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NASA NTRS2005

Effective Crew Operations: An Analysis of Technologies for Improving Crew Activities and Medical Procedures

NASA's vision for space exploration (February 2004) calls for development of a new crew exploration vehicle, sustained lunar operations, and human exploration of Mars. To meet the challenges of planned sustained operations as well as the limited communications between Earth and the crew (e.g., Mars exploration), many systems will require crews to operate in an autonomous environment. It has been estimated that once every 2.4 years a major medical issue will occur while in space. NASA's future travels, especially to Mars, will begin to push this timeframe. Therefore, now is the time for investigating technologies and systems that will support crews in these environments. Therefore, this summer two studies were conducted to evaluate the technology and systems that may be used by crews in future missions. The first study evaluated three commercial Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) (Versus, Ekahau, and Radianse) that can track equipment and people within a facility. While similar to Global Positioning Systems (GPS), the specific technology used is different. Several conclusions can be drawn from the evaluation conducted, but in summary it is clear that none of the systems provides a complete solution in meeting the tracking and technology integration requirements of NASA. From a functional performance (e.g., system meets user needs) evaluation perspective, Versus performed fairly well on all performance measures as compared to Ekahau and Radianse. However, the system only provides tracking at the room level. Thus, Versus does not provide the level of fidelity required for tracking assets or people for NASA requirements. From an engineering implementation perspective, Ekahau is far simpler to implement that the other two systems because of its wi-fi design (e.g., no required runs of cable). By looking at these two perspectives, one finds there was no clear system that met NASA requirements. Thus it would be premature to suggest that any of these systems are ready for implementation and further study is required.

Harvey, Craig↗

NASA NTRS2005

NASA Strategic Roadmap Summary Report

In response to the Vision, NASA commissioned strategic and capability roadmap teams to develop the pathways for turning the Vision into a reality. The strategic roadmaps were derived from the Vision for Space Exploration and the Aldrich Commission Report dated June 2004. NASA identified 12 strategic areas for roadmapping. The Agency added a thirteenth area on nuclear systems because the topic affects the entire program portfolio. To ensure long-term public visibility and engagement, NASA established a committee for each of the 13 areas. These committees - made up of prominent members of the scientific and aerospace industry communities and senior government personnel - worked under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. A committee was formed for each of the following program areas: 1) Robotic and Human Lunar Exploration; 2) Robotic and Human Exploration of Mars; 3) Solar System Exploration; 4) Search for Earth-Like Planets; 5) Exploration Transportation System; 6) International Space Station; 7) Space Shuttle; 8) Universe Exploration; 9) Earth Science and Applications from Space; 10) Sun-Solar System Connection; 11) Aeronautical Technologies; 12) Education; 13) Nuclear Systems. This document contains roadmap summaries for 10 of these 13 program areas; The International Space Station, Space Shuttle, and Education are excluded. The completed roadmaps for the following committees: Robotic and Human Exploration of Mars; Solar System Exploration; Search for Earth-Like Planets; Universe Exploration; Earth Science and Applications from Space; Sun-Solar System Connection are collected in a separate Strategic Roadmaps volume. This document contains memebership rosters and charters for all 13 committees.

