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NASA NTRS2010

Infrared Sensor on Unmanned Aircraft Transmits Time-Critical Wildfire Data

Since 2006, NASA fs Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) and Ames Research Center have been perfecting and demonstrating a new capability for geolocation of wildfires and the real-time delivery of data to firefighters. Managed for the Western States Fire Mission, the Ames-developed Autonomous Modular Scanner (AMS), mounted beneath a wing of DFRC fs MQ-9 Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft, contains an infrared sensor capable of discriminating temperatures within 0.5 F (approx. = 0.3 C), up to 1,000 F (approx. = 540 C). The AMS operates like a digital camera with specialized filters to detect light energy at visible, infrared, and thermal wavelengths. By placing the AMS aboard unmanned aircraft, one can gather information and imaging for thousands of square miles, and provide critical information about the location, size, and terrain around fires to commanders in the field. In the hands of operational agencies, the benefits of this NASA research and development effort can support nationwide wildfire fighting efforts. The sensor also provides data for post-burn and vegetation regrowth analyses. The MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), a version of the Predator-B, can operate over long distances, staying aloft for over 24 hours, and controlled via a satellite-linked command and control system. This same link is used to deliver the fire location data directly to fire incident commanders, in less than 10 minutes from the time of overflight. In the current method, similarly equipped short-duration manned aircraft, with limited endurance and range, must land, hand-carry, and process data, and then deliver information to the firefighters, sometimes taking several hours in the process. Meanwhile, many fires would have moved over great distances and changed direction. Speed is critical. The fire incident commanders must assess a very dynamic situation, and task resources such as people, ground equipment, and retardant-dropping aircraft, often in mountainous terrain obscured by dense smoke.

Pestana, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2018

NASA Kennedy Space Center: Contributions to Sea Turtle Science and Conservation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a United States (US) federal agency that oversees US space exploration and aeronautical research. NASA's primary launch site, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is located along the east coast of Florida, on Cape Canaveral and the western Atlantic Ocean. The natural environment within KSC's large land boundaries, not only functions as an extensive safety buffer-area, it performs simultaneously as a wildlife refuge and a national seashore. In the early 1960s, NASA was developing KSC for rocket launches and the US was establishing an awareness of, and commitment to protecting the environment. The US began creating regulations that required the consideration of the environment when taking action on federal land or with federal funds. The timing of the US Endangered Species Act (1973), the US National Environmental Policy Act (1972), coincided with the planning and implementation of the US Space Shuttle Program. This resulted in the first efforts to evaluate the impacts of space launch operation operations on waterways, air quality, habitats, and wildlife. The first KSC fauna and flora baseline studies were predominantly performed by University of Central Florida (then Florida Technological University). Numerous species of relative importance were observed and sea turtles were receiving regulatory review and protection as surveys by Dr. L Ehrhart (UCF) from 1973-1978 described turtles nesting along the KSC beaches and foraging in the KSC lagoon systems. These data were used in the first NASA Environmental Impact Statement for the Space Transportation System (shuttle program) in 1980. In 1982, NASA began a long term ecological monitoring program with contracted scientists on site. This included efforts to track sea turtle status and trends at KSC and maintain protective measures for these species. Many studies and collaborations have occurred on KSC over these last 45 years with agencies (USFWS, NOAA, NAVY), students, and universities (UCF, University of Toronto, Texas A&M, UF). This presentation will review the various studies and collaborations on sea turtles at KSC that include: nest distributions and success, stranding network development, aerial survey testing for nest counts, predator control assessments, the earliest baseline blood chemistry health determinations on nesting females, stress hormones in nesting females, multi-year study of hatchling sex ratios, genetics, species composition, abundance and distribution of in-water juveniles, turtle cold stun response, exterior lighting impacts and control, and satellite tag tracking of post-nesting turtles in the vicinity of near shore shoals and sand mining sites. Through these studies, monitoring, and recommendations, KSC has provided excellent stewardship and protection of the local environment. While conducting its space program mission, KSC has also made significant contributions of information for agencies charged with the conservation and management of these species

