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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 289 records · Page 16

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NASA NTRS1979

Solar Mesosphere Explorer optical-mechanical systems engineering

Mission overview of the Solar Mesosphere Explorer is presented along with design analysis and summaries of results. The Solar Mesosphere Explorer is a spin stabilized satellite carrying a complement of four Ebert-Fastie spectrometers and a four-channel Mersenne radiometer. Description of the spectrometer is given including a telescope and its aberrations. The radiometer is also described with consideration given to isothermal and thermal design, a Winston paraboloid, and optical tolerances. These five instruments are for measuring the earth's ozone density and distribution and providing quantitative data about those processes which govern the formation and destruction of ozone.

Gause, K. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

SERT II 1979 extended flight thruster system performance

The SERT II spacecraft, launched in 1970, has been maintained in an operational, but intermittently active status since 1971. Periodic thruster status has been reported while waiting for normal orbit precession to return the spacecraft to continuous sunlight in 1979. Now, the thruster has been operated for 600 hours in the first quarter of 1979. Thruster startup and operation in 1979 is unchanged after 9 years in space. The ion thruster was gimbaled and used to maintain spin stabilization of the spacecraft. Minor components of the spacecraft have failed, but have not interfered with the functional status of the spacecraft.

Kerslake, W. R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Pioneer Saturn

The Pioneer Saturn spacecraft, designated Pioneer 11 until its encounter with Jupiter, is presented, and its trajectory is reported. The 550-pound spin-stabilized spacecraft carries 12 scientific instruments, 11 of which were operational during its encounters with Jupiter and Saturn. After the successful completion of the Pioneer 10 Jupiter fly-by, for which Pioneer 11 was intended as a back-up, the Pioneer 11 spacecraft was committed to a Saturn-bound trajectory, and was sent on a spiral trajectory around Jupiter to approach Saturn. After mid-course maneuvers, the spacecraft arrived at Saturn on September 1, 1979, where it penetrated the ring plane outside of the visible rings, descending from above the ecliptic plane late in the morning quadrant, and making measurements of the planetary magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, infrared radiation and gravitational and atmospheric effects on the radio signal. Pioneer Saturn departed from Saturn slightly above the ring plane, crossing the orbit of Titan 25 hr after Saturn flyby, and became the second spacecraft to escape the solar system.

Dyer, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Pioneer Venus spacecraft design and operation

The Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Multiprobe spacecraft design and operation enabled both remote and in-situ measurements of the Venusian environment from the outermost fringes of the atmosphere all the way to the surface. Both spacecraft were spin-stabilized and solar-cell powered from launch to Venus. Since orbit insertion, the Orbiter has been transmitting measurements from a highly elliptical 24-h orbit with periapsis altitudes down to about 150 km. Data rates up to 2048 bits/s have been utilized through a despun high-gain antenna transmitting at S-band frequency. Spacecraft attitudes, orbit periods, and periapsis altitudes are being maintained as required with a hydrazine propulsion system. The Multiprobe spacecraft (Bus with all four Probes attached) performed the necessary Probe checkouts and deployed the Probes to achieve the desired Probe and Bus targeting. Silver-zinc batteries provided the necessary power on each of the four Probes from separation from the Bus through the entry/descent sequence. Data rates of 256 and 128 bits/s on the Large Probe were maintained with 40-W radiated power, and 64 and 16 bits/s on the Small Probes were maintained with 10-W radiated power, through omni antennas directly to Earth-based stations. Each Probe's entry/descent sequence was controlled with a hardwired entry sequence programmer to achieve the desired scientific and spacecraft operations.

Nothwang, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Delta V errors due to attitude correction maneuvers of a spinning spacecraft

A statistical error analysis has been performed to evaluate the change in velocity of a spin stabilized spacecraft due to thruster induced attitude correction maneuvers. Analytical expressions were developed to determine the mean and variance of the velocity in terms of the nominal values and uncertainties of key spacecraft parameters. These parameters include thrust, thruster timing, thruster alignment, plume impingement force and estimated spacecraft mass. Typical values of these parameters and their uncertainties for NASA's Galileo spacecraft were used to evaluate these expressions. The results of the analysis allow the effect of attitude correction maneuvers to be evaluated with respect to the functional requirements on nongravitational acceleration. Other results include the identification of major sources of delta V error and studies of the sensitivity of delta V to variations in the error sources.

