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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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At least 271 records · Page 15

Attitude Drift Analysis for the WIND and POLAR Missions

The spin axis attitude drift due to environmental torques acting on the Global Geospace Science (GGS) Interplanetary Physics Laboratory (WIND) and the Polar Plasma Laboratory (POLAR) and the subsequent impact on the maneuver planning strategy for each mission is investigated. A brief overview of each mission is presented, including mission objectives, requirements, constraints, and spacecraft design. The environmental torques that act on the spacecraft and the relative importance of each is addressed. Analysis results are presented that provide the basis for recommendations made pre-launch to target the spin axis attitude to minimize attitude trim maneuvers for both spacecraft over their respective mission lives. It is demonstrated that attitude drift is not the dominant factor in maintaining the pointing requirement for each spacecraft. Further it is demonstrated that the WIND pointing cannot be met pas 4 months due to the Sun angle constraint, while the POLAR initial attitude can be chosen such that attitude trim maneuvers are not required during each 6 month viewing period.

Crouse, Patrick↗

Highlights of Recent Research Activities at the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office

The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) was established at the NASA Johnson Space Center in 1979. The ODPO has initiated and led major orbital debris research activities over the past 38 years, including developing the first set of the NASA orbital debris mitigation requirements in 1995 and supporting the establishment of the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices in 2001. This paper is an overview of the recent ODPO research activities, ranging from ground-based and in-situ measurements, to laboratory tests, and to engineering and long-term orbital debris environment modeling. These activities highlight the ODPO's commitment to continuously improve the orbital debris environment definition to better protect current and future space missions from the low Earth orbit to the geosynchronous Earth orbit regions.

Liou, J - C.↗

Mars Lander Robotics and Machine Vision Capabilities for in situ Planetary Science

We overview our recent progress in lander-based robotics for Mars planetary science. Utilizing a 1:1 scale laboratory replica of the NASA Mars Surveyor '98 mission, JPL engineers and Mars sciencce colleagues have demonstrated approaches to lander science functions such as robotic sample acquisiiton and deposition, end-effector based microscopic viewing, hand-carried science instrument data collection, and science instrument emplacement by a robot.

robotics↗

An Overview of Scientific and Space Weather Results from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) Mission

The Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) Mission of the Air Force Research Laboratory is described. C/NOFS science objectives may be organized into three categories: (1) to understand physical processes active in the background ionosphere and thermosphere in which plasma instabilities grow; (2) to identify mechanisms that trigger or quench the plasma irregularities responsible for signal degradation; and (3) to determine how the plasma irregularities affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves. The satellite was launched in April, 2008 into a low inclination (13 deg), elliptical (400 x 850 km) orbit. The satellite sensors measure the following parameters in situ: ambient and fluctuating electron densities, AC and DC electric and magnetic fields, ion drifts and large scale ion composition, ion and electron temperatures, and neutral winds. C/NOFS is also equipped with a GPS occultation receiver and a radio beacon. In addition to the satellite sensors, complementary ground-based measurements, theory, and advanced modeling techniques are also important parts of the mission. We report scientific and space weather highlights of the mission after nearly four years in orbit

Pfaff, R.↗

Stratospheric Ozone Intercomparison Campaign (STOIC) 1989: Overview

The NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Program organized a Stratospheric Ozone Intercomparison Campaign (STOIC) held in July-August 1989 at the Table Mountain Facility (TMF) of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary instruments participating in this campaign were several that had been developed by NASA for the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change: the JPL ozone lidar at TMF, the Goddard Space Flight Center trailer-mounted ozone lidar which was moved to TMF for this comparison, and the Millitech/LaRC microwave radiometer. To assess the performance of these new instruments, a validation/intercomparison campaign was undertaken using established techniques: balloon ozonesondes launched by personnel from the Wallops Flight Facility and from NOAA Geophysical Monitoring for Climate Change (GMCC) (now Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory), a NOAA GMCC Dobson spectrophotometer, and a Brewer spectrometer from the Atmospheric Environment Service of Canada, both being used for column as well as Umkehr profile retrievals. All of these instruments were located at TMF and measurements were made as close together in time as possible to minimize atmospheric variability as a factor in the comparisons. Daytime rocket measurements of ozone were made by Wallops Flight Facility personnel using ROCOZ-A instruments launched from San Nicholas Island. The entire campaign was conducted as a blind intercomparison, with the investigators not seeing each others data until all data had been submitted to a referee and archived at the end of the 2-week period (July 20 to August 2, 1989). Satellite data were also obtained from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE 2) aboard the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aboard Nimbus 7. An examination of the data has found excellent agreement among the techniques, especially in the 20- to 40-km range. As expected, there was little atmospheric variability during the intercomparison, allowing for detailed statistical comparisons at a high level of precision. This overview paper summarizes the campaign and provides a 'road map' to subsequent papers in this issue by the individual instrument teams which will present more detailed analysis of the data and conclusions.

