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NASA NTRS2006

UWB Two-Cluster AOA Tracking Prototype System Design

This presentation discusses a design effort for a prototype ultra-wideband (UWB) tracking system that is currently under development at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). The system is being studied for use in tracking of lunar/Mars rovers during early exploration missions when satellite navigation systems are not available. The UWB technology is exploited to implement the tracking system due to its properties such as fine time resolution, low power spectral density and multipath immunity. A two cluster prototype design using commercially available UWB radios is employed to implement the Angle of Arrival (AOA) tracking methodology in this design effort. In order to increase the tracking range, low noise amplifiers (LNA) and high gain horns are used at the receiving sides. Field tests were conducted jointly with the Science and Crew Operation Utility Testbed (SCOUT) vehicle near the Meteor Crater in Arizona to test the tracking capability for a moving target in an operational environment. These tests demonstrate that the UWB tracking system can co-exist with other on-board radio frequency (RF) communication systems (such as Global Positioning System (GPS), video, voice and telemetry systems), and that a tracking resolution less than 1% of the range can be achieved.

Ngo, Phong H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasma Sanitization of Radish Seeds for International Space Station Growth Experiments

Plant growth in space has long been a topic of key interest to enable sustained human presence. Seeds are common sources for microbial growth and must be sanitized before being sent to space. Current disinfection methods use toxic chemicals that require careful handling and dosing or are ineffective against certain seed types. Low temperature plasma provides an alternative to traditional methods. Plasma produces reactive species and ultraviolet light that reduce contaminants on seeds. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has explored the treatment of radish seeds with plasma for sanitization and germination. Radio Frequency (RF) and Alternating Current (AC) plasma sources provided continuous treatment of radish seeds in a low-pressure and atmospheric environment, respectively. The seeds were analyzed to compare the presence of bacteria, fungi, and the germination rate. Comparisons between direct and indirect treatments, power supplies, treatment times, and treatment pressures showed the importance of proper dosing of reactive species. Higher powers and longer treatment times have shown larger reductions in microbial contaminants. However, extended direct exposure to high powered plasma can sometimes lead to a reduction in germination rates. Overall, plasma has shown promise as a viable alternative to chemical disinfection techniques. *Work supported by NASA's Kennedy Space Center Engineering and Safety Operations Independent Research and Technology Development.

K W Engeling↗

DOE OSTI2015

An RF-only ion-funnel for extraction from high-pressure gases

An RF ion-funnel technique has been developed to extract ions from a high-pressure (10 bar) noble-gas environment into a vacuum (10 -6 mbar). Detailed simulations have been performed and a prototype has been developed for the purpose of extracting 136 Ba ions from Xe gas with high efficiency. With this prototype, ions have been extracted for the first time from high-pressure xenon gas and argon gas. Systematic studies have been carried out and compared to simulations. This demonstration of extraction of ions, with mass comparable to that of the gas generating the high-pressure, has applications to Ba tagging from a Xe-gas time-projection chamber for double-beta decay, as well as to the general problem of recovering trace amounts of an ionized element in a heavy (m > 40 u) carrier gas.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2005

500(deg)C electronics for harsh environments

Solid state vacuum devices (SSVDs) are a relatively new class of electronic devices. Innosys is a leading producer of high frequency SSVDs for a number of applications, including RF communications. SSVDs combine features inherent to both solid state and vacuum transistors. Electron transport can be by solid state or vacuum or both. The focus of this talk is on thermionic SSVDs, in which the primary vacuum transport is by thermionically liberated electron emission.

high temperature electronics↗

DOE OSTI2023

Effect of substrate and growth method on vanadium dioxide thin films by RF magnetron sputtering: Vanadium metal oxidation vs reactive sputtering

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) undergoes a metal–insulator phase transition at ~70 °C and has attracted substantial interest for potential applications in electronics, including those in neuromorphic computing. The vanadium–oxygen system has a rather complicated phase diagram, and controlling the stoichiometry and the phase of thin films of vanadium oxides is a well-known challenge. Here, we explore the novel combination of two methods of VO 2 thin film deposition using off-axis RF magnetron sputtering on (100)- and (111)-oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates: reactive sputtering of vanadium in an oxygen environment and sputtering of vanadium metal followed by oxidation to VO 2 . Interestingly, the reactive sputtering process on both substrate orientations yields the metastable semiconducting VO 2 (B) phase, which is structurally stabilized by the YSZ surface. The metal sputtering and oxidation process on YSZ produces mainly the equilibrium monoclinic (or M1) phase of VO 2 that exhibits a metal–insulator transition. Using this method, we obtained thin films of (010)-textured polycrystalline VO 2 (M1) that show a metal–insulator transition with an on/off ratio larger than 1000.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Voltage-driven, local, and efficient excitation of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

