Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Space Center”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16

Building a Quality Controlled Database of Meteorological Data from NASA Kennedy Space Center and the United States Air Force's Eastern Range

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Natural Environments Branch (EV44) has provided atmospheric databases and analysis in support of space vehicle design and day-of-launch operations for NASA and commercial launch vehicle programs launching from the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force's Eastern Range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The ER complex is one of the most heavily instrumented sites in the United States with over 31 towers measuring various atmospheric parameters on a continuous basis. An inherent challenge with large sets of data consists of ensuring erroneous data is removed from databases, and thus excluded from launch vehicle design analyses. EV44 has put forth great effort in developing quality control (QC) procedures for individual meteorological instruments, however no standard QC procedures for all databases currently exists resulting in QC databases that have inconsistencies in variables, methodologies, and periods of record. The goal of this activity is to use the previous efforts by EV44 to develop a standardized set of QC procedures from which to build meteorological databases from KSC and the ER, while maintaining open communication with end users from the launch community to develop ways to improve, adapt and grow the QC database. Details of the QC procedures will be described. As the rate of launches increases with additional launch vehicle programs, it is becoming more important that weather databases are continually updated and checked for data quality before use in launch vehicle design and certification analyses.

Brenton, James C.↗

Johnson Space Center's strategic game plan: Charting a course to the year 2000 and beyond

The Johnson Space Center has established five major goals to meet the Nation's expectation of maintaining U.S. preeminence in space. The first three are technical in nature. They define the basic mission-the reason for being. The two goals relating to the Space Shuttle and Space Station are obviously the most demanding in their immediate claim for major resources. The third goal is equally important in that the technical competence must be maintained and enhanced. The remaining two goals address the two critical success factors required for achieving the first three. One goal pertains to maintaining and enhancing the highly skilled work force. The other goal concerns the important relations with other key members of the U.S. space team. Each goal is listed along with a proposed strategy or approach for implementing each goal. Subsequently, each goal is accompanied by a brief explanation and a set of objectives. These objectives provide the specific targets of opportunity for focusing the immediate efforts.

Source record↗

Low Cost Propulsion Technology Testing at the Stennis Space Center: Propulsion Test Article and the Horizontal Test Facility

The need for low cost access to space has initiated the development of low cost liquid rocket engine and propulsion system hardware at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This hardware will be tested at the Stennis Space Center's B-2 test stand. This stand has been reactivated for the testing of the Marshall designed Fastrac engine and the Propulsion Test Article. The RP-1 and LOX engine is a turbopump fed gas generator rocket with an ablative nozzle which has a thrust of 60,000 lbf. The Propulsion Test Article (PTA) is a test bed for low cost propulsion system hardware including a composite RP-I tank, flight feedlines and pressurization system, stacked in a booster configuration. The PTA is located near the center line of the B-2 test stand, firing vertically into the water cooled flame deflector. A new second position on the B-2 test stand has been designed and built for the horizontal testing of the Fastrac engine in direct support of the X-34 launch vehicle. The design and integration of these test facilities as well as the coordination which was required between the two Centers is described and lessons learned are provided. The construction of the horizontal test position is discussed in detail. The activation of these facilities is examined and the major test milestones are described.

Fisher, Mark F.↗

The Kennedy Space Center role in Skylab

The Skylab Program had a major impact on the Kennedy Space Center due to the one-of-a-kind nature of its components. KSC was designed as a launch operations Center, with hardware and facilities suitable for repeated launches of the same vehicles. This paper presents a brief description of the Skylab Program, as it was conducted at KSC, and its hardware, along with a broad overview of the problems encountered and their resolution.

Rock, W. H.↗

An evaluation of rain chemistry data for the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida and the University of Central Florida, Orlando

Concern over the effects of Space Shuttle launches prompted the initiation of a rather intense environmental monitoring program. The program included a precipitation monitoring network with 13 precipitation collection sites which were operated for various time periods to baseline precipitation chemistry at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). One additional site was also established as a remote background site on the Univ. of Central Florida (UCF) campus. One of the 13 sites was converted to a National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) station. Collections and analyses of samples were performed using a number of methodologies during the monitoring period. An evaluation of the data for comparability and utility for acid rain research was performed using the anion/cation, measured conductivity, calculated conductivity, Cl/Na, and Mg/Na ratios. Data collected at all KSC sites between 1977 and 1981, from 1983 to 1985 at the NADP site and at UCF to 1985 are comparable and appropriate for determining acid rain trends. Examination of those comparable data showed a fairly stable pH between 1977 and 1982 and an increase of 0.2 pH units which was observed as an incremental increase between 1982 and 1983 at KSC and UCF.

