technology development that need to be further advanced to meet the goals of the NGST mission. The most important areas for future study included: deployable structures, lightweight optics, cryogenic optics and mechanisms, passive cooling, and on-orbit closed loop wavefront sensing and control. NASA and industry are currently planning to develop a series of ground testbeds and validation flights to demonstrate many of these technologies. The Deployed Cryogenic Active Telescope Testbed (DCATT) is a system level testbed to be developed at Goddard Space Flight Center in three phases over an extended period of time. This testbed will combine an actively controlled telescope with the hardware and software elements of a closed loop wavefront sensing and control system to achieve diffraction limited imaging at 2 microns. We will present an overview of the system level requirements, a discussion of the optical design, and results of performance analyses for the Phase 1 ambient concept for DCATT,

Davila, Pam↗
NASA NTRS2007

Integration and Testing Challenges of Small Satellite Missions: Experiences from the Space Technology 5 Project

The Space Technology 5(ST5) payload was successfully carried into orbit on an OSC Pegasus XL launch vehicle, which was carried aloft and dropped from the OSC Lockheed L-1011 from Vandenberg Air Force Base March 22,2006, at 9:03 am Eastern time, 6:03 am Pacific time. In order to reach the completion of the development and successful launch of ST 5, the systems integration and test(I&T) team determined that a different approach was required to meet the project requirements rather than the standard I&T approach used for single, room-sized satellites. The ST5 payload, part of NASA's New Millennium Program headquartered at JPL, consisted of three micro satellites (approximately 30 kg each) and the Pegasus Support Structure (PSS), the system that connected the spacecrafts to the launch vehicle and deployed the spacecrafts into orbit from the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. ST5 was a technology demonstration payload, intended to test six (6) new technologies for potential use for future space flights along with demonstrating the ability of small satellites to perform quality science. The main technology was a science grade magnetometer designed to take measurements of the earth's magnetic field. The three spacecraft were designed, integrated, and tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with integration and environmental testing occurring in the Bldg. 7-1 0-15-29. The three spacecraft were integrated and tested by the same I&T team. The I&T Manager determined that there was insufficient time in the schedule to perform the three I&T spacecraft activities in series used standard approaches. The solution was for spacecraft #1 to undergo integration and test first, followed by spacecraft #2 and #3 simultaneously. This simultaneous integration was successful for several reasons. Each spacecraft had a Lead Test Conductor who planned and coordinated their spacecraft through its integration and test activities. One team of engineers and technicians executed the integration of all three spacecraft, learning and gaining knowledge and efficiency as spacecraft #1 integration and testing progressed. They became acutely familiar with the hardware, operation and processes for I&T, thus each team member had the experience and knowledge to safely execute I&T for spacecraft #2 and #3 together. The integration team was very versatile and each member could perform many different activities or work any spacecraft, when needed. Daily meetings between the three Lead TCs and technician team allowed the team to plan and implement activities efficiently. The three (3) spacecraft and PSS were successfully integrated and tested, shipped to the launch site, and ready for launch per the I&T schedule that was planned three years previously.

Sauerwein, Timothy A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center to the DARPA/AFRL/NASA/ Northrop Grumman Smart Wing Program

