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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 NTRS1991

Next generation: In-space transportation system(s)

The development of the next generation In-Space Transportation System presents a unique challenge to the design of a propulsion system for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Never before have the requirements for long-life, multiple mission use, space basing, high reliability, man-rating, and minimum maintenance come together with performance in one system that must protect the lives of space travelers, support the mission logistics needs, and do so at an acceptable cost. The challenge that is presented is to quantify the bounds of these requirements. The issue is one of degree. The length of acceptable life in space, the time it takes for reuse to pay off, and the degree to which space basing is practical (full, partial, or expended) are the issues that determine the reusable bounds of a design and include dependability, contingency capabilities, resilency, and minimum dependence on a maintenance node in preparation for and during a mission. Missions to planet earth, other non-NASA missions, and planetary missions will provide important but less demanding requirements for the transportation systems of the future. The mission proposed for the SEI require a family of transportation vehicles to meet the requirements for establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon and eventually on Mars. Specialized vehicles are needed to accomplish the different phases of each mission. These large scale missions require assembly in space and will provide the greatest usage of the planned integrated transportation system. The current approach to defining the In-Space Transportation System for the SEI Moon missions with later Mars mission applications is presented. Several system development options, propulsion concepts, current/proposed activities are reviewed, and key propulsion design criteria, issues, and technology challenges for the next generation In-Space Transportation System(s) are outlined.

Huffaker, Fredrick↗
NASA NTRS1990

National space test centers - Lewis Research Center Facilities

The Lewis Research Center, NASA, presently has a number of test facilities that constitute a significant national space test resource. It is expected this capability will continue to find wide application in work involving this country's future in space. Testing from basic research to applied technology, to systems development, to ground support will be performed, supporting such activities as Space Station Freedom, the Space Exploration Initiative, Mission to Planet Earth, and many others. The major space test facilities at both Cleveland and Lewis' Plum Brook Station are described. Primary emphasis is on space propulsion facilities; other facilities of importance in space power and microgravity are also included.

Roskilly, Ronald R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Psychological Health Maintenance on Space Station Freedom

The scheduling of crew rotations for up to 180 days on Space Station Freedom presents a special challenge for behavioral scientists who are tasked with providing psychological support for the crews, their families, and mission flight controllers. Preflight psychological support planning may minimize the negative impact of psychological and social issues on mission success, as well as assist NASA management in making real-time mission planning decisions in the event of a significant social event (for example, the death of a family member). During flight, the combined psychological, emotional, and social stressors on the astronauts must be monitored, along with other aspects of their health. The Health Maintenance Facility (HMF) will have the capability of providing preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic assistance for significant psychiatric and interpersonal problems which may develop. Psychological support will not end with the termination of the mission. Mental health professionals must be part of the team of medical personnel whose job will be to facilitate the transition—physical and mental—from the space environment back to planet Earth. This paper reviews each phase of mission planning for Space Station Freedom and specifies those factors that may be critical for psychological health maintenance on extended-duration space missions.

Patricia A Santy↗
NASA NTRS1990

Engineering, construction, and operations in space II; Proceedings of Space 90, the Second International Conference, Albuquerque, NM, Apr. 22-26, 1990. Vols. 1 & 2

Attention is given to such topics as the processing of lunar soils, the automated processing of extraterrestrial materials, lunar excavation and mining, lunar oxygen, lunar base development, lunar surface structures, planetary surface transportation, and Mars missions. Papers are also presented on the Space Station, space debris, robotics and automated processing, structures and structural response, Mission to Planet Earth, life support systems, space power, human factors, artificial gravity, and education.

Johnson, Stewart W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Large deployable antenna program. Phase 1: Technology assessment and mission architecture

The program was initiated to investigate the availability of critical large deployable antenna technologies which would enable microwave remote sensing missions from geostationary orbits as required for Mission to Planet Earth. Program goals for the large antenna were: 40-meter diameter, offset-fed paraboloid, and surface precision of 0.1 mm rms. Phase 1 goals were: to review the state-of-the-art for large, precise, wide-scanning radiometers up to 60 GHz; to assess critical technologies necessary for selected concepts; to develop mission architecture for these concepts; and to evaluate generic technologies to support the large deployable reflectors necessary for these missions. Selected results of the study show that deployable reflectors using furlable segments are limited by surface precision goals to 12 meters in diameter, current launch vehicles can place in geostationary only a 20-meter class antenna, and conceptual designs using stiff reflectors are possible with areal densities of 2.4 deg/sq m.