Wilson, Scott↗

NASA NTRS2005

CFD Code Validation of Wall Heat Fluxes for a G02/GH2 Single Element Combustor

This paper puts forth the case for the need for improved injector design tools to meet NASA s Vision for Space Exploration goals. Requirements for this improved tool are outlined and discussed. The potential for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to meet these requirements is noted along with its current shortcomings, especially relative to demonstrated solution accuracy. The concept of verification and validation is introduced as the primary process for building and quantifying the confidence necessary for CFD to be useful as an injector design tool. The verification and validation process is considered in the context of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Combustion Devices CFD Simulation Capability Roadmap via the Simulation Readiness Level (SRL) concept. The portion of the validation process which demonstrates the ability of a CFD code to simulate heat fluxes to a rocket engine combustor wall is the focus of the current effort. The FDNS and Loci-CHEM codes are used to simulate a shear coaxial single element G02/GH2 injector experiment. The experiment was conducted a t a chamber pressure of 750 psia using hot propellants from preburners. A measured wall temperature profile is used as a boundary condition to facilitate the calculations. Converged solutions, obtained from both codes by using wall functions with the K-E turbulence model and integrating to the wall using Mentor s baseline turbulence model, are compared to the experimental data. The initial solutions from both codes revealed significant issues with the wall function implementation associated with the recirculation zone between the shear coaxial jet and the chamber wall. The FDNS solution with a corrected implementation shows marked improvement in overall character and level of comparison to the data. With the FDNS code, integrating to the wall with Mentor s baseline turbulence model actually produce a degraded solution when compared to the wall function solution with the K--E model. The Loci-CHEM solution, produced by integrating to the wall with Mentor s baseline turbulence model, matches both the heat flux rise rate in the near injector region and the peak heat flux level very well. However, it moderately over predicts the heat fluxes downstream of the reattachment point. The Loci-CHEM solution achieved by integrating to the wall with Mentor s baseline turbulence model was clearly superior to the other solutions produced in this effort.

Lin, Jeff↗

NASA NTRS2005

NASA Capability Roadmaps Executive Summary

This document is the result of eight months of hard work and dedication from NASA, industry, other government agencies, and academic experts from across the nation. It provides a summary of the capabilities necessary to execute the Vision for Space Exploration and the key architecture decisions that drive the direction for those capabilities. This report is being provided to the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) team for consideration in development of an architecture approach and investment strategy to support NASA future mission, programs and budget requests. In addition, it will be an excellent reference for NASA's strategic planning. A more detailed set of roadmaps at the technology and sub-capability levels are available on CD. These detailed products include key driving assumptions, capability maturation assessments, and technology and capability development roadmaps.

Willcoxon, Rita↗

NASA NTRS2005

Science Instruments and Sensors Capability Roadmap: NRC Dialogue

The Science Instruments and Sensors roadmaps include capabilities associated with the collection, detection, conversion, and processing of scientific data required to answer compelling science questions driven by the Vision for Space Exploration and The New Age of Exploration (NASA's Direction for 2005 & Beyond). Viewgraphs on these instruments and sensors are presented.

Barney, Rich↗

NASA NTRS2005

Instrumentation and Control Needs for Reliable Operation of Lunar Base Surface Nuclear Power Systems

As one of the near-term goals of the President's Vision for Space Exploration, establishment of a multi-person lunar base will require high-endurance power systems which are independent of the sun, and can operate without replenishment for several years. These requirements may be obtained using nuclear power systems specifically designed for use on the lunar surface. While it is envisioned that such a system will generally be supervised by humans, some of the evolutions required maybe semi or fully autonomous. The entire base complement for near-term missions may be less than 10 individuals, most or all of which may not be qualified nuclear plant operators and may be off-base for extended periods thus, the need for power system autonomous operation. Startup, shutdown, and load following operations will require the application of advanced control and health management strategies with an emphasis on robust, supervisory, coordinated control of, for example, the nuclear heat source, energy conversion plant (e.g., Brayton Energy Conversion units), and power management system. Autonomous operation implies that, in addition to being capable of automatic response to disturbance input or load changes, the system is also capable of assessing the status of the integrated plant, determining the risk associated with the possible actions, and making a decision as to the action that optimizes system performance while minimizing risk to the mission. Adapting the control to deviations from design conditions and degradation due to component failures will be essential to ensure base inhabitant safety and mission success. Intelligent decisions will have to be made to choose the right set of sensors to provide the data needed to do condition monitoring and fault detection and isolation because of liftoff weight and space limitations, it will not be possible to have an extensive set of instruments as used for earth-based systems. Advanced instrumentation and control technologies will be needed to enable this critical functionality of autonomous operation. It will be imperative to consider instrumentation and control requirements in parallel to system configuration development so as to identify control-related, as well as integrated system-related, problem areas early to avoid potentially expensive work-arounds . This paper presents an overview of the enabling technologies necessary for the development of reliable, autonomous lunar base nuclear power systems with an emphasis on system architectures and off-the-shelf algorithms rather than hardware. Autonomy needs are presented in the context of a hypothetical lunar base nuclear power system. The scenarios and applications presented are hypothetical in nature, based on information from open-literature sources, and only intended to provoke thought and provide motivation for the use of autonomous, intelligent control and diagnostics.

