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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS2003

Space Studies Board Annual Report, 2003

The Space Studies Board is a unit of the NRC's Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS), and it reports to the Division for oversight. DEPS is one of six major program units of the NRC through which the institution conducts its operations on behalf of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Within DEPS there are a total of 14 boards that cover a broad range of physical science and engineering disciplines and mission areas. Members of the DEPS Committee on Engineering and Physical Sciences provide advice on Board membership and advise on proposed new projects to be undertaken by the Board or its committees. Every 3 years the DEPS Committee also reviews the overall operations of each of its boards. The last review of the SSB was in 2001. The Board meets three times per year to review the activities of its committees and task groups and to be briefed on and discuss major space policy issues. An internal executive committee composed of seven at-large members of the Board meets at least once a year and may convene via conference call at other times to plan for SSB activities and to advise the chair between meetings. All projects proposed to be conducted by standing committees or ad hoctask groups must first be reviewed and approved by the Board or its executive committee, and the Board monitors the progress of the projects throughout the course of the studies.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA↗
NASA NTRS1978

Gamma-ray astrophysics - A new look at the universe

Gamma-ray astronomy, which may be defined to include the spectral region from above 100 keV to about 1000 GeV, permits investigation of the most energetic photons originating in the Galaxy and beyond. These observations provide the most direct means of studying the largest transfers of energy occurring in astrophysical processes, including the dynamic effects of the energetic charged cosmic-ray particles, element synthesis, and particle acceleration. Further, gamma-rays suffer negligible absorption or scattering as they travel in straight paths. Hence they may survive billions of years. Studies of the spatial, temporal, and energy distribution of cosmic gamma-rays will, therefore, provide fundamental new information for resolving some of the major problems in astrophysics today. Attention is given to the gamma-ray observations of the solar system, stellar objects, diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galaxy, other galaxies and cosmology, and future prospects.

Trombka, J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Gravitational Wave Astrophysics: Opening the New Frontier

A new era in astronomy will begin when the gravitational wave window onto the universe opens in approx. 5 years) as ground-based detectors make the first detections in the high-frequency regime. Since the universe is nearly transparent to gravitational waves) these signals carry direct information about their sources - such as masses) spins) luminosity distances) and orbital parameters - through dense) obscured regions across cosmic time. This talk will explore gravitational waves as cosmic messengers) highlighting key sources and opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy across the gravitational wave spectrum.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2012

Gravitational Wave Astrophysics: Opening the New Frontier

A new era in astronomy will begin when the gravitational wave window onto the universe opens in approx. 5 years, as ground-based detectors make the first detections in the high-frequency regime. Since the universe is nearly transparent to gravitational waves, these signals carry direct information about their sources - such as masses, spins, luminosity distances, and orbital parameters - through dense, obscured regions across cosmic time. This talk will explore gravitational waves as cosmic messengers, highlighting key sources and opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy across the gravitational wave spectrum.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2018

Arcus Mission Design: Stable Lunar Resonant HEO for X-ray Astronomy

The Arcus mission, proposed for NASA's 2016 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) announcement of opportunity, will use X-ray spectroscopy to detect previously unaccounted quantities of normal matter in the Universe. The Arcus mission design uses 4:1 lunar resonance to provide a stable orbit for visibility of widely-dispersed targets, in a low background radiation environment, above the Van Allen belts for the minimum two-year science mission. Additional ad-vantages of 4:1 resonance are long term stability without maintenance maneuvers, eclipses under 4.5 hours, perigee radius approximately 12 Re for data download, and streamlined operational cadence with approximately 1 week or-bit period.

Arcus↗
NASA NTRS2018

Arcus Mission Design: Stable Lunar-Resonant High Earth Orbit for X-Ray Astronomy

The Arcus mission, proposed for NASA's 2016 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) announcement of opportunity, will use X-ray spectroscopy to detect previously unaccounted quantities of normal matter in the Universe. The Arcus mission design uses 4:1 lunar resonance to provide a stable orbit for visibility of widely-dispersed targets, in a low background radiation environment, above the Van Allen belts for the minimum two-year science mission. Additional ad-vantages of 4:1 resonance are long term stability without maintenance maneu-vers, eclipses under 4.5 hours, perigee radius approximately 12 Re for data download, and streamlined operational cadence with approximately 1 week orbit period.

