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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 NTRS1983

Autonomous earth feature classification - Shuttle and aircraft flight test results

The Feature Identification and Location Experiment (FILE) flown on the Shuttle STS-2 mission November 12-14, 1981, tested a technique for autonomous real-time classification of selected earth features, i.e., water; bare land; vegetation; and clouds, snow, and ice. A second instrument, designed for aircraft flights, flew over regions of the west and east coasts of the United States and across the country. In each instrument, two bore-sighted CCD cameras image earth scenes in two spectral bands. Each camera includes a 100-element by 100-element detector array, and classification circuits. A simple algorithm and logic circuit provides classification decisions within a few microseconds. The experiment records the number of picture elements (pixels) representing each feature and the reflected solar radiation for each band. After flight, pixel-by-pixel classification images are constructed and compared with 70-mm color photographs taken simultaneously with the CCD-camera data.

Sivertson, W. E., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Langley's CSI evolutionary model: Phase 2

Phase 2 testbed is part of a sequence of laboratory models, developed at NASA Langley Research Center, to enhance our understanding on how to model, control, and design structures for space applications. A key problem with structures that must perform in space is the appearance of unwanted vibrations during operations. Instruments, design independently by different scientists, must share the same vehicle causing them to interact with each other. Once in space, these problems are difficult to correct and therefore, prediction via analysis design, and experiments is very important. Phase 2 laboratory model and its predecessors are designed to fill a gap between theory and practice and to aid in understanding important aspects in modeling, sensor and actuator technology, ground testing techniques, and control design issues. This document provides detailed information on the truss structure and its main components, control computer architecture, and structural models generated along with corresponding experimental results.

Horta, Lucas G.↗

NASA NTRS1998

The Physics of Hard Spheres Experiment on MSL-1: Required Measurements and Instrument Performance

The Physics of HArd Spheres Experiment (PHaSE), one of NASA Lewis Research Center's first major light scattering experiments for microgravity research on complex fluids, flew on board the Space Shuttle's Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL-1) in 1997. Using colloidal systems of various concentrations of micron-sized plastic spheres in a refractive index-matching fluid as test samples, illuminated by laser light during and after crystallization, investigations were conducted to measure the nucleation and growth rate of colloidal crystals as well as the structure, rheology, and dynamics of the equilibrium crystal. Together, these measurements support an enhanced understanding of the nature of the liquid-to-solid transition. Achievement of the science objectives required an accurate experimental determination of eight fundamental properties for the hard sphere colloidal samples. The instrument design met almost all of the original measurement requirements, but with compromise on the number of samples on which data were taken. The instrument performs 2-D Bragg and low angle scattering from 0.4 deg. to 60 deg., dynamic and single-channel static scattering from 10 deg. to 170 deg., rheology using fiber optics, and white light imaging of the sample. As a result, PHaSE provided a timely microgravity demonstration of critical light scattering measurement techniques and hardware concepts, while generating data already showing promise of interesting new scientific findings in the field of condensed matter physics.

Doherty, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Mission Description and In-Flight Operations of ERBE Instruments on ERBS, NOAA 9, and NOAA 10 Spacecraft

Instruments of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) have operated on three different Earth-orbiting spacecraft. The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) is operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the NOAA 9 and NOAA 10 weather satellites are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This paper is one of a series that describes the ERBE mission, in-orbit environments, instrument design and operational features, and data processing and validation procedures. This paper also describes the in-flight operations for the ERBE nonscanner instruments aboard the ERBS, NOAA 9, and NOAA 10 spacecraft from January 1990 through December 1990. Validation and archives of radiation measurements made by ERBE nonscanner instruments during this period were completed in August 1996. This paper covers normal and special operations of the spacecraft and instruments, operational anomalies, and the responses of the instruments to in-orbit and seasonal variations in the solar environment.

Snyder, Dianne↗

NASA NTRS2021

Solar Coronagraphs

A solar coronagraph enables study of the Sun's tenuous outer atmosphere -- the corona -- by occulting the brilliant solar disk. We describe scientific objectives of solar coronagraphy; measurement requirements that follow from those objectives; instrument design principles to effectuate the required measurements; and some aspects of the practical implementation of these principles in space- and ground-based instruments.