Turso, James↗

NASA NTRS2005

Fabrication and Deployment Testing of Solar Sail Quadrants for a 20-Meter Solar Sail Ground Test System Demonstration

A 20-meter Scalable Square Solar Sail (S(sup 4)) System was produced and successfully completed functional vacuum testing in NASA Glenn's Space Power Facility at Plum Brook Station Ohio in May 2005. The S(sup 4) system was designed and developed by ATK Space Systems, and the design and production of the Solar Sails for this system was carried out by SRS Technologies. The S(sup 4) system consists of a central structure with four deployable carbon fiber masts that support four triangular sails. SRS has developed an effective and efficient design for triangular sail quadrants that are supported at three points and provide a flat reflective surface with a high fill factor. This sail design is robust enough for deployments in a one atmosphere, one gravity environment and incorporates several advanced features including adhesiveless seaming of membrane strips, compliant edge borders to allow for film membrane cord strain mismatch without causing wrinkling and low mass (3% of total sail mass) ripstop. This paper will outline some of the sail design and fabrication processes and the mature production, packaging and deployment processes that have been developed. This paper will also detail the successful ambient and vacuum testing of the sails and the ATK spacecraft structure. Based on recent experience and testing, SRS is confidant that high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6 solar sails in the 40-120-meter size range with areal density in the 4-5 grams per square meters (sail minus structure) range can be produced with existing technology. Additional film production research will lead to further reductions in film thickness to less than 1 micron enabling production of sails with areal densities as low as 2.0 grams per square meters using the current design, resulting in a system areal densities as low as 5.3 grams per square meters (sail and structure). These areal densities are low enough to allow nearly all of the Solar Sail missions that have been proposed by the scientific community. The fundamental technologies required to produce these systems has been demonstrated on the 20-meter S(sup 4) sails that have recently completed ground testing demonstrating a mature and technology suitable for incorporation into future flight validation and future mission. Solar Sails can support NASA's Vision for Space Exploration by allowing communication satellite orbits that can maintain continuous communication with the polar regions of the Moon and Mars and to support solar weather monitoring to provide early warning of solar flares and storms that could threaten the safety of astronauts and other spacecraft.

Laue, Greg↗

NASA NTRS2005

STS-114: Crew Interviews: Soichi Noguchi

Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist of the STS-114 eloquently stated that being a Boy Scout have taught him team play, and learned to interact with nature; these things are very actually important to be an astronaut. Soichi shared his thoughts of the Columbia; discusses in detail his extravehicular activities for the mission; the STS-114 as a first step for a vision for space exploration, and the International Space Station.

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NASA NTRS2005

Modeling and Testing of Non-Nuclear, Highpower Simulated Nuclear Thermal Rocket Reactor Elements

When the President offered his new vision for space exploration in January of 2004, he said, "Our third goal is to return to the moon by 2020, as the launching point for missions beyond," and, "With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond." A human mission to Mars implies the need to move large payloads as rapidly as possible, in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, with the scientific advancements possible with Project Prometheus and its Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO), (these use electric propulsion), there is a renewed interest in deep space exploration propulsion systems. According to many mission analyses, nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), with its relatively high thrust and high specific impulse, is a serious candidate for such missions. Nuclear rockets utilize fission energy to heat a reactor core to very high temperatures. Hydrogen gas flowing through the core then becomes superheated and exits the engine at very high exhaust velocities. The combination of temperature and low molecular weight results in an engine with specific impulses above 900 seconds. This is almost twice the performance of the LOX/LH2 space shuttle engines, and the impact of this performance would be to reduce the trip time of a manned Mars mission from the 2.5 years, possible with chemical engines, to about 12-14 months.