Provancha, Jane A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

UV-LED Project

UV-LED is part of a small satellite technologydemonstration mission that willdemonstrate non-contacting charge controlof an isolated or floating mass usingnew solid-state ultra-violet light emittingdiodes (UV-LEDs). Integrated tothe Saudisat-4 spacecraft and launchedonboard the Dnepr in June 19, 2014,the project is a collaboration betweenthe NASA Ames Research Center (ARC),Stanford University, and King AbdulazizCity for Science and Technology(KACST). This technology demonstrationwill validate a novel method of chargecontrol that will improve the performanceof drag-free spacecraft allowingfor concurrent science collection duringcharge management operations as wellas reduce the mass, power and volumerequired while increasing lifetime and reliabilityof a charge management subsystem.These improvements are crucial tothe success of ground breaking missionssuch as LISA and BBO, and demonstratethe ability of low cost small satellite missionsto provide technological advancesthat far exceed mission cost.

Soulage, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1979

Weight Saving Technology

The airplane shown below is the Beech Super King Air, an executive transport built by Beech Aircraft corporation, Wichita, Kansas. Its development was aided by the NASA computer program known as NASTRAN(Registered TradeMark) (NASA Structural Analysis), which electronically analyzes a computerized design and predicts how it will react to many different conditions of stress and strain. In this instance the program was employed in analysis of the airplane's structure and engine mounts. NASTRAN was similarly used in development of other Beech planes, such as the T-34C military trainer and the new single-engine Skipper light-plane, which is making its debut this year. At its Boulder, Colorado facility, Beech has used NASTRAN in analysis of fuel tanks for space vehicles. The company reports it has achieved cost savings and improved its design/analysis capabilities through use of the NASA program. NASTRAN and other government-generated computer programs are made available to industry through NASA's Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC)(Registered TradeMark) at the University of Georgia.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2014

Imagery Integration Team

The Human Exploration Science Office (KX) provides leadership for NASA's Imagery Integration (Integration 2) Team, an affiliation of experts in the use of engineering-class imagery intended to monitor the performance of launch vehicles and crewed spacecraft in flight. Typical engineering imagery assessments include studying and characterizing the liftoff and ascent debris environments; launch vehicle and propulsion element performance; in-flight activities; and entry, landing, and recovery operations. Integration 2 support has been provided not only for U.S. Government spaceflight (e.g., Space Shuttle, Ares I-X) but also for commercial launch providers, such as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corporation, servicing the International Space Station. The NASA Integration 2 Team is composed of imagery integration specialists from JSC, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), who have access to a vast pool of experience and capabilities related to program integration, deployment and management of imagery assets, imagery data management, and photogrammetric analysis. The Integration 2 team is currently providing integration services to commercial demonstration flights, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), and the Space Launch System (SLS)-based Exploration Missions (EM)-1 and EM-2. EM-2 will be the first attempt to fly a piloted mission with the Orion spacecraft. The Integration 2 Team provides the customer (both commercial and Government) with access to a wide array of imagery options - ground-based, airborne, seaborne, or vehicle-based - that are available through the Government and commercial vendors. The team guides the customer in assembling the appropriate complement of imagery acquisition assets at the customer's facilities, minimizing costs associated with market research and the risk of purchasing inadequate assets. The NASA Integration 2 capability simplifies the process of securing one-of-a-kind imagery assets and skill sets, such as ground-based fixed and tracking cameras, crew-in the-loop imaging applications, and the integration of custom or commercial-off-the-shelf sensors onboard spacecraft. For spaceflight applications, the Integration 2 Team leverages modeling, analytical, and scientific resources along with decades of experience and lessons learned to assist the customer in optimizing engineering imagery acquisition and management schemes for any phase of flight - launch, ascent, on-orbit, descent, and landing. The Integration 2 Team guides the customer in using NASA's world-class imagery analysis teams, which specialize in overcoming inherent challenges associated with spaceflight imagery sets. Precision motion tracking, two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry, image stabilization, 3D modeling of imagery data, lighting assessment, and vehicle fiducial marking assessments are available. During a mission or test, the Integration 2 Team provides oversight of imagery operations to verify fulfillment of imagery requirements. The team oversees the collection, screening, and analysis of imagery to build a set of imagery findings. It integrates and corroborates the imagery findings with other mission data sets, generating executive summaries to support time-critical mission decisions.

