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NASA NTRS2014

Evolving the NASA Near Earth Network for the Next Generation of Human Space Flight

The purpose of this paper is to present the planned development and evolution of the NASA Near Earth Network (NEN) launch communications services in support of the next generation of human space flight programs. Following the final space shuttle mission in 2011, the two NEN launch communications stations were decommissioned. Today, NASA is developing the next generation of human space flight systems focused on exploration missions beyond low-earth orbit, and supporting the emerging market for commercial crew and cargo human space flight services. The NEN is leading a major initiative to develop a modern high data rate launch communications ground architecture with support from the Kennedy Space Center Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and in partnership with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Eastern Range. This initiative, the NEN Launch Communications Stations (LCS) development project, successfully completed its System Requirements Review in November 2013. This paper provides an overview of the LCS project and a summary of its progress. The LCS ground architecture, concept of operations, and driving requirements to support the new heavy-lift Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle for Exploration Mission-1 are presented. Finally, potential future extensions to the ground architecture beyond EM-1 are discussed.

Launch Communications↗

NASA NTRS2017

Heater Validation for the NEXT-C Hollow Cathodes

Swaged cathode heaters whose design was successfully demonstrated under a prior flight project are to be provided by the NASA Glenn Research Center for the NEXT-C ion thruster being fabricated by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Extensive requalification activities were performed to validate process controls that had to be re-established or revised because systemic changes prevented reuse of the past approaches. A development batch of heaters was successfully fabricated based on the new process controls. Acceptance and cyclic life testing of multiple discharge and neutralizer sized heaters extracted from the development batch was initiated in August, 2016, with the last heater completing testing in April, 2017. Cyclic life testing results substantially exceeded the NEXT-C thruster requirement as well as all past experience for GRC fabricated units. The heaters demonstrated ultimate cyclic life capability of 19050 to 33500 cycles. A qualification batch of heaters is now being fabricated using the finalized process controls. A set of six heaters will be acceptance and cyclic tested to verify conformance to the behavior observed with the development heaters. The heaters for flight use will be then be provided to the contractor. This paper summarizes the fabrication process control activities and the acceptance and life testing of the development heater units.

hollow cathodes↗

NASA NTRS2017

Enabling Future Science and Human Exploration with NASA's Next Generation near Earth and Deep Space Communications and Navigation Architecture

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is studying alternatives for the United States space communications architecture through the 2040 timeframe. This architecture provides communication and navigation services to both human exploration and science missions throughout the solar system. Several of NASA's key space assets are approaching their end of design life and major systems are in need of replacement. The changes envisioned in the relay satellite architecture and capabilities around both Earth and Mars are significant undertakings and occur only once or twice each generation, and therefore is referred to as NASA's next generation space communications architecture. NASA's next generation architecture will benefit from technology and services developed over recent years. These innovations will provide missions with new operations concepts, increased performance, and new business and operating models. Advancements in optical communications will enable high-speed data channels and the use of new and more complex science instruments. Modern multiple beam/multiple access technologies such as those employed on commercial high throughput satellites will enable enhanced capabilities for on-demand service, and with new protocols will help provide Internet-like connectivity for cooperative spacecraft to improve data return and coordinate joint mission objectives. On-board processing with autonomous and cognitive networking will play larger roles to help manage system complexity. Spacecraft and ground systems will coordinate among themselves to establish communications, negotiate link connectivity, and learn to share spectrum to optimize resource allocation. Spacecraft will autonomously navigate, plan trajectories, and handle off-nominal events. NASA intends to leverage the ever-expanding capabilities of the satellite communications industry and foster its continued growth. NASA's technology development will complement and extend commercial capabilities to meet unique space environment requirements and to provide capabilities that are beyond the commercial marketplace. The progress of the communications industry, including the emerging global space internet segment and its planned constellations of 100's of satellites offer additional opportunities for new capability and mission concepts. The opportunities and challenges of a future space architecture require an optimal solution encompassing a global perspective. The concepts and technologies intentionally define an architecture that applies not only to NASA, but to other U.S. government agencies, international space and government agencies, and domestic and international industries to advance the openness, interoperability, and affordability of space communications. Cooperation among the worlds space agencies, their capabilities, standards, operations, and interoperability are key to advancing humankind's understand of the universe and extending human presence into the solar system.