Margitan, J. J.↗

SAFSIM overview

An overview of the systems analysis flow simulator (SAFSIM) computer program is provided. SAFSIM is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories and is currently funded by the Air Force Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) Program. SAFSIM is a general purpose, Fortran computer program to simulate the integrated performance of complex systems involving fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and reactor dynamics. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the engineering simulation of almost any system. SAFSIM is based on a 1-D finite element model and provides the analyst with approximate solutions to complex problems.

Dobranich, Dean↗

RACE pulls for shared control

Maintaining and supporting an aircraft fleet, in a climate of reduced manpower and financial resources, dictates effective utilization of robotics and automation technologies. To help develop a winning robotics and automation program the Air Force Logistics Command created the Robotics and Automation Center of Excellence (RACE). RACE is a command wide focal point. Race is an organic source of expertise to assist the Air Logistic Center (ALC) product directorates in improving process productivity through the judicious insertion of robotics and automation technologies. RACE is a champion for pulling emerging technologies into the aircraft logistic centers. One of those technology pulls is shared control. Small batch sizes, feature uncertainty, and varying work load conspire to make classic industrial robotic solutions impractical. One can view ALC process problems in the context of space robotics without the time delay. The ALC's will benefit greatly from the implementation of a common architecture that supports a range of control actions from fully autonomous to teleoperated. Working with national laboratories and private industry, we hope to transition shared control technology to the depot floor. This paper provides an overview of the RACE internal initiatives and customer support, with particular emphasis on production processes that will benefit from shared control technology.

Leahy, M. B., Jr.↗

Overview of the Preliminary Design of the Optical Communication Demonstration and High-Rate Link Facility

Tlis paper presents an overview of the preliminary design of both the flight and ground systems of the Optical Communication Demonstration and High-Rate Link Facility which will demonstrate optical communication from the International Space Station to ground after its deployment in October 2002. The overview of the preliminary design of the Flight System proceeds by contrasting it with the design of the laboratory-model unit, emphasizing key changes and the rationale behind the design choices. After presenting the preliminary design of the Ground System, the timetable for the construction and deployment of the flight and ground systems is outlined.

Sandusky, John V.↗

Development and Demonstration of a Self-Calibrating Pseudolite Array for Task Level Control of a Planetary Rover

Pseudolites can extend the availability of GPS-type positioning systems to a wide range of applications not possible with satellite-only GPS. One such application is Mars exploration, where the centimeter-level accuracy and high repeatability of CDGPS would make it attractive for rover positioning during autonomous exploration, sample collection, and habitat construction if it were available. Pseudolites distributed on the surface would allow multiple rovers and/or astronauts to share a common navigational reference. This would help enable cooperation for complicated science tasks, reducing the need for instructions from Earth and increasing the likelihood of mission success. Conventional GPS Pseudolite arrays require that the devices be pre-calibrated through a Survey of their locations, typically to sub-centimeter accuracy. This is a problematic task for robots on the surface of another planet. By using the GPS signals that the Pseudolites broadcast, however, it is possible to have the array self-survey its own relative locations, creating a SelfCalibrating Pseudolite Array (SCPA). This requires the use of GPS transceivers instead of standard pseudolites. Surveying can be done either at carrier- or code-phase levels. An overview of SCPA capabilities, system requirements, and self-calibration algorithms is presented in another work. The Aerospace Robotics Laboratory at Statif0id has developed a fully operational prototype SCPA. The array is able to determine the range between any two transceivers with either code- or carrier-phase accuracy, and uses this inter-transceiver ranging to determine the at-ray geometry. This paper presents results from field tests conducted at Stanford University demonstrating the accuracy of inter-transceiver ranging and its viability and utility for array localization, and shows how transceiver motion may be utilized to refine the array estimate by accurately determining carrier-phase integers and line biases. It also summarizes the overall system requirements and architecture, and describes the hardware and software used in the prototype system.