Calhoun, Tracy↗
NASA NTRS2021

Orion Meteoroid and Debris Analysis with a Single Kevlar® Layer Enhancement to the Propulsion Tank Multi-Layer Insulation: Comparison of the Observed Data and the Adjusted Ballistic Models

In a continual mass optimization effort for the Orion vehicle by NASA and its prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space, along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and its contractors Airbus and Thales Alenia Space-Italy (TAS-I), a series of shield characterization shots have been performed to quantify the ballistic enhancement of a single-layer of Kevlar® in multi-layer insulation (MLI). This enhanced MLI is part of Orion’s propulsion subsystem, and it is planned to replace a double-layer Kevlar® configuration starting at the Artemis IV mission. This effort has included fifty-two shield characterization shots for five different shield configurations over the four Orion propellant storage vessels. These storage vessels are located in the European Service Module (ESM). This shield characterization has been managed by the Hypervelocity Impact Technology (HVIT) group in NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences at Johnson Space Center (JSC) for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) program office in coordination with Lockheed Martin Space and Thales Alenia Space-Italy (TAS-I). The shield characterization has used the two-stage, light-gas-gun at the Remote Hypervelocity Test Laboratory (RHTL) of NASA JSC White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) for acceleration of projectiles to representative orbital impact speeds. From this shield characterization effort, a revised ballistic limiting equation (BLE) has been developed for each of the five representative shielding configurations of the ESM pressure vessels. This document provides a brief description of the shield configurations considered for the Orion program and the shield characterization findings. These results are compared to the assumed BLE for each configuration going into the Artemis missions that utilize this version of ballistic enhanced MLI. The models are integrated into a fourteen day High Lunar Orbit (HLO) mission as a representative reliability prediction impact for Orion, and it has been found that the predicted risk of a loss-of-crew (LOC) event is actually a little less than half of the assumed value that launched this design modification opportunity.

Joshua E Miller↗
NASA NTRS2008

Learning the Rhythm of the Seasons in the Face of Global Change: Phenological Research in the 21st Century

Phenology is the study of recurring life-cycle events, of which classic examples include flowering by plants as well as animal migration. Phenological responses are increasingly relevant for addressing applied environmental issues. Yet, challenges remain with respect to spanning scales of observation, integrating observations across taxa, and modeling phenological sequences to enable ecological forecasts in light of future climate change. Recent advances that are helping to address these challenges include refined landscape-scale phenology estimates from satellite data, advanced instrument-based approaches for field measurements, and new cyber-infrastructure for archiving and distribution of products. These advances are aiding in diverse areas including modeling land-surface exchange, evaluating climate-phenology relationships, and aiding land management decisions.

Morisette, Jeffrey T.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Free-Flying Magnetometer Data System