Communications↗

NASA NTRS2016

Biomolecule Sequencer: Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Technology for In-Flight Environmental Monitoring, Research, and Beyond

On the International Space Station (ISS), technologies capable of rapid microbial identification and disease diagnostics are not currently available. NASA still relies upon sample return for comprehensive, molecular-based sample characterization. Next-generation DNA sequencing is a powerful approach for identifying microorganisms in air, water, and surfaces onboard spacecraft. The Biomolecule Sequencer payload, manifested to SpaceX-9 and scheduled on the Increment 4748 research plan (June 2016), will assess the functionality of a commercially-available next-generation DNA sequencer in the microgravity environment of ISS. The MinION device from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK) measures picoamp changes in electrical current dependent on nucleotide sequences of the DNA strand migrating through nanopores in the system. The hardware is exceptionally small (9.5 x 3.2 x 1.6 cm), lightweight (120 grams), and powered only by a USB connection. For the ISS technology demonstration, the Biomolecule Sequencer will be powered by a Microsoft Surface Pro3. Ground-prepared samples containing lambda bacteriophage, Escherichia coli, and mouse genomic DNA, will be launched and stored frozen on the ISS until experiment initiation. Immediately prior to sequencing, a crew member will collect and thaw frozen DNA samples, connect the sequencer to the Surface Pro3, inject thawed samples into a MinION flow cell, and initiate sequencing. At the completion of the sequencing run, data will be downlinked for ground analysis. Identical, synchronous ground controls will be used for data comparisons to determine sequencer functionality, run-time sequence, current dynamics, and overall accuracy. We will present our latest results from the ISS flight experiment the first time DNA has ever been sequenced in space and discuss the many potential applications of the Biomolecule Sequencer for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, higher fidelity and more adaptable Space Biology Human Research Program investigations, and even life detection experiments for astrobiology missions.

Sequencer↗

NASA NTRS2017

Enabling Future Science and Human Exploration with NASA's Next Generation Near Earth and Deep Space Communications and Navigation Architecture

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is studying alternatives for the United States space communications architecture through the 2040 timeframe. This architecture provides communication and navigation services to both human exploration and science missions throughout the solar system. Several of NASA's key space assets are approaching their end of design life and major systems are in need of replacement. The changes envisioned in the relay satellite architecture and capabilities around both Earth and Mars are significant undertakings and occur only once or twice each generation, and therefore is referred to as NASA's next generation space communications architecture. NASA's next generation architecture will benefit from technology and services developed over recent years. These innovations will provide missions with new operations concepts, increased performance, and new business and operating models. Advancements in optical communications will enable high-speed data channels and the use of new and more complex science instruments. Modern multiple beam/multiple access technologies such as those employed on commercial high throughput satellites will enable enhanced capabilities for on-demand service, and with new protocols will help provide Internet-like connectivity for cooperative spacecraft to improve data return and coordinate joint mission objectives. On-board processing with autonomous and cognitive networking will play larger roles to help manage system complexity. Spacecraft and ground systems will coordinate among themselves to establish communications, negotiate link connectivity, and learn to share spectrum to optimize resource allocation. Spacecraft will autonomously navigate, plan trajectories, and handle off-nominal events. NASA intends to leverage the ever-expanding capabilities of the satellite communications industry and foster its continued growth. NASA's technology development will complement and extend commercial capabilities to meet unique space environment requirements and to provide capabilities that are beyond the commercial marketplace. The progress of the communications industry, including the emerging global space internet segment and its planned constellations of 100's of satellites offer additional opportunities for new capability and mission concepts. The opportunities and challenges of a future space architecture require an optimal solution encompassing a global perspective. The concepts and technologies intentionally define an architecture that applies not only to NASA, but to other U.S. government agencies, international space and government agencies, and domestic and international industries to advance the openness, interoperability, and affordability of space communications. Cooperation among the worlds space agencies, their capabilities, standards, operations, and interoperability are key to advancing humankinds understand of the universe and extending human presence into the solar system.

deep space↗

NASA NTRS2018

Next-Generation NASA Earth-Orbiting Relay Satellites: Fusing Microwave and Optical Communications