Douglas Rabin↗

NASA NTRS1998

A Table-Driven Control Method to Meet Continuous, Near-Real-Time Observation Requirements for the Solar X-Ray Imager

The design of the Solar X-Ray Imager (SXI) for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) presents an unusual scenario for controlling the observing sequences. The SXI is an operational instrument, designed not primarily for scientific research, but for providing "operational" data used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to forecast the near-term space weather. To this end, a sequence of images selected to cover the full dynamic range of the sun will be executed routinely. As the dynamics of the sun have differing temporal cadences, the frequency of various images will differ. These images must be routinely received at the forecast center in near real-time, 24-hours a day, with a minimum of interruptions. While these requirements clearly lead to a 'routine patrol' of images, the parameters for each do not form a static set. The dynamics of the sun will change with the I 1-year solar cycle. The performance of the imaging will vary with on-orbit conditions and time. And while the SXI is not intended as a research instrument, forecasting techniques may change with time, which in turn will further alter the imaging sequences. An additional complication is the highly restricted commanding window, and a very slow commanding rate. To fulfill these requirements, the SXI was designed to utilize a table-driven approach. Sequences are defined using structured loops, with nested repetitions and delays. These sequences reference combinations of imaging parameters which in turn reference tables of parameters than can be loaded by ground commands. Multiple sequences can be built and stored in preparation for execution when determined appropriate by the NOAA forecasters. The result is an approach that can be used to provide a flexible, yet autonomous SXI capable of meeting both arbitrary forecasting requirements, and operating within the commanding constraints.

Wallace, Shawn↗

NASA NTRS1967

Instrument accurately measures weld angle and offset

Weld angle is measured to the nearest arc minute and offset to one thousandth of an inch by an instrument designed to use a reference plane at two locations on a test coupon. A special table for computation has been prepared for use with the instrument.

Boyd, W. G.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Multispectral scanner data applications evaluation. Volume 2: Sensor system study

The optimization of a thematic mapper for earth resources application is discussed in terms of cost versus performance. Performance tradeoffs and the cost impact are analyzed. The instrument design and radiometric performance are also described. The feasibility of a radiative cooler design for a scanning spectral radiometer is evaluated along with the charge coupled multiplex operation. Criteria for balancing the cost and complexity of data acquisition instruments against the requirements of the user, and a pushbroom scanner version of the thematic mapper are presented.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1976

Development of a preliminary design of a method to measure the effectiveness of virus exclusion during water process reclamation at zero-G

Organon Diagnostics has developed, under NASA sponsorship, a monitoring system to test the capability of a water recovery system to reject the passage of viruses into the recovered water. In this system, a non-pathogenic marker virus, bacteriophage F2, is fed into the process stream before the recovery unit and the reclaimed water is assayed for its presence. An engineering preliminary design has been performed as a parallel effort to the laboratory development of the marker virus test system. Engineering schematics and drawings present a preliminary instrument design of a fully functional laboratory prototype capable of zero-G operation.

Fraser, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Mission description and in-flight operations of ERBE instruments on ERBS and NOAA 9 spacecraft, November 1984 - January 1986

Instruments of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) are operating on three different Earth orbiting spacecrafts: the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), NOAA-9, and NOAA-10. An overview is presented of the ERBE mission, in-orbit environments, and instrument design and operational features. An overview of science data processing and validation procedures is also presented. In-flight operations are described for the ERBE instruments aboard the ERBS and NOAA-9. Calibration and other operational procedures are described, and operational and instrument housekeeping data are presented and discussed.

Weaver, William L.↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) for NASA's Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2): Design, Development, and On-Orbit Performance

Conceived in response to the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, ATLAS/ICESat-2 was launched on September 15, 2018 to a polar orbit and has been operating continuously since. The ATLAS instrument is a continuously-operating direct-detection pulsed laser altimeter utilizing a solid-state 532-nm laser source operating at a 10-kHz pulse repetition rate along with a diffractive optic to illuminate six 15-meter spots on the Earth's surface with each laser pulse. An 80-cm receiver telescope fiber-coupled to segmented photomultipliers provides single-photon detection capability. This presentationr will present an overview of the ATLAS instrument design, some challenges encountered during development, and initial results from orbit.

Lidar↗

NASA NTRS1988

Far Ultraviolot Space Telescope (FAUST)

The Far Ultraviolet Space Telescope is a compact, wide field-of-view, far ultraviolet instrument designed for observations of extended and point sources of astronomical interest. It was originally used in sounding rocket work by both French and American investigators. The instrument was modified for flight on the space shuttle and flew on the Spacelab 1 mission as a joint effort between the Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale and the University of California, Berkeley. The prime experiment objective of this telescope on the Atmospheric Laboratory Applications and Science (ATLAS 1) NASA mission is to observe faint astronomical sources in the far ultraviolet with sensitivities far higher than previously available. The experiment will cover the 1300 to 1800 A band, which is inaccessible to observers on earth. The observing program during the mission consists of obtaining deep sky images during spacecraft nighttime. The targets will include hot stars and nebulae in our own galaxy, faint diffuse galactic features similar to the cirrus clouds seen by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), large nearby galaxies, nearby clusters of galaxies, and objects of cosmological interest such as quasars and the diffuse far ultraviolet background.