Zipursky, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Solar Mesosphere Explorer

Five experiments and the instruments packages designed for use in studying reactions between sunlight, ozone, and other chemicals in the atmosphere as well as for determining how ozone concentrations are transported in the mesosphere are described. The spin-stabilized satellite carrying the experiments consists of an observatory module and a spacecraft bus. Powered by a solar array which charges the nickel-cadmium batteries, the satellite is to be inserted into a sun synchronous orbit by a two stage Delta 2310 launch vehicle. The mission objectives, spacecraft configurations, and various subsystems are described as well as the ground support and prelaunch operations.

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NASA NTRS1981

Rotary and Magnus balances

Two wind tunnel techniques for determining part of the aerodynamic information required to describe the dynamic bahavior of various types of vehicles in flight are described. Force and moment measurements are determined with a rotary-balance apparatus in a coning motion and with a Magnus balance in a high-speed spinning motion. Coning motion is pertinent to both aircraft and missiles, and spinning is important for spin stabilized missiles. Basic principles of both techniques are described, and specific examples of each type of apparatus are presented. Typical experimental results are also discussed.

Malcolm, G. N.↗

NASA NTRS1981

The International Solar Polar Mission - United States and Europe plan for a new look at the sun

A three-dimensional polar orbit exploration of the sun and solar-related phenomena in the heliosphere through the International Solar Polar Mission (ISPM) is discussed. The characteristics of the out-of-the-ecliptic mission are mentioned and a detailed list of the scientific objectives is given: properties of the solar corona, the solar wind, the structure of the sun-wind interface, the heliospheric magnetic field, solar and non-solar cosmic rays, solar radio bursts and plasma waves, and the interstellar/interplanetary neutral gas and dust. Measurements of the Jovian magnetosphere during the Jupiter flyby phase and interplanetary physics investigations during the initial earth-Jupiter phase are pointed out as secondary objectives. The Nasa spacecraft with a sun-pointing despun platform on which the White Light Coronagraph/X-Ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope (CXX), and the Mass Separating Ion Instrument are mounted, is detailed. The operational configuration of EASA, a spin stabilized spacecraft, is given and characteristics of special features such as the large paraboloidal high gain antenna, the radio-isotope thermoelectric generator, the radial boom and the central equipment compartment are described and shown in a diagram. The mission design and launch parameters block diagrams are given.

Purdy, W. I., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1981

First detection of line emission from the hot interstellar medium with solid state detectors

Previously reported enhanced soft X-ray emission from the North-Galactic Polar region supports the theory of a hot interstellar component. This paper reports the first detection of line emission from the hot interstellar component in the North-Galactic-Polar region. Measurements were made with solid state Si(Li) detectors aboard a spin-stabilized rocket launched from the White Sands Missile Range on March 22, 1980. Two features are clearly present in the low energy portion of the spectrum derived from the data. They correspond to emission lines from C V (300 eV) and C VI (360 eV), and from O VII (560 eV) and O VIII (650 eV). The detection of emission lines coming from these highly stripped ions is direct evidence for the thermal origin of the emission and confirms the presence of a hot (1-million K) component in the interstellar medium.

Schnopper, H. W.↗

NASA NTRS1981

SMM attitude control recovery

A description is given of the way in which the Modular Attitude Control System (MACS) onboard computer of the NASA Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) laboratory was reprogrammed, to restore attitude control for the SMM, after fuse failures permanently disabled all three of the MACS primary reaction wheels. Algorithms were developed which provided both a thermal- and power-safe, spin-stabilized mode and three-axis sun pointing, using the damaged primary wheels' backup skew wheel in a momentum-bias control scheme. Magnetic torquing was used in these algorithms for angular momentum vector magnitude and directional control.

Hoffman, H. C.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Solar sail Engineering Development Mission

Since photons have momentum, a useful force can be obtained by reflecting sunlight off of a large, low mass surface (most likely a very thin metal-coated plastic film) and robbing the light of some of its momentum. A solar sail Engineering Development Mission (EDM) is currently being planned by the World Space Foundation for the purpose of demonstrating and evaluating solar sailing technology and to gain experience in the design and operation of a spacecraft propelled by sunlight. The present plan is for the EDM spacecraft to be launched (sail stowed) in a spin-stabilized configuration into an initial elliptical orbit with an apogee of 36,000 km and a perigee of a few hundred kilometers. The spacecraft will then use its own chemical propulsion system to raise the perigee to at least 1,200 km. The deployed sail will have an area of 880 sq m and generate a solar force of about 0.007 N.

