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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

A Multi-Sensor, Low Volume, Automated Culture System for Space Biology Experiments

Optical density (absorbance) is commonly used in microbiology to measure cell concentration and other colorimetric indicators. It is the main type of bioscience data returned from the BioSentinel small spacecraft mission, which was recently launched as a secondary payload on Artemis I. The flight unit takes absorbance measurements of yeast cultures at 570 nm, 630 nm, and 850 nm to track cell concentration and oxidation-reduction (redox) state of the metabolic indicator dye alamarBlue over time [1]. Because the data returned from a small spacecraft mission is necessarily limited, BioSentinel uses a specialized ground-based experiment apparatus to map the absorbance data onto several other parameters. This culture apparatus is composed of a polycarbonate base and lid which contain ports for several commercial sensors, including a standard 12 mm dissolved oxygen probe, gaseous CO2, fluid pressure, and two micro-probes for measuring pH and redox potential. It also contains a pressure relief valve, a rubber membrane for culture interaction, and a 12mm port for the custom optical probe designed to match in-flight measurements. Modules in two corners expand the culture volume into narrow columns, enabling solid-state optical density measurement and dielectric spectroscopy. The apparatus can be fit to a plate for magnetic stirring. The apparatus’s optical probe allows mapping between the flight unit’s optical data and the additional parameters measured by the ground-based experiments. Within the probe, a linear actuator pulls a plunger, drawing culture volume into the optical path. The actuator then pushes out the plunger and culture volume, cleaning any stray yeast from the inside surface of the probe. The probe chassis is 3D-printed from biocompatible resin with the optoelectronics cured inside an optically clear conformal coat which functions as a lens. To optimize the probe’s dimensions, including optical path, a test harness was developed to manipulate and measure distance while the LED light sources and photodiode detector are in operation. The test harness was composed of two 3/64” thick polycarbonate plates mounted to a set of calipers. The LEDs and photodiode were mounted on the outside of each plate. A cuvette of sample fluid was then clamped between the plates in line between the LEDs and photodiode. The test harness generated a 78% signal change between water and a dye standard for the green (570 nm) LED, a 90% signal change for the red (630 nm) LED, and a 25% signal change between water and overgrown yeast for the infrared (850 nm) LED. The improvements to the ground experiment apparatus (culture volume reduction, inclusion of an optical probe to measure flight-like optical data, and magnetic stirring for culture homogeneity) allow for more flight-like measurements to be taken and more accurate mapping of these additional parameters to the optical data returned from the flight unit. This enhancement to mission science return will give insight into how deep space radiation may affect human biology for future long-term space exploration.

Multi-Sensor↗
NASA NTRS2001

Integrated Operations Architecture Technology Assessment Study

As part of NASA's Integrated Operations Architecture (IOA) Baseline, NASA will consolidate all communications operations. including ground-based, near-earth, and deep-space communications, into a single integrated network. This network will make maximum use of commercial equipment, services and standards. It will be an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. This study supports technology development planning for the IOA. The technical problems that may arise when LEO mission spacecraft interoperate with commercial satellite services were investigated. Commercial technology and services that could support the IOA were surveyed, and gaps in the capability of existing technology and techniques were identified. Recommendations were made on which gaps should be closed by means of NASA research and development funding. Several findings emerged from the interoperability assessment: in the NASA mission set, there is a preponderance of small. inexpensive, low data rate science missions; proposed commercial satellite communications services could potentially provide TDRSS-like data relay functions; and. IP and related protocols, such as TCP, require augmentation to operate in the mobile networking environment required by the space-to-ground portion of the IOA. Five case studies were performed in the technology assessment. Each case represented a realistic implementation of the near-earth portion of the IOA. The cases included the use of frequencies at L-band, Ka-band and the optical spectrum. The cases also represented both space relay architectures and direct-to-ground architectures. Some of the main recommendations resulting from the case studies are: select an architecture for the LEO/MEO communications network; pursue the development of a Ka-band space-qualified transmitter (and possibly a receiver), and a low-cost Ka-band ground terminal for a direct-to-ground network, pursue the development of an Inmarsat (L-band) space-qualified transceiver to implement a global, low data rate network for LEO/MEO, mission spacecraft; and, pursue developmental research for a miniaturized, high data rate optical transceiver.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Creating an Interface to view Multi-Spacecraft Swarm Telemetry