Kirk, Daniel R.↗

NASA NTRS2005

High-Temperature, Thin-Film Ceramic Thermocouples Developed

To enable long-duration, more distant human and robotic missions for the Vision for Space Exploration, as well as safer, lighter, quieter, and more fuel efficient vehicles for aeronautics and space transportation, NASA is developing instrumentation and material technologies. The high-temperature capabilities of thin-film ceramic thermocouples are being explored at the NASA Glenn Research Center by the Sensors and Electronics Branch and the Ceramics Branch in partnership with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Glenn s Sensors and Electronics Branch is developing thin-film sensors for surface measurement of strain, temperature, heat flux, and surface flow in propulsion system research. Glenn s Ceramics Branch, in conjunction with CWRU, is developing structural and functional ceramic technology for aeropropulsion and space propulsion.

Sayir, Ali↗

NASA NTRS2004

Recent Progress on the VASIMR Engine

The development of the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) was initiated in the late 1970s to address a critical requirement for fast, high-power interplanetary space transportation. Its high-power and electrodeless design arises from the use of radio frequency (RF) waves to create and accelerate plasma in a magnetic nozzle. While not being a fusion rocket, it borrows heavily from that technology and takes advantage of the natural topology of open-ended magnetic systems. In addition the system lends itself well for Constant Power Throttling (CPT,) an important ability to vary thrust and specific impulse, over a wide operational range, while maintaining maximum power. This allows in-flight mission-optimization of thrust and specific impulse to enhance performance and reduce trip time. A NASA-led, research team, involving industry, academia and government facilities is pursuing the development of this concept in the United States. The technology can be validated, in the near term, in venues such as the International Space Station, where it can also serve as both a drag compensation device and a plasma contactor for the orbital facility. Recent advances in the development of this technology involve the demonstration of efficient propellant utilization in a flowing helicon plasma discharge as well as the experimental verification of single-pass ion acceleration, as predicted by theory I, by coupling RF power to the plasma through ion cyclotron resonance. This paper outlines these and other progress in our understanding of VASIMR physics and presents the concepts for its potential application in NASA's new vision of space exploration.

Chang-Diaz, F. R.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Development of Inflatable Entry Systems Technologies

Achieving the objectives of NASA s Vision for Space Exploration will require the development of new technologies, which will in turn require higher fidelity modeling and analysis techniques, and innovative testing capabilities. Development of entry systems technologies can be especially difficult due to the lack of facilities and resources available to test these new technologies in mission relevant environments. This paper discusses the technology development process to bring inflatable aeroshell technology from Technology Readiness Level 2 (TRL-2) to TRL-7. This paper focuses mainly on two projects: Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE), and Inflatable Aeroshell and Thermal Protection System Development (IATD). The objectives of IRVE are to conduct an inflatable aeroshell flight test that demonstrates exoatmospheric deployment and inflation, reentry survivability and stability, and predictable drag performance. IATD will continue the development of the technology by conducting exploration specific trade studies and feeding forward those results into three more flight tests. Through an examination of these projects, and other potential projects, this paper discusses some of the risks, issues, and unexpected benefits associated with the development of inflatable entry systems technology.

Player, Charles J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

NASA Glenn Research in Controls and Diagnostics for Intelligent Aerospace Propulsion Systems

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. Also the propulsion systems required to enable the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Vision for Space Exploration in an affordable manner will need to have high reliability, safety and autonomous operation capability. The Controls and Dynamics Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of Intelligent Propulsion Systems. The key enabling technologies for an Intelligent Propulsion System are the increased efficiencies of components through active control, advanced diagnostics and prognostics integrated with intelligent engine control to enhance operational reliability and component life, and distributed control with smart sensors and actuators in an adaptive fault tolerant architecture. This paper describes the current activities of the Controls and Dynamics Branch in the areas of active component control and propulsion system intelligent control, and presents some recent analytical and experimental results in these areas.