The Free-Flying Magnetometer (FFM) is an autonomous "sensorcraft" developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the Enstrophy sounding rocket mission. This mission was a collaborative project between the University of New Hampshire, Cornell University and JPL. The science goal of the mission was the study of current filamentation phenomena in the northern auroral region through multipoint measurements of magnetic field. The technical objective of the mission was the proof of concept of the JPL FFM design and the demonstration of an in-situ multipoint measurement technique employing many free-flying spacecraft. Four FFMs were successfully deployed from a sounding rocket launched from Poker Flats, Alaska on February 11, 1999. These hockey-puck-sized (80 mm diameter, 38 mm. height, 250 gram mass) free flyers each carry a miniature 3-axis flux-gate magnetometer that output +/- 2 V signals corresponding to a +/- 60,000 nT measurement range for each axis. The FFM uses a synchronized four-channel Sigma(Delta) Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) having a dynamic range of +/- 2.5V and converting at a rate of 279 samples/second/channel. Three channels are used to digitize the magnetometer signals to 17-bit (1.144 nT/bit) resolution. The fourth ADC channel is multiplexed for system monitoring of four temperature sensors and two battery voltages. The FFM also contains two sun sensors, a laser diode which emits a fan-shaped beam, a miniature S-band transmitter for direct communication to the ground station antennas, an ultra-stable Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO) clock, an integrated data subsystem implemented in a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a 4 Mbit Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) for data storage and Lithium Thionyl Chloride batteries for power. Communicating commands to the FFM prior to deployment is achieved with an infrared (IR) link. The FFM IR receiver responds to 9-bit pulse coded signals that are generated by an IR Light Emitting Diode (LED) in the payload for turning FFM power on or off and placing the FFM in a test mode or flight mode. The IR links are also used to synchronize (zero) the clocks onboard all the FFMs through a reset pulse originating from the payload GPS receiver that is issued when the FFMs are in flight mode. The FPGA based data subsystem manages continuous data collection from the four ADC channels and sun sensors, formatting and storing the data to SRAM, and controlling downlink transmission. The transmitter is powered only after a 2547 frame SRAM buffer has been filled (approx. 5 minutes of data). The data is Viterbi encoded and sent to the S-band transmitter via a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) buffer who's output is clocked at 100 bits/second. After the 26-second transmission, the transmitter is turned off to reduce noise coupling to the sensitive magnetometer. The data subsystem control consists of a master state machine that performs data flow management and is interfaced through a prioritized interrupt scheme to state machines that service the ADC, sun sensors and transmitter FIFO. Continuous data collection prevents the missing of data during transmission and provides implicit time tagging of the data acquired by the ADC because of synchronization with the TCXO clock.

Blaes, B.↗
NASA NTRS2007

A New Source of Space Weather Data

The twin STEREO spacecraft were launched on October 26,2006 and, after spending several weeks in alignment orbits, became operational in heliocentric orbits on January 2 1,2007. The spacecraft are now in orbits similar to Earth's and are separating from each other at a rate of about 45 degrees per year as viewed from the sun. The STEREO spacecraft are each equipped with a complement of EUV, and white light imagers as well as particles and fields in situ instruments and a radio burst tracker. In addition to full resolution data downloaded once per day, each spacecraft broadcasts a real time telemetry 'beacon' stream containing compressed images and typically one minute averages of solar wind measurements and radio intensities. These real time data streams are received by a mix of NOAA and NASA-managed tracking stations and the data is transmitted by these stations to the STEREO Science Center at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center where they are processed into useable parameters with a latency of less than five minutes from receipt. As the two spacecraft recede from the sun-Earth line, triangulation of the imaging and radio measurements should allow better estimate of the speed and direction of coronal mass ejections, allowing a more precise estimate of their arrival at Earth. In situ particles and fields measurements, particularly for the spacecraft (Behind) trailing Earth in its orbit, will sample the solar wind that will eventually co-rotate around to the sun-Earth line. Late in the prime mission when the spacecraft are very far (>90 degrees) from the sun-Earth line, observations from the Behind spacecraft, will be particularly valuable for providing a preview of active regions well beyond the sun's East limb (as seen from Earth). Continually updated STEREO space weather data can be viewed and downloaded at http:/lstereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.govldata/beacon/.

Kaiser, Michael L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Human Research Program Human Health Countermeasures Element Bone and Muscle Risk Standing Review Panel (SRP)