Madsen, Brooks C.↗

Endangered and potentially endangered wildlife on John F. Kennedy Space Center and faunal integrity as a goal for maintaining biological diversity

Buffer zones for space operations provide for a wildlife diversity unsurpassed among most federal facilities in the continental U.S. demonstrating the coexistence possible with one of man's greatest technological achievements. This document ranks 119 resident or migratory wildlife species that are endangered or declining. The ranking system herein was based on species' vulnerability to extinction and the relevance of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for maintaining populations in the U.S. and Florida. One amphibian, 19 reptiles, 80 birds, and 19 mammals were considered endangered or declining. KSC is an integral area for regional species diversity being the focus of the Merritt Island/Cape Canaveral/Turnbull Ecosystem which is part of the Indian River Lagoon watershed, an estuary of national significance. Many species that use this system also use the nearby St. Johns River Basin ecosystem. These two ecosystems are biological corridors between temperate Carolinian and tropical/subtropical Caribbean biotic provinces. Threats to biological diversity on KSC were also reviewed. Traditional environmental assessments, resulting from environmental regulation guidelines, focus on environmental contaminants and habitat lost due to construction. However, this review suggested that small population sizes, isolation of populations, ecosystem and habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and other edge effects may represent more critical threats to biological diversity than the traditional topics.

Breininger, David R.↗

NASA Stennis Space Center Test Technology Branch Activities

This paper provides a short history of NASA Stennis Space Center's Test Technology Laboratory and briefly describes the variety of engine test technology activities and developmental project initiatives. Theoretical rocket exhaust plume modeling, acoustic monitoring and analysis, hand held fire imaging, heat flux radiometry, thermal imaging and exhaust plume spectroscopy are all examples of current and past test activities that are briefly described. In addition, recent efforts and visions focused on accomodating second, third, and fourth generation flight vehicle engine test requirements are discussed.

Solano, Wanda M.↗

Kennedy Space Center Design Visualization

Perform simulations of ground operations leading up to launch at Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg Air Force Base in CA since 1987. We use 3D Laser Scanning, Modeling and Simulations to verify that operations are feasible, efficient and safe.

Humeniuk, Bob↗

Interim Measures Report for the Headquarters Building Area Location of Concern (LOC) 2E East SWMU 104 John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendment portion of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), requires identification and evaluation of all known Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and Locations of Concern (LOCs) located on Kennedy Space Center (KSC) property. The KSC Headquarters Building Area (KHQA) has been identified as SWMU 104 under KSC's RCRA Program. This report summarizes the Interim Measure (IM) conducted by Geosyntec Consultants (Geosyntec) for NASA under Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract NNK12CA13B at the KHQA to mitigate potential exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-affected media at the eastern side of LOC 2E. The IM activities were conducted in June and July 2015 to remediate PCBs above the FDEP Residential Direct-Exposure (R-) Soil Cleanup Target Level (SCTL) of 0.5 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg) established by Chapter 62-777, Florida Administrative Code. The IM was performed in accordance with the IM Work Plan (IMWP) approved by the FDEP, dated August 2012. IM activities were conducted in accordance with the KSC Generic PCB Work Plan (NASA 2007).

Sager, Eric D.↗

Developing a Sustainable, User-Friendly Literature Database to Support the Microgravity Simulation Support Facility (MSSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Established in 2017, the Microgravity Simulation Support Facility (MSSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is the only centralized, dedicated facility supporting ground microgravity research in the United States. The MSSF offers the research community the ability to conduct simulated microgravity research with experimental conditions functionally resembling those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in other flight-based experimental environments. Since its inception, the MSSF has supported numerous studies and has since collected an extensive library of relevant and pertinent literature. The goal of our research was to develop and implement a sustainable, user-friendly literature database to better house this literature at the MSSF. To achieve this, our team focused on sorting, optimizing, and analyzing preexisting literature libraries to determine a best suitable and sustainable platform for the MSSF. After establishing initial database platforms, the team worked to develop descriptive and structural metadata categories to best sort the literature, which was followed by rigorous testing and optimization of the database as it was implemented. The MSSF has now been outfitted with a reliable, accessible database that effectively houses literature and provides diverse analysis to the user. Our team is continuing to test and update our platform and parameters as we aim for the formal implementation, expansion, and evolution of our database to better sustain future research ventures at the MSSF and beyond.

Database Development↗

Long-Term Corrosivity at NASA Kennedy Space Center as a Function of Distance and Time from the Atlantic Ocean

Long-term data to record both seasonal and notional bounding values for corrosivity at multiple sites at NASA Kennedy Space Center was needed to make better materials choices for NASA-based ground and spaceflight programs. The data was valuable for two key reasons, 1) to measure corrosion rate and chloride concentration as a function of time and distance from the Atlantic Ocean, and 2) compare the corrosivity at launchpad and site-specific areas to the more accelerated conditions at the KSC Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site for coating and materials performance prediction. Sites were chosen from 45 meter (150 feet) to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean and corrosion variables at each site were measured throughout each year from June 2017 to April 2023, except the Beachside site, which includes data from November 2010. The summary includes corrosivity data and coating performance comparisons at select sites, which will be used as the updated NASA corrosivity standard for corrosion control requirements.

