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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Untangling Source-To-Sink Geochemical Signals in a ~3.5 Ga Martian Lake: Sedimentology and Geochemistry of the Murray Formation

Sedimentary rocks are historical archives of planetary surface processes; their grains, textures, and chemistry integrate the effects of source terrains, paleoclimatic conditions, weathering and transport processes, authigenic mineral precipitation, and diagenesis, which records groundwater chemistry through time. “Source to Sink” basin analysis seeks to constrain the influence of each of these different signals through sedimentary and geochemical analyses. Here, we use Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover images and geochemical and mineralogical data from a traverse across a portion of the Murray formation—the lowermost unit exposed in the Gale crater central mound—to begin to constrain the aspects of the source to sink system that formed this Martian mudstone between 3.7 and 3.2 Ga.

Siebach, K. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Constraining the Hydration of X-Ray Amorphous and Clay Mineral Phases in Gale Crater, Mars

Clay minerals and salts in the Gale crater stratigraphy investigated by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover preserve information about sediment sources, depositional environment, and post-depositional alteration history. The compositions of amorphous components in samples have bearing on the redox potential, pH, and chemistry of alteration fluids, and on the heterogeneity of these conditions. Interlayer clay hydration in present-day Gale crater could be an indication of high water/rock ratios of late-stage fluid alteration events, which increases the potential habitability of these post-depositional environments. The MSL Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument (DAN) measures bulk hydration and here we attempt to determine the hydration states of both clay minerals and amorphous components throughout the Curiosity traverse to constrain the abundance of individual amorphous phases and determine if clay interlayer water is present today. These implications are also more broadly applicable to similar sedimentary successions outside Gale crater. In this study, we compare hydration results from DAN to mineralogical results from the MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument (CheMin) for 16 different fluvio-lacustrine sample locations. These samples typically contain one or more hydrated crystalline phases, a hydrated X-ray amorphous fraction composed of multiple amorphous phases, and one or more clay mineral phases which CheMin has consistently measured as collapsed (i.e., no interlayer water). However, Gale samples are known to dehydrate during sample acquisition and handling, and because DAN measures hydration to a depth of tens of cm, we can test for the presence of clay interlayer water in situ by comparing DAN bulk hydration to CheMin mineralogy. We can also constrain the hydration of the samples’ amorphous fractions, and with geochemical data from the ChemCam and APXS instruments, this will allow us to better define the phases which compose this fraction.

S Czarnecki↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

New Mastcam Multispectral Rock Classes in Sulfate-Bearing Strata, Gale Crater, Mars

Orbital data of Gale Crater, Mars has identified a transition in the stratigraphy of Mt. Sharp indicating an environmental change from a wetter one that accommodated clay mineral formation to a drier environment that led to the precipitation of sulfates. Mt. Sharp is not the only location on Mars for which this transition has been observed which suggests a global environmental change around the Noachian-Hesperian transition. Also visible from orbit is a dark-toned marker band that lies within the sulfate-bearing strata hypothesized to be a volcanic ash deposit. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover is currently exploring this region of Mt. Sharp. In-situ analyses by the rover show changes in morphology and chemistry between the sulfate-bearing layers below and above the marker band and the marker band itself. The MSL instrument payload includes the Mast Camera (Mastcam), which collects multispectral images to provide context for other instruments and broad mineralogic interpretations. In addition to mafic Fe-bearing minerals, Mastcam is sensitive to oxides and some hydrated minerals, important indicators of alteration. In our previous work, we compiled a database of Mastcam spectra through Curiosity’s exploration of Vera Rubin ridge (sols 0-2302), from which 9 spectral classes of rocks were identified (Fig. 1D). Each class has diagnostic spectral features that reflect a common mineralogic interpretation. More recently, as Curiosity traversed through the clay-rich region, Glen Torridon (GT), there was some variation in the rock spectral classes potentially due to nontronite and other phyllosilicates, but not enough to warrant new spectral classes (Fig. 1B). We hypothesize that new classes will appear in accordance with sulfate-bearing strata and the marker band, specifically appearing as a ‘downturn’ in the last two wavelength filters that is inherent, but not unique, to polyhydrated Mg-sulfates. Here, we expand upon our analysis of Mastcam multispectral observations through Curiosity’s second encounter with the marker band (up to sol 3672), comparing the spectral diversity within the sulfate-bearing unit and the marker band to the spectral classes encountered previously in the traverse. These analyses will provide a basis for comparison and aid in selecting targets for in-situ investigations as Curiosity continues its ascent of Mt. Sharp.