NASA is currently considering architectures and concepts for the generation of relay satellites that will replace the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which has been flying since 1983. TDRS-M, the last of the second TDRS generation, launched in August 2017, extending the life of the TDRS constellation beyond 2030. However, opportunities exist to re-engineer the concepts of geosynchronous Earth relay satellites. The needs of the relay satellite customers have changed dramatically over the last 34 years since the first TDRS launch. There is a demand for greater bandwidth as the availability of the traditional RF spectrum for space communications diminishes and the demand for ground station access grows. The next generation of NASA relay satellites will provide for operations that have factored in these new constraints. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous constellation of geosynchronous relay satellites employing optical and RF communications. The new constellation will enable new optical communications services formed by user-to-space relay, space relay-to-space relay and space relay-to-ground links. It will build upon the experience from the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration from 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to be launched in 2019.Simultaneous to establishment of the optical communications space segment, spacecraft in the TDRS constellation will be replaced with RF relay satellites with targeted subsets of the TDRS capabilities. This disaggregation of the TDRS service model will allow for flexibility in replenishing the needs of legacy users as well as addition of new capabilities for future users. It will also permit the U.S. government access to launch capabilities such as rideshare and to hosted payloads that were not previously available. In this paper, we also explore how the next generation of Earth relay satellites provides a significant boost in the opportunities for commercial providers to the communications space segment. For optical communications, the backbone of this effort is adoption of commercial technologies from the terrestrial high-bandwidth telecommunications industry into optical payloads. For RF communications, the explosion of software-defined radio, high-speed digital signal processing technologies and networking from areas such as 5G multicarrier will be important. Future commercial providers will not be limited to a small set of large aerospace companies. Ultimately, entirely government-owned and -operated satellite communications will phase out and make way for commercial business models that satisfy NASAs satellite communications requirements. The competition being provided by new entrants in the space communications business may result in a future in which all NASA communications needs can be satisfied commercially.

Space Communications↗

NASA NTRS2018

Next-Generation NASA Earth-Orbiting Relay Satellites: Fusing Optical and Microwave Communications

NASA is currently considering architectures and concepts for the generation of relay satellites that will replace the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which has been flying since 1983. TDRS-M, the last of the second TDRS generation, launched in August 2017, extending the life of the TDRS constellation beyond 2030. However, opportunities exist to re-engineer the concepts of geosynchronous Earth relay satellites. The needs of the relay satellite customers have changed dramatically over the last 34 years since the first TDRS launch. There is a demand for greater bandwidth as the availability of the traditional RF spectrum for space communications diminishes and the demand for ground station access grows. The next generation of NASA relay satellites will provide for operations that have factored in these new constraints. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous constellation of geosynchronous relay satellites employing optical and RF communications. The new constellation will enable new optical communications services formed by user-to-space relay, space relay-to-space relay and space relay-to-ground links. It will build upon the experience from the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration from 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to be launched in 2019.Simultaneous to establishment of the optical communications space segment, spacecraft in the TDRS constellation will be replaced with RF relay satellites with targeted subsets of the TDRS capabilities. This disaggregation of the TDRS service model will allow for flexibility in replenishing the needs of legacy users as well as addition of new capabilities for future users. It will also permit the U.S. government access to launch capabilities such as rideshare and to hosted payloads that were not previously available.In this paper, we also explore how the next generation of Earth relay satellites provides a significant boost in the opportunities for commercial providers to the communications space segment. For optical communications, the backbone of this effort is adoption of commercial technologies from the terrestrial high-bandwidth telecommunications industry into optical payloads. For RF communications, the explosion of software-defined radio, high-speed digital signal processing technologies and networking from areas such as 5G multicarrier will be important. Future commercial providers will not be limited to a small set of large aerospace companies. Ultimately, entirely government-owned and -operated satellite communications will phase out and make way for commercial business models that satisfy NASA's satellite communications requirements. The competition being provided by new entrants in the space communications business may result in a future in which all NASA communications needs can be satisfied commercially.

Space Communications↗

NASA NTRS2018

Heater Validation for the NEXT-C Hollow Cathodes

Swaged cathode heaters whose design was successfully demonstrated under a prior flight project are to be provided by the NASA Glenn Research Center for the NEXT-C ion thruster being fabricated by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Extensive requalification activities were performed to validate process controls that had to be re-established or revised because systemic changes prevented reuse of the past approaches. A development batch of heaters was successfully fabricated based on the new process controls. Acceptance and cyclic life testing of multiple discharge and neutralizer sized heaters extracted from the development batch was initiated in August, 2016, with the last heater completing testing in April, 2017. Cyclic life testing results substantially exceeded the NEXT-C thruster requirement as well as all past experience for GRC-fabricated units. The heaters demonstrated ultimate cyclic life capability of 19050 to 33500 cycles. A qualification batch of heaters is now being fabricated using the finalized process controls. A set of six heaters will be acceptance and cyclic tested to verify conformance to the behavior observed with the development heaters. The heaters for flight use will be then be provided to the contractor from the remainder of the qualification batch. This paper summarizes the fabrication process control activities and the acceptance and life testing of the development heater units.