An overview of the contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to the DARPA/AFRL/NASA/ Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) Smart Wing program is presented. The overall objective of the Smart Wing program was to develop smart** technologies and demonstrate near-flight-scale actuation systems to improve the aerodynamic performance of military aircraft. NASA LaRC s roles were to provide technical guidance, wind-tunnel testing time and support, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses. The program was divided into two phases, with each phase having two wind-tunnel entries in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). This paper focuses on the fourth and final wind-tunnel test: Phase 2, Test 2. During this test, a model based on the NGC Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) concept was tested at Mach numbers up to 0.8 and dynamic pressures up to 150 psf to determine the aerodynamic performance benefits that could be achieved using hingeless, smoothly-contoured control surfaces actuated with smart materials technologies. The UCAV-based model was a 30% geometric scale, full-span, sting-mounted model with the smart control surfaces on the starboard wing and conventional, hinged control surfaces on the port wing. Two LaRC-developed instrumentation systems were used during the test to externally measure the shapes of the smart control surface and quantify the effects of aerodynamic loading on the deflections: Videogrammetric Model Deformation (VMD) and Projection Moire Interferometry (PMI). VMD is an optical technique that uses single-camera photogrammetric tracking of discrete targets to determine deflections at specific points. PMI provides spatially continuous measurements of model deformation by computationally analyzing images of a grid projected onto the model surface. Both the VMD and PMI measurements served well to validate the use of on-board (internal) rotary potentiometers to measure the smart control surface deflection angles. Prior to the final entry, NASA LaRC also performed three-dimensional unstructured Navier Stokes CFD analyses in an attempt to predict the potential aerodynamic impact of the smart control surface on overall model forces and moments. Eight different control surface shapes were selected for study at Mach = 0.6, Reynolds number = 3.25 x 10(exp 6), and + 2 deg., 3 deg., 8 deg., and 10 deg.model angles-of-attack. For the baseline, undeflected control surface geometry, the CFD predictions and wind-tunnel results matched well. The agreement was not as good for the more complex aero-loaded control surface shapes, though, because of the inability to accurately predict those shapes. Despite these results, the NASA CFD study served as an important step in studying advanced control effectors.

Florance, Jennifer P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program

Industry/NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Technology Program efforts are underway to design, test, and develop technologies and concepts for viable commercial launch systems that also satisfy national needs at acceptable recurring costs. Significant progress has been made in understanding the technical challenges of fully reusable launch systems and the accompanying management and operational approaches for achieving a low-cost program. This paper reviews the current status of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program including the DC-XA, X-33 and X-34 flight systems and associated technology programs. It addresses the specific technologies being tested that address the technical and operability challenges of reusable launch systems including reusable cryogenic propellant tanks, composite structures, thermal protection systems, improved propulsion, and subsystem operability enhancements. The recently concluded DC-XA test program demonstrated some of these technologies in ground and flight tests. Contracts were awarded recently for both the X-33 and X-34 flight demonstrator systems. The Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34 flight test vehicle will demonstrate an air-launched reusable vehicle capable of flight to speeds of Mach 8. The Lockheed-Martin X-33 flight test vehicle will expand the test envelope for critical technologies to flight speeds of Mach 15. A propulsion program to test the X-33 linear aerospike rocket engine using a NASA SR-71 high speed aircraft as a test bed is also discussed. The paper also describes the management and operational approaches that address the challenge of new cost-effective, reusable launch vehicle systems.

Freeman, Delma C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program

Industry/NASA reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology program efforts are underway to design, test, and develop technologies and concepts for viable commercial launch systems that also satisfy national needs at acceptable recurring costs. Significant progress has been made in understanding the technical challenges of fully reusable launch systems and the accompanying management and operational approaches for achieving a low cost program. This paper reviews the current status of the RLV technology program including the DC-XA, X-33 and X-34 flight systems and associated technology programs. It addresses the specific technologies being tested that address the technical and operability challenges of reusable launch systems including reusable cryogenic propellant tanks, composite structures, thermal protection systems, improved propulsion and subsystem operability enhancements. The recently concluded DC-XA test program demonstrated some of these technologies in ground and flight test. Contracts were awarded recently for both the X-33 and X-34 flight demonstrator systems. The Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34 flight test vehicle will demonstrate an air-launched reusable vehicle capable of flight to speeds of Mach 8. The Lockheed-Martin X-33 flight test vehicle will expand the test envelope for critical technologies to flight speeds of Mach 15. A propulsion program to test the X-33 linear aerospike rocket engine using a NASA SR-71 high speed aircraft as a test bed is also discussed. The paper also describes the management and operational approaches that address the challenge of new cost effective, reusable launch vehicle systems.