Rock, Stephen M.↗

Towards an Improved High Resolution Global Long-Term Solar Resource Database

This paper presents an overview of an ongoing project to develop and deliver a solar mapping processing system to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using the data sets that are planned for production at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). NCDC will be producing a long-term radiance and cloud property data set covering the globe every three hours at an approximate resolution of 10 x 10 km. NASA, the originators of the Surface meteorology and Solar Energy web portal are collaborating with SUNY-Albany to develop the production system and solar algorithms. The initial result will be a global long-term solar resource data set spanning over 25 years. The ultimate goal of the project is to also deliver this data set and production system to NREL for continual production. The project will also assess the impact of providing these new data to several NREL solar decision support tools.

Stackhouse, Paul W.↗

Snow and Water Imaging Spectrometer (SWIS): First alignment and characterization results

The Snow and Water Imaging Spectrometer (SWIS) is a fast, high-uniformity, low-polarization sensitivity imaging spectrometer and telescope system designed for integration on a 6U CubeSat platform. Operating in the 350-1700 nm spectral region with 5.7 nm sampling, SWIS is capable of simultaneously addressing the demanding needs of coastal ocean science and snow and ice monitoring. New key technologies that facilitate the development of this instrument include a linear variable anti-reflection (LVAR) detector coating for stray light management, and a single drive on-board calibration mechanism utilizing a transmissive diffuser for solar calibration. We provide an overview of the SWIS instrument design and potential science applications and describe the instrument assembly and alignment, supported by laboratory measurements.

Van Gorp, Byron E.↗

Laboratory on the Moon: Equipping and Testing of a Habitat Laboratory for the Scientific Exploration of the Moon by Humans

A human habitat on the Moon is predestined to house a laboratory, especially if it is built for scientific missions on the Moon. This laboratory could be used for (1) conducting experiments utilizing the lunar gravity and prepare experiments to be placed outside the laboratory in the lunar environment, (2) conducting analyses of lunar rock and regolith in high volume, and (3) performing preliminary analyses and screening of samples to be sent to Earth for more detailed, specialized analysis. In the past, spaceflight missions have often been implemented by adding scientific instruments after most of the engineering work is already finished, limiting scientific studies to relatively scattered, insular topics. However, if prepared appropriately, a research laboratory on the Moon can help address scientific questions thoroughly and at a fundamental level. Moreover, the challenge of creating a viable habitat is not only an engineering one, but one that requires input from architects, designers, and psychologists. After all, the crew not only works inside the habitat laboratory, but they spend (close to) their entire time on the Moon inside the habitat and under the isolation and confinement that comes with it. We combine science, engineering, and architecture to create a habitat laboratory that meets their conflicting requirements: The laboratory of the Moon and Mars Base Analog (MaMBA) has been designed with inputs from (1) scientists of selected disciplines, particularly geology, materials science, chemistry, biology, and medicine, (2) space architects specializing on extraterrestrial bases, and (3) engineers for the constraints imposed by the lunar environment. The MaMBA laboratory was built in 2019 into the mock-up of the first MaMBA module (out of six). Subsequently, the laboratory was tested by volunteer scientists for its usability. The scientists used the laboratory for work deemed representative of lunar scientific analyses; the complete test runs lasted one week each, with one test run in June 2019 and the second test run in late September 2019 following some modifications suggested by the scientists. Here, we will present an overview of the scientific topics that we think should be addressed on the Moon, together with a suggestion of scientific instrumentation that would be helpful for such investigations. Moreover, we present the MaMBA laboratory, equipped with the proposed instrumentation, and the outcomes of the test runs with a particular focus on the lessons learned regarding the equipping of the laboratory.

Christiane Heinicke↗

Innovations in Delta Differential One-Way Range: from Viking to Mars Science Laboratory

The Deep Space Network has provided the capability for very-long-baseline interferometry measurements in support of spacecraft navigation since the late 1970s. Both system implementation and the importance of such measurements to flight projects have evolved significantly over the past three decades. Innovations introduced through research and development programs have led to much better performance. This paper provides an overview of the development and use of interferometric tracking techniques in the DSN starting with the Viking era and continuing with a description of the current system and its planned use to support Mars Science Laboratory.