Verhey, Timothy R.↗

NASA NTRS2019

NASA's Next Generation Optical Communications Relay

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program is creating an operational optical communications network to complement its current radio frequency (RF) networks. NASA is currently planning for a new optical communications relay node in geostationary (GEO) orbit to be commissioned in 2025, developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), as evolved from Goddard's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) GEO relay payload that will launch in 2019. The Next Generation optical relay node will serve as an initial element in a larger optical networking constellation that will consist of Government and commercial, and international relays. NASA's nodes will aggregate traffic at data rates of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) from users on the Earth's surface and up through suborbital, LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and even out to Earth-Sun Lagrange (1.25 Mkm) distances. Users that require low-latency will be serviced with an onboard complementary Ka-band downlink service. The next generation network will deploy > 100 Gbps space-to-ground links and also optical crosslinks between nodes to allow for user traffic backhaul to minimize ground station location constraints.

Israel, David↗

NASA NTRS2019

White Papers for the Next Decadal Survey: Thermal Protection Systems and Instrumentation

NASA is anticipated to commission the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey (PSDS) with preparation expected in early calendar year 2020. The new PSDS will outline the priorities of science missions for the decade spanning 2023-2032. For the previous PSDS, the science and technology communities have been invited to submit white papers to the PSDS sub-panels as background information to guide the PSDS recommendations. The National Research Council has previously stated that white papers that represent the opinion of many authors from different institutions carried more significant and weight, and the recommendations from the previous PSDS attempted to reflect more of a consensus opinion.In 2009, a total of 4 white papers were submitted to the PSDS panels regarding thermal protection system (TPS) readiness for missions, as well as one on TPS instrumentation. The TPS readiness papers were co-authored by 90 individuals from many institutions. These white papers surveyed the TPS materials for both forebody and afterbody of a probe and analyzed the suitability of materials for missions to each destination. In addition, each paper outlined the ground testing required and ongoing technology development. Recommendations were provided for further technology development and ground test capability in order to fulfill future missions. Planning for the next PSDS: Many improvements and changes have occurred in the past 10 years with regard to TPS materials and instrumentation. New materials have been developed and tested, such as the high density material Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET), and new capabilities for ground testing for high heating and high pressures have been added such as the 3” nozzle at the Ames arc jet. NASA has also flown several TPS instrumentation suites, such as MEDLI and EFT-1.In order to provide the PSDS sub-panels with the most current information about the state-of-the-art suit-ability for TPS materials for entry missions, we are be-ginning to update and draft new white papers. We will present the outline for material to be covered in the white papers, and we invite all IPPW attendees to parti-ciate in co-authoring these papers.

Hwang, H. H.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Far Field Plume Distribution and Divergence for NEXT: DART Mission

In support of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, laboratory measurements were made on the NEXT ion engine, which will be used for the spacecraft's in-space propulsion [1]. This study revisits a small range of mission-specific 2.7A throttle levels to understand the effect of in-flight flow rate variability, investigate intermediate throttle conditions, and improve measurement methodology. This paper specifically examines the far-field plume divergence and backflow ion flux distribution of the NEXT, while a companion paper examines the charge state distributions.

Throttle Levels↗

NASA NTRS2016

Deep Space Network: the Next 50 Years

In 2014, NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) celebrated its 50th year of enabling exploration of the Moon, Solar System planets, and beyond. During those 50 years, the DSN has grown along with the associated spacecraft flight systems, providing some 13 orders of magnitude communications systems improvement. It has also contributed to many of the world’s most important scientific discoveries and provided substantial technological spinoffs that have become part of everyday life on Earth. Studies of the next 25 years indicate that deep space missions will need an order of magnitude increased communications performance per decade - and this is likely to continue beyond that time. As exhibited by this meeting, another major change happening right now is the emergence of a standardized international community for tracking deep space missions. The future definitely involves increased international cooperation. This paper explains the near term plans already underway for the DSN. We also consider the plans and possibilities for deep space optical communications. Finally, we will discuss opportunities for international participation in the next 50 years of deep space exploration.