Magnetic sensing technology has found widespread application in a diverse set of industries including transportation, medicine, and resource exploration. These uses often require highly sensitive instruments to measure the extremely small magnetic fields involved, relying on difficult-to-integrate superconducting quantum interference devices and spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometers. A potential alternative, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, has shown great potential as a high-sensitivity and high-resolution magnetic sensor capable of operating in an unshielded, room-temperature environment. Transitioning NV center–based sensors into practical devices, however, is impeded by the need for high-power radio frequency (RF) excitation to manipulate them. We report an advance that combines two different physical phenomena to enable a highly efficient excitation of the NV centers: magnetoelastic drive of ferromagnetic resonance and NV-magnon coupling. Our work demonstrates a new pathway that combine acoustics and magnonics that enables highly energy-efficient and local excitation of NV centers without the need for any external RF excitation and, thus, could lead to completely integrated, on-chip, atomic sensors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2019

Passively-Powered Adaptively-Located Flexible Hybrid Sensors Final Report

PARC, a Xerox Company, is developing a low-cost system of peel-and-stick wireless sensors that will enable widespread building environment sensor deployment with the potential to deliver up to 30% energy savings. The system is embodied by a set of RF hubs that provide power to the automatically located sensor nodes, and relays data wirelessly to the building management system (BMS). The sensor nodes are flexible electronic labels powered by rectified RF energy transmitted by a RF hub and can contain multiple printed and conventional sensors. The system design overcomes limitations in wireless sensors related to power delivery, lifetime, and cost by eliminating batteries and photovoltaic devices. The sensor label can be equipped with a variety of printed and conventional sensors for building energy optimization, including lighting, occupancy, temperature, humidity, motion, and air quality. A key advantage of this system is its ability to automatically locate multiple sensor nodes to within 0.5 m (at a 5-m read distance) for simplified commissioning, as well as its interoperability with a wide range of existing BMS hardware and software. This enables automatic sensor reconfiguration and recommissioning, which is an important cost reduction driver. Moreover, the sensors are compatible with low-cost-, high-throughput roll-to-roll manufacturing, further reducing system costs. Upon successfully developing, manufacturing and deploying the system with optimized control, it can lead to annual primary energy savings >280 TBtu in offices, and up to ~1850 TBtu in combined offices and residences. The technology is based on PARC innovations in small antenna design, efficient RF energy capture, and flexible electronics. PARC is a leader in flexible hybrid integration similar to what is used in current RFID tags, which will provide a low-cost system in a flexible form factor. Our team member, Energy ETC, is a leader in supplier-agnostic BMS deployments, and will design the commissioning and deployment procedures to maximize system interoperability. The project will result in a demonstrator that will provide temperature and humidity data and will be wirelessly integrated into PARC’s BMS.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

NASA NTRS2005

Novel design of an all-cryogenic RF pound circuit

We report on the design, construction and test of a new all-cryogenic RF Pound circuit used to stabilize a 100 MHz VCXO. Here, all active and passive RF components used to accomplish the phase modulation and detect a PM to AM conversion have been installed into the cryogenic environment.

sapphire↗

NASA NTRS2021

Demonstration of Multilayer Insulation, Vapor Cooling of Structure, and Mass Gauging for Large Scale Upper Stages: Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) Final Report