Freeman, Delma C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Prediction of Landing Gear Noise Reduction and Comparison to Measurements

Noise continues to be an ongoing problem for existing aircraft in flight and is projected to be a concern for next generation designs. During landing, when the engines are operating at reduced power, the noise from the airframe, of which landing gear noise is an important part, is equal to the engine noise. There are several methods of predicting landing gear noise, but none have been applied to predict the change in noise due to a change in landing gear design. The current effort uses the Landing Gear Model and Acoustic Prediction (LGMAP) code, developed at The Pennsylvania State University to predict the noise from landing gear. These predictions include the influence of noise reduction concepts on the landing gear noise. LGMAP is compared to wind tunnel experiments of a 6.3%-scale Boeing 777 main gear performed in the Quiet Flow Facility (QFF) at NASA Langley. The geometries tested in the QFF include the landing gear with and without a toboggan fairing and the door. It is shown that LGMAP is able to predict the noise directives and spectra from the model-scale test for the baseline configuration as accurately as current gear prediction methods. However, LGMAP is also able to predict the difference in noise caused by the toboggan fairing and by removing the landing gear door. LGMAP is also compared to far-field ground-based flush-mounted microphone measurements from the 2005 Quiet Technology Demonstrator 2 (QTD 2) flight test. These comparisons include a Boeing 777-300ER with and without a toboggan fairing that demonstrate that LGMAP can be applied to full-scale flyover measurements. LGMAP predictions of the noise generated by the nose gear on the main gear measurements are also shown.

Lopes, Leonard V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Development of the Astrobee F sounding rocket system.

The development of the Astrobee F sounding rocket vehicle through the first flight test at NASA-Wallops Station is described. Design and development of a 15 in. diameter, dual thrust, solid propellant motor demonstrating several new technology features provided the basis for the flight vehicle. The 'F' motor test program described demonstrated the following advanced propulsion technology: tandem dual grain configuration, low burning rate HTPB case-bonded propellant, and molded plastic nozzle. The resultant motor integrated into a flight vehicle was successfully flown with extensive diagnostic instrumentation.-

Jenkins, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Flight Control Laws for NASA's Hyper-X Research Vehicle

The goal of the Hyper-X program is to demonstrate and validate technology for design and performance predictions of hypersonic aircraft with an airframe-integrated supersonic-combustion ramjet propulsion system. Accomplishing this goal requires flight demonstration of a hydrogen-fueled scramjet powered hypersonic aircraft. A key enabling technology for this flight demonstration is flight controls. Closed-loop flight control is required to enable a successful stage separation, to achieve and maintain the design condition during the engine test, and to provide a controlled descent. Before the contract award, NASA developed preliminary flight control laws for the Hyper-X to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed scramjet test sequence and descent trajectory. After the contract award, a Boeing/NASA partnership worked to develop the current control laws. This paper presents a description of the Hyper-X Research Vehicle control law architectures with performance and robustness analyses. Assessments of simulated flight trajectories and stability margin analyses demonstrate that these control laws meet the flight test requirements.

Davidson, J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The 2001 Mars In-Situ-Propellant-Production Precursor (MIP) Flight Demonstration

The successful performance of the five individual demonstrations of MARS IN-SITU-PROPELLANT-PRODUCTION PRECURSOR (MIP) will provide both knowledge of and confidence in the reliability of this technology. At the completion of this flight demonstration, the MIP Team will be able to: a) recommend preferred hardware configurations for the intake and adsorption of carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere; b) understand the performance characteristics of zirconia cells to generate propellant-grade oxygen; c) understand long-term performance characteristics of advanced solar cells/arrays operated in the actual Mars environment; d) evaluate the functionality of methods to mitigate the deposition of airborne dust onto solar arrays; and e) recommend preferred hardware designs for innovative thermal management including the radiation of heat to the outside environment.