A M Eng↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hematite Formation and Growth in Gale Crater Seen Through MSL Chemin X-Ray Diffraction Data

For more than 10 Earth years, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has been studying modern sediments and ancient sedimentary rocks deposited by lacustrine, fluvial, deltaic, and eolian processes in Gale crater. The mineral and X-ray amorphous abundances in rocks and sediments have been quantified via X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from the CheMin instrument. The received data demonstrate significant mineralogical variations within the stratigraphy, including changes in the type and abundances of Fe-oxides/oxyhydroxides silica polymorphs, phyllosilicates, and sulfate minerals. Characterizing Fe-oxides/oxyhydroxide minerals in Gale crater is especially important for constraining past aqueous environments because their formation depends on a variety of conditions, including pH, Eh, temperature, and salinity. Hematite, magnetite, goethite, and akaganeite have been identified by CheMin in different portions of the stratigraphic section. Hematite is the most prevalent Fe-bearing oxide mineral and has been detected (>1 wt.%) in 34 of the studied 36 drill targets. Variations in hematite crystallite size were reported in association with Vera Rubin ridge, which has a strong hematite signature in orbital reflectance spectroscopy. Here, we calculate hematite crystallite sizes and shapes for the entire stratigraphic section to date, to characterize trends and evaluate the processes by which hematite formed and transformed in Gale crater.

M. Szczerba↗
NASA NTRS2013

Advanced Aerogel Technology

The JPL Aerogel Laboratory has made aerogels for NASA flight missions, e.g., Stardust, 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers and the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory, as well as NASA research projects for the past 14 years. During that time it has produced aerogels of a range of shapes, sizes, densities and compositions. Research is ongoing in the development of aerogels for future sample capture and return missions and for thermal insulation for both spacecraft and scientific instruments. For the past several years, the JPL Aerogel Laboratory has been developing, producing and testing a new composite material for use as the high temperature thermal insulation in the Advanced Sterling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) being developed by Lockheed Martin and NASA. The composite is made up of a glass fiber felt, silica aerogel, Titania powder, and silica powder. The oxide powders are included to reduce irradiative heat transport at elevated temperatures. These materials have thermal conductivity values that are the same as the best commercially produced high temperature insulation materials, and yet are 40% lighter. By greatly reducing the amount of oxide powder in the composite, the density, and therefore for the value of the thermal conductivity, would be reduced. The JPL Aerogel Laboratory has experimented with using glass fiber felt, expanded glass fiber felt and loose fibers to add structural integrity to silica aerogels. However, this work has been directed toward high temperature applications. By conducting a brief investigation of the optimal combination of fiber reinforcement and aerogel density, a durable, extremely efficient thermal insulation material for ambient temperature applications would be produced. If a transparent thermal insulation is desired, then aerogel is an excellent candidate material. At typical ambient temperatures, silica aerogel prevents the transport of heat via convection and conduction due to its highly porous nature. To prevent irradiative thermal transport, silica aerogel can be used in conjunction with a transparent polymeric material that blocks infrared radiation. The transparency of silica aerogel is typically greater than 90% for visible wavelengths from 500 nm to 900 nm for a 5 mm long path length.

reduce irradiative heat transport↗
NASA NTRS2013

Relay Support for the Mars Science Laboratory Mission

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission landed the Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars on August 6, 2012, beginning a one-Martian-year primary science mission. An international network of Mars relay orbiters, including NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter (ODY) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and ESA's Mars Express Orbiter (MEX), were positioned to provide critical event coverage of MSL's Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL). The EDL communication plan took advantage of unique and complementary capabilities of each orbiter to provide robust information capture during this critical event while also providing low-latency information during the landing. Once on the surface, ODY and MRO have provided effectively all of Curiosity's data return from the Martian surface. The link from Curiosity to MRO incorporates a number of new features enabled by the Electra and Electra-Lite software-defined radios on MRO and Curiosity, respectively. Specifically, the Curiosity-MRO link has for the first time on Mars relay links utilized frequency-agile operations, data rates up to 2.048 Mb/s, suppressed carrier modulation, and a new Adaptive Data Rate algorithm in which the return link data rate is optimally varied throughout the relay pass based on the actual observed link channel characteristics. In addition to the baseline surface relay support by ODY and MRO, the MEX relay service has been verified in several successful surface relay passes, and MEX now stands ready to provide backup relay support should NASA's orbiters become unavailable for some period of time.