Distributed Spacecraft Systems are a type of multi-spacecraft mission architecture that can not only provide improved resolution, coverage, and availability of existing missions, but also enable missions that would be previously infeasible using traditional approaches. Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) is a project developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that enables distributed spacecraft systems. In previous science swarm missions, the spacecraft involved have not been able to communicate with each other without utilizing a ground station. Now that the spacecraft can perform inter-satellite communication, the spacecraft can be treated as a collective. Swarm autonomy is critical for a growing number of satellites which means novel ways of displaying swarm data needs to be implemented. Such systems introduce unique challenges to traditional approaches for command and control of these spacecraft, due to the large number of spacecraft and the complexity of the interactions between them. The ground data system for DSA addresses these challenges through the creation of a custom user interface that allows a single operator to orchestrate a multi-spacecraft swarm in a scalable way. This plenary describes the details of the autonomy demonstration being performed, the requirements of those using the interface to analyze the spacecraft telemetry to assess demonstration success, and the approach taken by the ground systems team to create an interface that satisfies these requirements. This approach involves the creation of several distinct components that correspond to the level of detail presented to the user. These components are based on conventional user roles in human-robot interaction, including supervisor, operator, and mechanic, extended to accommodate the additional overhead of coordinating actions between agents. One main feature of the interface is the listenability matrix component which will represent inter-satellite communications in a heat mapped matrix. The above work described will enable users to command and interact with the spacecraft as a collective.

human-swarm interaction↗
NASA NTRS2008

Return to Mercury: A Comparison of Solar Simulation and Flight Data for the MESSENGER Spacecraft

The MErcury, Surface, Space, ENvironment GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is a NASA Discovery Mission spacecraft developed and operated by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. It was launched on August 3, 2004 and is currently on a course for Mercury orbit insertion in March 2011. To date the mission trajectory has taken the spacecraft to minimum solar distances of 0.332 and 0.313 AU and on January 14, 2008 the first flyby of Mercury in 33 years. From launch through the latest perihelion passage temperature performance data has been collected for the sun facing Digital Sun Sensors (DSS), the sun facing phased array and low gain (omni) antennas, the solar arrays, the sunshade and the two sun facing attitude control 4.4 N thrusters. Prior to launch, extensive solar simulation testing was conducted at the Glenn Research Center, Tank 6 solar simulation facility in Cleveland Ohio. Flight hardware qualification units representing these Sun exposed components were tested in solar environments that represented near mission minimum solar distance as to verify the thermal designs and the material used in fabrication. The paper will review the thermal designs of these components and their thermal performance to date as compared to the solar simulation testing.

Ercol, Carl J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Upper atmosphere research satellite program

A satellite program to conduct research on the chemistry, energetics, and dynamics of the upper atmosphere was developed. The scientific goals of the Upper Atmospheric Research Program, the program requirements, and the approach toward meeting those requirements are outlined. An initial series of two overlapping spacecraft missions is described. Both spacecraft are launched and recovered by the STS, one in the winter of 1983 at a 56 deg inclination, and the other a year later at a 70 deg inclination. The duration of each mission is 18 months, and each carries instruments to make global measurements of the temperature, winds, composition, irradation, and radiance in the stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere between the tropopause and 120 km altitude. The program requires a dedicated ground-based data system and a science team organization that leads to a strong interaction between the experiments and theory. The program includes supportive observations from other platforms such as rockets, balloons, and the Spacelab.

Huntress, W. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Global gravity survey by an orbiting gravity gradiometer

The scientific aims, design, and mission profile of the Superconducting Gravity Gradiometer Mission (SGGM), a NASA spacecraft mission proposed for the late 1990s, are discussed and illustrated with drawings and diagrams. SGGM would complement the two other planned gravimetry missions, GRM and Aristoteles, and would provide gravitational-field measurements with accuracy 2-3 mGal in 55 x 55-km blocks. The principal instruments are a (1) three-axis superconducting gravity gradiometer with intrinsic sensitivity 100 microeotvos/sq rt Hz, (2) a six-axis superconducting accelerometer with sensitivity 100 fg(E)/sq rt Hz linear and 10 prad/sec squared sq rt Hz angular, and (3) a six-axis shaker for active control of the platform. Consideration is given to the error budget and platform requirements, the orbit selection criteria, and the spacecraft design.