Arcus↗
NASA NTRS1976

Early Spacelab physics and astronomy missions

Some of the scientific problems which will be investigated during the early Spacelab physics and astronomy missions are reviewed. The Solar Terrestrial Programs will include the Solar Physics Spacelab Payloads (SPSP) and the Atmospheres, Magnetospheres and Plasmas in Space (AMPS) missions. These missions will study the sun as a star and the influence of solar phenomena on the earth, including sun-solar wind interface, the nature of the solar flares, etc. The Astrophysics Spacelab Payloads (ASP) programs are divided into the Ultraviolet-Optical Astronomy and the High Energy Astrophysics areas. The themes of astrophysics Spacelab investigations will cover the nature of the universe, the fate of matter and the life cycles of stars. The paper discusses various scientific experiments and instruments to be used in the early Spacelab missions.

Chapman, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Infrared astronomy

The decade of 1990's presents an opportunity to address fundamental astrophysical issues through observations at IR wavelengths made possible by technological and scientific advances during the last decade. The major elements of recommended program are: the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the IR Optimized 8-m Telescope (IRO), a detector and instrumentation program, the SubMilliMeter Mission (SMMM), the 2 Microns All Sky Survey (2MASS), a sound infrastructure, and technology development programs. Also presented are: perspective, science opportunities, technical overview, project recommendations, future directions, and infrastructure.

Gillett, Frederick↗
NASA NTRS2024

FLUTE: Fluidic Telescope

The future of space-based UV/optical/IR astronomy requires ever larger telescopes. The highest priority astrophysics targets (including Earth-like exoplanets, first generation stars, and early galaxies) are all extremely faint, which presents an ongoing challenge for current missions and is the opportunity space for next generation telescopes: larger telescopes are the primary way to address this issue. The FLUTE project aims to revolutionize space astronomy (and in-space manufacturing of high-precision optics for a variety of other applications) by leveraging the physics of wetting and hydrostatic phenomena in microgravity. The approach being developed by the team uses surface tension to shape a liquid into a desired optical form with sub-nanometer surface quality. A liquid with appropriate optical properties is brought into contact with a high affinity bounding frame, resulting in pinning of the liquid to the frame. In microgravity, the shape of the free surface is dictated solely by surface tension, thus assuming the shape of a spherical cap. Further dynamic control over the shape is possible through changing the liquid volume, the frame geometry, and — if desired — with the addition of external forces (e.g., electromagnetic forces). The approach is scale-invariant and is expected to enable space telescopes with optical apertures measuring in tens or even hundreds of meters, allowing, for instance, direct imaging of extra-solar planets. Both refractive and reflective optical components can be created using this approach. If the liquid’s properties enable solidification (e.g., a liquid metal), the resulting component can then become an optical-grade solid object, without post-processing steps. The approach has been successfully validated in a laboratory neutral buoyancy environment, in parabolic microgravity flights, and in experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). FLUTE is a collaboration between NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. More on information on FLUTE can be found at https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/what-is-the-fluidic-telescope/. This presentation provides an update on the project's accomplishments to-date and discusses next steps.

Space observatory↗
NASA NTRS1989

Signposts to the future

The major scientific issues raised in this meeting about Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are summarized. The X-ray background and the capabilities of missions to be launched in the next 5 years (GRANAT, ROSAT, BBXRT, GRO, Astro-D, SAX, Spectrum-X-gamma, XTE) are discussed. Each one of these missions is considerably more powerful than its predecessor and will add to the knowledge of AGN and the X-ray background. By the end of the 1990's both of the X-ray astronomy Great Observatories, Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) and X-ray Multi mirror Mission (XMM), should be flying, each one of them more powerful than the intermediate scale missions of the early 1990's.

Mushotzky, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Joint NASA/Goddard-University of Maryland Research Program in Charged Particle and High Energy Photon Detector Technology

The Univ. of Maryland portion investigated the following areas. The Space Physics Group performed studies of data from the AMPTE/CCE spacecraft CHEM experiment and found that the ratio of solar wind to photospheric abundances decreased rather smoothly with the first ionization potential (FIP) of the ion with the low FIP ion being about a factor of two overabundant. Carbon and hydrogen fit this trend particularly well. Several occurrences were analyzed of field aligned beams observed when CCE was upstream of the Earth's bow shock. Also using CHEM data, ring current intensity and composition changes during the main and recovery phases of the great geomagnetic storm that occurred in February 1986 was examined in detail. Still using CHEM data, ring current characteristics were examined in a survey of 20 magnetic storms ranging in size from -50 nT to -312 nT. A study was done of energetic ion anisotropy characteristics in the Earth's magnetosheath region using data from the UMD/MPE experiment on ISEE-1. The properties were analyzed of approx. 30 to 130 keV/e protons and alpha particles upstream of six quasi-parallel interplanetary shocks that passed by the ISEE-3 spacecraft during 1978 to 1979. Work from NASA-Goddard include studies from the High Energy Cosmic Ray Group, Low Energy Cosmic Ray Group, Low Energy Gamma Ray Group, High Energy Astrophysics Theory Group, and the X ray Astronomy Group.