Telecommunications↗
NASA NTRS2009

Rover Attitude and Pointing System Simulation Testbed

The MER (Mars Exploration Rover) Attitude and Pointing System Simulation Testbed Environment (RAPSSTER) provides a simulation platform used for the development and test of GNC (guidance, navigation, and control) flight algorithm designs for the Mars rovers, which was specifically tailored to the MERs, but has since been used in the development of rover algorithms for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) as well. The software provides an integrated simulation and software testbed environment for the development of Mars rover attitude and pointing flight software. It provides an environment that is able to run the MER GNC flight software directly (as opposed to running an algorithmic model of the MER GNC flight code). This improves simulation fidelity and confidence in the results. Further more, the simulation environment allows the user to single step through its execution, pausing, and restarting at will. The system also provides for the introduction of simulated faults specific to Mars rover environments that cannot be replicated in other testbed platforms, to stress test the GNC flight algorithms under examination. The software provides facilities to do these stress tests in ways that cannot be done in the real-time flight system testbeds, such as time-jumping (both forwards and backwards), and introduction of simulated actuator faults that would be difficult, expensive, and/or destructive to implement in the real-time testbeds. Actual flight-quality codes can be incorporated back into the development-test suite of GNC developers, closing the loop between the GNC developers and the flight software developers. The software provides fully automated scripting, allowing multiple tests to be run with varying parameters, without human supervision.

Vanelli, Charles A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Characterisation of Float Rocks at Ireson Hill, Gale Crater

Float rocks discovered by surface missions on Mars have given unique insights into the sedimentary, diagenetic and igneous processes that have operated throughout the planet’s history. In addition, Gale sedimentary rocks, both float and in situ, record a combination of source compositions and diagenetic overprints. We examine a group of float rocks that were identified by the Mars Science Laboratory mission’s Curiosity rover at the Ireson Hill site, circa. sol 1600 using ChemCam LIBS, APXS and images from the MastCam, Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) cameras. Geochemical data provided by the APXS and ChemCam instruments allow us to compare the compositions of these rocks to known rock types from Gale crater, as well as elsewhere on Mars. Ireson Hill is a 15 m long butte in the Murray formation with a dark cap-ping unit with chemical and stratigraphic consistency with the Stimson formation. A total of 6 float rocks have been studied on the butte.

Bowden, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Mars Science Laboratory Flight Software Internal Testing

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team is sending the rover, Curiosity, to Mars, and therefore is physically and technically complex. During my stay, I have assisted the MSL Flight Software (FSW) team in implementing functional test scripts to ensure that the FSW performs to the best of its abilities. There are a large number of FSW requirements that have been written up for implementation; however I have only been assigned a few sections of these requirements. There are many stages within testing; one of the early stages is FSW Internal Testing (FIT). The FIT team can accomplish this with simulation software and the MSL Test Automation Kit (MTAK). MTAK has the ability to integrate with the Software Simulation Equipment (SSE) and the Mission Processing and Control System (MPCS) software which makes it a powerful tool within the MSL FSW development process. The MSL team must ensure that the rover accomplishes all stages of the mission successfully. Due to the natural complexity of this project there is a strong emphasis on testing, as failure is not an option. The entire mission could be jeopardized if something is overlooked.

entry, descent, and landing (EDL)↗
NASA NTRS2019

Understanding Martian Alteration Processes by Comparing In-Situ Chemical Measurements from Multiple Landing Sites

Characterizing the history of aqueous activity at the martian surface has been an objective of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Although the geologic context of the three landing sites are different, comparisons across the datasets can provide greater insight than using data from one mission alone. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is common to all three rovers (Spirit at Gusev crater, Opportunity at Meridiani Planum, and Curiosity at Gale crater) and provides a consistent basis for these comparisons. Soil and Dust: Fine grained basaltic soils and dust are remarkably uniform in chemical composition across multiple landing sites. These similarities in the concentrations of major, minor, and a few trace elements (Fig. 1) are indicative of planet-wide consistency in the composition of source materials for the soils. S and Cl vary by a factor of two in the soil and dust, but there is no clear association with any bulk cation (e.g., no correlation between S and total Ca, Mg, or Fe in soils). These volatile elements, however, are clearly associated with the nanophase-ferric iron component in the soil established by Mössbauer spectroscopy [1,2]. S and Cl likely originated as acidic species from volcanic out-gassing and subsequently coalesced on dust and sand grain surfaces, possibly with an affinity towards Fe3+ sites. Importantly, given the mobility of S and Cl in aqueous exposures, soil samples maintaining the typical molar S/Cl ratio of ~3.7:1 indicate minimal interactions with liquid water after the addition of S and Cl. In contrast to this well-established baseline, soil samples have been discovered at all three landing sites with atypical S/Cl ratios (e.g., subsurface soils), indicative of a more complex aqueous history.