Rogers, Craig A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Life sciences report 1987

Highlighted here are the major research efforts of the NASA Life Sciences Division during the past year. Topics covered include remote health care delivery in space, space biomedical research, gravitational biology, biospherics (studying planet Earth), the NASA Closed Ecological Life Support System (CELSS), exobiology, flight programs, international cooperation, and education programs.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Logic programming and metadata specifications

Artificial intelligence (AI) ideas and techniques are critical to the development of intelligent information systems that will be used to collect, manipulate, and retrieve the vast amounts of space data produced by 'Missions to Planet Earth.' Natural language processing, inference, and expert systems are at the core of this space application of AI. This paper presents logic programming as an AI tool that can support inference (the ability to draw conclusions from a set of complicated and interrelated facts). It reports on the use of logic programming in the study of metadata specifications for a small problem domain of airborne sensors, and the dataset characteristics and pointers that are needed for data access.

Lopez, Antonio M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Countermeasures for mitigating the effects of global environment changes

Environmental countermeasures for preventing the negative effects of global climate change and ozone depletion are discussed with special emphasis on the possibilities of space-based actions. Among the programs addressed are the Mission to Planet Earth, the Solar Power Satellite (and linkage to the Space Exploration Initiative), and proposed projects such as a lunar-based power generator that utilizes He-3 as a fusion fuel when combined with deuterium. The concept of regional working groups is proposed for initiating the programs for effective countermeasures.

Jenkins, Lyle M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Science, engineering and enabling technologies for exploration of the universe

This report by NASA's Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology identifies a list of critical technologies needed to support the exploration of the universe. The concept of the Integrated Technology Plan (ITP) is introduced with specific attention given to the strategic planning framework for NASA and other participants involved in the development of space technologies. The required technologies are identified for the Mission to Planet Earth, the Space Exploration Initiative, information systems, spacecraft advancement, and critical astrophysics issues. The ITP presents the basis for strategically planning the development of such technologies as observation systems, on-board processing, EVA systems, aerobraking, nuclear propulsion, scientific information acquisition, and high-energy sensors. The ITP is a significant step towards the planned and prioritized advancement of critical technologies related to the exploration of the universe.

Reck, Gregory M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Science and application payloads in the 90's

An overview is conducted of the payloads under development for NASA to support space science and the Mission to Planet Earth. The science payloads reviewed include the Controls, Astrophysics, and Structures Experiment in Space (CASES), the Advanced Solar Observatory (ASO), the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), and the Lightning Imaging Sensor. The payloads are supported by the Extended Duration Orbiter, the Space Station Freedom, and an infrastructure that includes platforms in polar and geosynchronous orbits. The LAWS payload can provide data for global wind-profile measurements, and the ASO can coordinate solar-physics observations and study solar dynamic processes. The CASES payload is designed to investigate critical control technology for stabilizing and pointing large flexible structures in space for astrophysics missions.

De Sanctis, Carmine E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Science and application missions of the near future

A variety of missions under study for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in support of space science, SEI, and the Mission to Planet Earth are discussed. These science and application payloads including the laser atmospheric wind sounder, inner magnetosphere imager, large lunar telescope, and lunar transit telescope will utilize the capabilities of the Space Station, the earth observing system, GEO, and SEI infrastructure. Attention is given to controls, astrophysics, and structures experiment in space.

De Sanctis, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Global change information support: A north-south coalition

On a daily basis we become more aware that our planet, earth, exists in a delicate balance; we, its inhabitants, must be informed caretakers. Global change communities have emerged around the globe to address this multidisciplinary subject. Information systems that integrate text, bibliographic, numeric and visual data are needed to support these global change communities. No one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. Rather, we must form a coalition, North and South, to collect and provide access to disparate, multidisciplinary sources of information, and to develop standardized tools for documenting and manipulating this data and information. International resources need to be mobilized in a coordinated manner to move us towards this goal. This paper looks at emerging information technologies that can be utilized to build such a system, and outlines some cooperative North/South strategies.

