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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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Skylab experiments are described and their preliminary results are reported. The types of experiments described include medical, earth resources, space physics, space manufacturing, and spacecraft design.
The transportation cost associated with space materials processing were studied to determine the feasibility of space manufacturing. The assumptions use to determining the cost estimates for a 12 year planning period are listed, and the orbitor is described in terms of payloads. Shuttle operational costs, ground operational costs, and nonrecurring investment and development costs were analyzed.
The solidification behavior of gold-silicon alloys containing up to 25 at. % silicon was studied, and a mathematical model of gravity segregation during solidification was developed. A background of knowledge is provided which can be used in the design of zero gravity solidification experiments to be carried out in the 300-ft drop tower, in Aerobee rockets and in future space missions. Such experiments are needed to develop the basic scientific knowledge required for the design of economically viable space manufacturing processes. Some preliminary zero gravity experiments were carried out on a gold-25 at. % silicon alloy using the drop tower facility.
Ion propulsion research and development yields a mature technology that is transferable to a wide range of nonpropulsive applications, including terrestrial and space manufacturing. A xenon ion source was used for an investigation into potential ion-beam applications. The results of cathode tests and discharge-chamber experiments are presented. A series of experiments encompassing a wide range of potential applications is discussed. Two types of processes, sputter deposition, and erosion were studied. Some of the potential applications are thin-film Teflon capacitor fabrication, lubrication applications, ion-beam cleaning and polishing, and surface texturing.
An overview of NASA's current planning for a space industrialization program is described as an introduction to the papers on Space Industrialization being presented by Rockwell International Corporation and Science Applications Incorporated. Background information is presented that outlines the integrated planning process which resulted in specific long range goals and objectives being formulated for NASA programs in technology, environment, resources, earth science, communications, space exploration, aeronautics, and an expanded application of space called space industrialization. Program objectives for NASA's Industrialization of Space and studies on potential near term supporting elements (Space Platform, Large Space Structures, Orbital Operations Capabilities Development, Space Manufacturing Module) are discussed.
Earth-approaching asteroids could provide raw materials for space manufacturing. For certain asteroids the total energy per unit mass for the transfer of asteroidal resources to a manufacturing site in high earth orbit is comparable to that for lunar materials. For logistical reasons the cost may be many times less. Optical studies suggest that these asteroids have compositions corresponding to those of carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites, with some containing large quantities of iron and nickel; other are thought to contain carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, elements that appear to be lacking on the moon. The prospect that several new candidate asteroids will be discovered over the next few years increases the likelihood that a variety of asteroidal resource materials can be retrieved on low-energy missions.
A description and analysis of Michoud Assembly Facility as an operational base for both NASA and NASA-related programs and various government tenant-agencies and their contractors is given. Tenant-agencies are governmental agencies or governmental agency contractors which are not involved in a NASA program, but utilize office or manufacturing space at the Michoud Assembly Facility. The statements represent the full description of the likely environmental effects of the facility and are used in the process of making program and project decisions.
It is proposed that a stratospheric photochemistry simulator could be created in sun-synchronous orbit, so that diffusion and photochemistry could be decoupled and uncertainties in photochemical reaction rates could be substantially reduced. The proposed test chamber is described, and it is suggested that the technology of superpressure balloons seems to be the best short-term solution to the construction of the proposed facility. Both unreinforced polyester films and gelatin films are considered as candidate chamber coatings. It is noted that the experiments can be performed early in the space-manufacturing era and that at least three dedicated Shuttle launches will be required to establish the proposed facility.
The first lunar supply base should have a mass less than 1000 tons, be deployed by 24 persons in 4 months, and be maintained by 10 persons. Output could be expanded 20 times in 5 years to 600,000 tons/yr by a factor of 10 expansion of the area of the solar array on the lunar surface, using low power soil beneficiation, increasing the fleet of mining vehicles, and illuminating the base continuously at night with lunar orbiting mirrors. The space manufacturing facility (SMF) will supply most of the mass (solar cells and orbiting mirrors) necessary for expansion. Several devices and procedures are suggested for development which could further reduce the total mass necessary to transport to the Moon to establish the initial lunar supply base.