Testing was completed on the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) between August 2019 and January 2020. SHIIVER was designed to be a test bed for the scaling of cryogenic fluid management technologies as applied to large upper stages and long duration in-space stages. The hardware consists of a 4 meter diameter stainless steel tank, structural skirts supporting the tank in the aft direction, and an aluminum forward skirt with vapor cooling channels bolted to it. The initial testing of the SHIIVER hardware was with liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen (as a substitute fluid for liquid oxygen and liquid methane) and sought to demonstrate the use of boil-off vapor to intercept heat on a structural skirt, multilayer insulation (MLI) on the tank domes, and the radio frequency mass gauge (RFMG). Testing was completed in four stages: a baseline thermal vacuum test prior to installation of the MLI, a thermal vacuum test after the MLI installation, a reverberant acoustic test, and a subsequent thermal vacuum test to verify that no damage occurred during the reverberant acoustic testing. Each thermal vacuum test with chamber wall at ambient temperature and vacuum level in the 10-6 torr range was conducted continuously between approximately 90% full and 25% full. Test results showed that the vapor cooling reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 10%, but the boil-off by less than 3% at 50% full with no MLI on the domes. It reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 10%, but the boil-off was essentially unchanged at 50% full whether or not vapor cooling was operational with MLI on the domes. The MLI reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 40% at all fill levels, but the boil-off by approximately 25% at 90% full and 45% below 65% full. The RFMG performed well over all fill ranges, and several RF tank modes were used to gauge the mass of fluid in the tank. SHIIVER was then exposed to an acoustic environment of 147 dB OASPL (overall sound pressure level) in a reverberant chamber. The acoustic environment and profile envelopes the upper stage internal acoustic level of several different modern launch vehicles. No structural or thermal performance changes were observed as a result of acoustic testing. Final thermal vacuum testing after the acoustic testing showed no degradation to the MLI due to the acoustic environment as measured via system heat loads.

SHIIVER↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Summary of Testing Results for the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER)

Testing was completed on the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) between August 2019 and January 2020. SHIIVER was designed to be a test bed for the scaling of cryogenic fluid management technologies as applied to large upper stages and long duration in-space stages. The baseline SHIIVER design consists of uninsulated structural skirts attached to a propellant tank insulated with polyurethane Spray-On Foam Insulation (SOFI). The initial testing of the SHIIVER hardware was with liquid hydrogen and sought to demonstrate the use of boil-off vapor to intercept heat on a structural skirt, multilayer insulation (MLI) on the tank domes, and the radio frequency mass gauge (RFMG). Testing was completed in four stages: a baseline thermal vacuum test prior to installation of the MLI on the tank domes, a thermal vacuum test after the MLI installation, a reverberant acoustic test, and a subsequent thermal vacuum test to verify that no damage occurred during the reverberant acoustic testing. Each thermal vacuum test with chamber wall at ambient temperature and vacuum level in the 10-6 torr range was conducted continuously between approximately 90% full and 25% full. Test results showed that the vapor cooling reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 10%, but the boil-off by less than 3% at 50% full, with and without MLI installed on the domes. The MLI installed on the domes reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 40% at all fill levels, but the boil-off by approximately 25% at 90% full and 45% below 65% full. The RFMG performed well over all fill ranges, and several RF tank modes were used to gauge the mass of fluid in the tank. SHIIVER was then exposed to an acoustic environment of 147 dB OASPL (overall sound pressure level) in a reverberant chamber. The acoustic environment envelopes the upper stage internal acoustic level of several different modern launch vehicles. No structural or thermal performance changes were observed after exposure to the acoustic environment. Final thermal vacuum testing after the acoustic testing showed no degradation to the MLI due to the acoustic environment as measured via system heat loads

SHIIVER↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advances in High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking On-board the International Space Station

The High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) project at the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC) is developing a performance optimized Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) implementation which is able to provide reliable multigigabit per second automated network communications for near-Earth and deep space missions. To that end, this paper provides an overview of the testing and integration efforts culminating in a high-rate DTN demonstration onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Over several years, the HDTN team has performed a series of end-to-end tests between the Software Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Marshall Space Flight Center’s Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). The testing has focused on a realistic emulation of the ISS Ku-band RF link, which operates at a maximum of 500 Mbps downlink with a 600 ms round-trip time. In this environment, the HDTN onboard gateway has been tested for interoperability with ISS payload nodes and the DTN ground gateway, store and forward capability, reliable transport using the Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP), and successful recovery from unexpected loss of signal. In addition to integration testing, HDTN has developed a series of software engineering practices to ensure the stability and maturity of the implementation. As the result, HDTN has successfully demonstrated high-rate DTN services onboard the ISS. This paper concludes with a summary of preliminary flight testing results from the Integrated LCRD LEO User Modem and Amplifier Terminal networking experiments.