Price, H. W.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Faraday rotation measurement method and apparatus

A method and device for measuring Faraday rotation of a received RF signal is described. A simultaneous orthogonal polarization receiver compensates for a 3 db loss due to splitting of a received signal into left circular and right circular polarization channels. The compensation is achieved by RF and modulation arraying utilizing a specific receiver array which also detects and measures Faraday rotation in the presence or absence of spin stabilization effects on a linear polarization vector. Either up-link or down-link measurement of Faraday rotation is possible. Specifically, the Faraday measurement apparatus utilized in conjunction with the specific receiver array provides a means for comparing the phase of a reference signal in the receiver array to the phase of a tracking loop signal related to the incoming signal, and comparing the phase of the reference signal to the phase of the tracking signal shifted in phase by 90 degrees. The averaged and unaveraged signals, are compared, the phase changes between the two signals being related to Faraday rotation.

Brockman, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Mathematical Simulation of Flight Maneuvers

Mathematical model simulates response of spin-stabilized spacecraft to commanded thruster pulses, using set of equations based on known inertial properties of vehicle and previously-determined thrustor performance. Model used to generate sequence of thrustor commands to accomplish specified maneuver.

Frauenholz, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Nutation Damper System

The Nutation Damper System is a three function mechanism designed for the Galileo Spacecraft, a spin stabilized deep-space probe to Jupiter. By damping the movement of a large deployable science boom acting as an outboard pendulum, the nutation damper rapidly stabilizes the spacecraft from dynamic irregularities. The system includes the boom deployment device and the ultra-low friction boom hinge. This paper describes the mechanism, the degree to which friction, stiction and lost motion have been eliminated, and the unique test methods that allow its performance to be measured.

Sevilla, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Mechanically scanned deployable antenna study

The conceptual design of a Mechanically Scanned Deployable Antenna which is launched by the STS (Space Shuttle) to provide radiometric brightness temperature maps of the Earth and oceans at selected frequency bands in the frequency range of 1.4 GHz to 11 GHz is presented. Unlike previous scanning radiometric systems, multiple radiometers for each frequency are required in order to fill in the resolution cells across the swath created by the 15 meter diameter spin stabilized system. This multiple beam radiometric system is sometimes designated as a ""whiskbroom'' system in that it combines the techniques of the scanning and ""pushbroom'' type systems. The definition of the feed system including possible feed elements and location, determination of the fundamental reflector feed offset geometry including offset angles and f/D ratio, preliminary estimates of the beam efficiency of the feed reflector system, a summary of reflector mesh losses at the proposed radiometric frequency bands, an overall conceptual configuration design and preliminary structural and thermal analyses are included.

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NASA NTRS1983

Mars Geoscience Climatology Orbiter (MGCO) extended study: Technical volume

The FLTSATCOM Earth orbiting communications satellite is a prominent candidate to serve as the Mars Geoscience Climatology Orbiter (MGCO) spacecraft. Major aspects directly applicable are: (1) the incorporation of solid orbit insertion motor; (2) the ability to cruise to Mars in the spin-stabilized mode; (3) ample capability for payload mass and power; (4) attitude control tried to nadir and orbit plane coordinates; (5) exemplary Earth orbital performance record and projected lifetime; and (6) existence of an on-going procurement into the MGCO time period.

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NASA NTRS1983

Accelerometer-enhanced orbit control near the sun-earth L1 libration point

Because the halo-orbit about the sun-earth L(1) libration point in which the satellite ISEE-3 was maintained for nearly four years is unstable, a loose control scheme about a precomputed nominal path was implemented which required orbit maneuvers approximately every three months. Execution errors were minimized by processing on-board accelerometer telemetry data in real time, and adjusting the maneuvers. Because spacecraft vibrations caused oscillations in the accelerometer data, smoothing techniques were applied to provide accurate estimates of the performance of pulse mode thrusters employed in the spin stabilization of the spacecraft. It has been found that the processed accelerometer data has an average error of only + or - 1.3 per cent.

Muhonen, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Penn State Get Away Special

Three proposed spaceborne experiments to be conducted by equipment in the Get Away Special (GAS) payload are described. The specific contribution and effect of convection in heat transfer is discussed. Investigations of the surface tension of two liquids in space environment and the problem of liquid slosh in spin stabilized satellites are reviewed.

Thames, M.↗