NASA↗

Johnson Space Center's Leonids Optical Observations

The 1998 Leonids Meteor Shower was videoed by NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) personnel at Houston, Texas, and Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The videos were screened and the Leonids Meteors in the videos were analyzed. The outcome of this effort was tables of counts per hour over the viewing period and a comparison to the Leonids Meteors Mass Distribution model used for risk assessment calculations associated with space shuttle missions. The comparison exhibited a difference between the observed data and the model.

Pawlowski, James F.↗

A study of LC-39 cryogenic systems. Part 1: A study of the vacuum insulated transfer lines at Kennedy Space Center. Part 2: Cooldown pressure surges

The vacuum liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen transfer lines at Kennedy Space Center were studied to evaluate the feasibility of using a condensing gas such as CO2 inside the vacuum spaces to achieve a condensing-vacuum. The study indicates that at ambient temperature, a maximum vacuum hyphen space pressure of 4000 microns is acceptable for the LH2 transfer lines. In addition, the cooldown procedures for the 14-inch cross-country liquid oxygen line was studied using a simplified mathematical model. Preliminary cooldown times are presented for various heat leak rates to the line and for two vent configurations.

Ludtke, P. R.↗

Johnson Space Center Research and Technology 1997 Annual Report

This report highlights key projects and technologies at Johnson Space Center for 1997. The report focuses on the commercial potential of the projects and technologies and is arranged by CorpTech Major Products Groups. Emerging technologies in these major disciplines we summarized: solar system sciences, life sciences, technology transfer, computer sciences, space technology, and human support technology. Them NASA advances have a range of potential commercial applications, from a school internet manager for networks to a liquid metal mirror for optical measurements.

Source record↗

Applied human factors research at the NASA Johnson Space Center Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory

The applied human factors research program performed at the NASA Johnson Space Center's Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory is discussed. Research is conducted to advance knowledge in human interaction with computer systems during space crew tasks. In addition, the Laboratory is directly involved in the specification of the human-computer interface (HCI) for space systems in development (e.g., Space Station Freedom) and is providing guidelines and support for HCI design to current and future space missions.

Rudisill, Marianne↗

The Quality Control Algorithms Used in the Creation of NASA Kennedy Space Center Lightning Protection System Towers Meteorological Database

An accurate database of meteorological data is essential for designing any aerospace vehicle and for preparing launch commit criteria. Meteorological instrumentation were recently placed on the three Lightning Protection System (LPS) towers at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex 39B (LC-39B), which provide a unique meteorological dataset existing at the launch complex over an extensive altitude range. Data records of temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction are produced at 40, 78, 116, and 139 m at each tower. The Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Branch (EV44) received an archive that consists of one-minute averaged measurements for the period of record of January 2011 - April 2015. However, before the received database could be used EV44 needed to remove any erroneous data from within the database through a comprehensive quality control (QC) process. The QC process applied to the LPS towers' meteorological data is similar to other QC processes developed by EV44, which were used in the creation of meteorological databases for other towers at KSC. The QC process utilized in this study has been modified specifically for use with the LPS tower database. The QC process first includes a check of each individual sensor. This check includes removing any unrealistic data and checking the temporal consistency of each variable. Next, data from all three sensors at each height are checked against each other, checked against climatology, and checked for sensors that erroneously report a constant value. Then, a vertical consistency check of each variable at each tower is completed. Last, the upwind sensor at each level is selected to minimize the influence of the towers and other structures at LC-39B on the measurements. The selection process for the upwind sensor implemented a study of tower-induced turbulence. This paper describes in detail the QC process, QC results, and the attributes of the LPS towers meteorological database.

Orcutt, John M.↗

The results of an agricultural analysis of the ERTS-1 MSS data at the Johnson Space Center

The initial analysis of the ERTS-1 multispectral scanner (MSS) data at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas is discussed. The primary data set utilized was the scene over Monterey Bay, California, on July 25, 1972, NASA ERTS ID No. 1002-18134. It was submitted to both computerized and image interpretative processing. An area in the San Joaquin Valley was submitted to an intensive evaluation of the ability of the data to (1) discriminate between crop types and (2) to provide a reasonably accurate area measurement of agricultural features of interest. The results indicate that the ERTS-1 MSS data is capable of providing the identifications and area extent of agricultural lands and field crop types.

Bizzell, R. M.↗