Kaplan, David I.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Comparison of Aero-Propulsive Performance Predictions for Distributed Propulsion Configurations

NASA's X-57 "Maxwell" flight demonstrator incorporates distributed electric propulsion technologies in a design that will achieve a significant reduction in energy used in cruise flight. A substantial portion of these energy savings come from beneficial aerodynamic-propulsion interaction. Previous research has shown the benefits of particular instantiations of distributed propulsion, such as the use of wingtip-mounted cruise propellers and leading edge high-lift propellers. However, these benefits have not been reduced to a generalized design or analysis approach suitable for large-scale design exploration. This paper discusses the rapid, "design-order" toolchains developed to investigate the large, complex tradespace of candidate geometries for the X-57. Due to the lack of an appropriate, rigorous set of validation data, the results of these tools were compared to three different computational flow solvers for selected wing and propulsion geometries. The comparisons were conducted using a common input geometry, but otherwise different input grids and, when appropriate, different flow assumptions to bound the comparisons. The results of these studies showed that the X-57 distributed propulsion wing should be able to meet the as-designed performance in cruise flight, while also meeting or exceeding targets for high-lift generation in low-speed flight.

Borer, Nicholas K.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Flight Performance Maneuver Planning for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” Flight Demonstrator – Part 1: Power-Off Glides

Distributed Electric Propulsion technology is expected to yield up to a fivefold increase in high-speed cruise efficiency for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” flight demonstrator when compared to a combustion-powered general aviation baseline. A portion of this increased efficiency is due to beneficial aero-propulsive interaction inherent to the distributed propulsion architecture. The measure of the relative increase in efficiency between a conventional and distributed propulsion wing will be extracted from comparisons between flight test data from the electrically powered X-57 Mod II configuration with a conventional wing, and from the electrically powered X-57 Mod III/IV configuration with a distributed propulsion wing. Flight test maneuvers that accommodate errors in instrumentation and the flight test environment are developed to establish the power-off drag characteristics for all X-57 configurations. Analysis of these maneuvers with typical errors, including pilot-in-the-loop simulation data that incorporates simulated atmospheric turbulence effects, shows that the proposed power-off flight maneuvers can generate accurate power-off drag predictions for the X-57. These predictions show that the power-off differences in aerodynamic performance between the conventional and distributed propulsion configurations can be accurately measured from flight test data in the presence of typical data error sources.

Borer, Nicholas K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Air Traffic Management Technology Demostration-1 (ATD-1) Avionics Phase 2 Flight Test and Results

NASA’s first Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration (ATD-1) subproject successfully completed 19 days of flight test validation in January and February 2017 of an Interval Management (IM) avionics prototype and the procedures used to conduct IM arrival and approach operations. IM is one of the three elements integrated into NASA’s ATD-1 concept of operations with the subproject goal of improving aircraft efficiency and airport throughput during high-density arrival operations. The ATD-1 concept of operations combines advanced arrival scheduling, controller decision support tools, and interval management (IM) avionics to enable merging of multiple, time-based, efficient arrival streams. IM contributes to the operation by calculating speeds that enable an aircraft to precisely achieve a specific time or distance behind another aircraft. When precise spacing intervals can be calculated, achieved, and then maintained during high-density operations, aircraft efficiency should be improved by enabling the aircraft to remain closer to the optimum descent trajectory instead of using vectors and step-down altitudes, and airport throughput should be maintained or improved by each aircraft arriving at the runway threshold closer to the assigned spacing interval. This avionics development and flight test was conducted under a NASA contract by Boeing Research and Technology, with Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Honeywell, United Airlines, and Jeppesen as sub-contractors. The Honeywell built IM avionics were the first ever prototype built based on NASA requirements as well as developing and non-flight tested international IM standards, integrated into two test aircraft, and then flown in real-world conditions at the Grant County International Airport (KMWH). The IM prototype flown in the flight test used data from the Ownship and the assigned lead, or Target, aircraft to calculate the airspeed necessary for the Ownship to achieve the desired spacing. The flight test demonstrated that the IM avionics prototype generally met the IM requirement for spacing accuracy. However, the control laws implemented require further development to reduce the high IM speed command rate and the number of speed reversals observed during the test. Pilots assessed the IM procedure as acceptable, and issues requiring further attention were identified. In summary, the IM avionics prototype showed significant promise in contributing to the goals of improving aircraft efficiency and airport throughput. The flight test results also provided important data to the FAA and the working group developing the follow-on version of the international IM standards.