Blados, Walter R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The 1990-1991 project summaries

The Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin participated in the NASA/USRA University Advanced Design Program on both an undergraduate and a graduate level during the 1990-91 academic year. The focus of study was on four design projects that fall into one of the following areas: (1) the establishment of a lunar base and (2) mission planet Earth. The design projects were incorporated into already existing design courses and students worked together in groups of three to five. A background of each area of study is provided, along with synopses, conclusions, and recommendations for further study for each design project.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

NASA's future plans for space astronomy and astrophysics

A summary is presented of plans for the future NASA astrophysics missions called SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility), SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy), SMIM (Submillimeter Intermdiate Mission), and AIM (Astrometric Interferometry Mission), the Greater Observatories, and MFPE (Mission From Planet Earth). Technology needs for these missions are briefly described.

Kaplan, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1993

Global change information support - A north/south coalition

On a daily basis we become more aware that our planet, earth, exists in a delicate balance; we, its inhabitants, must be informed caretakers. Global change communities have emerged around the globe to address this multidisciplinary subject. Information systems that integrate text, bibliographic, numeric and visual data are needed to support these global change communities. No one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. Rather, we must form a coalition, North and South, to collect and provide access to disparate, multidisciplinary sources of information, and to develop standardized tools for documenting and manipulating this data and information. International resources need to be mobilized in a coordinated manner to move us towards this goal. This paper looks at emerging information technologies that can be utilized to build such a system, and outlines some cooperative North/South strategies.

Blados, Walter R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Conceptual thermal design and analysis of a far-infrared/mid-infrared remote sensing instrument

This paper presents the conceptual thermal design and analysis results for the Spectroscopy of the Atmosphere using Far-Infrared Emission (SAFIRE) instrument. SAFIRE has been proposed for Mission to Planet Earth to study ozone chemistry in the middle atmosphere using remote sensing of the atmosphere in the far-infrared (21-87 microns) and mid-infrared (9-16 microns) spectra. SAFIRE requires that far-IR detectors be cooled to 3-4 K and mid-IR detectors to 80 K for the expected mission lifetime of five years. A superfluid helium dewar and Stirling-cycle cryocoolers provide the cryogenic temperatures required by the infrared detectors. The proposed instrument thermal design uses passive thermal control techniques to reject 465 watts of waste heat from the instrument.

Roettker, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

NASA's future plans for space astronomy and astrophysics

NASA's plans in the field of space astronomy and astrophysics through the first decade of the next century are reviewed with reference to specific missions and mission concepts. The missions discussed include the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, the Submillimeter Intermediate Mission, the Astrometric Interferometry Mission, the Greater Observatories program, and Mission from Planet Earth. Plans to develop optics and sensors technology to enable these missions are also discussed.

Kaplan, Michael S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Design of the cryogenic system for the SAFIRE instrument

One of the primary goals of the NASA Mission to Planet Earth is to improve understanding of the ozone chemistry of the atmosphere over an extended period of time. The Spectroscopy of the Atmosphere using Far Infrared Emission (SAFIRE) instrument is being developed to conduct, for the first time, global measurements of the key ozone chemistry constituents in both the mid- and far-infrared spectral regions. Such remote, long-term observations are made possible by the recent development of compact long-life hybrid cryogenic dewars which are necessary to cool the sensitive detectors to the 3-4 K range. The success of this hybrid concept is based on the use of long-life Stirling cycle cryocoolers to intercept parasitic heat from the internal radiation shields of the superfluid helium dewar. Extensive system trade studies are required to optimize the mass, power, and lifetime of these space-borne cryogenic systems. The SAFIRE Cryogenic Subsystem is described, including the thermal performance trades leading to the chosen system configuration and the important dewar/cryocooler interface issues.

Lee, J. H.↗