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NASA NTRS2005

Polymers in Space: Applications in the NASA Life Support and Habitation Program

Outline of Content to be Presented: Session 1: Background on Human Space Flight, NASA Human Space Flight Programs: Apollo, Shuttle, ISS, U.S. Vision for Space Exploration, Goals of Human Spaceflight. Session. 2: Use of Polymers in NASA Technology Development, Life Support & Habitation Program, Spacecraft and Space Suit Requirements and Constraints Applications - Past, Current, Future Technologies in Development. Session 3: NASA Materials Database, Classes of Useful Polymers and Composites, Unique Requirements on Polymers in Space Applications of Synthetic and Biological Polymers. Session 4: Design of Polymer Parts for a Lunar Space Suit, Sample Activities for Teachers to Use in High School Classrooms.

Campbell, Paul D.↗

NASA NTRS2004

To Mars by the Way of the Moon

The Vision for Space Exploration defines a new U.S. space exploration policy. In support of this policy, through a renewed spirit of discovery, NASA will: a) Implement a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the Solar System and beyond; b) Extend human presence across the Solar System, staring with a human return to the moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations; c) Develop the innovative technologies, knowledge, and infrastructures both to explore and to support decisions about destination for future human exploration; and d) Promote international and commercial participation in exploration to further U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests.

Carpenter, Joyce↗

NASA NTRS2006

Dilution of Precision-Based Lunar Navigation Assessment for Dynamic Position Fixing

The NASA Vision for Space Exploration is focused on the return of astronauts to the Moon. While navigation systems have already been proven in the Apollo missions to the moon, the current exploration campaign will involve more extensive and extended missions requiring new concepts for lunar navigation. In contrast to Apollo missions, which were limited to the near-side equatorial region of the moon, missions under the Exploration Systems Initiative will require navigation on the moon's limb and far-side. As these regions have poor Earth visibility, a navigation system comprised solely of Earth-based tracking stations will not provide adequate navigation solutions in these areas. In this paper, a Dilution of Precision (DoP) based analysis of the performance of a network of Moon orbiting satellites is provided. The analysis extends previous analysis of a Lunar Network (LN) of navigation satellites by providing an assessment of the capability associated with a variety of assumptions. These assumptions are with regard to the navigation receiver and satellite visibility. The assessment is accomplished by making appropriately formed estimates of DoP. Different adaptations of DoP (i.e., GDoP, PDoP, etc.) are associated with a different set of assumptions regarding augmentations to the navigation receiver or transceiver.

Sands, Obed S.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Development Status of Amine-based, Combined Humidity, CO2, and Trace Contaminant Control System for CEV

Under a NASA-sponsored technology development project, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of industry, academia, and government organizations lead by Hamilton Sundstrand is developing an amine-based humidity and CO2 removal process and prototype equipment for Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) applications. Originally this project sought to research enhanced amine formulations and incorporate a trace contaminant control capability into the sorbent. In October 2005, NASA re-directed the project team to accelerate the delivery of hardware by approximately one year and emphasize deployment on board the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) as the near-term developmental goal. Preliminary performance requirements were defined based on nominal and off-nominal conditions and the design effort was initiated using the baseline amine sorbent, SA9T. As part of the original project effort, basic sorbent development was continued with the University of Connecticut and dynamic equilibrium trace contaminant adsorption characteristics were evaluated by NASA. This paper summarizes the University sorbent research effort, the basic trace contaminant loading characteristics of the SA9T sorbent, design support testing, and the status of the full-scale system hardware design and manufacturing effort.

Smith, Fred↗

NASA NTRS2005

Discovering New Drugs on the Cellular Level

With the Vision for Space Exploration calling for a sustained human presence in space, astronauts will need to grow plants, while in orbit, for nourishment that they will not receive from only consuming dehydrated foods. As a potential source of food for long-duration missions, space-grown plants could also give astronauts an important psychological boost, as fresh vegetables could serve as a welcomed change from monotonous meals consisting of reconstituted foods in plastic bags. Even more, these plants could likely aid in the recycling of air and wastewater on spacecraft. With a helping hand from a company by the name of Biolog, Inc., NASA is studying the impacts of decreased gravity and spaceborne bacteria on the plants being grown for food in space. With a helping hand from NASA, this very same company is creating powerful new cell- and bacteria-analysis tools for use in discovering and developing new drugs on Earth.

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