The Bone and Muscle Risk Standing Review Panel (SRP) met at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) on October 4-6, 2009 to discuss the areas of current and future research targeted by the Human Health Countermeasures (HHC) Element of the Human Research Program (HRP). Using evidence-based knowledge as a background for identified risks to astronaut health and performance, NASA had identified gaps in knowledge to address those risks. Ongoing and proposed tasks were presented to address the gaps. The charge to the Bone and Muscle Risk SRP was to review the gaps, evaluate whether the tasks addressed these gaps and to make recommendations to NASA s HRP Science Management Office regarding the Panel's review. The Bone and Muscle Risk SRP consisted of scientists who are experts in muscle, bone, or both and could evaluate the existing evidence with sufficient knowledge of the potential effects of long duration exposure to microgravity. More important, although expertise in basic science is important, the SRP was requested to evaluate the practicality of the proposed efforts in light of the realistic demands placed on the HRP. In short, all tasks presented in the Integrated Research Plan (IRP) should address specific questions related to the challenges faced by the astronauts as a result of prolonged exposure to microgravity. All tasks proposed to fill the gaps in knowledge should provide applied, translational data necessary to answer the specific questions. Several presentations were made to the SRP during the site visit and the SRP spent sufficient time to address the panel charge, either as a group or in separate sessions for the Bone and Muscle Risk subgroups. The SRP made a final debriefing to the HRP Program Scientist, Dr. John B. Charles, on October 6, 2009. Taking the evidence and identified risks as givens, the SRP concluded that 1) integration of information should lead to a more comprehensive approach to identifying the gaps, 2) not all tasks addressed the gaps as stated in the IRP, 3) better access should be given to the SRP to existing data to include in its review, and 4) there were some missing gaps and tasks. As a result the SRP recommended 1) combining certain gaps, which in some cases were addressed with identical tasks, 2) additional gaps and tasks to address some of the gaps, 3) deleting some gaps and tasks to better focus the efforts of NASA s HRP in prioritizing their efforts, and 4) prioritizing gaps to address significant issues needing resolution in the short term while maintaining an awareness of long-term goals. The SRP commended the efforts by the HHC Element to integrate knowledge gaps and design tasks to address the higher order questions. This integration did not apply to the Bone and Muscle Risk alone, but the musculoskeletal system as its functions integrate with issues in

Glowacki, Julie↗
NASA NTRS2011

Automated Air Traffic Control Operations with Weather and Time-Constraints: A First Look at (Simulated) Far-Term Control Room Operations

In this paper we discuss results from a recent high fidelity simulation of air traffic control operations with automated separation assurance in the presence of weather and time-constraints. We report findings from a human-in-the-loop study conducted in the Airspace Operations Laboratory (AOL) at the NASA Ames Research Center. During four afternoons in early 2010, fifteen active and recently retired air traffic controllers and supervisors controlled high levels of traffic in a highly automated environment during three-hour long scenarios, For each scenario, twelve air traffic controllers operated eight sector positions in two air traffic control areas and were supervised by three front line managers, Controllers worked one-hour shifts, were relieved by other controllers, took a 3D-minute break, and worked another one-hour shift. On average, twice today's traffic density was simulated with more than 2200 aircraft per traffic scenario. The scenarios were designed to create peaks and valleys in traffic density, growing and decaying convective weather areas, and expose controllers to heavy and light metering conditions. This design enabled an initial look at a broad spectrum of workload, challenge, boredom, and fatigue in an otherwise uncharted territory of future operations. In this paper we report human/system integration aspects, safety and efficiency results as well as airspace throughput, workload, and operational acceptability. We conclude that, with further refinements. air traffic control operations with ground-based automated separation assurance can be an effective and acceptable means to routinely provide very high traffic throughput in the en route airspace.

Prevot, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS2014

An Architecture to Enable Autonomous Control of Spacecraft

Autonomy is required for manned spacecraft missions distant enough that light-time communication delays make ground-based mission control infeasible. Presently, ground controllers develop a complete schedule of power modes for all spacecraft components based on a large number of factors. The proposed architecture is an early attempt to formalize and automate this process using on-vehicle computation resources. In order to demonstrate this architecture, an autonomous electrical power system controller and vehicle Mission Manager are constructed. These two components are designed to work together in order to plan upcoming load use as well as respond to unanticipated deviations from the plan. The communication protocol was developed using "paper" simulations prior to formally encoding the messages and developing software to implement the required functionality. These software routines exchange data via TCP/IP sockets with the Mission Manager operating at NASA Ames Research Center and the autonomous power controller running at NASA Glenn Research Center. The interconnected systems are tested and shown to be effective at planning the operation of a simulated quasi-steady state spacecraft power system and responding to unexpected disturbances.