Deutsch, Leslie J.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Advances in Above- and In-Water Radiometry, Volume 3: Hybridspectral Next-Generation Optical Instruments

This publication documents the scientific advances associated with new instrument systems and accessories built to improve above- and in-water observations of the apparent optical properties (AOPs) for a diversity of water masses, including optically complex waters. The principal objective is to be prepared for the launch of next-generation ocean color satellites with the most capable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) instrumentation in the shortest time possible. The technologies described herein are entirely new hybrid sampling capabilities, so as to satisfy the requirements established for next-generation missions. Both above- and in-water instruments are documented with software options for autonomous control of data collection activities as applicable. The instruments were developed for the Hybridspectral Alternative for Remote Profiling of Optical Observations for NASA Satellites (HARPOONS) vicarious calibration project. The state-of-the-art accuracy required for vicarious calibration also led to the development of laboratory instruments to ensure the field observations were within uncertainty requirements. Separate detailed presentations of the individual instruments provide the hardware designs, accompanying software for data acquisition and processing, and examples of the results achieved.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Next-Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Study

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) have been used to power NASA missions of various types throughout the past five decades. The most recent RTG iteration, used for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, is the Multi-Mission RTG (MMRTG), which is currently the only spaceflight-qualified system available. The U.S. planetary science community has expressed a desire for more power system options to be available to accommodate a range of ambitious future mission concepts across the solar system. Recent advancements in thermoelectric (TE) materials technology have raised a potential for significantly increased efficiency in future RTGs, which helped spur a recent in-depth NASA study of options for future systems. A “next-generation” RTG study was conducted to develop new RTG concepts that could meet the needs of planetary science missions through the 2030s and beyond. A Next-Generation RTG would aim to extend the types of potential NASA missions able to be supported, while fulfilling requirements related to technical risk and schedule. In this study, 21 potential thermoelectric couple configurations were analyzed by considering various high-performance, high-temperature TE materials and segmentation techniques that maximize convertor efficiency and power density. System modularity was explored, and found to be a promising means to offer improved flexibility for NASA mission concepts with varying scope and power requirements. This paper presents the results of the study, demonstrating the viability of developing an updated RTG system design, and defining conceptual system approaches for a new, potentially revolutionary RTG.

Matthes, Christopher S. R.↗

NASA NTRS2019

NEXT Ion Propulsion System Risk Mitigation Tests in Support of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission

Risk mitigation tests have been conducted by the NASA Glenn Research Center and The Aerospace Corporation in support of the DART Mission. The tests focused on NEXT performance characterizations intended to ensure its operations and characteristics are compatible with the DART mission operations, and to assist in the definition of the propulsion system. Tests were performed at the Aerospace Corporation and they involved: flow sensitivity-analyses, steady-state performance characterizations, and measurements of thruster erosion. The tests also involved defining, demonstrating, verifying, and evaluating the start-up sequences and a beam current regulation algorithm consistent with DART mission requirements. It was found that NEXT thruster operations are compatible with the proposed relaxation of flow control ranges for ignition and for steady-state operation.

Thomas, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Qualification of the Flight Heaters for the NEXT-C Hollow Cathodes

After successful validation of the design, swaged cathode heaters have been delivered by the NASA Glenn Research Center to Aerojet Rocketdyne for the fabrication of the NEXT-C ion thruster. NASA Glenn Research Center re-established and validated process controls as well as completed cyclic life testing of development heaters. Following an extensive requalification program, fabrication of a flight batch of heaters was executed using the qualified process controls. Of the 28 heaters fabricated in this flight batch, a set of six heaters were acceptance and cyclic tested to verify conformance with operational requirements. Upon completion of 200 percent of the NEXT-C cyclic requirement, the heater batch was certified by NASA for use in the flight hollow cathodes. Nine heaters from the batch of 28 were provided to Aerojet Rocketdyne in early 2018 for cathode fabrication. This paper summarizes the acceptance and cyclic life testing of the flight heaters and preliminary findings of post-test analyses.

Arthur, Neil↗

NASA NTRS2019

NASA's Next Generation ≥100 Gbps Optical Communications Relay

NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program is creating an operational optical communications network to complement its current radio frequency (RF) networks. NASA is currently planning for a new optical communications relay node in geostationary (GEO) orbit to be commissioned in 2025, developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), as evolved from Goddard’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) GEO relay payload that will launch in 2019. The Next Generation optical relay node will serve as an initial element in a larger optical networking constellation that will consist of Government and commercial, and international relays. NASA’s nodes will aggregate traffic at data rates of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) from users on the Earth’s surface and up through suborbital, LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar and even out to Earth-Sun Lagrange (1.25 Mkm) distances. Users that require low-latency will be serviced with an onboard complementary Ka-band downlink service. The next generation network will deploy ≥ 100 Gbps space-to-ground links and also optical crosslinks between nodes to allow for user traffic backhaul to minimize ground station location constraints.

Park, Elizabeth A.↗

NASA NTRS2019

NEXT Ion Propulsion System Risk Mitigation Tests in Support of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission

Thomas, Robert E.↗