Delay tolerant networking↗

DOE OSTI2013

DarkLight radiation backgrounds

We report measurements of photon and neutron radiation levels observed while transmitting a 0.43 MW electron beam through millimeter-sized apertures and during beam-on, but accelerating gradient RF-on, operation. These measurements were conducted at the Free-Electron Laser (FEL) facility of the Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory (JLab) using a 100 MeV electron beam from an energy-recovery linear accelerator. The beam was directed successively through 6 mm, 4 mm, and 2 mm diameter apertures of length 127 mm in aluminum at a maximum current of 4.3 mA (430 kW beam power). This study was conducted to characterize radiation levels for experiments that need to operate in this environment, such as the proposed DarkLight Experiment. We find that sustained transmission of a 430 kW CW beam through a 2 mm aperture is feasible with manageable beam-related backgrounds. We also find that during beam-off, RF-on operation, field emission inside the niobium cavities of the accelerator cryomodules is the primary source of ambient radiation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2020

5G Enabled Energy Innovation: Advanced Wireless Networks for Science (Workshop Report)

Rapidly expanding, new telecommunications infrastructure based on 5G technologies will disrupt and transform how we design, build, operate, and optimize scientific infrastructure and the experiments and services enabled by that infrastructure, from continental-scale sensor networks to centralized scientific user facilities, from intelligent Internet of Things devices to supercomputers. Concurrently, 5G will introduce, or exacerbate, challenges related to protecting infrastructure and associated scientific data as well as to fully leveraging opportunities related to expanded infrastructure scale and complexity. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science operates scientific infrastructure, supporting some of the nation’s most advanced intellectual discoveries, spanning the country and including 30 world-class user facilities from supercomputers to accelerators. Along with field experiments and remote observatories, every aspect of DOE’s scientific enterprise will be affected by 5G, which amounts to a complete renovation of the underpinnings of the nation’s information infrastructure. In this report we explore the scientific opportunities and new research challenges associated with 5G, ranging from scalability to heterogeneity to cybersecurity. The rapid commercial deployment of 5G opens the opportunity to rethink and reinvent DOE’s scientific infrastructure and experimentation, from intelligent sensor networks at unprecedented scales to a digital continuum of cyberinfrastructure spanning low-power sensors, high-performance computing embedded within and at the edge of the network, and DOE’s large-scale user instrument and computing facilities. New programming paradigms, workflow and data frameworks, and AI-based system design, operation, and autonomous adaptation and optimization will be necessary in order to exploit these new opportunities. Field deployments and centralized scientific instruments can also be revolutionized, moving (without traditional performance penalties) from wired to wireless connectivity for data and control systems, improving flexibility, and opening new sensing modalities, including the use of the 5G electromagnetic spectrum itself as an environmental probe. For DOE science, in contrast to commercial 5G applications and settings, devices will be deployed in extreme environments such as cryogenically cooled instrument control systems and in remote settings with harsh conditions, requiring the design of new materials for RF communication and edge processing to operate in these regimes. Concurrently, 5G infrastructure comprises both hardware and sophisticated software systems - currently closed and proprietary. The cybersecurity challenges to 5G-empowered reinvention mirror the complexity and variety of new 5G features, from virtualization to private network slices to ubiquitous access. Research is also needed in order to accelerate the development of secure and open 5G software infrastructure, reducing reliance on hardware and software produced outside the United States and providing the transparency and rigorous evaluation and testing afforded through open software. Twelve broad research thrusts are laid out in four chapters, with a companion fifth chapter (and three additional research thrusts) underscoring the needs and opportunities for an aggressive testbed program co-designed by networking experts and scientists involved in the 15 research thrusts. The urgency of undertaking this research is fueled by a global, accelerating deployment of new telecommunications infrastructure that is designed for entertainment and commercial applications - barely scratching the surface of what 5G can do to extend U.S. leadership in scientific discovery.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Effect of Low Temperature Nitrogen Baking on Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavities With Different Frequency

We report the rf performance of several single-cell superconducting radiofrequency cavities frequency ranging from 1.3-3.0 GHz after low temperature baking in nitrogen environment The cavities are treated at different temperature in the range of (120-160oC) for extended period of time (~24-48 hours) with nitrogen gas injection in the furnace. The improvement in Q0 with Q-rise in some case was observed when nitrogen gas was injected at elevated temperature (~250-290 oC) and held at the temperature range 120-200 oC without any degradation in accelerating gradient over the baseline performance. The temperature and time of baking play significant role in dependence of quality factor on accelerating gradient.