space power systems↗
NASA NTRS2017

Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout

NASA is developing solar sail propulsion for a near-term Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) reconnaissance mission that will lay the groundwork for the future use of solar sails. The NEA Scout mission will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image one NEA's of interest for future human exploration. NEA Scout will launch on the first mission of the Space Launch System (SLS) in 2018. After its first encounter with the Moon, NEA Scout will enter the sail characterization phase by the 86 square meter sail deployment. A mechanical Active Mass Translation (AMT) system, combined with the remaining ACS propellant, will be used for sail momentum management. The spacecraft will perform a series of lunar flybys to achieve optimum departure trajectory before beginning its two year-long cruise. About one month before the asteroid flyby, NEA Scout will start its approach phase using optical navigation on top of radio tracking. The solar sail will provide NEA Scout continuous low thrust to enable a relatively slow flyby of the target asteroid under lighting conditions favorable to geological imaging. Once complete, NASA will have demonstrated the capability to fly low-cost, high delta V CubeSats to perform interplanetary missions.

Johnson, Les↗
NASA NTRS1998

Cockpit Interruptions and Distractions: Effective Management Requires a Careful Balancing Act

Managing several tasks concurrently is an everyday part of cockpit operations. For the most part, crews handle concurrent task demands efficiently, yet crew preoccupation with one task to the detriment of performing other tasks is one of the more common forms of error in the cockpit. Most pilots are familiar with the December 1972 L1011 crash that occurred when the crew became preoccupied with a landing gear light malfunction and failed to notice that someone had inadvertently bumped off the autopilot. More recently a DC-9 landed gear-up in Houston when the crew, preoccupied with an stabilized approach, failed to recognize that the gear was not down because they had not switched the hydraulic pumps to high. We have recently started a research project to study why crews are vulnerable to these sorts of errors. As part of that project we reviewed NTSB reports of accidents attributed to crew error; we concluded that nearly half of these accidents involved lapses of attention associated with interruptions, distractions, or preoccupation with one task to the exclusion of another task. We have also analyzed 107 ASRS reports involving competing tasks; we present here some of our conclusions from those ASRS reports. These 107 reports involved 21 different types of routine tasks crews neglected at a critical moment while attending to another task. Sixty-nine percent of the neglected tasks involved either failure to monitor the current status or position of the aircraft or failure to monitor the actions of the pilot flying or taxiing. Thirty-four different types of competing activities distracted or preoccupied the pilots. Ninety percent of these competing activities fell into one of four broad categories: communication (e.g., discussion among crew or radio communication), heads-down work (e.g., programming the FMS or reviewing approach plates), responding to abnormals, or searching for VMC traffic. We will discuss examples of each of these four categories and suggest things crews can do to reduce their vulnerability to these and similar situations.

Dismukes, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2010

Topics covered include: Cryogenic Flow Sensor; Multi-Sensor Mud Detection; Gas Flow Detection System; Mapping Capacitive Coupling Among Pixels in a Sensor Array; Fiber-Based Laser Transmitter for Oxygen A-Band Spectroscopy and Remote Sensing; Low-Profile, Dual-Wavelength, Dual-Polarized Antenna; Time-Separating Heating and Sensor Functions of Thermistors in Precision Thermal Control Applications; Cellular Reflectarray Antenna; A One-Dimensional Synthetic-Aperture Microwave Radiometer; Electrical Switching of Perovskite Thin-Film Resistors; Two-Dimensional Synthetic-Aperture Radiometer; Ethernet-Enabled Power and Communication Module for Embedded Processors; Electrically Variable Resistive Memory Devices; Improved Attachment in a Hybrid Inflatable Pressure Vessel; Electrostatic Separator for Beneficiation of Lunar Soil; Amorphous Rover; Space-Frame Antenna; Gear-Driven Turnbuckle Actuator; In-Situ Focusing Inside a Thermal Vacuum Chamber; Space-Frame Lunar Lander; Wider-Opening Dewar Flasks for Cryogenic Storage; Silicon Oxycarbide Aerogels for High-Temperature Thermal Insulation; Supercapacitor Electrolyte Solvents with Liquid Range Below -80 C; Designs and Materials for Better Coronagraph Occulting Masks; Fuel-Cell-Powered Vehicle with Hybrid Power Management; Fine-Water-Mist Multiple-Orientation-Discharge Fire Extinguisher; Fuel-Cell Water Separator; Turbulence and the Stabilization Principle; Improved Cloud Condensation Nucleus Spectrometer; Better Modeling of Electrostatic Discharge in an Insulator; Sub-Aperture Interferometers; Terahertz Mapping of Microstructure and Thickness Variations; Multiparallel Three-Dimensional Optical Microscopy; Stabilization of Phase of a Sinusoidal Signal Transmitted Over Optical Fiber; Vacuum-Compatible Wideband White Light and Laser Combiner Source System; Optical Tapers as White-Light WGM Resonators; EPR Imaging at a Few Megahertz Using SQUID Detectors; Reducing Field Distortion in Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Fluorogenic Cell-Based Biosensors for Monitoring Microbes; A Constant-Force Resistive Exercise Unit; GUI to Facilitate Research on Biological Damage from Radiation; On-Demand Urine Analyzer; More-Realistic Digital Modeling of a Human Body; and Advanced Liquid-Cooling Garment Using Highly Thermally Conductive Sheets.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Tether applications in space transportation

