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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

Aerogels: Overview and Outlook for Future Space and Terrestrial Applications at NASA

Aerogels are a class of porous solids which exhibit many extreme properties originating from a nanoporous skeletal architecture. One class of aerogel, polyimide-based, possesses low dielectric constants, low thermal conductivities, high porosity, flexibility and low densities with outstanding mechanical properties. Due to their wide array of interesting and useful material properties, they are being employed in many new applications as an enabling technology. In this presentation, I will be giving an overview into the history, properties, and synthesis of aerogels along with a few successful projects at NASA involving the synthesis of novel aerogel formulations.

Nanoporous↗

Development of a Photosynthesis Measurement Chamber under Different Airspeeds for Applications in Future Space Crop-Production Facilities

Space crop production systems are being developed to grow fresh produce in-situ to supplement the astronauts’ diet, but the required ventilation rates for crops in different gravity environments remains poorly understood. The reduction or lack of buoyancy-driven convection in reduced gravity environments leads to impaired gas exchange (CO2 absorption, water transpiration and O2 release) at the leaf surface if no extra ventilation is provided, and this could lead to a reduction in biomass production in the long run. To better characterize the influence of different airspeeds on photosynthesis and be able to model this in low gravity, a chamber was designed to interface with a LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system. This paper details the design of this chamber, specifically made to measure whole-plant and small canopy gas exchange at different airspeeds. The fans provide turbulent mixing in the chamber to ensure that it behaves like a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR)and that the residence time distribution (RTD) is the same for any fan speed; the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of the gas domain (the air in the chamber) hence uses a k-omega turbulence model. An airflow map of the chamber was created using anemometer measurements for the different airspeeds tested, and this was used together with the CFD simulation results to relate the experimentally measured fan outputs to actual airspeeds on top of an artificial plant. Environmental parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, CO2level) are controlled by the LI-6800. This work was funded by NASA Space Biology through the NASA postdoctoral program / USRA.

Lucie Poulet↗

The Galileo Spacecraft: A Communications Legacy for Future Space Flight

The Galileo mission to Jupiter has implemented a wide range of telecommunication improvements in response to the loss of it's high gain antenna. Among the communications enhancements that have been made are the use of advanced compression techniques, packetized telemetry, new error correcting codes and algorithms, more efficient modulation, variable transmission data rates, routine ground antenna arraying (even between continents,) extremely sensitive ground receivers, and non-real-time automated data reconstruction. This telecommunications legacy of Galileo will aid in our abillity to conduct a meaningful exploration of the solar system, and beyond, at a reasonable cost.

Galileo↗