Khanal, B.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Forged Ingot Niobium Technology for Accelerator Applications and Scientific Frontiers

Khanal, B.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Wide-bandgap Semiconductors in Space: Appreciating the Benefits but Understanding the Risks

Dr. Jean-Marie Lauenstein, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, will present the radiation challenges of adopting wide-bandgap semiconductors for space applications. Wide-bandgap devices are attractive for space applications due to improved performance such as faster switching speeds, lower power losses, and their ability to operate at higher temperature as compared with their silicon counterparts. Their tolerance to total ionizing dose levels (> 100 krad(Si)) further enhances the desirability of these technologies. This short course will focus on silicon carbide and gallium nitride power rectifying, switching, and RF devices as these technologies are now readily available commercially. The radiation hardness assurance issues presented by the heavy-ion radiation environment will be discussed.

Lauenstein, Jean-Marie↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Rocket Lab Venus - Enabling Low-Cost Interplanetary Missions

Rocket Lab’s mission to Venus [1], launching in January 2025, aims to demonstrate that small launch vehicles, such as Electron, and high-energy small spacecraft, such as Photon, can enable a new paradigm of regular, low-cost interplanetary missions. The Electron launch vehicle will deliver the Photon spacecraft carrying the entry probe into low earth orbit, at which point Photon will take over and put both itself and the attached probe on an Earth-Venus transfer trajectory, with assistance from a Lunar flyby. The primary science objective of the mission is to sample the Venusian cloud layers between atitudes of 45 and 60 km above the surface with an autofluorescing nephelometer. The ~1kg scientific instrument will be carried by a small ~17 kg direct entry probe which will separate from the Photon spacecraft approximately 30 minutes prior to atmospheric entry. The probe outer mould line is a scaled down version of the Deep Space 2 probes [2]. NASA’s newly developed 3D Woven Carbon Phenolic, a derivative of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) material [3], is an enabling technology for this mission, and it will comprise the probe forebody heat shield.The probe will communicate directly back to the Earth during its descent via a small on-board radio frequency (RF) antenna. The hyperbolic Venus encounter will see the probe enter the Venusia atmosphere at approximately 11 km/s with an entry flight path angle (EFPA) of about 10°. This relatively low entry angle was selected to increase the duration of the descent phase, reduce the peak deceleration, and reduce the sensitivity of the nominal entry environments to navigational errors. For reference, the Pioneer Venus probes entered at EFPAs varying from about 25° to 70°, resulting in peak decelerations between around 220 and 450 g’s and peak stagnation point heat fluxes ranging from about 40 to 75 MW/m2 [4]. In comparison, the Rocket Lab Venus probe will experience a lower preak deceleration of around 60 g’s and a lower peak stagnation point heat flux of about 15 MW/m2, at the cost of a greater total heat load and correspondingly higher thermal protection system (TPS) mass fraction. This paper recounts the development history of the TPS for the Rocket Lab Venus probe, with a focus on the unique requirements of the mission. In particular, the effect on the TPS design of the mission’s tight budget, short development timeline, slim mass and RF link margins, and mild but long duration entry heating. Rocket Lab’s initial investigations into a ‘hybrid’ TPS [5] based on a scaled version of the Pioneer Venus full-density carbon phenolic forebody shield, and the abandonment of this approach in favour of NASA’s 3D Woven Carbon Phenolic is presented. Additionally, the leveraging of previous testing under the HEEET project at higher conditions and the associated TPS margining strategy that was adopted to avoid the need for extensive mission-specific arc jet testing is discussed. Finally, this paper concludes with a brief consideration of the feasibility of a future low-cost aerocapture technology demonstrator mission based on the 2025 Rocket Lab Venus mission and entry probe.

Lyle Campbell↗

DOE OSTI2016

EMES Characterization

The Electromagnetic Environment Simulator (EMES) is a large transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell that propagates an ostensibly uniform, planar electromagnetic wave illuminating a test object with RF energy within a working volume. The characterization presented in this report uses measurements from three electric field components spanning a frequency range between 100 kHz and 220 MHz. This report provides guidance for using these results to predict measurement uncertainty for experiments conducted in EMES. Weapons Systems Engineering Assessment Technology (WSEAT) commissioned this effort to provide support to Nuclear Weapons qualification in accordance with Realize Product Sub System (RPSS). Motivation for this effort stems from four qualification programs: B61 LEP, W88 ALT370, W80-4 LEP, and the Mk21 fuze program.

42 ENGINEERING↗