The high cost of delivering rocket propellants to orbit for use there makes attractive the use of alternative reaction masses such as other spacecraft, planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres, light, and celestial bodies. Some of these alternatives have already been used in special cases, but tethers may be the key to using all of them on a far more general and ambitious basis. This paper gives a general overview of the many ways tethers might be used in space transportation. There is an emphasis on near-term applications such as payload boosting and space station momentum management.

Carroll, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Technologies for Product Identification

Since 1975 bar codes on products at the retail counter have been accepted as the standard for entering product identity for price determination. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Data Matrix symbol has become accepted as the bar code format that is marked directly on a part, assembly or product that is durable enough to identify that item for its lifetime. NASA began the studies for direct part marking Data Matrix symbols on parts during the Return to Flight activities after the Challenger Accident. Over the 20 year period that has elapsed since Challenger, a mountain of studies, analyses and focused problem solutions developed by and for NASA have brought about world changing results. NASA Technical Standard 6002 and NASA Handbook 6003 for Direct Part Marking Data Matrix Symbols on Aerospace Parts have formed the basis for most other standards on part marking internationally. NASA and its commercial partners have developed numerous products and methods that addressed the difficulties of collecting part identification in aerospace operations. These products enabled the marking of Data Matrix symbols in virtually every situation and the reading of symbols at great distances, severe angles, under paint and in the dark without a light. Even unmarkable delicate parts now have a process to apply a chemical mixture called NanocodesTM that can be converted to a Data Matrix. The accompanying intellectual property is protected by 10 patents, several of which are licensed. Direct marking Data Matrix on NASA parts virtually eliminates data entry errors and the number of parts that go through their life cycle unmarked, two major threats to sound configuration management and flight safety. NASA is said to only have people and stuff with information connecting them. Data Matrix is one of the most significant improvements since Challenger to the safety and reliability of that connection. This presentation highlights the accomplishments of NASA in its efforts to develop technologies for automatic identification, its efforts to implement them and its vision on their role in space.

Schramm, Fred, Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Simulated Fire Edge Vis-IR Detection and Tracking Approach for Autonomous sUAS in STEReO

This study presents a fire edge detection and tracking methodology for an autonomous small UAS (sUAS). The sUAS, onboard sensors, and wildfire are simulated to evaluate the methodology. A visible light (Vis) camera and an infrared (IR) camera are simulated onboard the sUAS to identify burnt, burning, and unburnt areas on a static wildfire bitmap. After differentiating between these areas, a form of nonlinear guidance law (NLGL) is used to generate virtual target points (VTP) that guide the sUAS so that the fire edge is kept within the camera FOV. The VTP are passed to the sUAS flight management system (FMS) in the form of waypoints. The approach was tested in simulation and demonstrated tracking curved, sharp, and linear fire edge shapes at different altitudes. Higher altitude tracking proved to demand the least control effort without sacrificing continuous tracking.

Autonomous UAV↗