Yen, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Balancing Predictive and Reactive Science Planning for Mars 2020 Perseverance

The design of the science planning process for a space science mission needs to find a balance between operational and resource constraints and scientific decision-making. Science planning has previously been characterized as either predictive or reactive. Predictive science planning is needed when constraints drive science activities to be planned far in advance. For example, a combination of long one-way light time plus high-stakes science decisions drove the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn to have an extremely predictive planning process. On the other extreme, reactive science planning is needed when constraints drive science activities to be planned based on the results of the previous plan. For example, the Mars Exploration Rover mission interacted with the surface of Mars, and so the planning team needed to know the state of the rover at the end of each planning cycle before starting the next cycle. Operational and resource constraints that require management on intermediate timescales has led to the development of a science planning process between these two extremes. For example, the Mars Science Laboratory is a technically complex rover and has a parallel predictive process that allows the operations team to manage engineering constraints several days in advance while maintaining the reactive tactical planning process similar to that of MER. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is a technically complex rover in the MSL style, but has an added layer of science complexity: it is tasked with collecting a returnable cache of scientifically valuable samples of Mars within prime mission. Thus, the science planning process also needs to accommodate high-stakes longer-term science decisions in the style of Cassini. In order to balance the push-pull of these constraints, we have developed a science campaign-focused operational paradigm for Mars 2020 Perseverance that allows for both predictive planning to accommodate technological complexity and high-stakes science decisions as well as reactive planning to accommodate the realities of interacting with the martian surface. This paradigm influenced the design of operational processes and operational tools.

Spanovich, Nicole↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA Mars 2020 Landed Mission Development

In January of 2014, NASA received fifty-eight proposals from U.S. and international teams for science and exploration technology investigations, for consideration for inclusion as part of NASA's next mobile landed mission to Mars. The results of the competitive procurement were released in late July of 2014: Seven payloads were selected for the investigations that would contribute to meeting the overall objectives of the mission. The extraordinary scientific and technology development interest in the Mars 2020 mission is a direct result of NASA's sustained and coordinated plan for the exploration of Mars, and ultimately, its search for life elsewhere in the universe. The Mars 2020 Mission will preserve the heritage and directly build upon NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Mission and Curiosity Rover to implement its mission. In this paper, early development history leading to its development announcement, as well as key development status and design features for its implementation, is summarized.

MSR↗
NASA NTRS2012

Hardware QA: Preparing and Certifying a Rover to Land on the Surface of Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory Project presented multiple challenges of complexity for hardware QA personnel. Technical complexity was a major challenge. This is a one-of-kind never-before-been-built Spacecraft with a nuclear-powered Rover the size of a small SUV. It features a never-before-been-used Skycrane landing system featuring a Descent Stage which is a complex spacecraft within itself. Equally complex was figuring out how to support multiple activities at multiple facilities in this country and around the world at the same time.

technical challenges↗
NASA NTRS2005

Mars Science Laboratory thermal control architecture

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission to land a large rover on Mars is being planned for launch in 2009. This paper will describe the basic architecture of the thermal control system, the challenges and the methods used to overcome them by the use of an innovative architecture to maximize the use of heritage from past projects while meeting the requirements for the design.

radioisotope↗
NASA NTRS2013

Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent and Landing System Development Challenges and Preliminary Flight Performance

The Mars Science Laboratory project recently landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. With the success of the landing system, the performance envelope of entry, descent, and landing capabilities has been extended over the previous state of the art. This paper will present an overview of the MSL entry, descent, and landing system, a discussion of a subset of its development challenges, and include a discussion of preliminary results of the flight reconstruction effort.

MSL↗
NASA NTRS2017

Planetary Probe Entry Atmosphere Estimation Using Synthetic Air Data System

This paper develops an atmospheric state estimator based on inertial acceleration and angular rate measurements combined with an assumed vehicle aerodynamic model. The approach utilizes the full navigation state of the vehicle (position, velocity, and attitude) to recast the vehicle aerodynamic model to be a function solely of the atmospheric state (density, pressure, and winds). Force and moment measurements are based on vehicle sensed accelerations and angular rates. These measurements are combined with an aerodynamic model and a Kalman-Schmidt filter to estimate the atmospheric conditions. The new method is applied to data from the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars in August 2012. The results of the new estimation algorithm are compared with results from a Flush Air Data Sensing algorithm based on onboard pressure measurements on the vehicle forebody. The comparison indicates that the new proposed estimation method provides estimates consistent with the air data measurements, without the use of pressure measurements. Implications for future missions such as the Mars 2020 entry capsule are described.

Karlgaard, Chris↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mars Science Laboratory Heatshield Flight Data Analysis

NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars on August 5th, 2012, was the largest and heaviest Mars entry vehicle representing a significant advancement in planetary entry, descent and landing capability. Hypersonic flight performance data was collected using MSLs on-board sensors called Mars Entry, Descent and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI). This talk will give an overview of MSL entry and a description of MEDLI sensors. Observations from flight data will be examined followed by a discussion of analysis efforts to reconstruct surface heating from heatshields in-depth temperature measurements. Finally, a brief overview of MEDLI2 instrumentation, which will fly on NASAs Mars2020 mission, will be presented with a discussion on how lessons learned from MEDLI data affected the design of MEDLI2 instrumentation.

Mars↗