The beneficiation of lunar plagioclase and ilmenite ores to feedstock grade permits a rapid growth of the space manufacturing economy by maximizing the production rate of metals and oxygen. A beneficiation scheme based on electrostatic and magnetic separation is preferred over conventional schemes, but such a scheme cannot be completely modeled because beneficiation processes are empirical and because some properties of lunar minerals have not been measured. To meet anticipated shipping and processing needs, the peak lunar mining rate will exceed 1000 tons/hr by the fifth year of operation. Such capabilities will be best obtained by automated mining vehicles and conveyor systems rather than trucks. It may be possible to extract about 40 kg of volatiles (60 percent H2O) by thermally processing the less than 20 micron ilmenite concentrate extracted from 130 tons of ilmenite ore. A thermodynamic analysis of an extraction process is presented.
This paper discusses the results of an experimental study of the electrical aspects of carbon dioxide electrolysis using a ceramic electrolyte. The electrolyte compositions used in this study are 8% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2, 7.5% CaO stabilized ZrO2, and 5% Y2O3 stabilized ThO2. Results indicate that the 8% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 is the best material to use for electrolysis, in terms of current as a function of voltage and temperature, and in terms of efficiency of oxide ion flow through it. The poorest results were obtained with the 5% Y2O3 stabilized ThO2 composition. An electrolysis system which might be employed to reclaim oxygen and carbon from effluents of space manufacturing, assuming that an industry would have to electrolyze 258,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, is predicted to require a total cell area of 110,000 sq m of 1 mm thickness and electrical capacity of 441 MW.
Several representative missions which would require extensive applications of machine intelligence were identified and analyzed. The technologies which must be developed to accomplish these types of missions are discussed. These technologies include man-machine communication, space manufacturing, teleoperators, and robot systems.
Three aspects of the construction and assembly of large space structures, namely transportation costs, human productivity in space and the source of materials (lunar vs terrestrial), are considered. Studies on human productivity have been so encouraging that the cost of human labor is now regarded as much less important than transportation costs. It is pointed out that these costs, although high, are extremely demand-sensitive. Even with high demand, however, the construction of several large systems would warrant the use of lunar materials and space manufacturing. The importance of further research is stressed in order to establish the optimum tradeoff between automation and manual assembly.
A scenario is presented for the retrieval of lunar materials sent into lunar orbit to be used as raw materials in space manufacturing operations. The proposal is based on the launch of material from the lunar surface by an electromagnetic mass driver and the capture of this material in low lunar orbit by a fleet of mass catchers which ferry the material to processing facilities when full. Material trajectories are analyzed using the two-body equations of motion, and intercept requirements and the sensitivity of the system to launch errors are determined. The present scenario is shown to be superior to scenarios that place a single mass catcher at the L2 libration point due to increased operations flexibility, decreased mass driver performance requirements and centralized catcher servicing.
A NASA/ASEE Summer Study conducted at the University of Santa Clara in 1980 examined the feasibility of using advanced artificial intelligence and automation technologies in future NASA space missions. Four candidate applications missions were considered: (1) An intelligent earth-sensing information system, (2) an autonomous space exploration system, (3) an automated space manufacturing facility, and (4) a self-replicating, growing lunar factory. The study assessed the various artificial intelligence and machine technologies which must be developed if such sophisticated missions are to become feasible by century's end.
Six general classes of technology requirements derived during the mission definition phase of the study were identified as having maximum importance and urgency, including autonomous world model based information systems, learning and hypothesis formation, natural language and other man-machine communication, space manufacturing, teleoperators and robot systems, and computer science and technology.
It is a national policy to make the capabilities of the Space Transportation System available to a wide range of potential users. This includes its availability as a space manufacturing facility for commercial activities, which may be carried out on a reimbursable basis or as a joint endeavor with NASA, but with substantial private investment. In any high risk, long lead-time research and development activity directed towards commercialization, the protection afforded the results of the research and development under the laws relating to intellectual property rights may provide an important incentive for private investment. The policies and practices of NASA directed towards the protection of privately-established intellectual property rights involved in STS use are reviewed with particular emphasis on reimbursable launch agreements and joint endeavor agreements.
This article explores a potential scenario for the further development of space infrastructure resources and operations management. It is a scenario that transitions from the current ground-based system to an architecture that is predominantly space-based by exploiting key mission systems in an operational support role. If this view is accurate, an examination of the range of potential infrastructure elements and how they might interact in a maximally productive space-based operations complex is needed, innovative technologies beyond the current Shuttle and Space Station legacy need to be identified, and research programs pursued. Development of technologies within the areas of telerobotics, machine autonomy, human autonomy, in-space manufacturing and construction, propulsion and energy is discussed.