Ipavich, F. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Space Studies Board, 1994

This 1994 report of the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council summarizes the charter and organization of the board, activities and membership, major and short reports, and congressional testimony. A cumulative bibliography of the Space Studies (formerly Space Science) Board and its committees is provided. An appendix contains reports of the panel to review Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) plans. Major reports cover scientific opportunities in the human exploration of space, the dichotomy between funding and effectiveness in space physics, an integrated strategy for the planetary sciences for the years 1995-2010, and Office of Naval Research (ONR) research opportunities in upper atmospheric sciences. Short reports cover utilization of the space station, life and microgravity sciences and the space station program, Space Infrared Telescope Facility and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility and Cassini Saturn Probe.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

Future Directions for Astronomical Image Display

In our "Future Directions for Astronomical Image Display" project, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) will evolve our existing image display software into a fully extensible, cross-platform image display server that can run stand-alone or be integrated seamlessly into astronomical analysis systems. We will build a Plug-in Image Extension (PIE) server for astronomy, consisting of a modular image display engine that can be customized using "plug-in" technology. We will create plug-ins that reproduce all the current functionality of SAOtng. We also will devise a messaging system and a set of distributed, shared data objects to support integrating the PIE server into astronomical analysis systems. Finally, we will migrate our PIE server, plug-ins, and messaging software from Unix and the X Window System to a platform-independent architecture that utilizes cross-platform technology such as Tcl/Tk or Java.

Mandel, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2000

Future Directions for Astronomical Image Display

In the "Future Directions for Astronomical Image Displav" project, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) evolved our existing image display program into fully extensible. cross-platform image display software. We also devised messaging software to support integration of image display into astronomical analysis systems. Finally, we migrated our software from reliance on Unix and the X Window System to a platform-independent architecture that utilizes the cross-platform Tcl/Tk technology.

Mandel, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2012

Development of Kilo-Pixel Arrays of Transition-Edge Sensors for X-Ray Spectroscopy

We are developing kilo-pixel arrays of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters for future X-ray astronomy observatories or for use in laboratory astrophysics applications. For example, Athena/XMS (currently under study by the european space agency) would require a close-packed 32x32 pixel array on a 250-micron pitch with < 3.0 eV full-width-half-maximum energy resolution at 6 keV and at count-rates of up to 50 counts/pixel/second. We present characterization of 32x32 arrays. These detectors will be readout using state of the art SQUID based time-domain multiplexing (TDM). We will also present the latest results in integrating these detectors and the TDM readout technology into a 16 row x N column field-able instrument.

Adams, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Unique Science from the Moon in the Artemis Era

Since the beginning of the space age, the Moon has been proposed as a platform for astronomy. The Moon provides unique capabilities for astrophysics observations. NASA’s Artemis plan to return humans to the Moon in the mid-2020s in a sustainable manner provides an opportunity to advance synergistic approaches between human and robotic exploration. This NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) workshop assesses the feasibility and value proposition of using the Moon as a location for performing unique science observations, leveraging Artemis-era infrastructure while evaluating risks and key engineering challenges.

NASA Engineering and Safety Center↗
NASA NTRS2000

NASA's Long Term Space Astrophysics Program

We have carried out a comprehensive, multiwavelength study of interstellar molecules using data obtained from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS). Molecular observations provide a unique probe of the astrophysical Universe and yield information of general astronomical importance that can obtained in no other way. Molecules are also of importance because they can dominate the cooling of astrophysical media. The key topics addressed by our study have been: (1) the cooling of the interstellar gas; (2) the chemistry and excitation of molecular hydrogen in shocks, diffuse molecular clouds, and X-ray heated regions; (3) the chemistry and excitation of interstellar halides in dense molecular clouds, and the discovery of interstellar hydrogen fluoride; (4) the chemistry and excitation of water vapor in shocks, circumstellar outflows, translucent molecular clouds, and dense molecular clouds; (5) future prospects for probing the high-redshift Universe with molecular and other spectroscopic observations.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Optically pumped submillimeter laser heterodyne receivers - Astrophysical observations and recent technical developments

NASA's prospective sub-mm-wave astrophysical missions encompass the Small Explorer Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite, scheduled for launch in 1995, the Submillimeter Intermediate Mission, and the Large Deployable Reflector; until these are operational, sub-mm observations will be conducted at mountain sites and aboard aircraft platforms. Attention is presently given to the technical challenges faced by terahertz-range receiver developers, and it is noted that optically pumped sub-mm lasers furnish the only practical local oscillation source for heterodyne receivers in the 600-3000 GHz range. An account is given of ground-based and airborne astrophysical applications of heterodyne receivers.

Chin, Gordon↗