Baxley, Brian T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Statistical Engineering Toward Commercial Supersonic Flight: NASA's Quesst Mission

NASA’s Quesst Mission has dual goals of demonstrating low-noise supersonic technology in flight and surveying public reactions to low-noise supersonic overflight. For half a century, commercial aircraft have been required to fly slower than the speed of sound over land to prevent “creating an unacceptable situation” on the ground due to sonic booms. However, aircraft shaping techniques honed through decades of research have dramatically changed the way shockwaves from supersonic flight merge together as they travel to the ground. What used to sound like a boom on the ground will be transformed into a thump. NASA is now building a full-scale, piloted demonstration aircraft called the X-59 to demonstrate low-noise supersonic flight. In 2024, the X-59 aircraft will commence a national series of community overflight surveys to collect data on how people perceive “sonic thumps.” The results will be provided to national and international noise regulators as they consider creating new standards that allow commercial supersonic flight over land at acceptably low noise levels. In this presentation we provide historical context for the current prohibitions on supersonic commercial flight. Using data collected during earlier NASA tests, we demonstrate how generalized linear mixed models can be used to inform the functional dose-response curve. We also illustrate simulation experiments of the variability of sonic thump exposure across the United States. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges in designing the future community studies and generalizing them to a nationally-representative dose-response curve.

Quesst↗
NASA NTRS1997

Bantam System Technology Project Ground System Requirements Document

The Low Cost Booster Project (LCBP), also known as Bantam, is an element of the Advanced Space Transportation Program focused on Low Cost Booster Technologies. During FY 99 flight demonstrations are planned to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a booster capable of inserting a 150 kg payload into low earth orbit. The ground support system is an element of the full launch system. The ground support system provides for integration of the payload with the launch vehicle, preparation of the vehicle for launch (including maintenance, integration and test of the vehicle flight software), monitor and control of the launch sequence, range safety during launch, and collection of telemetry during the flight up to payload release. The ground support system is intended to make the maximum possible use of Government Off-the-Shelf (GOTS) or Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) hardware and software to obtain the best value in terms of development operations support and ultimate life cycle cost for the launch system.

Moon, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Technology Projections for Solar Dynamic Power

Solar Dynamic power systems can offer many potential benefits to Earth orbiting satellites including high solar-to-electric efficiency, long life without performance degradation, and high power capability. A recent integrated system test of a 2 kilowatt SD power system in a simulated space environment has successfully demonstrated technology readiness for space flight. Conceptual design studies of SD power systems have addressed several potential mission applications: a 10 kilowatt LEO satellite, a low power Space Based Radar, and a 30 kilowatt GEO communications satellite. The studies show that with moderate component development, SD systems can exhibit excellent mass and deployed area characteristics. Using the conceptual design studies as a basis, a SD technology roadmap was generated which identifies the component advances necessary to assure SD systems a competitive advantage for future NASA, DOD, and commercial missions.

Mason, Lee S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

X-33 Program Overview

An X-33 program overview is presented in viewgraph form. The objective of the research was to build and test a 50% scale prototype of an operational Reusable Launch Vehicle in a realistic flight environment. Technologies to be demonstrated include reusable cryogenic tankage, composite structures, durable thermal protection systems, advanced avionics, reliable propulsion systems, and aircraft-like operations.

Naftel, J. Chris↗