Paik, Ho Jung↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Trajectory Design for a Spacecraft Capable of Deploying Probes to the Martian Surface en Route to Low Mars Orbit

The presented trajectory design and analysis was performed for the Aeolus spacecraft mission concept. The Aeolus spacecraft consists of an orbiter (i.e., “mothership”) with the goal of transferring from Earth to low Mars orbit via propulsive and/or atmospheric braking (i.e., aerobraking). During various phases of flight from hyperbolic approach of Mars through low Mars Orbit, the Aeolus orbiter will deploy multiple probes which are targeted to land on the Martian surface with the goal of achieving global surface coverage.

Mars hyperbolic approach↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Trajectory Design for a Spacecraft Capable of Deploying Probes to the Martian Surface en Route to Low Mars Orbit

The presented trajectory design and analysis was performed for the Aeolus spacecraft mission concept. The Aeolus spacecraft consists of an orbiter (i.e., “mothership”) with the goal of transferring from Earth to low Mars orbit via propulsive and/or atmospheric braking (i.e., aerobraking). During various phases of flight from hyperbolic approach of Mars through low Mars Orbit, the Aeolus orbiter will deploy multiple probes which are targeted to land on the Martian surface with the goal of achieving global surface coverage.

Mars hyperbolic approach↗
NASA NTRS1972

Impact of Jovian radiation environmental hazard on spacecraft and mission development design

The environmental impact on the TOPS 12L configuration is discussed. The activities in system environmental design and testing are described, and radiation design restraints based on the upper limit model are given. Range energy cutoffs in aluminum are also presented and the effective shielding thicknesses for electrons and protons of different energies are included. Design integration problems and radiation testing aspects are considered. Data are given for selecting the parts which should be tested in a formal test program, and the piece-part radiation thresholds are tabulated for electrons and protons.

Divita, E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

SERT C project study

The SERT C (Space Electric Rocket Test - C) project study defines a spacecraft mission that would demonstrate the technology readiness of ion thruster systems for primary propulsion and station keeping applications. As a low cost precursor, SERT C develops the components and systems required for subsequent Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) applications. The SERT C mission requirements and preliminary spacecraft and subsystem design are described.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1974

Mission and spacecraft support functions of the Materials Engineering Branch: A space oriented technology resource

The capabilities of the Materials Engineering Branch (MEB) of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, are surveyed. The specific functions of spacecraft materials review, materials processing and information dissemination, and laboratory support, are outlined in the Activity Report. Further detail is provided by case histories of laboratory satellite support and equipment. Project support statistics are shown, and complete listings of MEB publications, patents, and tech briefs are included. MEB staff, and their respective discipline areas and spacecraft liaison associations, are listed.

Fisher, A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Experiments out of the solar system ecliptic plane: An introduction to the ecliptic mission

Mission planning by NASA and ESA for the 1980 timeframe to observe the sun from an angle other than the solar ecliptic plane is discussed. Such missions will aid in a more thorough understanding of the sun, interplanetary space, and their influence on the earth. Jupiter swing-by techniques (first achieved by Pioneer 10) are proposed as a means of achieving an out-of-the-ecliptic mission for solar studies. Spacecraft trajectories are illustrated for a dual Pioneer spacecraft mission to observe the sun.

Simpson, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The Ranger program

Lunar spacecraft missions and the Ranger spacecraft are described. These spacecrafts were designed to achieve lunar impact trajectories and to transmit high resolution photographs of the lunar surface during the final minutes of flight. The television experiments are briefly evaluated.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space missions in comets

Recent advances in the techniques and instruments of cometary research are described. Consideration is given to the development of the first space-based platforms for cometary observations in the 1970s, including the OGO-5 and OAO-2 ultraviolet satellites, as well as IRAS. The expectations for the scientific return from space missions in the 1980s and 1990s are also discussed, with attention given to the Giotto flyby; the Soviet VEGA missions; and two Japanese spacecraft missions Sakigake and Suise. The imaging and spectroscopic experiments to be carried out during the Giotto mission are described in detail.

Neugebauer, M.↗