VLBI Spacecraft Navigation↗

DAAC Collaboration Overview for AGU

The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC), Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Systems Center (GES DISC), Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Land Processes DAAC, Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), as well as NASA Global Imagery Browse Service (GIBS), Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Geographic Information Systems Team (EGIST), Earthdata Content Delivery Team, ArcGIS Online Governance Team, and the Systematic Data Transformation ACCESS team have come together to establish the ArcGIS DAAC Collaboration. This coalition of participants will demonstrate their use of the ArcGIS Enterprise to support Earth science research, applied science, and outreach using Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data. This includes the use of web services to fuse data products across space and time through services (e.g. ArcGIS Image Services, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Coverage Service (WCS), and OGC Web Mapping Services (WMS)) for analysis in Jupyter notebooks, desktop tools, and web based applications.

Matthew Steven Tisdale↗

NASA's In-Space Manufacturing Project: Development of a Multimaterial, Multiprocess Fabrication Laboratory for the International Space Station

NASA's long term goal is to send humans to Mars. Over the next two decades, NASA will work with private industry to develop and demonstrate the technologies and capabilities needed to support exploration of the red planet by humans and ensure their safe return to earth. To accomplish this goal, NASA is employing a capability driven approach to its human spaceflight strategy. This approach will develop a suite of evolving capabilities which provide specific functions to solve exploration challenges. One challenge that is critical to sustainable and safer exploration is the ability to manufacture and recycle materials in space. This paper provides an overview of NASA's in-space manufacturing project, its past and current activities, and how technologies under development will ultimately culminate in a multimaterial, multiprocess fabrication laboratory ('FabLab') to be deployed on the International Space Station in the early 2020s. ISM is a critical capability for the long endurance missions NASA seeks to undertake in the coming decades. An unanticipated failure that can be adapted for in low earth orbit may result in a loss of mission in transit to Mars. In order to have a suite of functional ISM capabilities that are compatible with NASA's exploration timeline, ISM must be equipped with the resources necessary to develop these technologies and deploy them for testing prior to the scheduled de-orbit of ISS in 2024. The paper will discuss the phased approach to FabLab development, desired capabilities, and requirements for the hardware. The FabLab will move NASA and private industry significantly closer to changing historical paradigms for human spaceflight where all materials used in space are launched from earth. While the FabLab will be tested on ISS, the system is ultimately intended for use in a deep space habitat or transit vehicle.

Prater, T.↗

The Stanford how things work project

We provide an overview of the Stanford How Things Work (HTW) project, an ongoing integrated collection of research activities in the Knowledge Systems Laboratory at Stanford University. The project is developing technology for representing knowledge about engineered devices in a form that enables the knowledge to be used in multiple systems for multiple reasoning tasks and reasoning methods that enable the represented knowledge to be effectively applied to the performance of the core engineering task of simulating and analyzing device behavior. The central new capabilities currently being developed in the project are automated assistance with model formulation and with verification that a design for an electro-mechanical device satisfies its functional specification.

Fikes, Richard↗

STS-112 Mission Highlights Resource Tape Part 2 of 3

An overview of the STS-112 Mission is presented. The fourth flight day begins with a view inside of the Destiny Laboratory of the International Space Station where Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun is shown. The robotics workstation where Mission Specialist Sandra Mangus and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson operate Canadarm 2 to lift the S(1) Truss segment out of the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and maneuver it for installation onto the S(1) Truss is presented. Mission Specialist Piers Sellers is shown preparing for his six and one half hour spacewalk by performing breathing exercises. Animation of the installation of the S(1) Truss, and also the unbirthing of the S(1) truss is also presented. Mission Specialists David Wolf and Piers Sellers are shown getting suited for their spacewalks. During the spacewalk, David Wolf is removing the antenna assembly from its launched position and Piers Sellers is releasing launch restraints from the Radiator Beam Assembly. A beautiful view of the coast of Texas is captured during this spacewalk. Flight day five shows pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialist Dave Wolf working inside of the International Space Station's Quest Airlock. Flight day six is shown with Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers exiting their spacesuits inside of the Quest Airlock Module after a successful spacewalk. This presentation ends with views of the International Space Station's installed S(1) Truss, rotation of the radiator assembly and the radiator's coolant tubing.

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