Bowyer, S.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-29194-DND

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III instrument was deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) in early March 2017. SAGE III/ISS is the latest in the NASA lineage of solar occultation satellite instruments designed to monitor the vertical distribution of aerosol, ozone and other trace gases in the upper atmosphere. Originally built in the early 2000s, the SAGE III/ISS instrument required extensive testing and refurbishment prior to deliver to ISS, including the replacement of the neutral density filter that has been associated with some instrument response issues during the METEOR/3M mission. In particular, METEOR/3M measurements of the oxygen A-band absorption feature near 762 nm that were to be utilized to retrieve profiles of temperature and pressure were adversely affected by this instrument issue. Preliminary examination of the SAGE III/ISS oxygen A-band spectra indicate that the measurements are of higher fidelity than from the METEOR/3M instrument, which may permit successful retrieval of science quality temperature and pressure products. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the temperature and pressure retrieval algorithm, present preliminary analyses of the SAGE III/ISS oxygen A-band measurements, and an initial assessment of the quality of the temperature and pressure retrievals.

Michael Pitts↗

NASA NTRS2009

Ultra-high Temperature Emittance Measurements for Space and Missile Applications

Advanced modeling and design efforts for many aerospace components require high temperature emittance data. Applications requiring emittance data include propulsion systems, radiators, aeroshells, heatshields/thermal protection systems, and leading edge surfaces. The objective of this work is to provide emittance data at ultra-high temperatures. MSFC has a new instrument for the measurement of emittance at ultra-high temperatures, the Ultra-High Temperature Emissometer System (Ultra-HITEMS). AZ Technology Inc. developed the instrument, designed to provide emittance measurements over the temperature range 700-3500K. The Ultra-HITEMS instrument measures the emittance of samples, heated by lasers, in vacuum, using a blackbody source and a Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Detectors in a Nicolet 6700 FT-IR spectrometer measure emittance over the spectral range of 0.4-25 microns. Emitted energy from the specimen and output from a Mikron M390S blackbody source at the same temperature with matched collection geometry are measured. Integrating emittance over the spectral range yields the total emittance. The ratio provides a direct measure of total hemispherical emittance. Samples are heated using lasers. Optical pyrometry provides temperature data. Optical filters prevent interference from the heating lasers. Data for Inconel 718 show excellent agreement with results from literature and ASTM 835. Measurements taken from levitated spherical specimens provide total hemispherical emittance data; measurements taken from flat specimens mounted in the chamber provide near-normal emittance data. Data from selected characterization studies will be presented. The Ultra-HITEMS technique could advance space and missile technologies by advancing the knowledge base and the technology readiness level for ultra-high temperature materials.

Rogers, Jan↗

NASA NTRS1972

Preliminary design study for an atomospheric science facility

The activities and results of the Atmospheric Science Facility preliminary design study are reported. The objectives of the study were to define the scientific goals, to determine the range of experiment types, and to develop the preliminary instrument design requirements for a reusable, general purpose, optical research facility for investigating the earth's atmosphere from a space shuttle orbital vehicle.

Hutchison, R.↗

NASA NTRS1974

The Atmosphere Explorer-C spacecraft temperature alarm

An instrument designed to fly on the Atmosphere Explorer-C (AE-C) spacecraft is described which is to provide a thermal measurement indicative of the temperature of the low mass elements, thus providing information to assist in the decision process regarding real time perigee maneuvers. Also described is the method of achievement of two additional design goals, an indication of the altitude at which aerodynamic heating begins to take place, and a quantitative measure of the aerodynamic flux. Provision of such an instrument obviated the need for very costly and very difficult simulation of the aerodynamic heating during thermal vacuum testing.

Young, E. W.↗

NASA NTRS1988

X-ray objective grating spectrograph

A grazing incidence X-ray spectrograph for investigating the spectra of cosmic X-ray sources is described. The overall instrument design is reviewed, and the key components of the spectrograph, including the gratings, telescope, and detector, are examined. Preliminary performance measurements are reported and plans for the instrument are addressed.

Catura, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

An intercomparison of airborne nitric acid measurements

Results are reported on the performance of (1) denuder-tube/chemiluminescent, (2) nylon-filter/ion-chromatography, and (3) tunable-diode-laser/multipath-absorption HNO3 measurement instruments during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation 2 (CITE 2) program in summer 1986. The instrument designs, test protocols, and CITE 2 flights are described, and the results are presented in extensive graphs and discussed in detail. The data obtained with the three instruments are shown to be in very poor agreement at mixing ratios below 150 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), with significant discrepancies even at higher levels. Instrument (3) gave systematically higher values than (1) and (2). It is concluded that none of the instruments is accurate enough for reliable use at normal atmospheric HNO3 levels (around 100 pptv).

Gregory, G. L.↗