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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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Mars Pathfinder is the second spacecraft to be developed as a NASA Discovery mission. Pathfinder employed unique innovations throughout the entire spacecraft that allowed mission development to be accomplished within the 3 year design schedule and $150 million (FY '92 dollars) cost constraint imposed under the Discovery classification.
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The In Space Propulsion Program is funding a team lead by Kevin Miller at Ball Aerospace. This team of Industry, NASA, and Academic researchers is actively pursuing ballute technology development, with very promising results. The focus of that study has been to maximize the payload that is put into orbit (around Titan, Neptune, and Mars). So far the mass associated with the ballute has been minimized, because it was being thrown away. If an instrument package is attached to the Ballute, it will eventually land on the surface. Thus, the Ballute can do double duty: Aerocapture the Orbiter and Soft-land a set of instruments on the surface.
In this study we present a novel method of land surface classification using surface-reflected GPS signals in combination with digital imagery. Two GPS-derived classification features are merged with visible image data to create terrain-moisture (TM) classes, defined here as visibly identifiable terrain or landcover classes containing a surface/soil moisture component. As compared to using surface imagery alone, classification accuracy is significantly improved for a number of visible classes when adding the GPS-based signal features. Since the strength of the reflected GPS signal is proportional to the amount of moisture in the surface, use of these GPS features provides information about the surface that is not obtainable using visible wavelengths alone. Application areas include hydrology, precision agriculture, and wetlands mapping.
The TORCH team was challenged to generate the lowest cost mission design solution that meets the CEV aerothermal test objectives on a sub-scale flight article. The test objectives resulted from producing representative lunar return missions and observing the aerothermal envelopes of select surface locations on the CEV. From these aerothermal envelopes, two test boxes were established: one for high shear and one for high radiation. The unique and challenging trajectory design objective for the flight test was to fly through these aerothermal boxes in shear, pressure, heat flux, and radiation while also not over testing. These test boxes, and the max aerothermal limits, became the driving requirements for defining the mission design.
Landing on Mars has been a challenging task. Past NASA missions have shown resilience to increases in spacecraft mass by scaling back requirements such as landing site altitude, landing site location and arrival time. Knowledge of the partials relating requirements to mass is critical for mission designers to understand so that the project can retain margin throughout the process. Looking forward to new missions that will land 1.5 metric tons or greater, the current level of technology is insufficient, and new technologies will need to be developed. Understanding the sensitivity of these new technologies to requirements is the purpose of this paper.
Compilations of high-speed schlieren videos showing supersonic retropropulsion in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Mach 2.4, 3.5, and 4.6.
A deployable aerodynamic decelerator structure includes a ring member disposed along a central axis of the aerodynamic decelerator, a plurality of jointed rib members extending radially from the ring member and a flexible layer attached to the plurality of rib members. A deployment device is operable to reconfigure the flexible layer from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration by movement of the rib members and a control device is operable to redirect a lift vector of the decelerator structure by changing an orientation of the flexible layer.
No abstract available
On August 5, 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission successfully delivered the Curiosity rover to its intended target. It was the most complex and ambitious landing in the history of the red planet. A key component of the landing system, the requirements for which were driven by the mission ambitious science goals, was the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) system. This paper will describe the technical challenges of the MSL GN&C system, the resulting architecture and design needed to meet those challenges, and the development process used for its implementation and testing.
No abstract available
Aerothermal modeling is inherently entwined with TPS design. Aerothermal, radiation, and TPS material response are coupled so it's important to check modeling assumptions. Validation of numerical models using ground and flight tests is important to quantify uncertainties. A margin policy based on statistical methods may provide greater insight in the key drivers and overall reliability of the design
No abstract available
Commercial Off The Shelf is defined as a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) term for commercial items, including services, available in the commercial marketplace that can be bought and used under government contracts. A need for COTS exists to help in reducing avionics cost associated with applicable missions. In a 2014 a Planetary Science Decadal Survey it was stated that it is imperative that NASA expand its investment in fundamental technology areas. Reduced mass and power requirements for spacecraft and their subsystems. New and improved sensors, instruments, and sampling systems; and Mission and trajectory design and optimization Two goals were written as part of the technology investment: 1. Reducing the cost of planetary missions 2. Improving their scientific capability and reliability...." COTS could certainty aid in reducing cost associated with the instrumentation systems.